Truth For Life Program
Alistair Begg Devotional
C. H. Spurgeon Devotional
One-Year Bible Reading Plan
What’s the role of the church in this everchanging world? Is it different from the responsibilities of the early church? Hear the answer when you join us for a closer look at the apostle Paul’s Godgiven ministry, on Truth For Life with Alistair Begg.
From the Sermon
The Plan of the Mystery
Ephesians 3:9 Sermon • Includes Transcript • 45:11 • ID: 3191
Dealing With Death
Death will come to us all. Therefore, the great question of life is not so much “How do we face life and live in this world?” but rather “How do we face death and where will we live in the next world?” This life isn’t irrelevant; indeed, it’s vitally important! But we can’t know what it means to live unless we have first learned how to die.
Jacob is a wonderful illustration of how to live and die in light of God’s promised plan. He was specific in his requests regarding his death and burial—and his concern over his burial place was primarily about theology, not geography. He recognized that in his death, he was making a statement about his place in the unfolding plan and purpose of God’s relationship with His people.
God had made a covenant with Abraham, promising that he would become the father of a great nation in the land of Canaan, the promised land. This promise was passed to Isaac and then to Jacob. Humbled by and entrusted with this promise, Jacob wanted it to be passed on to the coming generations through his final blessing and his burial location. He wanted his descendants to remember they were destined for Canaan, not Egypt, and he wanted them to remember his faith in the certainty of God’s plan and purpose.
Joseph honored his father’s wishes, and Genesis 49 – 50 describes the elaborate funeral procession from Egypt to Canaan and the mourning that followed. Scripture tells us that the onlooking Canaanites noticed the elaborate ceremony (Genesis 50:11), but they couldn’t have known the full depth of its meaning. Similarly, many people do not—because they cannot—fully understand why Christians deal with death in the way the Bible says we can. The Christian’s perspective on death should be radically different from anything that the world is able to offer. If we simply go through the same motions as other people, with the same subdued ceremonies, the same sentimental music, and the same empty platitudes, we miss a prime opportunity to say in our dying and in our mourning, “Death has no ultimate hold on us. We have been delivered from our sins and therefore from the terrors of death. Thanks be to God for giving us victory through Jesus Christ!” (see 1 Corinthians 15:57).
When the world is watching, the way we deal with death is an opportunity to proclaim that the King of heaven came to earth and transformed how we live and die. The covenant that Christ made on the cross cleared the debt of your sin and guarantees you and all believers “an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading” (1 Peter 1:4). Like Jacob and countless other saints who have faithfully gone before you, be sure to proclaim this in the way you speak of death, in the way you grieve for those saints who go before you, and in the way that, one day, you confront your own passing. How does this comfort you today? How does this reframe your own perspective on your future 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 Coming of the Lord
13But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, gthat you may not grieve as others do hwho have no hope. 14For isince we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him jthose who have fallen asleep. 15For this we declare to you kby a word from the Lord,4 that lwe who are alive, who are left until mthe coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16For nthe Lord himself will descend ofrom heaven pwith a cry of command, with the voice of qan archangel, and rwith the sound of the trumpet of God. And sthe dead in Christ will rise first. 17Then we who are alive, who are left, will be tcaught up together with them uin the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so vwe will always be with the Lord. 18Therefore encourage one another with these words.
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 Glory of God
The Lord our God has shown us his glory.
God’s great design in all His works is the manifestation of His own glory. Any aim less than this would be unworthy of Himself.
But how shall the glory of God be manifested to such fallen creatures as we are? Man’s eye is not single in its focus; he always has a side glance toward his own honor, has too high an estimate of his own powers, and so is not qualified to behold the glory of the Lord. It is clear, then, that self must stand out of the way, that there may be room for God to be exalted. And this is the reason why He often brings His people into straits and difficulties, that, being made conscious of their own folly and weakness, they may be fitted to behold the majesty of God when He comes to work their deliverance. He whose life is one even and smooth path will see but little of the glory of the Lord, for he has few occasions of self-emptying and hence but little fitness for being filled with the revelation of God. They who navigate little streams and shallow creeks know but little of the God of tempests; but they who are “doing business on the great waters”1 see “his wondrous works in the deep.”2 Among the huge waves of bereavement, poverty, temptation, and reproach, we learn the power of Jehovah, because we feel the littleness of man.
Thank God, then, if you have been led by a rough road: It is this that has given you your experience of God’s greatness and loving-kindness. Your troubles have enriched you with a wealth of knowledge to be gained by no other means: Your trials have been the crevice of the rock in which Jehovah has set you, as He did His servant Moses, that you might behold His glory as it passed by. Praise God that you have not been left to the darkness and ignorance that continued prosperity might have involved, but that in the great fight of affliction you have been qualified for the outshinings of His glory in His wonderful dealings with you.
1) Psalm 107:23
2) Psalm 107:24
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 July 19
Israel's Disobedience
1Now the angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to jBochim. And he said, “I brought you up from Egypt and brought you into the land that I swore to give to your fathers. I said, k‘I will never break my covenant with you, 2land you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; myou shall break down their altars.’ But you have not obeyed my voice. What is this you have done? 3So now I say, nI will not drive them out before you, but they shall become othorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare to you.” 4As soon as the angel of the Lord spoke these words to all the people of Israel, the people lifted up their voices and wept. 5And they called the name of that place Bochim.1 And they sacrificed there to the Lord.
The Death of Joshua
6When Joshua dismissed the people, the people of Israel went each to his inheritance to take possession of the land. 7pAnd the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great work that the Lord had done for Israel. 8And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of 110 years. 9And they buried him within the boundaries of qhis inheritance in Timnath-heres, rin the hill country of Ephraim, north of the mountain of Gaash. 10And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers. And there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel.
Israel's Unfaithfulness
11sAnd the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals. 12tAnd they abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt. uThey went after other gods, from among the gods of the peoples who were around them, and vbowed down to them. wAnd they provoked the Lord to anger. 13They abandoned the Lord xand served the Baals and the Ashtaroth. 14ySo the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he zgave them over to plunderers, who plundered them. aAnd he sold them into the hand of their surrounding enemies, bso that they could no longer withstand their enemies. 15Whenever they marched out, the hand of the Lord was against them for harm, as the Lord had warned, cand as the Lord had sworn to them. And they were in terrible distress.
The Lord Raises Up Judges
16dThen the Lord raised up judges, ewho saved them out of the hand of those who plundered them. 17Yet they did not listen to their judges, for fthey whored after other gods and bowed down to them. gThey soon turned aside from the way in which their fathers had walked, who had obeyed the commandments of the Lord, and they did not do so. 18Whenever the Lord raised up judges for them, hthe Lord was with the judge, and he saved them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge. iFor the Lord was moved to pity by jtheir groaning because of those who afflicted and oppressed them. 19But kwhenever the judge died, they turned back and were more corrupt than their fathers, going after other gods, serving them and bowing down to them. They did not drop any of their practices or their stubborn ways. 20lSo the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he said, “Because this people mhave transgressed my covenant that I commanded their fathers and have not obeyed my voice, 21nI will no longer drive out before them any of the nations that Joshua left when he died, 22in order oto test Israel by them, whether they will take care to walk in the way of the Lord as their fathers did, or not.” 23So the Lord left those nations, not driving them out quickly, and he did not give them into the hand of Joshua.
Seven Chosen to Serve
1Now in these days kwhen the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists1 arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in lthe daily distribution. 2And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. 3mTherefore, brothers,2 pick out from among you seven men nof good repute, ofull of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. 4But pwe will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” 5And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, qa man full of faith and rof the Holy Spirit, and sPhilip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, ta proselyte of Antioch. 6These they set before the apostles, and uthey prayed and vlaid their hands on them.
7And wthe word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests xbecame obedient to ythe faith.
Stephen Is Seized
8And Stephen, full of grace and zpower, was doing great wonders and signs among the people. 9Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of those from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and disputed with Stephen. 10But athey could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking. 11Then bthey secretly instigated men who said, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.” 12And they stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes, and they came upon him and seized him and brought him before the council, 13and they cset up false dwitnesses who said, “This man never ceases to speak words against ethis holy place and the law, 14for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth fwill destroy this place and will gchange hthe customs that Moses delivered to us.” 15And gazing at him, all who sat in the council saw that his face iwas like the face of an angel.
The Lord Will Not Relent
1Then the Lord said to me, p“Though qMoses rand Samuel sstood before me, yet my heart would not turn toward this people. Send them out of my sight, and let them go! 2And when they ask you, ‘Where shall we go?’ you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord:
t“‘Those who are for pestilence, to pestilence,
and those who are for the sword, to the sword;
those who are for famine, to famine,
and those who are for captivity, to captivity.’
3uI will appoint over them four kinds of destroyers, declares the Lord: the sword to kill, the dogs to tear, and vthe birds of the air wand the beasts of the earth to devour and destroy. 4xAnd I will make them a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth because of what yManasseh the son of Hezekiah, king of Judah, did in Jerusalem.
5z“Who will have pity on you, O Jerusalem,
zor who will grieve for you?
Who will turn aside
to ask about your welfare?
6aYou have rejected me, declares the Lord;
byou keep going backward,
so I have stretched out my hand against you and destroyed you—
cI am weary of relenting.
7dI have winnowed them with ea winnowing fork
in the gates of the land;
I have bereaved them; I have destroyed my people;
fthey did not turn from their ways.
8I have made their widows more in number
than gthe sand of the seas;
I have brought against the mothers of young men
a destroyer at noonday;
I have made anguish and terror
fall upon them suddenly.
9hShe who bore seven has grown feeble;
ishe has fainted away;
jher sun went down while it was yet day;
she has been shamed and disgraced.
And the rest of them I will give to the sword
before their enemies,
declares the Lord.”
Jeremiah's Complaint
10kWoe is me, my mother, that you bore me, a man of strife and contention to the whole land! lI have not lent, nor have I borrowed, yet all of them curse me. 11The Lord said, “Have I not1 set you free for their good? Have I not pleaded for you before the enemy in the time of trouble and in the time of distress? 12Can one break iron, iron mfrom the north, and bronze?
13n“Your wealth and your treasures I will give as ospoil, without price, for all your sins, throughout all your territory. 14I will make you serve your enemies pin a land that you do not know, qfor in my anger a fire is kindled that shall burn forever.”
15rO Lord, you know;
sremember me and visit me,
stand take vengeance for me on my persecutors.
In your forbearance take me not away;
uknow that vfor your sake I bear reproach.
16Your words were found, wand I ate them,
and xyour words became to me a joy
and the delight of my heart,
yfor I am called by your name,
O Lord, God of hosts.
17zI did not sit in the company of revelers,
nor did I rejoice;
aI sat alone, because your hand was upon me,
for you had filled me with indignation.
18Why is my pain unceasing,
bmy wound incurable,
refusing to be healed?
Will you be to me clike a deceitful brook,
like waters that fail?
19Therefore thus says the Lord:
d“If you return, I will restore you,
and you shall estand before me.
If you utter what is precious, and not what is worthless,
you shall be as my mouth.
They shall turn to you,
but you shall not turn to them.
20fAnd I will make you to this people
a fortified wall of bronze;
they will fight against you,
gbut they shall not prevail over you,
hfor I am with you
to save you and deliver you,
declares the Lord.
21gI will deliver you out of the hand of the wicked,
and redeem you from the grasp of ithe ruthless.”
John the Baptist Prepares the Way
1The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, athe Son of God.1
2bAs it is written in Isaiah the prophet,2
c“Behold, I send my messenger before your face,
who will prepare your way,
3dthe voice of one crying in the wilderness:
e‘Prepare3 the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight,’”
4fJohn appeared, baptizing in gthe wilderness and proclaiming ha baptism of irepentance jfor the forgiveness of sins. 5And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, kconfessing their sins. 6Now John was lclothed with camel's hair and lwore a leather belt around his waist and ate mlocusts and nwild honey. 7And he preached, saying, o“After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8pI have baptized you with water, but qhe will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
The Baptism of Jesus
9rIn those days Jesus scame from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10And when he came up out of the water, immediately he tsaw uthe heavens being torn open vand the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11And wa voice came from heaven, x“You are my beloved Son;4 with you I am well pleased.”
The Temptation of Jesus
12yThe Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. 13yAnd he was in the wilderness forty days, being ztempted by aSatan. And he was with the wild animals, and bthe angels were ministering to him.
Jesus Begins His Ministry
14cNow after John was arrested, Jesus dcame into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, 15and saying, e“The time is fulfilled, and fthe kingdom of God is at hand;5 grepent and believe in the gospel.”
Jesus Calls the First Disciples
16hPassing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 17And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become ifishers of men.”6 18And immediately they left their nets and followed him. 19And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. 20And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him.
Jesus Heals a Man with an Unclean Spirit
21jAnd they went into Capernaum, and immediately kon the Sabbath lhe entered the synagogue and was teaching. 22And mthey were astonished at his teaching, mfor he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes. 23And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, 24n“What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? oI know who you are—pthe Holy One of God.” 25But Jesus qrebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” 26And the unclean spirit, rconvulsing him and scrying out with a loud voice, came out of him. 27And they were all tamazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? uA new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” 28And at once his fame spread everywhere throughout all the surrounding region of Galilee.
Jesus Heals Many
29vAnd immediately he7 wleft the synagogue and entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 30Now xSimon's mother-in-law lay ill with a fever, and immediately they told him about her. 31And he came and ytook her by the hand and lifted her up, and the fever left her, and she began to serve them.
32That evening at sundown they brought to him all who were sick or zoppressed by demons. 33And the whole city was gathered together at the door. 34aAnd he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons. And bhe would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.
Jesus Preaches in Galilee
35cAnd rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and dthere he prayed. 36And Simon and those who were with him searched for him, 37and they found him and said to him, e“Everyone is looking for you.” 38And he said to them, “Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for fthat is why I came out.” 39gAnd hhe went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons.
Jesus Cleanses a Leper
40iAnd a leper8 came to him, imploring him, and jkneeling said to him, k“If you will, you can make me clean.” 41Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, “I will; be clean.” 42And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. 43And lJesus9 sternly charged him and sent him away at once, 44and said to him, m“See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, nshow yourself to the priest and ooffer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, pfor a proof to them.” 45qBut he went out and began to talk freely about it, and to spread the news, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter ra town, but was out in rdesolate places, and speople were coming to him from every quarter.
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