Blog Archives - WELCOME TO THE JOY OF TROY

October 31, 2019

10/31/2019

Therefore the redeemed of the Lord shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away (Isa. 51:11).

    This is the final return of Israel, the true believers of all ages, to God's eternal Zion. Their joy is everlasting, and sorrow and mourning shall flee away because their cause if forever gone. "God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away" (Rev. 21:4).

    Those who possess that land are the redeemed. That is the important part of this promise text--we must be redeemed by our Near Kinsman, He who "took not on him the nature of angels; but...the seed of Abraham," that He might "be made like unto his brethren" (Heb. 2:16, 17). He who was not only the Son of God but the Son of man took our place upon the cross. He died for us, and in Him we are redeemed if we will accept it.

    Luther once imagined Satan coming to him with a long list and saying, "These are your sins. How dare you hope for heaven?" But he noticed that the devil was holding his hands over the bottom of the list. "Take away your hand," said Luther. And there he saw written, "The blood of Jesus Christ...cleanseth us from all sin" (1 John 1:7). So the Reformer took hope; and so may we, for we are "not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold,...but with the precious blood of Christ" (1 Peter 1:18, 19).

                                Redeemed! how I love to proclaim it!
                                        Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb;
                                Redeemed through His infinite mercy,
                                        His child, and forever, I am.
                                                                        ___Fanny J. Crosby

MEDITATION PRAYER:  "Redeem Israel, O God, out of all his troubles" (Ps. 25:22).

October 30, 2019

10/30/2019

And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book (Dan. 12:1).

    Three things are promised here: the standing up of Michael, the time of trouble, the deliverance of God's people. Our Savior now appears in the presence of God for us (Heb. 9:24), but someday He will cease His intercessory work, stand up, and begin to reign as King of kings. Then probation will close, and the final time of trouble will occur. But the blessed promise is: "At that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book," the book of life spoken of by the apostle Paul in Philippians 4:3. In the darkest hour of trouble the Lord Himself will come.

    One night a young woman came to Charles Berry, a liberal preacher of England, and said, "My mother is dying. I want you to come and get her in." He went and talked to the poor gasping woman about having a good record. She said, "But that's not for the likes of me." He told her of God's love but she said, "It's not for the likes of me." He told her to forget the past and throw herself upon the mercy of God. But that did not help. The poor soul was desperate, and so was the minister. All he could think of was the hymn "There Is a Fountain Filled With Blood," and as he began to sing it, light came into the woman's face. The dying mother could grasp that, and she accepted Christ as her Savior. The next morning he told his congregation, "I got her in, all right; but I did something more--I got myself in too."

    May we all be safe inside the fold when Michael stands up.

MEDITATION PRAYER:  "That thy beloved may be delivered: save with thy right hand, and answer me" (Ps. 108:6).

October 29, 2019

10/29/2019

But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets (Rev. 10:7).

    The seventh trumpet covers events in the final years of the gospel dispensation to the beginning of the eternal world. In the early days of the sounding of the seventh angel the mystery of God is to be finished. What is the mystery of God? The apostle Paul declares in Galatians 1:11, 12 that "the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ." So the mystery came to him by revelation, and the gospel came by revelation. It is quite clear that the mystery of God is the gospel.

    The prophets of the Old Testament and the apostles of the New predicted and proclaimed it. The startling promise here is that it shall be finished. Then a decree will go forth: "He that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And, behold, I come quickly" (Rev. 22:11, 12). Then the number of the elect will have been made up, probation will end, and our Savior will come.

    Has the gospel finished its gracious work in our hearts? Have we responded to it? If not, why not? "Now is the accepted time;...now is the day of salvation" (2 Cor. 6:2). "Come; for all things are now ready" (Luke 14:17).

    Out in the wasteland of Arizona a kind man would light a lantern every night and hang it outside his cabin near the only well of good water for many a desert mile. Remember, friends, God's lantern is the cross. It shines across the deserts of this life, and in the darkest hours it shines the brightest. The time to turn to it is now, before life is gone.

MEDITATION PRAYER:  "But as for me, my prayer is unto thee, O Lord, in an acceptable time" (Ps. 69:13).

October 28, 2019

10/28/2019

  Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him (Heb. 10:38).

    Martin Luther declared that there are two kinds of faith: first, believing about God and believing that what He says is true, which is really a form of knowledge; and second, believing in God, which means that we put our trust in Him and give ourselves up to His will. Such faith throws itself upon God, whether in life or in death, and that is necessary in the life of every Christian. Such faith comes from hearing--that is, accepting--the Word of God (Rom. 10:17). The just, or righteous, person remains just, or righteous by faith. It is Christ's righteousness, God's justice, that is theirs. It is through faith that we share the righteousness of Christ, the power of Christ, the resurrection of Christ, the glory of Christ.

    A poet and an artist were once examining a painting by Poussin depicting the healing of the two blind men. The poet mentioned several remarkable things about the painting. The artist seemed unsatisfied and pointed out something else. He said, "Do you see that discarded cane lying there by the steps of the house?"

    "Yes."

    "What does it mean?"

    "Why, on these steps the blind man sat with his cane in his hand; but when he heard that Christ had come, he was so sure that he would be healed that he dropped his cane and rushed into the presence of the Lord. Isn't that a wonderful conception of faith?"

    And it was. Too often we hold on to the old cane and crutches of self-help and of righteousness that we have done, instead of looking wholly to Jesus. "This is victory that overcometh the world, even our faith" (1 John 5:4).

MEDITATION PRAYER:  "I will praise thee for ever, because thou hast done it" (Ps. 52:9).

October 27, 2019

10/27/2019

Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as light, and thy judgment as the noonday (Ps. 37:5, 6).

    In Hebrew this thought is "Roll thy way upon the Lord," as of one rolling off from their own shoulders a burden they cannot carry, to the shoulders of another, who is able to bear it. "Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you" (1 Peter 5:7). "Thy way," of course, means "thy doings," "thy understands," "thy plans," or, as in Proverbs 16:3, "thy works."

    A certain poor woman applied to the sultan of Turkey for compensation for the loss of her property. "How did you lose it?" he inquired.

    "I fell asleep, and the robbers came and stole it."

    "But why did you fall asleep?"

    "I fell asleep because I believed that your were awake" was the astonishing reply.

    The sultan was so pleased with her trust in him that he made compensation for her loss. We can trust God with all our affairs, for He is always awake. He neither slumbers nor sleeps (Ps. 121:3).  Let us commit our way to Him, "and he shall bring it to pass."

    The afflictions and troubles that now seem to cast a shadow over the righteous will in the end be the evidence that they are the children of God, as in the case of Job and others. Jesus seemed to be forsaken on the cross, and His righteous cause seemed to be forever lost; but at His resurrection He was "declared to be the Son of God with power" (Rom. 1:4).

    Leave your vindication in the hands of God, and trust Him. Someday it will be as clear as noonday that you are His servant.

MEDITATION PRAYER: Preserve my soul;...O thou my God, save thy servant that trusteth in thee" (Ps. 86:2).

October 26, 2019

10/26/2019

Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die (John 11:25, 26).

    These words comforted Martha, who had just lost her brother, and they have comforted the children of God down through the weary centuries to this very day. It is written, "Because I live, ye shall live also" (John 14:19). Can we imagine the world's great philosopher's saying, "I am the resurrection, and the life"? Could Socrates say it, or Plato, or Aristotle? Could any of the great teachers or leaders of this world say it? Yet Jesus could say it, and it was the truth. Only He could proclaim over the rent sepulcher, "I am the resurrection, and the life."

    Our Lord declared, "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life" (John 3:36). The believer may fall asleep in what we call death, but it is not eternal death. As it was said of Lazarus, it may be said of the believer, "He sleepeth." And someday our Savior will come, as He said, to "awake him out of sleep" (John 11:11).

    While R. W. Dale was once building a sermon on the subject "The Empty Tomb of Christ," the thought of the risen Lord broke upon him in a new revelation. "Christ is alive," he said to himself. "Alive now, today, just as certainly as I am! He is alive this very minute, and alive forevermore." At first it seemed hardly true. Then it came with a sudden burst of glory--Christ is now living! "I must get this across to my people," he said. "I must preach it in every sermon."

    Why shouldn't this wonderful thought grip our hearts every day? "I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore" (Rev. 1:18). "And whosoever liveth and believeth in me will never die."

MEDITATION PRAYER: "O Lord, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave: thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit" (Ps. 30:3).

October 25, 2019

10/25/2019

Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name (Ps. 91:14).

    Where is our love set--upon God, or upon ourselves? Do we know His name, or are we strangers to Him? He is revealed in Jesus Christ as love and salvation. "Thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins" (Matt. 1:21).

    Christ Himself says, "And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment" (Mark 12:30). If we have set our love upon God, He will be the center of our life. God is love, and as we see His love displayed in the natural world and in the salvation revealed in Christ, we exclaim, "Behold, what manner of love" (1 John 3:1), and "we love him, because he first loved us" (1 John 4:19). Love begets love.

    An American minister, visiting Robert MacCheyne's historic church in Dundee, Scotland, asked an old parishioner if he remembered the great preacher. Yes, he remembered MacCheyne well. "Can you recall any of his texts?" He could not. "Can you remember anything he said in his sermons?" He could recall nothing. "There is only one thing I remember, one thing I will never forget," he said. "I was just a little boy standing at the roadside one day when Mr. MacCheyne came along. He stopped and came over to me and said: 'Jamie, I'm going in to see your sister. She's dying; and, my boy, I must have you for Jesus. I cannot allow you to go on outside God's kingdom.' He had his hand on my head, and I have never forgotten the trembling of his fingers." No wonder that boy gave his heart to Christ. What blessing such a trembling touch of love would bring to many a child!

MEDITATION PRAYER:  "Let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee" (Ps. 5:11).

October 24, 2019

10/24/2019

Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else (Isa. 45:22).

    Charles Spurgeon calls this a promise of promises. He says that it lies at the very foundation of our spiritual life. Salvation comes through a look, the look of faith, unto Him who is "a just God and a Saviour" (Isa. 45:21).

    A heavy snowstorm forced young Spurgeon to seek refuge in a little Methodist chapel on an obscure street. He wanted salvation, but did not know how to find it. There was no minister present that day, but a layman came into the pulpit, opened his Bible, and read these words: "Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth." Fixing his eyes on Spurgeon as though he knew him personally, he said, "Young man, you are in trouble, and you will never get out of it unless you look to Christ." Then he lifted up his hands and cried, "Look, look, look! It is only a look."

    That young man later became one of the world's greatest preachers, and he said, "I saw at once the way of salvation--I looked. I had been waiting to do 50 things, but when I heard that word 'Look,' I saw at once the way of salvation."

    When Moses lifted up the brazen serpent in the wilderness, those who looked were healed (Num. 21:8, 9). "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever beleiveth in him should not perish, but have eternal life" (John 3:14, 15).

                                In a look there's life for thee,
                                        In a look at Calvary;
                                Blessed thought, salvation free,
                                        By a look at Calvary.
                                                                __F. E. Belden

MEDITATION PRAYER:  "Unto thee lift I up mine eyes, O thou that dwellest in the heavens" (Ps. 123:1).

October 23, 2019

10/23/2019

He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation (Ps. 91:15, 16).

    Here we have a sixfold promise to those who pray: I will answer him, I will be with him, I will deliver him, I will honor him, I will satisfy him, I will show him my salvation. What more could one want?

    Again in our promise today it is plainly stated that God's children will call upon Him; they will pray, and the Lord will be with them in trouble. The deliverance is certain, and honor will come to them. They will be satisfied with long life--eternal life. And they will see God's everlasting salvation (Isa. 45:17).

    God's dealings with us may seem strange at times, and we may not see how He is working out the answrs to our prayers.

    There is an old Hebrew story of a rabbi journeying on muleback through wild country, his only companion a rooster, whose shrill crowing woke him at sunrise for his devotions. He came to a village and sought shelter, but the inhabitants would not take him in. He found a cave where he spent the night. During the night a wolf killed his rooster and a lion devoured his mule. Early in the morning he went into the village and, to his surprise, found no one alive in the whole town. A band of robbers had plundered the place and killed all the people. "Now," he said, "I understand. If they had received me, I too would have been killed. Had not my mule been killed, its noise would have revealed my hiding place. God has been good to me."

    Let us wait on the Lord to fulfill His promises in His own way and in His own time. "I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry" (Ps. 40:1).

MEDITATION PRAYER:  "Bow down thine ear to me; deliver me speedily: be thou my strong rock, for an house of defence to save me" (Ps. 31:2).

October 22, 2019

10/22/2019

     Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not (Jer. 33:3).

    God encourages prayer. He commands prayer. Our minds are brought into harmony with God by prayer, but this is not all--God answers prayer. His promise is "I will answer thee"; and every true prayer, prayed according to the will of God, is answered. Jesus said, "Ask, and ye shall receive" (John 16:24). In James 4:2 we are told, "Ye have not, because ye ask not."

    For God to say Yes to our prayers, there must be a full surrender to His will (Ps. 37:4). His words must abide in us so that we shall ask according to His word (John 15:7). We must have the leadership, the guidance, of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:26, 27). And we must pray in the name of Jesus (John 14:13, 14).

    Prayer is asking, seeking, knocking. The answer to prayer is receiving, finding, going through an opened door. Many of God's answers will surprise us. There are great things in store for us.

    The missionaries who went to the island of Tahiti worked for 16 years without a single convert. The mission society in England seriously considered abandoning the field, but a few saw that the failure lay in their unbelief. They called a special season of prayer for God's blessing on that island far away, then sent letters of reassurance to the weary workers there. On the ocean those letters crossed others from the missionaries telling of the entire overthrow of idolatry. What seemed to be an invincible fortress of evil had suddenly collapsed before the new Pentecost. "Before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear' (Isa. 65:24).

MEDITATION PRAYER:  "For in thee, O Lord, do I hope: thou wilt hear, O Lord my God" (Ps. 38:15).