The video shown below is the devotional from September 17th, 2020. The full text of the devotional follows the video.
Calvary Chapel Rosarito – English Devotional by Gary Wiram
WELCOME
Good morning. I am Gary Wiram and it’s my pleasure to welcome you to Today’s Good News!
INTRODUCTION
Currently, we’re teaching through the first chapter of Proverbs. As a reminder, this section of Proverbs is aimed at providing a basic summary contrasting wisdom and foolishness. Today, we will be looking at Proverbs 1:29. Before we do that, let me tell you a non-Scriptural story that may help set the stage for today’s topic.
An 86 year-old man was out in his fishing boat when he heard a voice say, “Pick me up!” The old man looked in the water and there, floating on a lily pad was a frog. The man said, “Are you talking to me?” The frog replied, “Yes, I’m talking to you. Pick me up. Then, kiss me and I’ll turn into the most beautiful woman you have ever seen. I’ll make sure that all your friends are envious and jealous because you will have me as your bride.” The man looked at the frog for a minute then he reached over, picked up the frog carefully, and placed it in his front pocket. The frog screamed, “What, are you nuts? Didn’t you hear what I said?? I said kiss me and I will be your beautiful bride!” The old man opened his pocket, looked at the frog and said, “No thanks! At my age I’d rather have a talking frog.”
THE FEAR OF THE LORD
Whether or not you see the humor in that story, it’s pretty easy to understand. Proverbs 1:29 says, “Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord,” That’s a message I found much more challenging to understand. And once I understood it, I realized, it’s not so humorous.
In order to understand the cryptic message of Proverbs 1:29, I think you have to go back to the key verse for the entire book. That’s Proverbs 1:7 that tells us, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
WISDOM
This section of Chapter 1 has been subtitled “The Call of Wisdom”. It is God calling us to be wise. In the verses leading up to 1:29, it’s obvious that His call is made openly and it’s loud and clear. But, in our sin, we foolishly choose to not listen and even when rebuked by God, we continue to do so. That leaves God no alternative but to allow us to continue down the path we’ve foolishly chosen, a path that leads to a destination of calamity, terror, destruction and anguish. Finally, then, we may call out to God but when that comes too late, He may no longer answer, He may no longer be there. Proverbs 1:29 tells us that’s due to our choosing not to fear Him and instead, hating His knowledge.
True wisdom is always grounded in a healthy, respectful, reverent “fear” of God. When we choose not to fear the Lord, when we choose not to place Him in His proper place in our lives, we despise knowledge, and refuse to act wisely. Verse 29 emphasizes how this results in catastrophe.
FOOLISHNESS
In my eyes, there is no greater catastrophe than what’s currently going on in the U.S.A. Presently, the ever-deepening division in its population makes it seem to be on the verge of civil war. To explain this, many look to aspects of American life that are nearly the polar-opposite of the way they were in the nation where I grew up. The common thread running through all these aspects is that the vast majority of the population no longer gives priority to things they recognize as being greater than themselves. Weekly attendance at a house of worship once was nearly universal and Judeo-Christian values were the foundational qualities of most individual lives, families, neighborhoods and communities. In other words, today’s American catastrophe has resulted from ignoring true wisdom grounded in a healthy respectful reverent “fear” of God, through not choosing to place Him in His proper place in their lives, through despising knowledge and refusing to act wisely.
HUMBLE PRAYER
So, in the face of this tragic sadness, what are we to do? Well, God Himself has given us the answer in His Holy Word. In 2 Chronicles 7:14, he tells us, “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” One aspect of this that can still seem intimidating is where God says, “If my people”. It may be natural to think, “What can I do to get an entire people to turn back to God?” Well it’s kind of like answering the question “How do you eat an elephant? That is “One bite at a time.” So the answer to “What can I do to get an entire people to turn back to God?” is “By setting an example, one person at a time … beginning with you and me.”
The video shown below is the devotional from September 3rd, 2020. The full text of the devotional follows the video.
Calvary Chapel Rosarito – English Devotional by Gary Wiram
WELCOME
Good morning! My name is Gary Wiram and it’s my pleasure to, again, welcome you to Today’s Good News.
INTRODUCTION
Today, as we continue to teach through the first chapter of Proverbs, my assignment is Proverbs 1:19. To set the right tone for what this Scripture has to teach us, let me remind you that this section of Proverbs provides a basic summary contrasting wisdom and foolishness. Actually, the key verse is Proverbs 1:7, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
Here’s a non-Scriptural story that may help us in relating to this topic:
A man comes across an old bottle. He pulls out its cork and out pops a genie! The genie says, “In return for freeing me, I will grant you three wishes.” The man says “Great! First, I want one billion dollars in a Swiss bank account.” Poof!” A paper with Swiss bank account numbers appears in his hand! “Next, I want a brand new red Ferrari.” Poof!” A brand new red Ferrari appears right next to him! “Finally, I want to be irresistible to women.” Poof!” He turns into a box of chocolates.
GREED
Proverbs 1:19 tells us, “So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain;
It takes away the life of its owners.” Of course, we all understand that greed won’t actually turn you into a box of chocolates but it can “take away life” in many ways.
When this verse says, “So are the ways…”, it’s referring to ways mentioned in the immediately preceding verses. These are:
Their feet run to evil
They lie in wait and make haste to shed blood
They lurk secretly for the innocent
Those are some pretty dramatic ways, aren’t they? And, I think it’s obvious they’re ways we should avoid. But greed can blind us to the obvious and just as often, they can be pretty subtle. In a way, as a guy who spent the majority of his professional life in Sales, it reminds me of what I learned early-on about the key motive for buying and for selling. That is, “What’s in it for me?” Actually, that is a legitimate function when the buyer is looking for a solution to a need in his business and the seller has a product or service that meets that need. However, when either party is solely focused on their own greedy gain, that takes away from the legitimacy.
This is well illustrated by a familiar cross reference for Proverbs 1:19. It’s 1 Timothy 6:9-10, that says, “But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”
I think this, also, illustrates an aspect of the sort of greediness we have to deal with today. It’s not so much the greediness of others that we have to be on guard for. It’s our own greediness and in many ways, often due to peer pressure, it’s so subtle that we don’t recognize it in ourselves. A good example of this, that you’ve probably heard said, is that the American dream has become striving to buy more things we don’t need with money we don’t have to impress people we don’t like. By itself, that seems sort of amusing. But when you consider its cost, it’s actually pretty sad.
NO EARTHLY SATISFACTION
I recently read an article in MoneyWatch, entitled “The dark reasons so many rich people are miserable human beings”. It put the wisdom of Proverbs 1:19 into focus in today’s terms. A few highlights from that article are:
Once a certain household income is reached, more income is actually associated with reduced life satisfaction and a lower level of well-being.
The wealthier we get, the less we value social connectedness — and that eats into our overall sense of well-being.
Children who come from affluent families are more likely to suffer from depression, anxiety and substance abuse than those who come from less affluent families.
When you scrutinize this, considering wisdom versus foolishness, I think it’s pretty easy to put this in the category of foolishness.
ETERNAL SATISFACTION
So, what is the best way to contrast this foolishness and replace it with wisdom? Of course, all you have to do to answer that question is to look to the Scriptures. I recommend Matthew 6:19-21, that says, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
And Scripture, also, tells us where to find the wisdom needed in order to do this. James 1:5 tells us, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”
The video shown below is the devotional from September 1st, 2020. The full text of the devotional follows the video.
Calvary Chapel Rosarito – English Devotional by Ruth Wiram
WELCOME
Good Morning, my name is Ruth. I am part of the women’s ministry here at CCR, and I want to welcome you to TODAY’S GOOD NEWS”- Ladies edition.
INTRODUCTION
Have you ever slept on an unforgettable bed?
This reminds me of the story of the princess and the pea.
An old queen was searching for a suitable wife for her son. She was not making any progress when a young lady showed up at the castle claiming to be a princess. The old queen was not convinced. She decided to test the princess. The queen went into the bed-room, took all the bedding off the bed, and laid a pea on the bottom; then she took twenty mattresses and laid them on the pea, and then twenty down comforters on top of the mattresses.
The next morning, the queen asked how the princess slept. The girl complained that she hardly slept at all. The princess explained, “I scarcely closed my eyes all night. Heaven only knows what was in the bed, but I was lying on something hard, so that I am black and blue all over my body.”
I know that for me, I really enjoy getting a good night’s sleep. And at my age, a comfortable bed has become a necessity!
COMFORT
Today’s verse is Proverbs 31:22. So let’s read it together.
“She makes tapestry for herself; Her clothing is fine linen and purple.”
In another Bible translation, our Proverbs 31 woman is said to make coverings for her bed.
Ladies, it is such a blessing to our families to create a comfortable atmosphere in our homes. It is nice to
have familiar surroundings that create a welcoming environment for them and those who visit.
PEACE
But more importantly, it is necessary to create in our homes a sense of peace, spiritual, physical and emotional peace.
To begin with, we must remember that the most important requirement of peacemaking is to understand who we are in Jesus Christ. Before the apostle Paul told the Colossians what they should do, he reminded them of who they are: “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience”
It is the realization of who we are in Christ that enables us to do the unnatural work of dying to self, confessing sin, confronting in love, laying down our rights, and forgiving deep hurts. Therefore, as we teach our children to be peacemakers, continually remind them to rejoice in who they are in Christ forgiven and redeemed!
“A home filled with strife and division destroys itself.”
Ladies, we need to protect the atmosphere in our homes
We are exhorted in the Scriptures not to be conformed to this world and its ways. Media choices like television shows, movies and music that promote fear, worry, infidelity, divorce, anger and sexual immorality oppose the Word of God and weaken the protection around us, our homes and our families.
When we take refuge in God, we remove ourselves from the influence of those things that are not of God—the voice of the world. Let’s ask God to turn our eyes from worthless things and to help us purge our home atmosphere of all that is not of Him.
Ladies, we need to Pray and Speak the Word
The Word of God is a weapon, a two-edged sword, so when we pray the Word, we pray right on target.
How can we pray for protection? We can pray Psalm 91 over our homes and families. The Word of God is a powerful force and the devil is no match for it! God’s Word always produces fruit and accomplishes everything it says. Trust in God and rest in the protection and blessing only He can provide!
The second part of this verse in Proverbs says that she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
What this says to me is that she has been clothed in garments of royalty. Even though she is industrious in making clothes for herself and her family, someone else has given her these garments.
It is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself who has given us these garments of royalty.
Isaiah 61, verse 10 says to us today,
“We delight greatly in the Lord; our souls rejoice in our God. For He has clothed us with garments of salvation and arrayed us in robes of His righteousness.”
The video shown below is the devotional from August 11th, 2020. The full text of the devotional follows the video.
Calvary Chapel Rosarito – English Devotional by Gary Wiram
WELCOME
Good morning! My name is Gary Wiram. It’s my pleasure to welcome you to TODAY’S GOOD NEWS!
TEMPTATION
Presently, we’re teaching through the book of Proverbs. When you consider that Proverbs was written by the wisest man ever, Solomon, that can make our teaching from it seem a bit daunting. My assignment today is Proverbs 1:10. Its main focus is on not giving in to temptation. To help put this topic into perspective, let me remind you of a story you may have heard about a girl and a snake.
A young girl was walking along a mountain path when she heard a rustle at her feet. It was a snake. Before she could react, the snake said, “It’s too cold for me up here. I am about to die. Please put me under your coat and take me with you.” The girl said, “I know your kind. If I pick you up, you will bite me and your bite is poisonous.” “No, no,” the snake said. “If you help me, you will be my best friend. I will treat you differently.” The young girl thought, “All living things deserve to be treated with kindness” and he was the most beautiful snake she had ever seen. So, she said, “I believe you. I will save you.” Then she put the snake gently under her coat. Within a moment, she felt a sharp pain in her side. The snake had bitten her! “How could you do this to me?” she cried. “You promised that you would not bite me, and I trusted you!” “You knew what I was when you picked me up,” he hissed as he slithered away.
NOT GIVING IN
Proverbs 1:10 tells us, “My son, if sinners entice you, Do not consent.” That’s a pretty good summation of the lesson to be learned from the story of the girl and the snake. But, it may be too obvious for us to take the topic seriously. Another story that we should find easier to relate to is the story of Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife, as detailed in Genesis 39:7-10:
“And it came to pass after these things that his master’s wife cast longing eyes on Joseph, and she said, “Lie with me.”But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Look, my master does not know what is with me in the house, and he has committed all that he has to my hand. There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?”So it was, as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he did not heed her, to lie with her or to be with her.
Actually, the short-term result of Joseph’s not giving in to Potiphar’s Wife didn’t seem so worthwhile. She, falsely, accused him of rape and Potiphar had him thrown into prison. But, in the long term, his righteousness fit right into God’s plan for saving Israel.
SHARING WISDOM
In considering how to apply the lesson of Proverbs 1:10 to our lives today, I found it helpful to observe who is teaching the lesson and how well it was applied. Though Solomon is broadly acknowledged as the wisest man ever, he infamously didn’t heed his own wisdom in this regard. In preparing this lesson, I used Google to see how many Scripture verses dealt with temptation. Actually, I didn’t get a definite answer but I was surprised to learn that in a list of the top 100, there were only three from Proverbs. Maybe Solomon’s lack of attention to the topic helps explain why, in Kings 11:3, we’re told, “And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart.”
The story of Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife took place long before Solomon was King. One aspect of the story that is reflected in Proverbs 1:10, is where the lesson came from to not consent to the enticement of sinners. The Proverb starts off by saying, “My son”. That makes it clear, this is a lesson from Parent to Son. When Joseph didn’t give in to Potiphar’s Wife, he didn’t justify his resistance based on the effect his giving in would have on Potiphar. He said, “How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” Apparently Joseph’s learning to not consent to the enticement of sinners also came from a Parent to Son lesson.
GAINING WISDOM
I think that is the key to our being able to comply with this Proverb … remembering that by not complying, we’re not just risking falling into sin with the one enticing us. As children of God, we are risking sinning against our Father in Heaven. Additionally, it’s very helpful to remember that, simply by complying, as children of God, our Father has the greatest of rewards in store for us. As we’re told in James 1:12:
“Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.”
The video shown below is the devotional from August 11th, 2020. The full text of the devotional follows the video.
Calvary Chapel Rosarito – English Devotional by Ruth Wiram
WELCOME
Good Morning, my name is Ruth. I am part of the women’s ministry here at Calvary Chapel Rosarito, and I want to welcome you to TODAY’S GOOD NEWS”- Ladies edition.
INTRODUCTION
When I read this verse in Proverbs that I will share about today, it makes me sad. You see on October 8th, 2011, my brother David died. He was my beloved baby brother. I practically raised him and I still miss him everyday. He had struggled for many years with alcoholism. I think he drank to try and forget our abusive and neglected childhood. He was 49 years old when he suffered and died from an alcoholic heart attack. Honestly! That was the cause of death on his death certificate, an “alcoholic heart attack”. His drinking literally broke his heart.
Today’s verse is Proverbs 31:7. So let’s read it together.
“Let them drink and forget their poverty and remember their misery no more.”
WARNING
This is advice from the future king’s mother. She is warning the future King of Israel about the snare of drinking wine and beer. She is saying here that alcohol is for the poor and miserable. Alcohol is for the brokenhearted. How true is that today, the advice of a mother to her son or in our case, a daughter to refuse alcohol. Is drinking alcohol a sin? That is between us individually and the Lord. We need to search the Scriptures, pray and let the Lord speak to us on this issue. However, being drunk and controlled by anything other than the Holy Spirit is a sin. And let’s not forget the example we may be setting in our freedom to casually have a drink. Let’s consider our actions beforehand no matter what freedom we feel we may have in Christ that we don’t stumble a weaker person, whether they are a believer or not. And no matter their age.
In my brother’s case, he chose to drink and was in control until he wasn’t. Let me repeat that. He was in control until he wasn’t in control. He chose alcohol to forget his misery. He always thought he was in control of his drinking. Then the alcohol took over his life. He lost his job, his home and his family. And the ultimate result was that it literally broke his heart unto death. It also broke the hearts of his wife, his children, his father, his other brother and sisters and his friends.
THE WAY YTO GO
But, It didn’t have to turn out that way. And although he was born again, and I am sure in my heart that I will see him again in heaven, he had a choice. He could have found forgiveness in Jesus. He could have found hope in Jesus. He could have found strength in Jesus. He could have found purpose in Jesus.
This same forgiveness, hope, strength, and purpose is available for us today. This is for us no matter what we struggle with. And let’s be honest with ourselves. If our choices are leading us away from and not closer to our Lord, Savior and Redeemer, our choices are sinful.
The book of Psalms is filled with glorious promises from the Lord.
The Lord knows our struggles and He is always near to hear our cries. He always has compassion on us no matter what we are battling. He even has compassion on us when we sin. And if we are believers, He will restore us if we are willing and repentant.
Our gracious God is the healer of our hearts. He will completely heal our wounds.
When we hope in the Lord, He will strengthen us and restore our joy.
God is our mighty rock, our fortress, our protector, the rock where we are safe. He is our shield and our powerful weapon, and our place of shelter.
In Jeremiah 29:11, the Lord says to us, “For I know the plans I have for you; plans to prosper you and not to harm you; plans to give you hope and a future.”
If you are struggling with a sin today that is hindering your walk with the Lord or you realize that you need to repent and turn your life over to the care of the One who can truly forgive you, help you, heal you, and give you a future filled with hope, please get in touch with someone at Calvary Chapel Rosarito or your local Bible Teaching Church.
So in closing, let’s determine to have and maintain healthy hearts by finding forgiveness, hope, strength and purpose in our Lord Jesus Christ!
The video shown below is the devotional from June 26th, 2020. The full text of the devotional follows the video.
Calvary Chapel Rosarito – English Devotional by Gary Wiram
WELCOME
Good Morning! My name is Gary Wiram. I want to welcome you to Today’s Good News! Thank you for joining me this morning.
INTRODUCTION
This week, Today’s Good News began teaching the little book of Jude, verse by verse, day by day. Today, I get to teach on Jude 1:5. When I received this assignment, I thought, “I wonder how many at Calvary Chapel Rosarito have Jude 1:5 as their favorite Bible verse.” My immediate answer to myself was, “Probably none”. Then I thought, “After my teaching, I wonder if it will become a more popular verse. When baseball comes back, will we be seeing the guy behind home plate holding up a sign that says ‘Jude 1:5’ instead of ‘John 3:16’?” I’m pretty certain that’s not gonna happen but I pray that, in addition to learning the message of Jude 1:5, this will help us all to remember the importance of every Word in the Bible being breathed by God.
Here are those Words from Jude 1:5:
“But I want to remind you, though you once knew this, that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe.”
DON’T FORGET IT
As we read this verse, it’s important to remember that the Author, Jude, was a half-Brother of Jesus. It’s, also, important to remember that he really didn’t accept Jesus as Messiah until after the Resurrection. His purpose in writing this epistle was to exhort the early church to “contend earnestly for the faith” against apostates whose teachings were leading the people astray. To do this, in Jude 1:5, he begins to use examples from the past, when God dealt harshly with apostates. This was in order to remind the people of lessons they might be forgetting. The examples he is pointing to include how God dealt with Israel’s refusal to enter the promised land after Moses had sent 12 men to “spy out” the land. Here’s what we’re told about that in Numbers 14:29:
“The carcasses of you who have complained against Me shall fall in this wilderness, all of you who were numbered, according to your entire number, from twenty years old and above.”
In case you don’t remember how that turned out, only Josua and Caleb, the two spies out of the twelve who told Israel that they should enter the promised land, were the only two of that generation who didn’t fall in the wilderness. That may seem like a pretty harsh reminder but remember that Jude didn’t “get it”, that Jesus was Messiah, until after he had spent every year of Jesus’ life with him, as his half-Brother. Once he did “get it”, I’m certain he was determined that others “get it” and as we see here, he seemed just as determined that they not “forget it”.
DON’T BE MISLED
So, how does this apply to us today? Well, dealing with false teachers wasn’t exclusive to the early church. It’s been a reality throughout the church-age and it just seems to be getting more and more prevalent today. The false teachings we’re inundated with today include:
Popular leaders who teach what makes people feel good and they include just enough Biblical truth that their heresy seems believable.
Charlatans who use Christianity for their personal enrichment.
False prophets who claim to have a new revelation from God that doesn’t line up with Scripture.
Those within the church who use their leadership position to take abusive advantage of others.
And there are those who bring false doctrine into the church to divide and to destroy.
KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE PRIZE
And in today’s “all news all the time” world, there’s an overwhelming amount of stuff coming at us that, even aside from dealing with apostates, it’s extremely challenging to “keep your eyes on the prize”. In the midst of all this, Jude’s harsh reminder may be just what we need to remember that we once did “get it” about “the prize” and to remain determined to not “forget it” that what we have been told about “the prize” is summed up in that other Scripture that tells us:
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
During the COVID-19 quarantine, Calvary Chapel Rosarito has been providing live streaming topical devotionals every weekday. The video shown below is the devotional from Tuesday, May 26th, 2020. The full text of the devotional follows the video.
Calvary Chapel Rosarito – English Devotional by Gary Wiram
SETTING THE STAGE
In order to set the stage for the focus of this devotional, here are two brief stories:
A teacher wanted to teach her students about self-esteem, so she asked anyone who thought they were stupid to stand up. One kid stood up and the teacher was surprised. She didn’t think anyone would stand up so she asked him, “Why did you stand up?” He answered, “I didn’t want to leave you standing up by yourself.”
Now that you’ve finished laughing or groaning at that one, let me tell you another story about the very same teacher. After getting over her embarrassment, the teacher continued with her lesson on self-esteem by asking some questions she was sure the students could answer correctly:
First, she asked: “Kids, what does a chicken give you?” One student shouted: “Eggs!” The teacher said: “Very good! Now what does a pig give you?” Another student responded with: “Bacon!” The teacher said: “Great! And what does a fat cow give you?” The student who had stood up before said: “Homework!”
Now, those may not be the most hilarious jokes you’ve ever heard but I suspect we all see some humor in them. It’s the sort of humor that I remember being most popular back in the middle of the last century when I was in high school. We referred to it as cutting someone down.
This morning’s devotional is the opposite of that. It’s entitled “Build Each Other Up”. I’ll be using selected verses, in context, from Ephesians 4:17 through Ephesians 5:7 as our Scriptural reference today.
PRAYER
Before seriously digging into this topic, let’s pray for the Lord’s blessing on this time.
Father, thank You for Your provision, making it possible for us to gather in this way, in Your name. Give us ears to hear what You want to say on this topic and give us hearts to be obedient to Your direction, that we might glorify You in the way we lead our lives. We ask this in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen
“Don’ts for the Audience
In the part of Ephesians we’re looking at today, Paul was speaking to the believers in Ephesus. He was exhorting them to be in the world but not of the world. The world they were in was the very pagan culture of Ephesus. Paul admonished them to not participate in behaviors that were commonly accepted in Ephesus.
Look at this list of the behaviors Paul was talking about!:
Lewdness – Greediness – Deceitful Lusts
Lying – Anger – Stealing – Bitterness
Clamor – Malice – Fornication
Covetousness – Filthy Language – Idolatry
Do’s for the Audience
Apparently, the average Ephesians were pretty nasty people. No wonder Paul didn’t want his sheep to turn out like them. No doubt, our Pastors want the same for us today.
In addition to the list of “don’ts” that Paul addresses, he speaks of a quality lacking in the culture of Ephesus that he does want believers to exhibit. Here’s what he says about that:
Ephesians 4:17 This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk 22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. 29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, Ephesians 5:5 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. 7 … put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
As I said earlier, Paul was not speaking to the Ephesian culture, he was speaking to the believers in Ephesus. In doing this, Paul was actually speaking to all Christians for all time, telling us to be shaped by Christ, not by the culture.
Of course, we can’t fully imitate God but we can exhibit the qualities that His Word tells us He wants to see in His dear children. We aren’t instructed to incorporate these qualities in our lives because we just want to be among those who are counted as being good in the world. There are unbelievers who do that. I don’t know, maybe that’s just because they don’t want to be on Santa’s Naughty List. But, we are expected to live this way because, as Paul says, we have “put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.” This isn’t in order that we become God’s children. It’s because we are God’s children. Accommodating behaviors that are acceptable in the culture or, worse yet, adopting those behaviors, dishonors our Christian family. We are not like those who don’t know Christ. We are different. We are set apart. That is why we encourage each other. That is why we build each other up. It’s the reason that this Scripture begins with the word “therefore”. It’s because we have received salvation and we know who we are in Him, so we should encourage one another and build one another up. And, this isn’t behavior we are only to exhibit with Christian Brothers and Sisters. We are to behave this way with everyone … even with those who we don’t like. It’s a call to impact the world we live in not by becoming good but by being who we have become. We are Saints and we must act like it.
God’s Assignments
Here are three areas of building up that every believer has been assigned by God:
We are called to build up ourselves, spiritually. Jude tells us not to be like the ungodly world. Instead, Jude 1:20 says, “But you, beloved, build yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit,”
We are called to build up the church. 1 Corinthians 14:12 tells us, “… since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, let it be for the edification of the church that you seek to excel.”
We are called to build up each other. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 says, “Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, …”
How To’s
God wants us to learn to use our time with our brothers and sisters in Christ to encourage them spiritually, to motivate them in their times with God and in prayer, to discuss ways to more effectively share Christ with others, to serve them and help them.
God created us to be a part of a vibrant community of people. If that community is healthy, then one of the priorities will be to build others up. A loving group of people wants to see each other grow in their faith and their gifts and we rejoice when we see them accomplish it. Paul’s challenge to each of us is to be someone who builds others up.
It’s really not that hard to build up others. Mostly, we just have to be watching for opportunities to do so. Often, it can be done by saying something as simple as, “Keep up the good work, you’re doing a good job” or “I’m glad you’re here today, you add so much to our group”.
Proverbs 11:25 – Tells us that doing this pays dividends. It says, “The generous soul will be made rich, And he who waters will also be watered himself.”
Intentional Edification
As we recognize that God calls us to build each other up, He also directs us to not do the opposite … That is tearing each other down.
As we read earlier in Ephesians, ”Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted,”.
Our words are powerful. They can build up or tear down and they can switch from one to the other in an instant. Our words also reflect what is going on in our hearts. Paul is exhorting us to become people who build others up. We do that by looking out for the needs of other people. We listen for where people are struggling and determine to meet those needs. We are mindful of new Christians, and we make sure that we encourage them and protect them from anything that might weaken their faith. We watch what comes out of our mouths because we realize that we are an example.
Those with selfish hearts look after their own interests. They don’t look to the needs of others but only to satisfy themselves. They are like the Ephesians. Unwholesome talk reflects the sin in our lives. Loose talking and coarse joking can affect a young believer’s faith. Exaggerating for effect can lower the opinion others have of us. We need to eliminate these from our lives. To do this, start by asking God for forgiveness of what we have said. Then, take our eyes off of what we want and start to look at what others need.
Use your words to build up. Encourage and exhort one another to Godly living. Speak words of wisdom and care into the life of others. When we build others up, we bring significant benefits to our community of believers. It blesses those who are being built up, it provides an example for those who are watching, and it does a work in our hearts that we might not expect, we find a subtle joy in helping others out.
Proverbs 17:22 tells us about that in saying, “A merry heart does good, like medicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones.”
We have all heard the saying “sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.” That is not true! Words do hurt! Words can either build up, encourage, motivate or they can hurt, tear down or leave someone with lasting scars. As people of God, we need to be very careful about what we allow to come out of our mouths. Words spoken out of our mouths are very important for the simple fact that they speak what is in our hearts.
Luke 6:45 tells us, “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”
Long before we had computers, God taught us …
Garbage in, Garbage out.
Final Analysis
What are we speaking? Words that build up or words that tear down? Let us all examine ourselves by listening to the words that proceed out of our mouths. The wrong words can destroy and the right words can mend. Words spoken out of the mouth of those who confess Christ should be wholesome words which edify the body of Christ and glorify God our Father. We need to ask ourselves, “Is God receiving glory from the words that we speak?”
Let me encourage all of you with a few closing words …. You are a child of God. He loves you, He sincerely does. He is there for you. He cares. He is listening. He is for you. He wants to wrap you up in His arms and encourage you. He wants to build you up. He wants to strengthen you, especially in those places where you feel weak. His desire is for you to have all that is possible for you. Seek Him today and look for opportunities He gives you … to build up others.
Calvary Chapel Rosarito – English Devotional by Gary Wiram
During the COVID-19 quarantine, Calvary Chapel Rosarito has been providing live streaming topical devotionals every weekday. The video shown above is the devotional from Thursday, April 23rd, 2020, on the topic of Forgiveness. The following, is the full text of that devotional.
WELCOME
Good morning and welcome! I’m very blessed to be with you for this morning’s devotional. If you don’t know me, I’m Gary Wiram and I’m not a Pastor here at Calvary Chapel Rosarito. But, you may be familiar with me and my Wife, Ruth, from seeing us around church. Ruth leads the Monday evening Bible study for English- speaking ladies, called Sister Sojourners. You may have seen me as part of the Connections Ministry in between services on Sundays. And you may be familiar with both of us as the Leaders of the Seniors Ministry known as Legends.
INTRODUCTION
Many of our recent devotionals have focused on topics aimed at helping to get us through this challenging time of COVID-19. This morning I want to offer exhortation to take advantage of this time by dealing with a topic most of us find challenging even during normal times. That topic is Forgiveness.
The aspects of this topic that I want to address this morning are:
God’s forgiveness for us.
Our forgiveness of others.
Forgiveness for the unforgivable.
As we begin, let’s pray for the Lord’s blessing on this time.
Father, thank You for this opportunity to look to You to see how You can make beauty in our lives from the ashes of this current crisis. Give us ears to hear what You want to say on this topic today. And, give us hearts to be obedient to Your direction. We ask this in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen
It seems that it’s a Calvary Chapel Rosarito requirement to include a joke in every teaching so I want to start with this:
Pastor Carlos recently got a pet parrot. Unfortunately, it had a bad attitude and used fowl language … Fowl language, get it?! A Parrot, a Bird, Fowl! … Anyway, Carlos tried everything to change the bird’s attitude and clean up its talk but nothing worked. Finally, in a moment of desperation, he put the parrot in his freezer. For a few moments he heard the bird squawking, kicking and screaming and then, suddenly, all is quiet. He opened the freezer door. The parrot stepped out and said, “I’m sorry that I offended you with my language and actions. I ask for your forgiveness.” Pastor Carlos was astounded at the bird’s change in attitude and was about to ask what changed him when the parrot continued, “By the way, may I ask – what did the chicken do?”
GOD’S FORGIVENESS FOR US
Seriously, I want us to begin by taking a look at God’s forgiveness for us. Of course, understanding God is completely beyond us. And, certainly, God’s forgiveness is too big and too complex for us to fully grasp. But, looking to His Word can help us to get a sense of it.
John 3:16 is probably the most well known of all Scripture, even with unbelievers. It tells us, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Although it’s beyond me to understand why God so loved the world, at least I understand that His love for the world is why He provided for our redemption.
And, Ephesians 1:7 Tells us, “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,”
I suspect we’ve all been taught the difference of Grace from Justice and Mercy. Justice is getting what we deserve. We deserve spending eternity in Hell. Mercy is not getting what we deserve. I guess that would be not going to Hell but maybe just ceasing to exist when we die. Grace is getting what we don’t deserve … eternal life in Heaven with God.
Forgiveness is a key element of God’s Grace. It is a gift, as the Scripture says, “according to the riches of his grace,”. This gift is solely from God’s love for us. There was no other pathway to Salvation without it. There’s nothing we could do to earn it and we certainly don’t deserve it. It’s a gift.
And, it is a gift that cost God a great price, a price that is also beyond our understanding … “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses,”.
Those three little words, “through his blood”, don’t seem like enough to fully define the price that God paid for our salvation. A more detailed description would be to say God the Son chose to leave His glory in Heaven, to come to earth, to take on flesh and blood and to live fully as a man only so He could sacrifice that flesh and shed that blood in order that we might have eternal life.
He gave himself for us. As Romans 8:32 tells us, “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?”
We need to remember that God’s forgiveness is conditional though.
1 John 1:9 tells us, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
“If we confess our sins” … Repentance of our sins is required by God’s conditional promise. That won’t be a part of our eternal lives because there is no sin in Heaven. But, while living in this sinful world, we need to repent and to do so continually.
OUR FORGIVENESS OF OTHERS
Next, I want to address our need to extend Forgiveness to others.
The Scripture we refer to as The Lord’s Prayer, says, “… forgive us our (sins), as we forgive those who (sin)against us.”.
Forgiving others isn’t natural for us but it is tied to our forgiveness from God. Thankfully, as we are forgiven, we are supernaturally given the capacity to forgive.
If, however, we fail to be gracious with that gift, we risk having our grace withdrawn. That is illustrated well in Matthew 18:21-35, the parable of the unmerciful servant. This is the story of a servant whose master forgave a debt he owed that was so great he couldn’t pay it. But then he was unwilling to forgive a small debt that was owed him by another servant. As a result, when the master who had forgiven him his debt learned about this, he turned the unmerciful servant over to the jailers to be tortured.
In addition to facing the challenge that forgiving others isn’t natural, it’s not uncommon for us to find ourselves dealing with having someone repeatedly commit the same sin against us. What in the world do you do about that?! Well, Jesus himself answers that question in a conversation he had with Peter. The account of that, in Matthew 18:21-22, says, “Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.” Peter thought he was being very generous in forgiving someone seven times. That seems pretty good to me too. But Jesus completely blows that out and we need to remember that his 70 times seven doesn’t really mean 490 times. It means there should be no limit to our forgiveness, as is the case with God and our forgiveness.
FORGIVENESS FOR THE UNFORGIVEABLE
And if that’s not hard enough, there are those times in life when we have sins committed against us that we view as being unforgivable. We know, from Mark 3:28-29, that for God the only unforgivable sin is grieving the Holy Spirit. So, when we think of forgiving the unforgivable, what we actually have in mind is something that seems unforgivable by us. And, without the supernatural help of God, we may be right.
“… this my Son was dead and is alive again.”
The story of the Prodigal Son may be one that, if we put ourselves in the place of the Prodigal Son’s Father, illustrates circumstances that would be unforgivable by us. And yet, the Father in this story did just that. As you know, this is the story of a young man who demanded his inheritance in advance. He took off with it to “a far country” and after it was gone, in order to survive, he went to work feeding pigs. A Jewish boy couldn’t sink much lower than that. In this story, we aren’t told how the Father felt about this Son when he first left. Maybe, at first, he thought the Son’s sin was unforgivable. We know from Luke 15:24 that he considered him dead. Regardless of that, after the Son had wasted his inheritance with his prodigal living, God brought a famine to drastically change his circumstances and his attitude. So, he returned home, just hoping that his Father might take him in as a servant. If the Father’s attitude needed changing too, apparently, that had happened. He saw his Son returning when he was “still a great way off”. It seems the Father was watching for and praying for his Son’s return. And when the Son returned, the Father celebrated by saying, “… this my Son was dead and is alive again.”
With sins of others that seem unforgivable to you, maybe you think, “The story of the Prodigal Son is a nice Bible Story but I’m dealing with issues of real life.” If that’s you, let me share with you a real life story. Much like the miraculous forgiveness that resulted from the famine that God brought about for the Prodigal Son, this is a miraculous story of forgiveness that was brought about as a result of this COVID-19 nightmare.
This story involves two people who I’ve known since they were a very young married couple. They haven’t been a married couple for a long time and like me, they’re no longer young. But I’ve stayed in touch with them closely enough over the years that I can appreciate their miraculous story. Here are the highlights … or low-lights, depending on your point of view:
These two were both raised as Christians but they weren’t walking with the Lord when they met.
They married when they were very young and they had a baby almost immediately.
Their marriage only lasted a few years. They were just in their twenties when they divorced.
For most of the time since then, any relationship they had with each other was hateful. No doubt, they both could have told you numerous reasons to justify the bitterness between them.
However, they both maintained good relationships with their child, as well as their grandchildren.
Although they both recommitted their lives to the Lord, it has been obvious that they weren’t able to embrace forgiveness for each other.
But, they were aware of each other’s return to walking with the Lord and with that, they shared a concern for the salvation of their offspring. That concern was greatly heightened when the COVID-19 nightmare hit and it caused them to reach out to each other.
In doing this, they thought that if, for the first time ever, they jointly reached out to their younger generations about the importance of faith at a time like this, it might just be what was needed to get their attention.
So, they agreed to do that by sending a jointly composed message to their child and their now-grown grandchildren.
Since then, they have used Facebook Messenger to keep the seven people involved tied together and to share encouragement daily.
It’s too early to assess the results of this with their younger generations but it’s clear that, through this, God miraculously accomplished what had eluded these two accomplishing on their own … their forgiveness of each other.
Since I’ve known these people for so long, I probably think that’s cooler than you do. But, for me, watching this happen has been incredible.
You’ve probably heard it said that forgiven people should be forgiving people. As they say back in Indiana, where I grew up, sometimes that says easy and does hard. When I find myself struggling with this, I find it helpful to play the lyrics of an old hymn called Take Up Your Cross in my head. It goes like this:
“Have you really given everything For the One who gave His all for you? Count the cost, take up your cross and follow Him!”
My encouragement to you today, if you’re troubled with having someone in your life that you haven’t been able to forgive, is this: Stop letting your limitations keep you from getting this done. Turn to your Father in Heaven for His provision. Even if it takes a miracle, He will get it done and He will bless you in the process.
Thank you for sharing this time with me this morning. I pray that it was a blessing to you, as it has been for me. I, truly, look forward to the time when we will, again, be able to do this six feet apart but face-to-face.
And, for now, I’d like to close in the way that we close each of our Legends gatherings. It’s with what is known as the Aaronic blessing.
The Lord bless thee, and keep thee: The Lord make His face to shine upon Thee, And be gracious unto thee, And be gracious unto thee: The Lord lift up His countenance upon thee, And give thee peace.
