Truth For Life Program
Alistair Begg Devotional
C. H. Spurgeon Devotional
One-Year Bible Reading Plan
The Old Testament said Christ would be called the Prince of Peace. But in the New Testament, Jesus admits He comes to bring division! Is He contradicting Himself? Find out as we investigate another question God asks, on Truth For Life with Alistair Begg.
From the Sermon
“Do You Think I Came to Bring Peace?”
Luke 12:49–53 Sermon • Includes Transcript • 29:05 • ID: 2475
Alienation Crucified
Stark though it may sound, confrontational though it may be, the Bible compares the unredeemed to the walking dead. Outside of Jesus Christ, men and women are “dead” in their trespasses and sins.
The Bible’s picture of mankind ought to temper our expectations for what life can look like outside of God’s kingdom. Education is vitally important. Legislation is clearly necessary. But neither one, nor both of them together, is able to deal with the basic issues of the human heart. Worldly remedies only take us so far because they cannot address the greatest problem: that our natural condition is that of being “dead in the trespasses and sins in which [we] once walked … by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind” (Ephesians 2:1, 3).
The alienation that marks humanity outside of Christ is primarily vertical: an alienation from God. Yet the effects spill over in other directions. Paul goes on in his letter to the Ephesians to describe how this vertical alienation had affected horizontal relations between Jews and Gentiles (Ephesians 2:11-12). The deep-seated hostility between Jew and Gentile in the ancient world was caused by nothing less profound than human sin. Both were separated from God, as represented by the curtain that hung in the temple, and both were separated from one another by the metaphorical wall that existed between them (v 14).
The truth is that such hostilities are bound to continue apart from Christ. Though it is good to invest in our communities and to labor for real change in our society and for the good of our neighbors (and indeed, God directs His people to do so—see, for example, Jeremiah 29:7), this is not where a Christian ultimately focuses their primary energy in ministry or places their hope for renewal. In Jesus, and only in Jesus, God has created and is still creating a new society where divisive barriers are broken down by grace. God has provided in the authentic local church “the genetic blueprint” for “a broken world remade.”[1] When people encounter churches where that blueprint is seen, they will experience a taste of what God is planning to do when sin and tears and sorrow are no more, when in a new heaven and in a new earth all He has purposed will be completed.
Alienation—both vertical and horizontal—is inevitable apart from Christ. But in Christ, and in the society He is building and of which He is the head, such alienation has been crucified. Taking the reality of sin seriously means that you and I will invest in whatever way we can in our local church in order to ensure that it is a place where grace has torn down barriers and the blueprint of God’s future kingdom is plain to see. Until we get there, we have the opportunity to work for, and enjoy, the foretaste now.
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?
Greeting
1aThe elder to the elect lady and her children, bwhom I love in truth, and not only I, but also all who cknow dthe truth, 2ebecause of the truth that abides in us and will be with us forever:
3fGrace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father's Son, in truth and love.
Walking in Truth and Love
4gI rejoiced greatly to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as we were commanded by the Father. 5And now I ask you, dear lady—hnot as though I were writing you a new commandment, but the one we have had from the beginning—ithat we love one another. 6And jthis is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, just kas you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it. 7For lmany deceivers mhave gone out into the world, nthose who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist. 8Watch yourselves, oso that you may not lose what we1 have worked for, but pmay win a full reward. 9Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, qdoes not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching qhas both the Father and the Son. 10If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, rdo not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, 11for whoever greets him stakes part in his wicked works.
Final Greetings
12tThough I have much to write to you, I would rather not use paper and ink. uInstead I hope to come to you and talk face to face, vso that our joy may be complete.
13The children of your elect sister greet you.
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 Kaleidoscope of Christ's Beauty
Behold, you are beautiful, my beloved.
From every angle our Well-beloved is most fair. Our various experiences are meant by our heavenly Father to provide new vantage points from which we may view the loveliness of Jesus. How friendly are our trials when they allow us a clearer view of Jesus than ordinary life could afford us! We have seen Him from the mountain peaks, and He has shone upon us as the sun in His strength; but we have seen Him also from the lions' dens, and even there He has lost none of His loveliness. In the experience of suffering and pain, from the borders of the grave, we have turned our eyes to our soul's spouse, and He has never been other than "beautiful."
Many of His saints looked upon Him from the gloom of dungeons and from the martyr's flames; yet they never uttered an ill word of Him, but died extolling His surpassing charms. To keep our gaze on the Lord Jesus is noble and pleasant employment. Is it not unspeakably delightful to view the Savior in all His works and to perceive Him matchless in each? To shift the kaleidoscope, as it were, and to find fresh combinations of matchless grace? In the manger and in eternity, on the cross and on His throne, in the garden and in His kingdom, among thieves or in the midst of cherubim, He is everywhere glorious in His beauty.
Examine carefully every little act of His life and every trait of His character, and He is as lovely in the minute as in the majestic. Judge Him as you will, you cannot censure; weigh Him as you please, and He will not be found wanting. Eternity shall not discover the shadow of a spot in our Beloved, but rather as ages revolve, His hidden glories will shine with even more inconceivable splendor, and His unutterable loveliness will continually ravish all celestial minds.
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 May 22
Vengeance on Midian
1The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2n“Avenge the people of Israel on the Midianites. Afterward you shall obe gathered to your people.” 3So Moses spoke to the people, saying, “Arm men from among you for the war, that they may go against Midian to execute the Lord's vengeance on Midian. 4You shall send a thousand from each of the tribes of Israel to the war.” 5So there were provided, out of the thousands of Israel, a thousand from each tribe, twelve thousand parmed for war. 6And Moses sent them to the war, a thousand from each tribe, together with Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, with the vessels of the sanctuary and qthe trumpets for the alarm in his hand. 7They warred against Midian, as the Lord commanded Moses, and rkilled every male. 8They killed the kings of Midian with the rest of their slain, sEvi, Rekem, tZur, Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian. And they also killed uBalaam the son of Beor with the sword. 9And the people of Israel took captive the women of Midian and their little ones, and they took as plunder all their cattle, their flocks, and all their goods. 10All their cities in the places where they lived, and all their vencampments, they burned with fire, 11wand took all the spoil and all the plunder, both of man and of beast. 12Then they brought the captives and the plunder and the spoil to Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and to the congregation of the people of Israel, at the camp on xthe plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho.
13Moses and Eleazar the priest and all the chiefs of the congregation went to meet them outside the camp. 14And Moses was angry with ythe officers of the army, the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds, who had come from service in the war. 15Moses said to them, “Have you zlet all the women live? 16Behold, athese, bon Balaam's advice, caused the people of Israel to act treacherously against the Lord in the incident of cPeor, and so dthe plague came among the congregation of the Lord. 17Now therefore, ekill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known man by lying with him. 18But all the young girls who have not known man by lying with him fkeep alive for yourselves. 19gEncamp outside the camp seven days. Whoever of you has killed any person and hwhoever has touched any slain, purify yourselves and your captives on the third day and on the seventh day. 20You shall purify every garment, every article of skin, all work of goats' hair, and every article of wood.”
21Then Eleazar the priest said to the men in the army who had gone to battle: “This is the statute of the law that the Lord has commanded Moses: 22only the gold, the silver, the bronze, the iron, the tin, and the lead, 23everything that can stand the fire, you shall pass through the fire, and it shall be clean. Nevertheless, it shall also be purified iwith the water for impurity. And whatever cannot stand the fire, you shall pass through the water. 24You must jwash your clothes on the seventh day, and you shall be clean. And afterward you may come into the camp.”
25The Lord said to Moses, 26“Take the count of the plunder that was taken, both of man and of beast, you and Eleazar the priest and the heads of the fathers' houses of the congregation, 27and kdivide the plunder into two parts between the warriors who went out to battle and all the congregation. 28And levy for the Lord a tribute from the men of war who went out to battle, lone out of five hundred, of the people and of the oxen and of the donkeys and of the flocks. 29Take it from their half and give it to Eleazar the priest as a contribution to the Lord. 30And from the people of Israel's half you shall take mone drawn out of every fifty, of the people, of the oxen, of the donkeys, and of the flocks, of all the cattle, and give them to the Levites nwho keep guard over the tabernacle of the Lord.” 31And Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the Lord commanded Moses.
32Now the plunder remaining of the spoil that the army took was 675,000 sheep, 3372,000 cattle, 3461,000 donkeys, 35and 32,000 persons in all, women who had not known man by lying with him. 36And the half, the portion of those who had gone out in the army, numbered 337,500 sheep, 37and othe Lord's tribute of sheep was 675. 38The cattle were 36,000, of which the Lord's tribute was 72. 39The donkeys were 30,500, of which the Lord's tribute was 61. 40The persons were 16,000, of which the Lord's tribute was 32 persons. 41And Moses gave the tribute, which was the contribution for the Lord, to Eleazar the priest, pas the Lord commanded Moses.
42From the people of Israel's half, which Moses separated from that of the men who had served in the army— 43now the congregation's half was 337,500 sheep, 4436,000 cattle, 45and 30,500 donkeys, 46and 16,000 persons— 47qfrom the people of Israel's half Moses took one of every 50, both of persons and of beasts, and gave them to the Levites who kept guard over the tabernacle of the Lord, as the Lord commanded Moses.
48Then rthe officers who were over the thousands of the army, the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds, came near to Moses 49and said to Moses, “Your servants have counted the men of war who are under our command, and there is not a man missing from us. 50And we have brought the Lord's offering, what each man found, articles of gold, armlets and bracelets, signet rings, earrings, and beads, sto make atonement for ourselves before the Lord.” 51And Moses and Eleazar the priest received from them the gold, all crafted articles. 52And all the gold of the contribution that they presented to the Lord, from the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds, was 16,750 shekels.1 53t(The men in the army had each taken plunder for himself.) 54And Moses and Eleazar the priest received the gold from the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and brought it into the tent of meeting, uas a memorial for the people of Israel before the Lord.
Psalm 75
God Will Judge with Equity
To the choirmaster: according to lDo Not Destroy. mA Psalm of Asaph. A Song.
1We give thanks to you, O God;
we give thanks, for your name is nnear.
We1 recount your wondrous deeds.
2“At othe set time that I appoint
I will judge pwith equity.
3When the earth qtotters, and all its inhabitants,
it is I who keep steady its rpillars. Selah
4I say to the boastful, ‘Do not boast,’
and to the wicked, s‘Do not lift up your horn;
5do not lift up your horn on high,
or speak with haughty neck.’”
6For not from the east or from the west
and not from the wilderness comes tlifting up,
7but it is uGod who executes judgment,
vputting down one and lifting up another.
8wFor in the hand of the Lord there is xa cup
with foaming wine, ywell mixed,
and he pours out from it,
and all the wicked of the earth
shall zdrain it down to the dregs.
9But I will declare it forever;
I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.
10aAll the horns of the wicked I will cut off,
bbut the horns of the righteous shall be lifted up.
Psalm 76
Who Can Stand Before You?
To the choirmaster: with cstringed instruments. A Psalm of dAsaph. A Song.
1In Judah God is eknown;
his name is great in Israel.
2His fabode has been established in gSalem,
his hdwelling place in Zion.
3There he ibroke the flashing arrows,
the shield, the sword, and the weapons of war. Selah
4Glorious are you, more majestic
jthan the mountains full of kprey.
5lThe stouthearted were stripped of their spoil;
mthey sank into sleep;
all the men of war
were unable to use their hands.
6At your rebuke, O God of Jacob,
both nrider and horse lay stunned.
7oBut you, you are to be feared!
Who can pstand before you
when once your anger is roused?
8From the heavens you uttered judgment;
qthe earth feared and was still,
9when God rarose to establish judgment,
to save all the humble of the earth. Selah
10Surely sthe wrath of man shall praise you;
the remnant1 of wrath you will put on like a belt.
11tMake your vows to the Lord your God and perform them;
let all around him ubring gifts
to him who vis to be feared,
12who wcuts off the spirit of princes,
who xis to be feared by the kings of the earth.
An Oracle Concerning Tyre and Sidon
1The ioracle concerning jTyre.
Wail, O kships of Tarshish,
for Tyre is laid waste, lwithout house or harbor!
it is revealed to them.
2Be still, O inhabitants of the coast;
the merchants of nSidon, who cross the sea, have filled you.
3And on many waters
your revenue was the grain of Shihor,
the harvest of the Nile;
you were othe merchant of the nations.
4Be ashamed, O nSidon, for the sea has spoken,
the stronghold of the sea, saying:
“I have neither labored nor given birth,
I have neither reared young men
nor brought up young women.”
5When the report comes to Egypt,
they will be in anguish2 over the report about Tyre.
6pCross over to Tarshish;
wail, O inhabitants of the coast!
7Is this your exultant city
qwhose origin is from days of old,
whose feet carried her
to settle far away?
8Who has purposed this
against Tyre, the bestower of crowns,
whose merchants were princes,
whose traders were the honored of the earth?
9The Lord of hosts has purposed it,
rto defile the pompous pride of all glory,3
to dishonor all the honored of the earth.
10Cross over your land like the Nile,
O daughter of Tarshish;
there is no restraint anymore.
11sHe has stretched out his hand over the sea;
he has shaken the kingdoms;
the Lord has given command concerning Canaan
to destroy its strongholds.
12And he said:
“You will no more exult,
O oppressed virgin daughter of tSidon;
arise, ucross over to vCyprus,
even there you will have no rest.”
13Behold the land of wthe Chaldeans! This is the people that was not;4 Assyria destined it for wild beasts. They erected xtheir siege towers, they stripped her palaces bare, they made her a ruin.
14yWail, O ships of Tarshish,
for your stronghold is laid waste.
15In that day Tyre will be forgotten for zseventy years, like the days5 of one king. At the end of zseventy years, it will happen to Tyre as in the song of the prostitute:
16“Take a harp;
go about the city,
O forgotten prostitute!
Make sweet melody;
sing many songs,
that you may be remembered.”
17At the end of aseventy years, the Lord will visit Tyre, and she will return to her wages and bwill prostitute herself with all the kingdoms of the world on the face of the earth. 18Her merchandise and her wages will be holy to the Lord. It will not be stored or hoarded, but her merchandise will supply abundant food and fine clothing for those who dwell before the Lord.
The Word of Life
1aThat which was bfrom the beginning, cwhich we have heard, dwhich we have seen with our eyes, ewhich we looked upon and fhave touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— 2gthe life hwas made manifest, and we have seen it, and itestify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, awhich was with the Father and hwas made manifest to us— 3cthat which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed jour fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4And we are writing these things so kthat our1 joy may be complete.
Walking in the Light
5lThis is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that mGod is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6nIf we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and odo not practice the truth. 7But pif we walk in the light, qas he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and rthe blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8sIf we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and tthe truth is not in us. 9uIf we confess our sins, he is vfaithful and just to forgive us our sins and rto cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10If we say we have not sinned, wwe make him a liar, and xhis word is not in us.
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