Transforming Stories Wk 8
A Family that Shines!
Last sermon, based on the Parable of the Prodigal Son, I concluded that the goal of every family and every church is to be a place where both the younger sons and older sons can hear the invitation of the Father to come home and find rest, secure in His loving embrace as members of His forever family. Such a homecoming was promised at the Pentecost, 50 days after Jesus’ resurrection and only 10 days after His ascension to the right hand of the Father. In Acts 2:37-39, we learn about how God is going to be bring this parable to real life, through the presence of the divine in His people:
Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?” Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. “For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.”
5 Have this attitude a]in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be b]grasped, 7 but c]emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. 8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death d]on a cross. 9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
12 So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.
This is an Old Testament image, as we see clearly in Daniel 12:3, “Those who have insight will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.” Referencing the brightness of the stars was familiar in the OT, as God promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. One example of this is found in Genesis 26:4-5, “I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven, and will give your descendants all these lands; and by your descendants all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; because Abraham obeyed Me and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes and My laws.” We shine to be a blessing, to fulfill the purpose for God choosing Abram in the first place – we are blessed to be a blessing. We are given the Holy Spirit, the divine nature, to shine the message of God like the angels, to illuminate the sky like stars, to pierce the darkness. This happens intentionally as we raise up the next generation to shine like the stars, together shining like a city on a hill.
Jesus carried this imagery into the New Covenant, saying in the Sermon on the Mount, in Matthew 5:14-16, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” The city imagery brings together many households of faith… we are in this together as a community of believers.
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Malachi 4
Behold the Good News!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Monday, October 28. Behold, today concludes the Seize the Moment daily devotional phone calls. You have now read a devotion on every chapter of the Bible.
The word “behold” declares an announcement of what God has done or is going to do. “Behold” literally means, “Be sure to see,” and it’s used twice in the last chapter of Malachi, heralding God’s final words of the Old Testament in Malachi 4:1, 5-6:
“For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be chaff; and the day that is coming will set them ablaze,” says the Lord of hosts, “so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. … Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse.”
The fulfillment of this grand announcement was declared by the archangel Gabriel when speaking with Zacharias in Luke 1:11-20. The angel quoted Malachi 4:5-6 to the old priest when telling him that his wife Elizabeth would miraculously bear him a son and he shall name him John, for he shall prepare the way for the Lord. He then went over to Nazareth to tell Mary in Luke 1:31, “Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.” Thirty years later, John the Baptist, who, according to Jesus, was the “Elijah who was to come” (Matthew 11:14), heralded the good news about Jesus in John 1:29, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”
Seize the moment and be sure to see the good news for yourself – “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11).
YOUTUBE:
If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
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Malachi 3
Embrace the Refiner’s Fire!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Saturday, October 26.
The final chapters of the last book of the Old Testament establish a prophetic bridge between Malachi and John the Baptist, a nearly half-millennium gap between the final prophets of the Old Covenant. Set in the historical context of corrupted worship in post-exilic Jerusalem, God declared that He would refine the priesthood to offer Him right sacrifices in Malachi 3:1-3:
“Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,” says the Lord of hosts. “But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may present to the Lord offerings in righteousness.”
God’s refining fire has a purpose – to purify us as His vessels (Romans 9:16-24; Acts 9:15; 2 Corinthians 4:7-10; 2 Timothy 2:20-22). It was for this reason that God sent John the Baptist as the “Elijah who was to come” (Matthew 11:14), the messenger of Malachi 3:1 who would prepare the way for the Messiah, as heralded by Zacharias the priest in Luke 1:76-77, “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare His ways; to give to His people the knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins.” Through faith in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit is God’s refiner’s fire to purify a new priesthood, one that would “present to the Lord offerings in righteousness” as foretold in Malachi 3:3 (cf. 1 Peter 2:4-10; Revelation 1:6).
Seize the moment and embrace the refiner’s fire (1 Peter 1:6-7). God has a purpose for your life (Ephesians 2:8-10).
YOUTUBE:
If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
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Malachi 2
Get Clear about Marriage!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Friday, October 25.
God created men and women to bring Him glory by partnering with Him, and one another, in the stewardship of creation (Genesis 1:26-30). One of the clearest ways God equipped us to fulfill this Genesis Commission is through the gift of marriage, which was God’s plan to meet our fundamental human need for companionship, as exposed in Genesis 2:18, “Then the Lord God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.’” The husband-wife relationship is God’s idea, and it’s one that He’s protective of, which is why He dealt severely with the remnant of Israel in Malachi 2:13-16:
This is another thing you do: you cover the altar of the Lord with tears, with weeping and with groaning, because He no longer regards the offering or accepts it with favor from your hand. Yet you say, “For what reason?” Because the Lord has been a witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have dealt treacherously, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant. … “For I hate divorce,” says the Lord, the God of Israel, “and him who covers his garment with wrong,” says the Lord of hosts.
We provoke God to judgment when we aren’t clear about marriage. It’s not a mystery that this is such a big deal to God, so we must pray for, prioritize, and protect the marriages in our churches (Ephesians 5:21-33). Put on the full armor of God and stand firm in your faith against the schemes of the devil (Ephesians 6:11-18), who continues to attack God’s plans in a desperate effort to diminish God’s glory in the world by throwing a blanket over the light of our marriages. We are called to shine as image bearers of God.
Seize the moment and get clear about marriage. Pray! Prioritize! Protect!
God bless you!
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
YOUTUBE:
If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
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Malachi 1
Give your Best!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, October 24.
The last book of the Old Testament is Malachi. A generation prior, the prophets Haggai and Zechariah had succeeded in spurring on the completion of the temple and restoring worship to Yahweh during the time of Zerubbabel the governor, but now the people had waned in their wholehearted worship. Set during the postexilic history books of Ezra and Nehemiah, the restored remnant of Israel had become complacent in their worship of Yahweh. First, Malachi assured them of God’s grace in choosing them and of His unfailing love (Malachi 1:1-5), but then he rebuked them for not giving God their best (Malachi 1:6-2:9). As in Malachi 1:6, where God shares His broken heart, “‘A son honors his father, and a servant his master. Then if I am a father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is My respect?’ says the Lord of hosts to you, O priests who despise My name.” They dishonored, disrespected, and despised God by bringing seconds to God – blemished sacrifices, which reflected their indifference to God and carelessness in worship (Malachi 1:7-14). They were going through the motions and not giving God their best!
You give God your best when you respond to His grace with loving devotion, as Paul invites in Romans 12:1, “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.” You give God your best, when you prioritize Him in your daily life, as Jesus invites you to do in Matthew 6:33, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Give God your first fruits, not your leftovers!
Seize the moment and give God your best, as Paul invites you in Colossians 3:23, “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men.”
God bless you!
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
YOUTUBE:
If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
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Zechariah 14
Hang onto Hope!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, October 23.
Hope is not wishful thinking. Hope is the certainty that God will keep His promises, on time, every time. It is easy to lose sight of hope when looking at your stormy circumstances, so God invites you to keep your eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12:1-3). Then you can walk on the turbulent waters of whatever storm you are experiencing (Matthew 14:29-31). The returning remnant of Israel was discouraged so, like many of the prophets before him, Zechariah concluded his message with a word of hope in Zechariah 14:3-5, “Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations, as when He fights on a day of battle. In that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; … Then the Lord, my God, will come, and all the holy ones with Him!”
In Acts 1:11, after the bodily ascension of the resurrected Lord, the two angels said to the disciples, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.” Jesus will descend in the same way He ascended – visibly, physically, and literally on the Mount of Olives, fulfilling not only the messianic prophecy of Zechariah, but invoking the entirety of his final chapter, including the future deliverance of Jerusalem. God will not only affect the surrounding geography of Jerusalem, but the cosmos itself. Justice will be fulfilled and there will no longer be a distinction between sacred and profane, for all things will be restored unto the Lord as holy. Today, we stand in the liminal space between Jesus’ ascension and His return.
Seize the moment and hang onto hope – “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. … and all the more as you see the day drawing near” (Hebrew 10:23-25).
God bless you!
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
YOUTUBE:
If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
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Zechariah 13
Something Good from Something Bad!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Tuesday, October 22.
Can something good come out of something bad? Absolutely! Which is why the Cross, a brutal form of humiliation, suffering, and death, is the Christian’s rallying cry. From the outstretched arms and pierced hands of Jesus Christ flow God’s invitation to receive eternal life as members of His forever family. In Zechariah 13:7-9, which is a small portion of the prophet’s second oracle, Zechariah declared that the Messiah’s death was preordained for this very purpose:
“Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, and against the man, My Associate,” declares the Lord of hosts. “Strike the Shepherd that the sheep may be scattered; and I will turn My hand against the little ones. It will come about in all the land,” declares the Lord, “That two parts in it will be cut off and perish; but the third will be left in it. And I will bring the third part through the fire, refine them as silver is refined, and test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, and I will answer them; I will say, ‘They are My people,’ and they will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’”
Jesus quoted this passage after instituting the Lord’s Supper, promising in Matthew 26:31-32, “You will all fall away because of Me this night, for it is written, ‘I will strike down the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered.’ But after I have been raised, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.” What Jesus alluded to through Zechariah’s veiled prophetic reference, Peter made clear after Pentecost in Acts 2:23, “this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death.”
Seize the moment and trust the sovereignty of God to bring something good from something bad (Romans 8:28). Isn’t that why it’s called Good Friday?
God bless you!
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
YOUTUBE:
If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
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Zechariah 12
Look upon your Savior!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Monday, October 21.
Before we were given the revelation of the incarnation in John 1:14, God manifested His presence through the angel of the Lord. In Exodus 23:20-21, God said about the angel of the Lord, “My name is in him.” Nearly a thousand years after the Exodus, and approximately five hundred years before Jesus’ incarnation, in Zechariah 12:8-10, God referenced the angel of the Lord, giving the hope of the incarnation with an eye towards why the only begotten Son of God would come from Heaven to Earth as the fullness of God uniquely dwelling in flesh:
In that day the Lord will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the one who is feeble among them in that day will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the angel of the Lord before them. And in that day I will set about to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn.
The incarnation is yoked with the crucifixion through this messianic prophecy, uniquely foretelling the victory of God through Jesus Christ – “so that they shall look on Me whom they have pierced.” The only begotten son of God took on flesh and dwelt among us so that He could be crucified for the forgiveness of sins (John 19:36-37).
Seize the moment and look upon your Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ! He is the incarnation of God who “was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5).
God bless you!
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
YOUTUBE:
If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
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Transforming Stories Wk 7
Transforming Stories of the Next Generation! Week 7
Train Orthopraxis: Right Actions!
The human development of Jesus as an adolescent has been our template for these last three messages. The only biblical evidence of this stage of His life is found in Luke 2:39-52. I will show you how Jesus’ right mental picture of God led to right feelings about the situation and people, which then led Him to doing something that was totally unexpected and totally Jesus! That is the goal of Christian parenting, as we read in Ephesians 6:4: to raise the next generation in the instruction and discipline of the Lord so that they SHINE as witnesses of Jesus Christ. We will conclude this series on November 17, after I get back from our annual tour des grandparents and after our annual leadership message prior to congregational meeting with votes on November 10, which will also include the Awesome Autumn pitch-in.
Jesus showed us the importance of right thoughts leading to right feelings in how He handled situations differently than the religious culture of His day. We’ve already looked at the first three of the four Gospel stories we are examining to illustrate the connections between our thoughts, feelings, and actions. Let us never forget that right thoughts about God and creation, ourselves and other people, sin and redemption, and our purposes as stewards of God’s creation (worldview) lead us to interpreting our situations more accurately. A right interpretation facilitates us having a correct emotional response (right feelings) to our situations. We must model this for the next generation and train them up so that their right thoughts, lead to right feelings, which ultimately lead to right actions – being a witness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This is today’s emphasis as we look back at these four stories and then finish today’s sermon with the Parable of the Loving Father, also called the Parable of the Two Lost Sons, but commonly called the Parable of the Prodigal Son.
Jesus showed us the importance of right thoughts leading to right feelings in how He handled situations differently than the religious culture of His day. We are going to walk through these four examples again today, one from each of the four Gospels, to illustrate how Jesus’ worldview led to Him to interpret each situation differently, then, today, we will see how that led Him to respond with compassion, sending a ripple effect through time and space:
- Matthew 8:1-3, Jesus touched the leper
- Mark 5:25-34, the woman who touched Jesus
- Luke 19:1-10, Zacchaeus and his friends
- John 8:1-11, the woman caught in adultery
We will conclude with prodigal son story from Luke 15:11-32, contrasting the two sons’ actions based on their mental framework and emotional interpretation of the Father’s action. What can we teach the next generation from these stories and what actions do we hope they will model to their peers and future generations? What is Jesus teaching us about right thoughts about God and how right thoughts lead to right feelings, which then lead to right actions?
If you would like to watch this message, click HERE. (This link will appear later this week)
If you would like to watch the the entire service with the message, click HERE.
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Zechariah 11
Take Care of People!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Saturday, October 19.
People matter to God! The leaders of Israel had failed in their responsibilities to shepherd the people, so God commanded the prophet to symbolically portray their failure in Zechariah 11:9-13:
Then I said, “I will not pasture you. What is to die, let it die, and what is to be annihilated, let it be annihilated; and let those who are left eat one another’s flesh.” I took my staff Favor and cut it in pieces, to break my covenant which I had made with all the peoples. … I said to them, “If it is good in your sight, give me my wages; but if not, never mind!” So they weighed out thirty shekels of silver as my wages. Then the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the potter, that magnificent price at which I was valued by them.” So I took the thirty shekels of silver and threw them to the potter in the house of the Lord.
The potter’s field was a place of debris where a potter would discard broken pottery, so the prophet was being commanded to throw his pastoral wages into the trash. This image was invoked at the time of Jesus’ crucifixion when Judas sought to repent of his sin for betraying innocent blood, but the religious leaders of Israel refused him, “What is that to us? See to that yourself” (Matthew 27:4). They betrayed their sacred responsibilities by denying Judas an opportunity for repentance, and, in doing so, they fulfilled Zechariah 11 not only as failed shepherds, but also literally, in Matthew 27:7-8, when they threw the ransom price to the potter (Exodus 21:32).
God bless you!
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
YOUTUBE:
If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
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Zechariah 10
The Cure of Souls!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Friday, October 18.
Spiritual problems require spiritual solutions! This is a principle that cannot be ignored because applying a legal, psychological, or biological treatment to a diseased soul is no solution at all; it’s putting a Band-Aid on a gushing artery wound. So many people stubbornly refuse to get help when it comes to the matters of their soul, forgetting that divorce, disease, and death are spiritual issues first. Zechariah 10:2-4 is a convincing proof of our need to turn to God for help in times of spiritual crisis:
For the teraphim [household idols] speak iniquity, and the diviners see lying visions and tell false dreams; they comfort in vain. Therefore the people wander like sheep, they are afflicted, because there is no shepherd. “My anger is kindled against the shepherds, and I will punish the male goats; for the Lord of hosts has visited His flock, the house of Judah, and will make them like His majestic horse in battle. From them will come the cornerstone, from them the tent peg, from them the bow of battle, from them every ruler, all of them together.
The people had turned to household idols and divination for help, which caused them to become like sheep being led to the slaughter. God diagnosed the problem as a lack of spiritual leadership, so the people were receiving no soul care. Don’t be mistaken, there were civil and religious leaders, but the people needed the cure for their soul, not a Band-Aid. Moved by compassion, God promised to send the Messiah, who would be the cornerstone, the tent peg, the bow of battle, and the ruler – the cure of souls!
Seize the moment and find the cure for your soul by listening to the voice of Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd of your soul, who promises in John 10:27-28, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.”
God bless you!
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
YOUTUBE:
If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
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Zechariah 9
Embrace the Liminal Space!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, October 17.
Have you ever experienced a liminal space, a transitional time of waiting between what has been done and what is still to be done? The Lord gave Zechariah a series of prophecies that foretold of two such fertile voids in human history. The first oracle had a more immediate historical fulfillment with the future conqueror of nations, Alexander the Great (Zechariah 9:1-8; cf. Daniel 8). The second prophecy foretold the futuristic coming of the Messiah in Zechariah 9:9-10:
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, humble, and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a donkey. I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the horse from Jerusalem; and the bow of war will be cut off. And He will speak peace to the nations; and His dominion will be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.
While there was a three-century gap between Alexander the Great and Jesus the Christ, we live today in the even greater liminal space between the first coming of Christ and His return. The first half of the messianic prophecy was quoted in the triumphal entry of Matthew 21:1-11, yet we are still waiting for world peace. Christ has come and Christ will return; this liminal space is the fertile void of opportunity called faith. We believe that what has not yet been fulfilled in His first coming will be finished in the end times.
Seize the moment and take on the easy yoke of Jesus to work the fields of this fertile void, learning to become like Him, “gentle and humble in heart” (Matthew 11:28-30). The Holy Spirit will fulfill the promise of Christian discipleship in and through you (Mark 1:17; Romans 8:29).
God bless you!
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
YOUTUBE:
If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
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Zechariah 8
Strengthen your Hands!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, October 16.
The prophet’s next response to the delegation from Bethel calls them to strengthen their hands for the work of rebuilding the temple. The priority was for them to soften their hearts and return to right worship of God through covenant obedience (Zechariah 7). Now, the prophet was calling them to wholeheartedly work unto the Lord by strengthening their hands, as explained in Zechariah 8:9-13:
Thus says the Lord of hosts, “Let your hands be strong, you who are listening in these days to these words from the mouth of the prophets, those who spoke in the day that the foundation of the house of the Lord of hosts was laid, to the end that the temple might be built. … But now I will not treat the remnant of this people as in the former days, … It will come about that just as you were a curse among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so I will save you that you may become a blessing. Do not fear; let your hands be strong.”
The fourth response was a promise of what would happen if the remnant of Israel softened their hearts in right worship of God and strengthened their hands to do the work of rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem, as foretold in Zechariah 8:22, “So many peoples and mighty nations will come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem and to entreat the favor of the Lord.” The summary of God’s response is simple: Yes, keep fasting, but do it for Me, and I will bless the work of your hands.
Seize the moment and strengthen your hands to do the Lord’s work – “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve” (Colossians 3:23-24).
God bless you!
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
YOUTUBE:
If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
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Zechariah 7
Soften your Heart!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Tuesday, October 15.
Zechariah 7 & 8 focus on the prophet’s response to a question posed by a delegation from Bethel who traveled to seek the Lord’s favor in 518 BC. They asked the priests and prophets of Jerusalem, “Shall I weep in the fifth month and abstain, as I have done these many years?” (Zechariah 7:1-3). They were referring to the Ninth of Av, the fast day commemorating the anniversary of the temple’s destruction. Their question revealed that their concern was with external religious practices. Are we doing it right?
The Lord’s first of four responses asked them to reflect upon their heart motives throughout the seventy years of Babylonian exile, “Was it actually for Me that you fasted?” (Zechariah 7:5-7). In other words, what is the heart of your worship – yourself or God? After all these years of reflecting upon the disaster, have you returned to Me in your heart? The prophet continued with this theme in his second response in Zechariah 7:11-12, “But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears from hearing. They made their hearts like flint so that they could not hear the law and the words which the Lord of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets; therefore great wrath came from the Lord of hosts.” The prophet looked backwards on purpose; God was warning the postexilic generation to heed His commands and to seek Him, not with external religion, but with a wholehearted commitment to worship. God has always sought after His people’s heart loyalties, and He seeks after yours today (Matthew 22:37-40).
Seize the moment and soften your heart to the Lord – “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26). Is your heart right with God?
God bless you!
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
YOUTUBE:
If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
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Zechariah 6
Be Encouraged!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Monday, October 14.
What is the purpose of God giving us prophetic visions? The eight visions of the prophet came to an end in Zechariah 6:1-8 with the final vision of four horses, which bookends with the first vision of four horses in Zechariah 1:8-11. Interestingly, these visions point to the apocalyptic imagery of Revelation 6:1-8 and the consummation of all things in the last days. This is an important intertestamental connection because the prophetic imagery of the end times continues in Zechariah 6:11-15 with a significant messianic prophecy:
Take silver and gold, make an ornate crown and set it on the head of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Then say to him, “Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘Behold, a man whose name is Branch, for He will branch out from where He is; and He will build the temple of the Lord. Yes, it is He who will build the temple of the Lord, and He who will bear the honor and sit and rule on His throne. Thus, He will be a priest on His throne, and the counsel of peace will be between the two offices.’” Now the crown will become a reminder in the temple of the Lord … Those who are far off will come and build the temple of the Lord.
While the coronation of Joshua served as an encouragement to the remnant to rebuild the temple in postexilic Jerusalem; prophetically, it forever yokes the offices of priest and king in the person of the Messiah, which is uniquely fulfilled by Jesus Christ as priest (Hebrews 4:14-16; 6:20-7:28) and king (Matthew 27:11; Luke 1:32-33; Revelation 19:16). The priest-king Joshua foreshadowed the Messiah Jesus, encouraging God’s people to prioritize the kingdom of God no matter their hardships because the One who has come once for all, will return to rule (Hebrews 9:26-28; Matthew 6:33).
Seize the moment and be encouraged – “In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
God bless you!
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
YOUTUBE:
If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
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Transforming Stories Wk 6
Train Orthopathy: Right Feelings!
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Zechariah 5
Live Free from Sin!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Saturday, October 12.
The judgment of evil is one of the promises of God in which people have found hope. Zechariah 5 contains two of the eight visions that directly points to this promise: the flying scroll that contained God’s curse for thieves and perjurers (1-4) and the sealed ephah that contained the embodiment of evil called “Wickedness” (5-11). Both visions culminate with God’s judgment of evil. The first vision demonstrates God bringing judgment to the homes of liars and perjurers in Zechariah 5:4, “‘I will make it go forth,’ declares the Lord of hosts, ‘and it will enter the house of the thief and the house of the one who swears falsely by My name; and it will spend the night within that house and consume it with its timber and stones.’” Compare this with the judgment for evil incarnate, who is brought to a region of Babylon in Zechariah 5:11, “To build a temple for her in the land of Shinar; and when it is prepared, she will be set there on her own pedestal.”
Whereas the consequences of individual sin must be dealt with at a personal level, evil itself must be vanquished once for all at the highest level. There is a difference between the necessity for personal repentance from sin and the cosmic victory over evil itself. Don’t continue in your sin while declaring that Satan has been defeated by Jesus’ crucifixion, “When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him” (Colossians 2:15). You have been baptized into Jesus’ death; therefore, live as the redeemed of the Lord in the light of His resurrection (Romans 6:1-11), knowing with certainty that there is a coming judgment for sin (Hebrews 9:27).
Seize the moment and live free from the sin that so easily entangles you, so that you can live for God holy and whole (Romans 6:11-13; Hebrews 12:1-3; 1 Peter 2:24-25).
God bless you!
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
YOUTUBE:
If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
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Zechariah 4
God’s Grace Alone!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Friday, October 11.
The prophet’s fifth vision is a symbolic picture of the Holy Spirit. God was bestowing His grace on Zerubbabel and Joshua to lead the distracted and disillusioned remnant of Israel. Their essential work was the rebuilding of the temple and restoring right worship in it; thereby, returning God’s glory to Jerusalem. Opposition and frustration can discourage even the best of people, so God called forth leaders to remind the remnant of Israel that all good works are by His grace alone. The angel spoke with the prophet in Zechariah 4:6-10:
Then he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel saying, ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts. ‘What are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become a plain; and he will bring forth the top stone with shouts of “Grace, grace to it!” ’ ” Also the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house, and his hands will finish it. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. For who has despised the day of small things?”
The church of Jesus Christ receives this same promise of God’s grace for the restoration of His glory unto the nations in our day: It is not by might nor by power, but by the Holy Spirit that His purposes will be fulfilled in our generation. So, do not be discouraged by small beginnings because God has promised in Philippians 1:6, “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”
Seize the moment and do the good works God has anointed you to accomplish in your generation, remembering that every good work is by God’s grace alone (2 Peter 1:2-4; Ephesians 2:8-10).
God bless you!
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
YOUTUBE:
If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
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Zechariah 3
Signposts of the Kingdom!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, October 10.
You are a signpost of the kingdom of God, but you can only be accurately read when you are not smeared with sin. Being a visible sign of prophetic significance is called holiness, sanctification, or purity, and it’s an important aspect of our calling as followers of Jesus. He is the only visible image of the invisible God, but we, as His remnant on Earth, are to point to Him until His victorious return as the conquering King. The angel of the Lord taught Joshua what it meant to be such a prophetic sign (“symbol”) of the Messiah in Zechariah 3:8-10:
“Now listen, Joshua the high priest, you and your friends who are sitting in front of you – indeed they are men who are a symbol, for behold, I am going to bring in My servant the Branch. For behold, the stone that I have set before Joshua; on one stone are seven eyes. Behold, I will engrave an inscription on it,” declares the Lord of hosts, “and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day. In that day,” declares the Lord of hosts, “every one of you will invite his neighbor to sit under his vine and under his fig tree.”
Joshua was the high priest of the postexilic remnant of Israel, and it was his calling to lead the people back into right worship of God. He could not do so by his own merit, for his righteous deeds are but a filthy garment in God’s sight (Zechariah 3:3-4a; cf. Isaiah 64:6; Matthew 22:11-14). Interestingly, to be holy unto the Lord, set apart for his calling, he had to clothed by another into new clothes (Zechariah 3:4b-5; cf. Ephesians 4:22-24). Then, and only then, could he walk in the ordinances of God as a signpost of the Messiah (Zechariah 3:7; cf. Galatians 3:24-29; Colossians 3:1-17).
Seize the moment and point the way to Christ – “You shall be holy, for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16).
God bless you!
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
YOUTUBE:
If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
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Zechariah 2
Wall of Fire!
Zechariah 2
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, October 9.
Have you ever wondered why the returning remnant of Israel focused on rebuilding the temple before the walls of Jerusalem? The walls had been torn down by the Babylonians, but was the breach of the city walls their real downfall? Where did the security of Jerusalem truly come from? The vision of Zechariah 2:1-5 gives us the answer:
Then I lifted up my eyes and looked, and behold, there was a man with a measuring line in his hand. So I said, “Where are you going?” And he said to me, “To measure Jerusalem, to see how wide it is and how long it is.” And behold, the angel who was speaking with me was going out, and another angel was coming out to meet him, and said to him, “Run, speak to that young man, saying, ‘Jerusalem will be inhabited without walls because of the multitude of men and cattle within it. ‘For I,’ declares the Lord, ‘will be a wall of fire around her, and I will be the glory in her midst.’ ”
The safety of the city, just like the security of any soul, is brought about by the glory of God being inside of it. Restoring right worship to the temple of God was the priority of the remnant, more so than any number of military fortifications because God’s glory is “a wall of fire” around His people. The downfall of Jerusalem was a foregone conclusion after the glory of God departed from it, as described in Ezekiel 10:18, “Then the glory of the Lord departed from the threshold of the temple and stood over the cherubim.” Zechariah’s visions brought hope to the returning remnant of Israel, reminding them of their priorities of work and motivating them to rebuild the temple in the face of frustration and opposition.
Seize the moment and ask God to be a wall of fire around your life by inviting the Holy Spirit to bring God’s glory into your jar of clay (2 Corinthians 4:7-18).
God bless you!
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
YOUTUBE:
If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
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Zechariah 1
Return to God!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Tuesday, October 8.
The prophetic work of Zechariah is set in the same post-exilic historical context as Haggai, but his is a longer work because of his many visions, fourteen chapters as compared with Haggai’s two. Yet, Zechariah 1:1-4 begins with a clear and concise call to repentance:
In the eighth month of the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah the prophet, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo saying, “The Lord was very angry with your fathers. Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, “Return to Me,” declares the Lord of hosts, “that I may return to you,” says the Lord of hosts. “Do not be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets proclaimed, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, “Return now from your evil ways and from your evil deeds.” ’ But they did not listen or give heed to Me,” declares the Lord.’”
The earmark of God’s true messengers is found in that simple phrase, “Return to Me.” The former prophets alluded to included Isaiah (1:16-19; 55:6-7), Jeremiah (4:1-2), Ezekiel (33:11), Hosea (12:6), and Joel (2:12-13), to name a few. By doing so, the prophets were pointing the people back to God’s promises from the Mosaic Law. In Deuteronomy 4:29-30, Moses said, “But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul. When you are in distress and all these things have come upon you, in the latter days you will return to the Lord your God and listen to His voice.”
Seize the moment and return to God – “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2; 4:17). Repent is forever the first word of the Christian life, so listen and give heed to God’s voice, for this is the call of the prophets and the apostles (Acts 2:38; 3:19; 5:31; 17:30; 20:21; 26:20; and 2 Corinthians 7:10).
God bless you!
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
YOUTUBE:
If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
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Haggai 2
Far Greater than a Construction Project!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Monday, October 7.
In their return from Babylonian exile, God aligned all the resources for their success by giving the remnant favor with foreign kings. It was by God’s grace that the temple was rebuilt (Ezra 6:14), but, as in any construction project, there was something far greater happening than the building itself, as explained of its purpose in Haggai 2:6-10:
For thus says the Lord of hosts, “Once more in a little while, I am going to shake the heavens and the earth, the sea also and the dry land. I will shake all the nations; and they will come with the wealth of all nations, and I will fill this house with glory,” says the Lord of hosts. “The silver is Mine and the gold is Mine,” declares the Lord of hosts. “The latter glory of this house will be greater than the former,” says the Lord of hosts, “and in this place I will give peace,” declares the Lord of hosts.
God promised to fill the temple with His glory once again. According to Haggai 2:23, the Davidic line had been preserved, “‘I will take you, Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, My servant,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will make you like a signet ring, for I have chosen you.’” As the signet ring, Zerubbabel was the authentication of God’s covenant promises to Israel. God’s presence would fill the whole earth through the Messiah of Israel, who is the fulfillment of the promise of peace (Haggai 2:10; Isaiah 9:6; Luke 2:14). Greater than all the earthly riches the temple could house, God was giving His Spirit so that Israel would fulfill their purposes – to bless the nations (Genesis 12:1-3).
Seize the moment and glorify God in your body, remembering that as the temple of the Holy Spirit, God chose you to be something far greater than a construction project (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Shine with the treasure He has placed within you (2 Corinthians 4:6-10). You are blessed to be a blessing!
God bless you!
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
YOUTUBE:
If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
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Transforming Stories Wk 5
Transforming Stories of the Next Generation! – Week 5
Train Orthodoxy: Right Thinking!
“What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us. … We tend by a secret law of the soul to move toward our mental image of God”A.W. Tozer
Luke 2:39-52
“When they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city of Nazareth. The Child continued to grow and become strong, increasing in wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him. Now His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. And when He became twelve, they went up there according to the custom of the Feast; and as they were returning, after spending the full number of days, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. But His parents were unaware of it, but supposed Him to be in the caravan, and went a day’s journey; and they began looking for Him among their relatives and acquaintances. When they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem looking for Him. Then, after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers. When they saw Him, they were astonished; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You treated us this way? Behold, Your father and I have been anxiously looking for You.” And He said to them, “Why is it that you were looking for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s house?” But they did not understand the statement which He had made to them. And He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and He continued in subjection to them; and His mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.”
Connect with the prophet Samuel’s childhood in 1 Samuel 2:26, “Now the boy Samuel was growing in stature and in favor both with the Lord and with men.” Allow me to share an important story that gives us the right perspective for today’s teaching, from 1 Samuel 3:1-19.
There are three important ways children grow in right thinking about God and how to be in a relationship with Him, as well as learn how to be adults:
- Observation: Does the next generation see your relationship with God?
- Listening: Does the next generation hear your conversations about God?
- Asking questions: Does the next generation have permission to approach us and God throughout their developmental stages? How we handle questions is life or death. (Share story from NYC.)
Right thinking comes through the development of a cohesive biblical worldview, which gives us a mental framework from which we interpret our experiences and engage with God, ourselves, people, and the world.
None of us our born with this knowledge automatically in us. Like Jesus, we must “increase in wisdom”:
- The purpose & promise of parenting: Ephesians 6:1-4 & Proverbs 22:6
- The purpose of Proverbs (the Bible): Proverbs 1:1-9
- The what & how of forming a cohesive worldview: Where to start?
- Start reading the Gospels and pray. Discuss Jesus, ask good questions, and seek Bible answers.
- Live in sacred rhythms: prayer, building healthy relationships, becoming a learner, attending church, going on retreats, taking Sabbath, and protecting priorities in your daily life.
- Model that all life comes from God, all truth is from God, and all things belong to God.
Conclusion:
Acts 2:38-39.
Trust the promise of Pentecost! The Holy Spirit wants to partner with you in your parenting and mentoring.
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Zephaniah 3
Trust Leads to Transformation!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Friday, October 4.
The prophet’s call to rejoice at the end of Zephaniah is an invitation to believe in God’s faithfulness. This call to faith is captured in the stark contrast of Israel, the before and after snapshots found in the last chapter of Zephaniah. The transformation of souls brought about by the day of the Lord, as described in Zephaniah 3, illuminates the heart of God for His beloved creation:
- Beforehand in verses 1-4, “Woe to her who is rebellious and defiled, the tyrannical city! She heeded no voice, she accepted no instruction. She did not trust in the Lord, she did not draw near to her God. Her princes within her are roaring lions, her judges are wolves at evening; they leave nothing for the morning. Her prophets are reckless, treacherous men; her priests have profaned the sanctuary. They have done violence to the law.”
- Afterward in verses 12-13, “But I will leave among you a humble and lowly people, and they will take refuge in the name of the Lord. The remnant of Israel will do no wrong and tell no lies, nor will a deceitful tongue be found in their mouths; for they will feed and lie down with no one to make them tremble.”
The purpose of the day of the Lord is to transform people from pride to humility, tyranny to righteousness, roaring lions to gentle lambs. The salvation of souls is the heart of God, and His great love for humanity is why He must confront sin with holiness (Zephaniah 3:8-11). Whatever your circumstances, remember that God is faithful to work His will in and through you, which is to conform you into the image of His Son, Jesus Christ, who is “gentle and humble in heart” (Romans 8:28-29; Matthew 11:29).
Seize the moment and trust God during the transformation process of your soul – “Shout for joy, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem!” (Zephaniah 3:14).
God bless you!
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
YOUTUBE:
If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
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