Pastor Bart Spencer

Pro 20:7  The just man walketh in his integrity: his children are blessed after him.

In times like these we are given a great opportunity to display the character of Christ. I could actually say this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We cannot let it pass without putting the Lord’s stamp on it. Solomon is commonly held to be the wisest man aside from the Lord Jesus Christ. In training his son he wrote to him of the essential quality of integrity. Integrity means that one is honest, trustworthy, and a promise keeper. How you conduct yourself today will blaze a trail for those following behind you. What do you want those you influence to think about you and your relationship with God? Is God untrustworthy? Does God keep His word? Is God honest? Again, the word integrity carries the idea one can be trusted to speak honestly and carry out the promises he makes. We are confronted each day during this pandemic with ‘truths’ that suddenly become ‘untruths’ with the wave of a hand or the turn of phrase. Politicians and virologists lose our confidence because they do not tell us the truth or give us the information behind their guidance. They always leave themselves wiggle room so that they cannot be held accountable for their teaching and guidance. Today ensure you walk in integrity.  Those around you need to be able to have confidence that you will not lie to them and that you will keep your promises made to them. Those around you are watching and learning from your actions so beware. Your good name can be destroyed in an instant.

Mat 15:1  Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying,

Something grabbed my attention about today’s verse. It tells us the Pharisees were from Jerusalem. That, in and of itself, is not surprising for you would expect the Pharisees to be located in the religious capital of their faith. However, a few verses previous I read…

Mat 14:34  And when they were gone over, they came into the land of Gennesaret.

The Pharisees traveled nearly 80 miles on foot or horseback to confront Jesus. Once arriving there they attacked Him verbally and tried to discredit Him religiously. Jesus did not temper His message because of their presence. Nor did He dull His message because of their social and religious influence. In fact the disciples were so concerned at Christ’s direct approach that they came to Jesus and told Him this… 

Mat 15:12  Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying?

I see here a great sadness. The Pharisees had traveled and great distance and came face to face with who they truly were, now how would they respond? These religious zealots traveled nearly 160 miles round trip only to choose to be offended instead of convicted. Today the same choice is yours. When God’s Word exposes the real you how will you respond? The Pharisees could have been convicted and changed but rather they chose to be offended. They had left home nearly one week earlier only to return in the same spiritual condition they were in when they left home. How far will you travel in life to be changed? How will you respond when God’s Word exposes you? Today, let God’s Word both convict and change you.

Mal 3:6  For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.

Consider the authority of God. God reminds Israel of His unchanging nature. They are reminded of His unchanging provision for their needs. Whether it were bread from heaven, water from a rock, or deliverance from bondage. Whatever they had need of would be provided because God made a covenant with Abraham 2,000 years ago and based the covenant, not on Israel’s conduct, but on God’s own faithfulness. He had made Abraham fall asleep, then God Himself walked through the parted sacrifice so that He ALONE was the foundation of the covenant. As a result of this ongoing faithfulness of God Israel became callous and lukewarm in their respect and obedience to God’s Sovereign place in their daily life. God then shockingly reminds them of His holiness and power. He, in essence, tells them, “I change not, take heart in that truth ye Sons of Jacob. However, if I did change, if I ever would change, you would be the first subject of My vengeance!” How soul-shaking is that truth. God does not take our casual and carnal living lightly. He sent His Son to die for us then empowered us with His Holy Spirit. He made a covenant with us as he did with Israel. It is an unconditional covenant wherein He promised to never leave us nor forsake us. But, because of our carnal and casual life, if He ever decided to change we might very well be the first object of His wrath. God is a good God, a loving God, a provisional, forgiving, and longsuffering God. Serve Him today in the manner His nature demands!

Zec 10:11  And he shall pass through the sea with affliction, and shall smite the waves in the sea, and all the deeps of the river shall dry up: and the pride of Assyria shall be brought down, and the sceptre of Egypt shall depart away.

Adam and Eve’s great mistake was independence. God created mankind and mankind is to be dependent upon God for our sustenance. You see, God is not only our Saviour but He is our Sustainer. Man has tried, under the leadership of satan, the establish a faith that gives the appearance of salvation but removing the need to rely upon God for forgiveness. We are bent on self-reliance. God knows that man only learns something when he has to. Therefore God brings affliction into our lives. But this affliction is not intended to be purely punitive but has that ultimate purpose of being restorative. God wants to bring us back to a position of relying on Him for our daily bread and our eternal bond. Notice in our text that God says “pass through the sea of affliction” – our fallen nature causes us to pursue self-reliance. God therefore brings affliction upon us to expose our limitations and vulnerability. But then He brings us through the afflication so that we turn back to him in realization that we would never survive relying on ourselves! Today, let the Lord remind you of your inabilities, vulnerabilities, and limitations; then take a moment and thank Him for His love and long-suffering with creatures such as us.

Zec 4:10  For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro through the whole earth.

We see the essential maintenance of daily life that will allow us to see the great things that are coming ahead for us. Had there been a “taking for granted” of the small things (all the preparation for the Temple that Zerubbabel would erect) there would never have been the great things after a time. Every great structure began with a simple thought. Then there was the simple beginnings of gathering the tools, creating the plans, preparing the land, creating relationships with others that would be needed to bring the dream to completion. God has a plan for you. You do not see the end goal but He does. The little things He brings into your life today is purposed to prepare you for the greater things down the road. Let us be alert to, and thankful for, the little things in our daily life that God is using to build us into the vessel He has designed us to become. Do not let the little things today go by without you noticing.

Jonah 1:5-6  Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it of them. But Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep. So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not.

In the Law Enforcement world line-ups are used to identify who was responsible for some sort of trouble. They bring in several people that look like the suspect. Consider the ‘line-up’ of gods in this text. In this text Jonah was not the least bit interested in taking the saving knowledge of Jehovah to his enemies in Nineveh. He knew that God was gracious and would end up delivering them from His judgment should they repent, and he simply could not live with that. The thought of him carrying that reputation back to Israel was simply too much. He tried to flee, and placed some heathen mariners in danger of their lives. When they realized the circumstances were beyond their control they called for a ‘Line Up of Gods’ (5) and then demanded Jonah get involved and bring his God to the line up. Notice how Jonah describes Jehovah when backed into a corner and required to give testimony to those that faced death with forgiveness. In v9 twice he tells them that his God does not belong in a line up by describing God as “the LORD” and “the God.” There simply is no God like our God. He is peerless and therefore is never a candidate for a line up. Today, live for the One and Only King of Kings and Lord of Lords for there is none like Him!

Hos 12:9  And I that am the LORD thy God from the land of Egypt will yet make thee to dwell in tabernacles, as in the days of the solemn feast.

It has been said, “I would not take a million dollars for that experience and what I learned from it but I would not take a million dollars to go back through it again!” The events in our life are allowed by God to bring us closer to Him and to be fashioned more into the image of His dear Son, Jesus Christ. In this scripture we find Ephraim being judged by God. They had been very blessed financially but used that blessing to build altars to false gods and idols to carry around with them like many do with a ‘lucky rabbit’s foot’ today. As a consequence for their actions toward God’s blessings God promises them something. He promises the memorials evidenced in the Feast of Tabernacles will once again become a reality. They are going to go back through the burdens of oppressions through which they had previously passed. Now, is that something that sounds palatable to you? Think of the worst times of your life when there seemed to be no hope. God graciously delivered you and you were so very thankful. Time however has passed and the humility and gratitude has been replaced with expectation and pride. Realize there’s nothing that prohibits God from taking you back through that experience. Today, determine to humble yourself under the mighty hand of God so that you do not have to walk that valley again!

Hos 8:3  Israel hath cast off the thing that is good: the enemy shall pursue him.

In the age in which we find ourselves no one wants to live with confrontation or restriction. The old landmarks are challenged and discarded before it is discovered as to why the former generation set those posts. In this text we find a solemn warning to Israel and those that would come later, such as you and I. Israel had been chosen by God – we call this grace. Why was it grace? Because there was nothing in Israel that merited God’s favor (Deut 7:7). Israel found a ‘safe place’ in the love and grace of God but time and again they became discontent with their lot in life. As a result the judgment of God becomes an all-too-frequent visitor to their life. Mind your “Safe Space” today and be humbled that God would allow you access to His will and His protection. Remember, God doeth all things well including providing you a “SAFE SPACE.”

Dan 9:18  O my God, incline thine ear, and hear; open thine eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by thy name: for we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies.

In this text Daniel is pleading and confessing on behalf of his people Israel. They had neglected their responsibilities toward grace and are suffering captivity because of it. As Daniel seeks to minister to them and intercede for them he states his position clearly before God. He is coming to God with his petitions and those of the nation Israel, not based on their favored status as God’s chosen people nor because of their perceived righteousness but solely because of God’s mercy. It is essential that we remember our place in the relationship we have with our Prayer-Answering God. The Psalmist reminds us that “…it is he that hath made us and not we are ourselves, we are his people and the sheep of his pasture.” A humble spirit is the very pavement that makes smooth our journey to answered prayer. Today, let it be ever before you that you are unworthy of the least of God’s blessings nevertheless you enjoy them continually. Not because of who you are but because, having placed your faith in Christ, you are the child of an ever merciful and thereby gracious Heavenly Father. Walk with Him today because you will need Him every moment. To God be the glory!

Acts 2:42-47

In this text we are introduced to the dynamic and exploding local church. The Holy Spirit has just empowered the witness of the Lord Jesus Christ and thousands are turning from their sin to salvation. For centuries they had been taught to look for the coming Messiah and now many are seeing that He has come and set them at liberty from their sins. Before their salvation they were commanded to attend the synagogue as the meeting place for those living in expectation of the coming Messiah. Now that they have believed that He has come they must have a new group with whom to meet. This new group is called the local church. All who have faith in Christ as their only hope for forgiveness are expected to submit themselves to the authority of the NT local church. In doing so the local church then becomes the central processing and distribution point for all their Christian walk. Any believer that does not join themselves to a local NT church is not in right standing with God. The Bible tells us that Jesus died for the local church and then informs us we are to make it an habitual practice of attending it. Of course the church is not a building but a gathering. When God’s people meet together God expects all those members to be in attendance. When the church has something going on, the church members are all expected to make that event a priority in their life. How different might things have been had not Joseph and Mary been devoted followers of the Lord? Had they not frequented the Temple? How different might Zacharias’ had been had he not performed his duties in the temple that day? God has a plan for all believers in the Saviour and it begins, continues, and ends with the local church. Honor the local church.  Support it with your attendance, finances, and prayers. Thank God for the local church!