The Plan of Remption

Imagine two armies at war. A soldier from one army is captured by the other. The army of the captured soldier pays the other army a ransom to get the soldier back. The ransom is the payment for the soldier. The payment takes the place of the soldier; a substitute for the soldier. The soldier is redeemed.

When God made Adam and Eve, they were immediately placed in God’s army. But after they sinned, they became part of Satan’s army. Subsequently, all men are born into Satan’s army. But God, from Genesis 3 to Revelation 20, set up a plan to buy us back – the plan of redemption. He desired to redeem us. In Genesis 3, He told mankind of a battle that was to occur in the future, a battle between the Seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent. This battle occurred at the cross, and the Seed of the woman was Jesus Christ. At the cross, Christ won the victory, over Satan, sin and death. His victory is our victory. Satan is a defeated foe.

All men are sinners, and all sin is against God. Therefore, all men have a debt with God. This debt is the payment for sin, which is death and condemnation. But God, in His grace, knowing man’s helpless and pitiful state, sent His Son to be that payment. Christ’s death on the cross is the substitute for our payment; He is our payment. He is the redemption price, and we are the redeemed. And as the Father raised Christ to life three days later, we also are raised to life and have new life in Christ. We will die because of sin, but we will never be condemned because of Christ’s victory over sin. Sin and death have lost their power over us. We need not be afraid of them because we are redeemed for eternity. Death for the believer is good news. God has promised the redeemed a new physical body, free of disease, worries and tears. All He asks from us is that we believe, i.e., receive Him as Lord and Savior. Once we are redeemed, we can never be lost again. The plan of redemption represents God’s mercy on all man.

Jesus Predicts His Death

The Lord's Passover

The first Jewish Passover. It is instructive to

realize that 1,450 years later, Jesus was

crucified on the Passover. The Lord's

Supper, communion, comes from

the Passover celebration.

.

Psalm 17

Lord, praise Your holy name.

The Cords of the Wicked

Sin is like a prison. It holds us captive.

Thank God for Jesus Christ, who frees the captives.

Jesus On Marriage and Divorce

Drink From Your Own Cistern

Stay faithful always.

The Challenges of Moses

Moses had to overcome his fears. He was afraid the Israelites would not believe that God sent him. Therefore, he asked God to tell him His name. And God said, tell them my name is the “I AM.”

Moses was afraid he would not be able to speak well. God helped him by allowing Aaron to be his prophet, and to speak for him to the Israelite elders and the Pharaoh, and to use signs and wonders to confirm that God has sent him.

Moses had to overcome his disobedience. God helped him by sending Zipporrah to circumcise his child.

Moses was prepared for service. But if you think about it, Moses had been prepared from birth, and all his life. He was supposed to be killed as a baby, but was spared. He was cast into the waters, but saved by Pharaoh’s daughter. His sister, who saw everything, went to Pharaoh’s daughter and found a nursing mother for Moses – and it was Moses’ mother! Moses was raised in Pharaoh’s palace and educated. He spoke Egyptian and Hebrew. Moses killed an Egyptian taskmaster but escaped to the desert. Moses was humbled to the position of a shepherd in the desert, but given a godly wife and father-in-law. Moses saw a burning bush on the mountain of God, and the fire did not consume the bush. And we will see later that Moses will deliver his people, Israel, from the Egyptians. Moses will lead them in the desert for 40 years, but because of his anger he will be punished and not be allowed to go into the Promised Land. Moses will write the first five books of the Bible, the Torah, which is also called the Pentateuch. He will give the Israelites the Law, and the moral aspects of the Law apply to all of us today. They are God’s high and holy standards, and do not change. Moses, as a prophet, said that God would send someone like him, Someone who had seen God face-to-face, Deuteronomy 18:15-18, and this Someone is no less than Jesus Christ Himself. Jesus quoted Moses’ writings when tempted by the devil in Matthew 4, and Moses appeared with Jesus at the Transfiguration, Matthew 17.

We need to appreciate Moses and all God has done through him.

The Unmerciful Servant

Matthew 18:21-35

Jesus tells a story about a servant who owed his master a tremendous amount of money. Because the amount of the money was so great, the master forgave the entire debt. The servant had a fellow servant who owed him a little money, but he did not forgive the debt. In fact, he had this person thrown in prison because of the debt. When the master heard about the lack of mercy of his servant, he chastised him for not having compassion and “delivered him to the torturers until he should pay back all that was due him.”

The servant was forgiven by his master, but refused to forgive his fellow servant. The Father warns us that we place ourselves in severe judgment when we do not forgive. To forgive is an act of the will, not of the feelings.

I believe that a person who refuses to forgive does not understand what he has been forgiven for. He does not understand the gravity of his sin against God. In my opinion, this is evidence of a faith that is not genuine, a salvation that is not genuine. We are commanded to forgive; it is not optional.

Never Underestimate Sin

Heaven or Hell

You Choose

Never Alone with Jesus

Safe and Secure

Moses and the Burning Bush

Moses speaks with Jesus Christ,

the Angel of the Lord

The Adulteress and Death

The way of an adulteress leads to death.

Jesus Appeared in His Glory

Jesus appeared with Moses and Elijah to

Peter, James and John. Moses represents

the Law and Elijah represents the Prophets.

Jesus said, if we had the faith of a mustard seed

we could move mountains.

The Persecution of the Jews

After 400 years in Egypt, the Jews began to be persecuted.

The Deaths of Jacob and Joseph

Genesis comes to a close.

The Fool

There are two reasons why everyone should

believe in God: creation and conscience.

Great Faith

Jesus appreciated the great faith of the Gentile woman.

Feeling Alone, Forgotten, and Abandoned

The writers of the Scriptures had their deep moments of sorrow.

The Paths of the Righteous and the Wicked

Could a person be walking in darkness and not know it?

Jesus Versus Tradition

The Pharisees rebuked Jesus for not following the Jewish traditions. They were discussing defilement, and the Pharisees were saying that because Jesus didn't wash His hands in the prescribed manner that He was defiling Himself. But Jesus gave them a teaching on what is clean and what is unclean. "It is not what enters a man's mouth that makes him unclean, but what comes out of a man's mouth, i.e., from his heart, that makes him unclean."

The Repentance of the Brothers

The sons of Jacob were wild, cruel and unruly. They were envious of their brother Joseph, and deceitful toward their father. They caused both of them great pain for many years. But God had plans for the brothers, to bring them to repentance and save them. It was a time for the fathers of God’s people to come of age, and Joseph was the instrument God used.

Jacob sent his sons to Egypt because the severity of the famine had reached Canaan. Joseph, the prime minister of Egypt, recognized them immediately and sought to forgive them. However, he realized that they needed to be brought to the point of confession and repentance for their sins. He developed a plan to cause them to reflect upon their sins. Their sins were like festering sores, and Joseph sought to open the wounds and cleanse them. He brought upon them a number of incomprehensible situations to prick their consciences and point them to the God of their fathers.

First he accused them of being spies, prompting them to tell him the history of their family. About their family, they said, “one is no more, and the other is with their father,” i.e., Benjamin. Joseph then asked that the younger brother be brought to him. Joseph told them “he feared God,” which I believe caused the brothers to begin to think about their sins in the light of God’s judgment. The festering sores were being opened, and guilt was being exposed. They talked among themselves about their crimes against Joseph and their father. Joseph heard their conversation, and turned away and wept. The brothers did not know he knew their language – Hebrew.

Joseph sent them back to Canaan (except for Simeon), and had his servants load their sacks with grain. And he returned the money they brought to buy the grain. When the brothers realized their money had been returned they said, “God had done this.” Again they were thinking about God. They reported all this to their father Jacob, who then began to lament and mourn, saying, “Joseph was no more, Simeon was no more, and now Benjamin was at risk.” The quilt of the brothers was growing.

As the famine continued, their father sent the brothers back to Egypt, and they took Benjamin and a double portion of money to again buy grain. Joseph explained to them that he returned the money the first time because of “God and the God of their fathers;” and once again they were pointed toward God. He made a great feast and gave increased honor to Benjamin. And when the brothers saw this, their consciences were again pricked. And again Joseph wept bitterly. I think the pain they were experiencing hurt him.

The brothers had not yet come to repentance but much was stirring in their souls. Joseph released Simeon and sent the brothers back home. He still had not revealed himself to them. Joseph ordered his servants to again fill their sacks with grain and return their money. But he also instructed his servants to place his own personal silver cup into Benjamin’s sack. Then as the brothers were traveling home, Joseph’s servants overtook them to look for the cup. They found it in Benjamin’s sack and arrested him. The brothers were now troubled and in deep agony. They were humbled.

The brothers repented of their sins. Judah, speaking for his brothers, said to Joseph, “God has found out the iniquity of your servants.” Judah was contrite and pleaded for mercy, and even offered to take Benjamin’s place, which should remind us of Jesus taking our place of punishment on the cross; that we might be forgiven for our sins. At this confession of sin, Joseph broke down and revealed himself to his brothers, Genesis 45. He forgave them, and later said, “you meant it for evil against me, but God meant it for good to save many,” Genesis 50:20. Their sins were confessed and the festering sores that had existed for so many years had been cleansed.

Joseph and his brothers, the fathers of the 12 tribes of Israel, were coming of age. They grew from a family of 70, when they left Canaan to go to Egypt, to a nation of 2½ million four hundred years later, when they were delivered from Egypt back to Canaan. But in Egypt, they worshipped the gods of Egyptians, and developed a habit of idolatry. Eventually, they were enslaved and persecuted. But God, in His providence, had plans to bring them to faith. His plans included Moses, the servant of God, a great deliverance from Egypt with plagues and miracles, the giving of a code of law, a walk in the desert for 40 years, and the rise of Joshua to lead them into the Promised Land. God’s chosen people were coming of age, and the path was through persecution and chastisement.

Jesus Prays and Walks on the Water

Jesus reassures His disciples

The Righteous and the Wicked

God loves and hates.

The Parable of the Pearl

The Parable may be interpreted in two ways:

1. It is the lost soul who finds Jesus, sells everything he has, and follows Christ with great joy.
2. The lost soul has nothing to sell; he is bankrupt. Rather, it is Christ who finds the pearl of great worth, which is the lost soul, sells everything He has, i.e., gives up His life on the cross for that soul, and goes off with great joy.

Dream Interpretation, Joseph Leads Egypt, and Israel Moves to Egypt

Nothing Will Shake Me

The Response of the Lord

The Parable of the Sower

This parable is about the hearts of people, which are represented by four types of soils. The seeds thrown onto the soils are the Word of God, and the Sower is Jesus Christ. The first soil is a hard heart (a hard path). When seeds are thrown onto it, there is no understanding. The birds come and eat them. The second type of soil is rocky ground, very shallow. When seeds are thrown onto it, roots and flowers develop quickly, and there is much excitement, but it does not last. When the sun (which is represented by tribulation or persecution) comes, it does not survive. Note that the sun comes from the Lord. In the third soil, the seeds develop, but thorns also develop and choke off the flowers; and there is no productivity. These thorns represent the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches. The fourth soil is good ground. The heart receives the word of God and understands it; it has a good productivity.

This parable can be view in two ways:

If one thinks of it in terms of salvation, then only those with the fourth soil represent the saved. These are those who produce good works. "We have been saved unto good works," Ephesians 2:10. "Faith without works is dead," James 2:17,26.


If one thinks of the four soils in terms of our Christian walk, then there are some who do not grow at all; some who show interest in godly things but do not last; some who are so absorbed in the world that they produce no fruit; and some who have Christ and His Word as their highest priority and act accordingly. Only in this soil is there true joy.

The Parable of the Weeds

Jesus planted good seeds; the devil planted weed seeds. They all grew together in the world. At the final judgment, the angles separated the fruit of the good seeds from the fruit of the weed seeds. But we, as humans, do not know which seeds will become good and which will remain evil. Therefore, we are to spread God's word to all, and pray for the salvation of all.

Joseph Attacked, Enslaved, Imprisoned

We will see later that Joseph was the reason the family of Jacob moved from Canaan to Egypt. Abraham was told this would happen. The Israelites will grow into a mighty nation in Egypt over the next 430 years, and then Moses and Aaron will lead them out of Egypt, back into Canaan. This is where God developed the family of Jacob into the nation of Israel.

The Doctrine of Substitution

Click on picture to enlarge.

Zoom in from lower right of screen.

Click back button to return to text.

Removing the Evil Spirit

Matthew 12:43-45

“When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation.”

The problem is that the evil spirit found the house “empty.” This is the description of someone who attempts moral reform (improved behavior) without ever being indwelt by the Holy Spirit. Reform, apart from regeneration (being born again), is never effective and eventually reverts back to pre-reformed behavior, “and the last state of the man is worse than the first.”

The Pharisees sought moral reform through their external code of conduct, i.e., laws and rules. But they had become wicked, adulterous and hypocritical.

We also have a problem with self-improvement apart from the Holy Spirit. We do well for a while and then fall right back into old behaviors. I pray that in the power of the Holy Spirit, you persevere in the reading of God’s Word; finish it; and seek to apply it to your life; in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Click on picture to enlarge.

Zoom in from right corner of screen.

Click back button to return to text.

Reconciliation of the Brothers

Esau forgives Jacob

Dinah and the Shechemites

Click on picture to enlarge.

Reduce size from lower right corner.

Click on back button to return to text.

Rest for the Weary

This offer is made to everyone. Come to Jesus, get to know Him. Learn to rest in Him in all things. By faith in Him, fear and anxiety are overcome. Be patient as He heals you. Your slightest concern is of major importance to God, and He is kind to sinners and patient with them. He is our only hope.

He Wrestled with God and Prevailed

Jacob was not fighting with God out of arrogance. He had great fear about meeting his brother Esau. Remember that 20 years earlier he had deceived his brother out of his birthright and then out of Isaac's blessing. And now they are soon to meet. I believe he was saying to himself: "I have no other hope than You God. Bless me or I will die." He may also have been saying to himself: "You have told me that I am the son of promise. God, for Your own great name, bless me."

I think we can also make a prayer like Jacob's: "Lord, I will not let you go until you bless me." But this should not be a selfish prayer. For example, I have many relatives and friends who are not saved. I pray like this: Lord, I will not let you go until you save my friends and family. It is not a prayer out of selfishness or arrogance, but rather, out of persistence and the realization that only God can do this. "Lord, I will not let you go until you bless me."

Scripture Readings: Weeks 3 & 4

January 15

Gen 29:1 - 30:43
Psalm 8:1-5
Proverbs 3:13-18
Matthew 10:21-42

January 16

Gen 31:1-32:32
Psalm 8:6-9
Proverbs 3:19-20
Matthew 11:1-30

January 17

Gen 33:1-34:31
Psalm 9:1-5
Proverbs 3:21-26
Matthew 12:1-21

January 18

Gen 35:1-36:43
Psalm 9:6-10
Proverbs 3:27-30
Matthew 12:22-50

January 19

Gen 37:1-38:30
Psalm 9:11-20
Proverbs 3:31-35
Matthew 13:1-30

January 20

Gen 39:1-40:23
Psalm 10:1-11
Proverbs 4:1-6
Matthew 13:31-58

January 21

Gen 41:1-42:38
Psalm 10:12-18
Proverbs 4:7-9
Matthew 14:1-21

January 22

Gen 43:1-44:34
Psalm 11:1-7
Proverbs 4:10-13
Matthew 14:22-36

January 23

Gen 45:1-46:34
Psalm 12:1-8
Proverbs 4:14-17
Matthew 15:1-20

January 24

Gen 47:1-48:22
Psalm 13:1-6
Proverbs 4:18-19
Matthew 15:21-39

January 25

Gen 49:1-50:26
Psalm 14:1-7
Proverbs 4:20-24
Matthew 16:1-28

January 26

Exodus 1:1-2:25
Psalm 15:1-5
Proverbs 4:25-27
Matthew 17:1-27

January 27

Exodus 3:1-4:31
Psalm 16:1-6
Proverbs 5:1-6
Matthew 18:1-20

January 28

Exodus 5:1-6:30
Psalm 16:7-11
Proverbs 5:7-14
Matthew 18:21-35

Please note: We are using the MacArthur Daily Bible. You can order it from Mardel's Bookstore on I-45 in Houston, or directly from John MacArthur, at Grace to You (gty.org).

Receive Christ

God and Wisdom

Wisdom is represented as "female." God is represented as "male." The Scriptures say that "by wisdom God created the universe." We see the perfect balance of male and female in creation; both working together in the plan of God.

Jacob and Rachel

Jacob Deceives Laban

The Children of Jacob (Israel)

Jacob, Esau, and Jacob's Ladder

The name Jacob means "deceiver." Later, his name will be changed to Israel, which means "he wrestled with God and prevailed." It's amazing that God would use a man like Jacob as one of the Patriarchs. But God knows what He is doing and I can barely understand anything.

Click on picture to enlarge.

Reduce picture from lower right corner of screen.

Return to text by clicking the back button.

Giving

The purpose of giving is to honor the Lord.

The Birth of Jacob and Esau

Click on picture to enlarge.

Reduce size in lower right hand corner.

Trust in the Lord

The Death and Burial of Serah

Jesus Calms the Storm

Do you trust Jesus with the storms of your life?

And where do storms come from anyway?

Our big challenge in life is to trust Him.

Dealing with Demons