What The Bible Says Good Samaritan's Penny Pulpit by Pastor Ed Rice

What The Bible Says Good Samaritan's Penny Pulpit by Pastor Ed Rice

What The Bible Says Good Samaritan's Penny Pulpit by Pastor Ed Rice

www.ambassadorbaptistchurch.faithweb.com "It Came Upon the Midnight Clear" Author: Edmund H. Sears 1 It came upon the ...

www.ambassadorbaptistchurch.faithweb.com On Christmas Eve, hear Pastor Fry preach from the powerful scriptures in the ...

DEVELOPING STORY: A midnight deadline to leave Columbia University has come and gone and the Hamas activists are still encamped […]

By Tyler Durden Update(Midnight ET):? It is just after 7am Israel local time and Israel’s military is reporting the Iranian attack has stopped, several hours after...Biden Tells Bibi: US Will Not Support A Counterattack Against Iran After Hundreds Of Drones, Missiles Sent

? Temple Baptist Church - 3-10-2024Psalm 119:81-88? Introduction:? A. Tonight, we come to the 11th? stanza of Psalm 119? along with the accompanying 11th? Letter of the Hebrew Alphabet. These 22 stanzas of the Psalm show the relationship of the believer to the Word of God.? B. The 11th? letter of the Hebrew alphabet is CAPH? כַּ.? Once again, each of the 8 verses in this 11th? stanza, when written in Hebrew, begin with the letter? CAPH. With that being said, we need to have a proper definition or meaning for the letter.? C.? CAPH? כַּ? –? A hollow place such as the palm of a hand, a bowl, or a basin. A container. In type a place where the believer seems to be trapped and cannot get out of or a point which he cannot pass.? D. In this portion of Psalm 119, we find that the Psalmist is in an extreme situation? from which he can neither resolve nor can he escape it. There is a Latin phrase,? in extremis,? meaning “at the point of death" or “in the farthest reaches.” His situation is grave.? E.? Verses 88-89 are the two middle verses of Psalm 119 as verse 88 ends the first half? and 89 begins the second half.? Our stanza, the 11th? (verses 81-88) out of 22 stanzas, this forms the octave which has been called? “the midnight of the psalm.”? The Psalmist's? enemies have brought him to the lowest condition of anguish and depression; yet he is faithful to keep the Word of God (testimony) while remaining trustful in his God.? F. At some time in life, most of us find ourselves is such a strait.? A place that seems like we will never escape or get victory over in our own strength. Thus, the importance of the Word of God to the needy.? G. Let's look at three of our verses? as they make up the introduction and meaning of the stanza.? Psalms 119:84-86 How many are the days of thy servant? when wilt thou execute judgment on them that persecute me? (85) The proud? have digged pits? for me,? which are not after thy law.? (86) All thy commandments are faithful:? they persecute me wrongfully; help thou me.? 1. The promise of persecution.? “persecute”? is used twice in these three verses.? 2 Timothy 3:12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.? a) This world hated Christ before it hated us. We to him “without the camp” as bear His reproach. The “god of this world” has reproduced from himself “God” haters! John 15:18 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.? b) This world hates ALL who try to live godly lives as that kind of life exposes the world's ungodliness.? Hebrews 11:4 By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.? 2. The individuality of persecution.? “me”? There is and, from the days of Cain and Abel, always has been individual hatred. Why? Because Abel's sacrifice was godly, and Cain's was not! They persecuted Christ, and they will persecute us!? 3. The trap of persecution.? “have digged pits”? Pits means a “pit fall” or a “chasm.” These were normally traps for large animals, dug deep and camouflaged by covering with wood and sod. A place of no escape such as Joseph's brothers placed him into.? Psalms 119:85 The proud have digged pits for me, which are not after thy law.? 4. The injustice of persecution. “not after thy law … persecute me wrongfully”? These persecutors use the law unlawfully. We see much of that today as the justice system is weaponized against an enemy or opponent. Psalms 94:20 Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee, which frameth mischief by a law?? H. It is such a condition that we find the Palmist. It is not a place of his making. It is a place of containment from which there is seemingly no human way of escape. A place of impending death.? 1. Verse 81. The darkness of the hour. “My soul fainteth for thy salvation:? but? I hope in thy word!”? a. This is not fainting for a few minutes they then regathering of self allows one to get over it. I try to drive home to our people the importance of these supposedly “archaic” words so described by the liberal theologians.? b. “fainteth!” The result of open-ended waiting. The “eth” ending of faint means that it is in the continuing present tense. He has been here for a long time and sees no change coming in the immediate future.? c. The Psalmist knows that the only deliverance that will negate the persecution must come from the Lord.? d. “for thy salvation” Though fainting, the Psalmist is “hanging in there!”? Isaiah 40:29-31 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. (30) Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: (31) But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.? e. His faith is rightly placed. “I hope in thy Word.” The relationship of the Word of God and our hope!? 2. Verses 82-83. The dimness of the eye. “Mine eyes fail … I am become like a bottle in the smoke!”? a. Smoke, like the morning fog, obscures from seeing properly. I remember driving across Florida when the wildfires were out of control and smoke was so thick on the highways that they shut some of them down. No one could see well enough to drive.? b. Thus, it is with ongoing troubles in life. They begin to shroud life in general as they completely occupy our thinking and lives while dimming our spiritual eyes. When you cannot track God, you then learn to trust Him.? c. One of my favorite verses:? Psalms 77:19 Thy way is in the sea, and thy path in the great waters, and thy footsteps are not known.? d. The Psalmist's comfort will be found in the seen promises of an unseen work. “When wilt thou comfort me? … yet do I not forget thy statutes.”.3. Verse 84. The dilemma of the saint. Will justice come in my lifetime?? Psalms 119:84 How many are the days of thy servant? when wilt thou execute judgment on them that persecute me?? a. The Psalmist did not know the length of his life. There are times when God answers prayers or brings about justice after the death of the one seeking it. God's time is not on our time, His thoughts are not our thoughts nor His ways our ways.? Isaiah 55:8-9 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. (9) For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.? b. The Psalmist asks that oft asked request. When not if? One day, we know that God will bring to light the things of darkness and His justice will be swift, sure, and full.? 4. Verse 87. Relying on the promises of God. The Lord maketh no mistake in His operations. The Psalmist may not know how long, but he knows that God is faithful to both His Word and His people.? 5. Verse 88. Resting in the love of God. The Psalmist rests on the knowledge that the Lord will not forsake His own but will raise them up to sit on high. There is life before the trial and there will be life during the trial and there will be life after the trial.? Conclusion:? Hebrews 10:35-39 Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. (36) For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. (37) For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. (38) Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. (39) But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.

What Is the State of Your Foundation? Tim RasmussenTue, 12/19/2023 - 01:17 Due to a population explosion in Southern California in the early 1920s, plans were made to create a large reservoir to help meet the region's growing water needs. Engineer William Mulholland had achieved a great deal of recognition and respect among members of the engineering community when he supervised the design and construction of the longest aqueduct in the world at that time—the Los Angeles Aqueduct, and he was chosen as the chief engineer for the new project.After conducting a thorough study of the topography and geological features of the area, Mulholland was convinced that San Francisquito Canyon, about forty miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles, was the ideal site. Design and construction began in 1924, and at its completion on May 4, 1926, the magnificent St. Francis dam rose to a height of 185 feet above the canyon floor. The dam was an engineering marvel—the crown jewel of Mulholland's career.But there was a problem. Although Mulholland wrote of the unstable nature of the face of the schist on the eastern side of the canyon, he either misjudged or ignored it. As water began to fill the reservoir, several temperature and contraction cracks appeared in the dam, and seepage began to flow from under the abatements.Mulholland and his assistant chief engineer Harvey Van Norman inspected the cracks and judged them to be within expectation for a concrete dam the size of St. Francis. Workers were ordered to seal off the leaks, but they were not entirely successful. Late in 1927, a fracture appeared that ran diagonally across the dam. Mulholland inspected the cleft, judged it to be another inconsequential contraction crack, and left it? alone.On March 7, 1928, yet another leak was discovered by a dam employee. He was concerned not only because there was a new leak but also because the water in this runoff was muddy, indicating possible erosion of the dam's foundation.Mulholland and Van Norman inspected the dam and its various leaks and seepages, finding “nothing out of the ordinary or of concern for a large dam.” Both Mulholland and Van Norman made it clear that there just wasn't anything to worry about. Mulholland had a reputation to uphold. Surely there couldn't be any critical issues with his masterpiece. Acknowledging major engineering shortcomings would have jeopardized his hard-earned position and reputation.Two and half minutes before midnight on March? 12,? 1928, the St. Francis dam catastrophically failed. Within 70 minutes of the collapse, the reservoir was virtually empty as 12.4 billion gallons of water began surging down San Francisquito Canyon becoming a 140-foot high flood wave traveling eighteen miles per hour. Countless workmen and their families were never found. The flood left an appalling record of death and destruction, with hundreds of lives claimed. The St. Francis Dam disaster, which effectively ended the career of William Mulholland, remains the second greatest loss of life in California's history, after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire.Cracks in any foundation can have catastrophic effects, and the most catastrophic tragedies of all are the results of cracks in the foundations of lives. These cracks affect not only us but also those we know and love. In the busyness of life and with all the responsibilities of family and ministry, we need to ask ourselves if we are ignoring foundational issues of the heart that could lead to disaster.These cracks may not be visible yet to our family and friends, but the cracks are there nonetheless and have the potential to cause irreparable harm if not properly addressed. This is why Paul warned Timothy, “Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee” (1 Timothy 4:16).A wise man will faithfully and conscientiously inspect his foundation and will be honest with himself and God when cracks are discovered.We would demonstrate great wisdom to inspect our lives for the following cracks, all indicators of a deeper spiritual need:We no longer have a vibrant and growing walk with the Lord.We have stopped guarding our hearts from temptation.We have allowed our thought lives to wander.We rationalize thoughts and behaviors that previously would have convicted our conscience.We put a priority on temporal things such as money, position, or recognition over essentials like holiness, godliness and integrity.We emphasize the public over the private.We dismiss “small” sins in order to protect our reputation.We stop seeking counsel from others and discourage others from requiring accountability of us.We begin to pridefully look to ourselves rather than focusing on Jesus.If we continue to ignore cracks in our integrity, we are positioning ourselves for an inevitable and monumental collapse, bringing great reproach—to our families, to our congregations, and to the cause of Christ. We are in grave danger of not finishing the race God has given us to complete.My oldest brother, Mark, has often challenged me with the following statement: “People remember how you start, and they remember how you finish.”Paul wrote of his daily decision to inspect his foundation and prevent cracks in his life: “But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway” (1 Corinthians 9:27).Are there cracks forming in your life—cracks that reveal deeper foundational issues? Let us take whatever steps necessary to shore up our foundation and seal up the cracks so that our lives will bring honor and glory to our Lord who saved us.How can we take steps to strengthen the foundation of our lives?By acknowledging cracks and sincerely seeking God in repentance: “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy” (Proverbs? 28:13).By determining to live according to the Word of God:? “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105).By attending church and exhorting others: “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching” (Hebrews? 10:25).By seeking God in prayer: John R. Rice said, “All of our failures are prayer failures.” “Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice” (Psalm 55:17).By reading God's Word daily and committing it to memory: “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee” (Psalm 119:11).By sharing our testimony with a lost and dying world and pointing them to Jesus Christ: “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise” (Proverbs? 11:30).By intentionally meditating on God's standards: “But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night” (Psalm 1:2).By guarding our thought life: “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2? Corinthians 10:5).By loving God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength and loving our neighbor as ourselves: We desperately need a great commitment to the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) and the Great Commandment (Matthew 22:37-38).Paul admonished us to build properly, from the ground up: “According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon” (1? Corinthians 3:10).When we lay a proper foundation and continually build on it, we can look forward to one day hearing Christ say, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”? Category Christian Living Tags Pastoral Leadership Integrity Christian Living Spiritual Growth

? Temple Baptist Church - 2-18-2024Psalm 119:57-64? Introduction:? ? A.? Tonight, the 8th? stanza of the 119th? Psalm.? The 8th? letter of the Hebrew alphabet is CHETH.? The letter CHETH is interesting as it has a two-fold meaning: it can mean either “sin” or “life.”? 1.? God gives us both the right and obligation of choice.? Calvinism teaches “Total Depravity” as “Total Inability” which is false.? I heard a Calvinist preach this week and he said that the unsaved need to make the right choice.? How contradictory and erroneous.? Shortly, I will preach on “The Landmark of the Sovereignty of God.”? ? 2.? In God's Sovereignty, He has created mankind as free moral agents: that man has the ability to choose either right or wrong.? As God's children, we must learn to trust the guidance of God.? God guides us in the way that we should walk through His Word and the Holy Ghost.? Psalms 32:8-10? I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.? (9)? Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee.? (10)? Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the LORD, mercy shall compass him about.? Our instructions and teaching are found in the Word of God.? 2 Peter 1:3-4? According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:? (4)? Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.? ? God has given us the divine power through His Word to make our choices right and to live full, godly lives in this present evil world.? a)? God guides us through His Word into Salvation.? b)? God guides us through His Word into Safety.? 3.? As we look at this 8th? stanza, we see that the Psalmist has made both good and bad choices which will set the tone for all 8 verses, 57-64.? 4.? Eve, then Adam, made choices, both bad and good, which brought about both the Fall and Faith. Later, Cain and Abel made choices, both bad and good, with the Lord giving Cain another chance to change his choice from bad to good.? “And if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door” explained Cain's reason for maintaining his bad choice and dying lost without God.? 5.? We make choices each day spiritually.? We choose to live a life of sinfulness, or we choose to live a life that is godly.? These choices are dependent upon our relationship with the Word of God.? We need to be making biblical choices!? a)? There is an old saying, “Either the bible will keep you from sin, or sin will keep you from the bible.”? This is a scriptural saying as your relationship to the Word of God is either sinful or godly.? ? b)? Sinful when we choose to ignore its path and embrace the world, or godly when we choose to embrace its path and reject the world.? B.? CHETH gives the meaning of “sin unto death or chastisement” or “obedience unto life and peace.”? The choice is OURS!? Now, let us look at these 8 verses.? 1.? Verse 57 – “Thou are my portion in life, O LORD!”? Here the Psalmist recognizes the truth of a right choice.? “My portion” means MY part.? The table is set at home and my portion is what I choose to put on my plate.? The table of God's Word is full, and The Lord is my portion!? 2.? Verse 57 – “I have said that I would keep thy words” refers to a past vow made.? The Psalmist did not say “the only choice I have is to keep thy words,” but “I have said.”? The Bible teaches that every newly saved person fully intends to live a life for Christ.? God will not save the person who asks the Lord to save them while fully intending to continue to live their life in sin.? ? 2 Corinthians 5:17? Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.? Ecclesiastes 5:1-2? Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil.? (2)? Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.? 3.? Verse 58 – A cry for mercy because of a wrong choice.? “I intreated thy favour with my whole heart: be merciful unto me according to thy word.”? Realization of bad choices teaches the believer to seek the mercies of God that are new every morning in both presence and sufficiency.? ? Psalms 23:6? Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.? 1 John 1:8-10? If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.? (9)? If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.? (10)? If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.? 4.? Verse 59 – The Psalmist thought upon his ways and turned in repentance to the right way.? “I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy testimonies.”? His repentance causes his feet to turn unto a biblical path of righteousness.? Thinking on our wicked ways will not get the job done in itself.? The requirement of a right path is making the right choice.? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Ezekiel 18:27-28? Again, when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive.? (28)? Because he considereth, and turneth away from all his transgressions that he hath committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die.? 5.? Verse 60 – The change in choice was immediate.? I think of Pharoah when Egypt was full of frogs.? He asked Moses to entreat God for their removal.? Then he made a statement that holds true to many.? Instead of asking for the frog's removal right now or today, he said that tomorrow would be fine.? The moment that we find our choices have been wrong is the time to “haste … and delayed not.”? This shows a true repentance and lessens the impending effect of and punishment for sin.? Luke 19:5-6? And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house.? (6)? And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully.? 6.? Verse 61 – The result of a bad choice.? “The bands of the wicked have robbed me.”? Bad choices not only have bad consequences, but they also rob the believer of the good consequences of good choices.? The things that the believer gets that destroy their lives are manifest but what they could have had will never be known, just surmised.? “But I have not forgotten thy law.”? You can run but you can't hide.? The Word of God that you have heard and learned will always be there.? Psalms 116:3-4? The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow.? (4)? Then called I upon the name of the LORD; O LORD, I beseech thee, deliver my soul.? 7.? Verse 62 – In the midst of the storm the Psalmist sought God.? He did not wait for the light of day or the end results of his disobedience to be manifested.? “At midnight!”? He arose from his bed and gave thanks for the love and mercy of God.? He deserved what judgment that he had coming and thanked God for the judgments that were staved off through remembering, repenting, and returning.? Acts 16:25? And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.? 8.? Verse 63 – His return to the fold.? “I am a companion of all them that fear thee, and of the that keep thy precepts.”? When the believer gets out of the will of God through wrong choices, he/she will always become a companion of the wicked.? BUT, the believer will never belong there.? The church crowd is OUR crowd.? Thank God for the love, help, and exhortation found in the presence of the saved!? Proverbs 13:20? He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.? 9.? Verse 64 – The mercy of the Lord is available to not only the believer, but also to the whole earth.? “Teach my thy statutes!”? Our personal choices should be bound in the Word of God.? Right choices are a result of a right relationship with God's Word.