Truth For Life Program
Alistair Begg Devotional
C. H. Spurgeon Devotional
One-Year Bible Reading Plan
At some point, most of us have had to choose between going along with the crowd or doing what’s right. Hear about how Pilate, the Roman governor, faced such a dilemma when he wrestled with what to do with Jesus. Listen to Truth For Life with Alistair Begg.
From the Sermon
The Stone Was Rolled Away
When we consider Jesus as Messiah, most of us think immediately in personal terms: Jesus is my Messiah. He forgives my sins. He lives in me. All of which, of course, is true. But 1st-century Jewish expectations concerning the messiahship of Jesus were far broader than that. If we had talked with a 1st-century Jew about his or her messianic expectations, we would have discovered hopes that were, in a sense, far grander in scope.
The Jews anticipated that their long-awaited Messiah would come to defeat the pagans who held sway over them, to rebuild the temple, and to establish God’s just rule upon the earth. Theirs was a nationalistic hope—a hope that the Messiah would come and vindicate the nation of Israel. Jesus’ arrival, together with the miracles He performed, the stories He told, and the prophecies He fulfilled, built to a great crescendo of expectation among His followers. But just when they began to think that He really would be the one to politically redeem the people of Israel, at Calvary they saw all their messianic hopes hanging up on a Roman gibbet. And when Jesus cried out, “It is finished” (John 19:30), many of them must have agreed.
How, then, did this group of believers, whose messianic hopes had been buried in a Palestinian tomb, not only continue to believe that Jesus was the Messiah but stand in the streets near where He had been executed and make an unashamed declaration of His messiahship? The answer which comes reverberating through the pages of the New Testament is found in the bodily resurrection of Jesus. The angelic announcement to the women who had brought spices to embalm a corpse provoked a radical reassessment of what the believers had witnessed on the Friday and a complete change in their view of their lives and futures. When the Messiah reappeared among them, as alive as ever, these previously sad, sorrowful, defeated, and brokenhearted disciples were transformed into bold, joyful witnesses. They now bore testimony to the reality of Christ resurrected with a body that could be seen, handled, and touched, and yet possessing capacities to do what His pre-resurrection body had not done. His work of salvation was finished; His life and His reign were most certainly not!
Only in the disciples’ recognition of His risen presence did Christ’s messiahship finally make sense. Indeed, what the early Jewish believers discovered when they “found the stone rolled away from the tomb” (Luke 24:2) and saw that “Jesus himself stood among them” (v 36) was that an eternal hope, joy, and power ignited within their hearts. And these remain available to all who put their trust in Jesus, the resurrected Messiah. It is the resurrection, and only the resurrection, that changes sadness, sorrow, and defeat into hope, joy, and power. It is the resurrection, and only the resurrection, that declares that our Messiah will defeat His enemies, will restore His people, and will rule from sea to sea. The resurrection of Jesus will change everything about how you go about your day today.
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 Resurrection
1hBut on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, itaking the spices they had prepared. 2And they found jthe stone rolled away from the tomb, 3but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4While they were perplexed about this, behold, ktwo lmen stood by them in dazzling apparel. 5And as they were mfrightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? 6He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, nwhile he was still in Galilee, 7nthat the Son of Man omust be delivered into the hands of sinful men and pbe crucified and on qthe third day rise.” 8And rthey remembered his words, 9and returning from the tomb they stold all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. 10Now it was tMary Magdalene and uJoanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, 11but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and vthey did not believe them. 12But wPeter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw xthe linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened.
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.
The Source of His Grief
And there followed him a great multitude of the people and of women who were mourning and lamenting for him.
Among the rabble that hounded the Redeemer to His doom, there were some gracious souls whose bitter anguish found an outlet in wailing and lamentations—suitable music to accompany that woeful march. When I can, in imagination, see the Savior bearing His cross to Calvary, my soul joins the godly women and weeps with them; for, indeed, there is true cause for grief—cause lying deeper than those mourning women recognized. They bewailed innocence maltreated, goodness persecuted, love bleeding, meekness about to die; but my heart has a deeper and more bitter cause to mourn. My sins were the scourges that lacerated those blessed shoulders and crowned with thorns those bleeding brows: my sins cried, “Crucify Him! crucify Him!” and laid the cross upon His gracious shoulders.
His being led forth to die is sorrow enough for one eternity: but my having been His murderer is more, infinitely more, grief than one poor fountain of tears can express. The reason for those women’s love and tears is plain to read, but they could not have had greater reasons for love and grief than my heart has. The widow of Nain saw her son restored—but I myself have been raised to newness of life. Peter’s mother-in-law was cured of the fever—but I of the greater plague of sin. Out of Magdalene seven devils were cast—but a whole legion out of me. Mary and Martha were favored with visits—but He dwells with me. His mother bore His body—but He is formed in me, the hope of glory. Since I am not behind the holy women in debt, let me not be behind them in gratitude or sorrow.
Love and grief my heart dividing,
With my tears His feet I’ll lave—
Constant still in heart abiding,
Weep for Him who died to save.
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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