September 29
Isaiah 57:15-59:21 | PS 71:1-24 | Prov 24:9-10 | Phil 1:1-26
As we embark on Paul's letter to the Philippians, realize that he wrote this letter, often called "the letter of joy" from the lowest dungeon around AD 62, awaiting probable death by the Caesar. Joy is one of the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), and is not based on circumstances, unlike happiness which is based on events and circumstances. We read in Philippians 1:12-13, "And I want you to know, my dear brothers and sisters, that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News. For everyone here, including the whole palace guard, knows that I am in chains because of Christ." Every six hours there would be a change of guard and a different soldier would be literally chained to Paul in the dungeon. It would seem as though Paul was enslaved, but He was free, free from the bondage of sin and free from the fear of death. This guard could not leave Paul's side and Paul would evangelize with the gospel message relentlessly to one after another and they could not leave. Paul was instrumental in using this time to lead many of the palace guard to Christ and it was said that these soldiers were instrumental in furthering the gospel message long after Paul's death. Paul wrote in Philippians 1:21, "For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain." Paul lived by this. Do we?
So many prefer to not read the Bible at all, but of those that do read many prefer to stay in the New Testament and the Psalms, yet the Old Testament was Jesus' scriptures, and we should never forget this. We read in Isaiah 57:15, "The high and lofty one who lives in eternity, the Holy One, says this: "I live in the high and holy place with those whose spirits are contrite and humble. I restore the crushed spirit of the humble and revive the courage of those with repentant hearts." Jesus said in Matthew 5:3, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven". We read in Isaiah 57:18, "I have seen what they do, but I will heal them anyway! I will lead them. I will comfort those who mourn." Jesus said in Matthew 5:4, Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted." The message of the New Testament is all over the pages of the Old Testament. We read in Isaiah 58;10, "Feed the hungry, and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon." Jesus said in Matthew 5:16, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."
Three quarters of our Bible is comprised of the Old Testament, while one quarter makes up our New Testament. Due to this increased volume, while there is often a verse or two in the New Testament, there is greater depth and explanation in the Old Testament. This is the purpose of the One Year Bible Challenge; to go through the entirety of God's Word every year from cover to cover. Without this, we forget. or perhaps don't understand the character of God. We might not understand our surroundings or why history is unfolding as it does. We are living in dark times and we read in Isaiah 59:1-2, "Listen! The Lord's arm is not too weak to save you, nor is his ear too deaf to hear your call. It's your sins that have cut you off from God. Because of your sins, he has turned away and will not listen anymore." We read in 59:8, "They don't know where to find peace or what it means to be just and good...". Yet we read in Matthew 5:9, "Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God". There can be no peace without the Prince of Peace, Jesus the Christ, and like Paul with the prison guards, no matter what our situation, we need to be steadfast about presenting Jesus Christ to a world that largely does not know Him.
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: