“Be of Good Cheer”
One of the ways God blesses and encourages my heart is through those many, many friends and family He has given Minnie and me through the many years of our life together. So when I returned from those refreshing two weeks with Jon & family in Petaluma, a beautiful town in California, and Jeannine & Chris in their lovely “Evergreen” village in the mountains of Colorado, I was pleased to find so many Christmas cards and Christmas letters and e-mails awaiting me. And I think there will be more still coming. Some of you I hear from only once a year at Christmas time and that’s fine. It’s a good way to stay in contact with many whom we have loved through the years. And I have several that I will be responding to before long.
They were cheerful letters and e-mails and they told a bit of the story of their lives in this past year. (By the way, I have started on my Christmas Letter and expect to finish it and send it before January 13.) So many of you have expressed love and comfort for me in this first Christmas since 1955 without Minnie. And you told me of so many of life’s problems–cancer and other health problems; jobs lost; homes vacated; financial problems; separations from loved ones; children not walking with the Lord; depression and discouragement; uncertainty of the future; some have even faced divorce. And others have had the stability and support of family and friends to help them.
And yet your attitude was one of good cheer and encouragement as you face an uncertain future. (Uncertain in the immediate future, but not uncertain in the longer perspective of eternity.) It seems to me this reflects what Jesus told His disciples just before His death, “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” And He gave them His legacy of peace so that they might face the difficulties of life: “ These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace.” “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you. . . . Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” John 16:33; 14:27 We can be of good cheer because He has already won the victory on the cross and His Presence abides with us now and forever. Our future is assured and secure. Take the long perspective.
The Apostle Peter said the same thing: “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as you are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, you may be glad also with exceeding joy.” 1 Peter 4:12-13
Accept the difficulties of this life as part of the cross we must take up daily to follow Christ and realize that God is accomplishing eternal values in what He, in His providence, brings your way or allows into your life. “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are [temporary], but the things that are unseen are eternal.” 2 Cor. 4:16-18 ESV
Let me offer you a suggestion for the New Year which begins tomorrow: get a copy of Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening and read it every day along with your regular Bible reading. In the morning, as you know, Minnie and I read the Psalms together for 54 years and during her last three years we read and re-read the New Testament aloud together and Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening and other good books. It was such a blessing to both of us and Minnie, even when she was nauseated or suffering, she was always of good cheer. In fact during her last week when she saw the sorrow in our eyes, she tried to cheer us up–and she did!
And one of the ways she cheered those around her bedside was with her thankful spirit. She was thankful for the simple things of life and for whatever came to her from the good hand of our God. Shouldn’t we be thankful that we are not starving or suffering great pain? We are not in a slave labor camp. And you’re not enslaved by drug addiction or alcoholism (at least I hope you’re not!) You have friends and family and adequate resources and a relatively peaceful life to live. Think of the persecuted church in so many places in the world and be thankful for the peace and freedoms we have.
Minnie often said that one day she would see our Lord “face to face.” And now she has! Think of how much better off she is Christmas 2010 compared to what she was experiencing just a year ago Christmas 2009. She would not want to return from the glory she is presently experiencing in the presence of the Lord where all is peace and joy and love. She has complete satisfaction and happiness because scripture says, “As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.” Psalm 17:15
It also says “And I heard a voice from heaven saying, "Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on." "Blessed indeed," says the Spirit, "that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!" Rev. 14:13 “Blessed” means “favored of God,” but it also means perfect “happiness.”
My oldest great-granddaughter asked me today when we were walking from Walmart to our car what Mimi was doing and did she have a body. And I told her that she would have a glorified body after the Resurrection but now if she is just “spirit,” that it is quite all right because she is with the Lord (“absent from the body, present with the Lord”) and Jesus Himself has told us that He has gone to prepare a place for us. John 14:1 And that place is prepared especially for Mimi and she is very happy where she is living now. (It is so encouraging to me that our 11-year old would ask questions like that. We often speak casually about Minnie and how much better off she is now than when she had pancreatic cancer.)
Anticipate what lies ahead. The future is glorious. We often speak of the return of Christ as “the blessed hope” but we have “another blessed hope,” our anticipation of living eternally in heaven and sharing life with the Lord Jesus and His people. “Hope” in scripture means “expectation” or “anticipation” of what must surely take place. “We shall meet Him ourselves face to face, To the Praise of His glorious grace!”
–Pastor Burnside
http://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/morningandevening/550586/
Friday, December 31, 2010
Saturday, December 25, 2010
A Time for Rejoicing and Trusting
Christmas is a time for rejoicing and it's also a time for trusting our Lord to work out His purposes in our lives. "Trust in Him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah." Psalm 62:8 Place your confidence in Him for He is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
He who left heaven's glory to be born as a baby at Christmas time and then redeemed us by dying for us has promised, "Lo, I am with you always." Mt.28:20 To trust Him is to cast yourself on His goodness, His power, His promises, His faithfulness, and His providence. If we cast ourselves on Him by trusting in Him, it is easier for us to "cast our burdens on the Lord and He will sustain you." And this way God will lift us above our fears and discouragements.
"Trust in Him at all times"--during times of rejoicing and prosperity as well as times of adversity. "NOW is a time, not for overgrieving, murmuring, sinking, desponding, but for trusting." Cast your anchor on the Lord. I remember my wife telling me again last Christmas, "What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee." Psalm 56:3
Remember when one of the kings of Israel prayed, "O our God . . . we have no power. . . . We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you." And the response was, "This is what the Lord says to you: 'Do not be afraid or discouraged. . . . For the battle is not yours, but God's.'" And God told him what to do while he was trusting in the Lord to bless his actions and to act on his behalf: ". . . Stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you. . . . Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you." 2 Chronicles 20:12-17 NIV
"Trust in Him at all times and pour out your heart before Him." "Pour out all your trouble before Me" and I will sustain you through the deep waters; they shall not overflow you. "You cannot please Him better than when your heart relies wholly upon Him."
--Adapted from Spurgeon, Treasury of David, II, 59
He who left heaven's glory to be born as a baby at Christmas time and then redeemed us by dying for us has promised, "Lo, I am with you always." Mt.28:20 To trust Him is to cast yourself on His goodness, His power, His promises, His faithfulness, and His providence. If we cast ourselves on Him by trusting in Him, it is easier for us to "cast our burdens on the Lord and He will sustain you." And this way God will lift us above our fears and discouragements.
"Trust in Him at all times"--during times of rejoicing and prosperity as well as times of adversity. "NOW is a time, not for overgrieving, murmuring, sinking, desponding, but for trusting." Cast your anchor on the Lord. I remember my wife telling me again last Christmas, "What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee." Psalm 56:3
Remember when one of the kings of Israel prayed, "O our God . . . we have no power. . . . We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you." And the response was, "This is what the Lord says to you: 'Do not be afraid or discouraged. . . . For the battle is not yours, but God's.'" And God told him what to do while he was trusting in the Lord to bless his actions and to act on his behalf: ". . . Stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you. . . . Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you." 2 Chronicles 20:12-17 NIV
"Trust in Him at all times and pour out your heart before Him." "Pour out all your trouble before Me" and I will sustain you through the deep waters; they shall not overflow you. "You cannot please Him better than when your heart relies wholly upon Him."
--Adapted from Spurgeon, Treasury of David, II, 59
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
"For the mouth of the Lord has spoken it."
That one sentence grounds all our hopes — “For the mouth of the Lord has spoken it.” Our knowledge of the Gospel is not based in human speculation, but in the revealed Word of God. We have not come to know Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord by means of syllogisms or rational calculus. We did not come to know salvation by induction or deduction, but by revelation. We know the great good news of the Gospel because the mouth of the Lord has spoken it.
In this great text from Isaiah, we are firmly established in the knowledge of God’s purposes for his people precisely because God has spoken, and we have heard his Word. Of course, in the verses that follow this declaration, we hear the promise of the eternal power of that Word:
--Albert Mohler
www.AlbertMohler.com
In this great text from Isaiah, we are firmly established in the knowledge of God’s purposes for his people precisely because God has spoken, and we have heard his Word. Of course, in the verses that follow this declaration, we hear the promise of the eternal power of that Word:
--Albert Mohler
www.AlbertMohler.com
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Jesus' Legacy to His Children
Jesus’ Legacy to His Children
Jesus left a legacy to us when He died. You know what a legacy is; it’s something “handed down” or bequeathed to someone after a death, often stated in a will. Jesus is now seated at “the right hand of the Majesty on high.” Heb. 1:3 He told the disciples at the Last Supper that he was going “to prepare a place” for them and for us. And now He is preparing us for that place. He sent the Holy Spirit to help make us more like Christ in our character and attitude towards God. The Holy Spirit was the most important legacy that He gave us. “The Comforter, who is the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” John 14:26 He is called the “paracletos” “the one called alongside to help.” He is the “earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession unto the praise of his glory.” Eph. 1:14 “Earnest” is the down payment, the proof that the rest of the inheritance will be ours some day.
But Jesus also left us another legacy in the very next verse: He gave us the Solution to the problem of fear and worry. Here’s what He said, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” John 14:27 [Notice the verb leave–that’s the legacy.]
The peace Jesus gives us is His peace, the peace that enabled Him to endure the terrible agony of the cross and its temporary separation from the Father. The peace of Christ enables believers to remain calm even in the mostly wildly fearful turmoil. You remember when Jesus and the disciples were caught in the storm at sea and the disciples were terrified. What was Jesus doing? He was “asleep on a pillow” in the back of the boat! “And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. And Jesus was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” Mark 4:35-37
It was a wonderful miracle that Jesus calmed the storm, but wasn’t it also very wonderful that Jesus was able to sleep and have peace in the midst of the storm!
Jesus’ peace enables you to face great difficulties with a calmness in your heart that God gives. “The peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Phil. 4:7 Tranquility of the soul–a settled peace that is not dependent upon outward circumstances, but inner strength from God. There is peace because we know that “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof.” Psalm 46:1-3
Jesus said, “I give to you” this peace. So we see God’s grace again. All that we have comes from Him. His legacy is not riches or worldly honor but peace–peace of heart, peace of conscience, peace because we have been pardoned and our sins forgiven, a living Savior, a home in heaven. “He who spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” Rom. 8:32
“Not as the world giveth, give I unto you.” The world can’t give this peace because it doesn’t have it! it’s not in their possession. “There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.” Isaiah 57:21 The world gives you but empty words, a mere powerless wish when it says Peace or Shalom but Christ’s gift of peace is real.
Jesus said “Let not.” Do not “allow” or permit your heart to be troubled. Do not allow it to be afraid. Fear and worry may come, but you can banish them with this promise from Jesus. And remember Psalm 56:3 “What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.” Instead of being troubled or afraid, they would rejoice. “If you love me, you would rejoice because I am going to the Father.” In effect Jesus was saying, “If you only believe what I have been saying to you, your cares and fears would vanish, and joy would take the place of sorrow.” “As sorrowful, yet always rejoicing. . . .”
Jesus has given us a promise for the future where no foreboding fear of the unknown and dark tomorrow threatens us. Our destiny in the future is secured eternally. We have “an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you.” 1 Peter 1.4
“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” Jesus gives you a choice: you can either stay troubled and afraid or you can refuse to be troubled and afraid. What will you let your mind dwell on? Your problems–or worries, most of which will never materialize anyway. Fear and worry do nothing constructive. They don’t accomplish anything.
Or will you focus your mind on Jesus and His promises and His command, “Fear not”–no matter how wild the storm or how serious the potential problem. Set your mind and affection on things above–and on Jesus Himself; “fixing your eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.” --Pastor Burnside
Jesus left a legacy to us when He died. You know what a legacy is; it’s something “handed down” or bequeathed to someone after a death, often stated in a will. Jesus is now seated at “the right hand of the Majesty on high.” Heb. 1:3 He told the disciples at the Last Supper that he was going “to prepare a place” for them and for us. And now He is preparing us for that place. He sent the Holy Spirit to help make us more like Christ in our character and attitude towards God. The Holy Spirit was the most important legacy that He gave us. “The Comforter, who is the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” John 14:26 He is called the “paracletos” “the one called alongside to help.” He is the “earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession unto the praise of his glory.” Eph. 1:14 “Earnest” is the down payment, the proof that the rest of the inheritance will be ours some day.
But Jesus also left us another legacy in the very next verse: He gave us the Solution to the problem of fear and worry. Here’s what He said, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” John 14:27 [Notice the verb leave–that’s the legacy.]
The peace Jesus gives us is His peace, the peace that enabled Him to endure the terrible agony of the cross and its temporary separation from the Father. The peace of Christ enables believers to remain calm even in the mostly wildly fearful turmoil. You remember when Jesus and the disciples were caught in the storm at sea and the disciples were terrified. What was Jesus doing? He was “asleep on a pillow” in the back of the boat! “And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. And Jesus was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” Mark 4:35-37
It was a wonderful miracle that Jesus calmed the storm, but wasn’t it also very wonderful that Jesus was able to sleep and have peace in the midst of the storm!
Jesus’ peace enables you to face great difficulties with a calmness in your heart that God gives. “The peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Phil. 4:7 Tranquility of the soul–a settled peace that is not dependent upon outward circumstances, but inner strength from God. There is peace because we know that “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof.” Psalm 46:1-3
Jesus said, “I give to you” this peace. So we see God’s grace again. All that we have comes from Him. His legacy is not riches or worldly honor but peace–peace of heart, peace of conscience, peace because we have been pardoned and our sins forgiven, a living Savior, a home in heaven. “He who spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” Rom. 8:32
“Not as the world giveth, give I unto you.” The world can’t give this peace because it doesn’t have it! it’s not in their possession. “There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.” Isaiah 57:21 The world gives you but empty words, a mere powerless wish when it says Peace or Shalom but Christ’s gift of peace is real.
Jesus said “Let not.” Do not “allow” or permit your heart to be troubled. Do not allow it to be afraid. Fear and worry may come, but you can banish them with this promise from Jesus. And remember Psalm 56:3 “What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.” Instead of being troubled or afraid, they would rejoice. “If you love me, you would rejoice because I am going to the Father.” In effect Jesus was saying, “If you only believe what I have been saying to you, your cares and fears would vanish, and joy would take the place of sorrow.” “As sorrowful, yet always rejoicing. . . .”
Jesus has given us a promise for the future where no foreboding fear of the unknown and dark tomorrow threatens us. Our destiny in the future is secured eternally. We have “an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you.” 1 Peter 1.4
“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” Jesus gives you a choice: you can either stay troubled and afraid or you can refuse to be troubled and afraid. What will you let your mind dwell on? Your problems–or worries, most of which will never materialize anyway. Fear and worry do nothing constructive. They don’t accomplish anything.
Or will you focus your mind on Jesus and His promises and His command, “Fear not”–no matter how wild the storm or how serious the potential problem. Set your mind and affection on things above–and on Jesus Himself; “fixing your eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.” --Pastor Burnside
"His peace changes everything."
Minnie Burnside's talk on “Jehovah Shalom” February 14, 2008 at "Heart and Hand" women's group at Sequim Bible Church, Sequim, Washington.
[This was only 7 months since Whipple surgery, July 13, 2007. She had just completed her six months of chemo in January.]
[The first half of her talk was on the use and meaning of “Jehovah Shalom” in the Bible, beginning with its first use at the time of Gideon. She pointed out that Jehovah Shalom means that God gives peace and that He is our peace. We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ and then the peace of God in our hearts through the legacy of peace that Jesus left us. And she said, “And His peace changes everything.”]
She read many scriptures on peace including the three “let’s”: John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” with “let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.” Col. 3:15]
She then told in detail the medical events leading up to the Whipple [It took me 5 handwritten pages of notes to record her words.]
Minnie told of two prayers she prayed to the Lord:
1. “Lord, give me your peace. And I said, ‘Lord, whatever happens, it’s OK. And I talked to my grandchildren on the phone and I said, ‘You know if I don’t come through this surgery or if I come through it and then the results are what happens with pancreatic cancer and I go home to be with the Lord, it’s OK.’ If they call you and tell you I’m dead, don’t believe it because I’ll be more alive then than I have ever been. I will be with the Lord.’”
“And I told the Lord the day I went into surgery, I said, ‘Lord, if you want to take me home, that’s OK. If you want to leave me here, that’s OK. I’m OK with that.”
God drove me to the scriptures over and over and over again. And everytime peace was mentioned, I also noticed that the way to have this peace, was through His Word, through His Word, through His promises!”
“So He drove me to His Word and I asked the Lord, I said, “Lord, I’ve prayed to you through these times. I have been thankful. Teach me now to be thankful through the hard times.” [And we all remember the thankful spirit she had during the entire three years, setting us a very strong example to follow.]
2. Minnie continued, “And I don’t like to be taken care of. I don’t want to be waited on. I like to take care of other people. So I knew I was going to have things to learn. And I asked the Lord, ‘Make me easy to be taken care of.’ And from the very time I got sick, never have I felt so much care and so much prayer from my brothers and sisters literally from all over the world. We got letters from Africa, from Belgium, from China, from Korea. People all over the world were saying, ‘I’m praying for you and I’m praying that God will be glorified. . . .’”
[God certainly answered that prayer, too, as I can testify since I was her primary care giver. She was a very easy, appreciative, cooperative patient and so very often thanked me or someone else even for the simple things, like getting her a glass of water or helping her to the bathroom. How difficult it was for her to watch her strength just ebb away. For awhile she was able to be a bit stronger in the mornings and then got so tired in the afternoon and evenings. But she did not complain. Through it all she was thankful to the Lord and we always found something every day to be thankful for. She told me so many times how God had given her His peace and that ruled in her heart.]
--Minnie Burnside (ed. Pastor Burnside)
[This was only 7 months since Whipple surgery, July 13, 2007. She had just completed her six months of chemo in January.]
[The first half of her talk was on the use and meaning of “Jehovah Shalom” in the Bible, beginning with its first use at the time of Gideon. She pointed out that Jehovah Shalom means that God gives peace and that He is our peace. We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ and then the peace of God in our hearts through the legacy of peace that Jesus left us. And she said, “And His peace changes everything.”]
She read many scriptures on peace including the three “let’s”: John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” with “let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.” Col. 3:15]
She then told in detail the medical events leading up to the Whipple [It took me 5 handwritten pages of notes to record her words.]
Minnie told of two prayers she prayed to the Lord:
1. “Lord, give me your peace. And I said, ‘Lord, whatever happens, it’s OK. And I talked to my grandchildren on the phone and I said, ‘You know if I don’t come through this surgery or if I come through it and then the results are what happens with pancreatic cancer and I go home to be with the Lord, it’s OK.’ If they call you and tell you I’m dead, don’t believe it because I’ll be more alive then than I have ever been. I will be with the Lord.’”
“And I told the Lord the day I went into surgery, I said, ‘Lord, if you want to take me home, that’s OK. If you want to leave me here, that’s OK. I’m OK with that.”
God drove me to the scriptures over and over and over again. And everytime peace was mentioned, I also noticed that the way to have this peace, was through His Word, through His Word, through His promises!”
“So He drove me to His Word and I asked the Lord, I said, “Lord, I’ve prayed to you through these times. I have been thankful. Teach me now to be thankful through the hard times.” [And we all remember the thankful spirit she had during the entire three years, setting us a very strong example to follow.]
2. Minnie continued, “And I don’t like to be taken care of. I don’t want to be waited on. I like to take care of other people. So I knew I was going to have things to learn. And I asked the Lord, ‘Make me easy to be taken care of.’ And from the very time I got sick, never have I felt so much care and so much prayer from my brothers and sisters literally from all over the world. We got letters from Africa, from Belgium, from China, from Korea. People all over the world were saying, ‘I’m praying for you and I’m praying that God will be glorified. . . .’”
[God certainly answered that prayer, too, as I can testify since I was her primary care giver. She was a very easy, appreciative, cooperative patient and so very often thanked me or someone else even for the simple things, like getting her a glass of water or helping her to the bathroom. How difficult it was for her to watch her strength just ebb away. For awhile she was able to be a bit stronger in the mornings and then got so tired in the afternoon and evenings. But she did not complain. Through it all she was thankful to the Lord and we always found something every day to be thankful for. She told me so many times how God had given her His peace and that ruled in her heart.]
--Minnie Burnside (ed. Pastor Burnside)
Making All Things Right
“Making All Things Right”
What do you think of when you hear the words “judge, judgment, justice, judging”? You need to think of the context in which they are mentioned because they often mean different things. Usually we think of something “judicial,” a judgment of the court, but in the Old Testament “judging” often mean an executive function rather than a judicial (although of course it could mean either depending on the context.) The king was to bring “justice” and that meant not allowing the more powerful to use their authority or economic strength or position to oppress others. Abraham asked the rhetorical question, “shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” Genesis 18:25 And of course He always does because justice and righteousness and holiness are His infinitely. And so is wisdom and patience and goodness and love and kindness.
We belong to God by right of creation and He takes care of His own. Psalms 9 and 10 cry out to God to “judge the world with righteousness” and “judge people with uprightness.” “The Lord sits enthroned forever; He has established His throne for justice.” 9:7-8
Aren’t you amazed and alarmed at the terrible things people do to each other? Don’t you want God to “intervene” and stop the violence and wickedness and cruelty? Doesn’t your heart cry out for justice and righteousness in the world? “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled” (or satisfied). Mt. 5:6 And that’s for us in the midst of this wicked and fallen world in which we live. And of course part of the problem is “us” because we, too, are “fallen creatures in a fallen world.”
And we look forward to the day when God will “judge the earth” and “make all things right.” In eternity future in heaven there will be no evil or lies or sexual immorality or pride and arrogance or oppression of anyone. Perfect righteousness as well as perfect love and complete satisfaction in fellowship with God and our brethren. And all who do not have eternal life in Christ because of their rebellion against Him will be cast into the lake of fire “which is the second death.” Rev. 21:8 The wickedness of this world will not be taken into heaven. It will be destroyed.
But what about “now”? The Psalmist cries out to God “to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more.” 10:18 The wicked “say in his heart, ‘You will not “call to account,” “But you do see, for you note mischief and vexation, that you may take it into your hands. . . . you have been the helper of the fatherless.” Stop him, Lord! “Break the arm of the wicked and evildoer; call his wickedness to account till you find none.” 10:15
God does intervene and protect and we pray for Him to do that, but when He allows the wicked to prevail (though He limits what they can do), God strengthens the person going through the trial: “O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted; you will strengthen their heart.” 10:17
One of the ways God limits the power of the wicked and the godless is through poetic justice: they fall into the net they themselves spread. “In arrogance the wicked hotly pursue the poor; let them be caught in the schemes that they have devised.” 10:2 “The nations have sunk in the pit that they made; in the net that they hid their own foot has been caught.” 9:15
The wicked “sits in ambush in the villages; in hiding places he murders the innocent. His eyes stealthily watch for the helpless; he lurks in ambush like a lion in his thicket; he lurks that he may seize the poor; he seizes the poor when he draws him into his net. The helpless are crushed, sink down, and fall by his might.” 10:8-10
Doesn’t your heart cry out to God when you hear of all the predators and the wickedness in this world, the clever schemes that they draw people into like a trap? Gambling, sex, drugs, covetousness, violence of all kinds. “Arise, O Lord! Let not man prevail; let the nations be judged before you! Put them in fear, O Lord! Let the nations know that they are but men!” 9:19-20
“For it is written, ‘As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.’ So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.” Romans 14:11-12 “Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” and brings forgiveness to all who sincerely call upon Him in repentance and faith. The keynote is at the beginning of Psalm 9:1-2 ESV “I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.” –Pastor Burnside
What do you think of when you hear the words “judge, judgment, justice, judging”? You need to think of the context in which they are mentioned because they often mean different things. Usually we think of something “judicial,” a judgment of the court, but in the Old Testament “judging” often mean an executive function rather than a judicial (although of course it could mean either depending on the context.) The king was to bring “justice” and that meant not allowing the more powerful to use their authority or economic strength or position to oppress others. Abraham asked the rhetorical question, “shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” Genesis 18:25 And of course He always does because justice and righteousness and holiness are His infinitely. And so is wisdom and patience and goodness and love and kindness.
We belong to God by right of creation and He takes care of His own. Psalms 9 and 10 cry out to God to “judge the world with righteousness” and “judge people with uprightness.” “The Lord sits enthroned forever; He has established His throne for justice.” 9:7-8
Aren’t you amazed and alarmed at the terrible things people do to each other? Don’t you want God to “intervene” and stop the violence and wickedness and cruelty? Doesn’t your heart cry out for justice and righteousness in the world? “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled” (or satisfied). Mt. 5:6 And that’s for us in the midst of this wicked and fallen world in which we live. And of course part of the problem is “us” because we, too, are “fallen creatures in a fallen world.”
And we look forward to the day when God will “judge the earth” and “make all things right.” In eternity future in heaven there will be no evil or lies or sexual immorality or pride and arrogance or oppression of anyone. Perfect righteousness as well as perfect love and complete satisfaction in fellowship with God and our brethren. And all who do not have eternal life in Christ because of their rebellion against Him will be cast into the lake of fire “which is the second death.” Rev. 21:8 The wickedness of this world will not be taken into heaven. It will be destroyed.
But what about “now”? The Psalmist cries out to God “to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more.” 10:18 The wicked “say in his heart, ‘You will not “call to account,” “But you do see, for you note mischief and vexation, that you may take it into your hands. . . . you have been the helper of the fatherless.” Stop him, Lord! “Break the arm of the wicked and evildoer; call his wickedness to account till you find none.” 10:15
God does intervene and protect and we pray for Him to do that, but when He allows the wicked to prevail (though He limits what they can do), God strengthens the person going through the trial: “O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted; you will strengthen their heart.” 10:17
One of the ways God limits the power of the wicked and the godless is through poetic justice: they fall into the net they themselves spread. “In arrogance the wicked hotly pursue the poor; let them be caught in the schemes that they have devised.” 10:2 “The nations have sunk in the pit that they made; in the net that they hid their own foot has been caught.” 9:15
The wicked “sits in ambush in the villages; in hiding places he murders the innocent. His eyes stealthily watch for the helpless; he lurks in ambush like a lion in his thicket; he lurks that he may seize the poor; he seizes the poor when he draws him into his net. The helpless are crushed, sink down, and fall by his might.” 10:8-10
Doesn’t your heart cry out to God when you hear of all the predators and the wickedness in this world, the clever schemes that they draw people into like a trap? Gambling, sex, drugs, covetousness, violence of all kinds. “Arise, O Lord! Let not man prevail; let the nations be judged before you! Put them in fear, O Lord! Let the nations know that they are but men!” 9:19-20
“For it is written, ‘As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.’ So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.” Romans 14:11-12 “Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” and brings forgiveness to all who sincerely call upon Him in repentance and faith. The keynote is at the beginning of Psalm 9:1-2 ESV “I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.” –Pastor Burnside
Thursday, December 9, 2010
9. 2nd Corinthians Bible Study chapter 7–“God comforts the downcast”
9. 2nd Corinthians Bible Study chapter 7–“God comforts the downcast”
Spiritual struggles accompanied the establishment and growth of the church at Corinth. There were issues of doctrine and issues of truth and personal issues with some of the false teachers who wanted to get rid of the Apostle Paul. “When we came into Macedonia,” Paul wrote, “our bodies had no rest, but we were afflicted at every turn–fighting without and fear within.” 7:5 We’ve all been faced with that kind of situation sometime in our lives. So it’s a welcome sight to see the next verse: “But God, who comforts the downcast. . . .” What great reassurance for those who are “downcast” to know they will be comforted by God.
He had already told us so in 2 Cor. 1:4 “who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” So who then are the “downcast” who receive this comfort from God?
The word in Greek that is translated “downcast” is tapeinos “depressed, i.e. (figuratively) humiliated (in circumstances or disposition).” Literally it means "that which is low, and does not rise far from the ground." It is “to be brought low in the sense of being humbled, to have one’s arrogance knocked out of him.” To “depedestalise”
An extended meaning is to bow in the sense of walking in a dejected manner as in a period of mourning.
In many different ways we are humbled by our struggles with affliction and often discouraged by them. And it is for us who experience those problems to know that God Himself personally and individually “comforts the downcast.” That is a promise to remember and hold in your mind. The very fact that it is in the Bible should comfort and encourage you. Of course that reminds you of Psalm 42 “why are you cast down, O my soul, and why disquieted within me? Hope in God [look to God and expect Him to help] for I shall yet praise Him who is the health of my countenance and my God.”
The verse continues: “But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus. . . .” So God used other people to bring comfort and encouragement to them. That happens very often. “And besides our own comfort, we rejoiced still more at the joy of Titus, because his spirit has been refreshed by you all.” 7:13 God has enabled us to encourage our brothers and sisters in Christ and bring refreshment of spirit to them. “He restores my soul.” Psalm 23:3 And God does that for us daily: “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day.” 4:16 Encouraging others should be a major part of our ministry as Hebrews 3:14 NIV explicitly tells us: “Encourage one another daily. . . .”
And when we do, it brings joy to us as well as to those we encourage. Jesus’ desire is “that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.” John 15:11 We are now in the Christmas season. How joyful we should be in the Lord. We joy in the Incarnation, in the Cross and Resurrection and that means we share His joy on His terms, meaning we share in His sufferings as He calls us to. Jesus was a “Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” and He experienced pain and suffering. But He endured the cross “for the joy set before Him.” Lift your eyes up beyond your immediate problems to the joy that God has in store for you in the glory that is yet to come.
We have “the sentence of death in ourselves” so that we might learn to “rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.” 1:9 “In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help” and He heard me and “brought me out into a spacious place; He rescued me because He delighted in me.” Psalm 18:6,19 So much depends on your attitude towards God when you acknowledge what He is accomplishing in your life, making you more like Christ and preparing you for the future and enabling you to help and encourage one another. Take your eyes off your suffering and direct them to the Lord and what He is doing and what He wants you to do. “Rejoice in our sufferings because suffering produces endurance and endurance produces character and character produces hope (or anticipation) and hope does not disappoint us Romans 5:1-5 because God is really there and His grace is really here with us–“He strengthens us, holds us, and causes us to stand upheld by His gracious omnipotent hand.”
He doesn’t remove the problems or the sorrow or the suffering, but it’s OK. It’s OK, Lord–because you are Lord and we are not. His grace really is sufficient for us. Believe it because it’s true!
–Pastor Burnside
Spiritual struggles accompanied the establishment and growth of the church at Corinth. There were issues of doctrine and issues of truth and personal issues with some of the false teachers who wanted to get rid of the Apostle Paul. “When we came into Macedonia,” Paul wrote, “our bodies had no rest, but we were afflicted at every turn–fighting without and fear within.” 7:5 We’ve all been faced with that kind of situation sometime in our lives. So it’s a welcome sight to see the next verse: “But God, who comforts the downcast. . . .” What great reassurance for those who are “downcast” to know they will be comforted by God.
He had already told us so in 2 Cor. 1:4 “who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” So who then are the “downcast” who receive this comfort from God?
The word in Greek that is translated “downcast” is tapeinos “depressed, i.e. (figuratively) humiliated (in circumstances or disposition).” Literally it means "that which is low, and does not rise far from the ground." It is “to be brought low in the sense of being humbled, to have one’s arrogance knocked out of him.” To “depedestalise”
An extended meaning is to bow in the sense of walking in a dejected manner as in a period of mourning.
In many different ways we are humbled by our struggles with affliction and often discouraged by them. And it is for us who experience those problems to know that God Himself personally and individually “comforts the downcast.” That is a promise to remember and hold in your mind. The very fact that it is in the Bible should comfort and encourage you. Of course that reminds you of Psalm 42 “why are you cast down, O my soul, and why disquieted within me? Hope in God [look to God and expect Him to help] for I shall yet praise Him who is the health of my countenance and my God.”
The verse continues: “But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus. . . .” So God used other people to bring comfort and encouragement to them. That happens very often. “And besides our own comfort, we rejoiced still more at the joy of Titus, because his spirit has been refreshed by you all.” 7:13 God has enabled us to encourage our brothers and sisters in Christ and bring refreshment of spirit to them. “He restores my soul.” Psalm 23:3 And God does that for us daily: “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day.” 4:16 Encouraging others should be a major part of our ministry as Hebrews 3:14 NIV explicitly tells us: “Encourage one another daily. . . .”
And when we do, it brings joy to us as well as to those we encourage. Jesus’ desire is “that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.” John 15:11 We are now in the Christmas season. How joyful we should be in the Lord. We joy in the Incarnation, in the Cross and Resurrection and that means we share His joy on His terms, meaning we share in His sufferings as He calls us to. Jesus was a “Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” and He experienced pain and suffering. But He endured the cross “for the joy set before Him.” Lift your eyes up beyond your immediate problems to the joy that God has in store for you in the glory that is yet to come.
We have “the sentence of death in ourselves” so that we might learn to “rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.” 1:9 “In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help” and He heard me and “brought me out into a spacious place; He rescued me because He delighted in me.” Psalm 18:6,19 So much depends on your attitude towards God when you acknowledge what He is accomplishing in your life, making you more like Christ and preparing you for the future and enabling you to help and encourage one another. Take your eyes off your suffering and direct them to the Lord and what He is doing and what He wants you to do. “Rejoice in our sufferings because suffering produces endurance and endurance produces character and character produces hope (or anticipation) and hope does not disappoint us Romans 5:1-5 because God is really there and His grace is really here with us–“He strengthens us, holds us, and causes us to stand upheld by His gracious omnipotent hand.”
He doesn’t remove the problems or the sorrow or the suffering, but it’s OK. It’s OK, Lord–because you are Lord and we are not. His grace really is sufficient for us. Believe it because it’s true!
–Pastor Burnside
Monday, December 6, 2010
8.2 2nd Corinthians Bible Study Chapter 6–cont.
8.2 2nd Corinthians Bible Study Chapter 6–cont.
We are “workers together with God”–God Himself works through us–and
if we ever get the idea that “we” are doing something in our own strength and then hand our “good deeds” to God as a gift–our efforts will be fruitless. We must NEVER forget where the power comes from. “Without Me ye can do nothing,” Jesus told His disciples.
We are dependent on God as we minister “life-to-life”–from my to yours and from your lives to ours. We are “servants of God”–doulos = “voluntary bond-slaves of Jesus Christ. Aye, and we have a most gracious and generous master! But we do not seek greater comfort and prosperity, but greater endurance.
Paul now gives us nine trials and nine qualities that God produces in His servants, followed by a group of paradoxes for us as Christ’s servants.
Nine trials (in 3 groups of 3) 6:4-5
1. Afflictions, hardships, and distresses–trials and difficulties from which there is no escape.
2. External persecution: beatings, imprisonments, riots
3. Demands of our ministry: labors, sleeplessness, fastings or hunger
Nine qualities God produces in His servants 6:6
. 1. by purity, –righteousness of life & purity of thought
2. by knowledge of God’s Word–control of your mind & spirit in adversity
3. by longsuffering–patient and tolerant with people
4. by kindness = goodness in action; helpful, useful even to those who mistreated him “Let us do good to all”
5. by the Holy Spirit–empowers endurance; filled with the Spirit; had access to the Father through the Holy Spirit; taught by Him; prayed in the Spirit; did not grieve the Spirit or quench Him.
And the Holy Spirit produced in Him
6. Genuine love or sincere love –agape love Romans 5:5 God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
7. by the word of truth–obviously the Scriptures–in this context esp. the truth of the Gospel itself.
8. by the power of God–not with human resources or his own cleverness –only the wisdom and power of God “that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God”
9. by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left,
Used the armor of God FOR the right hand and the left–fully armed with the whole armor of God Eph. 6
Paradoxes 6:8-10
1. “By glory and dishonor” = praised and despised; exalted & maligned; flattered and criticized; cherished and vilified. Consequently, some will give “an evil report” about you and others will give “a good report.” Those who are faithful to the truth cannot expect all people to speak well of them. Luke 6:26 “Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.”–slander
2. “Regarded as deceivers and yet true”–as was the Lord Jesus, e.g., John 7:12
“And there was much grumbling among the crowds concerning him: for some said, He is a good man: others said, Nay; but he deceiveth the people.” Satan is the father of lies and seeks to destroy your reputation.
3. “As dying yet behold we live”: seemingly always on the brink of death
2 Cor. 1:8-10 For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life: [9] But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead: [10] Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us;
4. “As sorrowful yet always rejoicing”–deep unfailing joy from the Lord “always rejoicing” Sometimes people say, “But I don’t feel like rejoicing!” Well, do it anyway! “Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say, Rejoice!” That doesn’t mean you “feel happy”! Joy is much deeper than that. Jesus is our example here, too. “Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” but for the joy set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame.
5. “As poor yet making many rich”–poor in terms of this world’s possessions; but incredibly rich spiritually. Eternally rich with an eternal inheritance.
2 Cor. 8:9 For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.
Eph. 3:8 the unsearchable riches of Christ,
1 Peter 1:4. 4. to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,
6. “As having nothing and yet possessing all things.” We’re poor, appearing to have nothing, but in reality we possess all the eternal things that really matter. –Don’t feel sorry for us!!
1 Cor. 3:21-23 For all things are yours; [22] Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; And ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's.
Romans 8:32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
–Pastor Burnside
We are “workers together with God”–God Himself works through us–and
if we ever get the idea that “we” are doing something in our own strength and then hand our “good deeds” to God as a gift–our efforts will be fruitless. We must NEVER forget where the power comes from. “Without Me ye can do nothing,” Jesus told His disciples.
We are dependent on God as we minister “life-to-life”–from my to yours and from your lives to ours. We are “servants of God”–doulos = “voluntary bond-slaves of Jesus Christ. Aye, and we have a most gracious and generous master! But we do not seek greater comfort and prosperity, but greater endurance.
Paul now gives us nine trials and nine qualities that God produces in His servants, followed by a group of paradoxes for us as Christ’s servants.
Nine trials (in 3 groups of 3) 6:4-5
1. Afflictions, hardships, and distresses–trials and difficulties from which there is no escape.
2. External persecution: beatings, imprisonments, riots
3. Demands of our ministry: labors, sleeplessness, fastings or hunger
Nine qualities God produces in His servants 6:6
. 1. by purity, –righteousness of life & purity of thought
2. by knowledge of God’s Word–control of your mind & spirit in adversity
3. by longsuffering–patient and tolerant with people
4. by kindness = goodness in action; helpful, useful even to those who mistreated him “Let us do good to all”
5. by the Holy Spirit–empowers endurance; filled with the Spirit; had access to the Father through the Holy Spirit; taught by Him; prayed in the Spirit; did not grieve the Spirit or quench Him.
And the Holy Spirit produced in Him
6. Genuine love or sincere love –agape love Romans 5:5 God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
7. by the word of truth–obviously the Scriptures–in this context esp. the truth of the Gospel itself.
8. by the power of God–not with human resources or his own cleverness –only the wisdom and power of God “that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God”
9. by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left,
Used the armor of God FOR the right hand and the left–fully armed with the whole armor of God Eph. 6
Paradoxes 6:8-10
1. “By glory and dishonor” = praised and despised; exalted & maligned; flattered and criticized; cherished and vilified. Consequently, some will give “an evil report” about you and others will give “a good report.” Those who are faithful to the truth cannot expect all people to speak well of them. Luke 6:26 “Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.”–slander
2. “Regarded as deceivers and yet true”–as was the Lord Jesus, e.g., John 7:12
“And there was much grumbling among the crowds concerning him: for some said, He is a good man: others said, Nay; but he deceiveth the people.” Satan is the father of lies and seeks to destroy your reputation.
3. “As dying yet behold we live”: seemingly always on the brink of death
2 Cor. 1:8-10 For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life: [9] But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead: [10] Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us;
4. “As sorrowful yet always rejoicing”–deep unfailing joy from the Lord “always rejoicing” Sometimes people say, “But I don’t feel like rejoicing!” Well, do it anyway! “Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say, Rejoice!” That doesn’t mean you “feel happy”! Joy is much deeper than that. Jesus is our example here, too. “Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” but for the joy set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame.
5. “As poor yet making many rich”–poor in terms of this world’s possessions; but incredibly rich spiritually. Eternally rich with an eternal inheritance.
2 Cor. 8:9 For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.
Eph. 3:8 the unsearchable riches of Christ,
1 Peter 1:4. 4. to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,
6. “As having nothing and yet possessing all things.” We’re poor, appearing to have nothing, but in reality we possess all the eternal things that really matter. –Don’t feel sorry for us!!
1 Cor. 3:21-23 For all things are yours; [22] Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; And ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's.
Romans 8:32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
–Pastor Burnside
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Stollen Christmas Bread
Stollen
This is a German Christmas bread that is not very sweet. Minnie has a long-standing tradition of baking stollen at Christmas time and giving small loaves to the neighbors. In Taiwan she baked stollen for all the American missionaries on campus at Christ’s College in Taipei. She was so-o-o pleased last Christmas that she had been able to teach me how to bake stollen to give to the neighbors and friends. I plan to continue her tradition and have already bought the fruitcake fruit (candied dried fruit)
2 pkg. yeast–Soften in ½ cup warm with 1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
juice & rind of 1 lemon
2 well-beaten eggs
1 stick melted butter
5 cups flour (apprx.)
½ cup fruitcake fruit
1 cup golden raisins
Soften yeast. Add warm milk, salt, sugar, cinnamon.
Beat in 2 cups flour, eggs, & melted butter.
Add another cup flour. Beat. Add lemon juice & rind.
Now add the fruitcake mix & raisins.
Add flour to make a light dough. Knead lightly.
Let rise about 1 hour.
Divide dough into 2 or 3 parts. Shape into balls. Let rest 10 minutes.
Shape into crescents and fold over like an omelet.
Stretch around to form a crescent.
Bake on cookie sheets covered with parchment paper.
Brush with 1 egg yolk mixed with 2 Tablespoons milk.
Sprinkle with chopped nuts.
Let rise until double.
Bake at 325o for apprx. 30 min.
Glaze with 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons melted butter
½ teaspoon vanilla
2 or 3 Tablespoons milk
This is a German Christmas bread that is not very sweet. Minnie has a long-standing tradition of baking stollen at Christmas time and giving small loaves to the neighbors. In Taiwan she baked stollen for all the American missionaries on campus at Christ’s College in Taipei. She was so-o-o pleased last Christmas that she had been able to teach me how to bake stollen to give to the neighbors and friends. I plan to continue her tradition and have already bought the fruitcake fruit (candied dried fruit)
2 pkg. yeast–Soften in ½ cup warm with 1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
juice & rind of 1 lemon
2 well-beaten eggs
1 stick melted butter
5 cups flour (apprx.)
½ cup fruitcake fruit
1 cup golden raisins
Soften yeast. Add warm milk, salt, sugar, cinnamon.
Beat in 2 cups flour, eggs, & melted butter.
Add another cup flour. Beat. Add lemon juice & rind.
Now add the fruitcake mix & raisins.
Add flour to make a light dough. Knead lightly.
Let rise about 1 hour.
Divide dough into 2 or 3 parts. Shape into balls. Let rest 10 minutes.
Shape into crescents and fold over like an omelet.
Stretch around to form a crescent.
Bake on cookie sheets covered with parchment paper.
Brush with 1 egg yolk mixed with 2 Tablespoons milk.
Sprinkle with chopped nuts.
Let rise until double.
Bake at 325o for apprx. 30 min.
Glaze with 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons melted butter
½ teaspoon vanilla
2 or 3 Tablespoons milk
8.1 2nd Corinthians Bible Study Chapter 6
2nd Corinthians Bible Study Chapter 6
“We then, as workers together with Him, beseech you also that you receive not the grace of God in vain.” 6:1
We are “workers together with God”–God Himself works through us–and of course even more He works completely independent of us–as the day He spoke the universe into existence by the Word of His power. He certainly does not “need” us! He got along quite well before He created us. And in His providence, He still controls events.
But the remarkable truth is that with all His great power and wisdom and omniscience, He has chosen to use us as His ambassadors, as His servants, in the work of the ministry–in which we are ALL engaged.
This is a MAJOR emphasis in scripture–because if we ever get the idea that “we” are doing something and then hand our “good deeds” to God as a gift–our efforts will be fruitless. We must NEVER forget where the power comes from. “Without Me ye can do nothing,” Jesus told His disciples, but “I can do all things (that He calls me to do) through Christ who strengthens me” Indeed, through Christ who lives within me. “I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me.”
“For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's field, God's building.” 1 Cor. 3:9 “For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”
Philippians 2:13 ESV
Returning to Antioch after their 1st missionary journey, Paul & Barnabas, “when they had come, and had gathered the church together, they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles.” Acts 14:27 It was God who directed the work, led the missionaries, and brought conviction to the hearts of their hearers.
The same thing when they went to Jerusalem, “they were received of the church, and of the apostles and elders, and they declared all things that God had done with them.” Acts 15:4 Paul wrote, “1 Cor. 3:6-7 I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. “ i.e., causes the growth 1 Cor. 3:6-7
It is the greatest of honors to be the servant of the Lord, but it causes no pride because we realize that it is God Himself working through us–and apart from us–but He Himself is producing the fruit, bringing about the results. John 15:4 NIV: “No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.” So He commands us, “Remain in me, and I will remain in you” or “abide in Me and I will abide in you” KJV–realize your dependence on Him and He will work through you. Depend on the Vine for nourishment, support, strength, and vitality.
Some are self-confident. They depend on their God-given gifts or possessions or position or relationships or their own desires. Some act like it is the earthly church or denomination that is the vine–but it is not. Only Christ Himself is the Vine. So the first point is that God is at work in us and we are privileged to be called “God’s fellow-workers”–He’s doing His part and enabling us to do what we call “our part.”
We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. 6:1. He urged them “not to receive the grace of God in vain”= not to turn away from the gracious opportunity to hear the gospel of forgiveness. He’s also talking to new believers to grow in grace. :Don’t waste your life–but invest it in things eternal: the Word of God, the Gospel, the lives of people, the values that will continue into eternity–and not end up on the ash heap
You CAN “take it with you” for your works shall follow you–and the spiritual fruit that God has worked through you will be there. “And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them. Rev. 14:13
So Paul continues in 2 Cor. 6:2 For he says, "At the acceptable time I listened to you, and on the day of salvation I helped you." Behold, now is “the acceptable time”; behold, now is “the day of salvation.” He’s pleading for them to listen to the Gospel and the Word of God instead of being lured away by the pleasures of sin or the glitter of the world or by false teaching. he tells us how we are to minister:
We give no offense in anything, that our ministry may not be blamed. “Offense” means “cause of stumbling”. There is no substitute for integrity and purity of life. “Stumbling block” =occasion of sin; lit. strike at–as flood waters surging–to trip, don’t make it more difficult for others to live an upright life–don’t try to get them to do something against their conscience–even if it’s permissible within the limitations of Christian liberty. Rom. 14 & 1 Cor. 8
But in all things we commend ourselves as ministers of God: (or servants of God) (bondservant of Jesus Christ, a voluntary slave). Remember he’s not just talking about what is often called “the minister of the church” or the pastor or the preacher because we are ALL ministers of the Gospel. You do serve the Lord, don’t you? You are the servant of Jesus Christ, are you not? Then you are a “minister of God” and he’s talking to you.
What is this whole list that follows about?? Is it not his life that he’s calling attention to? The way he lives. That’s because all of us really minister life-to-life–from my life to yours and from your lives to ours. He is “commending” himself as a servant of God. These come right out of Paul’s life. Servants of Jesus do not seek greater comfort and prosperity, but greater endurance. (to be continued. . . .)
–Pastor Burnside
“We then, as workers together with Him, beseech you also that you receive not the grace of God in vain.” 6:1
We are “workers together with God”–God Himself works through us–and of course even more He works completely independent of us–as the day He spoke the universe into existence by the Word of His power. He certainly does not “need” us! He got along quite well before He created us. And in His providence, He still controls events.
But the remarkable truth is that with all His great power and wisdom and omniscience, He has chosen to use us as His ambassadors, as His servants, in the work of the ministry–in which we are ALL engaged.
This is a MAJOR emphasis in scripture–because if we ever get the idea that “we” are doing something and then hand our “good deeds” to God as a gift–our efforts will be fruitless. We must NEVER forget where the power comes from. “Without Me ye can do nothing,” Jesus told His disciples, but “I can do all things (that He calls me to do) through Christ who strengthens me” Indeed, through Christ who lives within me. “I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me.”
“For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's field, God's building.” 1 Cor. 3:9 “For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”
Philippians 2:13 ESV
Returning to Antioch after their 1st missionary journey, Paul & Barnabas, “when they had come, and had gathered the church together, they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles.” Acts 14:27 It was God who directed the work, led the missionaries, and brought conviction to the hearts of their hearers.
The same thing when they went to Jerusalem, “they were received of the church, and of the apostles and elders, and they declared all things that God had done with them.” Acts 15:4 Paul wrote, “1 Cor. 3:6-7 I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. “ i.e., causes the growth 1 Cor. 3:6-7
It is the greatest of honors to be the servant of the Lord, but it causes no pride because we realize that it is God Himself working through us–and apart from us–but He Himself is producing the fruit, bringing about the results. John 15:4 NIV: “No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.” So He commands us, “Remain in me, and I will remain in you” or “abide in Me and I will abide in you” KJV–realize your dependence on Him and He will work through you. Depend on the Vine for nourishment, support, strength, and vitality.
Some are self-confident. They depend on their God-given gifts or possessions or position or relationships or their own desires. Some act like it is the earthly church or denomination that is the vine–but it is not. Only Christ Himself is the Vine. So the first point is that God is at work in us and we are privileged to be called “God’s fellow-workers”–He’s doing His part and enabling us to do what we call “our part.”
We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. 6:1. He urged them “not to receive the grace of God in vain”= not to turn away from the gracious opportunity to hear the gospel of forgiveness. He’s also talking to new believers to grow in grace. :Don’t waste your life–but invest it in things eternal: the Word of God, the Gospel, the lives of people, the values that will continue into eternity–and not end up on the ash heap
You CAN “take it with you” for your works shall follow you–and the spiritual fruit that God has worked through you will be there. “And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them. Rev. 14:13
So Paul continues in 2 Cor. 6:2 For he says, "At the acceptable time I listened to you, and on the day of salvation I helped you." Behold, now is “the acceptable time”; behold, now is “the day of salvation.” He’s pleading for them to listen to the Gospel and the Word of God instead of being lured away by the pleasures of sin or the glitter of the world or by false teaching. he tells us how we are to minister:
We give no offense in anything, that our ministry may not be blamed. “Offense” means “cause of stumbling”. There is no substitute for integrity and purity of life. “Stumbling block” =occasion of sin; lit. strike at–as flood waters surging–to trip, don’t make it more difficult for others to live an upright life–don’t try to get them to do something against their conscience–even if it’s permissible within the limitations of Christian liberty. Rom. 14 & 1 Cor. 8
But in all things we commend ourselves as ministers of God: (or servants of God) (bondservant of Jesus Christ, a voluntary slave). Remember he’s not just talking about what is often called “the minister of the church” or the pastor or the preacher because we are ALL ministers of the Gospel. You do serve the Lord, don’t you? You are the servant of Jesus Christ, are you not? Then you are a “minister of God” and he’s talking to you.
What is this whole list that follows about?? Is it not his life that he’s calling attention to? The way he lives. That’s because all of us really minister life-to-life–from my life to yours and from your lives to ours. He is “commending” himself as a servant of God. These come right out of Paul’s life. Servants of Jesus do not seek greater comfort and prosperity, but greater endurance. (to be continued. . . .)
–Pastor Burnside
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