Pastor Cosand: November 2018
GOD'S OWN KINGDOM
meditation on Daniel 2
Daniel chapter 2 is an amazing chapter, written 600 years before Christ. This passage reveals, in some detail, the three empires which would follow the vast Babylonian Empire. This historical overview of human history is a repeated theme in the book of Daniel as this book holds up for us the glorious sovereign rule over the affairs of men and over the very movement of the history of mankind. King Nebuchadnezzar had a disturbing dream. It was disturbing because he did not know what it meant.
In his dream he saw a giant statue of a man. The head of the statue was gold, the chest and arms were silver, the belly and thighs were bronze, the lower legs were iron, and the feet were a mixture of iron and clay. A mysterious stone, cut without hands, appeared and crushed the statue on its feet and the rest of the statue became like chaff from the threshing floor, which the wind carried away. Not a trace of the statue was found, but the stone became a great mountain and filled the earth.
Joe Teisan: November 2018
Romans 10:1-21: Have you made the Big Decision? “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved” (10:9).
1-5: Paul prays with all his heart for the salvation of Israel. The Jews have a zeal for God, but without knowledge. God’s Way, is to come to Him by faith in Christ (Jn. 14:6). Jews and many others insist on coming on their own terms, their own way, with works, “keeping the Law”, and trusting in human traditions. “They being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves to the righteousness of God” (3). Moses demands of habitual sinners, the impossible, keep the Law and you shall live (Lev. 18:5). “Whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all” (James 2:10). I keep the Law in Christ who kept it for me as my Substitute. He fulfilled all the Law’s requirements and gives me the righteousness that Law can never give.
6-13: The goal of law is to bring guilty sinners to Christ so we can believe in Him, be set free from the penalty of sin and declared holy (Gal. 3:24, 3:10-13). Jesus is near, here and now. Just open your mouth and say from the heart, “Christ, I trust in You as my Personal Savior!” The lips of my soul are saying, “Jesus is my Lord, Savior and God! A key passage for leading people to Christ is Rom. 10:9-13. “With the heart man believes . . . and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation . . . Whoever believes in Him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek . . . For every one who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Odds & Ends: November 2018
“Vegetables are a must on a diet. I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread and pumpkin pie.”
—Jim Davis
Christ is not only a remedy for your weariness and trouble, but he will give you an abundance of the contrary, joy and delight. They who come to Christ do not only come to a resting place after they have been wandering in a wilderness, but they come to a banqueting house where they may rest, and where they may feast. They may cease from their former troubles and toils, and they may enter upon a course of delights and spiritual joys.
—Jonathan Edwards
Thank you, veterans!
On Veterans Day, we honor men and women who’ve served and sacrificed in one of America’s armed services.
On November 11, 1918, America and her allies signed a truce with German leaders, ending World War I. In 1919, President Wilson decided the United States should remember with gratitude the end of that war and honor military members by marking Armistice Day, or “truce” day. In 1954, Congress changed the name to Veterans Day, honoring veterans of every era.
Veterans Day highlights our country’s quest for peace, justice and freedom throughout the world. Followers of Jesus, the Prince of Peace, pray for unity among all nations and for the day when “nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore” (Isaiah 2:4, NIV).