Truth For Life Program
Alistair Begg Devotional
C. H. Spurgeon Devotional
One-Year Bible Reading Plan
Audio PlayerPsalm 119 describes the Bible as a light to our path, and you may have heard the church called a safe harbor in the storm. Good things, right? But the Bible and the church can also be dangerous! Find out how 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
Name Above All Names
In a sense the best summary of the message of the Bible and the most fundamental truth in this universe is simply this: Jesus Christ is Lord.
Most theologians agree that “the name” that Paul refers to in verse 9 can only be “Lord” (Philippians 2:11). Here, the Greek word for “Lord” is kyrios, which is also used as the translation of God’s divine name, Yahweh, over 6,000 times in the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament)—the name that is rendered in most English Bibles today as Lord. Paul’s implied use of God’s divine name emphasizes Jesus’ divinity, just after he has reminded us about Jesus’ humiliation during His time on earth.
Comprising four consonants (YHWH), Yahweh is basically unpronounceable in Hebrew—and purposefully so, for Jews did not dare take this divine name of God upon their lips. Yet Yahweh, the indescribable God, came to earth as the incarnate Christ and revealed Himself to men and women. He humbly went to the cross, and then He was raised to the highest place—His rightful place—and given this name “above every name.” Says one commentator, “He hath changed the ineffable name, into a name utterable by man and desirable by all the world.” In the one who bears this name, God’s majesty “is all arrayed in robes of mercy.”[1]
Old Testament prophecy reinforces this idea again and again. In Isaiah 45, God gives a description that applies exclusively to Himself: “There is no other god besides me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none besides me” (Isaiah 45:21). Paul, once an aggressive opponent of Christ and His followers, applies this very description to Christ, making an impressive declaration of His deity. He points out that Jesus has been publicly exalted to the position that was rightfully His even before He came to earth to suffer humiliation on our behalf. He is now seated at the Father’s right hand. His majesty is there for all who know Him as Savior to see. His identity is unclouded and undoubted.
God is the only Savior—and Jesus is that Savior, of whom it was said, “You shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). Years after Paul had first had his eyes opened to the truth about who Jesus is, we can still catch a sense of awed reverence and love in his words to the Philippians. Jesus Christ is LORD. He possesses the name above all names. Paul never allowed familiarity with this truth to breed complacency about it. Neither must we. Pause now and allow each word to prompt you to an awed praise of this man: Jesus, the Savior of His people… Christ, the long-promised King… is LORD, the indescribable, revealed God. And you get to call Him “brother” (Hebrews 2:11).
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?
Vision of the Son of Man
9I, John, your brother and zpartner in athe tribulation and bthe kingdom and cthe patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos don account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 10eI was in the Spirit fon the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a loud voice glike a trumpet 11saying, h“Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.”
12Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw iseven golden lampstands, 13and in the midst of the lampstands jone like ka son of man, lclothed with a long robe and mwith a golden sash around his chest. 14nThe hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. oHis eyes were like a flame of fire, 15phis feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and qhis voice was like the roar of many waters. 16rIn his right hand he held seven stars, sfrom his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and this face was like the sun shining uin full strength.
17vWhen I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But vhe laid his right hand on me, wsaying, “Fear not, xI am the first and the last, 18and the living one. yI died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and zI have the keys of Death and Hades. 19aWrite therefore bthe things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this. 20As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and cthe seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and dthe seven lampstands are the seven churches.
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.
God's Gentleness
Your gentleness made me great.
These words are capable of being translated, "Your goodness made me great." David gratefully ascribed all his greatness not to his own goodness, but to the goodness of God.
"Your providence" is another reading; and providence is nothing more than goodness in action. Goodness is the bud of which providence is the flower, or goodness is the seed of which providence is the harvest. Some render it, "Your help," which is just another word for providence, providence being the firm ally of the saints, aiding them in the service of their Lord.
Or again, "Your humility made me great." "Your condescension" may perhaps serve as a comprehensive reading, combining all these ideas, including humility. God's making Himself little is the cause of our being made great. We are so little that if God should display His greatness without condescension, we would be trampled under His feet; but God, who must stoop to view the skies and bow to see what angels do, turns His eye yet lower and looks to the lowly and contrite and makes them great.
There are still other translations. For example, the Septuagint reads, "Your discipline. "Your fatherly correction—"made me great," while another paraphrase reads, "Your word increased me."
Still the idea is the same. David ascribes all his own greatness to the condescending goodness of his Father in heaven. May this attitude be echoed in our hearts this evening while we cast our crowns at Jesus' feet and cry, "Your gentleness made me great."
How marvelous is our experience of God's gentleness! How gentle His corrections! How gentle His patience! How gentle His teachings! How gentle His invitations! Meditate upon this theme, believer. Let gratitude be awakened; let humility be deepened; let love be quickened before you fall asleep tonight.
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 9
Laws About Leprosy
1The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 2“When a person has on the skin of his body a aswelling or an eruption or a spot, and it turns into a case of leprous1 disease on the skin of his body, bthen he shall be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons the priests, 3and the priest shall examine the diseased area on the skin of his body. And if the hair in the diseased area has turned white and the disease appears to be deeper than the skin of his body, it is a case of leprous disease. When the priest has examined him, he shall pronounce him unclean. 4But if the spot is white in the skin of his body and appears no deeper than the skin, and the hair in it has not turned white, cthe priest shall shut up the diseased person for seven days. 5And the priest shall examine him on the seventh day, and if in his eyes the disease is checked and the disease has not spread in the skin, then the cpriest shall shut him up for another seven days. 6And the priest shall examine him again on the seventh day, and if the diseased area has faded and the disease has not spread in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him clean; it is only an eruption. And dhe shall wash his clothes and be clean. 7But if the eruption spreads in the skin, after he has shown himself to the priest for his cleansing, he shall appear again before the priest. 8And the priest shall look, and if the eruption has spread in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean; it is a leprous disease.
9“When a man is afflicted with a leprous disease, he shall be brought to the priest, 10and the priest shall look. And if there is a ewhite swelling in the skin that has turned the hair white, and there is raw flesh in the swelling, 11it is a chronic leprous disease in the skin of his body, and the priest shall pronounce him unclean. fHe shall not shut him up, for he is unclean. 12And if the leprous disease breaks out in the skin, so that the leprous disease covers all the skin of the diseased person from head to foot, so far as the priest can see, 13then the priest shall look, and if the leprous disease has covered all his body, he shall pronounce him clean of the disease; it has all turned white, and he is clean. 14But when raw flesh appears on him, he shall be unclean. 15And the priest shall examine the raw flesh and pronounce him unclean. Raw flesh is unclean, for it is a leprous disease. 16But if the raw flesh recovers and turns white again, then he shall come to the priest, 17and the priest shall examine him, and if the disease has turned white, then the priest shall pronounce the diseased person clean; he is clean.
18“If there is in the skin of one's body a gboil and it heals, 19and in the place of the boil there comes a white swelling or a hreddish-white spot, then it shall be shown to the priest. 20And the priest shall look, and if it appears deeper than the skin and its hair has turned white, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is a case of leprous disease that has broken out in the boil. 21But if the priest examines it and there is no white hair in it and it is not deeper than the skin, but has faded, then the priest shall shut him up seven days. 22And if it spreads in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean; it is a disease. 23But iif the spot remains in one place and does not spread, it is the scar of the boil, and the priest shall pronounce him clean.
24“Or, when the body has a burn on its skin and the raw flesh of the burn becomes a spot, jreddish-white or white, 25the priest shall examine it, and if the hair in the spot has turned white and it appears deeper than the skin, then it is a leprous disease. It has broken out in the burn, and the priest shall pronounce him unclean; it is a case of leprous disease. 26But if the priest examines it and there is no white hair in the spot and it is no deeper than the skin, but has faded, the priest shall shut him up seven days, 27and the priest shall examine him the seventh day. If it is spreading in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean; it is a case of leprous disease. 28But if the spot remains kin one place and does not spread in the skin, but has faded, it is a swelling from the burn, and the priest shall pronounce him clean, for it is the scar of the burn.
29“When a man or woman has a disease on the head or the beard, 30the priest shall examine the disease. And if it appears deeper than the skin, and the hair in it is yellow and thin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is an itch, a leprous disease of the head or the beard. 31And if the priest examines the itching disease and it appears no deeper than the skin and there is no black hair in it, then the priest shall shut up the person with the itching disease for seven days, 32and on the seventh day the priest shall examine the disease. If the itch has not spread, and there is in it no yellow hair, and the itch appears to be no deeper than the skin, 33then he shall shave himself, but the itch he shall not shave; and the priest shall shut up the person with the itching disease for another seven days. 34And on the seventh day the priest shall examine the itch, and if the itch has not spread in the skin and it appears to be no deeper than the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him clean. And lhe shall wash his clothes and be clean. 35But if the itch spreads in the skin after his cleansing, 36then the priest shall examine him, and if the itch has spread in the skin, the priest need not seek for the yellow hair; he is unclean. 37But if in his eyes the itch is unchanged and black hair has grown in it, the itch is healed and he is clean, and the priest shall pronounce him clean.
38“When a man or a woman has spots on the skin of the body, white spots, 39the priest shall look, and if the spots on the skin of the body are of a dull white, it is leukoderma that has broken out in the skin; he is clean.
40“If a man's hair falls out from his head, he is bald; he is clean. 41And if a man's hair falls out from his forehead, he has baldness of the forehead; he is clean. 42But if there is on the bald head or the bald forehead a reddish-white diseased area, it is a leprous disease breaking out on his bald head or his bald forehead. 43Then the priest shall examine him, and if the diseased swelling is reddish-white on his bald head or on his bald forehead, like the appearance of leprous disease in the skin of the body, 44he is a leprous man, he is unclean. The priest must pronounce him unclean; his disease is on his head.
45“The leprous person who has the disease shall wear torn clothes and mlet the hair of his head hang loose, and he shall ncover his upper lip2 and cry out, o‘Unclean, unclean.’ 46He shall remain unclean as long as he has the disease. He is unclean. He shall live alone. His dwelling shall be poutside the camp.
47“When there is a case of leprous disease in a qgarment, whether a woolen or a linen garment, 48in warp or woof of linen or wool, or in a skin or in anything made of skin, 49if the disease is greenish or reddish in the garment, or in the skin or in the warp or the woof or in any article made of skin, it is a case of leprous disease, and it shall be shown to the priest. 50And the priest shall examine the disease and shut up that which has the disease for seven days. 51Then he shall examine the disease on the seventh day. If the disease has spread in the garment, in the warp or the woof, or in the skin, whatever be the use of the skin, the disease is a rpersistent leprous disease; it is unclean. 52And he shall burn the garment, or the warp or the woof, the wool or the linen, or any article made of skin that is diseased, for it is a persistent leprous disease. It shall be burned in the fire.
53“And if the priest examines, and if the disease has not spread in the garment, in the warp or the woof or in any article made of skin, 54then the priest shall command that they wash the thing in which is the disease, and he shall shut it up for another seven days. 55And the priest shall examine the diseased thing after it has been washed. And if the appearance of the diseased area has not changed, though the disease has not spread, it is unclean. You shall burn it in the fire, whether the rot is on the back or on the front.
56“But if the priest examines, and if the diseased area has faded after it has been washed, he shall tear it out of the garment or the skin or the warp or the woof. 57Then if it appears again in the garment, in the warp or the woof, or in any article made of skin, it is spreading. You shall burn with fire whatever has the disease. 58But the garment, or the warp or the woof, or any article made of skin from which the disease departs when you have washed it, shall then be washed a second time, and be clean.”
59This is the law for a case of leprous disease in a garment of wool or linen, either in the warp or the woof, or in any article made of skin, to determine whether it is clean or unclean.
Psalm 15
Who Shall Dwell on Your Holy Hill?
A Psalm of David.
1O Lord, uwho shall sojourn in your vtent?
Who shall dwell on your wholy hill?
2He who xwalks blamelessly and ydoes what is right
and zspeaks truth in his heart;
3who adoes not slander with his tongue
and does no evil to his neighbor,
nor btakes up a reproach against his friend;
4cin whose eyes a vile person is despised,
but who honors those who fear the Lord;
who dswears to his own hurt and does not change;
5who edoes not put out his money at interest
and fdoes not take a bribe against the innocent.
He who does these things shall never be gmoved.
Psalm 16
You Will Not Abandon My Soul
A hMiktam1 of David.
1Preserve me, O God, for in you I itake refuge.
2I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;
jI have no good apart from you.”
3As for kthe saints in the land, they are the excellent ones,
in whom is all my delight.2
4The sorrows of those who run after3 another god shall multiply;
their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out
or ltake their names on my lips.
5The Lord is mmy chosen portion and my ncup;
you hold my olot.
6pThe lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.
7I bless the Lord who qgives me counsel;
in rthe night also my sheart instructs me.4
8tI have uset the Lord always before me;
because he is at my vright hand, I shall not be wshaken.
9Therefore my heart is glad, and my xwhole being5 rejoices;
my flesh also dwells secure.
10For you will not abandon my soul to ySheol,
zor let your aholy one see bcorruption.6
11You make known to me cthe path of life;
in your presence there is dfullness of joy;
at your right hand are epleasures forevermore.
1Do not boast about tomorrow,
yfor you do not know what a day may bring.
2Let zanother praise you, and not your own mouth;
a stranger, and not your own lips.
3A stone is heavy, and sand is weighty,
but aa fool's provocation is heavier than both.
4Wrath is cruel, anger is overwhelming,
but who can stand before bjealousy?
5cBetter is open rebuke
than hidden love.
6Faithful are dthe wounds of a friend;
profuse are the kisses of an enemy.
7One who is full loathes ehoney,
but to one who is hungry everything bitter is sweet.
8Like fa bird that strays from its nest
is a man who strays from his home.
9gOil and perfume make the heart glad,
and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel.1
10Do not forsake your friend and hyour father's friend,
and do not go to your brother's house in the day of your calamity.
iBetter is a neighbor who is near
than a brother who is far away.
11jBe wise, kmy son, and lmake my heart glad,
that I may manswer him who reproaches me.
12nThe prudent sees danger and hides himself,
but othe simple go on and suffer for it.
13pTake a man's garment when he has put up security for a stranger,
and hold it in pledge when he puts up security for an adulteress.2
14Whoever blesses his neighbor with a loud voice,
rising early in the morning,
will be counted as cursing.
15qA continual dripping on a rainy day
and a quarrelsome wife are alike;
16to restrain her is to restrain the wind
or to grasp3 oil in one's right hand.
17Iron sharpens iron,
and one man sharpens another.4
18rWhoever tends a fig tree will eat its fruit,
and he who sguards his master will be honored.
19As in water face reflects face,
so the heart of man reflects the man.
20tSheol and Abaddon are unever satisfied,
and vnever satisfied are the eyes of man.
21wThe crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold,
and a man is tested by his praise.
22xCrush a fool in a mortar with a pestle
along with crushed grain,
yet his folly will not depart from him.
23yKnow well the condition of your flocks,
and ygive attention to your herds,
24for zriches do not last forever;
and does a crown endure to all generations?
25aWhen the grass is gone and the new growth appears
and the vegetation of the mountains is gathered,
26bthe lambs will provide your clothing,
and the goats the price of a field.
27bThere will be enough goats' milk for your food,
for the food of your household
and maintenance for your girls.
Greeting
1aPaul, Silvanus, and Timothy,
To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
2Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Thanksgiving
3bWe ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers,1 as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing. 4Therefore cwe ourselves boast about you din the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith ein all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring.
The Judgment at Christ's Coming
5This is fevidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be gconsidered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering— 6since indeed God considers it hjust ito repay with affliction those who afflict you, 7and to grant jrelief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when kthe Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven lwith his mighty angels 8min flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those nwho do not know God and on those who odo not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9They will suffer the punishment of peternal destruction, qaway from2 the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, 10rwhen he comes on sthat day tto be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our utestimony to you vwas believed. 11To this end we walways pray for you, that our God may xmake you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every ywork of faith by his power, 12so that the name of our Lord Jesus zmay be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
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