CONDEMNATION OF SINFUL LIVING

“Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood; their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction are in their paths" (Isa. 59:7 NKJV).

Our verse today condemns the sinner and sin. It speaks of the celerity to sin, the contemplation of sin, and the consequences of sin.

Celerity (haste) to sin – “Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood.” Oftentimes, folks are more dedicated in doing evil than in doing good. And speed is never lacking in doing evil. Evil plans and programs get put into action quickly. However, when it comes to doing good, to obeying the Lord, we drag our feet and procrastinate as much as we can. It has been said that “Error circles the globe while truth is putting on its boots.” It is time for God’s people to get as dedicated in doing right as evil people are dedicated in doing evil.

Contemplation of sin – “Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity.” It is true - sinful thoughts lead to sinful deeds. Those who practice evil are those who have first pondered evil. When a person suddenly falls into great sin, it will be because of the evil thoughts that have been rotting his or her character for some time. The inspiring of evil thoughts is everywhere today. Keeping company with evil people will generate evil thoughts, too. If we do not stop our “thoughts of iniquity” we will be doing iniquity.

Consequences of sin – “Wasting and destruction are in their paths.” The consequences of sin are not what they are advertised to be. The path of sin leads to great loss. Sin promises prosperity and blessing, but it is a false promise. Instead, sin brings “wasting and destruction.” Ruin and desolation and eternal damnation are the true products of sin.

(Adapted from Butler Daily Bible Reading)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“If we walk close enough to God, there will be no room for sin to come between us!”

Anonymous

Word Study

Dispossessing

In Acts 7:45 we read, “And having received it in their turn, our fathers brought it in with Joshua upon dispossessing the nations whom God drove out before our fathers, until the time of David” (NASB).

Dispossessing is the Greek word kataschesis (κατάσχεσις = kat-as'-khes-is). It means possession or occupancy. In classical Greek kataschesis primarily denote something which is held, a holding. In actual practice, the basic definition is holding back, restraining.

In the Septuagint the primary meaning of kataschesis is a possession, a holding fast. In the New Testament, kataschesis is used only twice and only by Stephen in the Book of Acts. In Acts 7:5, Stephen reviews how God promised to give the land as a “possession” and in Acts 7:45, Stephen told how the Israelites brought the tabernacle with them “into the possession” or “in taking possession” of the nations in Canaan.

Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus

Old Testament Prophecy – Messiah, God’s Servant would startle nations by His message (Isa. 52:15)

New Testament Fulfillment – Luke 18:31-34; Matt. 26:67-68

Did You Know…

In the Bible, it states that Jesus’ works bear witness of Himself (John 5:36; 10:25).

Bible Quiz

Who refused to fight against the Canaanites unless a woman went with him?

**Answer to last week’s trivia: God placed the rainbow in the sky after the flood to signify what promise? To never again destroy the earth with water (Gen. 9:11).

Names of the Lord Jesus Found in the Bible

“Beloved”

“To the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved!” (Eph. 1:6 NKJV).

1. Meaning – The Lord Jesus is at the center of God’s love.

2. Insights – The Lord Jesus is the Beloved son of the Father, and as such, the desire of all people who love God. All who love God will be drawn to the Lord Jesus.

3. Related Titles – Desire of All Nations (Hag. 2:7); Associate of God - Man who is next to me / close to me / my fellow (Zech. 13:7)..

Did You Know – Christian History

Adoniram Judson was born August 9, 1788, in Malden, Massachusetts. He was an American linguist and Baptist missionary who was the first significant missionary in Burma, as well as one of the first missionaries from America to travel overseas. He served in Burma for almost forty years.

At Andover Theological Seminary, Massachusetts, Judson acquired a zeal for evangelism. In 1810 six seminary students, with a petition drafted by Judson, succeeded in getting the General Association of Massachusetts (Congregational) to establish the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions.

In 1812, Judson and his wife Ann, along with four other missionaries set sail for India. Anticipating a meeting with Baptists at Serampur, India, they made a study of Baptism while they were aboard ship and were won over to the Baptist point of view. They were baptized by immersion and left the U.S. board to join a new board formed in 1814; thus began what is now called the American Baptist Foreign Mission Society. When the British East India Company opposed them in India, the Judsons relocated to Rangoon in 1813; there Judson mastered the Burmese language and literature and learned Pali, the Buddhist canonical language.

According to the Judsons, Rangoon was “a miserable dirty town.” The houses were thatched. There was virtually no sewage. Filth flowed into the creeks and was carried off at high tide. The pair soon discovered that Christian converts would be slow in coming. Christianity was not favored by the king, and so brutal were the overlords that the common people dared not embrace the new faith. It was five years before the Judsons baptized their first convert.

However, adapting local customs to evangelism, Judson opened his first public preaching place in 1819. He soon founded a Myanmar church, established schools, and trained preachers. From his pioneering efforts there eventually arose a Baptist Christian community composed of Burman, Karen, and other peoples amounting to about 500,000. During the First Burmese War with Britain (1824–26), Judson was imprisoned by Myanmar forces and suffered extreme torture. His wife’s heroism during the period became a legend. She died soon after he was freed from prison. Judson continued to combine translation and literary work with evangelism, and in 1834 he completed the task of translating the Bible into Burmese. His Dictionary, which was first issued in 1826, came out in revised editions in 1849 (English-Burmese) and in 1852 (Burmese-English).

Thirty years after he and Ann first left the United States, Judson returned to his native country for a short visit. Back in Burma he soon died. He left behind 7,000 converts. Today the Burmese church has grown to over two million Christians. July 13, 1813, was indeed a fateful day for the Judsons and the Burmese.

A Little Humor

Customer: “I hear my son has owed you for a suit for three years.”

Tailor: “Yes sir. Have you called to settle the account?”

Customer: “No, I would like one for myself on the same terms.”

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“No small sin is small because all sin opposes God!”