A daily, Bible-based message of hope and encouragement.
 A daily, Bible-based message of hope, encouragement and exhortation. Click here to support our ministry.The online Bible teaching ministry of Stephen & Brooksyne Weber. <Previous Message · Archive edition Thursday, February 28, 2013  I was moseying over on Doris High's photo blog and saw this creative art project. It appears to be a yellow flower but the true surface may surprise you. Answer below.  Listen to this message on your audio player.Note: This message is related to one we shared last week titled "The Demonizing Of Virtue" (Calling Good Evil). We pray that we will "stimulate you to wholesome thinking" (2 Peter 3:1). "Suppressing The Truth" "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse" (Romans 1:18-20).  I periodically get a cough which I have a hard time restraining. This can be awkward in social situations and annoying to my family. I have found a medical product helpful during times like this and actually keep a supply on hand. It's a medicine that suppresses my urge to cough, otherwise known as a cough suppressant. Better sleep for me and Brooksyne!There are a number of suppressant products available on the market such as appetite suppressants, sleep suppressants and fire suppressants. All have the characteristic of suppressing (restraining, blocking or repressing). But today we write about an all too common suppressant permeating our world that believers must fully resist. We're speaking of the truth suppressant! The first chapter of Romans is one of the grand passages of the Bible, which many have called Paul's Magnus Opus. Magnus Opus comes from the Latin meaning "great work", and refers to the largest, and perhaps the best, greatest, most popular, or most renowned achievement of a writer, artist, composer or craftsman. Great writers have spent volumes delving into the rich truths of the Book of Romans, most notably D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones who wrote a 14 volume commentary titled "Exposition of Romans". Today's passage is hard to preach and equally challenging to summarize in a few paragraphs! So let's just consider a powerful phrase that has been a human condition from the time of the Fall but seems to be increasing rapidly in our age: "Men who suppress the truth by their wickedness." "Suppress" translates a Greek word "κατεχοντων" which literally means "to hold down or to quash". It is in the present tense which indicates that ungodly men and women are continually, actively, willfully (active voice), deliberately restraining, hindering and withholding the truth about God. Note also the active voice which indicates this is a volitional choice, a choice of their will! The word conveys the picture of putting all one's weight upon something in an effort to restrict it's free movement, in this case to restrict the free movement of truth which sets men free. "The truth" Kenneth Wuest observes in this passage, "The truth here is not the gospel, for all men do not possess a knowledge of it. The truth here is found in the context, the fact of a supreme Being with divine attributes to whom worship and obedience are due." Paul asserts that those things involving God's existence, power and nature are clearly visible, but humankind ignores or suppresses the truth through the addition of beliefs, customs and traditions. Though truth remains, it is hidden behind a screen of falsehoods that few attempt to uncover. This truth being seen by all men through their observation of the created universe, which demands a Creator to answer for its existence. The human race, while possessing this truth, holds it down (suppresses) in the sense of refusing to acknowledge its moral implications, and goes on in sin. "In unrighteousness" The Precept Austin online commentary makes this observation, "For Paul, fear of eternal condemnation was the first motivation he offered for coming to Christ, the first pressure he applied to evil men. He was determined that they understand the reality of being under God's wrath before he offered them the way of escape from it. That approach makes both logical and theological sense. A person cannot appreciate the wonder of God's grace until he knows about the perfect demands of God's law, and he cannot appreciate the fullness of God's love for him until he knows something about the fierceness of God's anger against his sinful failure to perfectly obey that law. He cannot appreciate God's forgiveness until he knows about the eternal consequences of the sins that require a penalty and need forgiving." Indeed many "suppress the truth in unrighteousness" but we want to be among those who faithfully and boldly proclaim the truth in righteousness. Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber  Daily prayer: Father, You have made Your truth known to both the and unrighteous. Your Personhood is evident to all living creatures, though many turn away, ignore, or devise a false theology veiling or hiding the truth. They resist the truth of who You are by their sinful lifestyle and their destiny is doomed. Your invisible attributes, eternal power and divine nature has been visible since the time of creation, and we are grateful for Your revelation to all who seek the truth. Amen.Later in this chapter we read, "They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen" (Romans 1:25). Among so many aspects of God's truth being suppressed consider the tireless efforts of secularists to suppress any notion at all of their being a Creator. A Deluding Influence A powerful portion that is interesting to study in regard to today's message is 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12. Especially these verses, "For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming; that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness." I wonder if we are living in the age when this deluding influence is being sent out in a distinct way? Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources "I Know Whom I Have Believed" Video A great hymn based on 2 Timothy 1:12. I meant to share this note with yesterday's message on a passion to communicate: Many preachers have read a classic, "Preaching and Preachers" by D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones. In July, 1959 Martyn Lloyd-Jones and his wife Bethan were on vacation in Wales. They attended a little chapel for a Sunday morning prayer meeting and Lloyd-Jones asked them, "Would you like me to give a word this morning?" The people hesitated because it was his vacation and they didn't want to presume on his energy. But his wife said, "Let him, preaching is his life". It was a true statement. In the preface of, Preaching and Preachers, he said, "Preaching has been my life's work ... to me the work of preaching is the highest and the greatest and the most glorious calling to which anyone can ever be called." See this post from Doris High's blog for an explanation of the mystery photo above. |
 Stephen and Brooksyne Weber (Click on photo to enlarge) "We want to encourage you daily in your walk with Christ!" Personal Ministry Update (Revised 12/31/12)  Are our daily encouragement messages a blessing to you? Each weekday morning Brooksyne and I prepare these messages and distribute them at no cost to you and many others all over the world. We ask you to consider an offering to Daily Encouragement Net so that we can continue to prepare and provide this daily resource which is accessed by believers and seekers all over the world. Daily Encouragement Net relies solely on the generosity and financial support of its readers and podcast listeners. See here for more information on supporting this ministry. Gifts are tax deductible. Click here to donate online.2013 YTD financial offerings to Daily Encouragement Net as of 2/27/13: $3,548.00. We express thanks to all who support our ministry! SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION  Were you forwarded this edition of Daily Encouragement Net? If you desire you can receive your own free! To receive these "Daily Encouragement" devotionals each Monday-Friday through email see this page to subscribe to our email list. These messages are never sent by us unsolicited. It was sent to you because you either signed up to receive it OR it was forwarded it to you. You can also subscribe to the Wordpress rss feed or as an email subscription through Wordpress email subscription. (See the email subscription on the right side after opening this page.)Cancel: We respect and value your time and privacy. If you no longer desire to receive these messages you can remove your address from the list by merely using the link automatically inserted by the mailing list software at the very bottom of each email message. (To change addresses cancel your old address and then join again using your new address.) Weekly Version: The weekly version is intended for those who may not check their email regularly or who may desire less frequent mailings. It is Friday's message with a link to previous messages. To receive the free weekly version, send a blank email to this address. Daily Encouragement on Facebook and Twitter:  The daily message and prayer on Facebook. The daily message and prayer on Twitter.Reader Survey: Please take a few minutes to assist us in improving our ministry effectiveness by filling out this online reader survey. To take the survey click here. Please feel free to pass these messages on! Our other blogs: "A Daily Prayer" - A blog simply posting the daily prayer. We keep this up each day since it's merely the prayer from the Daily Encouragement Net message! "A Little Foolishness" - Humor/satire blog (a great outlet for non-serious writing but at times with a subtle message!) (Note: This material is satire!) "Clear Minded" - Longer, periodic articles on specific issues impacting the faithful believer and church. (Actually this is my intent but I haven't done much with it!) "Hymns of Hope" - Brooksyne along with two friends made a CD using classic hymns. Brooksyne tells the background story of the 11 hymns. All of these songs are also available for download on the site. Personal Mission Statement "I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and I make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and to prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."  How to become a child of God Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. and the King James Version. Other versions are also occasionally used. © Copyright 2013 Stephen C. Weber - All Rights Reserved Daily Encouragement Net Stephen & Brooksyne Weber 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 Contact us  Endorsed chaplain "Living securely today anchored in God's solid foundation" www.dailyencouragement.net |
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