
Some of us expect church leaders to be perfect—an impossibility, since they’re only human. But Scripture does call them to be above reproach. Consider the attributes that should be present—or absent—in elders. That’s on Truth For Life with Alistair Begg.
From the Sermon

The Eternal Plan of God
The Bible gives no direct answer as to why God allowed the fall to happen in the Garden of Eden. It simply states that God is in control of all things—even of that.
In Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, however, we are given a glimpse into God’s eternal plan. We see that God was at work before our world existed and was not caught off guard by the fall. When the kingdom was spoiled as a result of Adam and Eve’s rebellion, God already knew it would happen. Before Adam and Eve were created, before they were disobedient, God had already planned the rescue.
When we think about God’s rescue mission, which ultimately culminated in the cross, we ought not to see it as something supplied in a moment of crisis. Rather, we should see the cross as grounded in the eternal mind of God, who had determined from all of eternity to call a people to Himself through Jesus and to restore under Him everything that would be spoiled by the fall.
God’s purpose in this plan was and is “in accordance with his pleasure and will,” and it is “to the praise of his glorious grace” (Ephesians 1:5-6, NIV). The motivation in God’s eternal plan was not only a desire to make men and women happy—although men and women do become ultimately happy as a result—but a concern for His name. He was determined that everything should be brought under the feet and control of His Son, the Lord Jesus, as it ought to be. Thus, God’s eternal plan of redemption is about Him rather than all about us. It concerns us. It transforms us. But it is all about God. Until the gospel moves us to praise Him and live for Him, we have not properly understood it.
God is this world’s center. Since the fall, men and women have refused to accept His authority and instead expend their energies in trying to depose Him, with catastrophic results. There is no part of this present life that is not covered with the dust of death, because man has determined that he does not like the idea of God at the center.
Will you readjust your life and acknowledge God’s right to oversee every aspect of it? Will you live for His praise rather than yours and for His cause rather than yours? The paradox is this: it is in seeking His glory instead of your own that you will experience the joy that comes from making your life orbit around the Son—joy from living the way that God planned for you and all creation from eternity.
How is God calling me to think differently?
How is God reordering my heart’s affections — what I love?
What is God calling me to do as I go about my day today?
Spiritual Blessings in Christ
3eBlessed be fthe God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing gin the heavenly places, 4heven as he ichose us in him jbefore the foundation of the world, that we should be kholy and blameless before him. In love 5lhe predestined us2 for madoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, naccording to the purpose of his will, 6oto the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in pthe Beloved. 7qIn him we have rredemption sthrough his blood, tthe forgiveness of our trespasses, uaccording to the riches of his grace, 8which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9vmaking known3 to us the mystery of his will, naccording to his purpose, which he wset forth in Christ 10as a plan for xthe fullness of time, yto unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
11In him we have obtained zan inheritance, ahaving been predestined baccording to the purpose of him who works all things according to cthe counsel of his will, 12so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be dto the praise of his glory. 13In him you also, when you heard ethe word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, fwere sealed with the gpromised Holy Spirit, 14who is hthe guarantee4 of our iinheritance until jwe acquire kpossession of it,5 lto the praise of his glory.

Devotional material is taken from the Truth For Life daily devotionals by Alistair Begg, published by The Good Book Company, thegoodbook.com. Used by Truth For Life with permission. Copyright © 2021, 2022, The Good Book Company.

Work with Your Whole Heart
… he did with all his heart, and prospered.
This is no unusual occurrence; it is the general rule of the moral universe that the prosperous are those who do their work with all their hearts, while others are almost certain to fail when they go about their business halfheartedly. God does not give harvests to lazy men except harvests of thistles, nor is He pleased to send wealth to those who will not dig in the field to find its hidden treasure.
It is universally confessed that if a man would prosper, he must be diligent in business. It is the same in the matter of faith as it is in other things. If you would prosper in your work for Jesus, let it be heart work, and let it be done with all your heart. Put as much force, energy, heartiness, and earnestness into faith as ever you do into business, for it deserves far more. The Holy Spirit helps our weaknesses, but He does not encourage our laziness; He loves active believers.
Who are the most useful men in the Christian church? The men who do what they undertake for God with all their hearts. Who are the most successful Sunday school teachers? The most talented? No. The most zealous; those whose hearts are on fire—they are the ones who see their Lord riding forth prosperously in the majesty of His salvation. Wholeheartedness shows itself in perseverance; there may be failure at first, but the earnest worker will say, “It is the Lord’s work, and it must be done; my Lord has called me to do it, and in His strength I will accomplish it.”
Christian, are you serving your Master with all your heart? Remember the earnestness of Jesus! Think what heart-work was His! He could say, “Zeal for Your house has consumed me.” When He sweat great drops of blood, it was no light burden He had to carry upon those blessed shoulders; and when He poured out His heart, it was no weak effort He was making for the salvation of His people. Was Jesus in earnest, and we are lukewarm?

Devotional material is taken from Morning and Evening, written by C. H. Spurgeon, revised and updated by Alistair Begg. Copyright © 2003, Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60187, www.crossway.org. Used by Truth For Life with written permission.
Daily Bible Reading for March 15
The Tabernacle
1“Moreover, xyou shall make the ytabernacle with ten curtains of zfine twined linen and blue and purple and scarlet yarns; you shall make them with cherubim zskillfully worked into them. 2The length of each curtain shall be twenty-eight cubits,1 and the breadth of each curtain four cubits; all the curtains shall be the same size. 3Five curtains shall be coupled to one another, and the other five curtains shall be coupled to one another. 4And you shall make loops of blue on the edge of the outermost curtain in the first set. Likewise you shall make loops on the edge of the outermost curtain in the second set. 5Fifty loops you shall make on the one curtain, and fifty loops you shall make on the edge of the curtain that is in the second set; the loops shall be opposite one another. 6And you shall make fifty clasps of gold, and couple the curtains one to the other with the clasps, so that the tabernacle may be a single whole.
7“You shall also make acurtains of goats' hair for a tent over the tabernacle; eleven curtains shall you make. 8The length of each curtain shall be thirty cubits, and the breadth of each curtain four cubits. The eleven curtains shall be the same size. 9You shall couple five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves, and the sixth curtain you shall double over at the front of the tent. 10You shall make fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in one set, and fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that is outermost in the second set.
11“You shall make fifty clasps of bronze, and put the clasps into the loops, and couple the tent together that it may be a single whole. 12And the part that remains of the curtains of the tent, the half curtain that remains, shall hang over the back of the tabernacle. 13And the extra that remains in the length of the curtains, the cubit on the one side, and the cubit on the other side, shall hang over the sides of the tabernacle, on this side and that side, to cover it. 14bAnd you shall make for the tent a covering of tanned crams' skins2 and a covering of goatskins on top.
15“You shall make upright frames for the tabernacle of acacia wood. 16Ten cubits shall be the length of a frame, and a cubit and a half the breadth of each frame. 17There shall be two tenons in each frame, for fitting together. So shall you do for all the frames of the tabernacle. 18You shall make the frames for the tabernacle: twenty frames for the south side; 19and forty bases of silver you shall make under the twenty frames, two bases under one frame for its two tenons, and two bases under the next frame for its two tenons; 20and for the second side of the tabernacle, on the north side twenty frames, 21and their forty bases of silver, two bases under one frame, and two bases under the next frame. 22And for the rear of the tabernacle westward you shall make six frames. 23And you shall make two frames for corners of the tabernacle in the rear; 24they shall be separate beneath, but joined at the top, at the first ring. Thus shall it be with both of them; they shall form the two corners. 25And there shall be eight frames, with their bases of silver, sixteen bases; two bases under one frame, and two bases under another frame.
26“You shall make bars of acacia wood, five for the frames of the one side of the tabernacle, 27and five bars for the frames of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the frames of the side of the tabernacle at the rear westward. 28The middle bar, halfway up the frames, shall run from end to end. 29You shall overlay the frames with gold and shall make their rings of gold for dholders for the bars, and you shall overlay the bars with gold. 30Then you shall erect the tabernacle eaccording to the plan for it that you were shown on the mountain.
31f“And you shall make a veil of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and gfine twined linen. It shall be made with cherubim gskillfully worked into it. 32And you shall hang it on four pillars of acacia overlaid with gold, with hooks of gold, on four bases of silver. 33And you shall hang fthe veil from the clasps, and bring hthe ark of the testimony in there within the veil. And the veil shall separate for you the Holy Place from the Most Holy. 34iYou shall put the mercy seat on the ark of the testimony in the Most Holy Place. 35And jyou shall set the table outside the veil, and the klampstand on the south side of the tabernacle opposite the table, and you shall put the table on the north side.
36“You shall make a lscreen for the entrance of the tent, of mblue and purple and scarlet yarns and gfine twined linen, embroidered with needlework. 37And you shall make for the screen five pillars of acacia, and overlay them with gold. Their hooks shall be of gold, and you shall cast five bases of bronze for them.
The Healing at the Pool on the Sabbath
1After this there was a ofeast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
2Now there is in Jerusalem by pthe Sheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic1 called Bethesda,2 which has five roofed colonnades. 3In these lay a multitude of invalids—blind, lame, and qparalyzed.3 5One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?” 7The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me.” 8Jesus said to him, r“Get up, take up your bed, and walk.” 9rAnd at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked.
sNow that day was the Sabbath. 10So the Jews4 said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath, and tit is not lawful for you to take up your bed.” 11But he answered them, “The man who healed me, that man said to me, ‘Take up your bed, and walk.’” 12They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Take up your bed and walk’?” 13Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for uJesus had withdrawn, as there was a crowd in the place. 14Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “See, you are well! vSin no more, wthat nothing worse may happen to you.” 15The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him. 16And this was why the Jews xwere persecuting Jesus, ybecause he was doing these things on the Sabbath. 17But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.”
Jesus Is Equal with God
18This was why the Jews zwere seeking all the more to kill him, abecause not only was he bbreaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God chis own Father, dmaking himself equal with God.
The Authority of the Son
19So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, ethe Son fcan do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father5 does, that the Son does likewise. 20For gthe Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And hgreater works than these will he show him, so that iyou may marvel. 21For as the Father jraises the dead and kgives them life, so lalso the Son gives life mto whom he will. 22nFor the Father judges no one, but ohas given all judgment to the Son, 23that all may honor the Son, just as they phonor the Father. qWhoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. 24Truly, truly, I say to you, rwhoever hears my word and sbelieves him who sent me has eternal life. He tdoes not come into judgment, but uhas passed from death to life.
25“Truly, truly, I say to you, van hour is coming, and is now here, when wthe dead will hear xthe voice of the Son of God, and those who hear wwill live. 26yFor as the Father has life in himself, zso he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. 27And he ahas given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. 28Do not marvel at this, for van hour is coming when ball who are in the tombs will hear his voice 29and come out, cthose who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.
Witnesses to Jesus
30d“I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and emy judgment is just, because fI seek not my own will gbut the will of him who sent me. 31hIf I alone bear witness about myself, my testimony is not true. 32There is ianother who bears witness about me, and jI know that the testimony that he bears about me is true. 33kYou sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. 34Not that lthe testimony that I receive is from man, but I say these things so that you may be saved. 35He was a burning and mshining lamp, and nyou were willing to rejoice for a while in his light. 36But lthe testimony that I have is greater than that of John. For othe works that the Father has given me pto accomplish, the very works that I am doing, qbear witness about me that rthe Father has sent me. 37And the Father who sent me shas himself borne witness about me. His voice you have never heard, this form you have never seen, 38and uyou do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom he has sent. 39vYou search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and wit is they that bear witness about me, 40yet xyou refuse to come to me that you may have life. 41yI do not receive glory from people. 42But zI know that you do not have athe love of God within you. 43I have come bin my Father's name, and cyou do not receive me. dIf another comes in his own name, you will receive him. 44How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and edo not seek the glory that comes from fthe only God? 45Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you: Moses, gon whom you have set your hope. 46For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for hhe wrote of me. 47But iif you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”
The Value of Wisdom
1uMy son, vif you receive my words
and treasure up my commandments with you,
2making your ear attentive to wisdom
and inclining your heart to understanding;
3yes, if you call out for insight
and raise your voice wfor understanding,
4if you seek it like xsilver
and search for it as for yhidden treasures,
5then zyou will understand the fear of the Lord
and find the knowledge of God.
6For athe Lord gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;
7he stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
he is ba shield to those who cwalk in integrity,
8guarding the paths of justice
and dwatching over the way of his esaints.
9fThen you will understand grighteousness and justice
and equity, every good path;
10for wisdom will come into your heart,
and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;
11hdiscretion will iwatch over you,
understanding will guard you,
12delivering you from the way of evil,
from men of perverted speech,
13who forsake the paths of uprightness
to jwalk in the ways of darkness,
14who krejoice in doing evil
and ldelight in the perverseness of evil,
15men whose mpaths are crooked,
nand who are odevious in their ways.
16So pyou will be delivered from the forbidden1 woman,
from qthe adulteress2 with rher smooth words,
17who forsakes sthe companion of her youth
and forgets tthe covenant of her God;
18ufor her house sinks down to death,
and her paths to the departed;3
19none who go to her come back,
nor do they regain the paths of life.
20So you will walk in the way of the good
and keep to the paths of the righteous.
21For the upright vwill inhabit the land,
and those with integrity will remain in it,
22but the wicked will be wcut off from the land,
and the treacherous will be xrooted out of it.
Greeting
1Paul, an aapostle—bnot from men nor through man, but cthrough Jesus Christ and God the Father, dwho raised him from the dead— 2and all ethe brothers1 who are with me,
To fthe churches of Galatia:
3gGrace to you and peace hfrom God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4iwho gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present jevil age, according to the will of kour God and Father, 5to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
No Other Gospel
6I am astonished that you are lso quickly deserting mhim who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to na different gospel— 7onot that there is another one, but pthere are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8But even if we or qan angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, rlet him be accursed. 9As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, rlet him be accursed.
10For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying sto please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a tservant2 of Christ.
Paul Called by God
11For uI would have you know, brothers, that vthe gospel that was preached by me is not man's gospel.3 12wFor I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it xthrough a revelation of Jesus Christ. 13For you have heard of ymy former life in Judaism, how zI persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. 14And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely azealous was I for bthe traditions of my fathers. 15But when he cwho had set me apart dbefore I was born,4 and who ecalled me by his grace, 16was pleased to reveal his Son to5 me, in order fthat I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone;6 17nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.
18Then gafter three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and remained with him fifteen days. 19But I saw none of the other apostles except James hthe Lord's brother. 20(In what I am writing to you, ibefore God, I do not lie!) 21jThen I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. 22And I was still unknown in person to kthe churches of Judea that are in Christ. 23They only were hearing it said, “He who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” 24And they glorified God because of me.
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