E-pistle for April 7, 2006
Posted by: info <info@...>
Dr. Curt Scarborough, President
FreeWay Foundation April 7, 2006
Jonah Prays for God's Help
(Jonah 2:1-10)
Dr. Curt Scarborough
I. Concentration: on the elements of Jonah's prayer
1. Jonah acknowledged that his predicament (being in the belly of the
great fish) was caused by his own sin, which had brought God's
judgment upon him. vv. 1-3.
2. Jonah, even though he had been "cast out of God's sight," looked
toward God's holy temple . . . turned toward the only possible source
of help, vv. 4, 7.
3. Jonah recognized his hopeless and desperate situation of certain
death,
doom, and destruction without divine help, vv. 5-6.
4. Jonah renounced "worthless idols" and vowed to serve God
("sacrifice
to You") in obedience, realizing that he had only one hope: "Salvation
is of the Lord," vv. 8-9.
II. Meditation: on the theological truths of this chapter
1. God always hears when His people cry out to Him, and He always
answers
their prayers . . . yes, no, or wait, v. 2.
2. There is life after death . . . Sheol (the grave or the place where
the soul
abides after death away from the presence of God) is mentioned by
Jesus as the tomb where He was buried for three days before His
resurrection, vv. 2, 6; Matthew 12:40.
3. God brings His people through times of trouble and danger; He keeps
and
preserves them so that they may accomplish His purposed destiny in
their lives, v. 10.
4. The Lord is a God of mercy, Who deserves our thanksgiving, praise,
obedience, and service, v. 9.
III. Revelation: on the spiritual implications seen here
1. God's people should pray; often "we do not have because we do not
ask,"
James 4:2.
2. Every individual lives eternally . . . either in heaven or in
hell; each person
makes that personal choice by either accepting or rejecting God's offer
of salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ.
3. God may not remove the obstacles or troubles from our lives, but He
always gives us grace and strength to sustain us through those difficulties.
4. God is worthy of our worship and sacrificial service.
IV. Applications: as a Christian, I need to . . .
1. Pray without ceasing, I Thessalonians 5:17.
2. Live daily in the light of eternity, Ecclesiastes 3:11.
3. Trust in the Lord with all my heart, Proverbs 3:5.
4. Worship the Lord and serve Him only, Matthew 4:10.
"Eye of the Beholder"
Dr. Curt Scarborough
"He makes everything beautiful in its time," wrote wise King Solomon.
(Ecclesiastes 3:11)
'Do you think Jane Russell is pretty?" I asked my Dad as we exited from
seeing
"The Outlaw" at the movie matinee in town. After much begging, he had
agreed to
take me to see that western classic about Billy the Kid. For some reason,
Mother
had forbidden either of us from seeing that notorious film. So we had
sneaked
off to see it while we were supposed to be gathering wild mushrooms.
"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder," Dad replied to my question. That
puzzling
answer didn't shed much light, because I knew a girl in my third grade class
named
Bea Holder. I had never detected any beauty in her eye . . . or anyplace
else on her
anatomy. In fact, you couldn't even see Bea's eyes through the Coke-bottle
thick
lenses on her glasses.
In my opinion, Miss Holder had put the ugh in ugly!! When some kind-hearted
classmate reminded me that "Beauty is only skin deep," I suggested: "Then,
let's skin her!" No handsome prince in the world could have been paid
enough
money to kiss that "Sleeping Beauty!" No-sir-eee-Bob! "Beautiful Dreamer,
Awake unto Me" would never be crooned to Bea Holder.
I would have bet cold cash on that! But I would have lost. At our recent
50th
high school reunion, Bea out-beautified everybody in the room. Talk about
an
extreme makeover! Jaws dropped open, and false teeth fell to the floor!
How
appropriate that the disk-jockey played "She must have been a beautiful
baby,
'cause, baby, look at her now!" when Bea made her grand entrance.
In the Bible, many women are described as beautiful: Rachel, Abigail,
Bathsheba,
Esther. The Messiah, himself is called beautiful (Isaiah 4:2; 33:17), and
so is
Satan or Lucifer (Ezekiel 28:12, 17). From head to toe, body parts are
termed
beautiful: grey hair (Proverbs 20:29) and feet (Romans 10:15).
The Scripture also lists several beautiful places: Jerusalem, its gates,
and temple;
(Psalm 48:2; Acts 3:2, 10; Isaiah 64:11) Also, beautiful things are listed:
garments,
crowns, a flock of sheep, even an olive tree (Isaiah 52:1; Ezekiel 16:12;
Jeremiah 13:20; Hosea 14;6).
Pillsbury College & Seminary
Pillsbury College & Seminary is offering full tuition scholarships to the
first 100 Bi-Vocational pastors who register in 2006.
Don't miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Simply fill out the
Registration Form that you can find at http://www.pillsburycs.org
<http://www.pillsburycs.org/> and mail it
along with a $50 registration fee and you will receive your first textbooks,
instructions, and an examination within approximately one week. You will
also be contacted by your personal mentor . . . an ordained minister who
has been assigned by Pillsbury College & Seminary to assist you in
earning your Bachelor of Biblical Studies Degree.
If your have questions, please contact drcurt@pillsburycs.org or telephone
us at (314) 739-1121.
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