Truth For Life Program
Alistair Begg Devotional
C. H. Spurgeon Devotional
One-Year Bible Reading Plan
Audio PlayerMovie set artists fabricate impressive scenes—but one look behind the facade reveals a totally different story. It’s similarly possible to profess faith that appears admirable but is actually foundationless. Hear more on Truth For Life with Alistair Begg.
From the Sermon
Obedience: Evidence of a Strong Foundation
Luke 6:46–49 Sermon • Includes Transcript • 40:32 • ID: 2115
A New Place to Dwell
In the past, God dwelled among His people, Israel, in the temple in Jerusalem, but that was destroyed. After the temple’s destruction at the hands of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, God promised that He would build a new temple (Ezekiel 40 – 43). Though a second Jerusalem temple was built, it was a shadow of the first and clearly not a fulfillment of that promise (Haggai 2:2-3)—a promise that was ultimately fulfilled through the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus (John 2:19-22).
In the temple, God’s presence was focused in the Most Holy Place, an inner sanctuary that was constructed as a perfect cube. Only one man was permitted to enter, and he, the high priest, could only enter once a year. Then, centuries later, and with that first temple nothing but a distant memory, the apostle John received this vision of the new city of God’s eternal kingdom, and it is portrayed as a perfect cube—but now not one that would fit in a building in one Middle-Eastern city but one with an area as large as the known world of John’s day.
In the new creation there will be no particular place where God’s presence will be concentrated. There will be no special building to visit if we want to meet God, because there will be no distance between God and us. John “saw no temple in the city” (Revelation 21:22) because, in that day, God will be there, fully and spectacularly in a way that we cannot yet comprehend; and so everything will be temple space. This is a radical picture of something that is brand new—a transformation in circumstances so vast, so rich, and so wide that, as the apostle Paul puts it, we cannot imagine “what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9).
If we are united with Christ, God’s presence is with us through the Holy Spirit. Nevertheless, our knowledge of God and our intimacy with Him are still limited. Our present state is certainly not all that we might long for, nor is it all that He intends for us. That is yet to come—but come it will.
Do you live in eager expectation of this unimaginable intimacy with God? If you are sincerely anticipating this permanent dwelling place with God, it will be apparent by the purity of your life and by a passionate concern to see friends, relatives, and neighbors come to know Christ. Knowing we have this great hope, we will be purified, even as Christ is pure (1 John 3:3)—and we won’t be able to help but tell others about Jesus, both by life and by lip.
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?
The New Jerusalem
9Then came xone of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of ythe seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, “Come, I will show you zthe Bride, the wife of the Lamb.” 10And ahe carried me away in the Spirit to ba great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, 11chaving the glory of God, dits radiance elike a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. 12It had a great, high wall, fwith twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed— 13on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. 14And the wall of the city had twelve gfoundations, and hon them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
15And the one who spoke with me ihad a measuring rod of gold to measure the city and its gates and walls. 16The city lies foursquare, its length the same as its width. And he measured the city with his rod, 12,000 stadia.4 Its length and width and height are equal. 17He also measured its wall, 144 cubits5 by jhuman measurement, which is also kan angel's measurement. 18The wall was built of ljasper, while the city was pure gold, like lclear glass. 19mThe foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every kind of jewel. The first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, 20the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. 21And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, each of the gates made of a single pearl, and nthe street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.
22And oI saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. 23And the city phas no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for qthe glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. 24By its light rwill the nations walk, and the kings of the earth swill bring their glory into it, 25and tits gates will never be shut by day—and uthere will be no night there. 26They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. 27But vnothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb's wbook of life.
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.
Ask For the Promises
He shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
Ask God to fulfill this promise quickly, all you who love the Lord. It is easy work to pray when our desires are fixed and established on God's own promise. How can He who gave the word refuse to keep it? Immutable truth cannot demean itself by a lie, and eternal faithfulness cannot degrade itself by neglect. God must bless His Son; His covenant binds Him to it.
The Spirit prompts us to ask for Jesus what God the Father decrees to give Him. Whenever you are praying for the kingdom of Christ, let your eyes behold the dawning of the blessed day that draws near, when the Crucified will receive His coronation in the place where men rejected Him.
Take courage, you who prayerfully work for Christ with only scant success—it will not always be this way; better times are ahead. Your eyes cannot see the wonderful future: borrow the telescope of faith; wipe the misty breath of your doubts from the viewfinder; look through it and behold the coming glory.
Reader, let us ask, do you make this your constant prayer? Remember that the same Christ who tells us to say, “Give us each day our daily bread,” first gave us this petition, “Hallowed be your name; your kingdom come; your will be done in earth as it is in heaven.” Do not let your prayers be all about your own sins, your own desires, your own imperfections, your own trials, but let them climb the starry ladder and get up to Christ Himself, and then as you draw near to the blood-sprinkled mercy-seat, offer this prayer continually: “Lord, extend the kingdom of Your dear Son.”
When you fervently present such a petition, it will elevate the spirit of all your devotions. Make sure that you prove the sincerity of your prayer by working to promote the Lord’s glory.
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 April 2
1“If anyone sins in that he hears a public eadjuration to testify, and though he is a witness, whether he has seen or come to know the matter, yet does not speak, he shall fbear his iniquity; 2or gif anyone touches an unclean thing, whether a carcass of an unclean wild animal or a carcass of unclean livestock or a carcass of unclean swarming things, and it is hidden from him and he has become unclean, and he realizes his guilt; 3or if he touches hhuman uncleanness, of whatever sort the uncleanness may be with which one becomes unclean, and it is hidden from him, when he comes to know it, and realizes his guilt; 4or if anyone utters with his lips a irash oath to do evil or to do good, any sort of rash oath that people jswear, and it is hidden from him, when he comes to know it, and he realizes his guilt in any of these; 5when he realizes his guilt in any of these and kconfesses the sin he has committed, 6he shall bring to the Lord as his compensation1 for the sin that he has committed, a female from the flock, a lamb or a goat, for a sin offering. And the priest shall make atonement for him for his sin.
7“But lif he cannot afford a lamb, then he shall bring to the Lord as his compensation for the sin that he has committed two mturtledoves or two pigeons,2 one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. 8He shall bring them to the priest, who shall offer first the one for the sin offering. He shall nwring its head from its neck nbut shall not sever it completely, 9and he shall sprinkle some of the blood of the sin offering on the side of the altar, while othe rest of the blood shall be drained out pat the base of the altar; it is a sin offering. 10Then he shall offer the second for a burnt offering according to the rule. qAnd the priest shall make atonement for him for the sin that he has committed, and he shall be forgiven.
11“But if he cannot afford two turtledoves or two pigeons, then he shall bring as his offering for the sin that he has committed a rtenth of an ephah3 of fine flour for a sin offering. He rshall put no oil on it and shall put no frankincense on it, for it is a sin offering. 12And he shall bring it to sthe priest, and the priest shall take a handful of it as its memorial portion and tburn this on the altar, on the Lord's food offerings; it is a sin offering. 13Thus qthe priest shall make atonement for him for the sin which he has committed in any one of these things, and he shall be forgiven. And the remainder4 shall be for the priest, as in the grain offering.”
Laws for Guilt Offerings
14The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 15u“If anyone commits a breach of faith and sins unintentionally in any of the holy things of the Lord, vhe shall bring to the Lord as his compensation, a ram without blemish out of the flock, valued5 in silver shekels,6 according to the wshekel of the sanctuary, for a guilt offering. 16He shall also make restitution for what he has done amiss in the holy thing and xshall add a fifth to it and give it to the priest. qAnd the priest shall make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt offering, and he shall be forgiven.
17y“If anyone sins, doing any of the things that by the Lord's commandments ought not to be done, zthough he did not know it, then realizes his guilt, he shall bear his iniquity. 18aHe shall bring to the priest a ram without blemish out of the flock, or its equivalent, for a guilt offering, and qthe priest shall make atonement for him for the mistake that he made unintentionally, and he shall be forgiven. 19It is a guilt offering; he has indeed incurred guilt before7 the Lord.”
Psalm 3
Save Me, O My God
A Psalm of David, nwhen he fled from Absalom his son.
1O Lord, ohow many are my foes!
Many are prising against me;
2many are saying of my soul,
q“There is no salvation for him in God.” Selah1
3But you, O Lord, are ra shield sabout me,
my glory, and tthe lifter of my head.
4I ucried aloud to the Lord,
and he vanswered me from his wholy hill. Selah
5I xlay down and slept;
I woke again, for the Lord sustained me.
6I ywill not be afraid of many thousands of people
who have zset themselves against me all around.
7aArise, O Lord!
Save me, O my God!
For you bstrike all my enemies on the cheek;
you cbreak the teeth of the wicked.
8dSalvation belongs to the Lord;
your blessing be on your people! Selah
Psalm 4
Answer Me When I Call
To the echoirmaster: with estringed instruments. A Psalm of David.
1Answer me when I call, O God of my frighteousness!
You have ggiven me relief when I was in distress.
Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!
2O men,1 how long shall my honor be turned into shame?
How long will you love vain words and seek after hlies? Selah
3But know that the Lord has iset apart jthe godly for himself;
the Lord hears when I call to him.
lponder in your own hearts mon your beds, and be silent. Selah
5Offer nright sacrifices,
and put your otrust in the Lord.
6There are many who say, “Who will show us some good?
pLift up qthe light of your face upon us, O Lord!”
7You have put rmore joy in my heart
than they have when their grain and wine abound.
8In peace I will both slie down and sleep;
for you alone, O Lord, make me tdwell in safety.
1yWine is a mocker, zstrong drink a brawler,
and whoever ais led astray by it is not wise.1
2The terror of a king is like bthe growling of a lion;
whoever provokes him to anger cforfeits his life.
3It is an honor for a man to dkeep aloof from strife,
but every fool will be quarreling.
4eThe sluggard does not plow in the autumn;
fhe will seek at harvest and have nothing.
5The purpose in a man's heart is like gdeep water,
but a man of understanding will draw it out.
6Many a man hproclaims his own steadfast love,
but ia faithful man who can find?
7The righteous who jwalks in his integrity—
kblessed are his children after him!
8lA king who sits on the throne of judgment
mwinnows all evil with his eyes.
9nWho can say, “I have made my heart pure;
I am clean from my sin”?
10oUnequal2 weights and unequal measures
are both alike an abomination to the Lord.
11Even a child pmakes himself known by his acts,
by whether his conduct is pure and upright.3
12qThe hearing ear and the seeing eye,
rthe Lord has made them both.
13sLove not sleep, lest you tcome to poverty;
open your eyes, and you will have uplenty of bread.
14“Bad, bad,” says the buyer,
but when he goes away, then he boasts.
15There is gold and abundance of vcostly stones,
wbut the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel.
16xTake a man's garment when he has put up security for a stranger,
and yhold it in pledge when he puts up security for foreigners.4
17zBread gained by deceit is sweet to a man,
but afterward his mouth will be full of agravel.
18bPlans are established by counsel;
19Whoever egoes about slandering reveals secrets;
therefore do not associate with fa simple babbler.5
20gIf one curses his father or his mother,
hhis lamp will be put out in utter darkness.
21iAn inheritance gained hastily in the beginning
will not be blessed in the end.
22Do not say, j“I will repay evil”;
kwait for the Lord, and he will deliver you.
23lUnequal weights are an abomination to the Lord,
and mfalse scales are not good.
24A man's nsteps are from the Lord;
how then can man understand his way?
25It is a snare to say rashly, “It is holy,”
and to reflect only oafter making vows.
26A wise king pwinnows the wicked
and drives qthe wheel over them.
27rThe spirit6 of man is the lamp of the Lord,
ssearching all this innermost parts.
28uSteadfast love and faithfulness preserve the king,
and by steadfast love his vthrone is upheld.
29The glory of young men is their strength,
but wthe splendor of old men is their gray hair.
30xBlows that wound cleanse away evil;
strokes make clean tthe innermost parts.
Put On the New Self
1bIf then you have been raised with Christ, seek cthe things that are above, where Christ is, dseated at the right hand of God. 2eSet your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3For fyou have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4When Christ gwho is your1 life happears, then you also will appear with him iin glory.
5jPut to death therefore kwhat is earthly in you:2 lsexual immorality, impurity, mpassion, evil desire, and covetousness, nwhich is idolatry. 6oOn account of these the wrath of God is coming.3 7pIn these you too once walked, when you were living in them. 8But now qyou must put them all away: ranger, wrath, malice, sslander, and obscene talk from your mouth. 9tDo not lie to one another, seeing that uyou have put off vthe old self4 with its practices 10and whave put on xthe new self, ywhich is being renewed in knowledge zafter the image of aits creator. 11bHere there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave,5 free; but Christ is call, and in all.
12dPut on then, as eGod's chosen ones, holy and beloved, fcompassionate hearts, gkindness, hhumility, meekness, and patience, 13hbearing with one another and, iif one has a complaint against another, gforgiving each other; gas the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14And above all these put on jlove, which kbinds everything together in lperfect harmony. 15And let mthe peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called nin one body. And obe thankful. 16Let pthe word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, qsinging psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, rwith thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17And swhatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, tgiving thanks to God the Father through him.
Rules for Christian Households
18uWives, submit to your husbands, as vis fitting in the Lord. 19Husbands, love your wives, and wdo not be harsh with them. 20Children, obey your parents xin everything, for this pleases the Lord. 21Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged. 22Bondservants, obey xin everything those who are your earthly masters,6 not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. 23yWhatever you do, work heartily, zas for the Lord and not for men, 24knowing that from the Lord ayou will receive the inheritance as your reward. bYou are serving the Lord Christ. 25For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality.
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