Today’s Bike Ride
Lovely ride today after a few days off due to weather. I travelled out to the Eulah Creek Hall, a round trip of 40 km. The wind has picked up and clouds are coming over so I seem to have chosen the perfect time.
Quote for the Day
Here is the astonishing double exchange at the cross. All the sins of all who would believe in Christ were laid on Him. At the same time, the “righteousness of God” is imputed or credited to those who believe in Jesus Christ. Steven Lawson
God-breathed
Fred Nile: Support Our Teachers
Rev Fred Nile supports NSW Teachers
Stands opposed to mass sackings
November 5, 2021
Dear Members and Supporters,
This coming Monday is a looming day of dread and anxiety for many thousands of teachers, support staff, parents and students across the State of New South Wales. From November 8 all teachers and support staff will be required to be double vaccinated or face termination.
As those familiar with school life would know November is a very busy and important time of year for both staff and student alike. Exams are taking place, reports are being compiled and end of year preparations are occurring. It is reported up to five thousand teaching staff across New South Wales will lose their jobs on Monday unless the Government changes course.
Poorer educational outcomes are inevitable if hardworking and passionate teachers are ripped out of the classroom and out of a job. Leaving aside the economic and mental strife of the teachers themselves it is the students that ultimately suffer.
I have written to the Premier, the Education Minister and the Health Minister and employing them to change direction. This unfair and unreasonable mandate must not come to pass.
Please sign and share our petition to save teachers in New South Wales. Send the State Government a message!
Reflection on 1 Corinthians 15:12-23
Scripture
So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man. As everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life.
Observation
Some of the Corinthians were saying there is no resurrection of the dead. That means that Christ did not rise either. All of the preaching of Paul and the other apostles would be useless, and they would be lying.
If there is no resurrection from the dead, our faith is useless, and we are still guilty of our sins.
In fact, Christ has been raised from the dead, and He is the first of a great harvest.
Just as death came through one man, and we all die because we belong to Adam, so too resurrection comes to all who belong to Christ.
Application
The resurrection of Christ from the dead is not just a symbolic thing. It is real. Jesus really did rise from the grave on the third day.
The resurrection of Christ is the source of our hope for eternal life. Because Christ rose from the dead, we who are his followers will also rise from the dead.
The power of sin has been utterly defeated by Christ. The cross was not His defeat, but His victory.
I will live because I am in Christ!
Prayer
Hallelujah! Lord Jesus, thank you for this awesome victory which you have won. I pray for my friends who do not yet believe. Please show them the power of the resurrection. Amen.
Ephesians 6:11
Here is my commentary on Ephesians 6:11. I am publishing these once or twice a week, but you can read all of the available articles at our web-site, http://www.new-life.org.au
Ephesians 6:11
“Put on the whole armour of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”
It is easy for christians to forget that we are involved in spiritual warfare. The devil continues to war against the Lord, and the field of battle is in the hearts of human beings.
When christians join with the wider society in viewing things from a humanistic point of view, then we miss what is really happening in the spirit realm. Christianity can easily become a religion, a subculture, or a code of behaviour with no spiritual power.
When Paul tells us to be strong in the Lord (v. 10), it is not merely an encouragement to keep the faith and read our Bible. Paul’s intent is that we stay strong in the Lord in order to withstand the wiles of satan as he seeks to pull us down.
The phrase “ put on the whole armour of God” is so important that’s Paul repeats it two verses later, as he does with the word ”stand.”
There is an urgency in this and the subsequent verses.”There is a war going on,” Paul is saying. “You must ensure that you are properly equipped so that you can stand firm.”
Paul will describe shortly what the armour and also who the enemy is that we are fighting. What is important is that we recognise the reality of the existential warfare that we are engaged in. The war for the souls of men and women has been unrelenting since the time of Adam and Eve. The death and resurrection of Jesus bought the final victory over sin and death, but the fighting continues to this day.
Paul tells us to put on the whole armour of God. Our spiritual victory depends on our being protected at every point. A soldier who put on his helmet but left off his breastplate was vulnerable.
We all have points of weakness in our souls. Temptations can assail us at every turn, but some are more easily with stood than others. For one person greed is a weakness, for another it is lust, for another it may be pride. Many of us have false gods which demand to be served – family, work, sport, and so on.
These vulnerabilities are so easily turned against us, causing us to trip at vital moments. We decide to spend more time praying, and then find a barrage of almost Irresistible temptations hammers us so that we feel defeated, unworthy, or unable.
Putting on the whole armour of God means determining in our hearts that at all times, in all places, and in every situation, Christ comes first. Even in making that decision we may find a hundred temptations and distractions will come in. The one thing that Satan fears above all else is a Christian determined to put Christ first. He will rage and rail against such a person.
Paul describes Satan as having “ wiles.” The Greek word literally means cunning plans. One variation of the word suggests thorough planning.
Be under no illusions. The devil knows you better than you know yourself. Since you were born, he has been probing your soul, finding what temptations you are most taken in by. There is no potential weakness that he will fail to employ against you.
Paul says that satan dresses himself up as an angel of light to deceive the elect. (2 Corinthians 11:4).He will use seemingly good things to turn us away from God’s path. He will even use well-meaning christians to undermine our walk with the Lord.
Does this mean that we are doomed to fail? Of course not!
The key to standing firm against the wiles of the devil is to constantly keep our eyes focused on the Lord. When we look at him, and not at ourselves, or the devil, or our friends, then we can know continual victory in the Lord.
When we do fall, we confess our sins to the Lord, and He cleanses us. He picks us up, brushes the dirt off us, and equips us to continue the journey. As long as we keep on getting up and maintaining our walk with Christ, we will overcome to the end.
Key points in this verse:
- We need to see with the eyes of the spirit, and not just the eyes of the flesh
- We need to stand in the strength of the Lord in order to withstand the enemy
- We are in a war for our souls and we must continue to fight
- We need all of God’s armour to be fully protected
- The devil will use all tactics and every weakness to pull us down
- Victory comes when we refuse to let our failures hold us down
The Burning Coal
From The Passion Translation Blog
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| Encounter God’s Heart… The Burning Coal The Lord hears the words of a sinner who cries out to him. When Isaiah cried, seraphim took a burning coal from the altar of the Lord, touched Isaiah’s lips, and cleansed him. If he could be purged of his sin, how much more can we? His vision of glory resulted in a visit of healing grace. It is the same for us—our recognition of his glory and our great need humbles us and invites his remedy. In the presence of God is an altar of incense that burns continually. It speaks of God’s satisfaction with the finished work of Christ. It is an emblem of the cross and what Jesus did when he was consumed as God’s perfect sacrifice. Isaiah was touched by the burning coal, but we are eternally cleansed by the fire of the cross. Lord, I need you, today and always. As I stand before you, aware of your holiness and glory, I’m undone. Let the fire of your passion consume my heart! Set me free from lesser loves and let me burn for only you. I long for my life to be a sweet-smelling fragrance before you. |
| From “The Vision” written by Brian Simmons and Gretchen Rodriguez |
| Isaiah 6:6–7 The Passion Translation Out of the smoke, one of the angels of fire flew to me. He had in his hands a burning coal he had taken from the altar with tongs. He touched my lips with it and said, “See? The burning coal from the altar has touched your lips. Your guilt is taken away; your sin is blotted out.” |
Use What You Have
Quote for the Day
Salvation is only possible for spiritually dead sinners because God is “rich in mercy” (Eph. 2:4). He freely bestows His saving grace on spiritual corpses lying in the iron-clad grave of their sin. Steven Lawson
