Truth For Life Program
Alistair Begg Devotional
C. H. Spurgeon Devotional
One-Year Bible Reading Plan
Audio PlayerIn today’s broken world, most people long for harmony—in the home, the workplace, everywhere! Is real and lasting peace actually possible, though? Find out as we continue our study in the book of Ephesians on Truth For Life with Alistair Begg.
From the Sermon
Peace in a Hostile World
Ephesians 2:14–18 Sermon • Includes Transcript • 38:19 • ID: 3176
The Shaky Rock
Jesus’ appearance on the beach in John 21 occurred after His resurrection and therefore after His crucifixion and all the events surrounding it—including Peter’s cowardly denial of even knowing Christ. We can safely assume that Peter felt shame at his failure of loyalty and faith. We can just imagine him confiding to the other disciples, I had my chance, and I blew it. I betrayed Him. Here I am, the one who thought he would play the hero, standing as a testimony of the worst cowardice. So, as Jesus spoke to him, surely Peter wondered, What will He say? What part do I have in His people now?
Jesus didn’t write off Peter’s failure; He acknowledged it. After their meal together, Jesus addressed Peter by his old name, Simon, which means “listen.” At the beginning of His ministry, Jesus had changed Simon’s name to Peter, which means “rock” (John 1:42). This change symbolized a shift that would occur in Simon Peter’s character and calling: he was shaky, but he would become firm like a rock. There on the shore, however, Jesus wanted to remind Peter of his shakiness. Before Peter could become steady, he needed to understand that his behavior had displayed neither a firm faith nor any measurable boldness rooted in Christ’s love.
Like Peter, you and I will sometimes feel sidelined by our failures, our backsliding, our unbelief. We will feel the ache of a dislocated faith; we will need the Master Surgeon to reach out and put our love back in place, sometimes painfully but always restoratively. Notice that it is indeed Peter’s heart, his love and devotion, that Jesus is most concerned about. Other qualities are desirable and necessary, yes, but it is our love for Christ that is indispensable. Where is our love? Is it built on shaky sand or on a firm rock?
Yet even as Christ puts our love back in alignment, He entrusts us with kingdom work. Jesus still chose to use Peter to build His church. How surprising that Jesus entrusted His “lambs” to the disciple who (with the exception of Judas) had most let him down and in whom was the greatest gap between profession and action. But how encouraging for us that Jesus would do so: for if He was willing to use someone like Peter, He will be willing to use someone like me and you. Jesus still chose to give Peter great responsibility, but that responsibility was meant to test Peter as well. The test of love for Jesus is whether a life displays obedience and action. The book of Acts shows how Peter, with the enabling of God’s Spirit, responded to the test.
The story of Peter, the shaky rock, stands as a reminder to us that God is a God of grace and second chances. Our weaknesses reveal our need for a strength that is not our own, a measure of might that is found only in our great Rock of Ages. Therefore, knowing that such strength is available to us from the Savior who died for us and commissions us in His service, you can walk into your day and do His bidding out of love for Him.
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 Apostles Arrested and Freed
17But the high priest rose up, and all who were with him (that is, the party of qthe Sadducees), and filled with rjealousy 18they arrested the apostles and sput them in the public prison. 19But during the night tan angel of the Lord uopened the prison doors and brought them out, and said, 20“Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all vthe words of wthis xLife.” 21And when they heard this, ythey entered the temple zat daybreak and began to teach.
Now when the high priest came, and those who were with him, they called together the council, all the senate of the people of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought. 22But when the officers came, they did not find them in the prison, so they returned and reported, 23“We found the prison securely locked and the guards standing at the doors, but when we opened them we found no one inside.” 24Now when athe captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these words, they were greatly perplexed about them, wondering what this would come to. 25And someone came and told them, “Look! The men whom you put in prison bare standing in the temple and teaching the people.” 26Then cthe captain with the officers went and brought them, but not by force, for dthey were afraid of being stoned by the people.
27And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest questioned them, 28saying, e“We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you fintend to bring this man's blood upon us.” 29But Peter and the apostles answered, g“We must obey God rather than men. 30hThe God of our fathers iraised Jesus, jwhom you killed by hanging him on ka tree. 31God exalted lhim at his right hand as mLeader and nSavior, oto give prepentance to Israel and oforgiveness of sins. 32And qwe are witnesses to these things, and rso is the Holy Spirit, swhom God has given to those who obey him.”
33When they heard this, they twere enraged and wanted to kill them. 34But a Pharisee in the council named uGamaliel, va teacher of the law held in honor by all the people, stood up and gave orders to put the men outside for a little while. 35And he said to them, “Men of Israel, take care what you are about to do with these men. 36For wbefore these days Theudas rose up, xclaiming to be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing. 37After him Judas the Galilean rose up in the days of ythe census and drew away some of the people after him. He too perished, and all who followed him were scattered. 38So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for zif this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail; 39but aif it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You bmight even be found opposing God!” So they took his advice, 40and cwhen they had called in the apostles, dthey beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. 41Then they left the presence of the council, erejoicing that they were counted worthy fto suffer dishonor for gthe name. 42And every day, hin the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and ipreaching jthat the Christ is Jesus.
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.
We Have an Advocate
But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
“If anyone does sin, we have an advocate.” Yes, though we sin, we have Him still. John does not say, “If anyone sins, they have forfeited their advocate,” but “we have an advocate,” even though we are sinners. All the sin that a believer ever did or can be allowed to commit cannot destroy his interest in the Lord Jesus Christ as his advocate. The name given here to our Lord is suggestive. “Jesus.” He is the kind of advocate we need, for Jesus is the name of one whose business and delight it is to save. “You shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”1 His sweetest name implies His success.
Next, it is “Jesus Christ”—Christos, the anointed. This shows His authority to plead. Christ has a right to plead, for He is the Father's own appointed advocate and elected priest. If He were our choice He might fail, but if God has laid help on one who is mighty, we may safely place our trouble where God has laid His help. He is Christ, and therefore authorized; He is Christ, and therefore qualified, for the anointing has fitted Him fully for His work. He can plead in such a way as to move the heart of God and prevail. What words of tenderness, what sentences of persuasion will the anointed use when He stands up to plead for me!
One more aspect of His name remains: “Jesus Christ the righteous.” This is not only His character but His plea. It is His character, and if the Righteous One is my advocate, then my cause is good or He would not have represented it. It is His plea, for He meets the charge of unrighteousness against me by the plea that He is righteous. He declares Himself my substitute and puts His obedience to my account. My soul, you have a friend perfectly fitted to be your advocate—He cannot but succeed; leave yourself entirely in His hands.
1) Matthew 1:21
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 October 4
Solomon Builds His Palace
1Solomon was xbuilding his own house thirteen years, and he finished his entire house.
2He built ythe House of the Forest of Lebanon. Its length was a hundred cubits1 and its breadth fifty cubits and its height thirty cubits, and it was built on four2 rows of cedar pillars, with cedar beams on the pillars. 3And it was covered with cedar above the chambers that were on the forty-five pillars, fifteen in each row. 4There were window frames in three rows, and window opposite window in three tiers. 5All the doorways and windows3 had square frames, and window was opposite window in three tiers.
6And he made zthe Hall of Pillars; its length was fifty cubits, and its breadth thirty cubits. There was a porch in front with pillars, and aa canopy in front of them.
7And he made the Hall of the Throne where he was to pronounce judgment, even the Hall of Judgment. bIt was finished with cedar from floor to rafters.4
8His own house where he was to dwell, in the other court back of the hall, was of like workmanship. Solomon also made a house like this hall for Pharaoh's daughter cwhom he had taken in marriage.
9All these were made of costly stones, cut according to measure, sawed with saws, back and front, even from the foundation to the coping, and from the outside to the great court. 10The foundation was of costly stones, huge stones, stones of eight and ten cubits. 11And above were costly stones, cut according to measurement, and cedar. 12dThe great court had three courses of cut stone all around, and a course of cedar beams; so had the inner court of the house of the Lord and ethe vestibule of the house.
The Temple Furnishings
13And King Solomon sent and brought fHiram from Tyre. 14He was the son of a widow of the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a worker in bronze. And ghe was full of wisdom, understanding, and skill for making any work in bronze. He came to King Solomon and did all his work.
15hHe cast itwo pillars of bronze. jEighteen cubits was the height of one pillar, and a line of twelve cubits measured its circumference. It was hollow, and its thickness was four fingers. The second pillar was the same.5 16He also made two capitals of cast bronze to set on the tops of the pillars. The height of the one capital was five cubits, and jthe height of the other capital was five cubits. 17There were lattices of checker work with wreaths of chain work for the capitals on the tops of the pillars, a lattice6 for the one capital and a lattice for the other capital. 18Likewise he made pomegranates7 in two rows around the one latticework to cover the capital that was on the top of the pillar, and he did the same with the other capital. 19Now the capitals that were on the tops of the pillars in the vestibule were of lily-work, four cubits. 20The capitals were on the two pillars and also above the rounded projection which was beside the latticework. There were ktwo hundred pomegranates in two rows all around, and so with the other capital. 21lHe set up the pillars at the vestibule of the temple. He set up the pillar on the south and called its name Jachin, and he set up the pillar on the north and called its name Boaz. 22And on the tops of the pillars was lily-work. Thus the work of the pillars was finished.
23mThen he made nthe sea of cast metal. It was round, ten cubits from brim to brim, and five cubits high, and a line of thirty cubits measured its circumference. 24Under its brim were ogourds, for ten cubits, compassing the sea all around. The gourds were in two rows, cast with it when it was cast. 25It stood on ptwelve oxen, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south, and three facing east. The sea was set on them, and all their rear parts were inward. 26Its thickness was a handbreadth,8 and its brim was made like the brim of a cup, like the flower of a lily. It held two thousand baths.9
27He also made the qten stands of bronze. Each stand was four cubits long, four cubits wide, and three cubits high. 28This was the construction of the stands: they had panels, and the panels were set in the frames, 29and on the panels that were set in the frames were lions, oxen, and cherubim. On the frames, both above and below the lions and oxen, there were wreaths of beveled work. 30Moreover, each stand had four bronze wheels and axles of bronze, and at the four corners were supports for a basin. The supports were cast with wreaths at the side of each. 31Its opening was within a crown that projected upward one cubit. Its opening was round, as a pedestal is made, a cubit and a half deep. At its opening there were carvings, and its panels were square, not round. 32And the four wheels were underneath the panels. The axles of the wheels were of one piece with the stands, and the height of a wheel was a cubit and a half. 33The wheels were made like a chariot wheel; their axles, their rims, their spokes, and their hubs were all cast. 34There were four supports at the four corners of each stand. The supports were of one piece with the stands. 35And on the top of the stand there was a round band half a cubit high; and on the top of the stand its stays and its panels were of one piece with it. 36And on the surfaces of its stays and on its panels, he carved cherubim, lions, and palm trees, according to the space of each, with wreaths all around. 37After this manner he made qthe ten stands. All of them were cast alike, of the same measure and the same form.
38And he made rten basins of bronze. Each basin held forty baths, each basin measured four cubits, and there was a basin for each of the ten stands. 39And he set the stands, five on the south side of the house, and five on the north side of the house. And he set the sea at the southeast corner of the house.
40sHiram also made tthe pots, the shovels, and the basins. So Hiram finished all the work that he did for King Solomon on the house of the Lord: 41the two pillars, the two bowls of the capitals that were on the tops of the pillars, and the two ulatticeworks to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were on the tops of the pillars; 42and the vfour hundred pomegranates for the two latticeworks, two rows of pomegranates for each latticework, to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were on the pillars; 43the ten stands, and the ten basins on the stands; 44and wthe one sea, and the twelve oxen underneath the sea.
45Now xthe pots, the shovels, and the basins, all these vessels in the house of the Lord, which Hiram made for King Solomon, were of burnished bronze. 46In the plain of the Jordan the king cast them, in the clay ground between ySuccoth and zZarethan. 47And Solomon left all the vessels unweighed, because there were so many of them; athe weight of the bronze was not ascertained.
48So Solomon made all the vessels that were in the house of the Lord: bthe golden altar, cthe golden table for dthe bread of the Presence, 49ethe lampstands of pure gold, five on the south side and five on the north, before the inner sanctuary; fthe flowers, the lamps, and the tongs, of gold; 50the cups, snuffers, basins, dishes for incense, and gfire pans, of pure gold; and the sockets of gold, for the doors of the innermost part of the house, hthe Most Holy Place, and for the doors of the nave of the temple.
51Thus all the work that King Solomon did on the house of the Lord was finished. And Solomon brought in ithe things that David his father had dedicated, the silver, the gold, and the vessels, and stored them in the treasuries of the house of the Lord.
Unity in the Body of Christ
1I therefore, ma prisoner for the Lord, urge you to nwalk in a manner worthy of othe calling to which you have been called, 2with all phumility and qgentleness, with rpatience, sbearing with one another in love, 3eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in tthe bond of peace. 4There is uone body and vone Spirit—just as you were called to the one whope that belongs to your call— 5xone Lord, yone faith, zone baptism, 6aone God and Father of all, bwho is over all and through all and in all. 7But cgrace was given dto each one of us eaccording to the measure of Christ's gift. 8Therefore it says,
f“When he ascended on high ghe led a host of captives,
and he gave gifts to men.”1
9(hIn saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into ithe lower regions, the earth?2 10He who descended is the one who also jascended kfar above all the heavens, that he might lfill all things.) 11And mhe gave the napostles, the prophets, the oevangelists, the pshepherds3 and teachers,4 12qto equip the saints for the work of ministry, for rbuilding up sthe body of Christ, 13until we all attain to tthe unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, uto mature manhood,5 to the measure of the stature of vthe fullness of Christ, 14so that we may no longer be children, wtossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in xdeceitful schemes. 15Rather, yspeaking the truth in love, we are to zgrow up in every way into him who is athe head, into Christ, 16bfrom whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, cwhen each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
The New Life
17Now this I say and dtestify in the Lord, ethat you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, fin the futility of their minds. 18They gare darkened in their understanding, halienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to itheir hardness of heart. 19They jhave become callous and khave given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. 20But that is not the way you llearned Christ!— 21assuming that myou have heard about him and nwere taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, 22to oput off pyour old self,6 which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through qdeceitful desires, 23and rto be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24and to put on sthe new self, tcreated after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
25Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you uspeak the truth with his neighbor, for vwe are members one of another. 26wBe angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27and xgive no opportunity to the devil. 28Let the thief no longer steal, but rather ylet him labor, zdoing honest work with his own hands, so athat he may have something to share with anyone in need. 29bLet no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give cgrace to those who hear. 30And ddo not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, eby whom you were sealed for the day of fredemption. 31gLet all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32hBe kind to one another, tenderhearted, iforgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
The Valley of Dry Bones
1dThe hand of the Lord was upon me, and ehe brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley;1 it was full of bones. 2And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. 3And he said to me, f“Son of man, gcan these bones live?” And hI answered, “O Lord God, you know.” 4Then he said to me, i“Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, jO dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. 5Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause kbreath2 to enter you, and you shall live. 6lAnd I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and lcover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, mand you shall know that I am the Lord.”
7So I prophesied nas I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, oa rattling,3 and the bones came together, bone to its bone. 8And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them. But pthere was no breath in them. 9Then he said to me, i“Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, fson of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord God: Come from qthe four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” 10So I prophesied nas he commanded me, and rthe breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.
11Then he said to me, f“Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and sour hope is lost; twe are indeed cut off.’ 12Therefore iprophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, uI will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And vI will bring you into the land of Israel. 13And wyou shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. 14And xI will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the Lord; yI have spoken, and I will do it, declares the Lord.”
I Will Be Their God; They Shall Be My People
15The word of the Lord came to me: 16z“Son of man, atake a stick4 and write on it, ‘For bJudah, and cthe people of Israel associated with him’; then take another stick and write on it, ‘For bJoseph (the stick of dEphraim) and all the house of Israel associated with him.’ 17And ejoin them one to another into one stick, that fthey may become gone in your hand. 18And when hyour people say to you, i‘Will you not tell us what you mean by these?’ 19say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am about to take jthe stick of Joseph (that is in the hand of Ephraim) and the tribes of Israel associated with him. And I will join with it the jstick of Judah,5 and kmake them one stick, gthat they may be one in my hand. 20When the sticks on which you write are in your hand lbefore their eyes, 21then say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, mI will take the people of Israel from the nations among which they have gone, and will gather them from all around, and mbring them to their own land. 22And nI will make them one nation in the land, on othe mountains of Israel. And pone king shall be king over them all, and they shall be no longer qtwo nations, and no longer divided into two kingdoms. 23rThey shall not sdefile themselves anymore twith their idols and their detestable things, or with any of their transgressions. But uI will save them from all the backslidings6 in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them; and vthey shall be my people, and I will be their God.
24“My servant wDavid xshall be king over them, and they shall all have yone shepherd. zThey shall walk in my rules and be careful to obey my statutes. 25aThey shall dwell in the land that I gave to my servant Jacob, where your fathers lived. They and their children and their children's children shall dwell there bforever, and David my servant shall be their prince cforever. 26dI will make a covenant of peace with them. It shall be ean everlasting covenant with them. And I will set them in their land7 and fmultiply them, and will gset my sanctuary in their midst forevermore. 27hMy dwelling place shall be with them, vand I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 28Then ithe nations will know that jI am the Lord who sanctifies Israel, when gmy sanctuary is in their midst forevermore.”
Psalm 87
Glorious Things of You Are Spoken
A Psalm of lthe Sons of Korah. A Song.
1On mthe holy mount nstands the city he founded;
2the Lord oloves the gates of Zion
more than all the dwelling places of Jacob.
3pGlorious things of you are spoken,
O qcity of God. Selah
4Among those who rknow me I mention sRahab and Babylon;
behold, Philistia and Tyre, with tCush1—
“This one was born there,” they say.
5And of Zion it shall be said,
“This one and that one were born in her”;
for the Most High himself will uestablish her.
6The Lord records as he vregisters the peoples,
“This one was born there.” Selah
7wSingers and xdancers alike say,
“All my ysprings are in you.”
Psalm 88
I Cry Out Day and Night Before You
A Song. A Psalm of zthe Sons of Korah. To the choirmaster: according to aMahalath Leannoth. A Maskil1 of bHeman the Ezrahite.
1O Lord, cGod of my salvation,
I dcry out day and night before you.
2Let my prayer come before you;
eincline your ear to my cry!
3For my soul is full of troubles,
and fmy life draws near to gSheol.
4I am counted among those who hgo down to the pit;
I am a man who has no strength,
5like one set loose among the dead,
like the slain that lie in the grave,
like those whom iyou remember no more,
for they are jcut off from your hand.
6You have put me in kthe depths of the pit,
in the lregions dark and mdeep.
7Your wrath nlies heavy upon me,
and you overwhelm me with oall your waves. Selah
8You have caused pmy companions to shun me;
you have made me qa horror2 to them.
I am rshut in so that I cannot escape;
9smy eye grows dim through sorrow.
Every day I call upon you, O Lord;
I tspread out my hands to you.
10Do you work wonders for the dead?
uDo the departed rise up to praise you? Selah
11Is your steadfast love declared in the grave,
or your faithfulness in Abaddon?
12Are your vwonders known in wthe darkness,
or your righteousness in the land of xforgetfulness?
13But I, O Lord, cry yto you;
zin the morning my prayer comes before you.
14O Lord, why ado you cast my soul away?
Why bdo you hide your face from me?
15Afflicted and close to death from my youth up,
I suffer your terrors; I am helpless.3
16Your wrath has swept over me;
your cdreadful assaults destroy me.
17They dsurround me like a flood eall day long;
they fclose in on me together.
18You have caused gmy beloved and my friend to shun me;
my companions have become darkness.4
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