by HARVEYOPP | Aug 29, 2014 | Scott Henry
“YOUR WORD IS A LAMP TO MY FEET AND A LIGHT TO MY PATH” (PSALM 119:105).
The only thing that can satisfy the longing in our soul is the Word of God. Too often we are discontent with the things we have and when we obtain more in order to satisfy the longing in our soul we quickly learn that the hunger rages on. Why? Because the longing of man’s soul can only be satisfied by the Word of God; Scripture alone is the food for our soul. Jesus said in Matthew 4:4: “Man does not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” The Apostle Paul told the elders at Ephesus in Acts 20:32: “So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.” The Word of God is what the believer lives by; Scripture alone brings joy, comfort, peace, and satisfaction to our soul.
The Word of God brings light to our pathway and illuminates the way before our feet in this dark world (Psalm 119:105). This sinful world is a stumbling block of darkness on the pathway in which we walk. We cannot look to the wisdom of this world to give us guidance because the wisdom of this world is foolishness! (1 Corinthians 3:19). Only the Word of God is sufficient and dependable to guide us in this world. This doesn’t mean that we can’t turn to others for advice. The psalmist surely turned to his father, mother and friends many times for advice, but only when others give us counsel in accordance with the Word of God will their counsel be reliable and worthy to be followed. “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked…” (Psalm 1:1).
Is your soul discontent? Do you have a longing that’s never satisfied by the things of this world? Do you have troubles in your marriage or with your family? Do you struggle with certain sins in your life? The ONLY solution is to feed on the Word of God. The Word of God is the ONLY reliable and trustworthy guide that can give us the strength we need to withstand the temptations we face in this life. That’s why the Psalmist wrote: “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You!” (Psalm 119:11) Have you nourished your soul today on the Word of Life? “As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word that you may grow thereby…” (1 Peter 2:2).
by HARVEYOPP | Aug 26, 2014 | Scott Henry
“Whoever guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from troubles.” Proverbs 21:23
The easiest way for a person to sin is with the tongue. The restraining laws in our society prevent us from doing just anything we want, but it sure seems as if we can say anything we want. Man, because of his fallen, depraved heart, is prone to spew forth all manner of blasphemy and putrid language from his mouth, which produces a myriad of troubles for his soul. The Apostle Paul described man’s tongue in Romans 3:13-14 with these words: “Their throat is an open tomb; with their tongues they have practiced deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips; whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.” Even those redeemed by Christ struggle to govern their vicious tongue. How many wars have been started because of a prideful, arrogant, rebellious tongue? How many couples have divorced because of a lying tongue? How many friends have been separated because of a gossiping tongue? How many times a day is God’s holy name, or the name of the glorious Redeemer, Jesus the Christ, taken in vain, blasphemed, or used in a joke?
Before you speak, dear ones, remember the words of Christ, “But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the Day of Judgment” (Matt. 12:36). As those who are redeemed by Christ, let us daily practice restraining our tongue, the ‘little member of our body that boasts great things’ (James 3:5). We do this by constantly and conscientiously speaking true, kind, edifying, gracious, and loving words, which honor God, and also by keeping our mouth shut when it’s not absolutely necessary to repeat a matter. Too many matters are repeated again and again that would better be left untold since they bring no edification to the hearer. “Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt…” (Col. 4:6). Only by guarding our tongue will we keep our soul from unnecessary troubles. “Who is the man who desires life, and loves many days, that he may see good? Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit” (Psalm 34:11-12).
by HARVEYOPP | Aug 22, 2014 | Scott Henry
“But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison” (James 3:8).
According to Scripture, the tongue reveals the true person because it manifests the condition of the heart. Jesus said, “But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies…” (Matt. 15:18-19). We read in Job 15:5: “For your iniquity teaches your mouth, and you choose the tongue of the crafty.” Simply stated, a man’s heart is the storehouse and his words indicate what’s stored there. As a doctor puts a thermometer under your tongue for your physical temperature, so Scripture teaches that the tongue reveals your spiritual temperature. It was said to Peter by those in the courtyard …“Your speech betrays you.” Jesus said in Luke 6:45: “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”
However, we live in a society that thinks it can say just anything it wants in the name of freedom of speech, and this attitude too often creeps into the church. But James 1:26 tells us that genuine faith shows itself in the control of the tongue. “If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless.” In other words, is your speech consistent with the faith you profess? James says true faith is manifested by those who bridle the tongue, and the reason we must bridle the tongue is because of its great potential to condemn. Proverbs 26:20: “Where there’s no wood, the fire goes out; and where there’s no talebearer, strife ceases.” The talebearer or gossiper who passes on the evil report is the wood that fuels the fire. How are you doing with controlling your tongue? Is your speech seasoned with salt so that it imparts grace to the hearers (Col. 4:6), or do you just let your words fling off your tongue like a little boy who is just beginning to shoot a bow & arrow?
The following prayer ought to be the prayer of every believer: O LORD, help me to guard my ways that I may not sin with my tongue (Psalm 39:1). Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth, and keep watch over the door of my lips (Psalm 141:3) that I may not stumble in what I say (James 3:2). Let my speech always be gracious and seasoned with salt in order that I may know how to answer others for Your glory and their good (Colossians 4:6). Let my mouth utter wisdom, and my tongue speak justice (Psalm 37:30), and let not Your Word depart from my mouth (Isaiah 59:21). Help me always to open my mouth with wisdom, and make me to know what is acceptable (Proverbs 10:32) that my tongue may be as choice silver, and my lips may feed many people true wisdom (Proverbs 10:20-21). Grant this I pray, O Lord, for the sake of Your glory, honor, and praise. Amen!
by HARVEYOPP | Aug 15, 2014 | Scott Henry
“Who is the man who desires life, and loves many days, that he may see good? Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit” (Psalm 34:12-13).
As Christians, our continual prayer should be that God would instruct our tongue at all times with five virtues taught in Scripture: truth, love, necessity, wisdom and edification.
TRUTH: If truthwas guarding our tongue then we would hear our conscience say: “Don’t speak unless your words are true! As a Christian, you represent Christ who is the Truth therefore your words must be true.” Proverbs 8:7: “For my mouth will speak truth; wickedness is an abomination to my lips.”
LOVE: If love stands before our words then we would hear our conscience say: “Are you speaking the truth in love? Are you really concerned for the one of whom or to whom you speak? If you’re not speaking the truth in love, then don’t speak! Keep your mouth shut.” Ephesians 4:15: “…speak the truth in love.”
NECESSITY: If necessity was guarding our tongue then we would hear our conscience say: “Is what you’re going to say necessary, or is it coming out because you simply like to talk? Are the words you’re going to speak about another person necessary? So often we say things about others just to make conversation, and so often what we say is absolutely unnecessary. “Oh did you hear about so and so, and how he did such and such?” It’s almost as if we glory in the fact that we know something about someone else that others don’t know! Proverbs 6:16: “Six things the LORD hates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him: a proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, a false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among brethren.”
WISDOM: If wisdom was guarding our tongue then we would hear our conscience say: “Is it wise for you to speak these words at this time? Would it be better to give it further thought? Proverbs 10:21: “The lips of the righteous feed many, but fools die for lack of wisdom.” Proverbs 10:31: “The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, but the perverse tongue will be cut out.”
EDIFICATION: If edification was guarding our tongue then we would hear our conscience say: “Do your words build up or do they tear down? Do they preserve or do they spoil? Ephesians 4:29: “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.” Colossians 4:6: “Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.” 1 Corinthians 14:26: “Let all things be done for edification.”
The five godly virtues that must guard our mouth are truth, love, necessity, wisdom and edification. We know we need a guard when it comes to bad breath, yet our words are much more important than our breath because the effect of our words can last to eternity. How much more careful should we be with the words that come out of our mouth than our bad breath? “Who is the man who desires life, and loves many days, that he may see good? Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit.” AMEN!
by HARVEYOPP | Aug 12, 2014 | Scott Henry
“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen” (2 Peter 3:18).
When Peter exhorts believers to grow in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ he is stressing the importance of our understanding and believing the truth of Scripture so that we are not led astray or seduced by the error of the wicked. Instead of being led astray and seduced by error, Peter says we must grow in grace and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. In other words, the only way to avoid falling in the Christian life is to advance; the only way to avoid slipping backward is to go forward; the only way to avoid error and false teaching is by knowing and believing the truth. The word falling doesn’t mean losing one’s salvation. Rather, it means weakness or easily giving in to sin and temptation.
You see, Scripture is very plain … every true believer is preserved in Jesus Christ (Jude vs. 1). The Bible does not teach that you can be saved one day and lost the next. Philippians 1:6: “…being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” John 10:27-28: “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.” A hundred other verses could also be cited.
But the Scriptures also teach that the Christian life is active. Yes, God preserves the believer, but He does so by working in us perseverance, and calling us to be diligent in the Christian life. Never forget that God makes use of means. Yes, He provides all our needs, but He does so through our labor. Yes, God gives us wisdom, but He does so as we study His Word and come to Him in prayer. And so we are called to grow in grace and be diligent with our Christian faith. And if you’re not growing then you’re falling backwards and are being exposed to the error of the wicked and setting yourself up for a fall, which will bring dishonor to God and shame before men. And Peter knew something of this after he had denied Christ three times (Matt. 26:75), and so he says, “Grow in grace and in the knowledge that’s in Christ Jesus.”
Are you growing spiritually? Do you desire more and more to be fed spiritually with the Word of God? Do you seek Christ more and more in His Word and through prayer? Do you delight in partaking of the sacraments? Do you long for fellowship with other believers? If you’re truly a branch (a believer) united to the vine (Jesus Christ) then your desire must be like the Psalmist who wrote in Psalm 122: “I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go into the house of the LORD.” And this desire should be ever increasing in the life of those washed in the blood of the Lamb!
by HARVEYOPP | Aug 8, 2014 | Scott Henry
“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen” (2 Peter 3:18).
Parents … what would you do if your baby wasn’t growing? Would you be concerned or would you ignore the obvious? It probably wouldn’t take you very long before you would be on the phone making an appointment with your pediatrician because you know where there’s life there must be growth. The same is true of every farmer; if your corn didn’t sprout in the spring you would immediately be on the phone with a specialist to analyze the problem and find a solution because you also know there must be growth if there’s life. Well, according to our text, the same principle is true spiritually. If you’ve been born of the Spirit of God then you must be growing in grace and in the knowledge of Jesus. And so the Apostle Peter commands in 2 Peter 3:18: “But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
Once a person has true faith he is declared justified by God. This means he is forgiven, cleansed and pardoned of all his sins because of the work of Jesus Christ. And when God declares a person justified, which is a one time event, there can never again be an accusation brought against the person because Christ’s perfect life and sin atoning death has been imputed to them. That’s why we read in Romans 8:1: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” But at this point the work of God’s grace within the believer begins. Sanctification is the Holy Spirit’s work of conforming the believer more and more into the image of Jesus Christ, and this is not completed until death. Therefore, every true believer will and must continue to grow in grace and in the knowledge of Jesus throughout his Christian life, and if there’s no spiritual growth it’s simply because there’s no spiritual life.
What about you? Are you growing spiritually? Does your life demonstrate that you’re growing in grace and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ? Are you growing in the godly use of your tongue or are you living in bitterness, anger and envy with a grudge against someone? James 1:26: “If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless.” Are you growing in resisting temptation? James 1:12: “Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.” Are you growing in the fruit of the Spirit? Galatians 5:22-23: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.” Is your love for God, His Word, His Church, and fellow believers increasing? 1 John 5:2: “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments.” John 13:35: “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” If you confess to be a Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ, one of Christ’s blood-bought sheep, then you must be continually growing in grace and in the knowledge of Jesus, and this will be evident by your Christian maturity. Because to grow in grace means there’s a growing divine influence upon the soul and this will be manifest in your manner of living! As Jesus said in Matthew 7:17: “Even so, every good tree bears good fruit …” What kind of tree are you?
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