Growing in Grace

“And he (Judas Iscariot) cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself” (Matthew 27:5).

Probably most of you know the sad story of Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples of the Lord Jesus. He was not a true believer, and thought that he could get some money by showing the chief priests and scribes where to find the Lord Jesus and arrest Him. He thought that he would get his money, while the Lord Jesus would simply slip away and not get caught. But when he saw that the Lord Jesus was condemned to be crucified, he threw down the money and went out and committed suicide. It is an awful thing when someone does this, yet several people killed themselves in the Bible. King Saul fell on his sword, while a man named Ahithophel hanged himself too.

Most of my life I lived less than an hour’s drive from Niagara Falls, and we often took visitors to see it. Right where the water goes over the falls, there is a strong fence at the side of the road, with a concrete base and strong metal bars above it. People can safely stand there, take pictures, and look at the falls through binoculars. Normally there are security men there, and if anyone even climbs on the concrete, they tell them to get down. But one time when we were visiting at the falls, there was a young woman on the other side of the fence, sitting on the concrete, right at the edge of the falls. I could tell by the look on her face that she was thinking of jumping to her death about 160 feet (about 50 meters) below. A few other people spoke to her, but she paid no attention to them. I went into the souvenir shop nearby to ask for some help, but they did not seem very interested. They said, “This happens all the time; she won’t really jump!”

I came back, wondering what to do, when a younger man, much bigger than I was, came over. He did not speak out loud to me, but made some hand gestures to indicate that he would save her, so I quietly moved out of the way. Then he carefully got behind the woman where she could not see him, quickly reached over the fence, grabbed her with both arms, and pulled her to safety. As you may imagine, she fought back, kicking and screaming, but he was strong enough to hold her. Eventually she settled down, and a few minutes later the police came and took her away.

She was saved that time, but I could not help but wonder what her real problem was, that she wanted to jump off the cliff and kill herself. I wished I had had a chance to tell her about the Lord Jesus.

If poor Judas had only repented and asked for forgiveness, he could have gotten saved. But although he felt that he had done wrong, he did not repent, and he is one man whom we know went to hell. You and I should not even think of killing ourselves if things are going badly for us. The Lord loves us, and is willing to help us.

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Growing in Grace Blog by Bible Truth Publishers

“Jehovah is exalted; for He dwelleth on high … and He shall be the stability of thy times” (Isaiah 33:5-6 JND).

The expression “times” is often used in English to describe a period of time that is characterized by certain things. For example, we might speak of the “the times of Elijah,” which would define the character of the days when Elijah lived. Some of you are probably familiar with a hymn where every verse starts out, “Our times are in Thy hands.” Here in our verse we are told that the Lord shall be the stability of our times. Of course this was originally spoken to the nation of Israel, but you and I can apply it to ourselves.

As I write this is 2022, we are certainly living in very mixed-up times, and things are not very stable. The Covid virus has upset all of our lives, and we hardly know from day to day what will happen. Regulations about the virus change rapidly, and everyone’s ability to travel has been disrupted. Supply chains for various things are not the same as they were, and often things we expect to find in stores are not available to us. Children are having to study at home instead of going to school, and people are often not allowed to visit even close relatives in the hospital. In some countries many people are out of work, and find it hard to buy food. On top of all this, various nations are trying to make themselves stronger and more important, and are causing trouble for other nations.

In the middle of all this, we might be tempted to “throw up our hands,” and to say, “What is the use? We cannot be sure of anything today!” Some people are reacting like this, and some are so discouraged that they are committing suicide. But here in our verse we are reminded that the Lord is the stability of our times. He never changes, and what He has said in His Word will surely come to pass. He has promised to look after us all the way home to heaven, and “all the promises of God in Him are yea, and in Him Amen, unto the glory of God by us” (2 Corinthians 1:20). Let us not be discouraged or upset by the changes in this world. Rather, let us draw closer to the One who never changes. We can rest on what He says.

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Growing in Grace Blog by Bible Truth Publishers

“The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid [young goat]; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling [fat domestic animal, like a young cow] together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox” (Isaiah 11:6-7).

In the world in which we live today, many animals prey upon other animals, and eat them as their food. Some animals are called herbivores, for they eat grass, leaves, and other vegetation. But others are carnivores, for they eat meat, and prey on other animals. This is part of the effect of sin in this world, and although it is the way the world operates today, it is not according to the mind of God.

After we are called home to be with the Lord at His coming for us, the Lord Jesus will come to judge this world. After the judgment is completed, God will set up what is called the millennium. This is a time of a thousand years when the Lord Jesus will rule as King over this world, and will have His rightful place. He was rejected when He came the first time, but when He comes back again in judgment, He will come in power and glory, and take the place that belongs to Him.

When this happens, quite a few things will change in this world, and we see one of them in our verses today. Animals will not fight with one another, or prey on one another, in the millennium. Today, a wolf will always attack a lamb, and a leopard will attack a goat, but in the millennium they will live together. A lion will always attack a calf or a cow, but in that day the lion will eat straw (or grass) like the ox. Today the teeth of carnivores like lions, wolves, and leopards are adapted for eating meat, but in that day they will change, and be fit for eating grass and straw. Hawks and eagles will not go after squirrels and mice, and cats will not catch birds. Instead of being afraid of wild animals, a little child will be able to lead them.

What a wonderful time awaits this earth, when the Lord Jesus comes and reigns! You and I will be heaven, but we will be able to see and enjoy all this wonderful blessing on the earth.

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Growing in Grace Blog by Bible Truth Publishers

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder; and His name is called Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Father of Eternity, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and of peace there shall be no end” (Isaiah 9:6-7 JND).

There are many verses in the Old Testament that tell us details about the coming into this world of the Lord Jesus, and these two verses are some of them. Hundreds of years before the Lord Jesus was born, Isaiah wrote these words by inspiration. That means that the Holy Spirit led him to write them. There are several important details to notice in these verses.

First of all, it says that unto us a child “is born,” but unto us a Son “is given.” Why is this? It is because the Lord Jesus was always the Son of God, away back in a past eternity. He never became the Son of God; He was always in that relationship with God His Father. But He had never been a child before. He became a man when He was born into this world, and in that sense He was born.

Secondly, we see five special names that the Lord Jesus has. Certainly He is wonderful, for everything He did, and everything He is still doing, fits the definition of the word “wonderful.” The word “wonderful” means something that is excellent and admirable. But then He is also called “counsellor.” That means that He is able to give us good advice in any situation. Others may give us advice, but nothing is as good as the advice the Lord gives us.

Next, He is called “the mighty God.” Although the Lord Jesus became a man, He is God, and always was God. He has all the power of God, and even when He was here in this world, He was just as much God as He was before He became a man. Again, we cannot understand how He could be God and man in one person, but He was. And He is still a man! He will remain a man for all eternity, in order to enjoy our company.

Then He is called something that we cannot totally understand, and you will notice that I have used the J. N. Darby translation. He is called “the Father of eternity.” How could someone be the Father of eternity? We cannot imagine anything like that, for we cannot really “wrap our minds around” the idea of eternity. Yet this is a name of the Lord Jesus.

Finally, He is called the “Prince of peace.” This is a beautiful name, for His work on Calvary’s cross has made peace with God for us. Eventually His work will bring peace to this world for all eternity! This is the only place in the Bible where this name of the Lord Jesus is used, but how beautifully it describes who He is and what He has done.

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“In all things shewing thyself a pattern [example] of good works” (Titus 2:7).

No matter how old you are, there is someone younger who is looking up to you! I have seen this played out in the meeting room after meeting as the children run around and play together. One little boy may just be six months older than the others, and yet the smaller ones run behind him and usually let him lead. What kind of example are you setting for others younger, and sometimes even older than you are?

My father told me this story about himself when he was a young boy. He walked into the living room of their home one day, and there was his older brother sitting in a chair, reading his Bible. My father looked at him, and then asked, “Are you memorizing your Sunday school verse?” The answer was, “No.” “Well, then are you answering your Scripture Searcher questions?” Again, “No.” But then his brother explained, “I’m just reading my Bible.”

Just reading his Bible! My father never forgot that, and it had an influence on his life. His brother was only four years older than he was, and it was a good example. If the older brother had come to him and told him one day that he should be reading his Bible more, I do not think it would have had nearly the impact on his life. We lead and influence others by example. We never know when others may be watching and imitating what we do. But, as well, it may be something that should not be copied, as we can be an influence for bad as well as good.

In our verse today, we are told to be an example of good works in all things. If our daily prayer is that we want to be more like our Lord Jesus, then all of this will fall into place. He will make you a blessing to others by the way you walk each day. You will not know until we get to heaven how many have been blessed, and how many lives changed, through your example.

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“What could have been done more to My vineyard, that I have not done in it? Wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes?” (Isaiah 5:4).

When I was growing up, there was an older brother who used to tell us that this verse was the “key verse” to the whole of the Old Testament. What did he mean? He meant that this verse summarized all of God’s dealings with man in the Old Testament. Let me explain.

In all of the Old Testament, God was testing man, to see if there was any good in him, in his natural sinful condition. He tested man in various ways, and no matter what the Lord did, man always failed. It was no use; he was a sinful creature, and nothing good could come out of him. Of course the Lord knew ahead of time that sinful man could not do anything good toward Him, but God did this testing to prove to man that he was thoroughly sinful.

In the Old Testament the nation of Israel was always looked at as God’s vineyard. Perhaps you have seen a vineyard with grapes growing in rows. As I have told you before, I grew up on a fruit farm, and we grew grapes. The vines had been properly grafted, and we cultivated them, put manure on them, and pruned them. They always produced good bunches of grapes.

However, in the fence rows between the fields on that farm there were wild grapes. You could eat them, but they were very small and rather sour. No one would ever buy them at a market, and we left them for the wild animals to eat.

You can imagine how upset we would have been if we had cultivated, fertilized, and pruned our good grapevines in our vineyard, and then found that they produced only wild grapes! We would wonder whatever happened, yet that is what God said about all His testing of man. The Lord did everything possible to give sinful man a chance to produce something good for Him, but nothing worked. Man produced only wild grapes.

There is only one way we can produce something good for God, and that is to have a new life in Christ. In order to give us this new life, the Lord Jesus had to come and die on the cross. Now He wants to give new life to whoever will come to Him.

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Growing in Grace Blog by Bible Truth Publishers

“The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness [pride] of men shall be bowed down, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day” (Isaiah 2:11).

As you all can see, this verse is from the book of Isaiah, and occurs early in the book, in the second chapter. The same verse (vs. 17) is repeated in this chapter, but with a slight variation. In verse 11 it is the lofty (high) looks of man that are humbled; it could read “the lofty eyes of man shall be humbled.” God hates a proud look, and in Proverbs 6:17 we read that “a proud look” heads the list of seven things that the Lord hates.

However, a proud look only shows what is going on inside the person, for we do not have a proud look unless there is pride inside. Later in verse 17 of Isaiah 2, we find that the Lord gets to the root of the problem, for it says that “the loftiness (pride) of man shall be bowed down.” Eventually only the Lord will be exalted, which is the way it should be.

Today we see man doing his best to honor himself, and to have the first place. As I write this in 2022, the various nations in the world are all trying to be recognized as being powerful, and worthy of recognition. Some smaller nations are spending a lot of their budget on military power while their people go hungry. Others are trying to get control of certain areas of the world, even to the point of invading other nations that are close to them. Everyone wants power and influence.

But there is a day coming when the Lord Jesus will come back to this world in judgment, and when He takes control, our verse for today will be carried out. All the pride of man will disappear, and the Lord Jesus will be exalted. In that day, you and I will already be with Him, and share that glory.

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Growing in Grace Blog by Bible Truth Publishers

“Love is strong as death … Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it” (Song of Solomon 8:6-7).

Love is a very strong force; it is certainly one of the strongest emotions among human beings. Sad to say, hate is also a strong emotion, and both love and hate have been responsible for making people do things they might otherwise not have done. Sometimes love has made people give up their lives to save others.

When I worked in the emergency department of my hospital, a very sad accident happened, yet it showed how much a husband loved his wife. The couple were traveling on the freeway and had a flat tire near the hospital. After pulling over onto the shoulder, they had opened their trunk to get the spare tire out. Suddenly they heard two loud blasts from an air horn on a big truck, and when they turned around, they saw that the truck had lost a wheel, which was coming straight for them at 60-70 mph. (100-110 km. hr.). The wife froze with fear and seemed unable to move.

Instead of jumping to safety himself, the husband gave his wife a violent shove, and sent her tumbling into the ditch. But then the wheel from the truck struck him, killing him instantly. They brought him to the hospital, but there was nothing we could do for him. He had died to save his wife. She was not hurt at all, except for slight bruise or two.

It was a heroic act for that husband, and his wife will always remember that he died in order to save her. But there is One who did much more than that for us. The Lord Jesus’ love was stronger than all the mighty waters of judgment that He bore for our sins. He could say, “All Thy waves and Thy billows are gone over Me” (Psalm 42:7). Yet He gladly went through it all, so that He could have you and me with Him in heaven. He made a way so that we could be saved, but He had to suffer and die in order to do it.

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“Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out” (Song of Solomon 4:16).

I have mentioned previously that I grew up on a fruit farm. It was always beautiful to see the blossoms come out on the various fruit trees in the spring. In our area they usually came out about mid-May, and the whole orchard would be white with the pretty blossoms. We used to like to go for a walk in the orchard and smell them. Each kind of fruit tree had a distinct smell.

Sometimes, when we stood on the edge of the orchard, and a nice breeze was blowing, we could really smell the fragrance from so many trees in bloom. But here in our verse we find both the north wind and the south wind mentioned. The north wind is usually strong and perhaps cold, while the south wind is often softer, and warmer. We liked the south wind in the spring, but we did not like the north wind, for it sometimes blew so strongly that it actually blew some of the blossoms off the trees.

Why does Solomon mention both the north and south winds? It is because we are like the garden of the Lord, or that orchard with the blossoms. The Lord sometimes allows a strong wind in our life — perhaps an unhappy experience that we wish we did not have to endure. But that strong wind makes the fragrance flow out to the Lord, for often we learn more by a difficult experience than we do when everything is going well.

But the Lord allows the south wind too. He knows when we need some encouragement, and a time when things go well for us. Then the nice smell of His garden (us!) comes from the south wind too. The Lord can use difficult times in our lives, and also easy times, to allow us to give some enjoyment to Him.

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“Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vineyards; for our vineyards are in bloom” (Song of Solomon 2:15 JND).

In the verses just before this one, Solomon has been describing the way everything starts to grow in the spring — the flowers appear, the birds sing, and the plants begin to bloom. Then he gives us a warning. The little foxes come out in the spring too, and when the vines begin to bloom, those little foxes nip off the new buds. Then, of course, no grapes will form, for the buds are gone. Foxes do not normally eat buds from plants, as they feed on mice, squirrels, wild rabbits, etc. They nip off the buds just to be mischievous.

The little foxes are like the small temptations in our lives. They may not seem like much, but they spoil our enjoyment of the Lord, and spoil our ability to bear fruit for the Him. We need to be careful to catch those “little foxes” before they cause real trouble in our lives.

When I say small temptations, what am I talking about? We are talking about that invitation to go somewhere that you know your parents would not agree with. Or that temptation to go and buy something that you know would not please the Lord. Perhaps it would be looking at something on the internet that you know is sinful. Or maybe reading something that brings evil thoughts into your mind. These are all like those “little foxes” that spoil our fellowship with the Lord.

These temptations may seem like small things, and Satan may persuade us that it does not matter if we give in to them now and them. But just as a grape vine can be spoiled when a fox nips off the new buds, so you and I can ruin our Christian walk by allowing even small sins in our life.

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