Come and Worship with us at 8256 Promise Land Road Mountain Home, Arkansas 72653 Our
Worship Schedule is
Sunday Bible Study - 9:45am
Sunday Worship - 11:00am
Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting
- 6:00pm Wednesday Night Bible Study - 7:00pm
Today's Memory Verse
"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD
your God is with you wherever you go."
JOSHUA 1:9
DR.
LEIGHTON FORD
"Didn't Jesus pray to the Father to prevent the crucifixion?"
Matthew 26:39, Mark 14:36,
and Luke 22:42 are parallel passages that take place in the Garden of Gethsemane just before Jesus' arrest. In all these passages
Jesus never asks for the crucifixion to be prevented, but does express His fears of the difficulties, pain, and suffering
that He will encounter over the next few hours. He will be enduring His trials, beatings, whippings, loneliness, alienation
from people and from God on the cross, the ordeal of crucifixion itself, and the upcoming triumph over Satan. He does, however,
more importantly ask for God's will to be carried out over the next few hours knowing that this is the means by which He will
die and rise again, and by doing so atone for all the sins of the world.
In John 12:27, which takes place before the
circumstances described above, Jesus is speaking to a crowd during the Passover Festival at the Temple in Jerusalem (before
the gathering of the Twelve with Jesus at the Upper Room). On this occasion, Jesus again says something very similar to the
passages above: "Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father save me from this hour'? No it was for
this very reason that I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!"
Again we are reminded that Jesus is feeling
troubled. He knows that events are fast unfolding around Him. Is it really conceivable that this Man wants to prevent the
crucifixion from taking place? I think not! As He stated, this is the very reason that He came to earth-to give His life as
a ransom for many.
Cameron, K., & Comfort, R. (2004). The school of biblical evangelism: 101 lessons: How
to share your faith simply, effectively, biblically-the way Jesus did (265-266). Gainesville, FL: Bridge-Logos Publishers.
Point to Ponder
Recently two
boys who were fishing tried to cross a swift stream. As they did so, a log knocked them both into deeper water. One made it
to the riverbank but the other got into difficulty. A man saw him, dived in, and after a long while fighting the current,
got the exhausted boy to the edge of the riverbank. With both of his arms lifting the lad, he tossed him onto the bank. A
woman grabbed the boy, and then watched as the man sunk down into the water. She thought he was swimming to the shore. He
came up once more, then drowned. Tragically, he gave his all in saving the boy, and had nothing left to save himself.
Imagine
relating that story to someone without giving the details preceding it: "A man drowned in a river today." The truth
is that the danger the boy was in, due to the swiftness of the current, led the man to give his all, showing what love he
had for the boy.
Day by Day by Grace Abel's Acceptable Worship
Sacrifice, by Faith 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) The Lord desires that people become true spiritual worshipers of Him.
"The hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father
in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to
worship Him" (John 4:23). This can only become a reality through faith in the Lord. One helpful example of this is Abel's acceptable worship
sacrifice, by faith. Cain and Abel were two sons of Adam and
Eve. The time came when they both offered sacrifices unto the Lord. "And in the process of time it came to pass that
Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the LORD. Abel also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their
fat" (Genesis 4:3-4a). The sacrifice of Cain was rejected by God, whereas Abel's sacrifice
was accepted. "And the LORD respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his
offering" (Genesis 4:4b-5a). Our primary verse tells us why Abel's gift of worship was acceptable to the Lord. "By faith Abel
offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain." Abel's sacrifice was given by faith. It came
from a heart that believed in the Lord and trusted in His righteous ways. "The sacrifice of the
wicked is an abomination to the LORD...but He loves him who follows righteousness"
(Proverbs 15:8-9). When the Lord accepted Abel's offering, He was declaring that Abel was righteous in His sight: "through which
he obtained witness that he was righteous." Elsewhere, the word confirms that
Cain was an unbeliever; whereas, Abel walked in righteousness. "Cain...was of the wicked
one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother's
righteous" (1 John 3:12). When we offer worship sacrifices to the Lord, He is looking at our
hearts. Are we trusting in Him? Are we yielding to the righteous paths that His word has set forth? Whether we are offering
praise, giving thanks, doing good deeds, or sharing our resources with others, we are to do it all by faith
in the Lord Jesus Christ. "Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice
of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. But do not
forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well
pleased...you...are being built up a spiritual house...to offer up spiritual sacrifices
acceptable to God through Jesus Christ" (Hebrews 13:15-16 and 1 Peter 2:5). Dear heavenly Father, I want to be a true spiritual worshiper of You.
I repent of any sacrifices that I have offered from self-interest or self-righteousness. I want to offer my worship to You
through faith in Jesus Christ, my Lord, Amen.
Famous Last Words: Anna M. Shurman, who passed
away in 1678, was a German artist and scholar whose works were of high repute. She was likewise a humble believer and as she
died bore this testimony:
"I have proceeded
one step farther toward eternity, and if the Lord shall be pleased to increase my pains, it will be no cause of sorrow to
me."
Here at Promise Land Bible Church We don't change the message, the message changes us.
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Here at Promise Land Bible Church, we are
honored that you are visiting our web site at www.plbcmh.com It is our hope at Promise Land
Bible Church that you will be encouraged by the preaching and teaching of God's Word presented here. For it is our desire
to teach the whole council of God, so that the body can be edified and above all that God may be glorified. For it is our passion and desire to share the Gospel message with everyone who will hear, in obedience
to God's word.
Welcome to our site here at www.plbcmh.com The fellowship of believers who call Promise Land Bible Church home would like to welcome you to
our website. We believe that salvation is by grace alone, thru faith alone, in Christ alone, and that the Holy Scripture is
our sole source of authority for what we do and how we live, and that everything we do, should be done for the glory of God.
This is commonly called the 5 Solas of the Reformed Faith. So here is our invitation
to you; If you are looking for a church that affirms the sole authority of the Holy
Scriptures for all of faith and practice, the pre-eminence of the preaching of the Word of God, the glorious truths of salvation
called the Doctrines of Grace, the necessity and responsibility of evangelism and a serious approach to the joyful worship
of God, then we warmly invite you to come and visit us. Join us as we look to the truth of scripture
and Worship the Lord. At www.plbcmh.com we do our best to present the truth of the gospel.
This verse supplies us with an instance of Divine logic!
(Arthur Pink, "The Great Giver!" 1926)
"He who spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all--how
shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?" Romans 8:32
This
verse supplies us with an instance of Divine logic! It contains a conclusion drawn from a premise. The premise
is that God delivered up Christ for all His people--therefore everything else that is needed by them is sure to be given.
Here we are told why the Father made such a costly sacrifice: He spared not
Christ--that He might spare us! It was not lack of love to the Savior--but wondrous, matchless, fathomless love for
us! O marvel at the astonishing design of the Most High! "God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten
Son!" Truly, such love surpasses knowledge!
Moreover, He made this costly sacrifice
not grudgingly or reluctantly, but freely out of love. He "delivered Him up" . . . to shame and spitting, to hatred
and persecution, to cruel suffering and crucifixion.
And He delivered Him up for us:
descendants of rebellious Adam, depraved and defiled, corrupt and sinful, vile and worthless! For us who had gone into
the "far country" of alienation from Him, and there spent all in riotous living. Yes, "for us" who had
gone astray like sheep, each one turning to "his own way". For us "who were by nature the children of wrath,
even as others"--in whom there dwelt no good thing. For us who had . . . rebelled against our Creator, hated His holiness,
despised His Word, broken His commandments, and resisted His Spirit! For us who richly deserved to be cast into the everlasting
burnings, and receive those wages which our sins so fully earned.
Yes, He delivered His
blessed Son up for you fellow Christian who . . . are sometimes tempted to interpret your afflictions, as
tokens of God's harshness, regard your poverty, as a mark of His neglect, and your seasons of darkness,
as evidences of His desertion. O, confess to Him now the wickedness of such dishonoring doubtings, and never again question
the love of Him Who spared not His own Son!
Ponder well the glorious "conclusion"
which the Spirit of God here draws from the wondrous fact stated in the first part of our text, "He who spared not His
own Son, but delivered Him up for us all--how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?" How conclusive and
how comforting is the inspired reasoning of the Apostle. Arguing from the greater to the less--he proceeds to assure the believer
of God's readiness also freely to bestow all needed blessings. The gift of His own Son, so ungrudgingly and unreservedly bestowed--is
the pledge of every other needed mercy!
Here is the unfailing guaranty of perpetual sustenance
to the drooping heart of the tried believer. If God has done the greater--will He leave the less undone? Infinite love can
never change. The love that spared not Christ--cannot fail its objects, nor begrudge any needed blessings.
Word of the Day
October 22 Watch grēgoreuō The word watch often translates grēgoreuō (G1127),
which is derived from egeirō (G1453; "to arise, arouse") and literally means "to watch, to refrain
from sleep." It eventually changed in meaning from that literal sense to the metaphorical and religious sense of attention,
watchfulness, and vigilance. We find this word several times in the NT,
and each one is significant. In His Olivet Discourse, for example, our Lord speaks of His Second Coming: "Watch therefore:
for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come" (Mat_24:42; cf. Mat_25:13). Since we do not know when He
will return, we are to be watching carefully and remaining attentive to the things of God. In Mat_26:36-41, we then witness a shameful scene. Here we find Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, where he
asks His disciples to sit with Him and support Him as He goes off to pray. But when He returns, he finds them asleep and asks,
"Could ye not watch with me one hour?" (Mat_26:40). He then further challenges them, "Watch and pray,
that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak" (Mat_26:41). In both instances
"watch" is grēgoreuō. Yes, we all have physical infirmities, but we must live above them. It's
imperative that we be ever vigilant and stand with the Lord. In one of
the most important passages in the NT on the duty of pastors in the church, Paul first outlined those responsibilities to
the Ephesian elders at Miletus and then declared, "Therefore watch" (Act_20:17-31). How imperative it is
today that pastors watch everything so as to protect the sheep! Grēgoreuō
also appears in 1Co_16:13: "Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong." To be
a Christian means to be attentive to spiritual things, to stand for Christ at all times, never giving an inch concerning the
Christian faith; we are to stay strong and never quit. Still another occurrence
of this word is 1Pe_5:8: "Be sober, be vigilant [grēgoreuō]; because your adversary the devil,
as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." We must constantly be watching our Christian walk so as
not to fall into one of Satan's snares (see October 1). Scriptures
for Study: Read the following verses, noting the use of grēgoreuō: Col_4:2; 1Th_5:6,
1Th_5:10.
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here at www.plbcmh.com
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