Some people strive to earn their way to heaven by being kind, moral, law-abiding citizens. While they may be respected and well-liked, they’re actually in spiritual danger! On Truth For Life, Alistair Begg explains how we can become “lost in our niceness.”
From the Sermon
The Law of Love
When you read the Bible and it describes Christianity, and then you look at yourself, do you ever wonder whether you’re a Christian at all? I know I do.
Neither our assurance as believers nor God’s love for us hinges on our ability to live out certain Christian principles; rather, both depend on what Christ has achieved for us on the cross. Even so, the Bible teaches us to look for evidences of our salvation in the present. If we truly are the Father’s children, we are bound to display a love for others that resembles Jesus’ love for us.
Jesus calls for us to love people in a way that is not related to their attractiveness, merit, or lovability. We know that this is exactly how God loves us—His love is not based on us cleaning up our act, deserving His attention, or demonstrating that we’re predisposed towards or useful to Him. None of these things contribute to God’s love for us. No—“God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8, emphasis added).
The greatest measure of our faith, then, is love—love that reflects the love that we have received in such abundance. We engage in agape love—unconditional, sacrificial love—because it is an expression of the character of God and all He’s done for us. We don’t exercise this kind of love for our enemies because we are blind to who they really are but because we have gazed at God’s love for us. Jesus says that when we see others as they are—in all of their ugliness and spitefulness, all of their cursing, all of their hatred, and all of their unwillingness to pay us what they owe us—we are to be realistic about all of it, and then love them. Seeing all of that enmity, says Jesus, I want you to love your enemies.
By nature, we are incapable of displaying such love. But consider the kind of difference we would make to our culture if we were prepared to live out, in both everyday and extraordinary ways, a Christlike love which seeks to do what’s best for those who have acted in enmity towards us. That would be revolutionary—without any question at all.
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?
10Now there was a disciple at Damascus named nAnanias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, o“Here I am, Lord.” 11And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man pof Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, 12and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and qlay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” 13But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, rhow much evil he has done to syour tsaints at Jerusalem. 14And here he has authority from uthe chief priests to bind all who vcall on your name.” 15But the Lord said to him, “Go, for whe is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name xbefore the Gentiles and ykings and the children of Israel. 16For zI will show him how much ahe must suffer bfor the sake of my name.” 17So cAnanias departed and entered the house. And dlaying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and ebe filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and fhe regained his sight. Then ghe rose and was baptized; 19and htaking food, he was strengthened.
Saul Proclaims Jesus in Synagogues
For isome days he was with the disciples at Damascus. 20And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, j“He is the Son of God.” 21And all who heard him were amazed and said, “Is not this the man who kmade havoc lin Jerusalem of those who called upon this name? And has he not come here for this purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests?” 22But Saul mincreased all the more in strength, and nconfounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving othat Jesus was the Christ.
Saul Escapes from Damascus
23pWhen many days had passed, the Jews1 plotted to kill him, 24but their qplot became known to Saul. rThey were watching the gates day and night in order to kill him, 25but his disciples took him by night and slet him down through an opening in the wall,2 lowering him in a basket.
Saul in Jerusalem
26And twhen he had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples. And they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple. 27But uBarnabas took him and vbrought him to the apostles and declared to them whow on the road he had seen the Lord, who spoke to him, and xhow at Damascus he had ypreached boldly in the name of Jesus. 28So he went zin and out among them at Jerusalem, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord.
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.
Higher Than I
When my heart is faint … Lead me to the rock that is
higher than I.
Most of us know what it is to be overwhelmed in heart, emptied like when a man wipes a dish and turns it upside down, submerged and thrown on our beam-ends like a boat mastered by the storm. Discoveries of inward corruption will do this, if the Lord permits the depth of our depravity to become troubled and cast up mire and dirt. Disappointments and heartbreaks will do this when billow after billow rolls over us, and we are like a broken shell thrown to and fro by the surf.
Blessed be God, at such seasons we are not left without a sufficient solace: Our God is the harbor of weather-beaten sails, the hostel for forlorn pilgrims. He is higher than we are, His mercy higher than our sins, His love higher than our thoughts. It is pitiful to see men putting their trust in something lower than themselves; but our confidence is fixed on an exceedingly high and glorious Lord. He is a Rock since He doesn't change, and a high Rock because the tempests that overwhelm us roll far beneath His feet; He is not disturbed by them but rules them at His will. If we get under the shelter of this lofty Rock, we may defy the hurricane; all is calm under the lee of that towering cliff. Sadly, the confusion in which the troubled mind is often cast is such that we need piloting to this divine shelter.
Hence the prayer of the text. O Lord, our God, by Your Holy Spirit, teach us the way of faith; lead us into Your rest. The wind blows us out to sea—the helm does not answer to our puny hand; You alone can steer us over the bar between the sunken rocks and safe into the fair haven. We are totally dependent upon You—we need You to bring us to You. To be wisely directed and steered into safety and peace is Your gift, and Yours alone. Tonight be pleased to deal kindly with Your servants.
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 September 22
Absalom Killed
1Then David mustered the men who were with him and set over them commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds. 2And David sent out the army, one third under the command of Joab, one third under the command of Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab's brother, and one third under the command of sIttai the Gittite. And the king said to the men, “I myself will also go out with you.” 3tBut the men said, “You shall not go out. For if we flee, they will not care about us. If half of us die, they will not care about us. But you are worth ten thousand of us. Therefore it is better that you send us help from the city.” 4The king said to them, “Whatever seems best to you I will do.” So the king stood at the side of the gate, while all the army marched out by hundreds and by thousands. 5And the king ordered Joab and Abishai and Ittai, “Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom.” uAnd all the people heard when the king gave orders to all the commanders about Absalom.
6So the army went out into the field against Israel, and the battle was fought in the vforest of Ephraim. 7And the men of Israel were defeated there by the servants of David, and the loss there was great on that day, twenty thousand men. 8The battle spread over the face of all the country, and the forest devoured more people that day than the sword.
9And Absalom happened to meet the servants of David. Absalom was riding on his mule, and the mule went under the thick branches of a great oak,1 wand his head caught fast in the oak, and he was suspended between heaven and earth, while the mule that was under him went on. 10And a certain man saw it and told Joab, “Behold, I saw Absalom hanging in an oak.” 11Joab said to the man who told him, “What, you saw him! Why then did you not strike him there to the ground? I would have been glad to give you ten pieces of silver and a belt.” 12But the man said to Joab, “Even if I felt in my hand the weight of a thousand pieces of silver, I would not reach out my hand against the king's son, for xin our hearing the king commanded you and Abishai and Ittai, ‘For my sake protect the young man Absalom.’ 13On the other hand, if I had dealt treacherously against his life2 (and there is nothing hidden from the king), then you yourself would have stood aloof.” 14Joab said, “I will not waste time like this with you.” And he took three javelins in his hand and thrust them into the heart of Absalom while he was still alive in the oak. 15And ten young men, Joab's armor-bearers, surrounded Absalom and struck him and killed him.
16Then Joab blew the trumpet, and the troops came back from pursuing Israel, for Joab restrained them. 17And they took Absalom and threw him into a great pit in the forest and raised over him ya very great heap of stones. And all Israel zfled every one to his own home. 18Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and set up for himself athe pillar that is in bthe King's Valley, for he said, c“I have no son to keep my name in remembrance.” He called the pillar after his own name, and it is called Absalom's monument3 to this day.
David Hears of Absalom's Death
19Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said, d“Let me run and carry news to the king that ethe Lord has delivered him from the hand of his enemies.” 20And Joab said to him, “You are not to carry news today. You may carry news another day, but today you shall carry no news, because the king's son is dead.” 21Then Joab said to the Cushite, “Go, tell the king what you have seen.” The Cushite bowed before Joab, and ran. 22Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said again to Joab, “Come what may, let me also run after the Cushite.” And Joab said, “Why will you run, my son, seeing that you will have no reward for the news?” 23“Come what may,” he said, “I will run.” So he said to him, “Run.” Then Ahimaaz ran by the way of fthe plain, and outran the Cushite.
24Now David gwas sitting between the two gates, and hthe watchman went up to the roof of the gate by the wall, and when he lifted up his eyes and looked, he saw a man running alone. 25The watchman called out and told the king. And the king said, “If he is alone, there is news in his mouth.” And he drew nearer and nearer. 26The watchman saw another man running. And the watchman called to the gate and said, “See, another man running alone!” The king said, “He also brings news.” 27The watchman said, “I think the running of the first is ilike the running of Ahimaaz the son of Zadok.” And the king said, j“He is a good man and comes with good news.”
28Then Ahimaaz cried out to the king, “All is well.” And he bowed before the king with his face to the earth and said, k“Blessed be the Lord your God, who has delivered up the men who raised their hand against my lord the king.” 29And the king said, l“Is it well with the young man Absalom?” Ahimaaz answered, “When Joab sent the king's servant, your servant, I saw a great commotion, but I do not know what it was.” 30And the king said, “Turn aside and stand here.” So he turned aside and stood still.
David's Grief
31And behold, the Cushite came, and the Cushite said, “Good news for my lord the king! For mthe Lord has delivered you this day from the hand of all who rose up against you.” 32The king said to the Cushite, l“Is it well with the young man Absalom?” And the Cushite answered, n“May the enemies of my lord the king and all who rise up against you for evil be like that young man.” 334 And the king was deeply moved and went up gto the chamber over the gate and wept. And as he went, he said, o“O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!”
Paul and the False Apostles
1I wish you would bear with me in a little foolishness. Do bear with me! 2For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since nI betrothed you to one husband, oto present you pas a pure virgin to Christ. 3But I am afraid that qas the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts rwill be led astray from a ssincere and tpure devotion to Christ. 4For if someone comes and uproclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept va different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough. 5Indeed, I consider that wI am not in the least inferior to these super-apostles. 6xEven if I am unskilled in speaking, yI am not so in knowledge; indeed, in every way zwe have made this plain to you in all things.
7Or adid I commit a sin in humbling myself so that you might be exalted, because bI preached God's gospel to you free of charge? 8I robbed other churches by accepting support from them in order to serve you. 9And when I was with you and was cin need, dI did not burden anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia esupplied my need. So I refrained and will refrain ffrom burdening you in any way. 10gAs the truth of Christ is in me, this boasting of mine hwill not be silenced in the regions of Achaia. 11And why? iBecause I do not love you? jGod knows I do!
12And what I am doing I will continue to do, kin order to undermine the claim of those who would like to claim that in their boasted mission they work on the same terms as we do. 13For such men are lfalse apostles, mdeceitful workmen, ndisguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 14And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as oan angel of light. 15So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as pservants of righteousness. qTheir end will correspond to their deeds.
Paul's Sufferings as an Apostle
16I repeat, rlet no one think me foolish. But even if you do, accept me as a fool, so that I too may boast a little. 17What I am saying swith this boastful confidence, tI say not as the Lord would1 but as a fool. 18Since umany boast according to the flesh, I too will boast. 19For you gladly bear with fools, vbeing wise yourselves! 20For you bear it if someone wmakes slaves of you, or xdevours you, or takes advantage of you, or puts on airs, or ystrikes you in the face. 21To my shame, I must say, zwe were too weak for that!
But whatever anyone else dares to boast of—I am speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast of that. 22Are they Hebrews? aSo am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they offspring of Abraham? So am I. 23Are they bservants of Christ? cI am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, dfar more imprisonments, ewith countless beatings, and foften near death. 24Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the gforty lashes less one. 25Three times I was hbeaten with rods. iOnce I was stoned. Three times I jwas shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; 26on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, kdanger from my own people, ldanger from Gentiles, mdanger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; 27nin toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, oin hunger and thirst, often without food,2 in cold and exposure. 28And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for pall the churches. 29qWho is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant?
30rIf I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. 31sThe God and Father of the Lord Jesus, the who is blessed forever, uknows that I am not lying. 32At Damascus, the governor under King Aretas vwas guarding the city of Damascus in order to seize me, 33wbut I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped his hands.
Prophecy Against Ammon
1The word of the Lord came to me: 2w“Son of man, xset your face toward ythe Ammonites and prophesy against them. 3Say to the Ammonites, Hear the word of the Lord God: zThus says the Lord God, Because you said, a‘Aha!’ over my bsanctuary when it was profaned, and over the land of Israel when it was made desolate, and over the house of Judah when they went into exile, 4therefore behold, I am handing you over to cthe people of the East for a possession, and they shall set their encampments among you and make their dwellings in your midst. They shall eat your fruit, and they shall drink your milk. 5I will make dRabbah a epasture for camels and Ammon1 ea fold for flocks. vThen you will know that I am the Lord. 6For thus says the Lord God: Because fyou have clapped your hands gand stamped your feet and hrejoiced with all the imalice within your soul against the land of Israel, 7therefore, behold, jI have stretched out my hand against you, and kwill hand you over as plunder to the nations. And I will cut you off from the peoples and will make you perish out of the countries; I will destroy you. Then you will know that I am the Lord.
Prophecy Against Moab and Seir
8“Thus says the Lord God: Because lMoab and mSeir2 said, ‘Behold, the nhouse of Judah is like all the other nations,’ 9therefore lI will lay open the flank of Moab from the cities, from its cities on its frontier, the glory of the country, oBeth-jeshimoth, pBaal-meon, and qKiriathaim. 10I will give it ralong with the Ammonites sto the people of the East as a possession, tthat the Ammonites may be remembered no more among the nations, 11land I will execute judgments upon Moab. uThen they will know that I am the Lord.
Prophecy Against Edom
12“Thus says the Lord God: Because vEdom acted revengefully against the house of Judah and has grievously offended win taking vengeance on them, 13therefore thus says the Lord God, xI will stretch out my hand against Edom and cut off from it man and beast. And I will make it desolate; from yTeman even to zDedan they shall fall by the sword. 14And I will lay my vengeance upon Edom aby the hand of my people Israel, and they shall do in Edom according to my anger and according to my wrath, and bthey shall know my vengeance, declares the Lord God.
Prophecy Against Philistia
15“Thus says the Lord God: Because cthe Philistines dacted revengefully and took vengeance ewith malice of soul to destroy in never-ending enmity, 16therefore thus says the Lord God, xBehold, I will stretch out my hand against the Philistines, and I will cut off fthe Cherethites and destroy the rest of the seacoast. 17I will execute great vengeance on them gwith wrathful rebukes. hThen they will know that I am the Lord, when I lay my vengeance upon them.”
Book Three
God Is My Strength and Portion Forever
A Psalm of bAsaph.
1Truly God is good to cIsrael,
to those who are dpure in heart.
2But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled,
my steps had nearly slipped.
3eFor I was fenvious of the arrogant
when I saw the gprosperity of the wicked.
4For they have no pangs until death;
their bodies are fat and sleek.
5They are not in trouble as others are;
they are not hstricken like the rest of mankind.
6Therefore pride is itheir necklace;
violence covers them as ja garment.
7Their keyes swell out through fatness;
their hearts overflow with follies.
8They scoff and lspeak with malice;
loftily they threaten oppression.
9They set their mouths against the heavens,
and their tongue struts through the earth.
10Therefore his people turn back to them,
11And they say, n“How can God know?
Is there knowledge in the Most High?”
12Behold, these are the wicked;
always at ease, they oincrease in riches.
13All in vain have I pkept my heart clean
and qwashed my hands in innocence.
14For all the day long I have been hstricken
15If I had said, “I will speak thus,”
I would have betrayed tthe generation of your children.
16But when I thought how to understand this,
it seemed to me ua wearisome task,
17until I went into vthe sanctuary of God;
then I discerned their wend.
18Truly you set them in xslippery places;
you make them fall to ruin.
19How they are destroyed yin a moment,
swept away utterly by zterrors!
20Like aa dream when one awakes,
O Lord, when byou rouse yourself, you despise them as phantoms.
21When my soul was embittered,
when I was pricked in heart,
22I was cbrutish and ignorant;
I was like da beast toward you.
23Nevertheless, I am continually with you;
you ehold my right hand.
24You fguide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will greceive me to glory.
25hWhom have I in heaven but you?
And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
26iMy flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is jthe strength2 of my heart and my kportion lforever.
27For behold, those who are mfar from you shall perish;
you put an end to everyone who is nunfaithful to you.
28But for me it is good to obe near God;
I have made the Lord God my prefuge,
that I may qtell of all your works.
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