Do you have genuine saving faith? Do you have confidence that if you should die tonight, you would spend eternity with God? Jesus and the Apostles warned us that there are those who may come to church, listen to the Word preached, and even make some moral changes in their lives, but who do not have saving faith and have not had the kind of internal heart change that we call conversion. They have not been born again by the Spirit of God.
Also, as David’s story continues to unfold in 2 Samuel, we see the foolishness of thinking we can sin in secret and that our sins won’t affect anyone but us. David had set in motion laws of sowing and reaping and the sad results were happening before his eyes in the lives of his own children. This should drive us to our knees to pray for God’s wisdom in our own parenting.
Today’s Readings:
2 Samuel 13 & 14
Psalm 66.1-7
Proverbs 16.25-26
John 6.52-71
Will Your Faith Hold Up for Eternity? Is It Saving Faith?
John 6.52-71:
Faithless Demands
As I mentioned yesterday, Jesus has just fed 5,000 men plus women and children. Instead of recognizing that this was a sign pointing to who He was, some wanted more proof.
John MacArthur says they implied that “Jesus’ miraculous feeding was a small miracle compared to what Moses did. For them to believe in Him, they would need to see Him feed the nation of Israel on the same scale God did when He sent manna and fed the entire nation of Israel during their wilderness wanderings for 40 years (Ex. 16:11–36). They were demanding that Jesus outdo Moses if they were to believe in Him.”
I Am the Bread of Life
Instead of giving in to their faithless demands, Jesus redirected them to the spiritual significance:
35 And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. 36 But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe. 37 All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. 39 This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. 40 And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”
They had seen Him, had seen His miracles, had heard His teaching yet they lacked saving faith. Speaking of verse 40, John MacArthur goes on in his Daily Bible:
This verse emphasizes human responsibility in salvation. Although God is sovereign, He works through faith, so that a man must believe in Jesus as the Messiah and Son of God who alone offers the only way of salvation (14:6). However, even faith is a gift of God (Rom. 12:3; Eph. 2:8, 9). Intellectually harmonizing the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man is impossible humanly, but perfectly resolved in the infinite mind of God.
They Are Not of Us
Even today there are people who go to church and hear the Word preached. They may have some intellectual knowledge of God. They may clean up their lives and hang out with Christians, but saving faith leading to true conversion has not come alive. And when testing, trials, and persecution come, they will turn away from God. But those who are His will persevere to the end (1 Jn. 2.17; Eph. 1.13-14; Rom. 8.28-39).
The Apostle John said:
17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever (1 Jn. 2.17)
But about those who were not true believers:
19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us (1 Jn. 2.19).
If you’re not sure about your own relationship with God, read through the book of John prayerfully and carefully, asking God to reveal Himself to you. You might, also, want to read this post, “Could You Be a Christian in Name Only?” God wants you to be sure.
Today’s Other Readings:
2 Samuel 13 & 14:
Sad Consequences
God had told David in 2 Samuel 2.11, “‘Behold, I will raise up adversity against you from your own house …” I talked more extensively about this yesterday. David’s sins were adultery and murder. Now his son Ammon has raped his half-sister and her brother, Absalom, has murdered Ammon and fled out of fear.
38 So Absalom had fled and gone to Geshur, and was there three years. 39 The heart of King David longed to go out to Absalom; for he was comforted concerning Amnon, since he was dead (2 Sam. 13.38-39).
But even though David longed to see his son, he refused to go to him. And only when one of his men interceded did he allow Absalom to return to Jerusalem. Even then, he refused to see him for two more years.
I have to wonder what was going through David’s mind. He must have reflected on the consequences of his sin and its effect on his family. Perhaps the idea of seeing Absalom was too much to bear.
I do want to note that while our parenting has an influence on our children, nothing we do can make them sin. They are still morally responsible for their choices. Neither does God punish them for our mistakes (Ezek. 18.1-20).
We Never Sin in Isolation
We think we can sin in secret and our sins don’t affect anyone but us, but we never sin in isolation. First, we set in motion laws of sowing and reaping, and second, we are discipling our children and others through our lives and behavior. Our children, in particular, are much more likely to do what we “do” than what we “say.”
While none of us will parent or walk any part of the Christian life perfectly, this should encourage us to pray for His wisdom and to ask God to give us the desire to do what pleases Him.
Sadly, Absalom’s story doesn’t have a happy ending. While his father eventually forgave him, anger and bitterness had settled into the son’s heart, as we’ll see in tomorrow’s reading.
Psalm 66.1-7:
Shouting, Singing, and Saying
The modes and means of worship are as varied as the personalities, emotions, and circumstances of the worshipers. Here the psalmist instructs us to “shout to the Lord,” to “sing out,” and to “say to God.” All are biblical forms of worship when offered from the heart. In other places, we are instructed to “clap,” “bow down,” and “make a joyful noise.” God is pleased by our exuberant, as well as, our quiet worship.
Proverbs 16.25-26:
The Way Which Seems Right
There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death (v. 25).
Proverbs 14.12 says the same thing. When God says something in Scripture we need to take it seriously, but when God repeats something, it means pay careful attention. He wants to be sure we get it.
We can easily be self-deluded by what seems right to us. So we must be careful to examine our decisions and attitudes in light of Scripture. We must also make ourselves accountable to other godly believers who will help hold us accountable and allow them to let us know when they think we are getting off track in any way.
Faithful are the wounds of a friend, deceitful are the kisses of an enemy! (Prov. 27.6).
Coming Up:
In the coming days, we’ll talk about true friendship, the various reactions to the claims of Christ, God’s love for unborn babies and their parents, how God uses the sins of others for our good, and the rewards of serving God in our homes. We’ll also discuss the question: Are you living in the power of the Holy Spirit?
I hope you’ll sign up so you don’t miss any of them. You might also like to check out our YouTube channel.
If you would like to receive a FREE downloadable and printable Bible study through the book of Mark, you can click here for more information.
Blessings as you grow in Christ,
Donna ♥
You might also want to check out this short series:
How Psychology Affects the Spread of the Gospel – Part 1
How Psychology Affects the Spread of the Gospel – Part 2
How Psychology Affects the Spread of the Gospel – Part 3
Note about this post:
I began blogging through the Bible in 2012 and have done so every year since then. These posts are the product of many edits and additions throughout those years. Some days I make major changes, other days fewer.
A while ago, I read Jen Wilkin’s book None Like Him about the attributes of God. One is His incomprehensibility. In it, she says, “God is incomprehensible. This does not mean that he is unknowable, but that he is unable to be fully known.”
I have found that to be true each year as I’ve gone back through the Bible. Sometimes I find myself feeling as if a passage just appeared there for the first time. I’m reminded that no matter how many times we read through the Bible, we have only scratched the surface. I hope you feel the same.
Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?” (Job 26.14)
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