What the Bible Contains. Pt. 8 Guiding Light, Nourishing Food and Cheerful Comfort.
Good morning ...
Today we have another opportunity to learn more about how vital reading, meditating and memorizing the scripture is for our inner man. We must have a place to anchor our soul and God has chosen His Word as the place for coming to know Him.
The Bible Contains Light to Guide us....
Psalm 119:130 The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.
First, the Bible contains the pure light of truth from Jehovah that will guide the lost soul home to the Living God. When the Word of God breaks into our heart it brings light that drives out the darkness. As it settles into our soul it brings us to the point of recognizing our sinful ways and shows us the way of salvation that God provided in Christ.
Psalm 119:105 NUN. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
Second, the Bible contains a lamp to show us where our feet are going to land when we walk. If you walk through your yard at night you cannot see where the plants are and you might trample over them. Also, you cannot see where any low spots, holes or tree roots are and you may trip and fall. Light from the Bible illuminates life's hazards so that we can avoid falling into one.
The lamp of God's Word is designed to illuminate where we are walking so that we see the danger ahead of time and can avoid it.
However, the Bible also contains light for our path. We know from previous studies that a path is referring to what is marked out by the moral choices that we make in this life. Looking behind us before we were born again, our path probably shows many selfish and sinful choices being made by us.
This light from God's Word is different. It is designed to show us the way forward. It is a future looking light in that it helps set the right direction that we take in this life. It is light from heaven that informs our moral choices so that we might choose to please God with our life.
The Bible Contains Food to strengthen us....
Matthew 4:4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
Jesus was tempted by the devil after He had fasted 40 days in the wilderness. The first temptation was an attempt to have Christ turn stones into bread because He was hungry after 40 days of no food. However, Jesus replied to the devil that man is to live by every word that comes out of the mouth of God.
1 Timothy 4:6 If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained.
Paul wrote to young Timothy about the importance of believers being nourished by the words of faith. The doctrines of the Bible contain spiritual food that nourishes our inner man.
1 Peter 2:1-3 Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings,
2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: 3 If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.
The apostle Peter teaches us that we need to be like a new born baby needing his mother's nourishing milk. A newborn cannot handle solid food, only liquid like milk. Just as our newborn children begin to grow and are able to add more solid food to their diet, the born again believer is expected to grow and mature.
Hebrews 5:12-14 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. 13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. 14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
The writer of the book of Hebrews speaks to believing Jews about spiritual regression. Instead of moving to strong meat of the Word, they had become ignorant like a newborn and needed someone to feed them with milk. The strong meat of scripture is for maturing Christians to consume and it is the goal God has for each of His born again children.
The Bible Contains Comfort to Cheer us...
Matthew 9:2 And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.
A bedridden man who had a hopeless medical condition encountered the Lord Jesus Christ and he was never the same after meeting Jesus. The Lord told this man to be of good cheer because his sins were forgiven. This is the good news of the gospel. Our sins are forgiven through Jesus Christ if we turn to Him in repentant faith.
Websters 1828 dictionary defines "cheer" as driving away gloom, despair and sorrow as cheerfulness or gladness flood our soul. It is a word that means we are experiencing mirth and joy in our inner man. The word "cheer" also means being comforted and receiving courage.
Matthew 14:22-27 And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away. 23 And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone. 24 But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. 25 And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. 26 And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. 27 But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.
Jesus said "Be of good cheer" 4 times in the gospels. In this text from Matthew, the disciples were sailing across the sea of Galilee and encountered a fierce storm. Jesus came to them walking on the water and they were afraid thinking that He was a spirit. Christ told them to be of good cheer and not to be afraid.
The picture for us is that the storms of life will come and there will be troubling times where we think our little boat is going to sink, just like the disciples were thinking. However, we are comforted and cheered up when we remember that Jesus came to the disciples right when the storm was raging. He calmed the storm and brought them safely to the other side.
Thoughts to Ponder...
God commands us to walk in the light as He is in the light. Christ rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and called us into His marvelous light. Are we walking in the light of His Word?
We all get hungry and our Creator and Sustainer provides abundantly for our physical needs, but what about our new man in Christ? Well, that man is a new creation in Christ and is a spirit being requiring spiritual nourishment from the Word of God. Are you filling your soul with wholesome food from God's Word?
The world will tell you that there are many ways that you can be happy but the Bible tells us that the pleasure of sin only lasts for a short while. Our Lord shows us that we can be cheered up when we are born again and receive the forgiveness of our sins. He tells us that we can be cheered up because He will go through the storms of life with us. Is Christ cheering your heart today?
Bob
Today we have another opportunity to learn more about how vital reading, meditating and memorizing the scripture is for our inner man. We must have a place to anchor our soul and God has chosen His Word as the place for coming to know Him.
The Bible Contains Light to Guide us....
Psalm 119:130 The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.
First, the Bible contains the pure light of truth from Jehovah that will guide the lost soul home to the Living God. When the Word of God breaks into our heart it brings light that drives out the darkness. As it settles into our soul it brings us to the point of recognizing our sinful ways and shows us the way of salvation that God provided in Christ.
Psalm 119:105 NUN. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
Second, the Bible contains a lamp to show us where our feet are going to land when we walk. If you walk through your yard at night you cannot see where the plants are and you might trample over them. Also, you cannot see where any low spots, holes or tree roots are and you may trip and fall. Light from the Bible illuminates life's hazards so that we can avoid falling into one.
The lamp of God's Word is designed to illuminate where we are walking so that we see the danger ahead of time and can avoid it.
However, the Bible also contains light for our path. We know from previous studies that a path is referring to what is marked out by the moral choices that we make in this life. Looking behind us before we were born again, our path probably shows many selfish and sinful choices being made by us.
This light from God's Word is different. It is designed to show us the way forward. It is a future looking light in that it helps set the right direction that we take in this life. It is light from heaven that informs our moral choices so that we might choose to please God with our life.
The Bible Contains Food to strengthen us....
Matthew 4:4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
Jesus was tempted by the devil after He had fasted 40 days in the wilderness. The first temptation was an attempt to have Christ turn stones into bread because He was hungry after 40 days of no food. However, Jesus replied to the devil that man is to live by every word that comes out of the mouth of God.
1 Timothy 4:6 If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained.
Paul wrote to young Timothy about the importance of believers being nourished by the words of faith. The doctrines of the Bible contain spiritual food that nourishes our inner man.
1 Peter 2:1-3 Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings,
2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: 3 If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.
The apostle Peter teaches us that we need to be like a new born baby needing his mother's nourishing milk. A newborn cannot handle solid food, only liquid like milk. Just as our newborn children begin to grow and are able to add more solid food to their diet, the born again believer is expected to grow and mature.
Hebrews 5:12-14 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. 13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. 14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
The writer of the book of Hebrews speaks to believing Jews about spiritual regression. Instead of moving to strong meat of the Word, they had become ignorant like a newborn and needed someone to feed them with milk. The strong meat of scripture is for maturing Christians to consume and it is the goal God has for each of His born again children.
The Bible Contains Comfort to Cheer us...
Matthew 9:2 And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.
A bedridden man who had a hopeless medical condition encountered the Lord Jesus Christ and he was never the same after meeting Jesus. The Lord told this man to be of good cheer because his sins were forgiven. This is the good news of the gospel. Our sins are forgiven through Jesus Christ if we turn to Him in repentant faith.
Websters 1828 dictionary defines "cheer" as driving away gloom, despair and sorrow as cheerfulness or gladness flood our soul. It is a word that means we are experiencing mirth and joy in our inner man. The word "cheer" also means being comforted and receiving courage.
Matthew 14:22-27 And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away. 23 And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone. 24 But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. 25 And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. 26 And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. 27 But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.
Jesus said "Be of good cheer" 4 times in the gospels. In this text from Matthew, the disciples were sailing across the sea of Galilee and encountered a fierce storm. Jesus came to them walking on the water and they were afraid thinking that He was a spirit. Christ told them to be of good cheer and not to be afraid.
The picture for us is that the storms of life will come and there will be troubling times where we think our little boat is going to sink, just like the disciples were thinking. However, we are comforted and cheered up when we remember that Jesus came to the disciples right when the storm was raging. He calmed the storm and brought them safely to the other side.
Thoughts to Ponder...
God commands us to walk in the light as He is in the light. Christ rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and called us into His marvelous light. Are we walking in the light of His Word?
We all get hungry and our Creator and Sustainer provides abundantly for our physical needs, but what about our new man in Christ? Well, that man is a new creation in Christ and is a spirit being requiring spiritual nourishment from the Word of God. Are you filling your soul with wholesome food from God's Word?
The world will tell you that there are many ways that you can be happy but the Bible tells us that the pleasure of sin only lasts for a short while. Our Lord shows us that we can be cheered up when we are born again and receive the forgiveness of our sins. He tells us that we can be cheered up because He will go through the storms of life with us. Is Christ cheering your heart today?
Bob
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