Page 18 - The MacArthur Daily Bible

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FIFTY-TWO KEY PASSAGES OF THE BIBLE
the Lord inhabits the praise of His people, He is there. clay will see in our deliverance their own hope. Be
Do I have a right to ascend into His presence? Not filled with praise for what God has done for you, and
unless I come with clean hands and a pure heart; not that may draw someone to open their heart to see
if there is any sin in my life. If there is impurity, you Him do it for them.
will not receive blessing from the Lord and the mer-
cies of His righteousness. To enjoy the blessing that Week 49
God wants to give, make sure your heart is right as
you enter His presence. Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed,
because His compassions fail not. They are new every
Week 47 morning; great is Your faithfulness.—LAMENTATIONS
3:22,23, page 1115
No temptation has overtaken you except such as is
common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow Jeremiah tells us that the Lord is merciful.
you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the Mercy means withholding what we deserve, not giv-
temptation will also make the way of escape, that you ing us the punishment we really have earned. And it
may be able to bear it.—1 CORINTHIANS 10:13, page 866 is through the Lord’s mercies that we are not con-
sumed. We deserve judgment from God because we
Despite what you may have heard, temptation is have broken His law, spurned His love, offended
not about demons. It’s just about being human. No Him, and dishonored Him. Every time we sin we do
temptation is ever going to come to you that is that. We should be consumed by His justice, but His
superhuman. You don’t need to go through life in justice is tempered by mercy. And His mercy is
horror and dread of some demonic invasion. If you based on His compassion.
are a believer, you are Christ’s. Greater is He that is
in you than he that is in the world. God is faithful. Fortunately for us, His compassions fail not. They
He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what are new every morning. God never runs out of the
you are able. supply, and every day is a new day. Isn’t that wonder-
ful? You get up and it’s a new day, and you can expect
And for a new Christian, it’s different than for an all the compassions of God are available for that day.
older Christian. Some temptations that are very diffi- All the mercies of God are available for that day. Great
cult for brand-new Christians who are just coming out is His faithfulness. The bedrock of God’s mercy and
of the world aren’t a problem for an older believer compassion is His covenant. When He makes a prom-
who has walked with the Lord for years. But God is
eminently, personally involved in our lives, sheltering ise, He keeps it, and He has promised us mercy and
us from the overwhelming temptation. And He says compassion if we believe in Him, and He will be faith-
ful to His covenant.
there will always be a way of escape, that we may be
able to endure it. There’s a path, and very often the Week 50
path in the midst of the temptation is very clear to us.
It’s the path of resistance. It’s the path of obedience. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mir-
It’s the path of prayer, of divine petition asking God to ror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the
lead us out. same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of
the Lord.—2 CORINTHIANS 3:18, page 913
Week 48
Believers today, unlike the saints of the Old
I waited patiently for the LORD; and He inclined to Testament, are able to behold the glory of the Lord in
me, and heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a an unveiled way. Moses saw a portion of the glory of
horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a God when he was on the mountain, but the people
rock, and established my steps. He has put a new song in never saw the unveiled face of the glory of God
my mouth—praise to our God; many will see it and fear, because that awaited the arrival of the Lord Jesus
and will trust in the LORD.—PSALM 40:1–3, page 322 Christ. We have the unveiled glory of the Lord mani-
The psalmist actually says that praise is an evan- fest in the face of Jesus Christ. And when I say “glory,”
gelistic tool. He says when I have a new song in my I mean all the attributes of God. They’re revealed to us
mouth and I am praising God, many will see that and in the Old Testament, but they are manifest alive to us
fear and trust in the Lord. There is a tremendous in Jesus Christ, so that the glory of God shines more
impact made upon the sinner by a believer filled with wonderfully in Christ than any other place.
praise. We have a new song of redemption. The And as we look at Him and see Him revealed in
psalmist said, “I was in a horrible pit. I was in the miry the New Testament, we are being transformed into the
clay.” The picture is of hopelessness and helplessness, same image from one level of glory to the next by the
and the Lord “heard my cry...and set my feet upon a Holy Spirit. This describes the dynamics of sanctifica-
rock, and established my steps.” That’s a picture of tion. As you see the wonder of Christ and are lost in
salvation. And the response to that is a song of praise. the vision of Christ, you will be imperceptibly trans-
And the more we sing it, and the louder we sing it, the formed into His image. This is spiritual growth and
more who hear it. Many will see our confidence and maturity. How do you move up to higher levels of
our joy and be drawn to Christ.
manifesting holiness and righteousness? It’s the work
We don’t often think about praise as an evangelis- of the Spirit which He does as Jesus Christ becomes
tic tool, but it is. Those around us who are in the miry our consuming vision.

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