Thursday, May 27, 2010

Obadiah Part II

Last night, as I was preaching, a thought occurred to me about Obadiah, thus Obadiah, part two today.


Obadiah 3-4 The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground? (4) Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the LORD.


Edom had carved themselves out a good fortress, a great hiding place in the rocks (think Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade). And looking at a military perspective, it seemed as safe and had proved itself so. They had become prideful in what THEY had done. Edom had carved the homes in the rock, and become very proud about their accomplishments, very proud about their hiding place.

Jacob's fortress was not Jerusalem, it was God. Over and again God shows Himself as Israel's protector, their sword and shield. God was Jacob's hiding place. In Zion their will be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions (verse 17).

Jacob was guilty, sinful and God justly sent Babylon in to punish Judah as he detailed in Habakkuk, there there was hope for Jacob in Christ. Edom was lifted up in pride in their own might, their own ability to carve a hiding place, their own deliverance, and God had brought them low. Jacob was brought low by their own pride, yet God is going to raise them up. Why? GRACE. It was Zion, it was not the works of Jacob but the love of God that will provide deliverance.



In our works, there is death and sin. In Christ there is deliverance and holiness; salvation and justification. It is not what we do for God, but what God does for us. It was not Jacob has been the best, but God said "Jacob have I loved."

______________________________________________________________________

Douglas Newell IV

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Obadiah

We really don't know much about the man Obadiah; and we really can't be certain where this book falls in chronologically. I think, perhaps, he was a contemporary with Jeremiah based upon Jeremiah 49:7-22 and Obadiah 1-9 prophesyies shortly after the captivity. Maybe around the same time Lamentations was penned. Though many disagree and put him as a contemporary with Elijah. But, it really doesn't matter since God didn't tell us.

The point of the book is the judgment of Edom. The Edomites were the descendents of Esau. (Edom means red, Esau's name after selling his birthright for a bowl of red pottage.) Jacob and Esau's sibling rivalry started in the womb and carried on in life with the stolen blessing an on in the generations after them. Esau left and dwelt in the mountain range of Seir formely inhabited by the Horites. Horite means “cave dwellers” the mountain range named after Seir the Horite. The most famous of the Edomite rivalry happened in Numbers 20:14-22, illustrating their lack of compassion upon Jacob's children.

The children of Esau, the Edomites were to be judged for their sins against God and Judah. They rejoiced when Judah was taken captive, they were proud when Judah was in trouble, they stole and sacked Jerusalem instead of helping and looked and laughed at their calamity. They helped the enemy take all captive, wouldn’t allow Jews to escape, but blocked them and then delivered those that could have escaped to the enemy, for price no doubt. Psalm 137 illustrates their heart in this saddest of times for Jerusalem.

Edom had become proud and self assured. The capital city of that time was Petra, a rock fortress that gave them much (in the flesh) to boast about militarily. They thought that they were indestructible. If you have ever seen Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, the final scene takes place in a mountain cavern, and a temple that was carved on the face of a rocky mountain entering into a cave, that is Petra. The trusted in a fortress, but God is greater than any fortress, and justice ran them down.

There is quite a bit of Divine justice and retribution here in repaying Edom for her crimes and the exultation of Judah again.

1. Edom betrayed and watched as Jacob was taken away; Edom will be betrayed by her alliances
2. Edom stole in Jacob’s calamity; Edom will be taken like a thief, nothing left
3. Edom was violent to Jacob, Edom’s violent men will receive the same
4. Edom was proud and desired Jacob’s end; Jacob is a flame of fire, Edom stubble, fire wood
5. Edom came into possess Jerusalem at the expense of Jacob; Jacob will possess Edom in their final doom



The real story here is God's grace.
Romans 9:13 As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.

I'll close with B.H. Carroll’s lessons of Obadiah:

1. lesson of family feud’s
2. lesson of pride
3. lesson of false assurance
4. lesson of God’s wrath
i. God does not forget
ii. God does not forget crimes against Him
iii. God does not forget the persecutor of His people

5. lesson of hope in darkest times in Christ




______________________________________________________________________

Douglas Newell IV

Monday, May 24, 2010

FAIL

I woke up thinking about my life and how many utterly horrid decisions that I have made. FAIL. What I could have done, what I should have done, what I should have done differently where flooding back into my mind.

Stupid, unwise things I did when I was 12 still affect me today. I cannot go back and change them but have to live with the consequences of my actions. And still Jesus loves me. I think Satan will put these failures in my mind to discourage me, and they sure did for a while. But I thank God that it brought me back to the cross. Jesus the Lord died for ME. He loved ME before the foundation of the world. He shed His blood for ME. He has given ME eternal live and innumerable blessings in this life and the next. Even now, God has overruled some of my greatest failures into wondrous blessings. Had life had gone the way I wanted it, I would have never met my wife, and that is just one example of thousands of how I sinned, I made horrible decisions, I paid the consequences in my life for the decisions, but God overruled them for my good.

Thank God He saved me and that I am forgiven and justified and eternally secure in the finished work of Jesus Christ and that there is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.

It is easy to get depressed when you are always thinking about what you did. It is hard to stay depressed when you think about what Jesus did FOR you.

______________________________________________________________________


Douglas Newell IV

Friday, May 21, 2010

Row, row, row your boat



Chuck Swindoll, speaking in a conference to ministers closed with a poem, according to the Christianpost.com which I share with you.

"Row, row, row your boat
Never, ever quit
Loyally, faithfully serving Christ
The captain of your ship."


______________________________________________________________________



Douglas Newell IV

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Habakkuk (huh-BAK-uhk)


Habakkuk 2:1 I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved.

Habakkuk was a prophet during the same time Jeremiah prophesied in Judah. King Josiah had died in battle and the people had fallen back into grave sins once again. Josiah’s reformation was merely legislative, not spiritual. You can legislate righteous behavior but not a righteous heart.

As Habakkuk looked about his people, he marveled at the sinfulness and that God does not stop the wickedness. He wondered when God would stop the violence, strife, contention, and iniquity that had filled Jerusalem. God answered Habakkuk; God will “raise up the “Chaldeans” or Babylon to come and thrash the land. They were a bitter and hasty nation that was a law unto themselves. They were terrible and dreadful, and will be strong, fast and ruthless, everything you DO NOT want your enemy to be. And when they come, they will take Judah and the people captive and thus God will punish the sins of Judah.

This presented another problem for Habakkuk. He asks in Habakkuk 1:13

Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity: wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he?

He prayed, in a way, God you are holy and cannot bear to look upon sin, that is why I asked how you can allow your people to continue to live in iniquity. It is because you are holy and righteous eternally. Yet, I don’t understand how you can raise up a nation who is WORSE than us. How you can give them strength to punish us, though we are bad, we are not as bad as they are going to be?
Habakkuk 2:1 I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved.

Something wasn’t right. There was something that just didn’t quite add up and Habakkuk knew it, but couldn’t figure it out. God did come and give him the answer that when the fullness of time comes, he would punish Babylon and every sin that they commit will be accounted for and would come back upon them. It was the inward man, not the outward, the just shall live by faith. God would be faithful to Israel and that God would not allow sin to go unpunished. Habakkuk did answer like he said he would do in Habakkuk 2:1. The answer is chapter three. He remembered the history of Israel, what God had done in the past and that God keeps his promises and He will again.

Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments. (Habakkuk 3:17-19)

BUT, here is the point. Habakkuk 2:1 I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved.

Habakkuk knew something wasn’t right, and he knew it was his thinking that wasn’t right, not God. He came upon a dilemma that he couldn’t understand in God’s sovereignty and sin. In his mind there seemed to be a contradiction. SO what did he do? He said I will see what God says and then I’ll have my answer when I have been corrected. This is the way we should all come to God’s Word. Too often people will pick up their Bibles trying to prove themselves right instead of sitting and being reproved and taught by God. When God shows them wrong by His Word, instead of submitting to it, they rebel against what God says. For some it is better to prove their opinion and live with a contradicting theology rather than say they were wrong and hold to Biblical theology, especially when it comes to church truth. Anything that differs from popular sentiment about the church, regardless of what the Bible says, must be wrong because “if popular sentiment is wrong, then I must be wrong too, and that just cannot be.”

Because Habakkuk knew that there was no contradiction in God, knew that God was both sovereign and holy so he knew the problem was not with God but with himself and his understanding. So he sought God in humility to be shown where he was wrong, not look for texts to prove that his opinion was right.


______________________________________________________________________


Douglas Newell IV

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Apples of Gold


We have two quotes this week from the immensely quotable Charles Spurgeon.

“Every heart must be stout, and every arm must be strong; the line must not be composed of here and there a warrior and an interval between, but every man must march forward, with the spirit of a lion and the strength of God, to do battle against the common enemy of souls.” C.H. Spurgeon

"Thou hast loosed me from the bonds of worldly maxims; thou hast delivered me from the fear of man; thou hast rescued me from the stooping and fawning which made me once the slave of every tyrant who laid claim to my allegiance, and thou hast made me now the servant of but on Master, whose service is perfect liberty. Whereas before I spake with bated breath, lest I should offend, and even my conscience had continually to yield to the whims and prejudices of another man, behold now “thou hast loosed my bonds.: As an eagle with my eye on the sun, with wings outstretched true to the line upwards which I soar, bound no longer to the rocks of prejudice or the mounds of worldly maxim—free, entirely free to serve my sod without let or hindrance." C.H. Spurgeon


______________________________________________________________________________

Douglas Newell IV

Sunday, May 16, 2010

A Psalm for the Lord's Day

PSALM 92 PART 1 (L. M.)

A Psalm for the Lord's day.
Isaac Watts

Sweet is the work, my God, my King,
To praise thy name, give thanks and sing,
To show thy love by morning light,
And talk of all thy truth at night.

Sweet is the day of sacred rest,
No mortal cares shall seize my breast;
O may my heart in tune be found,
Like David's harp of solemn sound!

My heart shall triumph in my Lord,
And bless his works, and bless his word;
Thy works of grace, how bright they shine!
How deep thy counsels! how divine!

Fools never raise their thoughts so high;
Like brutes they live, like brutes they die;
Like grass they flourish, till thy breath
Blast them in everlasting death.

But I shall share a glorious part
When grace hath well refined my heart;
And fresh supplies of joy are shed,
Like holy oil, to cheer my head.

Sin (my worst enemy before)
Shall vex my eyes and ears no more;
My inward foes shall all be slain,
Nor Satan break my peace again.

Then shall I see, and hear, and know
All I desired or wished below;
And every power find sweet employ
In that eternal world of joy.


______________________________________________________________________


Douglas Newell IV

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

A Faithful Saying, BELIEVE IT!

I Timothy 1:15 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.

The Apostle Paul never got over the fact that God had mercy on him. Paul says of himself that he “was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious” to God’s people. However, Paul obtained mercy from God through Christ; because Jesus came into the world to save sinners.


For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:6-8)


Jesus did not come to die for good men or for the strong and valiant but came to die for the sinner, the rebel, the unworthy. What mercy, that God showed His love toward us that while we were sinners, Christ died for us.

It is a faithful and true saying that Christ came to save sinners. It is a faithful saying because it is a true saying, one that can be trusted. All those that have believed upon Christ know it to be a faithful saying that has never failed. It is worthy of acceptance since it is true, faithful, but also because of its great value. John Gill said it is "worthy of all acceptation; or to be received by all sorts of persons, learned, or unlearned, rich or poor, greater or lesser sinners; and to be received in all ways, and in the best manner, as the word of God, and not man; with heartiness and readiness, and with love, joy, and gladness, and with meekness, faith, and fear, and by all means; for it is entirely true, absolutely necessary, and suitable to the case of all, and is to be highly valued and esteemed by those who do approve and accept of it.”

This IS a faithful saying. The text does not say it “was” a faithful saying, but it IS a faithful saying. This promise and declaration of the gospel is as faithful today as it was when it was penned. This promise was a faithful promise to me; it was a faithful promise to my sister. By God’s marvelous grace, this weekend the Lord of Glory, was merciful to her; not by works of righteousness which she had done, but according to his mercy he saved her. Oh what joy, that Christ came to save sinners; and how thankful I am for my Lord, my God, my King and my blessed Saviour.


______________________________________________________________________


Douglas Newell IV

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Quote of the Week: Barnes on Hebrews 1:14


Some Bible commentaries take each verse and comment on the verse alone. John Gill is a good example of that. Other commentaries take sections of scripture and and deal with more of the context. John MacArthur is a good example of that. I like both types for different reasons. When you get to an obscure or difficult passage, John Gill will give you his opinion on it and any relevant (sometimes not so relevant) historical information; whereas the other commentaries tend to skip the tough stuff. But the context type commentaries address the context and the point of the passage, more like a sermon.

I like Albert Barnes because he falls somewhere in the middle when it comes to the New Testament. I was reading a comment on Hebrews 1:14 and found this after his comment on the text.

(Make sure you read the 2nd paragraph. I put the first in for context.)

The Christian religion has a claim on the attention of man. God has spoken to us in the Gospel by his Son; Hebrews 1:1-2. This fact constitutes a claim on us to attend to what is spoken in the New Testament. When God sent prophets to address people, endowing them with more than human wisdom and eloquence, and commanding them to deliver solemn messages to mankind, that was a reason why people should hear. But how much more important is the message which is brought by his own Son! How much more exalted the Messenger! How much higher his claim to our attention and regard! compare Matt. 21:37. Yet it is lamentable to reflect how few attended to him when he lived on the earth, and how few comparatively regard him now. The great mass of people feel no interest in the fact that the Son of God has come and spoken to the human race. Few take the pains to read what he said, though all the records of the discourses of the Saviour could be read in a few hours.


A newspaper is read; a poem; a novel; a play; a history of battles and sieges; but the New Testament is neglected, and there are thousands even in Christian lands who have not even read through the Sermon on the Mount! Few also listen to the truths which the Redeemer taught when they are proclaimed in the sanctuary. Multitudes never go to the place where the gospel is preached; multitudes when there are engaged in thinking of other things, or are wholly inattentive to the truths which are proclaimed. Such a reception has the Son of God met with in our world! The most wonderful of all events is, that he should have come from heaven to be the teacher of mankind; next to that, the most wonderful event is that, when he has come, people feel no interest in the fact, and refuse to listen to what he says of the unseen and eternal world. What a man will say about the possibility of making a fortune by some wild speculation will be listened to with the deepest interest; but what the Redeemer says about the “certainty” of heaven and eternal riches there, excites no emotion: what one from the dead might say about the unseen world would excite the profoundest attention; what he has said who has always dwelt in the unseen world, and who knows all that has occurred there, and all that is yet to occur, awakens no interest, and excites no inquiry. Such is man. The visit, too, of an illustrious stranger - like Lafayette to America - will rouse a nation, and spread enthusiasm everywhere; the visit of the Son of God to the earth on a great errand of mercy is regarded as an event of no importance, and excites no interest in the great mass of human hearts.




______________________________________________________________________

Douglas Newell IV

Monday, May 10, 2010

Happy Monday




One of my favorite bluegrass bands singing one of my favorite bluegrass songs. My dad used to sing this song all time so it stirs up happy memories of my childhood in Kentucky.

Proverbs 17:22 A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.


______________________________________________________________________


Douglas Newell IV

Friday, May 7, 2010

Mother's Grocery Plan and Matthew 6:8

Matthew 6:8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.

My wife does a great job with our groceries. Having four boys who seem to grow an inch a week, she does such a wonderful job buying food to keep up with their voracious appetites without breaking the bank. Before she goes to the store, she makes a plan for what we will eat for the next couple weeks. I won’t pretend to know HOW she does this so effectively; but I am thankful she does. Prior to our house becoming total destitute of all sustenance, she will have made it to the store to replenish our cupboards. She has considered every meal for the children based upon their nutritional needs. Certainly four boys would love to eat chocolate cake every day for breakfast, but that is not what they need. The number of meals has been planned, the menu has been predetermined and all materials that are needed to prepare the food has been well thought-out.

My wife usually goes to the grocery while the children are asleep in the early morning. The night before she makes all her preparations with coupons that she has collected and the plan of which stores to go to first and what to buy and is ready to buy the food is laid out. When she arrives back home, we get the food in the house and she places the food in its proper place. The perishables go in the refrigerator and food where it will be safe and preserved the longest. Often all this happens without the children even knowing it.

The boys will wake up, sleepy eyed and stumbling into the kitchen and make a request; “Mommy, I’m hungry, can I have some breakfast?” They are ready to eat and they make their desire for food known.

Their mother knew that groceries were needed in the house. She knew how much food they would need and the number of meals, what nutrients boys need and what foods they needed to eat to fulfill those requirements. She had planned for all this and provided for their needs before they even asked for it.

If parents are faithful in planning and providing the basic needs of their children, how much more is God the Father faithful in providing according to His plan our basic needs? I cannot provide food for my children unless God gives us the means to do it; so even in my example, the planning process of my wife is totally dependent on God providing money and resources to obtain the food. But our menu is only for a couple weeks, God’s plan is for all things, everywhere, at all times. God not only plans, but ordains all things to come to pass. Knowing that I will need food, God planned and provided for the soil, the plants and animals, the farmers, and everything in between the farmers plan to my mouth.

“He [God] could withhold the sun and its influence; He could stop the rain; He could make our land absolutely barren so that the farmer with all his modern implements and chemicals could not raise a crop. He could blast the crop if He wanted to. We are absolutely in the hand of God, and the supreme folly of this century is the folly of thinking that because we have acquired a certain amount of knowledge of the laws of God, we are independent of Him. We cannot live for a day without Him.” D. M. Lloyd-Jones


What a loving Heavenly Father! He knows what we need before we know what we need. Like my children, they ask when they are hungry for food, yet their mother, long before they requested the food, knew they would be hungry for breakfast and provided. Your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. So when we pray "give us this day our daily bread" we know that God will give us our daily bread, and we know that He has planned for it and ordained it to come to pass.


______________________________________________________________________


Douglas Newell IV

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Survey of Micah: Part 1

Micah, prophet to Judah, preaches a strong message against the sins of God’s people. However, the message, the theme of the book is Jesus Christ. Jesus is the only hope for Israel, the nations and the world.

The name Micah means “who is like God”. Micah was from Morasthite; a small town of Judah but there is little is known about Micah. He prophesied in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which means that he preached with Isaiah in Judah and was also contemporary of Hosea for a time (though Hosea in the Northern Kingdom). He was a bold preacher fearing God rather than man and was known for his bold preaching as we learn from Jeremiah 26:18-19. Micah preached concerning Samaria and Jerusalem, speaking to both kingdoms, but to Judah in particular. The message of the book speaks of Israel as the people of God, not restricted to the ten tribes. For example in Micah 7:20 God speaks to Jacob and Abraham, thus not a divided kingdom, but children of promise.

The book can be divided up into three sections. The division can be seen in the chapters 1-3; 4-5; and 6-7. The prophesy shows the terrible consequences for sin, yet clearly shows that Christ is the only hope for Israel, the only hope for the nations, the only hope for the world.

The first section deals with the DISEASE OF IDOLATRY (CHAPTERS 1-3). Chapter one begins with the sins of Israel and their sin of spiritual harlotry (Micah 1:6-7). Israel had gotten wealthy by her false gods and idolatry and they became powerful and prosperous. Israel will be consumed by the very nations and religions by nations whom they copied and took their gods.

Micah 1:9 For her wound is incurable; for it is come unto Judah; he is come unto the gate of my people, even to Jerusalem.


Here we see the disease of spiritual adultery. We come back to the golden calves. The disease of idolatry had now spread like gangrene. The wound of idolatry had infected the Northern kingdom; the judgment likewise that will come to Israel will come to Judah. The people of God had become infected with spiritual harlotry and what began in Samaria will continue on into Judah. Practically, we can see in our own lives what happens when we do not mortify the flesh and when we allow sin to dwell in us, our house.

In Micah 1:10-16, deals with the coming judgment on Judah. These cities mentioned are found in the region of Judah. There is some word play in this section concerning some of the cities; for example: Micah 1:10 Declare ye it not at Gath, weep ye not at all: in the house of Aphrah roll thyself in the dust. Aphrah which means “house to (i.e. of) dust”. Micah 1:14 Therefore shalt thou give presents to Moreshethgath: the houses of Achzib shall be a lie to the kings of Israel. Achzib means “deceit”.

There are two primary sins that are mentioned, sins of covetous idolatry and not heading God’s Word. The sin of covetous idolatry is first detailed in Micah 2:1-2. This sounds a lot like the words of Amos to Israel. The Sin of oppression, greed and love of money had spread to Judah. God had blessed in the land of milk and honey and the people took the blessings of God and turned the blessings into a god. Micah 3:1-3 speaks figuratively in describing how the rich and powerful were oppressing the poor. A love of sin, love of money and overruling greed birthed a lack of compassion, lack of love, and a lack of mercy. The love of money had brought a hatred of men. Money is a cruel god with a cruel and hateful religion.

Secondly, there was the sin of false gods, false prophets and denial of the truth. Just like in Amos, the people didn’t want to hear the preaching of God’s Word Micah 2:6-7. They would not hear the convicting preaching of the Word. When you are confronted with the Word of God and are convicted of your sins, you have two options; you can hear the word and repent and obey or ignore the word or seek to silence the word. Judah chose the latter.

The people wanted to hear a preacher that preached what they wanted to hear.

Micah 2:11 If a man walking in the spirit and falsehood do lie, saying, I will prophesy unto thee of wine and of strong drink; he shall even be the prophet of this people.


Isn’t this the way? People will find a preacher that preaches what they want to hear and find a church that does what they want the church to do instead of hearing a preacher that faithfully expounds the Bible and a church that does what the Bible says to do, not what we want to do. Many will look and find a church that bends to their whims and fancies. That is why there are so many false churches, false doctrines and so many church splits. Micah said that the people would look for a man that would justify their sins. What’s your sin? Want to drink? Find a preacher who will preach you can drink. Want to hear a man centered lie of a gospel? Find a preacher who will lift you up and lower God.

Well, with little surprise, these men that they found were prophets for profit.

Micah 3:5 Thus saith the LORD concerning the prophets that make my people err, that bite with their teeth, and cry, Peace; and he that putteth not into their mouths, they even prepare war against him.


They preached for money, gain and prophet. The sad reality is the prophets that they found themselves preachers that would preach lies to them and tell them what they wanted to hear; but these men didn’t care for them. A man that will preach a lie will have no problem leading to destruction. I was visiting family recently and I had to get after my son and nephew because they were doing something that was either going to end in something breaking or someone getting hurt. My nephew said that I was being mean to him because I didn’t let him do what he wanted. Yes, he didn’t like what I said, but I had to get after him, not because I was mean, but because I love him and didn’t want to see harm come to him. The people didn’t like Micah because he spoke hard truths, they did not like Amos for the same reason. The people of Galatia did not like Paul for the same reason.

Gal 4:16 Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?


Hard truths to be sure; yet it was out of love that hard truths were spoken.
The consequences for both sins are found in Micah 3:9-12. The leaders and the preachers continued in lying, fleecing and sinful spiritual adultery. They got what they asked for. They wanted religion like the world and they got it and more; they inherited the consequences of false gods and false religion.

Judah will feel the hand of God in judgment for turning from God and trusting in false gods. Yet God will not leave the faithful without hope. God gives wonderful promises to that remnant that loves Him, and shows that the coming Christ was the only hope. As the captivity now looms over their head, God points to Jesus Christ and HIS Kingdom Come, which we will look at, Lord willing, next time.



______________________________________________________________________


Douglas Newell IV

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Valuable Books: Part 2

Last time I listed the commentary sets that I use and enjoy.

Today's list are my five favorite systematic theologies.

1. Systematic Theology by Hodge
2. Abstract of Systematic Theology by JP Boyce
3. A Systematic Study of Bible Doctrine by TP Simmons
4. A Body of Divinity by John Gill
5. Seven Dispensations by JR Graves

______________________________________________________


Douglas Newell IV