Truth For Life Program
Alistair Begg Devotional
C. H. Spurgeon Devotional
One-Year Bible Reading Plan
What Happened to Expository Preaching? (Part 2 of 2)
Selected ScripturesWhy have some pastors turned away from expository preaching? Has God’s Word lost its place in today’s worship services? Discover why Scripture, not personal style, provides the framework for solid preaching. That’s on Truth For Life with Alistair Begg.
From the Sermon
What Happened to Expository Preaching?
Selected Scriptures Sermon • Includes Transcript • 59:38 • ID: 2155
Made for Good Works
You are not here by chance but by God’s choosing. You did not invent yourself, nor did you have any part in your own creation. You were intricately knit together in the womb (Psalm 139:13). The hand of God formed you to be the person that you are; He created you at the exact moment that He desired, and He has placed you at this point in history so that you, in Christ, by grace, through faith, might do good deeds—good deeds which He has planned for you to do (Ephesians 2:10).
In other words, you have received grace upon grace that you might do good.
While the concept of “doing good” may not be our first thought when we consider the impact on ourselves of God’s transforming grace, it was virtually number one on the apostle Paul’s list. In his letter to Titus, he writes that God, in Jesus, “gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people who are zealous for good works” (Titus 2:14, emphasis added). This emphasis appears several times throughout the letter, culminating in Paul’s closing exhortation: “Let our people learn to devote themselves to good works.”
Paul’s particular zeal for good works was and is completely countercultural, both in his day and in our own. We live in a world that is full of enticements to pursue self-centered lives of leisure. How, then, are we to imitate Paul and excel in good deeds?
First, we need to be clear that our pursuit of good deeds does not earn God’s favor. We do not do good to be saved but because we’re saved. Without grace as its foundation, the call to virtuous living is pure externalism and will either exhaust us or puff us up. Second, we need to remember that our pursuit of good deeds does bring God pleasure; we live “not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts” (1 Thessalonians 2:4). So, we are to be marked by God-honoring, Christ-exalting goodness as a living testimony to our great salvation.
Our ability to do good is also, Paul says, a learned behavior. We are called to “learn to devote” ourselves to goodness. Our actions shouldn’t just be the result of an emotional surge or come about only when we feel like it. Instead, we are to endeavor on a daily basis to do the kingdom work that God has planned for each one of us, and do it intentionally and habitually. And we are to look at those further on in their faith who live this kind of life and seek to learn from them.
In Christ, all of your days and all of your deeds may be good for someone and for something. Learn to begin each day asking for His help to do good to others as a response to His grace to you, trusting that He will graciously enable you to give evidence of your beliefs by your actions.
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?
James 1:27–27
27Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: sto visit torphans and widows in their affliction, and uto keep oneself vunstained from the world.
27Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: sto visit torphans and widows in their affliction, and uto keep oneself vunstained from the world.
James 2:1–13
The Sin of Partiality
1My brothers,1 wshow no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, xthe Lord of glory. 2For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, 3and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” ywhile you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,” 4have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become zjudges with evil thoughts? 5Listen, my beloved brothers, ahas not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be brich in faith and heirs of cthe kingdom, dwhich he has promised to those who love him? 6But you ehave dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who fdrag you ginto court? 7Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable hname by which you were called?
8If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, i“You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. 9But if you jshow partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 10For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point khas become guilty of all of it. 11For he who said, l“Do not commit adultery,” also said, l“Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. 12So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under mthe law of liberty. 13For njudgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
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 Holy Spirit’s Role
The Helper, the Holy Spirit.
This age is peculiarly the dispensation of the Holy Spirit, in which Jesus cheers us not by His personal presence, as He will do soon enough, but by the indwelling and constant abiding of the Holy Spirit, who is forever the Comforter of the church. It is the Spirit's role to console the hearts of God's people. He convinces of sin; He illumines and instructs; but the main part of His work still lies in gladdening the hearts of the renewed, confirming the weak, and lifting up all those who are bowed down. He does this by revealing Jesus to them. The Holy Spirit consoles, but Christ is the consolation.
If we may use the figure, the Holy Spirit is the Physician, but Jesus is the medicine. He heals the wound, but it is by applying the holy ointment of Christ's name and grace. He does not take of His own things, but of the things of Christ. So if we give to the Holy Spirit the Greek name of Paraclete, as we sometimes do, then our heart confers on our blessed Lord Jesus the title of Paraclesis. If one is the Comforter, the other is the Comfort.
Now, with such rich provision for his need, why should the Christian be sad and despondent? The Holy Spirit has graciously committed to be your Comforter: Do you imagine, weak and trembling believer, that He will neglect this sacred trust? Do you suppose that He has undertaken what He cannot or will not perform? If it is His special work to strengthen you and to comfort you, do you suppose He has forgotten His business or that He will fail in fulfilling His loving task of sustaining you? Don't think so poorly of the tender and blessed Spirit whose name is the Comforter.
He delights to give the oil of joy for mourning and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. Trust in Him, and He will surely comfort you until the house of mourning is closed forever, and the marriage feast has begun.
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 12
Abijam Reigns in Judah
1wNow in the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam the son of Nebat, Abijam began to reign over Judah. 2He reigned for three years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom. 3And he walked in all the sins that his father did before him, and xhis heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father. 4Nevertheless, for David's sake the Lord his God gave him ya lamp in Jerusalem, setting up his son after him, and establishing Jerusalem, 5because zDavid did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and did not turn aside from anything that he commanded him all the days of his life, aexcept in the matter of Uriah the Hittite. 6bNow there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days of his life. 7cThe rest of the acts of Abijam and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? dAnd there was war between Abijam and Jeroboam. 8eAnd Abijam slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David. And Asa his son reigned in his place.
Asa Reigns in Judah
9In the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Asa began to reign over Judah, 10and he reigned forty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom. 11fAnd Asa did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, as David his father had done. 12He put away the gmale cult prostitutes out of the land and removed hall the idols that his fathers had made. 13iHe also removed Maacah his mother from being queen mother because she had made an abominable image for Asherah. And Asa cut down her image and jburned it at the brook Kidron. 14kBut the high places were not taken away. Nevertheless, lthe heart of Asa was wholly true to the Lord all his days. 15And mhe brought into the house of the Lord the sacred gifts of his father and his own sacred gifts, silver, and gold, and vessels.
16nAnd there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days. 17oBaasha king of Israel went up against Judah and pbuilt Ramah, qthat he might permit no one to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah. 18Then Asa took all the silver and the gold rthat were left in the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king's house and gave them into the hands of his servants. sAnd King Asa sent them to Ben-hadad the son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, king of Syria, twho lived in Damascus, saying, 19“Let there be ua covenant1 between me and you, as there was between my father and your father. Behold, I am sending to you a present of silver and gold. Go, break your covenant with Baasha king of Israel, that he may withdraw from me.” 20And Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel and conquered vIjon, wDan, xAbel-beth-maacah, and all yChinneroth, with all the land of Naphtali. 21And when Baasha heard of it, zhe stopped building Ramah, and he lived in aTirzah. 22Then King Asa made a proclamation to all Judah, none was exempt, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and its timber, with which Baasha had been building, and with them King Asa built bGeba of Benjamin and cMizpah. 23dNow the rest of all the acts of Asa, all his might, and all that he did, and the cities that he built, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? But in his old age he was diseased in his feet. 24And Asa slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father, and eJehoshaphat his son reigned in his place.
Nadab Reigns in Israel
25fNadab the son of Jeroboam began to reign over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah, and he reigned over Israel two years. 26He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord gand walked in the way of his father, and in his sin hwhich he made Israel to sin.
27iBaasha the son of Ahijah, of the house of Issachar, conspired against him. And Baasha struck him down at jGibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines, for Nadab and all Israel were laying siege to Gibbethon. 28So Baasha killed him in the third year of Asa king of Judah and reigned in his place. 29And as soon as he was king, he killed all the house of Jeroboam. He left to the house of Jeroboam not one that breathed, until he had destroyed it, kaccording to the word of the Lord that he spoke by his servant Ahijah the Shilonite. 30It was for the sins of Jeroboam that he sinned and hthat he made Israel to sin, and because of the anger to which he provoked the Lord, the God of Israel.
31Now the rest of the acts of Nadab and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 32lAnd there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days.
Baasha Reigns in Israel
33In the third year of Asa king of Judah, Baasha the son of Ahijah began to reign over all Israel at Tirzah, and he reigned twenty-four years. 34He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord mand walked in the way of Jeroboam and in his sin which he made Israel to sin.
1For I want you to know yhow great a wstruggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, 2that ztheir hearts may be encouraged, being aknit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of bGod's mystery, which is Christ, 3cin whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4I say this in order dthat no one may delude you with plausible arguments. 5For ethough I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your fgood order and gthe firmness of your faith in Christ.
Alive in Christ
6hTherefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, 7irooted and jbuilt up in him and kestablished in the faith, just las you were taught, abounding min thanksgiving.
8See to it that no one takes you captive by nphilosophy and oempty deceit, according to phuman tradition, according to the qelemental spirits1 of the world, and not according to Christ. 9For rin him the whole fullness of deity dwells sbodily, 10and tyou have been filled in him, who is uthe head of all rule and authority. 11In him also vyou were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by wputting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12xhaving been buried with him in baptism, in which yyou were also raised with him through faith in zthe powerful working of God, zwho raised him from the dead. 13aAnd you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God bmade alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14by ccanceling dthe record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. 15wHe disarmed the rulers and authorities2 and eput them to open shame, by ftriumphing over them in him.3
Let No One Disqualify You
16Therefore let no one gpass judgment on you hin questions of food and drink, or with regard to ia festival or ja new moon or a Sabbath. 17kThese are a shadow of the things to come, but lthe substance belongs to Christ. 18Let no one mdisqualify you, ninsisting on asceticism and worship of angels, ogoing on in detail about visions,4 ppuffed up without reason by qhis sensuous mind, 19and rnot sholding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.
20If with Christ tyou died to the uelemental spirits of the world, vwhy, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations— 21w“Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” 22(xreferring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to yhuman precepts and teachings? 23These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in zpromoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are aof no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.
The Holy District
1“When eyou allot the land as an inheritance, fyou shall set apart for the Lord a portion of the land as a holy district, 25,000 cubits1 long and 20,0002 cubits broad. It shall be holy throughout its whole extent. 2gOf this a square plot of 500 by 500 cubits shall be for the sanctuary, with fifty cubits for han open space around it. 3And ifrom this measured district you shall measure off a section 25,000 cubits long and 10,000 broad, jin which shall be the sanctuary, kthe Most Holy Place. 4lIt shall be the holy portion of the land. It shall be for the priests, who minister in the sanctuary and approach the Lord to minister to him, and it shall be a place for their houses and a holy place for the sanctuary. 5mAnother section, 25,000 cubits long and 10,000 cubits broad, shall be for the Levites who minister at the temple, as their possession for cities to live in.3
6“Alongside the portion set apart as the holy district nyou shall assign for the property of the city an area 5,000 cubits broad and 25,000 cubits long. oIt shall belong to the whole house of Israel.
The Portion for the Prince
7p“And to qthe prince shall belong the land on both sides of the holy district and the property of the city, alongside the holy district and the property of the city, on the west and on the east, corresponding in length to one of the tribal portions, and extending from the western to the eastern boundary 8of the land. It is to be his property in Israel. And rmy princes shall no more oppress my people, but sthey shall let the house of Israel have the land according to their tribes.
9“Thus says the Lord God: tEnough, O princes of Israel! Put away violence and oppression, and execute justice and righteousness. Cease uyour evictions of my people, declares the Lord God.
10v“You shall have just balances, a just ephah, and a just bath.4 11The ephah and the bath shall be wof the same measure, xthe bath containing one tenth of a homer,5 and the ephah one tenth of a homer; the homer shall be the standard measure. 12yThe shekel shall be twenty gerahs;6 twenty shekels plus twenty-five shekels plus fifteen shekels shall be your mina.7
13z“This is the offering that you shall make: one sixth of an ephah from each homer of wheat, and one sixth of an ephah from each homer of barley, 14and as the fixed portion of oil, measured in baths, one tenth of a bath from each cor8 (the cor, like the homer, contains aten baths).9 15And one sheep from every flock of two hundred, from the watering places of Israel for grain offering, burnt offering, and peace offerings, bto make atonement for them, declares the Lord God. 16All the people of the land shall be obliged to give this offering to the prince in Israel. 17cIt shall be the prince's duty to furnish the burnt offerings, grain offerings, and drink offerings, at the feasts, the new moons, and the Sabbaths, all the appointed feasts of the house of Israel: he shall provide the sin offerings, grain offerings, burnt offerings, and peace offerings, to make atonement on behalf of the house of Israel.
18“Thus says the Lord God: In the first month, don the first day of the month, you shall take a bull from the herd without blemish, and epurify the sanctuary. 19fThe priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering and put it gon the doorposts of the temple, the four corners of the ledge of the altar, and the posts of the gate of the inner court. 20You shall do the same on the seventh day of the month for anyone who has sinned through error or ignorance; so you shall make atonement for the temple.
21h“In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, you shall celebrate the Feast of the Passover, and for seven days unleavened bread shall be eaten. 22On that day the prince ishall provide for himself and all the people of the land a young bull for a sin offering. 23And on jthe seven days of the festival he shall provide as a burnt offering to the Lord seven young bulls and seven rams without blemish, on each of the seven days; and ka male goat daily for a sin offering. 24And lhe shall provide as ma grain offering an ephah for each bull, an ephah for each ram, and a hin10 of oil to each ephah. 25nIn the seventh month, on the fifteenth day of the month and for the seven days of the feast, ohe shall make the same provision for sin offerings, burnt offerings, and grain offerings, and for the oil.
Psalm 99
The Lord Our God Is Holy
1sThe Lord reigns; tlet the peoples tremble!
He usits enthroned upon the cherubim; vlet the earth quake!
2The Lord is wgreat in Zion;
he is xexalted over all the peoples.
3Let them praise your ygreat and awesome name!
zHoly is he!
4aThe King in his might bloves justice.1
You have established equity;
you have executed justice
and righteousness in Jacob.
5cExalt the Lord our God;
zHoly is he!
6fMoses and Aaron were among his gpriests,
Samuel also was among those who hcalled upon his name.
They icalled to the Lord, and he answered them.
7In jthe pillar of the cloud he spoke to them;
they kkept his testimonies
and the statute that he gave them.
8O Lord our God, you answered them;
you were la forgiving God to them,
but man avenger of their wrongdoings.
9Exalt the Lord our God,
and worship at his nholy mountain;
for the Lord our God is holy!
Psalm 100
His Steadfast Love Endures Forever
A Psalm for ogiving thanks.
1pMake a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
2qServe the Lord with gladness!
rCome into his presence with singing!
3Know that sthe Lord, he is God!
It is he who tmade us, and uwe are his;1
we are his vpeople, and wthe sheep of his pasture.
4xEnter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his ycourts with praise!
Give thanks to him; zbless his name!
5aFor the Lord is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his bfaithfulness to all generations.
Psalm 101
I Will Walk with Integrity
A Psalm of David.
1I will sing of csteadfast love and justice;
to you, O Lord, I will make music.
2I will dponder the way ethat is blameless.
Oh when will you fcome to me?
I will gwalk with hintegrity of heart
within my house;
3I will not set before my eyes
anything ithat is worthless.
I hate the work of those who jfall away;
it shall not cling to me.
4kA perverse heart shall be far from me;
I will lknow nothing of evil.
5Whoever slanders his neighbor msecretly
I will ndestroy.
Whoever has a ohaughty look and an parrogant heart
I will not endure.
6I will look with favor on the faithful in the land,
that they may dwell with me;
he who walks in qthe way that is blameless
shall minister to me.
7No one who rpractices deceit
shall dwell in my house;
no one who utters lies
shall scontinue before my eyes.
8tMorning by morning I will destroy
all the wicked in the land,
ucutting off all vthe evildoers
from wthe city of the Lord.
Get the Program, Devotional, and Bible Reading Plan delivered daily right to your inbox.