Good News [Rom 1:5]

Posted on September 8, 2023 by Joseph V. (Josh) Carmichael

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God—which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures—concerning his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who was a descendant of David according to the flesh and was appointed to be the powerful Son of God according to the Spirit of holiness by the resurrection of the dead. Through him we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the Gentiles, including you who are also called by Jesus Christ. (Romans 1:1-7 CSB)

Paul says that he had received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the Gentiles. He closes his letter—many chapters later—with a similar statement: according to the command of the eternal God to advance the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles (16:26b). Thus Paul kept this purpose in mind throughout his process of writing. So what is the obedience of faith? The late John Murray suggests that in this instance, faith is describing “the subjective act of faith in response to the gospel.” Paul has evangelistic purposes. He was seeking more faithful and obedient worshipers of the one true God. Murray continues, noting that “the faith which the apostleship was intended to promote was not an evanescent act of emotion but the commitment of wholehearted devotion to Christ and to the truth of his gospel (emphasis mine).

Have you exercised the obedience of faith in response to the offer of the gospel? That is, have you trusted in Jesus Christ alone to take away your sins through his substitutionary death on the cross and to clothe you in his robe of righteousness? Paul will tell us all about that in the epistle. In the tenth chapter he puts it like this:  This is the message of faith that we proclaim: If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, Everyone who believes on him will not be put to shame, since there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, because the same Lord of all richly blesses all who call on him.  For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Good news indeed!

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Good News [Rom 1:3, 4]

Posted on September 6, 2023 by Joseph V. (Josh) Carmichael

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God—which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures—concerning his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who was a descendant of David according to the flesh and was appointed to be the powerful Son of God according to the Spirit of holiness by the resurrection of the dead. Through him we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the Gentiles, including you who are also called by Jesus Christ. (Romans 1:1-7 CSB)

What is the gospel, or good news? Well, it is not good advice about how to live. It is not a revolution. It is not an ideology. It is good news about a person. The One promised beforehand in the Holy Scriptures has come and has accomplished everything needed—for us and for our salvation. That it good news, indeed!

Do not get me wrong. This person, the God-man, will change every aspect of your life. And he will ultimately tell you to take up your cross and follow him. But the good news is that something has really happened in history. The Savior of the world has come. God’s promise has come to pass. Mark would put it similarly in his gospel. Here is how he introduces the good news about Jesus Christ, the Son of God: After John was arrested, Jesus went to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:14, 15)

PRAYER: Dear Lord, thank you for the good news that Jesus has come for us and for our salvation. I believe Lord, help my unbelief. Praise the Lord! In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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Good News [Romans 1:1]

Posted on September 4, 2023 by Joseph V. (Josh) Carmichael

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God—which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures—concerning his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who was a descendant of David according to the flesh and was appointed to be the powerful Son of God according to the Spirit of holiness by the resurrection of the dead. Through him we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the Gentiles, including you who are also called by Jesus Christ. (Romans 1:1-7 CSB)

Paul’s opening words to the Christians in Rome reveal something remarkable about the good news that he was proclaiming. The gospel is powerful. It changes those who receive it by faith. Note what he says: set apart for the gospel of God. Paul had previously been a Pharisee. That was group of religious leaders originally seeking to be “set apart” as holy according to God’s law.

By the time Paul comes on the scene, he—a Pharisee of Pharisees, by his own accounting—saw himself as so set apart that he once declared to King Agrippa:  In fact, I myself was convinced that it was necessary to do many things in opposition to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. I actually did this in Jerusalem, and I locked up many of the saints in prison, since I had received authority for that from the chief priests. When they were put to death, I was in agreement against them. In all the synagogues I often punished them and tried to make them blaspheme. Since I was terribly enraged at them, I pursued them even to foreign cities. (Acts 26:9-11). He believed he was serving God in persecuting Christians. Now he is set apart as an apostle and actually preaching the good news about of Jesus of Nazareth. The gospel changed Paul eternally.

Isn’t it good news to be reminded that through the good news we have hope. We can change. God is committed to every “called one.” And this hope is not only for today, but for eternity. The gospel is the power of God for salvation. It seems that the Father can use even hearing about the gospel to bring us to himself. John Wesley testified to this fact.

“In the evening I went very unwillingly to a society in Aldersgate Street, where one was reading Luther’s preface to the Epistle to the Romans. About a quarter before nine, while he was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone, for salvation; and an assurance was given me that He had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death.” [https://www.ccel.org/ccel/wesley/journal.vi.ii.xvi.html]

Has Christ taken away your sins? Have you trusted in Christ for salvation? Do you need your assurance renewed? Call on Jesus, even today!

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The Question Is, Do You Believe It?

Posted on August 30, 2023 by Joseph V. (Josh) Carmichael

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,… (Ephesians 3:20 ESV)

Paul pauses in his letter to the Ephesian believers to offer a benediction. In this case, his “good word” concerns God’s relationship with his people and our needs. Having just spent the better part of three chapters of the letter praising God and explaining the Gospel of his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, as it is applied to us by the Holy Spirit, he prays for God’s people. He prays that we would be given spiritual strength through the dwelling of the Spirit of Christ in our hearts, that we would be secure in faith and love, and that we would have profound wisdom and knowledge, especially of the love of God in Christ. And then he bursts into this benediction.

He is basically praying for the flourishing of the spiritual lives of God’s people as we face the challenges of the world, the flesh, and devil in this life. And Paul believes God is able and willing to answer his fervent petitions. How? He is able. He is in heaven and does all that he pleases. He is our refuge. He is our strong tower. His Spirit raised Jesus from the grave. His steadfast love endures forever. Fear not, he says, for I am with you. In fact, the apostle is saying, he can do far more than what we ask of him. And interestingly, he is not talking here particularly about his powerful throne or the heavenly host. He says, according to the power at work within us. The Spirit of the risen Christ dwells in believers. What more could we need?

Believers, do you need help? Are you afraid? Are you anxious? Is your marriage in need of serious renewal? Perhaps of saving. Are your children running away or rebelling or confused and in pain? Are you in the midst of the daunting challenges of parenting today? Have you fallen and it seems that you do not have the strength to get up? You are not alone and he is able. Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. (1 Peter 5:6-7).  

PRAYER: Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. [Eph. 3:20, 21]

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The Blessing of the Lord in Our Security and Protection

Posted on August 25, 2023 by Joseph V. (Josh) Carmichael

Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. (Psalm 127:1b ESV)

Last time we considered the Lord’s providence in our daily labors, or vocation. Now the broader issue of our safety and security is addressed. Do we need the watchman to stay awake on the watch? Absolutely. We need to know that the bad guys are on the move—toward us! Do we need the nightshift workers at the hospital to pay attention to the patients under their care? Indeed. Your own mother may be one of the patients, after all. Do we all need to be the most conscientious drivers we can be. Please do! (Put down your phone.) We are all on the roads together.

However, the psalmist, Solomon, is saying that it is God’s providence that brings our actions to successful fruition. The farmer is a great example of the trust one must have in the God who creates and upholds all things by the word of his power. The farmer plants, fertilizes, weeds, and today he can even irrigate. But God brings the growth! The Westminster Shorter Catechism defines God’s providence as “His completely holy, wise, and powerful preserving and governing every creature and every action” (WCF, Q. 11). Our vocations and our very lives require faith.

Well, you ask, then why do bad things happen, like storms, earthquakes, fires, wrecks, etc.? We live in a fallen world. Sin is real. The curse will not go completely away until Jesus returns. But remember, the name of the Lord is our strong tower. We are safe in him. (See Prov. 18:10.) However, we do deal with both moral evil and natural evil in our world. For the Bible’s direct answer and invitation to wrestle with these issues, I refer you to Job, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes. But notice, when questioned about Pilate’s murdering of some Jews, Jesus actually refers to the question of why the tower of Siloam had fallen on some unsuspecting citizens. Yet he does not say why it happened. Instead, he warns us to learn the lesson that life is but a vapor and tomorrow is not guaranteed, even with a faithful watchman. Jesus said that those disasters did not mean one group of sinners was worse than another, but he offers us all a kind warning. “No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3 and 5).

So do you work as unto the Lord. Keep the watchman on his post. And run to Jesus, the one who calmed the storm with a word, cast out a group of frightened demons with ease, and healed both an older lady and a young girl (see Mark 4:35-5:43); but also the one who offers the weary and burdened rest for your souls (see Matt. 11:25-29).  

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The Blessing of the Lord in Daily Activity and Industry

Posted on August 24, 2023 by Joseph V. (Josh) Carmichael

Unless the Lord builds a house, its builders labor over it in vain. (Psalm 127:1a CSB)

The question is: do you believe it? Caveat: in no way does this mean we “let go and let God.” After all, did Paul not command us, “If anyone isn’t willing to work, he should not eat” (2 Thessalonians 3:10b). I would also refer you to the entire book of Proverbs. With that out of the way, then what is Solomon, the writer of this psalm, saying? He is saying that if God is not in it then it is not. This is a serious issue. The flesh (also known as our sinful nature) has a default mode of do it myself, in my own power, and then ultimately I can claim the credit. This is usually subtle. With me it usually presents itself as seeing me running around like the proverbial chicken with his head cut off. I also like the illustration of the Tasmanian devil from the Looney Tunes Cartoons. He zips through one tree after another. But the job is never finished. The futility of it! So, as we will get to another time, there is no rest (v. 2). So let’s ask the question simply. Today, as you go through your various circumstances, tasks, duties, challenges, and relationships of this day, are you living in reliance on the Lord or on yourself?

We have a divine Master Builder who goes before us. We have a Savior who accomplished his work perfectly and completely on our behalf. We have the Holy Spirit who dwells within the believer. And as Psalm 78:69 notes, this Builder has eternal plans: He built his sanctuary like the high heavens, like the earth, which he has founded forever.

PRAYER: Father in heaven, you are able to do more than I could ever imagine. Help me to rely on you in all my thoughts, actions, tasks, duties, relationships, and in how I love those people you have put in my life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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Sandwiched Between Lovingkindness

Posted on August 23, 2023 by Joseph V. (Josh) Carmichael

I shall not die, but I shall live, and recount the deeds of the Lord.

The Lord has disciplined me severely, but he has not given me over to death. (Psalm 118:17-18)

The typical heading for Psalm 118 in our English Bibles is His steadfast love endures forever. This is how the psalm begins and ends and the concept is sprinkled throughout. It is a psalm of thanksgiving for God’s constant care over his covenant people, upon whom he showers steadfast love (Heb. hesed. The older translations used the word lovingkindness.) However, that is not the whole story. Buried within a lot of notes of deliverance is verse 18a. The Lord has disciplined me severely.

The writer to the Hebrews gives us at least one explanation of this severe discipline. I am going to share the passage at length. It includes an Old Testament quote from Proverbs 3:11-12.

Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons?

 “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,

nor be weary when reproved by him.

 For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,

and chastises every son whom he receives.”

It is for discipline that you have to endure.  God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. (Hebrews 12:3-11)

Perhaps, like me, you look back and can now reflect on so many years of what you can now see is God’s discipline. “Hmm,” you may say to yourself (but really I know I am saying it to the Lord) “God loved me that much. Perhaps he might have loved me just a little less.” It takes time to realize how much pruning and refining and sharpening must be done to whip me into the holy shape God desires for me. Sin really stinks.

In the end it is obvious that this is a Messianic psalm. Much of it is ultimately applied to the Lord Jesus and his life and work. Commentators tell us that it is the final psalm he sang with his disciples before they departed for Gethsemane the night he was betrayed. That gives me consolation. Jesus never sinned. Yet he was disciplined, actually punished, for mine in my place.

PRAYER: Father, you know what is best. Help me to receive your discipline as from a loving Father who loves me and disciplines me for my good so that I may share your holiness. And be fit for heaven—clothed in your Son’s robe of righteousness and yielding the peaceful fruit of righteousness as trained by You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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Open the Door and the Light Shines Through

Posted on August 21, 2023 by Joseph V. (Josh) Carmichael

The unfolding of your words gives light;

it imparts understanding to the simple. Psalm 119:130

The famous acrostic Psalm 119 continues to grow in my heart as one of my favorite parts of Scripture. The psalmist’s meditations upon and applications of God’s word—the Bible—are limitless in their depth and scope. If you give sustained reading and reflection to these eight-stanza sections one-by-one, I believe you can grow to share my love for this marvelous ode to God’s written revelation.

I appreciate the ESV’s (and NASB’s) translation: the unfolding of your words. Even as you read the simple sentence its meaning shines. As God’s word is read, heard, or taught and explained, it is as if the original scroll itself is being unfolded. When we get it. When conviction comes. When one’s heart is strangely warmed—as was John Wesley’s—the sense of understanding and encouragement and wonder is remarkable. J. Alec Motyer explains that the word translated “unfolding” means literally, “door, opening.” He suggests “the meaning may be that when the word opens like a door, the light of the Lord floods through. This is part of the supernatural quality of the word” (NBC, 1994). Yes! Indeed!

Therefore, us regular folks receive instruction, understanding, teaching, revelation, and wisdom. My heart and soul is filled with the divine food of the One who can sustain the weary with a word. And in the process we learn how to live and think and act and conduct ourselves in the process.

PRAYER: Thank you, Lord, for the Bible, your holy word. Please make it a lamp unto my feet and a light into my path. May I hide your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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A Good Word for the Restless

Posted on August 18, 2023 by Joseph V. (Josh) Carmichael

Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28)

I was very restless yesterday afternoon. I was to the point I was ready to jump through the wall and leave an outline like in the Bugs Bunny Roadrunner Show cartoons of my childhood. Can you relate to me? I write that to elicit a smile, but the feeling was really unnerving. Well, how wonderful it truly is that Jesus is the Suffering Servant of Isaiah. He is the one who has the tongue of a disciple, that is, one steeped in God’s Word. So that he can know how to sustain the weary with a word (see Isa. 50:4-9). The word of God is a feast of both encouraging words and words of conviction—all that we need for life and obedience. Fear not. Fret not. And all the rest!

Jeremiah told us that the One was coming, that the new covenant was assured: I satisfy the thirsty person and feed all those who are weak (Jer. 31:25). Jesus fulfilled Jeremiah’s words on the day of the feast, the great day: If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink (John 7:37b).

And so in our restlessness or worry, when we sense the futility of a fallen world, or one feels lost and confused. Like Peter, we answer, “Lord, to whom will we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.” (John 6:68-69). Are you restless? Jesus has the answer. Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Go to him in faith. Find a strong tower during times of trouble. Find a sturdy structure during a storm. Find rest for a weary soul.

PRAYER: Now to him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us—to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. [Eph. 3:20, 21]

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Jerusalem Praise Psalms (93-100): God Knows—what a relief!

Posted on August 16, 2023 by Joseph V. (Josh) Carmichael

Is he deaf—the one who made your ears? Is he blind—the one who formed your eyes? (Psalm 94:9 NLT)

What great questions… with obvious answers to each. NO! NO! What a relief and what a consolation to know that God always hears and always sees. In other words, the Lord always knows. The psalmist was observing, and perhaps facing, wicked and immoral enemies. And these enemies even mocked God: “The Lord isn’t looking,” they say, “and besides, the God of Israel doesn’t care.” (v. 7) Ouch! But after pondering the Word of God and the whole of reality for a moment, he continues. He turns his words to those evil men.

Check out the NLT’s powerful rendering of the context of the questions above:

Think again, you fools!

When will you finally catch on?

Is he deaf—the one who made your ears?

Is he blind—the one who formed your eyes?

He punishes the nations—won’t he also punish you?

He knows everything—doesn’t he also know what you are doing?

The Lord knows people’s thoughts;

he knows they are worthless! (vv. 8-11)

Friends, we are living in times in which we each wonder who we can trust. We see both elected and appointed government officials blatantly lying in front of microphones and cameras almost daily. We wonder if even the images we see on our various screens are real or mere digital creations. Crime is ignored or even cheered. There is a rebellion against reality and the image of God in humankind. The taking of unborn life is celebrated. And so many people we expect more from seem to be going for nothing but overnight fame and immediate fortune. So what do we do? The psalmist has more instruction and encouragement for us.

Joyful are those you discipline, Lord,

those you teach with your instructions. …

When doubts filled my mind,

your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer. …

But the Lord is my fortress;

my God is the mighty rock where I hide. (12, 19, 22)

PRAYER:  Dear Lord, thank you for the courage and confidence I can have in your knowledge, power, care, concern, and your sovereign will. Praise the Lord! In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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