February 12^th 2023

9:30 am ------------------------The Hour is Come – John 12:23-36

10:00 am ------------------------- The Burning Bush – Exodus 3:1-6

Wednesday: 7:00 pm ---------- The Prince of This World Cast Out – John 12:31

First Things First and Last

“Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness . . .” – Matthew 6:33

The Lord Jesus Christ calls Himself, “The First and the Last.” Wouldn’t it be good to seek Him first and last; before and after every day? The first part of the day is when we are rested (from sleep He gives us); and our minds (He gave us) are sharpest. It is the best part of the day. Shouldn’t we give Him the best? BEFORE we see anyone’s face, let us seek His face, seek His will, presence, wisdom and grace in prayer. Before we make any decisions (and there will be many) wouldn’t it be good to seek His will and wisdom in His Word? And then . . . AFTER the day is done, let us seek His Spirit to teach us the day’s lessons and seek His forgiveness (surely we will need it ). After the day is done, let us thank Him for the mercies of that day. O’ how good is our Lord and worthy of the first, the best, and the last part of every day (and all in between). How good is He? . . . How merciful? He knows our frame and forgives us those days when we give Him very little thought (surely every child of God will admit to having those days). May this Word be a reminder for us to, Seek Him first and last.

Take Off Your Shoes

“Put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.” – Exodus 3:5

Perhaps the ugliest part of man, the filthiest, the stinkingest part of his flesh is his feet. His feet run to mischief, walk in paths of unrighteousness and wickedness; always going about doing evil, gadding about to cause trouble. The feet are filthy because always touching the earth, always in the dirt and filth of this world. Though man covers his feet with shoes, they are still filthy. . . still stinking, yea even moreso because of his foot coverings. Man walks in pride, strutting his or her stuff and wears shoes to fit and flaunt his pride. He wears his wingtips to prove his riches and worth, he wears his boots to prove his toughness, his manliness; she wears her high heeled shoes to flaunt her beauty, ‘haughty, and walking with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing (tripping nicely) as they go” (Isa.3:16). O the pride of man! Uncover his flesh, take off his nice coverings and see his wretched, stinking flesh. Take off his shoes and see the filth and fungus called sin; smell the stench that is man’s walk and works; so thus saith the Lord: “Take off thy shoes from off thy feet.”

The only thing, the only place that will cause a sinner to take off his proud covering, take off his proud shoes and make him walk in humility, walk in love, walk by faith . . . is Calvary. See the Holy Son of God hanging upon that cross. See those hands that made man, and were always healing and helping man; nailed to the tree. See those feet, the only beautiful, sweet smelling feet of flesh to ever walk this earth. . . see those feet pierced, nailed to the cross . . . nailed by man, as if to say, we’ll stop you from going about to do good, from preaching the Truth. . . we’ll stop your holy work and walk before us, for you make us look bad. But it was God that pierced His hands and His feet. It was the Father that put the Son on that cross . . . as a substitute for His people . . . His people who walked in pride, whose thoughts and ways were only evil continually. And it is God Who brings His people to the foot of the cross; to hear the gospel of Christ and Him crucified, which breaks their pride, convicts them of their sins against God, and humbles them. The Gospel of Christ crucified is the only Thing that will.

Moses took off his shoes before the cross of the burning bush. And perhaps God gave him a new pair to walk in from that day forward, a new pair that lasted him all his days. And when a sinner hears the gospel of Christ crucified, is humbled before God, takes off his shoes and hides his face; God then gives him another pair of shoes to walk in all his days. He is shod with the gospel, which causes him to walk by faith, walk in humility, walk in love to Christ and others; shoes that last him all his days on earth.

May the Lord cause us all to take off our shoes and give us new shoes to walk in newness of life. Amen.

Humility . . .

“Humility is to have a just estimate of oneself.”

“They that know God will be humble; they that know themselves cannot be proud.” – John Flavel