Seize the Moment – Day 562
The Importance of Restitution!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, September 30.
What happens when saying sorry is not enough?
Numbers 5:6-8 explains the command of paying restitution as part of a person’s confession of sin:
When a man or woman commits any of the sins of mankind, acting unfaithfully against the Lord, and that person is guilty, then he shall confess his sins which he has committed, and he shall make restitution in full for his wrong and add to it one-fifth of it, and give it to him whom he has wronged. But if the man has no relative to whom restitution may be made for the wrong, the restitution which is made for the wrong must go to the Lord for the priest, besides the ram of atonement, by which atonement is made for him.
Restitution is important because it is a sign of true brokenness over sin and a sincere desire to get right with the person from whom you are seeking forgiveness. The root of the Hebrew word for restitution means “to turn back, return.”
Restitution is yoked with our call to repent—the act of turning away from sin and to turning back (returning) to God!
How do we know when a person is truly returning to faithfulness to God and sincerely desiring to reconcile with the community of God’s people?
Is it enough to confess? Confession is the beginning, but it must be followed by life transformation—the active steps which demonstrate repentance!
Paying restitution, which requires you to go above and beyond the original offense, demonstrates that you are being transformed by the renewing of your mind (Romans 12:2). It is a sign and wonder of the Holy Spirit to will and to work in you (Philippians 2:13).
Restitution invites the offended party to take the critical next step of offering forgiveness by accepting the restitution. This opens the door to future reconciliation!
Seize the moment and be a minister of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18-20).
YOUTUBE:
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Seize the Moment – Day 561
God’s Division of Labor!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, September 29.
Have you ever wished you had someone else’s job or life?
In God’s economy, every person has a purpose—good works to carry out! The earlier you learn what this is for your life, the sooner you will be content and happy in this life.
For example, while Aaron and his sons were designated as the priests and were allowed to touch and see the holy objects (5-14), it was the Kohathites who had the responsibility to transport them (15-20). God established a division of labor on purpose!
Even though both groups were working in the tabernacle system, they had very different jobs, which required each group to do their work precisely as commanded. Just like Aaron’s two sons—Nadab and Abihu—were killed for offering “strange fire” upon the altar in Leviticus 10:1-2, so the Kohathites’ job came with the death penalty if they were to touch or see the sacred things (e.g. 1 Samuel 6:19 and 2 Samuel 6:6-7).
Just as each clan of Levites had their own unique responsibilities, so do each of us. All for the glory of God and the orderliness of our worship! Don’t want someone else’s job or life, do what God has called you to do!
Seize the moment and walk in the good works of your unique life.
YOUTUBE:
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Seize the Moment – Day 560
The Cost of Redemption!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Tuesday, September 28.
Do you know what it means that you are redeemed?
The firstborns should have died during the tenth plague, but instead were saved by the blood of the Passover Lamb and set apart as belonging to God.
God made a way for them to be redeemed and that is why the Levites weren’t counted in the census. Listen to God explain the cost of redemption in Numbers 3:12-13,
Now, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the sons of Israel instead of every firstborn, the first issue of the womb among the sons of Israel. So the Levites shall be Mine. For all the firstborn are Mine; on the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I sanctified to Myself all the firstborn in Israel, from man to beast. They shall be Mine; I am the Lord.
There were 22,000 Levites (39), which was only 273 people shy of redeeming every firstborn male in Israel, which was 22,273 souls (41-43). What did God do about those additional 273 firstborns? He set a redemption price of five shekels per head (46-51). Redemption is never free!
Seize the moment and glorify God with your life! It’s His anyways, surrender control!
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Seize the Moment – Day 559
My God Provides!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Monday, September 27.
How do you provide for an army of 603,550 warriors?
Both Numbers 1:46 and 2:32 state the census as yielding an army of 603,550 warriors, which excludes all the Levites, and all the women, children, and elderly who would be unable to go to battle. The Israelite camp has been estimated to be over two million people. That’s a lot of people traveling together through the desert!
This gives us the perspective we need to appreciate the miracle of God’s provision. Listen to Exodus 16:12-13, when Jehovah Jireh responded to the food insecurity of His people:
“I have heard the grumblings of the sons of Israel; speak to them, saying, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread; and you shall know that I am the Lord your God.’” So it came about at evening that the quails came up and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp.
Now that we know how big the camp was, all we can say is, “Wow! Jehovah Jireh—My God provides!”
Seize the moment and trust Jehovah Jireh for your daily bread!
YOUTUBE:
[1] Michael S. Heiser, “Large Numbers in the Exodus and Wilderness Journey,” in Faithlife Study Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016).
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Live Like a Champion – Week 39
The Promise of Waiting
Testimony by Cindy Sheffer
Scripture reading:
“Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”
Let’s face it, being told to wait tends to automatically set us up for a negative attitude. We don’t like to wait in the drive thru line (which is happening a lot more lately). We don’t like to have to wait in the doctor’s office (don’t you find it funny they call us ‘patients’, especially since it tests our patience most of the time.) And we don’t like to have to wait on someone to show up when we said we were meeting at a certain time, and they are late…again!
In these cases, the wait (W A I T) becomes a weight (W E I G H T) that weighs us down, causing us to be more concerned about how we feel and missing out on what God has for us. (REPEAT) We all know that God wants only the best for us. So why are we settling for something good or better when we can have the best.
First, did you realize that God wants to prosper you while you wait?
Don’t we have that backwards? We heard a few weeks ago that we are to serve one another in love; that the world will know we are Christians by our love for one another in how we serve one another; and that we are to do everything for the glory of the One we serve …GOD! Rather than being impulsive in our actions, we need to learn to be mindful of what God is leading us to do. Love comes first in all of these. Don’t believe me? Look at 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a
“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends…”
Love must be the center of all we do. We are to Love God with all our heart, soul, mind & strength and to love our neighbors as ourselves. We see in the above verses what love is and what love is not. And the first thing it says is that love is patient and kind. That means willing to wait.
Our memory verse tells us the benefit of those who wait, Isaiah 40:31:
“but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”
When we do things under our own strength, we find we will ‘run out of gas’ sooner. In the previous verse, it reminds us that even the youth will grow tired (how many of us have seen a child play and wish we could bottle up some of that energy?) And the young adults will eventually fail. (For us “older folks”, we tell others to ‘enjoy it while you are still young’). But not so for those who wait on the Lord. Why? Because He is the everlasting God, Creator of all things and promises to provide all of our needs. Our God is the everlasting source! He never grows tired or weary. He gives power to those who are struggling and strength to the weak! And this is not just a one-time thing. Last week, we were reminded that we need to fully trust and fully obey. This includes when we are told to wait! In the waiting, He wants to prosper you, recharge you, rejuvenate you!
Waiting requires us to rest.
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Pastor Jerry preached a whole series on these verses. But how many of us truly listened and have put this into practice? That is why the Lord had me put this verse back in front of us. There is a benefit in waiting! Not only do you get to rest, but you also get to dump off the heavy load that is causing you to grow tired! It is wonderful when you have a friend or family member who helps you carry or move heavy items (many hands make a load light). But all too often, we are bull headed like me, thinking that we can get it done by myself. And that may have been true when we were younger, but not so much anymore. The body reminds us of just how much we have abused it, when we should have been asking for help all along.
My Life Lesson: Moving dirt
We need to wait upon God with an expectation.
“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1
When we choose to wait on God, we’re assured that what we are waiting for will surely come. Remember, hope is when we truly trust in God. While we may not be able to visibly see it, God is at work, working all things together for our good! Our faith in God is demonstrated as we cooperate and depend on Him, waiting for His timing, and letting Him do things according to His will. Too many times, we do something and then ask God to bless it. In reality, we need to ask God first what He would have us do, follow His lead and then see Him bless it. We will find that God will strengthen us in the waiting and make us grow according to His plans for us.
Yes, we may be waiting for an answer to prayer, or for renewed strength, or for spiritual healing, but the question is HOW are you waiting? Are you patiently waiting in His presence to hear His voice? Or are you growing impatient and trying to do things on your own, like a hungry person who is angry as well? We need to calm the hangry feelings and rest in the waiting. We are told to wait on the Lord! This includes tarrying in His presence AND serving our Lord and Savior.
Did you also realize that we, all Christians, are waiting for something? The Day of His return! He promised that He would return some day to take us all home to the place He has prepared for us. So, while we are waiting, how are we doing this? Are we spending daily time with God? When we come and gather together as a church, are we encouraging each other with our testimonies and our worship? Finally, are we giving God time to talk to us in response to the worship service, which includes the songs and the message?
I kept this message short today because I wanted to allow time for you to respond. I grew up in church and there was always a time to call people to the altar. There were always certain songs that were sung and the pastor would pray and the Holy Spirit revealed to him special needs. I remember hearing people say that someone must have told him or that the songs were just done to play with their emotions. But I always knew that it was God, calling and wanting His children to know that He loved us and He was waiting on us to spend some time with Him. That same God is here today and wants to spend some time with those He loves.
You can listen to Pastor Ken’s message by clicking below:
You can watch the message by clicking HERE.
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Seize the Moment – Day 557
Today’s hymn focus will be
“It is No Secret”
Romans 10:13(NLT)
“For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.””
Billy Graham was invited to the Beverly Hills home of Henrietta Mears to speak to a group of Hollywood personalities. Among that group was Stuart Hamblen, a hard-drinking star of cowboy westerns who also hosted a very popular radio show on the West Coast.
The local organizers saw momentum building, but Billy was hesitant and put a “fleece” out, asking God for a sign. The next morning at 4:30 am, he received a phone call from Stuart and his wife Suzy. He was crying and wanted to see Billy. So he invited him to come over, and Stuart gave his heart to the Lord that night.
A few weeks later, he ran into his friend, John Wayne, and told him about the change in his life saying, “Well, Duke, it’s no secret what God can do.” John said, “Sounds like a song,” and Stuart went home to write :
It is no secret, what God can do. What He’s done for others, He’ll do for you.
With arms wide open, He’ll pardon you. It is no secret, what God can do
We need to wake up and realize that all things are done in God’s timing, so wait on Him.
YOUTUBE:
“It is No Secret”
Someone slipped and fell, was that someone you?
You may have longed for added strength your courage to renew
Do not be disheartened, I have news for you
What he’s done for others he’ll do for you
With arms wide open, he’ll pardon you
It is no secret what God can do
You’ll always feel at home, wherever you may roam
There is no power can conquer you while God is on your side
Take him at his promise, don’t run away and hide
What he’s done for others he’ll do for you
With arms wide open he’ll pardon you
It is no secret what God can do
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Seize the Moment – Day 556
A Set-Apart People!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Friday, September 24.
Do you ever feel like you don’t fit in with the world or its standards?
Numbers 1 records the census of Israel’s warriors, which were the men twenty years of age or older and able to go to war (2-3). There were 603,550 fighting men listed in verses 20-46. If you add the rest of the Israelites, you have a very large camp.
But these numbers leave out a very important people—the Levites. Numbers 1:49-51 communicates a very different standard for the Levites as compared to the other tribes of Israel:
Only the tribe of Levi you shall not number, nor shall you take their census among the sons of Israel. But you shall appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of the testimony, and over all its furnishings and over all that belongs to it. They shall carry the tabernacle and all its furnishings, and they shall take care of it; they shall also camp around the tabernacle. So when the tabernacle is to set out, the Levites shall take it down; and when the tabernacle encamps, the Levites shall set it up. But the layman who comes near shall be put to death.
The Levites were a set-apart people on purpose—God’s purpose!
The Levites, which included the priests, were different because they were not counted for military service because they were to transport the tabernacle and all that went with it and ensure the proper observance of the Israelite religious system.
Additionally, the Levites were different because they did not live out with the other tribes. They camped around the tabernacle to form a safety buffer around the sacred things of God to protect the community from the wrath of God (53).
Seize the moment and realize that as a Christian God has set you apart on purpose as His royal priesthood— “to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:5).
YOUTUBE:
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Seize the Moment – Day 555
Everything Belongs to God!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, September 23.
Did you know that nine dollars will go further than ten dollars when you give the first dollar to the Lord? This was a teaching principle I used with the brothers I ministered to in the men’s recovery discipleship program at CityTeam Ministries in San Jose, California when they would receive their weekly ten-dollar stipend.
Leviticus 27:30-32 explains the ancient spiritual practice of tithing:
Thus all the tithe of the land, of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord’s; it is holy to the Lord. If, therefore, a man wishes to redeem part of his tithe, he shall add to it one-fifth of it. For every tenth part of herd or flock, whatever passes under the rod, the tenth one shall be holy to the Lord.
If a person wanted to redeem or purchase back part of the tithe for personal use, he must pay the value plus an additional 20%. Did you know that the principle of proportionate giving protects us from the presumption of ownership? While the tithe is no longer a legalistic mandate because we are under grace, it is a diagnostic tool of the Spirit for generous and sacrificial giving.
When you set apart as holy the first portion of what God has blessed you with, it demonstrates your awareness that everything given to you is a good gift from a perfect God (James 1:17). It is a proclamation of the truth that we own nothing! We are designed by God to steward and cultivate all His creation for His glory because everything belongs to God, as it has been from the beginning.
Seize the moment and give back to God what was never yours in the first place and you will experience a new depth of freedom in your mind and heart.
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Seize the Moment – Day 554
The Breaking of the Yoke!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, September 22.
Leviticus 26 summarizes the blessings and curses of the Levitical Law, both of which are the promises of God. Verses 1-13 give the blessings for obedience, verses 14-39 promise the curses for disobedience, and verses 40-46 describe an opportunity for repentance.
To walk in covenant faithfulness is to walk uprightly in the yoke of God’s blessings, but to walk in disobedience to God’s covenant is to be bowed down by the heavy yoke of slavery.
Seize the moment and take on yourself the easy yoke of Jesus Christ and experience the blessings of covenant faithfulness—rest for your soul! God has already broken the yoke of slavery for you; live in the freedom Christ has given you by walking in the new way of the Spirit.
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Seize the Moment – Day 553
The Gift of Sabbatical!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Tuesday, September 21.
I will never forget the love and support my family experienced when my local church worked with us to take a fully funded, three-month sabbatical in 2019. This was a gift of God’s extravagant grace as I finished my tenth year as the Lead Pastor of FBC.
Leviticus 25:3-7 explains how all-encompassing the gift of sabbatical rest was intended to be for every aspect of the Israelite community:
Six years you shall sow your field, and six years you shall prune your vineyard and gather in its crop, but during the seventh year the land shall have a sabbath rest, a sabbath to the Lord; you shall not sow your field nor prune your vineyard. Your harvest’s aftergrowth you shall not reap, and your grapes of untrimmed vines you shall not gather; the land shall have a sabbatical year. All of you shall have the sabbath products of the land for food; yourself, and your male and female slaves, and your hired man and your foreign resident, those who live as aliens with you. Even your cattle and the animals that are in your land shall have all its crops to eat.
Never forget that the rhythms of weekly sabbath, the sabbatical every seventh year, and the Jubilee every fiftieth year, was God’s idea first! It is still God’s design for His people to be blessed by and experience His unforced rhythms of grace through rest.
Because rest is part of God’s rescue of His creation—from the rich landowners to the lowliest servants to rest from their labors, as well as for the land to replenish and the animals to be unburdened.
The fact that God’s people have never been able to faithfully follow these commands demonstrates our desperate need for God’s deliverance from the slavery caused by sin.
Seize the moment and prioritize God’s rhythms of rest to declare the easy yoke of Jesus.
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