november 1 bartimaeus

 Bartimaeus   Mark 10:50 And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus. You and I probably have an abundance of clothes.  I am thankful for resale shops.  And the free clothes closet at the First Baptist Church of Goodrich.  Back in the first century few people had an abundance of clothes.  In this passage Bartimaeus was a blind man who had heard of the healing Jesus did.  He believed Jesus was the Jewish Messiah and pleaded from the roadside for mercy as Jesus passed by.  The crowd thought him a nuisance and told him to be quiet.  In desperation to not miss his opportunity he continued to cry out to Jesus begging for mercy.  Jesus heard him and stopped.  Instead of going to the blind man Jesus called him to come over.  Bartimaeus cast away his garment, rose and came to Jesus.  We see his faith in Jesus.  In that day you carefully guarded your garments.  Leaving it behind meant his encounter with Jesus was more important than his garment.  After all if he did not receive his sight he would have to ask others for his garment or he would have to struggle in the darkness to find it.  He left behind that which would slow him down coming to Jesus.  As a result of his faith he received his sight and followed Jesus in the way.  In order for us to be saved we must come to Jesus.  He is calling.  And waiting.  Do you want to be healed of your spiritual blindness?  Will you come to His light?  If so you must drop everything that would hinder your journey and come quickly to the Master.  You risk losing everything.  You stand to gain everything.  By faith we must turn from comfort with distress to stepping out in faith to receive eternal life.  In order to come to Him we must turn our back on our possessions, our security, our family, our friends, our success, our failures, our education or lack of education.  Knowing Jesus personally must become more important than anything else in our life.  We must blindly turn our back on all that the world offers and seek the face of God with all our heart.  Deuteronomy 4:29 But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.  As a drowning man struggles with all he has to get his head above water...so must we humble ourselves and bow at the foot of the cross and beg Jesus for mercy.  There is no other way.  Will you give up all to gain even more?  For eternity?  He is waiting for you to come to Him.  Will you? And then follow Him.  Do others see Jesus in you?  www.heretheword.com 

 Curse God and die.  We remember Job as a Godly man whom God allowed Satan to attack without mercy.  Satan could not kill Job but he could devastate him.  His ten children died at a birthday party when a whirlwind destroyed their house.  All of Job’s business interests were taken away from him in one day.  He was covered with boils from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet.  He took broken clay pieces to scrape his sores. Yet he insisted that he was not being punished by God.  And in reality God was not punishing him.  Now I would like to turn our attention to his wife, Mrs. Job.  She too has lost all of her children.  She has gone from riches to rags.  Her husband is suffering deep anguish and physical pain which compounds her grief and sorrow.   Job 2:9 Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die. Apparently, she had told him to confess his sins and get right with God to stop the punishment.  But he still retained his integrity. Now why did Mrs. Job tell her husband to curse God and die?  The Bible does not give us the answer so let’s think about why she might have said that.  1. Perhaps she thought her husband was wrong.  If he was being punished by God and lying about it perhaps if he cursed God God would just go ahead and kill him.  Showing everyone who heard the story that we are all sinners and if we resist God’s punishment and curse Him He may kill us.  I told you so.  Perhaps that was her reason.  But I want to look deeper.  With the exception of being covered with boils she was in as much shock, depression, grief and anxiety as Job was.  How terrible Mrs. Job must have felt.  And her husband still maintained his innocence.  How Absurd! 2. Perhaps Mrs. Job had so much compassion for her husband she would rather him be dead than suffer so much.  True love hurts when loved ones hurt.  We can love to the degree that we want our loved one who is in unbearable pain and hopelessness to find rest.  Even if it means their passing. Perhaps Mrs. Jobs’ love for her husband was so strong she was willing to say, “I’ll see you on the other side” so that his misery would end. The fact of the matter is Job refused to curse God and even though his friends tried to make him confess he deserved judgment God still worked things together for good.  Job ended up with twice as many material blessings plus another ten children.  And Mrs. Job.  She probably had a great admiration for her priestly husband.. Job the head of the family.  And the pleasure and pain of having ten more children.  Trust the Lord in the bad times and Him in the good times. 

 Go ahead, make my day.  An Old Testament prophet named Elisha frequently passed by a Jewish house. Eventually the Godly wife invited him in to eat. Her kindness was repeated and soon he ate there often.  She then asked her husband to build a special room for him on the wall.  Which he did.  One day while Elisha was laying on his bed in his chamber he told his servant to ask this wife what he could do for her because of all her kindness. Her answer was she was content with the way things were.  But his servant told Elisha that he knew she was disappointed because they had no children and her husband was old.  Elisha requested her to come to the door of his chamber and told her:” 2 Kings 4:16 About this season, according to the time of life, thou shalt embrace a son. And she said, Nay, my lord, thou man of God, do not lie unto thine handmaid.”  But he was not lying.  She and her husband had a son.  How awesome is our God!  Now let’s reflect on a few points. 1. This woman saw a need and met it with a meal. Her kindness continued and this prophet gained a resting place.  If you ask the Lord I suspect He will show you how you can be kind to others and help meet their needs. 2. She expected nothing in return other than the satisfaction of helping him in his ministry. When asked what he could do for her she stated she was content. Are you content?  Life is not perfect for any of us.  What is your overall level of satisfaction?  Unknowing to her she was earning a prophets reward.  “Matthew 10:41  He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward “  You will find kindness to others will brighten your day.  Do not give expecting to receive.  Give for the joy of giving. God promises to bless you generosity. “Luke 6:38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.” Actually giving is more rewarding than receiving. “Acts 20:35  I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive”.  Jesus also said: “Matthew 10:8 freely ye have received, freely give.  Luke 11:41 give alms of such things as ye have.”  The gift of your time is perhaps the greatest gift you can give to others.  Even your family. Especially your family. Be caring.  Be unselfish. Go ahead, make someone else’s day.  And you may find you also have just made your own day. Blessings to you. 

 He enjoyed talking about himself.  I was in a dorm with about 25 other men.  I only knew one of these men. As we unpacked this complete stranger told us about his life, his accomplishments, his military service, his travels, his education and in general just how wonderful he is.  I must admit his had an impassive resume, but I wondered why he needed to brag on himself.  I think he was a complete stranger to all of us. We were there to take advanced training on ministering to others who were suffering from a disaster.  Perhaps he wanted us to know how privileged we were to be in his presence.  On the other hand perhaps, this was his way of breaking the ice so the rest of us could share and bond.  However, none of us did. He came across as bragging.  Most of us avoid boasters. What is your purpose in life?  As Christians our desire should be to help others draw close to the Lord.  If we must brag let us brag about Jesus.  We all probably have things we could brag about.  Accomplishments.  Goals set and seen through to the end.  Especially things we have done at our Lord’s leadership.  However, our tongue often turns people away because of what we say.  “Proverbs 12:23 A prudent man concealeth knowledge: but the heart of fools proclaimeth foolishness.” Conceal knowledge.  Don’t try to impress others.  If they seek wisdom and you have the answer patiently and quietly wait your turn to join in the conversation. Someone has said, “It is better to keep your mouth shut and let people think you are a fool rather than speak and remove all doubt.”  “James 3:5 Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!” The word “boasteth” in the Greek means to talk big, be grandiloquent (arrogant, egotistic).  Try to avoid drawing attention to yourself.  And remember the Bible tells us to esteem others better than ourselves.  “Philippians 2:3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.” Others can consume your time bragging about themselves.  You can brag back. You can actually get into an argument about who has done more and who is the best but if there is to be any praise let others praise you. “Proverbs 27:2  Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips”. And may I add when others praise you don’t let it give you a big head.  You know in your heart how wretched you really are. May we give our praise to praising our Lord. “Psalm 28:7 The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.” 

 Mary and the Roman Official.  Recently a visitor at our free Tuesday lunch told several of us that Mary became pregnant by a high official in the Roman government.  Joseph decided to marry her rather than have her stoned and he pretended to the father of Jesus.  Others in on the conversation asked him about the Old Testament prophesy:  “Isaiah 7:14  Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” This man chooses to not believe the Bible.  He is convinced his story is correct.  I told him that he has the right to believe or not believe the Bible.  However we chose to believe the Bible.  Now my question: How do we know we are right and he is wrong?  Neither side can prove the question.  We must accept by faith whichever answer we choose.  Why do I believe the Bible?  I could easily answer by experience.  I have tasted and seen that it is good.  “Psalm 34:8  O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.” But we must be careful to not just base our beliefs on experience.  Experience which goes along with the Word of God increases our belief...but experience alone can deceive us.  If we believe the Bible we must begin by accepting it by faith.  After our initial life changing experience with the Lord the Bible becomes very real.  As faith grows we not only believe Jonah was swallowed by a monster of the deep but we realize that our God could cause Jonah to swallow a whale if that was His will.  I don't remember the first time I sat in a metal folding chair. I saw others sitting on those chairs and decided that if it held them...it would hold me.  Now I don't even think twice about pulling up a chair and sitting on it. Now as a Christian for so many decades I am surprised at the unbelief in the Bible some people have.  This makes me appreciate my simple child like faith.  This makes me appreciate the opportunity we have to provide a free lunch along with the opportunity of showing to the lost, and to the children of God, the love of Jesus. We try to let the Holy Spirit flow through us to teach others what the Bible teaches. Do I want unbelievers to attend this church?  You better believe I do.  I pray that we can love them to Jesus. By the way...have you had a life changing experience with Jesus yet?  Don't wait till you die.  It will be too late then. 

  My Deacon likes me to scratch behind his ears.  He even wakes me up in the middle of the night to scratch him.  Sometimes I don’t want to wake up but so far I have always complied.  He is a good friend.  He brings me lots of joy.  Of course he doesn’t appreciate it when I give him a bath.  And you should have seen him when I baptized him.  He wasn’t happy at all.  Somewhere we have pictures of that day.  For some reason most cats don’t like water.  I still have scars on my arms from when I baptized him in the lake.  By the way I am not kidding!  (Well the scars are gone.)   I think every Baptist preacher needs a Deacon who can’t talk back.  Over 54 years ago when my wife and I got married we got a cat from the SPCA and named him Deacon.  When he went to his rewards we got another one.  Over the years I have buried many a Deacon.  The one I have as I write this is Deacon the 16th.  (Not kidding.)  I am heck on Deacons.  Now let me tell you why I tell you about my Deacon.  We have people today who have itching ears. 2 Timothy 4:3  For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; People with itching ears want the preacher to entertain them.  Motivate them.  Tell them pleasant things.  These preachers are very popular and many become very rich.  However some day they will be evaluated by our Lord as to how faithful they were to Him.  All Christians will have this evaluation.  It’s called the Bema Seat Judgment. 2 Corinthians 5:10  For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. Someday our lives will be played back.  For Christians it is the Bema Seat and for non-christians it will be the Great White Throne Judgment. Revelation 20:11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; The time has come when many people will not endure sound doctrine.  Preach on love and do unto others but do not preach about a literal hell.  Do not preach about getting washed in the blood of the Lamb.  Don’t tell me judgment day is coming.  I don’t want to hear that good works have no influence on God.  Noah and the ark?  Fairy tale.  Jonah and the whale?  Entertaining but not true.  Sodom and Gomorrah destroyed?  Nope.  Jesus is coming again?  Don’t make me laugh.  Jesus is dead and gone. They do not endure sound doctrine. Pray for your pastor that he will preach the Word even if it is unpopular. More devotions are found at www.heretheword.com.

 My opinion doesn't count.  For about fifty years I thought that the apostles were wrong in casting lots to determine who would take Judas' place. Acts 1:26  And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles. I reasoned that since Matthias is not mentioned again by name in the New Testament that this lottery was not necessary.  In addition Paul stated that he was an apostle as born out of due time.  1 Corinthians 15:8 And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. Paul was the replacement Apostle.   I concluded that the apostles were reasoning their own opinion before they were baptized with the Holy Ghost on the day of Pentecost.  Outside of the guidance of the Holy Spirit I thought they had made a mistake. But recently I realized that they were obeying Old Testament Scripture. Acts 1:20 For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein: and his bishoprick let another take.  This is a quote from Psalm 109:8 Let his days be few; and let another take his office. The Lord knew Judas Iscariot would betray Him even before He came to earth for His earthly ministry. Jesus treated Judas just like the other eleven disciples because they asked Mark 14:19 And they began to be sorrowful, and to say unto him one by one, Is it I? and another said, Is it I? The disciples had no idea Judas would be a traitor.  How would you treat a person who you knew was going to betray you?  How do you treat others who let you down? Different from others?  Probably.  One more point.  My opinion doesn't count when the Bible contradicts it.  I knew the Old Testament said another man would take his place...but I didn't understand what I knew.  I wonder how much more of the Bible I, and we, think we understand but really don't.  Be careful and prayerful about coming to conclusions.  You may be wrong. 

 New Wine.   Luke 5:39  No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith, The old is better.  Jesus has been talking about how His ministry is for those sick of living in sin. Those who are well see no need for a physician.  Jesus was criticized for hanging out with sinners like me.  And you.  He has just explained that new wine must be put in new wineskins otherwise as the grape juice ferments it will burst an old dried out leather bottle.  A new leather bottle, (the neck skin of a goat or a lamb) will stretch as the grape juice ferments.  What Jesus teaches is contrary to that which seems logical.  Logic tells us if we are good enough we get God's attention and approval.  Give to the poor.  Obey the 10 commandments.  Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.  Surely if we live perfectly God will be pleased and accept us.  But none of us always obey God's law.  Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;  Since we are all sinners God has ought against all of us.  Jesus brings new wine.  We obtain this new wine by several steps.  We agree with God that we have missed the mark of living a perfect life.  We learn and believe that Jesus lived a perfect life and as such was worthy to pay the penalty for our sins by being executed on a cross.  Our sins nailed Him to that cross.  We believe that He arose from the dead.  We believe that He wants us to repent and ask Him to forgive us.  We humbly bow before Him and ask Him to be merciful and forgive us.  That is when contact is made.  A downing man exerts all his effort to break the surface and breathe.  The lost man must seek God with all his heart and break the surface begging God to forgive Him.  If you seek God will all of your heart you can find Him.  And you will find eternal life.  But most people are comfortable in a life of sin and do not desire the new wine.  They think, "The old is better."   I am not as bad as that preacher.  Or deacon.  Or whoever.  Until you see yourself as lost and needing a saviour you cannot repent and ask Jesus to save you.  You may think the old natural life is better...but a day of reckoning is coming.  Only Jesus can forgive you.  Only you can decide to do away with the old and bring in the new by repenting and let Jesus save you. Will you trust Him now and enjoy the new wine?