Truth For Life Program
Alistair Begg Devotional
C. H. Spurgeon Devotional
One-Year Bible Reading Plan
Audio PlayerPreflight instructions advise you to put on your own oxygen mask before helping others. Jesus similarly exhorted leaders to reform themselves before attempting to reform others. Examine the marks of effective teachers, on Truth For Life with Alistair Begg.
From the Sermon
Pictures That Tell a Story
Luke 6:39–45 Sermon • Includes Transcript • 48:24 • ID: 2112
Saved by Sacrifice
What happens in Communion? Why do Christians eat the bread and drink from the cup?
As we seek to answer these questions, not many of us think to look back to Moses. If we stand too close to his story, all we’ll have is a truncated view of the bulrushes, burning bush, and plagues. But if we step far enough back, we will see and be able to share the glory of God’s big picture.
To set in motion the exodus of His people Israel, God, passing through the land in judgment, sent the last of ten plagues on Egypt, and every firstborn Egyptian was killed. The Israelite firstborns also would have died, for they were not innocent of sin, and sin leads to death (Romans 6:23). But God provided a way of escape for them through the Passover. When the Lord saw the blood of a sacrificed lamb on a doorframe, painted up using a hyssop plant (Exodus 12:22), He passed over that household.
In the Old Testament, this passing over was the great act of God’s salvation. In and through it, God taught His people a vital principle: God saves by substitution. He saved these people because animals were sacrificed in their place. As Moses records, that night in Egypt “there was not a house where someone was not dead” (Exodus 12:30). A son had died, or a lamb had died. God’s people deserved death for their sins, but because they trusted in the sacrifice of another, as God had commanded and that God had provided, they were delivered. Every year throughout Old Testament history, God’s people looked back to this event and remembered that great truth: God saves by substitution.
All those years and all those feasts underline the significance of the moment when, as John the Baptist saw Jesus coming, he said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). Here was someone who was God’s provision to save His people from sin and set His people free, just like the Passover lamb.
Israel’s exodus is a foreshadowing of mankind’s great exodus: when men or women, deserving God’s judgment, trust in the blood that was shed on their behalf on the cross, they find freedom from sin. Every shackle is broken, just as the Israelites’ chains were shed when they were set free from slavery.
Next time you are thinking about Communion, consider the story of Moses, the burning bush, and the plagues. Then connect the dots and remember that the reason we take Communion is because Jesus is our sacrifice. He is the Lamb of God. He is your substitute. You have no judgment to fear, for it lies behind you, paid and dealt with at the cross. You are on the way to the promised land.
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?
16mSo he ndelivered him over to them to be crucified.
The Crucifixion
So they took Jesus, 17and ohe went out, pbearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. 18qThere they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them. 19Pilate ralso wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” 20Many of the Jews read this inscription, for sthe place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Aramaic, in Latin, and in Greek. 21So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but rather, ‘This man said, I am King of the Jews.’” 22Pilate answered, t“What I have written I have written.”
23uWhen the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his garments and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier; also his tunic.4 But the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom, 24so they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be.” vThis was to fulfill the Scripture which says,
w“They divided my garments among them,
and for my clothing they cast lots.”
So the soldiers did these things, 25xbut standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26When Jesus saw his mother and ythe disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, z“Woman, behold, your son!” 27Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to ahis own home.
The Death of Jesus
28After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now bfinished, said (vto fulfill the Scripture), c“I thirst.” 29A jar full of sour wine stood there, dso they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. 30When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, e“It is finished,” and he bowed his head and fgave up his spirit.
Jesus' Side Is Pierced
31Since it was gthe day of Preparation, and hso that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was ia high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away. 32So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other jwho had been crucified with him. 33But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out kblood and water. 35lHe who saw it has borne witness—mhis testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth—nthat you also may believe. 36oFor these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: p“Not one of his bones qwill be broken.” 37And again another Scripture says, r“They will look on him whom they have pierced.”
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.
Great Thoughts of Christ
She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table.”
This woman gained comfort in her misery by thinking great thoughts of Christ.
The Master had talked about the children’s bread. “Now,” she argued, “since You are the Master of the table of grace, I know that You are a generous housekeeper, and there is sure to be plenty of bread on Your table. There will be such an abundance for the children that there will be crumbs to throw on the floor for the dogs, and the children will fare none the worse because the dogs are fed.” She thought Him one who kept so fine a table that all that she needed would only be a crumb in comparison; yet remember, what she wanted was to have the devil cast out of her daughter. It was a very great thing to her, but she had such a high esteem of Christ that she said, “It is nothing to Him; it is but a crumb for Christ to give.”
This is the royal road to comfort. Great thoughts of your sin alone will drive you to despair; but great thoughts of Christ will guide you into the haven of peace. “My sins are many, but oh, it is nothing to Jesus to take them all away. The weight of my guilt presses me down as a giant’s foot would crush a worm, but it is no more than a grain of dust to Him, because He has already borne its curse in His own body on the tree. It will be only a small thing for Him to give me full remission, although it will be an infinite blessing for me to receive it.” The woman opens her needy soul very wide, expecting great things of Jesus, and He fills it with His love.
Dear reader, do the same. She won the victory by believing in Him. Her case is an instance of prevailing faith; and if we would conquer like her, we must imitate her tactics.
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 27
Making the Altar of Burnt Offering
1zHe made the altar of burnt offering of acacia wood. Five cubits1 was its length, and five cubits its breadth. It was square, and three cubits was its height. 2He made horns for it on its four corners. Its horns were of one piece with it, and he overlaid it with bronze. 3And he made all the utensils of the altar, the pots, the shovels, the basins, the forks, and the fire pans. He made all its utensils of bronze. 4And he made for the altar a grating, a network of bronze, under its ledge, extending halfway down. 5He cast four rings on the four corners of the bronze grating as holders for the poles. 6He made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with bronze. 7And he put the poles through the rings on the sides of the altar to carry it with them. He made it hollow, with boards.
Making the Bronze Basin
8aHe made the basin of bronze and its stand of bronze, from the mirrors of the bministering women who ministered in the entrance of the tent of meeting.
Making the Court
9cAnd he made the court. For the south side the hangings of the court were of fine twined linen, a hundred cubits; 10their twenty pillars and their twenty bases were of bronze, but the hooks of the pillars and their fillets were of silver. 11And for the north side there were hangings of a hundred cubits; their twenty pillars and their twenty bases were of bronze, but the hooks of the pillars and their fillets were of silver. 12And for the west side were hangings of fifty cubits, their ten pillars, and their ten bases; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets were of silver. 13And for the front to the east, fifty cubits. 14The hangings for one side of the gate were fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and three bases. 15And so for the other side. On both sides of the gate of the court were hangings of fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and their three bases. 16All the hangings around the court were of fine twined linen. 17And the bases for the pillars were of bronze, but the hooks of the pillars and their fillets were of silver. The overlaying of their capitals was also of silver, and all the pillars of the court were filleted with silver. 18And the screen for the gate of the court was embroidered with needlework in blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen. It was twenty cubits long and five cubits high in its breadth, corresponding to the hangings of the court. 19And their pillars were four in number. Their four bases were of bronze, their hooks of silver, and the overlaying of their capitals and their fillets of silver. 20And all the pegs for the tabernacle and for the court all around were of bronze.
Materials for the Tabernacle
21These are the records of the tabernacle, dthe tabernacle of the testimony, as they were recorded at the commandment of Moses, the responsibility of the Levites eunder the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest. 22fBezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made all that the Lord commanded Moses; 23and with him was fOholiab the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver and designer and embroiderer in blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen.
24All the gold that was used for the work, in all the construction of the sanctuary, the gold from the offering, was twenty-nine talents and 730 shekels,2 by gthe shekel of the sanctuary. 25The silver from those of the congregation who were recorded was a hundred talents and 1,775 shekels, by the shekel of the sanctuary: 26a gbeka3 a head (that is, half a shekel, by the shekel of the sanctuary), for everyone who was listed in the records, from twenty years old and upward, for h603,550 men. 27The hundred talents of silver were for casting the ibases of the sanctuary and the bases of the veil; a hundred bases for the hundred talents, a talent a base. 28And of the 1,775 shekels he made hooks for the pillars and overlaid their capitals and made fillets for them. 29The bronze that was offered was seventy talents and 2,400 shekels; 30with it he made the jbases for the entrance of the tent of meeting, kthe bronze altar and the bronze grating for it and all the utensils of the altar, 31the lbases around the court, and the mbases of the gate of the court, all the npegs of the tabernacle, and all the pegs around the court.
The High Priestly Prayer
1When Jesus had spoken these words, mhe lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, nthe hour has come; oglorify your Son that the Son may pglorify you, 2since qyou have given him authority over all flesh, rto give eternal life to all swhom you have given him. 3tAnd this is eternal life, uthat they know you, vthe only wtrue God, and xJesus Christ whom you have sent. 4I yglorified you on earth, zhaving accomplished the work that you gave me to do. 5And now, Father, aglorify me in your own presence with the glory bthat I had with you cbefore the world existed.
6d“I have manifested your name to the people ewhom you gave me out of the world. fYours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. 7Now they know that everything fthat you have given me is from you. 8For I have given them gthe words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that hI came from you; and ithey have believed that you sent me. 9I am praying for them. jI am not praying for the world but for those kwhom you have given me, for lthey are yours. 10mAll mine are yours, and yours are mine, and nI am glorified in them. 11And I am no longer in the world, but othey are in the world, and pI am coming to you. qHoly Father, rkeep them in your name, swhich you have given me, tthat they may be one, ueven as we are one. 12vWhile I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have wguarded them, and xnot one of them has been lost except ythe son of destruction, zthat the Scripture might be fulfilled. 13But now aI am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have bmy joy fulfilled in themselves. 14cI have given them your word, and dthe world has hated them ebecause they are not of the world, fjust as I am not of the world. 15I gdo not ask that you htake them out of the world, but that you ikeep them from jthe evil one.1 16kThey are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17lSanctify them2 in the truth; myour word is truth. 18nAs you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. 19And ofor their sake pI consecrate myself,3 that they also qmay be sanctified4 in truth.
20“I do not rask for these only, but also for those swho will believe in me through their word, 21tthat they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that uthey also may be in vus, so that the world wmay believe that you have sent me. 22xThe glory that you have given me yI have given to them, tthat they may be one even as we are one, 23zI in them and you in me, athat they may become perfectly one, bso that the world may know that you sent me and cloved them even as dyou loved me. 24Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be ewith me fwhere I am, gto see my glory that you have given me because you loved me hbefore the foundation of the world. 25iO righteous Father, even though jthe world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. 26kI made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love lwith which you have loved me may be in them, and mI in them.”
1eThe wisest of women fbuilds her house,
but folly with her own hands gtears it down.
2Whoever hwalks in uprightness fears the Lord,
but he who is idevious in his ways despises him.
3By the mouth of a fool comes ja rod for his back,1
kbut the lips of the wise will preserve them.
4Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean,
but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox.
5lA faithful witness does not lie,
but ma false witness breathes out lies.
6nA scoffer seeks wisdom oin vain,
but pknowledge is easy for a man of understanding.
7Leave the presence of a fool,
for there you do not meet words of knowledge.
8The wisdom of the prudent is to discern his way,
but the folly of fools is deceiving.
9qFools mock at the guilt offering,
but the upright enjoy acceptance.2
10The heart knows its own rbitterness,
and no stranger shares its joy.
11sThe house of the wicked will be destroyed,
but the tent of the upright will flourish.
12tThere is a way that seems right to a man,
but uits end is the way to death.3
13Even in laughter the heart may ache,
and vthe end of joy may be wgrief.
14The backslider in heart will be xfilled with the fruit of his ways,
and ya good man will be filled with the fruit of his ways.
15zThe simple believes everything,
but the prudent gives thought to his steps.
16aOne who is wise is cautious4 and bturns away from evil,
but a fool is reckless and careless.
17A man of cquick temper acts foolishly,
and a man of evil devices is hated.
18The simple inherit folly,
but the prudent are crowned with knowledge.
19dThe evil bow down before the good,
the wicked at the gates of the righteous.
20eThe poor is disliked even by his neighbor,
fbut the rich has many friends.
21Whoever gdespises his neighbor is a sinner,
but hblessed is he who is generous to the poor.
22Do they not go astray who idevise evil?
Those who devise good meet5 jsteadfast love and faithfulness.
23In all toil there is profit,
but mere talk ktends only to poverty.
24The crown of the wise is their wealth,
but the folly of fools brings folly.
25A truthful witness saves lives,
but one who lbreathes out lies is deceitful.
26In the fear of the Lord one has mstrong confidence,
and nhis children will have oa refuge.
27The fear of the Lord is pa fountain of life,
that one may qturn away from the snares of death.
28In ra multitude of people is the glory of a king,
but without people a prince is ruined.
29Whoever is sslow to anger has great understanding,
but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly.
30A tranquil6 heart gives tlife to the flesh,
but uenvy7 makes vthe bones rot.
31Whoever oppresses a poor man winsults his xMaker,
ybut he who is generous to the needy honors him.
32zThe wicked is overthrown through his evildoing,
but athe righteous finds refuge in his death.
33Wisdom brests in the heart of a man of understanding,
but it makes itself known even in the midst of fools.8
34Righteousness exalts a nation,
but sin is a reproach to any people.
35A servant who deals wisely has cthe king's favor,
but his wrath falls on one who acts shamefully.
Greeting
1Paul and Timothy, servants1 of Christ Jesus,
To all the asaints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the boverseers2 and cdeacons:3
2dGrace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Thanksgiving and Prayer
3eI thank my God fin all my remembrance of you, 4always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, 5gbecause of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. 6And I am sure of this, that he who began ha good work in you iwill bring it to completion at jthe day of Jesus Christ. 7It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you kin my heart, for you are all lpartakers with me of grace,4 both min my imprisonment and in nthe defense and confirmation of the gospel. 8For oGod is my witness, phow I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. 9And it is my prayer that qyour love may abound more and more, rwith knowledge and all discernment, 10so that you may approve what is excellent, sand so be pure and blameless tfor the day of Christ, 11filled uwith the fruit of righteousness that comes vthrough Jesus Christ, wto the glory and praise of God.
The Advance of the Gospel
12I want you to know, brothers,5 that what has happened to me has really xserved to advance the gospel, 13so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard6 and yto all the rest that zmy imprisonment is for Christ. 14And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold ato speak the word7 without fear.
15bSome indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. 16The latter do it out of love, cknowing that I am put here for dthe defense of the gospel. 17The former proclaim Christ eout of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. 18What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.
To Live Is Christ
Yes, and I will rejoice, 19for I know that fthrough your prayers and gthe help of hthe Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, 20as it is my eager expectation and hope ithat I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full jcourage now as always Christ kwill be honored in my body, lwhether by life or by death. 21For to me mto live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. 23nI am hard pressed between the two. My desire is oto depart and pbe with Christ, for that is far better. 24But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. 25qConvinced of this, rI know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your sprogress and tjoy in the faith, 26so that in me uyou may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.
27Only vlet your manner of life be wworthy8 of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you xthat you are standing firm in one spirit, with yone mind zstriving side by side for the faith of the gospel, 28and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is aa clear sign to them of their destruction, but bof your salvation, and that from God. 29For cit has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also bsuffer for his sake, 30engaged in the same dconflict that eyou saw I had and now hear that I still have.
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