Web Chapel

Author: MrSteveSlusser

  • That Day

    Thought for the Morning

    Isaiah 17:7  In that day a man will look to his Maker, And his eyes will have respect for the Holy One of Israel.

    The phrase “in that day” is often used of a time when God will intervene and remove the yoke of oppression from His chosen people (Is 30.26) But there are also times when “In that day” means a time of judgment for his people (Zech 1-14-15)  The writings of the Prophets include many times the words “in that Day”. The phrase “in that day” is used over 200  times in all of the Scripture

    But there is also “that day” when He will come to come for His Church and following that to set up His Kingdom and rule for a 1000 years as we read of the Revelation (Rev 20.4-5). In the verse before us, I believe Isaiah is referring to the time the Lord will return to reign in the Millennium (the end times).

    There is a great hope that the Lord is coming to establish His kingdom.  The hope of His coming  is very dear to all believers -He is coming again! But first He is coming to take His “called out ones” home to be with Him.

    Paul writes of that day to the Thessalonians Some false teachers had said the day of the Lord had already come (2Thes 2.2) and the Thessalonians were concerned about the saints who had died (1 Thes 4.13) ) – What about them?

    God reveals to Paul “when He comes,in that day” (1Thes 1.10). And then he writes “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven…” (Thes 4.16-17) Those who have died and those who live will be caught up to be with Him. Paul then writes,”(1 Thess 4. 8) Therefore comfort one another with these words. The Lord  did not come to these persecuted  saints in Thessonilica during their lifetime and He has not “caught up, or raptured His Church yet.

    Where there is turmoil, where there is distress, where there is persecution there is also hope: looking for His coming.  We, in this country have not  experienced what the  early church was going through and what saints are experiencing in other parts of the world today.  Do we think much about His coming again but “in that Day” He will come.  We don’t seem to have  much teaching about “that day” in the church today.

    1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17  Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 18  Therefore comfort one another with these words.”

    Looking for His coming.  Just a thought for the morning

    Carl

  • Vows

    VOWS, OATHS, AND PROMISES

    If a man vow a vow unto the LORD, or swear an oath to bind his soul with a bond; he shall not break his word, he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth.
    Numbers 30:2 (KJV)

    This is an outline and link to the audio file from a message preached at North 56th Street Gospel Chapel (Tampa, Florida) on 1-4-2015

    http://mrsteve.me/2015Vows [28 minute mp3 / 5MB]

    Introduction:  The Law concerning vows.

    A. Biblical

     Numbers 30:1-2
    Deuteronomy 23:21-23
    Matthew 5:33-37

    B. Rabbinical Law (extra-Biblical)

     Three Times
    Vows (things/others)
    Oaths (personal)

    I. Examples of Vows
    A. Wedding

     Intent (I will), Vow (I do), Ring (I wed)

     B. Peter’s oath.

    Found in all four gospels
    Matthew 26:34
    Mark 14:30
    John 13:38
    Luke 22:34 (see 31-34, 54-62)

    II. Foolish Vows
    A. Jacob  Genesis 31:30-32

        Rachel steals dad’s idols 31:19
    Rachel dies on the journey 35:19

     B. Jephthah Judges 11:1, 30-40

    Daughter is “sacrificed” to God

     C. Saul  1 Samuel 14:24-32

        37: God does not answer
    39: To curse added death
    43ff: Saul fails
    1 Samuel 31:2 Jonathan dies

    III. Permanent Vows
    Vows, Oaths, and Promises cannot be “unsaid”

    A. Jacobs irreversible blessing (Genesis 27)

    B. Even God is bound by promise

      Numbers 23:19-20

     C. Promise to Jacob (Genesis 28:15)

      Promise to Israel (Deuteronomy 31:6,8)
    Promise to Joshua (Joshua 1:5)
    Promise to Solomon (1 Chronicles 2:20)

     D. The promise is passed forward to believers.

      John 6:37-40, 47
    John 10:28-29
    Hebrews 13:5

    αὐτος γαρ εἴρηκεν· For He Himself said (perfect,active,indicative)
    οὐ μή σε ἀνῶ Double Negative + To loose “I will never let you go”
    οὐδ᾿ οὐ μή Triple Negative +
    σε ἐγκαταλίπω· “I will never leave you behind” (in a bad sense)

    Conclusion:
    May your only vow be that of the man who brought his son to the Lord to be healed in Mark 9:24

    “Lord I believe, help thou my unbelief”

  • The Test Of Our Faith

    2 Chronicles 32:31 “… God withdrew from him (Hezekiah), in order to test him that He might know all that was in his heart.”

    Will the Lord withdraw from us as a believer in Christ? The Lord told us “I will never leave you or forsake you” (Heb 13.5). As Christians, we have the indwelling Spirit so He is always with us. However, does the Lord test us, to know what is in our heart, as he did Hezekiah?

    Was the Lord testing Peter when He asked him three times “Do you love Me”     (John   21.15-17)? Was Peter tested when the Lord urged him come and walk on “on the water” and he faltered on cried out “Lord save me” (Matt 13.28-31) Peters faith was being tested! “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” were the Lords words to Peter. Our faith is tested every day!

    Psalm 139:23   Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties;

    Psalm 73:28 But it is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, That I may declare all Your works.

    James 4:8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you….

    Our faith is strengthened when we draw near to Him, when we trust in His word, when in our heart we know that the Blood shed at Calvary was shed for us. Thomas when he saw the wounds said “my Lord and my God “ (20.24-29) Our faith can be tested but our hope is secure! Just a thought for the morning.

    Carl

    This is a guest blog by my dear friend Carl.

  • More Valuable Than Olympic Gold

    Knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.  1 Peter 1:18-19

    While gold is the highest prize and greatest honor that the games can offer, it is not the most valuable currency in the universe.  It has been a pleasure to see many Olympic athletes openly express their faith in Christ in Rio.  These dear brothers and sisters in Christ understand the temporal (temporary) value of Gold in contrast to the eternal (forever) value of the precious blood of Christ.

    KNOWING  THAT GOLD HAS NO ETERNAL VALUE – Peter is writing to believers to challenge them to live a life that reflects the holiness of God.  It is knowing that the currency of our redemption was not what the world values, but a currency that God values.  The concept of gold being perishable was likely as strange to the earliest Christians as it seems to us today.  Brokers of precious metals tell us that gold is recession proof – if you have enough of it.  But if you had all of the gold in the world, what could you NOT buy?

    Gold cannot buy life (Job 2:4)

    Gold cannot buy wisdom (Job 28:15 and Proverbs 16:16)

    Gold cannot buy peace (Isaiah 13:17)

    Gold’s value cannot be compared to the Word of God (Psalm 119:127)

    And though I could not find Scripture to support it, I believe the Beatles were correct that money cannot buy love.  To that the poets have added, a baby’s smile, a sunrise, and a dozen or so other common pleasures.

    KNOWING WHAT GOD VALUES ABOVE GOLD – Peter stirs us to action and to motivate us to set our priorities beyond the temporal and reach for the eternal.  The debt of our sin was beyond the price of gold or silver  It was the blood of God’s only begotten Son that paid our debt.  The just for the unjust.  The innocent for the guilty.  The righteous for the unrighteous.  He became sin for us (the one who never knew sin) that we could become the righteousness of God (II Corinthians 5:21).   All of this value, and God offers it to us freely!  That is the most amazing thing of all.

    BECAUSE IF KNOW – Peter’s point is that our debt to God is so great that we could never repay Him, so we should thing live for Him.  We are to become mirrors, reflecting the brightness of His holiness into a dark world.

    As the old hymn so succinctly says,

              With eternity’s values in view, Lord.
              With eternity’s values in view;
              May I do each day’s work for Jesus
            With eternity’s values in view.

    With Eternity’s Values In View
    Words and Music by Alfred B. Smith
    © 1941, renewal 1969 by Singspiration/ASCAP.

  • Summer Camp Chapels 2020

    We recorded most of the sessions for Training Camp and over half of the sessions for Youth Camp.