Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | August 11, 2015

“But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ”

Today’s devotion comes from 2 Kings Chapter 11.  Here is a link to this Scripture – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Kings+11&version=NASB

I quote only the following verses.

“1 When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she rose and destroyed all the royal offspring.  2 But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah and stole him from among the king’s sons who were being put to death, and placed him and his nurse in the bedroom.  So they hid him from Athaliah, and he was not put to death.  3 So he was hidden with her in the house of the Lord six years, while Athaliah was reigning over the land.

4 Now in the seventh year Jehoiada sent and brought the captains of hundreds of the Carites and of the guard, and brought them to him in the house of the Lord.  Then he made a covenant with them and put them under oath in the house of the Lord, and showed them the king’s son.

…

13 When Athaliah heard the noise of the guard and of the people, she came to the people in the house of the Lord.  14 She looked and behold, the king was standing by the pillar, according to the custom, with the captains and the trumpeters beside the king;  and all the people of the land rejoiced and blew trumpets.  Then Athaliah tore her clothes and cried, “Treason! Treason!”  15 And Jehoiada the priest commanded the captains of hundreds who were appointed over the army and said to them, “Bring her out between the ranks, and whoever follows her put to death with the sword.”  For the priest said, “Let her not be put to death in the house of the Lord.”  16 So they seized her, and when she arrived at the horses’ entrance of the king’s house, she was put to death there.

17 Then Jehoiada made a covenant between the Lord and the king and the people, that they would be the Lord’s people, also between the king and the people.  18 All the people of the land went to the house of Baal, and tore it down;  his altars and his images they broke in pieces thoroughly, and killed Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars.  And the priest appointed officers over the house of the Lord. 19 He took the captains of hundreds and the Carites and the guards and all the people of the land;  and they brought the king down from the house of the Lord, and came by the way of the gate of the guards to the king’s house.  And he sat on the throne of the kings.  20 So all the people of the land rejoiced and the city was quiet.  For they had put Athaliah to death with the sword at the king’s house.”  2 Kings Chapter 11:  Verses 1-4 and 13-20.

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“When the righteous triumph, there is great glory,
But when the wicked rise, men hide themselves.”  Proverbs 28:2.

“When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices,
And when the wicked perish, there is joyful shouting.”  Proverbs 11:10.

“14 Shout for joy, O daughter of Zion!
Shout in triumph, O Israel!
Rejoice and exult with all your heart,
O daughter of Jerusalem!
15 The Lord has taken away His judgments against you,
He has cleared away your enemies.
The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst;
You will fear disaster no more.
16 In that day it will be said to Jerusalem:
“Do not be afraid, O Zion;
Do not let your hands fall limp.
17 “The Lord your God is in your midst,
A victorious warrior.
He will exult over you with joy,
He will be quiet in His love,
He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.”  Zephaniah 3:14-17.

“But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. ”  2 Corinthians 2:14.

Which doctrine is more consistent with “always leads us in triumph in Christ”? 

Other doctrine subject to fleeting and failing man’s work and man’s alleged free-will? 

Or, Reformed Doctrine subject to God and God’s work from “Unconditional Election” to “Limited Atonement” to “Irresistible Grace” to “Preservation of the Saints”, the “U”, “L”, “I”, and “P” of “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation?! 

Doesn’t “always leads us in triumph in Christ” remind you of Reformed Doctrine’s golden chain of salvation in Romans 8:29-30!  “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;  and these whom He predestined, He also called;  and these whom He called, He also justified;  and these whom He justified, He also glorified.”  Romans 8:29-30.

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Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | August 10, 2015

“For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

Today’s devotion comes from 2 Kings 10:12-36.  Here is a link to this Scripture – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Kings+10&version=NASB

I quote only the following verses.

“Thus Jehu eradicated Baal out of Israel.  However, as for the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel sin, from these Jehu did not depart, even the golden calves that were at Bethel and that were at Dan.  The Lord said to Jehu, “Because you have done well in executing what is right in My eyes, and have done to the house of Ahab according to all that was in My heart, your sons of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel.”  But Jehu was not careful to walk in the law of the Lord, the God of Israel, with all his heart; he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam, which he made Israel sin.

In those days the Lord began to cut off portions from Israel;  and Hazael defeated them throughout the territory of Israel:  from the Jordan eastward, all the land of Gilead, the Gadites and the Reubenites and the Manassites, from Aroer, which is by the valley of the Arnon, even Gilead and Bashan.”   2 Kings 10:28-33.

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Like Jehu, we may do well in certainly things.  We may do well enough to stay around for a while.  We may feel content.

But, like Jehu, we may not be careful to walk in the word of God with all our heart.  We may worship our own idols of our own heart.  And, we also may be tolerant of other people’s idols.

We notice that in those days of Jehu the LORD began to cut off fringe portions of Israel.  Likewise, in our days, we see fringe church goers leave the church.   

The fringe church goers who leave the church are like those in the parable of the sower in Matthew 13:20-21.  “The one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy;  yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away.”  Matthew 13:20-21.

We need to take care as to which doctrine is the foundation of our faith.

Is our doctrine based on ourselves (man), our own works, and our own alleged free-will?  

Or, is our doctrine based on God, God’s works, and God’s will for us? 

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock.  And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house;  and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock.  Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.  The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.”  Matthew 7:24-27.

In The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination, a book written by Loraine Boettner in 1932, in Chapter XXVII, there is a thought-provoking section titled “4. ONLY CALVINISM WILL STAND ALL TESTS”.

Here is a quote from it.

“We are living in a day in which we see practically all of the historic Protestant churches attacked by unbelief from within.  Many of them have already succumbed and the line of descent has invariably been from Calvinism to Arminianism, and from Arminianism to Modernism or Unitarianism;  and this latter state has proved to be self-destructive.  We firmly believe that the fortunes of Christianity are bound up with the fortunes of Calvinism.  Certainly the history of Modernism and Unitarianism in this country has proved that they are too weak to maintain themselves.  Where the principles of Calvinism are abandoned, there is a powerful tendency leading downward into the depths of Naturalism. Some have declared– and rightly we believe — that there is no consistent middle ground between Calvinism and Atheism. These distinctions which we have set forth between Calvinism and Arminianism are broad and important;  and until one has made a special study of these truths he does not realize what a large amount of heresy has been incorporated into the Arminian system.  If one system is true, the other is radically false.  As strict Calvinists we believe these doctrines to embody final truth and to be eternally right.  We believe this to be the only system of Christian truth which is taught in the Bible and the only one that can be logically and respectably defended before the world. …”

“Enter through the narrow gate;  for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.  For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”  Matthew 7:13-14.

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Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | August 9, 2015

“I will put my trust in You. In God, whose word I praise”

Today’s devotion comes from 2 Kings 10:1-11.

“Now Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria.  And Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria, to the rulers of Jezreel, the elders, and to the guardians of the children of Ahab, saying, “Now, when this letter comes to you, since your master’s sons are with you, as well as the chariots and horses and a fortified city and the weapons, select the best and fittest of your master’s sons, and set him on his father’s throne, and fight for your master’s house.”  But they feared greatly and said, “Behold, the two kings did not stand before him; how then can we stand?”  And the one who was over the household, and he who was over the city, the elders, and the guardians of the children, sent word to Jehu, saying, “We are your servants, all that you say to us we will do, we will not make any man king;  do what is good in your sight.”  Then he wrote a letter to them a second time saying, “If you are on my side, and you will listen to my voice, take the heads of the men, your master’s sons, and come to me at Jezreel tomorrow about this time.”  Now the king’s sons, seventy persons, were with the great men of the city, who were rearing them.  When the letter came to them, they took the king’s sons and slaughtered them, seventy persons, and put their heads in baskets, and sent them to him at Jezreel.  When the messenger came and told him, saying, “They have brought the heads of the king’s sons,” he said, “Put them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until morning.”  Now in the morning he went out and stood and said to all the people, “You are innocent; behold, I conspired against my master and killed him, but who killed all these?  Know then that there shall fall to the earth nothing of the word of the Lord, which the Lord spoke concerning the house of Ahab, for the Lord has done what He spoke through His servant Elijah.”  So Jehu killed all who remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, and all his great men and his acquaintances and his priests, until he left him without a survivor.”   2 Kings 10:1-11.

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“Know then that there shall fall to the earth nothing of the word of the Lord, which the Lord spoke concerning the house of Ahab, for the Lord has done what He spoke through His servant Elijah.”  Verse 10.

“Not one of the good promises which the Lord had made to the house of Israel failed;  all came to pass.”  Joshua 21:45.

“So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth;
It will not return to Me empty,
Without accomplishing what I desire,
And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.”  Isaiah 55:11.

We can trust God! 

“3 When I am afraid,
I will put my trust in You.
4 In God, whose word I praise,
In God I have put my trust;
I shall not be afraid.
What can mere man do to me?”  Psalm 56:3-4.

“7 The works of His hands are truth and justice;
All His precepts are sure.
8 They are upheld forever and ever;
They are performed in truth and uprightness.
9 He has sent redemption to His people;
He has ordained His covenant forever;
Holy and awesome is His name.”  Psalm 111:7-9.

“The sum of Your word is truth,
And every one of Your righteous ordinances is everlasting.”  Psalm 119:160.

“For when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, saying, “I will surely bless you and I will surely multiply you.”  And so, having patiently waited, he obtained the promise.  For men swear by one greater than themselves, and with them an oath given as confirmation is an end of every dispute.  In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us.  This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”  Hebrews 6:13-20.

“Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord;  seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.  For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.”  2 Peter 1:2-4.

Our hope is based on the precious and magnificent promises of God for our salvation:  “Unconditional Election”, “Limited Atonement”, “Irresistible Grace”, and “Preservation of the Saints”, the “U”, “L”, “I” and “P” of “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation.  “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;  and these whom He predestined, He also called;  and these whom He called, He also justified;  and these whom He justified, He also glorified.”  Romans 8:29-30.

“The Lord has bared His holy arm
In the sight of all the nations,
That all the ends of the earth may see
The salvation of our God.”  Isaiah 52:10.

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Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | August 7, 2015

The “Vengeance is Mine” Warning of God

Today’s devotion comes from 2 Kings Chapter 9.  Here is a link to this chapter – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Kings+9&version=NASB

I quote only the following verses.

“1 Now Elisha the prophet called one of the sons of the prophets and said to him, “Gird up your loins, and take this flask of oil in your hand and go to Ramoth-gilead.  2 When you arrive there, search out Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi, and go in and bid him arise from among his brothers, and bring him to an inner room.  3 Then take the flask of oil and pour it on his head and say, ‘Thus says the Lord, “I have anointed you king over Israel.”’  Then open the door and flee and do not wait.”

4 So the young man, the servant of the prophet, went to Ramoth-gilead.  5 When he came, behold, the captains of the army were sitting, and he said, “I have a word for you, O captain.”  And Jehu said, “For which one of us?”  And he said, “For you, O captain.”  6 He arose and went into the house, and he poured the oil on his head and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘I have anointed you king over the people of the Lord, even over Israel.  7 You shall strike the house of Ahab your master, that I may avenge the blood of My servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the Lord, at the hand of Jezebel.  8 For the whole house of Ahab shall perish, and I will cut off from Ahab every male person both bond and free in Israel.  9 I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah.  10 The dogs shall eat Jezebel in the territory of Jezreel, and none shall bury her.’”  Then he opened the door and fled.”  2 Kings 9:1-10.

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“Vengeance is Mine, and retribution,
In due time their foot will slip;
For the day of their calamity is near,
And the impending things are hastening upon them.’”  Deuteronomy 32:35.

“Rejoice, O nations, with His people;
For He will avenge the blood of His servants,
And will render vengeance on His adversaries,
And will atone for His land and His people.”  Deuteronomy 32:43.

“For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries.  Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.  How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?  For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.”  And again, “The Lord will judge His people.”  It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”  Hebrews 10:26-31.

Both the general “Vengeance is mine” attribute of God and the specific warning of what behavior will bring about God’s vengeance in Hebrews 10:26-32 should give us pause to consider how Christ’s blood could be considered as unclean and how Spirit of Grace could be insulted.

This warning is so severe that we should not have the primary motivation in considering this Scripture as to how it may offend some people.  But, rather, we should try to understand to whom it could apply, and we should warn them.

First of all, we can exclude one group.

This Hebrews 10:26-31 Scripture does not apply to the people totally outside of the church circle, although there are other Scriptures that apply judgment to them.  But, in this Scripture, that person did not receive the knowledge of truth as stated in Hebrews 10:26.  That person is not sanctified, so to speak, as is stated in Hebrews 10:29.  That person does not talk about the blood of Christ.  That person is not part of “His people” as stated in Hebrews 10:30. 

Rather, this Hebrews 10:26-31 Scripture could apply to Arminians who steadfastly continue to hang on to Arminianism despite receiving knowledge of the truth of Calvinism.  They received or were exposed to knowledge of the truth.  They were sanctified so to speak and at least superficially considered as part of “His people”, but they nevertheless by their false doctrine denied the power of the blood and insulted the Spirit of grace.

Arminians hang on to the false doctrine that Jesus died for everyone (“Universal Atonement” – The Third Point of Arminianism) and they love to speak about the power in Christ’s blood.  But, Arminians realize that their doctrine forces them to conclude that Christ’s blood (as they claim, shed for everyone) by itself did not save, “purchase”, or “redeem” anyone, because they admit that most people are not saved.  Arminians claim that it is up to man to generate his own faith through his own free will in order to make Christ’s blood effective to save.  They claim that the only difference between the saved and the unsaved is not Christ’s blood, because everyone gets the blood, but rather the only difference is whether or not a certain individual will generate his own faith through his own free will to make the blood effective.  According to this logic of these Arminians, man’s faith, not Christ’s blood, is the determining factor as to whether or not one will be saved.

Because Arminians talk about the blood all the time, it is true that in a sense they are trampling it, not in the sense of being hateful to it but in the sense of treating it as ineffective by itself, like the description in Matthew 5: 13:  “…if the salt has become tasteless, how will it be made salty again?  It is good for nothing anymore, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.”

Likewise, the Arminian can be compared to the one who insults the Spirit of Grace as is mentioned above in Hebrews 10:29.  Think of a situation in which your father graciously took you out to a very expensive and lavish dinner, paid for everything, and even left the tip in addition.  However, you did not think that the tip was sufficient so you add your $5 to the tip.  Wouldn’t your father be insulted that you thought that what he did was not enough?

Likewise, Arminians insult God by their doctrine that believes that the blood of Christ is not enough, they feel that they must add their own tip of faith.  The Calvinist thinks of faith as a gift of God;  the Arminian thinks that faith is their own gift to God which is necessary to secure salvation.

But, there is hope!
 
Reformed Doctrine properly holds a high view of what the blood of Christ effectively accomplished and properly gives all credit for their salvation to the Spirit of grace. 

Article 8.  For this was the sovereign counsel, and most gracious will and purpose of God the Father, that the quickening and saving efficacy of the most precious death of his Son should extend to all the elect, for bestowing upon them alone the gift of justifying faith, thereby to bring them infallibly to salvation:  that is, it was the will of God, that Christ by the blood of the cross, whereby he confirmed the new covenant, should effectually redeem out of every people, tribe, nation, and language, all those, and those only, who were from eternity chosen to salvation, and given to him by the Father;  that he should confer upon them faith, which together with all the other saving gifts of the Holy Spirit, he purchased for them by his death; should purge them from all sin, both original and actual, whether committed before or after believing; and having faithfully preserved them even to the end, should at last bring them free from every spot and blemish to the enjoyment of glory in his own presence forever.  SECOND HEAD OF DOCTRINE Of the Death of Christ, and the Redemption of Men Thereby of Canons of Dordt.

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Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | August 6, 2015

“His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature”

Today’s devotion comes from 2 Kings 8:16-29.  Here is a link to this Scripture – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Kings+8&version=NASB

I quote only the following verses.

“Now in the fifth year of Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel, Jehoshaphat being then the king of Judah, Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah became king.  He was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem.  He walked in the way of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab had done, for the daughter of Ahab became his wife;  and he did evil in the sight of the Lord.  However, the Lord was not willing to destroy Judah, for the sake of David His servant, since He had promised him to give a lamp to him through his sons always.”  2 Kings 8:16-19.

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Article 3.  By reason of these remains of indwelling sin, and the temptations of sin and of the world, those who are converted could not persevere in a state of grace, if left to their own strength.  But God is faithful, who having conferred grace, mercifully confirms, and powerfully preserves them herein, even to the end. FIFTH HEAD OF DOCTRINE Of the Perseverance of the Saints of Canons of Dordt.

Our hope is not based on our own works.  Our hope is not based on our own alleged free-will to choose Christ.  Our hope is not based on our own ability to resist temptations and stay steadfast to Christ.

Our hope is based on the promises of God such as quoted in Article 3 above which is “Preservation of the Saints”, the “P” of “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation.

“Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord;  seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.  For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.”  2 Peter 1:2-4.

“Not one of the good promises which the Lord had made to the house of Israel failed;  all came to pass.”  Joshua 21:45.

“For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes;  therefore also through Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us.  Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge.”  2 Corinthians 1:20-22.

“Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as referring to many, but rather to one, “And to your seed,” that is, Christ.  What I am saying is this:  the Law, which came four hundred and thirty years later, does not invalidate a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to nullify the promise.  For if the inheritance is based on law, it is no longer based on a promise;  but God has granted it to Abraham by means of a promise.”  Galatians 3:16-18.

“For when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, saying, “I will surely bless you and I will surely multiply you.”  And so, having patiently waited, he obtained the promise.  For men swear by one greater than themselves, and with them an oath given as confirmation is an end of every dispute.  In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us.  This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”  Hebrews 6:13-20.

“But now He (Christ) has obtained a more excellent ministry, by as much as He is also the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises.”  Hebrews 8:6.

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Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | August 5, 2015

“If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! … recognize the time of your visitation.”

Today’s devotion comes from 2 Kings 8:7-15.

“7 Then Elisha came to Damascus.  Now Ben-hadad king of Aram was sick, and it was told him, saying, “The man of God has come here.” 8 The king said to Hazael, “Take a gift in your hand and go to meet the man of God, and inquire of the Lord by him, saying, ‘Will I recover from this sickness?’”  9 So Hazael went to meet him and took a gift in his hand, even every kind of good thing of Damascus, forty camels’ loads;  and he came and stood before him and said, “Your son Ben-hadad king of Aram has sent me to you, saying, ‘Will I recover from this sickness?’”  10 Then Elisha said to him, “Go, say to him, ‘You will surely recover,’ but the Lord has shown me that he will certainly die.”  11 He fixed his gaze steadily on him until he was ashamed, and the man of God wept.  12 Hazael said, “Why does my lord weep?”  Then he answered, “Because I know the evil that you will do to the sons of Israel:  their strongholds you will set on fire, and their young men you will kill with the sword, and their little ones you will dash in pieces, and their women with child you will rip up.”  13 Then Hazael said, “But what is your servant, who is but a dog, that he should do this great thing?”  And Elisha answered, “The Lord has shown me that you will be king over Aram.”  14 So he departed from Elisha and returned to his master, who said to him, “What did Elisha say to you?”  And he answered, “He told me that you would surely recover.”  15 On the following day, he took the cover and dipped it in water and spread it on his face, so that he died.  And Hazael became king in his place.”  2 Kings 8:7-15.

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Today’s Scripture, particularly verse 12, reminds me of the following Luke 19:41-44.  Like Elisha wept, Jesus wept.  Like Elisha prophesied, Jesus prophesied.  Like Elisha prophesied of destruction, Jesus prophesied of destruction.

“When He approached Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, “If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace!  But now they have been hidden from your eyes.  For the days will come upon you when your enemies will throw up a barricade against you, and surround you and hem you in on every side, and they will level you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.”  Luke 19:41-44.

We want peace, so we should know “the things which make for peace”.  We want to recognize the time of our visitation when God comes close to us, so to speak.  

“17 Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel,

“I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit,
Who leads you in the way you should go.
18 “If only you had paid attention to My commandments!
Then your well-being would have been like a river,
And your righteousness like the waves of the sea.
19 “Your descendants would have been like the sand,
And your offspring like its grains;
Their name would never be cut off or destroyed from My presence.”

20 Go forth from Babylon!  Flee from the Chaldeans!
Declare with the sound of joyful shouting, proclaim this,
Send it out to the end of the earth;
Say, “The Lord has redeemed His servant Jacob.”
21 They did not thirst when He led them through the deserts.
He made the water flow out of the rock for them;
He split the rock and the water gushed forth.
22 “There is no peace for the wicked,” says the Lord.”  Isaiah 48:17-22.

“6 Seek the Lord while He may be found;
Call upon Him while He is near.
7 Let the wicked forsake his way
And the unrighteous man his thoughts;
And let him return to the Lord,
And He will have compassion on him,
And to our God,
For He will abundantly pardon.”  Isaiah 55:6-7.

“11 So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth;
It will not return to Me empty,
Without accomplishing what I desire,
And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.
12 “For you will go out with joy
And be led forth with peace;
The mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you,
And all the trees of the field will clap their hands.”  Isaiah 55:11-12.

In summary, if we seek peace and well-being, then we should diligently seek the LORD by reading God’s Word and seeking to understand God and His works.  We should forsake our own ways, and seek forgiveness and God’s ways.  

But, there are superficial “Christians”.  They are satisfied with “Cotton Candy Christianity”.  They are content of receiving the most simple and superficial lessons from Scripture usually about something they should do to have a better life.  They don’t diligently study Scripture to learn about God and God’s Works.  In the parable of the sower, they are like:  “The one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy;  yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away.  And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.”  Matthew 13:20-22.

Reformed Doctrine can help!

Reformed Doctrine reveals God and His Works from “Unconditional Election” through “Limited Atonement” through “Irresistible Grace” to “Preservation of Saints”, the “U”, “L”, “I” and “P” of “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation.

Reformed Doctrine causes us to trust ourselves less through “Total Depravity”, the “T” of “TULIP”.

Reformed Doctrine causes us to trust God more.

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Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | August 4, 2015

“O God, restore us And cause Your face to shine upon us, and we will be saved.”

Today’s devotion comes from 2 Kings 8:1-6.

“1 Now Elisha spoke to the woman whose son he had restored to life, saying, “Arise and go with your household, and sojourn wherever you can sojourn;  for the Lord has called for a famine, and it will even come on the land for seven years.”  2 So the woman arose and did according to the word of the man of God, and she went with her household and sojourned in the land of the Philistines seven years.  3 At the end of seven years, the woman returned from the land of the Philistines;  and she went out to appeal to the king for her house and for her field.  4 Now the king was talking with Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, saying, “Please relate to me all the great things that Elisha has done.”  5 As he was relating to the king how he had restored to life the one who was dead, behold, the woman whose son he had restored to life appealed to the king for her house and for her field.  And Gehazi said, “My lord, O king, this is the woman and this is her son, whom Elisha restored to life.”  6 When the king asked the woman, she related it to him.  So the king appointed for her a certain officer, saying, “Restore all that was hers and all the produce of the field from the day that she left the land even until now.”   2 Kings 8:1-6.

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The son of the Shunammite woman died.

But, there is hope! 

God restored his life to him.

The Shunammite woman lost her land after she abandoned it to live in the land of the Philistines for seven years during the famine in Israel.

But, there is hope! 

God restored her land to her.

We too face seemingly hopeless situations.

But, there is hope for us too! 

God restores. 

“He restores my soul;
He guides me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.”  Psalm 23:3.

“The Lord will sustain him upon his sickbed;
In his illness, You restore him to health.”  Psalm 41:3.

“Restore to me the joy of Your salvation
And sustain me with a willing spirit.”  Psalm 51:12.

“O God, restore us
And cause Your face to shine upon us, and we will be saved.”  Psalm 80:3.  See similar “chorus” verses Psalm 80:7 and Psalm 80:19.

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Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | August 3, 2015

“How lovely on the mountains Are the feet of him who brings good news, … Who announces salvation, And says to Zion, “Your God reigns!”

Today’s devotion comes from 2 Kings 7:3-20.  Here is a link to this Scripture – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Kings+7&version=NASB

I quote only the following verses.

“3 Now there were four leprous men at the entrance of the gate;  and they said to one another, “Why do we sit here until we die?  4 If we say, ‘We will enter the city,’ then the famine is in the city and we will die there;  and if we sit here, we die also.  Now therefore come, and let us go over to the camp of the Arameans.  If they spare us, we will live;  and if they kill us, we will but die.”  5 They arose at twilight to go to the camp of the Arameans;  when they came to the outskirts of the camp of the Arameans, behold, there was no one there.  6 For the Lord had caused the army of the Arameans to hear a sound of chariots and a sound of horses, even the sound of a great army, so that they said to one another, “Behold, the king of Israel has hired against us the kings of the Hittites and the kings of the Egyptians, to come upon us.”  7 Therefore they arose and fled in the twilight, and left their tents and their horses and their donkeys, even the camp just as it was, and fled for their life.  8 When these lepers came to the outskirts of the camp, they entered one tent and ate and drank, and carried from there silver and gold and clothes, and went and hid them;  and they returned and entered another tent and carried from there also, and went and hid them.

9 Then they said to one another, “We are not doing right.  This day is a day of good news, but we are keeping silent;  if we wait until morning light, punishment will overtake us.  Now therefore come, let us go and tell the king’s household.”

…

14 They took therefore two chariots with horses, and the king sent after the army of the Arameans, saying, “Go and see.”

15 They went after them to the Jordan, and behold, all the way was full of clothes and equipment which the Arameans had thrown away in their haste.  Then the messengers returned and told the king.

16 So the people went out and plundered the camp of the Arameans.  Then a measure of fine flour was sold for a shekel and two measures of barley for a shekel, according to the word of the Lord.  17 Now the king appointed the royal officer on whose hand he leaned to have charge of the gate;  but the people trampled on him at the gate, and he died just as the man of God had said, who spoke when the king came down to him.”  2 Kings Chapter 7:  Verses 3-9 and 14-17.

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The four lepers had an unpleasant appearance and did not do anything to scare away the Arameans, but they were lovely in the eyes of the people due to the good news they brought.

Likewise, we may appear plain and without significant personal accomplishments, but we can be lovely in the sight of God’s people, the elect, due to the good news we bring of salvation.

“7 How lovely on the mountains
Are the feet of him who brings good news,
Who announces peace
And brings good news of happiness,
Who announces salvation,
And says to Zion, “Your God reigns!”
8 Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices,
They shout joyfully together;
For they will see with their own eyes
When the Lord restores Zion.
9 Break forth, shout joyfully together,
You waste places of Jerusalem;
For the Lord has comforted His people,
He has redeemed Jerusalem.
10 The Lord has bared His holy arm
In the sight of all the nations,
That all the ends of the earth may see
The salvation of our God.”  Isaiah 52:7-10.

Other doctrine claims that they bring good news.  But, is it really good news for salvation to be dependent on man’s works or man’s alleged free-will?

We truly bring good news.  We bring good news of salvation dependent on God alone, “The salvation of our God”.  When we say “Your God reigns!”, we don’t mean that God only reigns over the moon and stars but will not interfere with man’s alleged free-will.  We mean that God also totally reigns over man and salvation.  We bring good news of “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation, which summarizes that God has done everything for our salvation, totally as gift for us by His grace alone, from “Unconditional Election” through “Limited Atonement” through “Irresistible Grace” through “Preservation of Saints”.

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Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | August 2, 2015

“Hasten to me, O God! You are my help and my deliverer; O Lord, do not delay.”

Today’s devotion comes from 2 Kings 6:24 to 2 Kings 7:1-2.

“24 Now it came about after this, that Ben-hadad king of Aram gathered all his army and went up and besieged Samaria.  25 There was a great famine in Samaria;  and behold, they besieged it, until a donkey’s head was sold for eighty shekels of silver, and a fourth of a kab of dove’s dung for five shekels of silver.  26 As the king of Israel was passing by on the wall a woman cried out to him, saying, “Help, my lord, O king!”  27 He said, “If the Lord does not help you, from where shall I help you?  From the threshing floor, or from the wine press?” 28 And the king said to her, “What is the matter with you?”  And she answered, “This woman said to me, ‘Give your son that we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.’  29 So we boiled my son and ate him;  and I said to her on the next day, ‘Give your son, that we may eat him’;  but she has hidden her son.”  30 When the king heard the words of the woman, he tore his clothes—now he was passing by on the wall—and the people looked, and behold, he had sackcloth beneath on his body.  31 Then he said, “May God do so to me and more also, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat remains on him today.”

32 Now Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him.  And the king sent a man from his presence;  but before the messenger came to him, he said to the elders, “Do you see how this son of a murderer has sent to take away my head?  Look, when the messenger comes, shut the door and hold the door shut against him.  Is not the sound of his master’s feet behind him?”  33 While he was still talking with them, behold, the messenger came down to him and he said, “Behold, this evil is from the Lord;  why should I wait for the Lord any longer?”

1 Then Elisha said, “Listen to the word of the Lord; thus says the Lord, ‘Tomorrow about this time a measure of fine flour will be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria.’”  2 The royal officer on whose hand the king was leaning answered the man of God and said, “Behold, if the Lord should make windows in heaven, could this thing be?”  Then he said, “Behold, you will see it with your own eyes, but you will not eat of it.”  2 Kings 6:24 to 2 Kings 7:1-2.

—————————-

As horrific and sad and apparently hopeless as the effects of the famine and siege had on Samaria when the king’s messenger arrived at the door of Elisha, there was a full deliverance one day later.

We too may be at our wit’s end with no hope in sight, but God can deliver us too that quickly.

“4 Let all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You;
And let those who love Your salvation say continually,
“Let God be magnified.”
5 But I am afflicted and needy;
Hasten to me, O God!
You are my help and my deliverer;
O Lord, do not delay.”  Psalm 70:4-5.

“O Lord, hear!  O Lord, forgive!  O Lord, listen and take action!  For Your own sake, O my God, do not delay, because Your city and Your people are called by Your name.”  Daniel 9:19.

“I bring near My righteousness, it is not far off;
And My salvation will not delay.
And I will grant salvation in Zion,
And My glory for Israel.”  Isaiah 46:13.

“6 The Lord of hosts will prepare a lavish banquet for all peoples on this mountain;
A banquet of aged wine, choice pieces with marrow,
And refined, aged wine.
7 And on this mountain He will swallow up the covering which is over all peoples,
Even the veil which is stretched over all nations.
8 He will swallow up death for all time,
And the Lord God will wipe tears away from all faces,
And He will remove the reproach of His people from all the earth;
For the Lord has spoken.
9 And it will be said in that day,
“Behold, this is our God for whom we have waited that He might save us.
This is the Lord for whom we have waited;
Let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation.”  Isaiah 25:6-9.

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Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | July 31, 2015

“If God is for us, who is against us?” – “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good”

Today’s devotion comes from 2 Kings 6:8-23.  Here is a link to this Scripture – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Kings+6&version=NASB

I quote only the following verses.

“15 Now when the attendant of the man of God had risen early and gone out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was circling the city.  And his servant said to him, “Alas, my master!  What shall we do?”  16 So he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”  17 Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.”  And the Lord opened the servant’s eyes and he saw;  and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.  18 When they came down to him, Elisha prayed to the Lord and said, “Strike this people with blindness, I pray.”  So He struck them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.  19 Then Elisha said to them, “This is not the way, nor is this the city;  follow me and I will bring you to the man whom you seek.”  And he brought them to Samaria.

20 When they had come into Samaria, Elisha said, “O Lord, open the eyes of these men, that they may see.”  So the Lord opened their eyes and they saw;  and behold, they were in the midst of Samaria.  21 Then the king of Israel when he saw them, said to Elisha, “My father, shall I kill them?  Shall I kill them?”  22 He answered, “You shall not kill them.  Would you kill those you have taken captive with your sword and with your bow?  Set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink and go to their master.”  23 So he prepared a great feast for them;  and when they had eaten and drunk he sent them away, and they went to their master.  And the marauding bands of Arameans did not come again into the land of Israel.”  2 Kings 6:15-23.

————————-

We see the miracle of God opening eyes.  We see the miracle of God shutting eyes.  We see the faith in God that declares:  “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”  We see the merciful action (of preparing a feast for enemies – see Romans 12:20-21) that could only proceed from this faith.  In summary, we see God causing all things working together for the good of Israel (“And the marauding bands of Arameans did not come again into the land of Israel.”)

“What then shall we say to these things?  If God is for us, who is against us?”  Romans 8:31.

“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”  Romans 8:28.

We tend to think of this promise of God causing all things to work together for good only in terms of God delivering us from some trouble, but the very next two verses turn our attention to the most important “good” that God causes all things to achieve (which is our salvation).

“For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;  and these whom He predestined, He also called;  and these whom He called, He also justified;  and these whom He justified, He also glorified.”  Romans 8:29-30.

This “golden chain of salvation” is the heart of “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation.  God causes all things to work together for good for His elect (“For those whom He foreknew”) which is “Unconditional Election”, the “U” of “TULIP”.  And, the “good” toward which God causes all things to work is the salvation for these unconditional elect (“He also glorified”), which is “Preservation of the Saints” to salvation, the “P” of “TULIP”.

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