Turning Point with David Jeremiah

Judy Harder · July 28, 2012, 11:12:58 AM

Weekend, July 28 & 29

Seeing Red: Nothing But the Blood

For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
Matthew 26:28

Recommended Reading
Hebrews 9:19-22 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews%209:19-22&version=NKJV )

Though it was his desire to influence people for Christ through his preaching ministry, it is Robert Lowry's ministry as a hymn writer that has kept his memory alive since his death in 1899. He composed around five hundred Gospel hymns during his years of ministry, none better known than "Nothing But the Blood." The first stanza of this hymn is sung as energetically today as when he wrote it in 1876: "What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus."

Watch This Week's TV Broadcast ( http://www.davidjeremiah.org/site/television.aspx?tid=email_watchedevo )

Since innocent animals were first sacrificed as a substitute for guilty human beings, blood has been the means of atonement. Why blood? Because blood "is the life of all flesh. Its blood sustains its life" (Leviticus 17:13-14). So for one life to be taken in place of another, blood must be shed. "Without shedding of blood there is no remission" of sin (Hebrews 9:22).

Praise God today that His own Son's blood was sufficient to cover the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2). And make sure your faith is in "nothing but the blood of Jesus."

I hear the words of love, I gaze upon the blood, I see the mighty sacrifice, and I have peace with God.
Horatius Bonar

Read-Thru-the-Bible
Isaiah 58:1–66:24 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah%2058:1%E2%80%9366:24&version=NKJV )

Judy Harder · July 30, 2012, 08:37:59 AM

Monday, July 30

Lion-Sized Boldness

The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion.
Proverbs 28:1

Recommended Reading
John 3:13-22 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%203:13-22&version=NKJV )

In 1934, Adolf Hitler summoned German church leaders to his Berlin office to berate them for insufficiently supporting his programs. Pastor Martin Niemöller explained that he was concerned only for the welfare of the church and of the German people. Hitler snapped, "You confine yourself to the church. I'll take care of the German people." Niemöller replied, "You said that 'I will take care of the German people.' But we too, as Christians and churchmen, have a responsibility toward the German people. That responsibility was entrusted to us by God, and neither you nor anyone in this world has the power to take it from us."

Listen to Today's Radio Message ( http://www.davidjeremiah.org/site/radio.aspx?tid=email_listenedevo )

It's easy to be intimidated today, for Christian values and convictions are the laughingstock of a godless society. But this is no time to be on the defensive. Christ overturned the moneychangers in the temple without flinching. If Jesus stood firm in His day and Niemöller in his, we can stand for Christ today--as bold as a lion.

The fearful hare trembles at every cry; but the courageous lion is unmoved by the greatest clamors. Were believers to shrink back at every contrary wind that blows, they would never make their voyage to heaven.
William Secker, seventeenth-century clergyman

Read-Thru-the-Bible
Jeremiah 1:1 - 3:25 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah%201:1%20-%203:25&version=NKJV )

Judy Harder · July 31, 2012, 08:35:03 AM

Tuesday, July 31 "Put Up That Knife!"

God will strike you, you whitewashed wall!
Acts 23:3

Recommended Reading
Acts 23:1-5 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts%2023:1-5&version=NKJV )

One night some ruffians surrounded the church where evangelist Mordecai Ham was preaching. They threw rocks through the windows, unharnessed the horses, and threatened the attenders. Ham went out to confront the ringleader, who pulled a knife on him. The evangelist said, "Put up that knife, you coward... I'm going to ask the Lord either to convert you or kill you." The man cursed Ham and walked off. The next morning, the bully was dead. Three other troublemakers died at a sawmill explosion. A revival swept through town.

Listen to Today's Radio Message ( http://www.davidjeremiah.org/site/radio.aspx?tid=email_listenedevo )

That kind of fearlessness may be rare today, but not in the Bible. Paul told the one who struck him in Acts 23, "God will strike you, you whitewashed wall!" Jesus was majestic in His boldness amid opposition. We shouldn't use words rashly or overreact to provocation, but neither should we be spiritual weaklings. Christ's example--and those of His followers through the ages--should bolster our faith and encourage us to stand up for Him when tested.

Stand up, stand up for Jesus, ye soldiers of the cross.
George Duffield

Read-Thru-the-Bible
Jeremiah 4:1-6:30 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah%204:1-6:30&version=NKJV )

Judy Harder · August 01, 2012, 08:54:16 AM

Wednesday, August 1

Walking and Pleasing

By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, "and was not found, because God had taken him"; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God.
Hebrews 11:5

Recommended Reading
Genesis 5:18-24 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%205:18-24&version=NKJV )

In today's world, the "centenarian club"--those living to age 100 or more--is a select group. Thousands of years ago, prior to the great flood, the goal was not living to 100 but living to 1,000! No one made it, but Methuselah came closest, dying at age 969 years (Genesis 5:27). Methuselah's father, Enoch, was a rarity in those days--he lived only 365 years. But there was a special reason why his lifespan on earth was cut short.

Listen to Today's Radio Message ( http://www.davidjeremiah.org/site/radio.aspx?tid=email_listenedevo )

Enoch's life on earth ended unexpectedly because God removed him from earth, presumably to heaven. We are not told why God took Enoch, but we are given two clues. First, Enoch "walked with God" (Genesis 5:22). Noah is the only other person in the Bible who "walked with God" (Genesis 6:9). Second, we are told that Enoch "pleased God" (Hebrews 11:5). The fact that Enoch lived in a time of great violence and sin on the earth suggests that God removed Enoch from that environment as a reward for his righteousness.

Regardless of how long we live, our goal today and everyday should be to walk with God in a way that pleases Him.

If I walk with the world, I can't walk with God.
Dwight L. Moody

Read-Thru-the-Bible
Jeremiah 7:1–9:26 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah%207:1%E2%80%939:26&version=NKJV )

Judy Harder · August 02, 2012, 05:46:04 AM

Thursday, August 2

Faithful Walking

...Enoch walked with God....
Genesis 5:22

Recommended Reading
Philippians 2:12-15 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Philippians%202:12-15&version=NKJV )

It was a story that touched the world. David Vetter, the little boy with big brown eyes, lived his life inside plastic isolator bubbles to protect his body from germs. Tragically, a cure for his fatal immune disease never came, and David died after a bone marrow transplant one month after his twelfth birthday in 1984.1 Fighting bacteria is a lifelong ordeal for our human bodies. And for the Christian, living in a sin-infested world is also a lifelong ordeal.

Listen to Today's Radio Message ( http://www.davidjeremiah.org/site/radio.aspx?tid=email_listenedevo )

Even though the environment around us may be toxic, it is possible to faithfully walk with God. If you're an ordinary person striving to possess extraordinary faith, consider the life of Enoch. He was an everyday kind of guy--not a prophet like Moses or a statesman like Daniel. He lived in a culture of such prevailing wickedness and rebellion that God ultimately judged the entire world with the Flood. But Enoch didn't use the wickedness of his culture as an excuse for faithless living. He walked with God.

Keep walking on the road where God has placed you at this time in history. And be an extraordinary person of faith--walking with God.

His is a joy which consequences cannot quench. His is a peace which circumstances cannot steal.
Max Lucado

1pbs.org/wgbh/amex/bubble/peopleevents/p_vetter.html accessed 4/2/12.

Read-Thru-the-Bible
Jeremiah 10:1-13:27 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah%2010:1-13:27&version=NKJV )

Judy Harder · August 03, 2012, 12:46:43 PM

Friday, August 3

Flooded With Faith

By faith Noah...moved with godly fear...
Hebrews 11:7

Recommended Reading
Isaiah 54:8-10 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah%2054:8-10&version=NKJV )

You're a farmer living in medieval times. A passerby explains the features of his new smartphone. It gives you a weather report for your harvest season, a rotation schedule for using the oxen that the villager's share, the going price for chickens that your wife raises, music to listen to while you work, and you can talk to the blacksmith in the next town (and see his face) without leaving your farm. Would you believe him?

Listen to Today's Radio Message ( http://www.davidjeremiah.org/site/radio.aspx?tid=email_listenedevo )

It's a thought almost as mind-boggling as Noah hearing that rain--which he'd never seen before--would fall from the sky and flood the earth. And Noah's job assignment from God for the next 100 years? Build a boat to carry your family and sundry creatures to safety. Noah tried to explain it to his neighbors. But who could believe such a preposterous story? Especially a wicked generation notorious for rampant iniquity, riotous violence, and religious indifference.

Faith can be a lonely place. Noah worked day after day on a boat that attracted contempt. He trusted God implicitly for a flood of rain he'd never seen. Noah's faithful testimony gives every believer the strength to hold on in impossible circumstances. When people insult your testimony, and you wonder how God will ever bring meaning and order out of the broken pieces of your life, take a faithful stand for Him.

Faith sees the invisible, believes the unbelievable, and receives the impossible.
Corrie ten Boom

Read-Thru-the-Bible
Jeremiah 14:1-17:27 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah%2014:1-17:27&version=NKJV )

Judy Harder · August 04, 2012, 12:24:28 PM

Weekend, August 4 & 5

Your Spiritual Wardrobe: Armor

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Ephesians 6:11

Recommended Reading
Ephesians 6:10-18 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians%206:10-18&version=NKJV )

The newest innovation in body armor for soldiers and police officers is liquid gel. Military developers have invented a new super gel that's lighter to wear than traditional bulletproof vests, yet more effective. The fluid has special particles that collide and lock together when disturbed, forming a hard surface that absorbs and stops projectiles. It's cooler and more flexible to wear, and soon coming to a police officer near you.

Watch This Week's TV Broadcast ( http://www.davidjeremiah.org/site/television.aspx?tid=email_watchedevo )
The believer's armor is flexible and strong; and in this hostile world it's never safe for a Christian to leave home without it. As described in Ephesians 6, we need the utility belt of truth, the vest of righteousness, the shield of faith, the shoes of evangelism, the sword of Scripture, and the helmet of salvation.

Just as we wouldn't think of walking out the door unclothed, let's not leave home without the protective covering of our armor. Consciously put on each piece daily, and guard against the devil's wiles.

Soldiers of Jesus Christ, take up the arms which the Apostle has set before you, cover yourselves with them from head to foot, seize the sword of the Word of God, wield it courageously, and the victory will be assured, and after the victory the crown.
Rev. Jeremias Bonomelli, Bishop of Cremona

Read-Thru-the-Bible
Jeremiah 18:1-22:30, Jeremiah 23:1-25:38 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah%2018:1-22:30,%20Jeremiah%2023:1-25:38&version=NKJV )

Judy Harder · August 06, 2012, 11:09:53 AM

Monday, August 6

Ark Thou a Replica?

But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.
Genesis 6:8

Recommended Reading
Genesis 6:1-12 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%206:1-12&version=NKJV )

People are fascinated by Noah's ark. Toy stores sell ark play sets, which we sometimes use in telling Noah's story in Sunday school classes. Adults seem as interested as children. A high-budget Hollywood movie is in the works; and in recent years a number of replicas of Noah's ark have appeared around the world.

Listen to Today's Radio Message ( http://www.davidjeremiah.org/site/radio.aspx?tid=email_listenedevo )

Replicas of Noah's ark are interesting, but what we really need are replicas of Noah himself. The Bible says: "Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth at the time, and he walked in close fellowship with God" (Genesis 6:9, NLT).

We live in a world where values are reversed, evil is spoken of as good, and good is vilified as evil. That's how it was in Noah's day too. Yet he lived for God despite his culture, and so must we. In a corrupt world, we can be righteous. In a dark world, we can have fellowship with God. Let's replicate the righteous convictions of Noah. Let's follow the example of Him who was greater than Noah--our Lord Jesus.

Noah lived when the rest perished. He became heir of righteousness when others were condemned. May God make us all so, and unto His name shall be the glory.
Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Read-Thru-the-Bible
Jeremiah 26:1-29:32 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah%2026:1-29:32&version=NKJV )

Judy Harder · August 08, 2012, 09:45:53 AM

Tuesday, August 7

Flawed but Faithful
But without faith it is impossible to please Him...
Hebrews 11:6

Recommended Reading
Genesis 12:1-3 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%2012:1-3&version=NKJV )

Maybe you've experienced the "Why can't you be like your brother or sister?" syndrome. Comparing is man's way of trying to motivate and impress--not God's.

Listen to Today's Radio Message ( http://www.davidjeremiah.org/site/radio.aspx?tid=email_listenedevo )

Throughout Scripture we find flawed people whom God chose to use in a glorious way. Men and women who struggled with weaknesses and imperfections, yet held onto their faith. They inspire us to ask God, "What can You do with me?" Understand the difference? God's way of motivating doesn't compare us to "perfect" people who intimidate us. He uses the lives of struggling, selfish, sinful people to demonstrate what He can do when we choose to trust Him.

Take the life of Abraham. He lied sometimes and often took matters into his own hands when he felt God was taking too long. Yet God chose to make Abraham the "father of many nations"! Why? Because even amidst all his flaws, Abraham had a deep, unwavering faith.

If you're trying to impress God by self-promoting and comparing yourself to others, put away that effort. Come to Him with the faith and candor of a child. He'll respond and work wonders in your life.

Faith as [Jesus] characterized it is nothing less than a complete exchange of all that we are for all that He is.
John MacArthur

Read-Thru-the-Bible
Jeremiah 30:1-32:44 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah%2030:1-32:44&version=NKJV )

Wednesday, August 8

Jehovah-Jireh

And Abraham called the name of the place, The-LORD-Will-Provide...
Genesis 22:14

Recommended Reading
Genesis 22:8-14 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%2022:8-14&version=NKJV )

Sometimes we use the phrase, "The Lord will provide," to comfort someone in need. Perhaps no one in the history of mankind understood the Lord's provision better than Abraham. His test of offering his son as a sacrifice to God rips into the heart of every one of us. Abraham knew in his head that God provided for him. But did his heart believe it? God wanted Abraham to know.

Listen to Today's Radio Message ( http://www.davidjeremiah.org/site/radio.aspx?tid=email_listenedevo )
Abraham continued to believe God, though he must have been in a state of complete bewilderment. At great cost to himself, this obedient servant chose to worship God by placing the situation completely in his Provider's hands. Instead of breaking him, the test took this patriarch to the summit of his walk with God. "Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram [the substitute sacrifice]...And Abraham called the name of the place, The-LORD-Will-Provide..." (Genesis 22:13-14). In Hebrew, this location is named Jehovah-Jireh.

Maybe you're needing to experience the Lord's provision today--a longed for answer to prayer, a job, healing. Remember Abraham and his place of Jehovah-Jireh. And as you're waiting, make sure you've surrendered your will to God by faithfully obeying Him. Now wait with expectation for His provision!

Faith never knows where it is being led, but it loves and knows the One who is leading.
Oswald Chambers

Read-Thru-the-Bible
Jeremiah 33:1-36:32 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah%2033:1-36:32&version=NKJV )

Judy Harder · August 09, 2012, 09:18:24 AM

Thursday, August 9

A Man From God

They stood in their place according to their custom, according to the Law of Moses the man of God...
2 Chronicles 30:16

Recommended Reading
Deuteronomy 34:10-12 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy%2034:10-12&version=NKJV )

The most famous work of Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, the seventeenth-century Spanish novelist, is Don Quixote de La Mancha --the story of a knight from the La Mancha region of Spain. Since La Mancha was a geographical region, we could easily translate "man of La Mancha" as "man from La Mancha." And the same is true when using the biblical phrase "man of God."

Listen to Today's Radio Message ( http://www.davidjeremiah.org/site/radio.aspx?tid=email_listenedevo )

The easiest way to understand the meaning of "man of God" is to think of it as "man from God." The phrase occurs 78 times in the New King James Version of the Old Testament and most often refers to prophets--those who spoke words from God on His behalf. The prophets were men of God because they came from God to speak to the people. "Man of God" describes one man in the Old Testament more than any other: Moses. He was a man sent by God to speak the words of God to Pharaoh in Egypt. And later he spoke words from God to the people of Israel.

The defining characteristic of a man or woman of God today is that they say what God says. Instead of putting words in God's mouth, they put His Word in theirs.

It takes a lifetime to prepare a sermon because it takes a lifetime to prepare a man of God.
Arthur S. Wood

Read-Thru-the-Bible
Jeremiah 37:1–41:18 ( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah%2037:1%E2%80%9341:18&version=NKJV )