A WORD FROM THE LORD

“Then Zedekiah the king sent and took him out. The king asked him secretly in his house, and said, is there any word from the LORD? And Jeremiah said, there is. Then he said, you shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon” (Jer. 37:17 NKJV).

Spiritually speaking, Zedekiah was out of touch with God, and had no wisdom to rule. Further, he had allowed the prophet Jeremiah to be put in prison. But word about a Babylonian invasion sent him seeking out Jeremiah; he wanted to know if there was a word from the Lord about these troubles. Jeremiah answered emphatically, “There is”; then told him what God said about the coming invasion. Today “there is” still a word from the Lord about life’s various situations. We want to note a few of them.

There is a Word from the Lord about marriage - Folks today are making a mess of marriage because we think we are so smart and educated. Yet, our homes and marriages are in ruin. However, there is a Word from the Lord about marriage. His Word tells us who to marry and how to stay married. When we ignore God’s Word on marriage we will make a mess of marriage.

There is a Word from the Lord about morals - Our society is filled with immorality because we have ignored what God Word has to say about morals. Yet if we were to listen to what God has to say, it would prevent a lot of the ills that we are experiencing.

There is a Word from the Lord about misconduct - God has much to say about criminals. God’s Word says criminals are to be punished for their crime. Our justice system need to take heed to what God’s Word say about dealing with criminals.

There is a Word from the Lord about money – The love of money has caused much misery in every age. Yet, this need not be the case if we only listen to what God says about money. God’s Word warns about putting our heart on our riches and trying to gain riches the wrong way.

(Adapted from Butler's Daily Bible Reading)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“The Scriptures teach us the best way of living, the noblest way of suffering and the most comfortable way of dying!”

John Flavel (1627 - 1691)

English Presbyterian Minister and Author

Word Study

Doctrine

In Titus 2:1 we read, “But as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine” (NKJV).

Doctrine is the Greek word didaskalia (διδασκαλία =did-as-kal-ee'-ah). It means teaching or instruction. In classical Greek didaskalia means teaching or instruction. The word could be either the activity of instruction or the passive reception of education. In the Septuagint didaskalia carries the idea of to learn or to teach. In the New Testament, didaskalia it is to be understood in the ordinary sense of teaching or instruction. More importantly, didaskalia came to describe proper Christian doctrine in contrast to the false teachings of men which threatened the Early Church

Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus

Old Testament Prophecy – Messiah would show light to the Gentiles (Isa. 60:1-3)

New Testament Fulfillment – Acts 26:23

Did You Know…

In the Bible it states that the Truth is in Jesus (Eph. 4:21).

Bible Quiz

During His temptation in the wilderness, which Old Testament Book did the Lord Jesus quote to rebuke Satan?

**Answer to last week’s Bible Quiz: According to 1 Peter, what will “love will cover?” “A multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8).

Names of the Lord Jesus Found in the Bible

“Redeemer”

"For I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last on the earth!” (Job 19:25 NKJV).

1. Meaning – The Lord Jesus is our redemption.

2. Insights – Christ’s death is the payment that redeems us from the debt we owed to God’s law. His death ransomed our lives, guaranteeing us a place in God’s family.

3. Related Titles – Close Relative / Next Kinsmen (Ruth 2:20).

Did You Know – Christian History

Raymond Lull was born in 1232 in Majorca, Spain. He was a mathematician, polymath, philosopher, logician, writer and Christian mystic. Lull is considered the first western missionary to the Muslims.

Lull was from a wealthy family, and had a good education. He was married to a relative of the king and had two children. However, despite his marriage and position, Lull traveled about as an immoral poet, composing and singing love songs.

Lull was converted to faith in Christ in his thirties by an unusual experience. One night, as he was composing an obscene song, he was confronted by a vision of the Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross. This epiphany reappeared four other times. After one long night of confession and repentance, Lull experienced divine forgiveness.

Lull abandoned his purposeless lifestyle and joined the Third Order of St. Francis. He left his family and position to pursue a life of solitude and study. Well versed in Christian philosophy as well as Jewish and Muslim mysticism, Lull’s passion turned toward the evangelization of Jews and Muslims. His three-point plan was simple. First, missionaries must obtain a comprehensive knowledge of Arabic and other mid-eastern languages. Then they must study Islamic literature until they could refute any Muslim argument. Finally they must give their lives in witness to Christ. He convinced the pope to allow Christian universities to teach the Jewish and Islamic languages and literature.

Lull followed this plan himself. He established a missionary school and personally studied Islamic culture. Three times he sailed to Islamic countries to reason with Islamic scholars. The first time he was banished just when he had won several Imams (Moslem religious leaders) to request baptism. The second time he was imprisoned for six months. In 1315, at eighty years old, Lull made his third and final missionary trip, again to Bugia. This time, he labored secretly for a year to encourage and train his small circle of converts. Yet, he could not restrain himself and stood up in the market place and publicly preached about God’s love in Jesus Christ. This time he was seized and dragged outside the walls of the city, where he was stoned him.

Raymond Lull, missionary to the Muslims, died the martyr’s death for which he had prayed often. But perhaps Lull is remembered best not for the way that he died but for the way that he lived, as expressed in his own motto: “He who loves not, lives not; he who lives by The Life cannot die.”

A Little Humor

My mother taught me about time travel – “If you don’t straighten up, I’m going to knock you into the middle of next week.”

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“God without man is still God; man without God is nothing”