Archives for 2019

Good morning,

This week we will be looking at “Pithy gems from J.C. Ryle”. I thought you might be interested in J.C. Ryle’s background.

John Charles Ryle (May 10, 1816 – June 10, 1900) was an evangelical Anglican clergyman and first Bishop of Liverpool. He was renowned for his powerful preaching and extensive tracts.

His conversion occurred when he attended an unknown church, and arriving late, he heard the reading Ephesians 2:8-9. The force of these words hit his heart, and from that point on he was assured of his salvation.

Ryle became nationally famed for his firm preaching and staunch defense of evangelical principles. He wrote several well-known books, mainly based on his tracts and sermons, and often addressing issues of contemporary relevance for the Church from a Biblical standpoint. Of these, perhaps the most enduring are “Holiness” and “Practical Religion”, both still in print.

As you read these “Pithy gems”, please pray and ask God how these apply. These are challenging and thought provoking.

Enjoy!

Pithy gems from J.C. Ryle #3

The beginning of the way to Heaven–is to feel that we are on the way to Hell.

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There is a common, worldly kind of Christianity in this day, which many have, and think they have enough–a cheap Christianity which offends nobody, and requires no sacrifice–which costs nothing, and is worth nothing!

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Christian! Your trials, crosses and conflicts are all temporary.

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I am one of those old-fashioned ministers who believe the whole Bible and everything that it contains.

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There are no lessons so useful–as those learned in the school of affliction.

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Christ is never fully valued, until sin is clearly seen. We must know the depth and malignity of our disease, in order to appreciate the great Physician.

   ~  ~  ~  ~

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

Good morning,

This week we will be looking at “Pithy gems from J.C. Ryle”. I thought you might be interested in J.C. Ryle’s background.

John Charles Ryle (May 10, 1816 – June 10, 1900) was an evangelical Anglican clergyman and first Bishop of Liverpool. He was renowned for his powerful preaching and extensive tracts.

His conversion occurred when he attended an unknown church, and arriving late, he heard the reading Ephesians 2:8-9. The force of these words hit his heart, and from that point on he was assured of his salvation.

Ryle became nationally famed for his firm preaching and staunch defense of evangelical principles. He wrote several well-known books, mainly based on his tracts and sermons, and often addressing issues of contemporary relevance for the Church from a Biblical standpoint. Of these, perhaps the most enduring are “Holiness” and “Practical Religion”, both still in print.

As you read these “Pithy gems”, please pray and ask God how these apply. These are challenging and thought provoking.

Enjoy!

Pithy gems from J.C. Ryle #2

Pride is the oldest and most common of sins.
Humility is the rarest and most beautiful of graces.

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Look to the cross, think of the cross, meditate on the cross–and then go and set your affections on the world if you can!

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A crucified Savior will never be content to have a self-pleasing, self-indulging, worldly-minded people!

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The Gospel was not meant merely to reside in our intellect, memories, and tongues–but to be seen in our lives.

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Happiness and contentment do not depend on outward circumstances–but on the state of the heart.

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Health is a good thing; but sickness is far better–if it leads us to God.
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Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

Good morning,

This week we will be looking at “Pithy gems from J.C. Ryle”. I thought you might be interested in J.C. Ryle’s background.

John Charles Ryle (May 10, 1816 – June 10, 1900) was an evangelical Anglican clergyman and first Bishop of Liverpool. He was renowned for his powerful preaching and extensive tracts.

His conversion occurred when he attended an unknown church, and arriving late, he heard the reading Ephesians 2:8-9. The force of these words hit his heart, and from that point on he was assured of his salvation.

Ryle became nationally famed for his firm preaching and staunch defense of evangelical principles. He wrote several well-known books, mainly based on his tracts and sermons, and often addressing issues of contemporary relevance for the Church from a Biblical standpoint. Of these, perhaps the most enduring are “Holiness” and “Practical Religion”, both still in print.

As you read these “Pithy gems”, please pray and ask God how these apply. These are challenging and thought provoking.

Enjoy!

Pithy gems from J.C. Ryle

   ~  ~  ~  ~

It costs something to be a true Christian.
It will cost us our sins, our self-righteousness, our ease and our worldliness!

   ~  ~  ~  ~

According to the men of the world–few are going to Hell.
According to the Bible–few are going to Heaven.

   ~  ~  ~  ~

By affliction, Christ . . .
  shows us our emptiness and weakness,
  draws us to the throne of grace,
  purifies our affections,
  weans us from the world, and
  makes us long for Heaven.

   ~  ~  ~  ~

Nothing is so offensive to Christ as lukewarmness in religion!
“So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold,
 I am going to vomit you out of My mouth!” Revelation 3:16

   ~  ~  ~  ~

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

Good morning,

Did it ever occur to you that nothing surprises God? He knows everything.

God knows everything about us.  Even as you read this devotion, God knows what you are thinking. Today we will look at God’s omniscience (God knows all things).

GOD’S OMNISCIENCE is defined as “the state of having total knowledge, the quality of knowing everything.” For God to be sovereign over His creation of all things, whether visible or invisible, He has to be all-knowing. His omniscience is not restricted to any one person in the Godhead—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all by nature omniscient.

          A.  GOD KNOWS EVERTHING (1 JOHN 3:19-20) V20

          B.  GOD IS PERFECT IN KNOWLEDGE (JOB 37:16)

         C.  GOD’S UNDERSTANDING HAS NO LIMITS (PSM 147:5)

         D.  GOD’S EYES ARE EVERYWHERE (PROV 15:3)

         E.  GOD IS WATCHING US (PSM 33:13-15) V13

         F.  GOD CHOSE US BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD (EPH    1:3-4)

         G.  GOD KNOWS WHAT WE DO (PSM 139:1-4)

         H.  GOD MADE KNOWN TO US THE MYSTERY OF HIS WILL (EPH 1:9-      10)

God’s omniscience can be a blessing or a curse. Since God never takes His eyes off us, we should be prone to obey God. Obeying God and His commandments allows God to pour out His blessings upon us. Conversely, when we choose to disobey God, He by nature cannot bless disobedience. Disobedience is sin. He will, through the power of the Holy Spirit, convict us of our disobedience and woo us back to Himself. However, we are a stubborn people. When we fail to respond to the Spirit’s gentle prod, God uses other means to get our attention.

The correct response to disobedience is to repent. Agree with God that the action was sin, confess it, and accept God’s cleansing. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

GOD’S WATCHING. WHAT DOES HE SEE?

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

Good morning,

Rosh Hashanah’s religious services focus on the concept of G-d’s sovereignty. God does rule in the affairs of men. Today we will look at the sovereignty of God.  

GOD’S SOVEREIGNTY means that He is the Supreme Ruler who immanently and personally rules over all the affairs of the universe—and this includes our personal lives both as individuals and as a local body of believers. God’s sovereignty is a place of rest for the child of God.

        A.  GOD REIGNEST OVERALL (1 CHRON 29:11-12) V12

         B.  THE WORLD IS GOD’S (PSM 50:10-12)

         C.  GOD CREATED (GEN 1:1) V1

         D.  GOD CHOOSES ISRAEL DOES WHAT HE PLEASES (PSM 135:4-6) V4, 6

         E.  GOD IN CONTROL (1 SAM 2:6-9)

         F.  GOD CONTROLS RULERS (PSM 75:6-7) V7

         G.  GOD DOES HIS PLEASURE (IS 46:9-10)

         H.  CAN NOT FLEE FROM GOD (PSM 139:7-10) V10

         I.  GOD’S WORD WILL NOT RETURN VOID (IS 55:11)

         J.  GOD REIGNS OVER DEATH (JOHN 5:21)

         K.  GOD ‘S COUNSEL (EPH 1:11)

These verses show why God has the right to rule in our lives. Please look up the verses and see what they say. You might be surprised what you find.

God has given each one of us a free will to make choices. He has given us His precepts in the Bible to guide us through this life. We choose to follow God by faith or rebel against God and serve Satan. Satan is the enemy of God. There are consequences for following or rebelling against God. God rules over both Godly believers and wicked unbelievers.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

Good morning,

The Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur begins on Tuesday evening, 8 October, at sunset. The day of atonement (Leviticus 16) is the most holy day on the Jewish calendar. Today we will see why.

YOM KIPPUR

THE DAY OF ATONEMENT

29 And this shall be a statute for ever unto you: that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger that sojourneth among you: 30 For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the Lord. 31 It shall be a sabbath of rest unto you, and ye shall afflict your souls, by a statute for ever. 32 And the priest, whom he shall anoint, and whom he shall consecrate to minister in the priest’s office in his father’s stead, shall make the atonement, and shall put on the linen clothes, even the holy garments: 33 And he shall make an atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make an atonement for the tabernacle of the congregation, and for the altar, and he shall make an atonement for the priests, and for all the people of the congregation. 34 And this shall be an everlasting statute unto you, to make an atonement for the children of Israel for all their sins once a year. And he did as the Lord commanded Moses. (Leviticus 16:29-34, also reference Leviticus 23:27-32 and Numbers 29:7-11)

INTRODUCTION

Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is the most solemn day in the Jewish calendar. The Bible prescribes Yom Kippur as a day of affliction (Lev 16; 23:26-32). In the ancient world, the High Priest woke up early, donned his priestly garments, and sacrificed a bull for both himself and his family. He then cast lots over two goats, choosing one for the Lord and designating the other as the goat to remove sin. Only on this day did the High Priest enter into the Holy of Holies in the Temple to offer incense and sprinkle blood on the Ark of the Covenant. Before concluding the sacrifices by burning both the bull and the goat, the High Priest placed blood from the Lord’s goat onto the second goat. He then cast the second goat into the wilderness, thus symbolically removing Israel’s sin.

In modern observance, Yom Kippur involves a fast from both food and drink. Many spend the entire day praying in the synagogue. During the Ten Days of Awe preceding Yom Kippur, many Jewish people give tzedakah (charity) which some consider a replacement for the animal sacrifice. A small segment of the Orthodox Jewish community practices kapparot, a ceremony in which a person waves a chicken over his head, before killing the chicken as a symbolic transfer of sin. According to tradition, the Book of Life and the Book of the Dead are closed on Yom Kippur, and the fates of those within the books are sealed for the coming year.

Followers of Jesus the Messiah confidently look forward to eternal life, because our names are written in the Book of Life. When Jesus died, the veil of the Holy of Holies ripped in two, symbolically breaking a barrier between humans and the presence of God. Previously, only the High Priest had access to this room, and he only entered it once a year on Yom Kippur (Matt. 27:51). However, Jesus’ death gives believers access to God, because He entered into the Heavenly Holy of Holies to offer His blood for our redemption (Heb 9:11-12). Unlike the Israelites’ annual sacrifices on Yom Kippur, Jesus’ one sacrifice continues to provide atonement to this day. Yom Kippur, for followers of Jesus, reminds us of the certainty of our redemption through the blood of our Messiah and High Priest, Jesus.

Yom Kippur also reminds us of the ultimate salvation of the Jewish people. The prophet Zechariah speaks of a day when the nation of Israel will recognize her Messiah and “they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son” (Zech. 12:10). When the Jewish people recognize Messiah, as Paul writes, “All Israel will be saved” (Rom. 11:26). The Day of Atonement thus reminds us of our own salvation and also looks forward to the salvation of Israel.

ELEMENTS OF YOM KIPPUR

1) Afflicting your soul

The word in Hebrew is “anah” means “to afflict, oppress, humble, be afflicted, be bowed down”.  This occurs through fasting.  God requires a fast to be humbled and afflicted on the Day of Atonement.

         a) Prayer

         b) Confession

         c) Repentance

         d) Renewal

The picture is of a lost sinner, searching for the Messiah, Jesus, finding Him, confessing and repenting their sin before Him.

2) Sabbath

No work is to be done on this day. There was a penalty for working on this day. “And whatsoever soul it be that doeth any work in that same day, the same soul will I destroy from among his people.” (Leviticus 23:30) The day was to be completely dedicated to God.

This is a picture of the rest we have in the Messiah.

3) Atonement

“To cover, purge, make reconciliation”.  The atonement was a reconciliation of the children of Israel to their God. This happened through the blood sacrifice of the bullock and goat. The scapegoat was a picture of the sins of Israel being taken by the scapegoat.

This pictures what Jesus did on the cross. He paid the sin debt for all mankind through his blood sacrifice on the cross at Calvary. No more need for animal sacrifices.

CONCLUSION

Yom Kippur is:

• A day of reflection
• A day of rest
• A day of fasting
• A day of renewal
• A day of confession of sin
• A day of repentance of sin
• A day of reconciliation between man and God
• A day of atonement
• A day of salvation

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

Good morning,

Yesterday, I referenced the Shofar and asked the question, “What does the blowing of the trumpet mean to believers in Yeshua (Jesus)?” The answer is it signals the Rapture of the Church. Verse 16 references the ”…trump of God…”

Paul explains the Rapture to the Church at Thessalonica.

Comfort in light of the Rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) This is the most extended and most important description of the Rapture in all of Scripture.

The Hope of the Rapture (13)

¹³ But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.

The Confidence of the Rapture (14)

¹⁴ For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

The Order of the Rapture (15)

¹⁵ For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.

 The Person of the Rapture (16a)

¹⁶ For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout,

The Resurrection of the Rapture (16b)

with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

The Catching up of the Rapture (17a)

¹⁷ Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up

The Intimacy of the Rapture (17b)

 together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

The Encouragement of the Rapture (18)

¹⁸ Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

Ultimately the Rapture is a comfort to a needy people. We are to serve God till He returns. We are to watch expectantly and persistently.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

Good morning,

Last night began the observance of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.

In Hebrew, Rosh Hashanah means, literally, “head of the year” or “first of the year.” Rosh Hashanah is commonly known as the Jewish New Year. The Jewish New Year is a time to begin introspection, looking back at the mistakes of the past year and planning the changes to make in the new year. The Bible refers to the holiday as Yom Ha-Zikkaron (the day of remembrance) or Yom Teruah (the day of the sounding of the shofar). The holiday is instituted in Leviticus 23:24-25.

“Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation. Ye shall do no servile work therein: but ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord.”

The shofar is a ram’s horn which is blown somewhat like a trumpet. One of the most important observances of this holiday is hearing the sounding of the shofar in the synagogue. No work is permitted on Rosh Hashanah. Religious services for the holiday focus on the concept of G-d’s sovereignty.

This would be a great time to wish all our Jewish friends a hearty Happy New Year. It would also be a good time to reflect on our own lives. Are we keeping short accounts with God? When He reveals sin in our lives, do we confess it (1 John 1:9) and move on serving God? What does the blowing of the trumpet mean to believers in Yeshua (Jesus)? (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18) What does it mean that God is sovereign?

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

Good morning.

Revelation 22 describes life. There are 12 pictures to help us identify life. There is the river of life, the tree of life, the faces of life, the light of life, the faithful sayings of life, we are to worship the God of life, the prophecy of life, the Alpha and Omega of life, the commandments of life, we are to come to life, and the Lord Jesus is life.

These pictures describe our eternal home. God gives the readers one last chance to get saved. He warns not to add or take away from the “…prophecy of this book…”

The book of life (22:18-19)

¹⁸ For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:¹⁹ And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

We are not to alter the word of God. Many church’s, denomination, and cults, change the God’s word so it agrees with their doctrinal principles. God says that He will judge them.

Lord Jesus Christ is life (22:20-21)

²⁰ He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.²¹ The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

Jesus is coming soon. The rapture of the church could happen at any time.

The question is, are you ready? Have you been obedient to God’s word in the matter of salvation? If not, are you prepared for total isolation, in a lake of fire, with no relief, ever. You do not have to go there.

Conclusion

Come quickly Lord Jesus!

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

Good morning.

Revelation 22 describes life. There are 12 pictures to help us identify life. There is the river of life, the tree of life, the faces of life, the light of life, the faithful sayings of life, we are to worship the God of life, the prophecy of life, the Alpha and Omega of life, the commandments of life, we are to come to life, and the Lord Jesus is life.

These pictures describe our eternal home. God gives the readers one last chance to get saved. He warns not to add or take away from the “…prophecy of this book…”

The Alpha and Omega of life (22:12-13)

¹² And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.¹³ I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.

Jesus is coming to judge mankind and reward them for their work. Unbelievers will be judged and rewarded by being cast into the lake of fire. Believers will be rewarded with being in God’s presence for all eternity.

The commandments of life (22:14-15)

¹⁴ Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.¹⁵ For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.

Another reference to obedience to God’s word. When we obey God’s word, we will trust Christ by grace through faith for salvation. We will obey God’s word out of love, not compulsion. Obedience equals life.

Come to life (22:16-17)

¹⁶ I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.¹⁷ And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

One last opportunity to come to salvation through Jesus payment for our sin debt. The Spirit of God and the bride, the church age believers, say come. It is open to all that hear and are thirsty. Then it is open to everyone.

Have you chosen to follow Jesus? If not, why not?

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001