Water World IFB KJV Resources

"The Shadow of Death" Psa. 23:4

"The Shadow of the Almighty" Psa. 91:1

I have heard that a shadow cannot harm us, and that to walk through the valley of the shadow of death, one must walk slowly because a shadow is a reflection of the real thing, and I can see the logic in all that, but there’s another shadow that we can take comfort in because it speaks of better things. This “shadow” is the shadow of the Lord, as seen in psalm 91, the “Shadow of the Almighty”. This speaks of closeness to Him; of protection; of comfort; of security, and of fellowship. When we “walk with God” we walk in His shadow. While the “Shadow of death” speaks of caution and fear, we have the opposite in His shadow, the shadow of God. These “shadows are millenniums apart, and yet they are both shadows that we must walk through. I would rather though, “dwell” under the shadow of the Almighty than have to run back to it when danger came along! Why not live there and never leave, then we avoid the other—the shadow of death? The first shadow cannot overwhelm the other. If we are to live “in the shadows” where usually evil lurks, let us seek the shadow of the Almighty where only righteousness prevails, and peace is the standard for our lives. We need to abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

We find the word “shadow” mentioned eight times in the New Testament, and each time a wonderful truth is taught. The first mention in the New Testament is in Mt 4:16, where we see another reference to the “shadow of death” which is compared to the darkness of our lives. There are many “shadows” but the most significant one may be in Col. 2:17, where the law and its practices are seen as a mere shadow of things to come. They were given for a “Pattern” for us, similar to a pattern that might be used in a blueprint, or for sewing. They are there for us to follow, but not in the reality that they were given i.e. under the law. Paul was a “pattern” or an example of the suffering that the children of God must endure (1 Tim. 1:16), and he was patterned after Christ Himself. You see, a pattern is for our example, while a shadow is a reflection of the real thing. So, we have shadows and patterns to teach us of the wonderful truths of God; we have blueprints and pictures then to show us the way and will of the Lord. Our Lord has made it easy for us to do His will and follow Him; He has laid it out plainly, and even given us the written Word so that there would be no doubt as to what is expected of us, and how we can accomplish that which is expected of us. So, we have a three-fold outline on doing and knowing the will of God for us, all we must do is to pay attention and heed the pictures, patterns, and words of the Lord.

Proverbs 14:1-35

Proverbs 14:12 "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death."

There are many wrong ways, but only one right way. There are many wrong answers to 2+2: 3, 9, 28; but only one correct answer: 2+2=4. Our ways are not the ways the Lord would have us go, because all we, like sheep, go astray.

In Isaiah 55 we read: "Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD."

The way of the Lord can be found in His Word, and for the Christian, we know that Way is Jesus Christ. Seek the Lord. He may be found. "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." John 14:6

15. In the southern colonies, throughout the Carolinas and especially Virginia, where the Church of England held sway, persecution of Baptists was serious and continuous. Many times their preachers were fined and imprisoned. From the beginning of the colonial period to the opening of the Revolutionary War, more than 100 years, these persecutions of Baptists were persisted in.

16. We give some examples of the hardships of the Baptists in Virginia, and yet strange as it may now seem Virginia was the next place on earth after Rhode Island to adopt religious liberty. But that was more than a century away. But the hardships--as many as 30 preachers at different times, were put in jail with the only charge against them--"for preaching the Gospel of the Son of God." James Ireland is a case in point. He was imprisoned. After imprisonment, his enemies tried to blow him up with gunpowder. That having failed, they next tried to smother him to death by burning sulphur under his windows at the jail. Failing also in this, they tried to arrange with a doctor to poison him. All this failed. He continued to preach to his people from the windows. A wall was then built around his jail so the people could not see in nor he see out, but even that difficulty was overcome. The people gathered, a handkerchief was tied to a long stick, and that stuck up above the walls so Ireland could see when they were ready. The preaching continued.

17. Three Baptist preachers (Lewis and Joseph Craig and Aaron Bledsoe) were later arrested on the same charge. One of them, at least, was a blood relative of R. E. B. Baylor, and possibly of one or more other Texas Baptist preachers. These preachers were arraigned for trial. Patrick Henry, hearing of it and though living many miles away and though a Church of England man himself, rode those miles horseback to the trial and volunteered his services in their defense. Great was his defense. I cannot enter into a description of it here. It swept the court. The preachers were freed.

18. Elsewhere than Rhode Island, religious liberty came slowly and by degrees. For example: In Virginia a law was passed permitting one, but only one, Baptist preacher to a county. He was permitted to preach but once in two months. Later this law was modified, permitting him to preach once in each month. But even then, in only one definite place in the county, and only one sermon on that day, and never to preach at night. Laws were passed not only in Virginia but in colonies elsewhere positively forbidding any Mission work. This was why Judson was the first foreign missionary--law forbade. It took a long time and many hard battles, in the Virginia House of Burgesses, to greatly modify these laws.

19. Evidently, one of the greatest obstructions to religious liberty in America, and probably all over the world as to that, was the conviction which had grown into the people throughout the preceding centuries that religion could not possibly live without governmental support. That no denomination could prosper solely on voluntary offerings by its adherents. And this was the hard argument to meet when the battle was raging for the disestablishment of the Church of England in Virginia, and also later in Congress when the question of religious liberty was being discussed there. For a long time the Baptists fought the battle almost alone,

20. Rhode Island began her colony in 1638, but it was not legally chartered until 1663. There was the first spot where Religious Liberty was granted. The second place was Virginia in 1786. Congress declared the first amendment to the Constitution to be in force December 15, 1791, which granted religious liberty to all citizens, Baptists are credited with being the leaders in bringing this blessing to the nation.

Feasting with Publicans and Sinners
Monday, September 14, 2009
by Dr. Paul Chappell

"And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners? But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."

Matthew 9:10-13

The Gospel is not limited by man-made boundaries.

Famous preacher H.A. Ironside once told the story of a pastor traveling on a ship to Europe: "When he went on board, he found that another passenger was to share the cabin with him. After going to see the accommodations, he came up to the purser's desk and inquired if he could leave his gold watch and other valuables in the ship's safe. He explained that ordinarily he never availed himself of that privilege, but he had been to his cabin and had met the man who was to occupy the other berth. Judging from his appearance, he was afraid that he might not be a very trustworthy person. The purser accepted the responsibility for the valuables and remarked, 'It's all right, bishop, I'll be very glad to take care of them for you. The other man has been up here and left his for the same reason!'"

How natural of this pastor to not trust his cabinmate. We probably would have done the same thing if we were in his position. When we fly, we sit quietly next to the person beside us, focusing on reaching our destination. When we visit a store, we silently pass our fellow shoppers, thinking of all we have to get. It is very natural to ignore the people around us and live our own lives. But notice Christ's different approach to the people around Him.

Jesus didn't ignore the "lesser" people of society-the publicans and sinners. He invited them to dinner! He ignored the rules of society and reached out to those whom others condemned. His Gospel was not limited by man-made boundaries.

How often is God's work hindered by our acceptance of man-made boundaries in our world? "It's not safe to speak to strangers," isn't that what we teach our children? While it's wise for them to learn discretion, there are times God burdens us to witness to those around us despite our not knowing them.

Society tells us it's impolite to disturb someone's silence, confront them with religion, or speak of eternity. People have tried to silence the name of Christ and the mention of the Bible's teachings. Yet Jesus showed us that no matter the social boundaries of His time, He sat down with publicans and sinners, and told them of His love for them.

Jesus faced criticism because of His actions. There were those, as there always are, who pointed out his "social faux paus" and condemned Him because of it. But He answered them by moving past their outward differences and pointing to their spiritual need.

Going against social norms will almost always evoke criticism and condemnation, yet God's work surpasses man-made boundaries. Jesus' earthly life was spent going against the grain of society and reaching out to others. You cannot allow the devil to hinder your witness of God based on your fleshly desires or the uncomfortable feelings of speaking to someone you don't know.

How many times have you passed by a God-given witnessing opportunity because of man-made boundaries? Does the devil use fear of rejection, social awkwardness, or personal boundaries to keep you from sharing His love with others? God desires that you would obey every impulse of His Spirit no matter how "socially unacceptable" it might be. Don't limit God today by listening to the devil's fear rather than the Holy Spirit's promptings.

“There were also with him other little ships.”
- Mar_4:36

Jesus was the Lord High Admiral of the sea that night, and his presence preserved the whole convoy. It is well to sail with Jesus, even though it be in a little ship. When we sail in Christ’s company, we may not make sure of fair weather, for great storms may toss the vessel which carries the Lord himself, and we must not expect to find the sea less boisterous around our little boat. If we go with Jesus we must be content to fare as he fares; and when the waves are rough to him, they will be rough to us. It is by tempest and tossing that we shall come to land, as he did before us.
When the storm swept over Galilee’s dark lake all faces gathered blackness, and all hearts dreaded shipwreck. When all creature help was useless, the slumbering Saviour arose, and with a word, transformed the riot of the tempest into the deep quiet of a calm; then were the little vessels at rest as well as that which carried the Lord. Jesus is the star of the sea; and though there be sorrow upon the sea, when Jesus is on it there is joy too. May our hearts make Jesus their anchor, their rudder, their lighthouse, their life-boat, and their harbour. His Church is the Admiral’s flagship, let us attend her movements, and cheer her officers with our presence. He himself is the great attraction; let us follow ever in his wake, mark his signals, steer by his chart, and never fear while he is within hail. Not one ship in the convoy shall suffer wreck; the great Commodore will steer every barque in safety to the desired haven. By faith we will slip our cable for another day’s cruise, and sail forth with Jesus into a sea of tribulation. Winds and waves will not spare us, but they all obey him; and, therefore, whatever squalls may occur without, faith shall feel a blessed calm within. He is ever in the centre of the weather-beaten company: let us rejoice in him. His vessel has reached the haven, and so shall ours.

9/14 Filled with the Spirit And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place— Act_2:1

Be filled with the Spirit— Eph_5:18

Pentecost Was a Great Day for the Church

That the day of Pentecost was a great day for the Church is one of the plainest facts in Christian history. It is described, and not inaptly, as the Church's birthday. Up till that hour we were separate individuals putting their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. We have Nicodemus and Zacchaeus and Martha and Mary and the Magdalene. But now in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, we have separate individuals drawn together into the fellowship of faith and worship.

It Was Also a Great Day for the Disciples

But if Pentecost means a great deal for the Church, it also meant much for the disciples. There is a true sense in which we may regard it as the great day, even the birthday, of their lives. Just as for Paul there ever stood out one day when he had met with Christ on the Damascus road, just as for Luther there ever stood out one day when there had rung on his ear that "the just shall live by faith," so for the disciples, through all their after-history with its journeyings, its persecutions, its service, and its martyrdom, there stood out clear and definite the day of Pentecost. And it was not the excitement of the day that made it memorable, for they had passed through many an hour of high excitement. Nor was it the outward miracle of tongues of fire, for they had witnessed far greater miracles than that. What made it memorable was the profound overwhelming change within them that had been wrought by the ascended Christ when He filled them with the Holy

Pentecost for the Disciples Was Not the Beginning of Discipleship

We are to notice, then, that this filling with the Spirit was not the beginning of discipleship. These men had been disciples, loyal disciples, long before the day of Pentecost. With one exception, they had all been called by Christ in the days of His humiliation And they had heard the call, and followed Him, and shared in the unspeakable blessing of His intimacy. And they had gone apart into a desert place with Him and listened to all the riches of His wisdom, and then on that night on which He was betrayed, they had sat as His guests at the communion table. Nay, more, they had seen Him in His resurrection, and He had breathed on them the Holy Spirit then. He had come among them in the upper chamber and said, "Receive ye the Holy Ghost." And yet with all that wonderful experience of Christ as Teacher, Savior, and Friend, they were still waiting for a larger blessing. That blessing came to them beyond all question, and our text tells us when it came. It came when the day of Pentecost arrived, and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost. It was then that they were changed down to the depths, and it was then that everything was changed for them. They were new men, in a new universe, after the filling with the Holy Spirit.

Every Christian Ought to Be Filled with the Spirit

Now one cannot look abroad upon the Christian Church today without becoming conscious of the fact that multitudes of men and women have never reached the experience of Pentecost They too, like the disciples, have heard the call of Christ, and, like the disciples, have obeyed the call. And He has taught them, and He has breathed upon them, and they own Him sincerely as Prophet, Priest, and King And yet, with all their allegiance to the Lord and all their trust in Jesus as Redeemer, they have never known that Pentecostal blessing that makes a man in Christ a new creation. They have never been filled and flooded by the Spirit They have never been mastered by the living Christ. They have never felt themselves as empty vessels into which Christ was pouring grace and power. And so their lives, however loyal and dutiful and however blessed in their willing service, are not the Christ-filled and Christ-empowered lives that are the peculiar creation of the Gospel. For Pentecost, as I understand the Scripture, is not a mere matter of Church history. It is a privilege which every believer ought to claim. it is a blessing which every believer ought to have. Pentecost is the filling with the Spirit, and we are commanded in Scripture to be filled with the Spirit, just as plainly as we are commanded there to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Holy Spirit Changes Our Spirits

With that remark, then, I proceed to ask what change did Pentecost work in the disciples, and in the first place we shall observe how mightily it changed their Spirit. As a simple matter of historical fact, that hour in the upper chamber of Jerusalem gave a new heart and a new outlook to every member of the company. It was not that it led them to believe in Christ; they had believed in Christ for many a day. It was not even that it led them to love Christ; for one had cried, "Thou knowest that I love Thee." But it was that in the filling with the Spirit, everything was so vitalized and vivified that old beliefs seemed new men shadowy as dreams and they felt themselves in a new world. Before Pentecost they had been uncertain; after Pentecost they bore unfaltering witness. Before Pentecost they had been dimly groping; after Pentecost they were in full assurance. Before Pentecost they had been afraid and gathered in silence not knowing what might happen; and after Pentecost, like Christian knights, they were ready for battle with the world. When you contrast that quiet upper chamber with its door shut against intruding feet, with its seclusion, with its shrinking from publicity, with its avoidance of the big and bitter world, when you contrast that scene with the scene that immediately follows it of men aflame and fearless and heroic facing the crowd, lifting up their voices, coveting the opportunity of preaching— I say when you contrast these scenes and think that both belonged to the same day, you know that something mighty had occurred. And it was not anything outward or spectacular, such as a shaken house or tongues of fire. It was the promised fullness of the Holy Spirit filling every nook and every cranny of these rich natures that had been prepared for it by faith in Christ and fellowship and prayer.

The Fullness of the Spirit Belongs to Every Believer.

So when to any man who names the name of Christ there comes in the goodness of God the hour of Pentecost, in him there is repeated this old miracle and he knows himself a new creature in Christ Jesus. He does not become a believer, for he had through many a believed cloudy day. Nor does he then begin to love his Savior, for he has truly loved Him and striven to obey Him. But, filled now with the Spirit of Him who lives, everything is energized and vitalized, and his old faith, in which he sought to serve, seems shadowy and unsubstantial as a dream. Now comes the time of which the apostle speaks in that magnificent chapter, the eighth of Romans, "The law of the Spirit of life in Jesus Christ hath made me free from the law of sin and death." So the old conflict is practically ended, and peace reigns and liberty and joy, "Not by might and not by power but by my Spirit, saith the Lord." All this in a magnificence no words can utter, is the purchased inheritance of every Christian. No man who names the name of Christ should rest till he receives that fullness of the Holy Ghost. And sometimes God leads His children by strange ways, and by dark and devious and humbling paths, that He may bring them in His infinite mercy to the full blessing of the day of Pentecost.

The Holy Spirit Gave the Disciples a Fuller Comprehension of the Truth

The second thing we must observe is this, and it is equally evident with what I have now said. It is how mightily the day of Pentecost the disciples apprehension of the truth. Not only did it affect changed their nature, but it had a profound effect on their comprehension of the truth, Now we should have expected that it would be so, for they had the promise of Jesus that it would be so: When he, the Spirit of truth, is come he shall guide you into all truth and again, as if to interpret that great promise, "He shall take of mine and shew it unto you"— He shall take of what you have all seen and heard in Me and shall shew you what it really means. If ever a promise was literally fulfilled, brethren, it is that promise of the Lord Jesus Christ. For, as a simple matter of historical fact, that is precisely what Pentecost achieved. It did not teach the disciples any new truth, but it brought to their remembrance all the old; it so quickened it and showed its meaning that it became a gospel for the world. You read the sermon that Peter preached on the morning of the day of Pentecost, and there is not a thought in it but you shall find embraced in the teaching and the life and death of Jesus,. And yet to think of Peter preaching that before his filling with the Holy Spirit is a thing that is utterly incredible. Think of John not knowing what spirit he was of, then go and read the Epistles of St. John. Think of Peter crying, "I go afishing," and then go and read the First Epistle of Peter. Something has happened— something mighty and wonderful has happened. And that something so mighty and so wonderful is the promised fullness of the Holy Ghost.

The Holy Spirit Creates in Us an Infallible Spirit

And so when a Christian man comes to his Pentecost, he too shares in the promise of his Lord. The Spirit not only makes him a new creature, but He guides him into all truth In that great experience of blessing, a man is not taught what he did not know before. The life of Jesus, His death, His resurrection— all that he has long known and studied. But when the promised Spirit is vouchsafed all that, and all the doctrine it involves, becomes so living and so intensely real that it is grasped as it never was before. The Spirit witnesseth with our spirit, and in that twofold witness we have a great assurance. Taught by the Holy Ghost, we apprehend what intellectually we failed to grasp. We find in our own experience the truth of what we had read for many a year in Scripture, and reading, had striven humbly to believe, on the authority of the Word of God. Now we no longer struggle to believe. Now, to disbelieve would be impossible. The outward witness of the Word of God is confirmed by the inward witness of the Spirit. And we need no argument to prove the truth nor any commentary to explain it to us. It is within us a living, mighty thing through the blessed indwelling of the Holy Ghost. What does a man want with an infallible church who has that infallible witness in his heart? The only fallible church is in the soul which is illuminated by the Holy Spirit let a man seek the authority of councils when he is still groping and wandering in darkness. He will never seek it, and he will never need it, when God in His mercy has brought him to his Pentecost.

The Holy Spirit Gave the Disciples New Power to Serve

And then, lastly, I ask you to observe what is also equally and singularly evident. It is how Pentecost, coming to the disciples, mightily changed them in their power for service. Not only did it revivify their natures; not only did it illuminate their minds; it gave them an actual power for service such as they had never had before. Of course they had all been used before; they had been used from the hour when they were called. From the very beginning of their following of Jesus they had been honored to be the Master's instruments. Long before a man has come to Pentecost he may have faith as a grain of mustard seed, and Christ has told us what a man can do if he has a faith like that. Let not a syllable fall from my lips to disparage the earlier toils of these disciples. Would God that you and I were found as faithful as they were in the Galilean ministry. And yet think of that earlier ministry, and them compare it with the later ministry, and it is all as moonlight unto sunlight and as water unto wine. Think of the mighty effects of Peter's sermon— three thousand were converted in one day. Think of the churches that sprang up and grew in the teeth of the most terrific oppositions. Think of the Gospels and letters that they wrote that came with such power to a dying world and which the world will not willingly let die. My brother, it was not the atonement that did it. It was not the resurrection or ascension, It was the Holy Spirit taking the atonement and making it a mighty thing It was the day of Pentecost that gave the power, and that too had been foreseen by Christ, for "Tarry ye here." He said to His disciples, "till ye receive power from on high..

Proverbs 13:1-25

Proverbs 13:7 "There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing: there is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great riches."

If you have lived on this earth for any real length of time, you know that money can't buy happiness. Many of the world's richest people have turned to drugs or suicide to the shock of everyone watching them. Money is a tool that can make our lives easier; but if you have money, and your life is falling apart around you, money can do nothing to help.

The "great riches" in this verse is talking about real riches: riches money cannot buy. There is an undercurrent of charity in this passage. How do you make yourself poor? By giving away your money. The Bible teaches that we should use the money God has given us here on earth, and not lay up treasures here, but instead, lay up treasures in heaven. Giving to other, giving to missions, giving to the work of spreading the gospel - these are all ways we can make ourselves poor here on earth, yet have great riches.

However, the verse can be applied in so many ways. How many parents have worked for the nice house, the best cars, the most stylish clothes for their family - and then lost their kids to the world due to lack of attention to them? How many husbands have spent too many hours at the office, and lost the love of their wife? When trouble comes to our homes, you realize very quickly that none of the material trappings of life matter in the least. A strong, loving, Christian home can certainly be categorized as "great riches" as well.

12. As to the persecutions in some of the American colonies, we give a few samples. It is recorded that on one occasion one of John Clarke's members was sick. The family lived just across the Massachusetts Bay Colony line and just inside that colony. John Clarke, himself, and a visiting preacher by the name of Crandall and a layman by the name of Obediah Holmes--all three went to visit that sick family. While they were holding some kind of a prayer service with that sick family, some officer or officers of the colony came upon them and arrested them and later carried them before the court for trial. It is also stated, that in order to get a more definite charge against them, they were carried into a religious meeting of their church (Congregationalist), their hands being tied (so the record states). The charge against them was "for not taking off their hats in a religious service." They were all tried and convicted. Gov. Endicott was present. In a rage he said to Clarke, while the trial was going on, "You have denied infants baptism" (this was not the charge against them). "You deserve death. I will not have such trash brought into my jurisdiction." The penalty for all was a fine, or be well-whipped. Crandall's fine (a visitor) was five pounds ($25.00), Clarke's fine (the pastor) was twenty pounds ($100.00). Holmes' fine (the records say he had been a Congregationalist and had joined the Baptists) so his fine was thirty pounds ($150.00). Clark's and Crandall's fines were paid by friends. Holmes refused to allow his fine paid, saying he had done no wrong, so was well whipped. The record states that he was "stripped to the waist" and then whipped (with some kind of a special whip) until the blood ran down his body and then his legs until his shoes overflowed. The record goes on to state that his body was so badly gashed and cut that for two weeks he could not lie down, so his body could touch the bed. His sleeping had to be done on his hands or elbows and knees. Of this whipping and other things connected with it I read all records, even Holmes' statement. A thing could hardly have been more brutal. And here in America!

13. Painter, another man, "refused to have his child baptized," and gave as his opinion "that infant baptism was an anti-Christian ordinance." For these offenses he was tied up and whipped. Governor Winthrop tells us that Painter was whipped "for reproaching the Lord's ordinance."

14. In the colony where Presbyterianism was the established religion, dissenters (Baptist and others) seemed to fare no better than in the Massachusetts Bay Colony where Congregationalism was the established religion.

In this colony was a settlement of Baptists. In the whole settlement were only five other families. The Baptists recognized the laws they were under and were, according to the records, obedient to them. This incident occurred:

It was decided by authorities of the colony to build a Presbyterian meeting house in that Baptist settlement. The only way to do it seemed by taxation. The Baptists recognized the authority of the Presbyterians to levy this new and extra tax, but they made this plea against the tax at this time--"We have just started our settlement. Our little cabins have just been built, and little gardens and patches just been opened. Our fields not cleared. We have just been taxed to the limit to build a fort for protection against the Indians. We cannot possibly pay another tax now." This is only the substance of their plea. The tax was levied. It could not possibly be paid at that time. An auction was called. Sales were made. Their cabins and gardens and patches, and even their graveyards, were sold--not their unopened fields. Property valued at 363 pounds and 5 shillings sold for 35 pounds and 10 shillings. Some of it, at least, was said to have been bought by the preacher who was to preach there. The settlement was said to have been left ruined.

A large book could be filled with oppressive laws. Terrifically burdensome acts of taxation, hard dealing of many sorts, directed mainly against the Baptists. But these lectures cannot enter into these details.