Counterfeit Friends

 July 8
 Daily Reading – Ezra 4-7 / Acts 11

GOD SAID:

Ezra 4:2 Then they came to Zerubbabel, and to the chief of the fathers, and said unto them, Let us build with you: for we seek your God, as ye do; and we do sacrifice unto him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assur, which brought us up hither.

GETTING INTO GOD’S WORD:

       I remember as a young boy my dad saying things like, ”those aren’t your friends son, they’re moochers.” Another one was, “you have a bunch of fair weather friends, they’ll not be there if you really need them.” He wasn’t trying to be mean. He was being a loving father, warning his son about the realities of life. Today, I still find his words to ring true. Some people are not really friends. They’re moochers, and are just there as long as they can get something from you. Some people only want to be around when things are going great, but when the going get rough, they’re gone. These are counterfeit friends. Today I also see a lot of Counterfeit Christians.

       In Ezra 4:2 some of these fake friends show up. How do we know they are fake? First, these people were brought there by the King of Assyria to occupy the land when the children of Israel were carried away. They had been there for years, yet in all that time they had no interest in building a temple or altar to God. Next we find them trying to slow down the work being done in verses 4-5. Finally they send a letter to the King of Persia asking to have the work stopped. They’re a clear picture of the lost world today and the church. First they infiltrate the church as Counterfeit Christians. Next they hinder any spiritual work with worldly ways. Finally, they attempt try to stop anyone else who is currently serving. Also known as wolves in sheep’s clothing.

GETTING GOD’S WORD INTO ME:

    In Ezra 4:3 the people of Israel told them, we can do this without your help. The church today should also say, we can worship without the worlds help. God isn’t looking for a new “Form of Worship,” as much as He is seeking a true “Friend to Worship.”

Will you be God’s Real Friend?

     
Living In His Word Ministries
    “Getting people into the Word of God…
                               … and the Word of God into people.”

Dr. Franklin J. Senters Th.D.
Founder and Executive Director
Hebrews 2:12

A Sacred Desire

 July 6 & 7
 July 6 – Daily Reading – Ezra 1-3 / Acts 10:23-48
 July 7 – NO Daily Reading

GOD SAID:

Ezra 3:2 Then stood up Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brethren the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and his brethren, and builded the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings thereon, as it is written in the law of Moses the man of God.

GETTING INTO GOD’S WORD:

       I can tell you as someone who travels from home for ministry, it’s sure good to lay my head on my pillow in my home again. Others treat me with the utmost in Christian love and kindness. Their hospitality is grand. Yet there’s something wonderful about being home. My journeys are about normally two weeks or just a little longer. I call home and talk with my wife almost daily. I send pictures and receive them form her while I’m gone. Yet, I still want to come home when I’m done. There is also my home church family. I love to preach and sing at other churches. Yet, the people from my home church hold a very special place in my heart that others can’t fill.

       The children of Israel, both Northern Israel and Southern Judah, have been in exile for many years. No phone calls home, no pictures from the old homestead. Also, there is the fact that there is really nothing back home, to go home to. Many of the homes had been destroyed and the center of worship, their temple was demolished. However, one day, God moved on the heart of a lost king, King Cyrus, to send many of them back home to rebuild a temple for the Lord. When they got back, before they began to construct this temple they had a sacred desire to fulfill first. They knew it was important to build an altar first and seek God’s will in the building. Forsaking God is what caused the exile problem. They sure didn’t want to make that mistake again.

GETTING GOD’S WORD INTO ME:

      We often have good ideas for ministries. Some of the ideas are really great. Yet the best laid plans without God and His blessings, is like putting the cart before the horse. Prayer is the key to all spiritual blessings.

What is the ratio of time spent in prayer and that spent in planning?

 

THE WEEK IN REVIEW:

     Man should be A Sacrifice Delivered to God with our lives. (Rom. 12:1) Yet, man often fails as we’ve seen in:

●  A Sad Departure
●  A Spiritual Duty
●  All Suddenly Done
●  A Storeroom Dilemma
●  A Serious Declaration
●  A Sacred Desire

      Knowing the sinfulness of man, God sent His Son, Jesus to be A Sacrifice Delivered once and for all, for all who will put their faith and trust in Him. Amen!

SUNDAY:

        Today we suggest you read and study whatever the Lord has laid on your Pastors heart. Whatever scripture he uses for today’s messages were given to him by God for your specific needs

July 8, 2019	Ezra 4-7	Acts 11
July 9, 2019	Ezra 8-10	Acts 12
July 10, 2019	Neh. 1-3	Acts 13:1-28
July 11, 2019	Neh. 4-6	Acts 13:29-52
July 12, 2019	Neh. 7-8	Acts 14
July 13, 2019	Neh. 9-10	Acts 15:1-27
July 14, 2019	No Passages Assigned

Hebrews 10:10-12
By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;

Living In His Word Ministries
            “Getting people into the Word of God…
                               … and the Word of God into people.”

Dr. Franklin J. Senters Th.D.
Founder and Executive Director
Hebrews 2:12

A Serious Declaration

 July 5
 Daily Reading – 2 Chron. 34-36 / Acts 10:1-22

GOD SAID:

2 Chronicles 36:16 But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against his people, till there was no remedy.

GETTING INTO GOD’S WORD:

       I can tell you when time stands still. It’s that moment when you’re sitting in a room with family or someone you love and the doctor says, ”I’m sorry, we’ve done all we can, there is nothing more we can do.” It’s as if for a brief moment, everything in the universe just stops. There’s a moment of emptiness. Thoughts seem to escape you, dreams are put aside, the air for a few seconds is silent as words don’t seem to come. Some have described that moment as if someone just knocked all the wind out of you. It’s a serious declaration of what will be the end, without a miracle from God. A person’s only hope after that, is knowing Christ as Saviour, and His promise of eternal life after physical death. Without Christ, there’s no remedy.

       As I read the closing of 2 Chronicles 36, I read the words, “till there was no remedy.” This is it. God has been patient long enough. The people and nation of Israel have turned their back on God one too many times. If He doesn’t bring about judgment, then His promises to them are meaningless. The promises of a wonderful land, protection from enemies, a land of plenty, joy and peace, all came true while they were obedient and followed His word. However, just as true was the promise of a price to be paid for disobedience. So, for repeatedly rejecting God and His ways, they’d come to a place where,“there was no remedy.” Their life, in this land, at this time, was done.

GETTING GOD’S WORD INTO ME:

    I wonder how long will God let our land go before we face a real judgement. How long will He allow people to live in rebellion before we hear the serious declaration, there is no remedy. The eventual answer for Israel was turning back to God.

What will it take to get our attention?

     
Living In His Word Ministries
    “Getting people into the Word of God…
                               … and the Word of God into people.”

Dr. Franklin J. Senters Th.D.
Founder and Executive Director
Hebrews 2:12

A Storeroom Dilemma

 July 4
 Daily Reading – 2 Chron. 31-33 / Acts 9:20-43

GOD SAID:

2 Chronicles 31:10 And Azariah the chief priest of the house of Zadok answered him, and said, Since the people began to bring the offerings into the house of the LORD, we have had enough to eat, and have left plenty: for the LORD hath blessed his people; and that which is left is this great store.

GETTING INTO GOD’S WORD:

       People today have more stuff than they know what to do with. Instead of getting rid of anything, they pay out good money to rent a place to store stuff, so as to make room in their house for more stuff. Most people who move to a new home find that after a few years they have boxes of stuff stored in an attic or out in the garage that they never opened from the move. This is stuff they evidently did not need, and have not used, but just can’t find it in their heart to get rid of. People like their stuff. Wouldn’t it be great if we had to rent a place to store some of our stuff, just so we could have a room in the house to store all our money in? What a dilemma!

       We find in 2 Chronicles 31:10 it says; “…Since the people began to bring the offerings into the house of the LORD, we have had enough to eat, and have left plenty: for the LORD hath blessed his people; and that which is left is this great store.” The Priest had so much given to the work of the Lord that the next verse says; “11 Then Hezekiah commanded to prepare chambers in the house of the LORD; and they prepared them,” The king had them build rooms in the Lord’s house just to store all that the people had brought. It seemed that the more they gave, the more the Lord blessed them. The more the Lord blessed them, the more they gave. Some storeroom dilemmas are good problems to have.

GETTING GOD’S WORD INTO ME:

    This happens, not when we give to receive more from God, but if we do as it says in the last line of 2 Chronicles 31:21 “… to seek his God, he did it with all his heart, and prospered.” When we seek God and not wealth, God blesses.

Is there room in your heart for Jesus?

     
Living In His Word Ministries
    “Getting people into the Word of God…
                               … and the Word of God into people.”

Dr. Franklin J. Senters Th.D.
Founder and Executive Director
Hebrews 2:12

All Suddenly Done

 July 3
 Daily Reading – 2 Chron. 28-30 / Acts 9:1-19

GOD SAID:

2 Chronicles 29:36 And Hezekiah rejoiced, and all the people, that God had prepared the people: for the thing was done suddenly.

GETTING INTO GOD’S WORD:

       I’m amazed at today’s verse. Not even the entire verse. Just the last line. “… for the thing was done suddenly.” If I didn’t know better, it would sound like this revival took place overnight. However, there was a lot of work that went into this renewal of worshiping of God. In the first part of the chapter, Hezekiah is made King, and decides to lead these people back to worshiping the Lord. He has the temple doors reopened that Ahaz had nailed shut. He then tells the priests and Levites to clean up everything, beginning with their own hearts. Following this cleaning and restoration of the Temple, they began the process of sacrificing animals for the sins of the King, and the past sins of the leaders and the nation. Next, the people began to bring in their sacrifices to be offered up for their own sin. So many, that the priests could not keep up and had to enlist the help of other Levites to flay the animals for the priests to sacrifice. The singers and musicians then assemble and the people began to sing and praise the Lord. Does that sound like it just suddenly happened?

       However, if we read the verse again, it doesn’t say all of the preparation to worship happened suddenly. What happened suddenly was, God had prepared the hearts of the people for the work to be done and the worship to be given. When God moves on His people, it doesn’t take long to see the evidence of God’s hand in their life.

GETTING GOD’S WORD INTO ME:

    When God saves our soul, it happens in an instant. However, the work He does in our lives to make us more like His Son Jesus can take a lifetime. People’s lives at the moment of salvation change suddenly, but the changes in that life can take time.

Has God suddenly changed you?

     
Living In His Word Ministries
    “Getting people into the Word of God…
                               … and the Word of God into people.”

Dr. Franklin J. Senters Th.D.
Founder and Executive Director
Hebrews 2:12