Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
Romans 5:1 (NKJV)
Several years ago, a rag-covered creature was captured in the jungles of Guam. Underneath the tattered clothing, long hair, and skin scars was a Japanese soldier. Astonishment swept the island at the thought of a man hiding for twenty-five years after the war ended. It was difficult to persuade this soldier that the war was ended. You couldn't blame him for his unbelief, for hadn't he lived under the most miserable conditions for twenty-five long years after the war had ended on September 2, 1945? He had lived more like an animal than a human being. Why would he live under such frightful and appalling conditions if the war was over?
The truth is, the poor fellow and others like him who have been discovered from time to time didn't know the war was over. I've often wondered about this man and how he felt after returning to Japan. Do you suppose he felt sick when he thought of the horrible years of living under desperate, near-suicidal conditions, when he could have been safe comfortable at home? Do you suppose he ever became upset to think that for twenty-five years he had been ignorant of the fact that peace had been declared between Japan and America?
Isn't this the story of man today and his ignorance of God's plan for the world? Think of the multitudes who are wandering around in the jungles of sin, living under horrible conditions, not knowing that peace has been declared between God and man through the Lord Jesus Christ. They don't know the message of salvation by faith alone! They don't know that our Lord is soon to return. They have never heard or understood the special truths for these last days. Unbelief reigns supreme in the hearts of multitudes while ignorance keeps others from a knowledge of the Saviour. They don't know that because of God's gift, the war is over.
What a beautiful message we have to tell the world! A message, known as the three angels' messages, designed by God for the world in these modern times! Thank God that you know it, and share it at every opportunity.
taken from: First Things First
June 6
by: Bob Spangler
Monday, June 25, 2012
Now Joshua said to Achan, “My son, I beg you, give glory to the Lord God of Israel, and make confession to Him, and tell me now what you have done; do not hide it from me.”
Joshua 7:19 (NKJV)
The story of Achan is well known. His type of confession is familiar too. Ellen White says, "The manner of Achan's confession was similar to the confessions that some among us have made and will make. They hide their wrongs and refuse to make a voluntary confession, until God searches them out, and then they acknowledge their sins." Testimonies, vol. 3 p. 270.
The experience of Israel's defeat at Ai proves the importance of voluntary confession. "By faith the walls of Jericho fell down" (Hebrews 11:30), but when it came to the tiny town of Ai, victory was denied God's people. Joshua, Israel's leader, "rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the Lord until the eventide, he and the elders of Israel, and put dust upon their heads" (verse 6). The Lord commanded Joshua to stop his lamenting and to rise up, for "Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen" (verse 11).
Secret sins existed in the camp, and the Lord made it clear that He would not be with the people unless confession was made. The method of determining who had committed the sin gave time for Achan to come forth and make full confession. But the culprit refused to make any acknowledgment until the tribe, family, household, and finally he, the offender, was under the accusing finger of God as Israel's troubler.
Confession of sin is not to be trifled with. Achan and his family learned this lesson too late for their own salvation.
Now is the time to make full confession of sin. Now is the time to make things right with our fellow man and with God. Now is the time to break the power of Satan that has so long held us in blindness. May God help us to take a determined stand for the right because we have a clear sense of the truth and because we dare not do otherwise. Confession of sin made promptly and at the right time is acceptable to God.
taken from: First Things First
May 31
by: Bob Spangler
Joshua 7:19 (NKJV)
The story of Achan is well known. His type of confession is familiar too. Ellen White says, "The manner of Achan's confession was similar to the confessions that some among us have made and will make. They hide their wrongs and refuse to make a voluntary confession, until God searches them out, and then they acknowledge their sins." Testimonies, vol. 3 p. 270.
The experience of Israel's defeat at Ai proves the importance of voluntary confession. "By faith the walls of Jericho fell down" (Hebrews 11:30), but when it came to the tiny town of Ai, victory was denied God's people. Joshua, Israel's leader, "rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the Lord until the eventide, he and the elders of Israel, and put dust upon their heads" (verse 6). The Lord commanded Joshua to stop his lamenting and to rise up, for "Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen" (verse 11).
Secret sins existed in the camp, and the Lord made it clear that He would not be with the people unless confession was made. The method of determining who had committed the sin gave time for Achan to come forth and make full confession. But the culprit refused to make any acknowledgment until the tribe, family, household, and finally he, the offender, was under the accusing finger of God as Israel's troubler.
Confession of sin is not to be trifled with. Achan and his family learned this lesson too late for their own salvation.
Now is the time to make full confession of sin. Now is the time to make things right with our fellow man and with God. Now is the time to break the power of Satan that has so long held us in blindness. May God help us to take a determined stand for the right because we have a clear sense of the truth and because we dare not do otherwise. Confession of sin made promptly and at the right time is acceptable to God.
taken from: First Things First
May 31
by: Bob Spangler
Thursday, June 21, 2012
But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
II Timothy 3:1-4 (NKJV)
How does a person overcome a selfish spirit? Paul, writing to Timothy, put his finger on the problem of selfishness as the prevalent sin, particularly in our closing moments of history.
Paul emphasizes that "in the last days there will come times of stress." The King James Version says, "perilous times." But what makes this time so stressful and perilous? He begins his answer by unequivocally stating that "men will be lovers of self." Then he proceeds to expound on this philosophy by listing a dozen and one-half traits of selfishness. Study each trait mentioned -- "lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful," et cetera. Then ask yourself, What is the root of them all? Let's think about it. Is a covetous person selfish? What about the boaster? Why are people proud? Selfishness leads to conceit, and to loving pleasure more than God.
In short, the cause of every problem in life can be traced to selfishness. Every case of marital difficulty I have know involves a huge dose of selfishness. If a couple whose marriage is in jeopardy can solve the selfishness problem, happiness will be inevitably theirs. If a solution to the worldwide problem of selfishness could be found, our planet would become like heaven.
Amazingly, there is a wonderfully simple solution. It is the principle and power of the cross of Christ. The verse that follows our text claims that some hold "the form of religion but deny...the power of it." Those who accept this power may suffer persecution, but their lives will be rich and full.
In writing to the Corinthian church, "Paul was convinced that if they could be brought to comprehend the amazing sacrifice made by the Majesty of heaven, all selfishness would be banished from their lives." The Acts of the Apostles p.333
Take a fresh look at the cross and see what happens in your life.
taken from: First Things First
April 12
by: Bob Spangler
II Timothy 3:1-4 (NKJV)
How does a person overcome a selfish spirit? Paul, writing to Timothy, put his finger on the problem of selfishness as the prevalent sin, particularly in our closing moments of history.
Paul emphasizes that "in the last days there will come times of stress." The King James Version says, "perilous times." But what makes this time so stressful and perilous? He begins his answer by unequivocally stating that "men will be lovers of self." Then he proceeds to expound on this philosophy by listing a dozen and one-half traits of selfishness. Study each trait mentioned -- "lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful," et cetera. Then ask yourself, What is the root of them all? Let's think about it. Is a covetous person selfish? What about the boaster? Why are people proud? Selfishness leads to conceit, and to loving pleasure more than God.
In short, the cause of every problem in life can be traced to selfishness. Every case of marital difficulty I have know involves a huge dose of selfishness. If a couple whose marriage is in jeopardy can solve the selfishness problem, happiness will be inevitably theirs. If a solution to the worldwide problem of selfishness could be found, our planet would become like heaven.
Amazingly, there is a wonderfully simple solution. It is the principle and power of the cross of Christ. The verse that follows our text claims that some hold "the form of religion but deny...the power of it." Those who accept this power may suffer persecution, but their lives will be rich and full.
In writing to the Corinthian church, "Paul was convinced that if they could be brought to comprehend the amazing sacrifice made by the Majesty of heaven, all selfishness would be banished from their lives." The Acts of the Apostles p.333
Take a fresh look at the cross and see what happens in your life.
taken from: First Things First
April 12
by: Bob Spangler
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good;
Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
Psalm 34:8 (NKJV)
Picture, if you can, two boys about 12 years of age, looking longingly at a tree in the neighbor's orchard, a tree loaded with Golden Delicious apples. There's a high, barbed-wire fence between them and the tree. Will they be satisfied to stand and look? How much would it help to offer them a book on apples, complete with color pictures? It would not be hard at this point to sidetrack to a homily on temptation.
My point is, a knowledge of God can never take the p;ace of an understanding of god. An intellectual knowledge will not suffice. Only as we open our hearts to His presence and enjoy fellowship with Him can we gain a true knowledge of our heavenly Father. Intellect must be mixed with emotion and experience, or we can never truly know. We could think of a man's intellect as his sight, and the emotions as the sense of taste. The emotions are to the spiritual mind what taste is to the tongue. To go through life with a head knowledge of the doctrine of God but no heart experience of fellowship with Him is like going through life with no sense of taste.
Ellen White, writing to ministers, spoke of this balance that should be maintained in sermons. "The object of preaching is not alone to convey information, not merely to convince the intellect. The preaching of the word should appeal to the intellect, and should impart knowledge, but it should do more than this. The words of the minister should reach the hearts of the hearers." Testimonies to Ministers, p.62.
This is why our emotional nature should be carefully guarded in order to keep every emotion tender and responsive. Satan attacks us on this point, especially rough television, theater and novels. Horror in our day has become a joke and death a wisecrack. The Holy Spirit finds it difficult to make impressions upon scarred and callous souls. Our only safety is to daily "taste...and see that the Lord is good"! Find refuge in Him!
taken from: First Things First
March 6
by: Bob Spangler
Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
Psalm 34:8 (NKJV)
Picture, if you can, two boys about 12 years of age, looking longingly at a tree in the neighbor's orchard, a tree loaded with Golden Delicious apples. There's a high, barbed-wire fence between them and the tree. Will they be satisfied to stand and look? How much would it help to offer them a book on apples, complete with color pictures? It would not be hard at this point to sidetrack to a homily on temptation.
My point is, a knowledge of God can never take the p;ace of an understanding of god. An intellectual knowledge will not suffice. Only as we open our hearts to His presence and enjoy fellowship with Him can we gain a true knowledge of our heavenly Father. Intellect must be mixed with emotion and experience, or we can never truly know. We could think of a man's intellect as his sight, and the emotions as the sense of taste. The emotions are to the spiritual mind what taste is to the tongue. To go through life with a head knowledge of the doctrine of God but no heart experience of fellowship with Him is like going through life with no sense of taste.
Ellen White, writing to ministers, spoke of this balance that should be maintained in sermons. "The object of preaching is not alone to convey information, not merely to convince the intellect. The preaching of the word should appeal to the intellect, and should impart knowledge, but it should do more than this. The words of the minister should reach the hearts of the hearers." Testimonies to Ministers, p.62.
This is why our emotional nature should be carefully guarded in order to keep every emotion tender and responsive. Satan attacks us on this point, especially rough television, theater and novels. Horror in our day has become a joke and death a wisecrack. The Holy Spirit finds it difficult to make impressions upon scarred and callous souls. Our only safety is to daily "taste...and see that the Lord is good"! Find refuge in Him!
taken from: First Things First
March 6
by: Bob Spangler
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned—
Romans 5:12 (NKJV)
Our text if full of well-worn terms such as sin, world, men, and death, all of which suggest dry theology. But no man can have a heart aglow with the love of God until he senses what his nature is really like and what God has done for him. Freedom from the death penalty means nothing to a person until he understands that he is under the death penalty and can't save himself. This is why Paul, an earnest evangelist, repeatedly tried to help men see their awful condition and their utter helplessness to do anything about it. Then he would draw back the curtain and show his hearers the way out through Jesus Christ.
The "one man" Paul refers to is Adam. It is because of Adam's sin that we are born depraved and subject to sin's penalty -- death. I have nothing in me whereby I can say to the Lord, "I have my faults, but there is something in my favor that You should take into account when saving me." It sounds strange, but far too many are, in effect, telling this to God. When a man compares his guilty, dead-in-sin nature with the righteousness of God, he discerns that he has no righteousness of his own. It is in this sense that man is totally depraved. Truly our righteousness is as filthy rags.
If in us there is any good thing that recommends us to God or deserves credit in payment for sin, then salvation is built on another foundation than that of grace alone. It becomes an impotent mixture of man's work and God's work.
On the horizontal plane -- the plane of man's relationship with his fellow man -- there is a certain kindness and goodness. Many a godless individual has exhibited greater kindness at times than that seen among Christians. But all the goodness, all the kindness, all the generous deeds a person performs, cannot be accounted as righteousness. There is no way through sin, no way around it, no way above it or below it, except the one true way -- Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Christ by Himself, without our help, has rescued man from his frightful plight through the gift of His own life. Let Him be praised and thanked forever!
taken from: First Things First
February 28
by: Bob Spangler
Romans 5:12 (NKJV)
Our text if full of well-worn terms such as sin, world, men, and death, all of which suggest dry theology. But no man can have a heart aglow with the love of God until he senses what his nature is really like and what God has done for him. Freedom from the death penalty means nothing to a person until he understands that he is under the death penalty and can't save himself. This is why Paul, an earnest evangelist, repeatedly tried to help men see their awful condition and their utter helplessness to do anything about it. Then he would draw back the curtain and show his hearers the way out through Jesus Christ.
The "one man" Paul refers to is Adam. It is because of Adam's sin that we are born depraved and subject to sin's penalty -- death. I have nothing in me whereby I can say to the Lord, "I have my faults, but there is something in my favor that You should take into account when saving me." It sounds strange, but far too many are, in effect, telling this to God. When a man compares his guilty, dead-in-sin nature with the righteousness of God, he discerns that he has no righteousness of his own. It is in this sense that man is totally depraved. Truly our righteousness is as filthy rags.
If in us there is any good thing that recommends us to God or deserves credit in payment for sin, then salvation is built on another foundation than that of grace alone. It becomes an impotent mixture of man's work and God's work.
On the horizontal plane -- the plane of man's relationship with his fellow man -- there is a certain kindness and goodness. Many a godless individual has exhibited greater kindness at times than that seen among Christians. But all the goodness, all the kindness, all the generous deeds a person performs, cannot be accounted as righteousness. There is no way through sin, no way around it, no way above it or below it, except the one true way -- Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Christ by Himself, without our help, has rescued man from his frightful plight through the gift of His own life. Let Him be praised and thanked forever!
taken from: First Things First
February 28
by: Bob Spangler
Saturday, June 9, 2012
So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.
Genesis 3:24 (NKJV)
In order to understand what man lost when he sinned, we must understand what he had to lose. He had God but lost Him. God is Heaven and Heaven is God. You have no Heaven without God. Too often we interpret Adam's loss in terms of material things, such as a garden home. The most glorious mansion set in the loveliest environment can have within it fabulously rich people who live in an atmosphere of hell because God is not in their hearts. God's main dwelling is not in a home, but in a person. Before God drove man out of the Garden, man drove God out of his life and heart by sinning. The first sin was nothing less than actual mutiny against God. It was either God or sin, and Adam and Eve chose the latter. It's just as simple as that.
The loss of anything in this world can never be compared with the loss of God. For this reason Paul equated all of his material losses with dung.
The most terrible thing that could ever come upon a man would be the curse of immortality along with everything the world could offer except a relationship with God.
With bowed heads and broken spirits the weeping Adam and Eve left the Garden. But their tears symbolized feelings far deeper than the mere loss of a bit of earthly property. The long walk out of the Garden was a separation from the One who gave meaning to their lives. The only real hope they had was the promise that someday a Redeemer would come. But until then, by faith they could have a partial relationship with the Lord, even as do we who are waiting for His return.
It would be well to remember that it is not correct to talk about the "way back to God." Rather, God stands ready to come back into out lives the moment we open the door. There is no flaming sword between us and God unless we put it there!
The only way to stop god's entrance into our lives is to shut the door. Let's fling it wide open today and always.
taken from: First Things First
February 19
by: Bob Spangler
Genesis 3:24 (NKJV)
In order to understand what man lost when he sinned, we must understand what he had to lose. He had God but lost Him. God is Heaven and Heaven is God. You have no Heaven without God. Too often we interpret Adam's loss in terms of material things, such as a garden home. The most glorious mansion set in the loveliest environment can have within it fabulously rich people who live in an atmosphere of hell because God is not in their hearts. God's main dwelling is not in a home, but in a person. Before God drove man out of the Garden, man drove God out of his life and heart by sinning. The first sin was nothing less than actual mutiny against God. It was either God or sin, and Adam and Eve chose the latter. It's just as simple as that.
The loss of anything in this world can never be compared with the loss of God. For this reason Paul equated all of his material losses with dung.
The most terrible thing that could ever come upon a man would be the curse of immortality along with everything the world could offer except a relationship with God.
With bowed heads and broken spirits the weeping Adam and Eve left the Garden. But their tears symbolized feelings far deeper than the mere loss of a bit of earthly property. The long walk out of the Garden was a separation from the One who gave meaning to their lives. The only real hope they had was the promise that someday a Redeemer would come. But until then, by faith they could have a partial relationship with the Lord, even as do we who are waiting for His return.
It would be well to remember that it is not correct to talk about the "way back to God." Rather, God stands ready to come back into out lives the moment we open the door. There is no flaming sword between us and God unless we put it there!
The only way to stop god's entrance into our lives is to shut the door. Let's fling it wide open today and always.
taken from: First Things First
February 19
by: Bob Spangler
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