Month: June 2022

265: Towards a Biblical Reaction to America Today

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Disciple Up #265
Towards a Biblical Reaction to America Today
By Louie Marsh, 6-29-2022

What Actually Happened:

What Should Our Response Be:

  • How much of a difference will this make?

What Should our attitude & response be?

 We should Lament all this.

“1How lonely sits the city that was full of people! How like a widow has she become, she who was great among the nations! She who was a princess among the provinces has become a slave. 2She weeps bitterly in the night, with tears on her cheeks; among all her lovers she has none to comfort her; all her friends have dealt treacherously with her; they have become her enemies. 3Judah has gone into exile because of affliction and hard servitude; she dwells now among the nations, but finds no resting place; her pursuers have all overtaken her in the midst of her distress. 4The roads to Zion mourn, for none come to the festival; all her gates are desolate; her priests groan; her virgins have been afflicted, and she herself suffers bitterly. 5Her foes have become the head; her enemies prosper, because the Lord has afflicted her for the multitude of her transgressions; her children have gone away, captives before the foe. 6From the daughter of Zion all her majesty has departed. Her princes have become like deer that find no pasture; they fled without strength before the pursuer. 7Jerusalem remembers in the days of her affliction and wandering all the precious things that were hers from days of old. When her people fell into the hand of the foe, and there was none to help her, her foes gloated over her; they mocked at her downfall.” (Lamentations 1:1–7, ESV)

 

“16He has made my teeth grind on gravel, and made me cower in ashes; 17my soul is bereft of peace; I have forgotten what happiness is; 18so I say, “My endurance has perished; so has my hope from the Lord.” 19Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall! 20My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me. 21But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: 22The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; 23they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 24“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” 25The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. 26It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.” (Lamentations 3:16–26, ESV)

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264 When Faith & Reality Collide Pt 5: The Fight of Faith

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When Faith & Reality Collide
Part 5: The Fight of Faith
By Louie Marsh, 6-22-2022

 7  I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 2 Timothy 4:7 (ESV)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJhwc2d7y-E

1) Sometimes acting in faith seems CRAZY.

30  By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days. Hebrews 11: 30 (ESV)

  • Fighting the good fight always comes down to WHO IS IN CONTROL.

13 When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing before him with his drawn sword in his hand. And Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us, or for our adversaries?” 14  And he said, “No; but I am the commander of the army of the LORD. Now I have come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped and said to him, “What does my lord say to his servant?” 15  And the commander of the LORD’s army said to Joshua, “Take off your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so. Joshua 5:13-15 (ESV)

 

2) Faith is what counts, not all my BAD REPUTATION.

 

 31  By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies. Hebrews 11: 31 (ESV)

  • You know you really believe that God is real when you STAKE YOUR LIFE ON IT.

9  and said to the men, “I know that the LORD has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you. 10  For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction. 11  And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for the LORD your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath. 12  Now then, please swear to me by the LORD that, as I have dealt kindly with you, you also will deal kindly with my father’s house, and give me a sure sign 13  that you will save alive my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death.” 14  And the men said to her, “Our life for yours even to death! If you do not tell this business of ours, then when the LORD gives us the land we will deal kindly and faithfully with you.” Joshua 2:9-14 (ESV)

 

3) Gender, race, age or tribe doesn’t matter to God – FAITH DOES.

 

32  And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets— Hebrews 11:30-32 (ESV)

  • God does great things with people whose faith isn’t VERY MATURE.

4  Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time. 5  She used to sit under the palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the people of Israel came up to her for judgment. 6  She sent and summoned Barak the son of Abinoam from Kedesh-naphtali and said to him, “Has not the LORD, the God of Israel, commanded you, ‘Go, gather your men at Mount Tabor, taking 10,000 from the people of Naphtali and the people of Zebulun. 7  And I will draw out Sisera, the general of Jabin’s army, to meet you by the river Kishon with his chariots and his troops, and I will give him into your hand’?” 8  Barak said to her, “If you will go with me, I will go, but if you will not go with me, I will not go.” 9  And she said, “I will surely go with you. Nevertheless, the road on which you are going will not lead to your glory, for the LORD will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman.” Then Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kedesh. Judges 4:4-9 (ESV)

  • Having faith in God doesn’t mean I don’t need PEOPLE HELPING ME.

9  Do your best to come to me soon. 10  For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. 11  Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry. 2 Timothy 4:9-11 (ESV)

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Episode 263-When Faith & Reality Collide Part 4: Stand by Faith

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Disciple Up #263
Contact – When Faith & Reality Collide
Part 4: Stand by Faith
By Louie Marsh, 6-15-2022

When I live by faith I…

1) STAND for the truth regardless of the consequences.

23  By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict. Hebrews 11:23 (ESV)

15  Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah, 16  “When you serve as midwife to the Hebrew women and see them on the birthstool, if it is a son, you shall kill him, but if it is a daughter, she shall live.” Exodus 1:15-16 (ESV)

2) REJECT the temporary and focus on the eternal.

24  By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25  choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. Hebrews 11:24-25 (ESV)

  • Disgrace for the sake of Christ is BETTER than the praise of the world.

26  He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward. Hebrews 11:26 (ESV)

3) REJOICE that Jesus forgives my sin.

28  By faith he kept the Passover and sprinkled the blood, so that the Destroyer of the firstborn might not touch them. Hebrews 11:28 (ESV)

26  Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” 27  And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, 28  for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. Matthew 26:26-28 (ESV)

4) FOLLOW God through any and all obstacles.

27  By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible… 29  By faith the people crossed the Red Sea as on dry land, but the Egyptians, when they attempted to do the same, were drowned. Hebrews 11:27, 29 (ESV)

17  For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” Romans 1:17 (ESV)

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When Faith & Reality Collide Pt 3: Looking For An Eternal City

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Contact! When Faith Collides with Reality
Pt. 3, Looking For An Eternal City
By Louie Marsh, 11-19-2017

1) Faith always moves me into the UNKNOWN.

8  By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9  By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. 10  For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. Hebrews 11:8-10 (ESV)

  • Faith always deals with the

11  By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised. 12  Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore. Hebrews 11:11-12 (ESV)

2) Faith always demands that I SACRIFICE.

17  By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, 18  of whom it was said, “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” 19  He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back. Hebrews 11:17-19 (ESV)

24  But the king replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen and paid fifty shekels of silver for them. 25  David built an altar to the LORD there and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then the LORD answered prayer in behalf of the land, and the plague on Israel was stopped. 2 Samuel 24:24-25 (NIV)

  • Faith demands I sacrifice my HEARTS DESIRE.

20  By faith Isaac invoked future blessings on Jacob and Esau. 21  By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, bowing in worship over the head of his staff. 22  By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave directions concerning his bones. Hebrews 11:20-22 (ESV)

1  After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 2  He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” Genesis 22:1-2 (ESV)

3) Faith always focuses on what’s BEYOND THIS WORLD.

13  These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. 14  For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. 15  If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. Hebrews 11:13-15 (ESV)

  • Faith leads me to focus on BETTER THINGS.

16  But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city. Hebrews 11:16 (ESV)

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Episode 261-Contact When Faith & Reality Collide Pt 2

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Disciple Up #261
Contact, When Faith & Reality Collide
Part Two: The Nature of Faith
By Louie Marsh, 6-1-2022

The American philosopher Henry David Thoreau is famous for the remark “If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer.” That is a good description of the men and women listed here. They hear another drumbeat which others do not, and this accounts for the way they often act contrary to normal expectations. The first three examples, Abel, Enoch and Noah, show us the nature of faith. The rest show how faith behaves in real life.

1) Faith in Christ makes what I do PLEASING TO HIM.

4  By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts…Hebrews 11:4a (ESV)

The word “acceptable” is pleiona, which means “greater” or “more important” as suggested by its use in

23  For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Luke 12:23 (ESV)

The reason suggested is that it came from a heart made righteous by faith!

 9  …For we say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. Romans 4:9b (ESV)

“Sacrifice is acceptable to God not for its material content, but in so far as it is the outward expression of a devoted and obedient heart” FF Bruce

Cain’s offering was rejected because a heart of pride and self-sufficiency lay behind it. This explanation fits well with the context of Hebrews where the writer repeatedly warns against possessing “an evil heart of unbelief.”

2) Faith continues to speak long after I am GONE.

And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks. Hebrews 11:4b (ESV)

10  And the LORD said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground. Genesis 4:10 (ESV)

24  and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. Hebrews 12:24 (ESV)

It is often suggested that the blood of Abel cries out for the final vindication promised to all the saints (2 Thessalonians 1:6-7), but the blood of Jesus speaks of proffered forgiveness.

“6since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, 7and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels” (2 Thessalonians 1:6–7, ESV)

3) Faith makes me PLEASING TO GOD.

5  By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. 6  And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. Hebrews 11:5-6 (ESV)

  • Enoch didn’t follow God for 65 YEARS.

21  When Enoch had lived 65 years, he fathered Methuselah. 22  Enoch walked with God after he fathered Methuselah 300 years and had other sons and daughters. Genesis 5:21-22 (ESV)

  • He CHOSE TO FOLLOW GOD after his first son was born.

5  The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. Genesis 6:5 (ESV)

  • I cannot find or please God apart from having faith in His SELF-REVELATION.

4) Faith MOTIVATES ME.

7  By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household…Hebrews 11:7a (ESV)

17  So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. James 2:17 (ESV)

  • Faithful acts make the world’s corruption PLAIN.

By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. Hebrews 11:7b (ESV)

19  And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. John 3:19 (ESV)

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