Monday through Friday with People of Faith: Day 2/260: Abel

January 5, 2021 JT Leave a comment

Read Genesis 4:6-10; 1 John 3:10-12

Persecution of the Righteous

How do others react when you set your sights on doing what the Lord commands without addition, subtraction, or substitution? There will be those who support you in your efforts to live righteously, and thank God for good friends such as those! Sadly, there will be others who try to derail you and lead you away from the old paths revealed in the Scriptures.

Still others will stand against you, reject you, and persecute you. Is this not what happened to Abel? There is no record of any strife between Cain and Abel before their offering to the Lord. Cain became angry because Abel listened to God, and Cain murdered his brother simply because Abel was trying to do what was right in God’s sight.

The apostle John compared Cain to one who “does not practice righteousness,” therefore “is not of God.” He plainly wrote by inspiration that Cain “was of the wicked one and murdered his brother…(b)ecause his works were evil and his brother’s righteous.” Yes, there will be people who want to do you harm simply because you want the best for them!

The Messiah Himself declared, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:10-12).

How do we react when we are thus persecuted? Look to the example of the apostles in Acts 5:41: “So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name.” Our reaction to negative situations will speak volumes of our faith. We must withstand the hatred, embrace the mockery, and in our continued righteous living, glorify the Lord of love.

Daily Devotional

Monday through Friday with People of Faith: Day 1/260: Abel

January 4, 2021 JT Leave a comment

Read Genesis 4:1-5; Hebrews 11:4

Living By Faith

Moses records for us the account of Cain and Abel’s offerings to the Lord in the fourth chapter of Genesis. Cain is identified in the Scriptures as “a tiller of the ground,” while his younger brother Abel “was a keeper of sheep.” When the time came for an offering, they each brought a portion of their labors; Cain brought crops, while Abel brought livestock. Cain’s offering was rejected but Abel’s was accepted.

The Hebrews writer sheds some light on the reason Abel’s offering was accepted by God. “By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks” (Hebrews 11:4).

Abel’s offering was made “by faith.” What does that mean? Where does one get faith? Some will tell you that faith itself is a gift from God based on a misunderstanding of Ephesians 2:8-9. That passage does not teach that faith is a gift; rather, the gift is the salvation we receive “by grace” and “through faith.” The question remains, then, where does one get faith?

In Romans 10:17, the apostle Paul wrote, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Abel heard what God wanted, and he faithfully submitted to God’s will. God is explicit with His expectations in His Word, and only those who obey His Word are living by faith.

By contrast, Cain’s offering was rejected because it was not offered by faith. He received the same information his brother received, but decided to go his own way. As a result, God “did not respect Cain and his offering.” When we defy God’s explicit commands, we displease Him.

Are you living by faith? Or have you ignored God’s will?

This is the first in a planned series of 260 devotional articles to be published each Monday through Friday, concluding on December 31, 2021. These articles will be collected into paperback and Kindle form by the end of the year so you can purchase and share with your friends. Last year’s daily devotional series, Monday through Friday in the New Testament is now available for purchase on Amazon.

Sermon Outlines

Christ’s Kingdom: Now Established or Yet To Come?

January 3, 2021 JT Leave a comment

Christ's Kingdom Now Established or Yet To Come

Acts 1:4-8; 2:1-21

I. Prophecies concerning the kingdom

II. The establishment of the kingdom

III. Modern misunderstanding of the nature of the kingdom: premillennialism and its consequences

Sermon Outlines

God Exists

January 3, 2021 JT Leave a comment

God Exists

Hebrews 11:6

I. The Law of Cause and Effect

II. Which God?

III. God-pleasing faith

Miscellaneous

Monday Through Friday in the New Testament and Lessons in Luke…Now Available in Paperback!

December 28, 2020 JT Leave a comment

Monday through Friday in the New Testament and Lessons in Luke (Sermon Sketches) are now available in paperback and on your Kindle device.

I will be taking a break from the blog this week, but should return with new content beginning Sunday, January 3. Don’t forget to follow the feed on Facebook or Twitter, or add the RSS feed to your favorite feed reader (I use Feedly).

Sermon Outlines

New Year…New You?

December 27, 2020 JT Leave a comment

New Year New You

2 Corinthians 5:17

I. Healthy diet

II. Exercise more

III. Spend money more wisely

IV. Spend more time with friends and family

Daily Devotional

Read the New Testament in a year, one chapter a day, five days a week

December 25, 2020 JT Leave a comment

Day 260/260: Read Revelation 22

We are first told of the tree of life in Genesis 2. The tree of life was located in the garden, and Adam and Eve were permitted to eat of every tree in the garden except for the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. When they disobeyed the Almighty, God removed from them access to the tree of life.

In eternity, the redeemed will once again enjoy the benefits of the tree of life. “Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.” What a blessed promise for God’s faithful!

If you are reading from a version other than the KJV or NKJV, you may notice the phrase “do His commandments” is not present. Rather, those versions say, “was their robes.” The meaning is the same.

Ananias commanded Paul, “Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord” (Acts 22:16). It is a simple act of faithful obedience. If you have not already done this, why not start the new year off right?

Memory (Recite to a friend without looking)

Revelation 22:18-19. For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

Pray

Pray a prayer of thanksgiving for God’s grace and mercy which will allow us to eat from the tree of life in eternity.

Daily Devotional

Read the New Testament in a year, one chapter a day, five days a week

December 24, 2020 JT Leave a comment

Day 259/260: Read Revelation 21

A lot of people love lists. Grocery lists, to-do lists, top ten lists. Lists are everywhere…even in the Bible.

Galatians 5 has two lists: the works of the flesh (5:19-21) and the fruit of the Spirit (5:22-23). Paul lists a number of sins that, without repentance, will prevent one from the kingdom in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10. Peter lists a number of things we should be adding to our faith (2 Peter 1:5-7).

Here in Revelation, we are faced with a list of traits of those who “shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” Most of the things on this particular list make sense: the unbelieving, murderers, sexual immoral, idolaters. Of course, such things will prevent the impenitent from eternal life. But look at the top of the list: “the cowardly.”

Have you ever been a coward in spiritual things? Most of us can probably think of some situations that we do not use the power God grants us to overcome cowardice (2 Timothy 1:7), but we can work on that, can’t we?

Memory (Fill in the blanks)

Revelation 22:18-19. For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone ____________ to these things, God will ____________ to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes ____________ from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take ____________ his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

Pray

Pray for the strength to access the power, love, and sound mind to overcome fear in your life.

Daily Devotional

Read the New Testament in a year, one chapter a day, five days a week

December 23, 2020 JT Leave a comment

Day 258/260: Read Revelation 20

How often do you seriously consider eternity? Once this life comes to an end, your eternal existence is established. You will either be rewarded, or punished.

Of the devil, the beast, and the false prophet, John writes, “And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” Jesus calls it “outer darkness,” a place of “weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 8:12; 22:13).

Hell was not designed with people in mind, though. Jesus says it was “prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41). God does not want any of His children to go there, but He is just; those who do not repent will perish (2 Peter 3:9).

While we cannot on this earth truly imagine the severity of hell, two things are certain from Scriptures: (1) it is eternal, and (2) no one truly wants to go there. Those who flippantly say otherwise do not believe or understand the nature of the punishment that awaits.

Prayerfully consider your spiritual condition right now. Are you on your way to eternal life, or the lake of fire and brimstone?

Memory (Fill in the blanks)

Revelation 22:18-19. For I testify to ____________ who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If ____________ adds to these things, ____________ will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, ____________ shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

Pray

Pray for wisdom as you consider eternity.

Daily Devotional

Read the New Testament in a year, one chapter a day, five days a week

December 22, 2020 JT Leave a comment

Day 257/260: Read Revelation 19

Caught up in the excitement of the worship scene revealed to him, John attempted to worship the messenger in Revelation 19:10. The messenger prevented this action, as he was not divine and not worthy of worship. He told John, “Worship God!”

Do we ever get caught up in the excitement of worship today and give too much praise to uninspired men? Far too often, Christians put more faith and trust in preachers than they do in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Luke writes about the Bereans in Acts 17:11, calling them “more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.” They did not just take Paul and Silas’ word for it; they sought to verify their words with the Word.

We must be of that same noble spirit today, receiving the words preached and taught, but verifying the information for ourselves so we are not led astray.

Memory (Copy into a notebook 5-10 times)

Pray

Pray for the humility to submit to faithful preaching, and the wisdom to “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12).

But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized. (Acts 8:12)