"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT ANGER, PRIDE AND HUMILITY"

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT ANGER, PRIDE AND HUMILITY"

Proverbs 29:22 “An angry man stirs up strife, And a furious man abounds in transgression.”

Proverbs 29:23 “A man’s pride will bring him low, But the humble in spirit will retain honor.”

Taken from today's reading in "The One Year Bible”.

1. Angry or hot tempered men start fights.

Proverbs 29:22 “An angry man stirs up strife, And a furious man abounds in transgression.”

Starting fights is only one thing angry men do. 

That's bad enough, but there is more said here.

They also abound in transgression.

Or they get into all kinds of sin.

So, anger is seen here as being a root cause for two things.

Fights and lot's of sin.

Anger is very dangerous.

I'm certain we can all attest to the facts spoken of here.

2. Pride is another big problem we have to deal with.

Proverbs 29:23 “A man’s pride will bring him low, But the humble in spirit will retain honor.”

Pride or conceit will bring a man low.

Low here means humiliation.

When men lift themselves up, they wind up going down.

It's something that God has built into life.

Pride brings us low. 

Pride by the way was the devil's problem, and look what trouble it got him into.

He was one of God's primary angels, and in pride he rebelled and was separated from God forever.

3. Humility in Spirit is a great virtue to pursue.

Proverbs 29:23 “A man’s pride will bring him low, But the humble in spirit will retain honor.”

Humility brings honor 

What is humility anyway?

It comes from a word meaning low or down, abase, put lower. 

And it simply means low, basest, low in condition of spirit. 

It's an attitude that God honors.

It's the opposite of pride.

It's simply seeing yourself as you really are.

God blesses the humble in heart.

Questions:

1. Do you ever think much about these two things, anger, and pride?

2. Isn't it true that most of us have had some experience with anger?

3. And, isn't it true that most of us would like to be more humble?

4. Do you know that God will help you to deal with anger, and to help you be humble?

A Prayer:

Father, thank You for sending Jesus who is the model of humility for us. We know that pride gets us into lot's of trouble and sin, and that humility opens the doorway for grace. So, Lord, help us turn away from the sin and sins associated with anger, and lead us in the ways of humility, in Jesus’ name, amen.

Pastor Bob Grenier

Calvary Chapel Visalia.

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT HOPING IN THE LORD"

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT HOPING IN THE LORD"

Psalm 130:1 “Out of the depths I have cried to You, O LORD;”

Psalm 130:2 “Lord, hear my voice! Let Your ears be attentive To the voice of my supplications.”

Psalm 130:3 “If You, LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?”

Psalm 130:4 “But there is forgiveness with You, That You may be feared.”

Psalm 130:5 “I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, And in His word I do hope.”

Psalm 130:6 “My soul waits for the Lord More than those who watch for the morning-- Yes, more than those who watch for the morning.”

Psalm 130:7 “O Israel, hope in the LORD; For with the LORD there is mercy, And with Him is abundant redemption.”

Psalm 130:8 “And He shall redeem Israel From all his iniquities.”

Taken from today's reading in "The One Year Bible”.

1. God hears us when we cry to Him out of the depths.

Psalm 130:1 “Out of the depths I have cried to You, O LORD;”

Psalm 130:2 “Lord, hear my voice! Let Your ears be attentive To the voice of my supplications.”

David found himself in the depths, just like we do.

He cried to the Lord and the Lord heard him, just as He does you also.

God is very attentive to us, He listens, He hears us when we pray.

2. God does not mark our iniquities (He forgives and forgets them).

Psalm 130:3 “If You, LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?”

Psalm 130:4 “But there is forgiveness with You, That You may be feared.”

David understood that God does not keep a record of our sins. 

If God did, who would ever survive?

Instead, what God does is He forgives. He offers this to us. 

He does this (forgiving) so He may be feared.

3. We can wait upon the Lord and Hope in His Word.

Psalm 130:5 “I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, And in His word I do hope.”

Psalm 130:6 “My soul waits for the Lord More than those who watch for the morning-- Yes, more than those who watch for the morning.”

Here is something we can do, and God calls us to it.

Like David, we can wait on the Lord. or wait for Him.

He is not on our schedule, but on His. 

God is faithful and never early or late, but always right on time.

We not only can wait but we can hope in the Lord.

The two really go together. 

David uses the example of those who are waiting for the morning to come.

They know it will come, it always does.

We can wait and hope in the Lord, He always comes through.

4. We wait for our God who is so merciful and is our redeemer, and who will redeem us.

Psalm 130:7 “O Israel, hope in the LORD; For with the LORD there is mercy, And with Him is abundant redemption.”

Psalm 130:8 “And He shall redeem Israel From all his iniquities.”

Again, a call to hope in the Lord.

The reason? Because He is so merciful.

Because He is our redeemer.

Because of His unfailing love.

Because of the overflowing supply of salvation. 

God Himself is the one who will free us from every kind of sin.

Questions:

1. Aren't these great and encouraging verses?

2. Can you see the many great truths about our God?

3. Do you need to talk with Him today about your troubles?

4. Do you know He will hear You and help You?

5. Do you have some particular sin that you want to repent of and be set free from?

6. Will you come to God today, believe what His Word says, and ask Him to set you free?

7. Do you believe He can do it? Will You ask Him right now? And will You then obey Him as He leads You?

A Prayer:

Father, the Psalms are such a blessing to our souls. They speak to us so deeply. They encourage us so much.

Thank You for giving them to us. Perhaps they are read more than any other books in the Bible.

When we read them, something always seems to come through and hit home with us.

Our prayer is that You would find us not just listening, but responding in obedience to what You are telling us to do.

Obedience is like a doorway that when walked through takes us into a beautiful garden. That garden is a deeper walk with You. So, Lord, show us the doors You want us to walk through, and we will do it. Help us to follow through, Lord.

In Your powerful name we pray, Amen.

Pastor Bob Grenier

Calvary Chapel Visalia

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT GOD'S PROMISE TO THOSE WHO OVERCOME"

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT GOD'S PROMISE TO THOSE WHO OVERCOME"

Taken from today's reading in "The One Year Bible”.

Revelation 2:25 “But hold fast what you have till I come.”

Revelation 2:26 “And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations—“

Revelation 2:27 “He shall rule them with a rod of iron; They shall be dashed to pieces like the potter’s vessels’--as I also have received from My Father;”

Revelation 2:28 “and I will give him the morning star.”

Revelation 2:29 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

1. Jesus calls His people to hold fast, or tightly, to what we have.

Revelation 2:25 “But hold fast what you have till I come.”

These words were spoken to the believers in the church of Thyatira.

This was a church that was being attacked with sexual immorality.

And not much was being done to stand against this sin.

Jesus warned them of the consequences of allowing this teaching to continue.

But, He also exhorted, or instructed, the faithful who were not interested in this sin, to stand fast.

He says to hold fast, or to hold tightly to what they had.

We also are to simply hold fast to the Word of God until Jesus comes.

This is how we stand against satan’s attacks. 

Stick with the Word of God with all you have.

2. Jesus make a promise to him who overcomes, or are victorious.

Revelation 2:26 “And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations—“

Revelation 2:27 “He shall rule them with a rod of iron; They shall be dashed to pieces like the potter’s vessels’--as I also have received from My Father;”

A promise is made by Jesus to those who overcome, or are victorious.

For the person who keeps His works until the end the future is very very bright.

The over comers will rule with Christ during His 1000 year reign on the earth. 

Jesus is going to rule the entire earth with a rod of iron. 

He will not allow evil to do it's thing while He reigns.

3. An additional promise to God's people who overcome.

Revelation 2:28 “and I will give him the morning star.”

Revelation 2:29 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

Here the Lord is promising to give us the morning star.

What is the morning star?

I'm not quite sure.

But, Jesus is using an earthly analogy that we can understand.

The morning star is the first start to appear each morning after the dark night.

We are living in a dark night in this world. 

It's a world where light is not evident but darkness is ruling.

That is all going to change.

And Jesus is going to give His over comers this Morning Star.

Also, Jesus exhorts those who have an ear to use it by hearing what the Holy Spirit is saying to the churches.

That applies to us today.

The Holy Spirit is speaking through God's Word to those who are part of the body of Christ.

Not everyone really chooses to listen.

That's why Jesus gives this exhortation.

Imagine, God asking you to listen to Him.

How kind of Him.

Some Questions:

1. Do you ever think about the 1000 year reign of Christ on the earth?

2. Do you know the Bible is very clear about the fact that this is going to happen?

3. Do you know that God wants you to overcome and rule with Him at that time?

4. Do you know that you can overcome if you simply do what Jesus said to do?

5. What He said to do was to "hold fast”, that is to the truth of Jesus in the Word of God.

A Prayer:

Father, thank You for the wonderful hope we have in Jesus Christ. It's a living hope we have right now, and into eternity.

Can you imagine if you will what it will be like to rule and reign with Jesus during His kingdom on the earth for 1000 years? Lord, it's such a wonderful future that You have in store for us. And thank You that You have promised to make us overcomes through our simple faith in Jesus Christ. He is the great overcomer who makes us overcome as we trust in Him. In His name, amen.

Pastor Bob Grenier

Calvary Chapel Visalia

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT SALVATION"

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT SALVATION"

Joel 2:32 “And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the LORD Shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, As the LORD has said, Among the remnant whom the LORD calls.”

Taken from today's reading in "The One Year Bible”.

1. God is telling us what will come to pass.

Joel 2:32 “And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the LORD Shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, As the LORD has said, Among the remnant whom the LORD calls.”

God is the God of salvation.

Even in the Old Testament He was the God of Salvation.

He is the God of salvation today.

He will be the God of salvation during the tribulation.

He will be the God of salvation during His 1000 year reign on the earth.

God is the savior.

2. God tells us that whoever calls on the name of the LORD Shall be saved.

Joel 2:32 “And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the LORD Shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, As the LORD has said, Among the remnant whom the LORD calls.”

Whoever wants to be saved can be.

Whoever will ask God to save them shall be saved.

Whoever the person is, no matter what sins they have committed shall be saved if they ask God to save them.

To call upon the name of the LORD is to ask God to save you from your sins.

You can be sure He will save you because He has promised to do so.

To be saved, means to be delivered from sin and it's consequence.

You are no longer guilty of your sins, for they are forgiven you if you have asked God to save you.

You also will not perish in hell, but are now bound for heaven because of His saving You.

Some Questions:

1. Are you personally saved?

2. Are you absolutely sure you are saved?

3. Who do you know that needs to be saved?

4. Will you pray for them to be saved?

5. Will you ask God to empower you and open a door to share Christ with them?

6. Do you know that God will use you in such a way if You ask Him to do so?

A Prayer:

Father, You are the God who saves. You have promised to do so. You have delivered on Your promise innumerable times. 

Most of the people reading this right now can attest to Your faithfulness to save. And we ask, Lord, that You fill us with a constraining sense of Your love and the need people have to be saved, and give us power to be bold and not hold back from telling others what You can and will do for them if they will but ask. We ask these things because we believe them to be in Your will. Amen.

Pastor Bob Grenier

Calvary Chapel Visalia

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT WHAT GOD IS ABLE TO DO FOR US"

"SHARING HOPE THROUGH SCRIPTURE ABOUT WHAT GOD IS ABLE TO DO FOR US"

Jude 1:24 “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, And to present you faultless Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,”

1. We see here what God is able to do:

Jude 1:24 “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, And to present you faultless Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,”

Is anything too hard for the Lord?

Of course not.

In fact, He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we can ask of think.

Jude lists here some of what God is going to do.

2. God is able to keep you from stumbling.

Jude 1:24 “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, And to present you faultless Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,”

Isn't this wonderful

God is able to keep you from stumbling.

Stumbling means to keep you from falling.

It means to not stumble.

And, it means standing firm, exempt from falling.

3. God is going to present you faultless to the Father.

Jude 1:24 “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, And to present you faultless Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,”

When it's all said and done, here's what's going to happen to us.

This is what God is going to do for us.

He is going to present us to God. 

Jesus is going to do this. 

Imagine that for a moment.

Jesus will present you to the Father one day.

4. Jesus will do this with exceeding joy.

Jude 1:24 “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, And to present you faultless Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,”

Here's how this reads in the NLT:

Jude 1:24 “And now, all glory to God, who is able to keep you from stumbling, and who will bring you into his glorious presence innocent of sin and with great joy.”

Notice that we will be presented innocent of sin.

And Jesus will have great joy in presenting us.

And guess who else will have great joy?

I'm thinking of us personally.

Can you imagine the joy we will have at that moment.

Don't you think the Father will also have great joy?

How about the Holy Spirit?

And, what about the angels?

And, finally, how about all the people who are in heaven?

Don't you think they will be thrilled to see you arrive? 

I'm certain they will.

Some Questions:

1. Do you think much about heaven?

2. Will you give it a try today, to ask God help you think about where you are going?

3. Don't you think God is thinking about you arriving in heaven?

4. Will you take a moment to actually enjoy rejoicing in the fact that you are on your way to heaven?

A Prayer:

Oh Father, these truths take our breath away. They make our hearts go quiet. And, they give us a peace, and a joy.

What a day, oh happy day as the song goes. We are going to heaven. We are on our way. We will arrive safe and sound.

Presented to the Father by Jesus, free of sin, and with great joy. Thank You, Lord. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Pastor Bob Grenier

Calvary Chapel Visalia