Community Bible Church Edmonton
8762 - 155 Street T5R 1W2 Edmonton, AB, Canada

God Made it All "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race." -Psalm 19:1-5... In the early 1950s, Dr. Bill Rice made a missionary trip to Africa. Deep in the jungle in what is now Congo, his team met a group of Pygmies who lived in isolation. Most of them had never seen a white person before. Using three different interpreters to bridge the language gap, Bill preached the gospel, and many were saved. At the conclusion of one of the services, an elderly man came up to him. Through an interpreter, he described how as a young man he would climb high into the trees. Looking up at the stars, he realized that Someone must have made them. He said that he had prayed then to whoever the Creator was that he would one day learn about Him. He then shared that he knew his prayer had been answered that day as he heard the gospel. The truth that God created the world is under attack in our day, but all of the scientists and educators who promote the lie of evolution are forced to do so while denying the evidence before their eyes in the world around us. The truth of creation is revealed every time we see the sun and the stars. Yet people refuse to acknowledge this truth because recognizing the existence of the Creator suggests that He has the right to demand our obedience and judge those who refuse to obey. This truth is a vital reminder for Christians as well. Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture (Psalm 100:3). -Selected

God's Power on Display "Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said, Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me. Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it?" -Job 38:1-5... As we read through the book of Job, we see a faithful man endure hardship and great loss. Job loved God, and even though he did not understand the cause of his suffering and endured the false accusations of his friends, Job remained true to God. But as the trial went on, Job felt forsaken and even targeted by God, and he longed to make his case directly to the Lord: Oh that I knew where I might find him! that I might come even to his seat! I would order my cause before him, and fill my mouth with arguments (Job 23:3-4). Yet when God did come, Job's actual response was not argument but submission: Then Job answered the LORD, and said, Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth (Job 40:3-4). The transformation in Job's attitude did not occur because God had presented the answer to Job's complaints; in fact, God never explained to Job what was behind his suffering. The transformation in Job's attitude occured when Job saw a demonstration of God's power. God rehearsed the creation of the world and the way He spoke everything into existence. He challenged Job in a way that revealed the extent of God's power and wisdom and compared them to the limitations of human power and wisdom. We live in a culture that promotes self-reliance and exalts the thoughts and feelings of a person over the truth. But God has not changed. He is still right in everything that He does, and it is the height of folly for us to challenge Him with what we think would be better. -Selected

Drawing Near To The Lord Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (Ephesians 6:16-17). It certainly gave Paul great joy to write to the Thessalonians, Your faith groweth exceedingly (2 Thessalonians 1:3). Why had their faith grown? Through their continual drawing near to the Lord. The nearer we come to Him inward...ly, the more our faith will grow. Of course, the path will be steep, and naturally, it will grow darker, but by losing our hold on the world, we will hold on to Him all the more. Abraham became strong in faith and gave God the glory. He was fully persuaded that what God had promised, He was also able to perform (Romans 4:21). Or think of David. David experienced terrible disappointments and persecution in his life, but for this very reason he could also say, I will love thee, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, and my fortress (Psalm 18:1-2). Where did the prophet Elijah get his authority? Solely from his attitude to the Lord, for he said, I, even I only, remain a prophet of the Lord (1 Kings 18:22). He was uprooted from all, but all the more rooted in the Lord. -Selected

The Source of Salvation "He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." -John 1:10-13... God knows how effective the temptation of pride can be, so He reminds us that we are wholly and completely dependent on Him. This is particularly true when it comes to the matter of our salvation. We do not get saved as a result of a long period when we are gradually trying to get closer and closer to God, reforming ourselves. Because of our sin nature, we have no interest in that. Paul wrote, There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God (Romans 3:11). Instead, salvation comes because God sent His Son to seek for us. God's love and mercy and grace are nowhere more clearly displayed than in the salvation of sinners. He wants us to be saved, or no one ever would be. Charles Spurgeon said, Oh, if He had given up after the first ten yearsif He had ceased to care for some of us after fifty different occasions in which we had choked conscience and quenched the Spirit, then we should have been lost! But He would not be turned away. In his poem The Hound of Heaven English writer Francis Thompson described God's message this way: Alack, thou knowest not How little worthy of any love thou art! Whom wilt thou find to love ignoble thee, Save Me, save only Me? God's free offer of salvation was the result of His purpose and plan, not of anything that we are or have or can do. He offers it as a gift, and we have only to receive it. "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:23). -Selected

A God without Limits "And Jonathan said to the young man that bare his armour, Come, and let us go over unto the garrison of these uncircumcised: it may be that the LORD will work for us: for there is no restraint to the LORD to save by many or by few. And his armourbearer said unto him, Do all that is in thine heart: turn thee; behold, I am with thee according to thy heart." -1 Samuel 14:67... Dr. Tom Malone often said, When God is going to do something wonderful, He starts with the difficult. When God is going to do something miraculous, He starts with the impossible. We have limits and restraints on our abilities and resources, but God does not. He is able to do things that are completely impossible in the natural order of things. The miraculous power of God is not merely a relic of the past. His nature never changes, and He is still able to do great and mighty things. Many believers tragically live as if they are orphans. A lack of faith keeps us from claiming God’s promises and from relying on God to do the things He has promised in His Word. Certainly, there is much false teaching that leads people to expect things God has not promised, but we should not let anything keep us from claiming the full extent of our birthright as His children. Psalm 81:10 says, I am the Lord thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it. As long as our will is submitted to His will and we are walking in His Spirit, we have every right to make big requests of an Almighty God and expect Him to hear and answer. It was only in unbelief that the children of Israel limited the Holy One of Israel (Psalm 78:41). May that never be said of us. Do not let the obstacles you face today keep you from trusting God to do what He has promised. -Selected

Rescue the Perishing "So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me. When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he sh...all die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul." -Ezekiel 33:79 Fanny Crosby loved sharing the Gospel with anyone who would listen. In 1869 she penned the words to Rescue the Perishing. When asked about the song, she explained, It was written following a personal experience at the New York City Bowery Mission. She went on to explain that she would go one night a week to talk to her boys. One night while speaking to them, she kept having the thought that there was a boy present who had wandered away from his mother and must be rescued that night, or he would be eternally lost. She made a plea to each boy that was there that night. At the end of the service, one of the young men came forward and said, Did you mean me, Miss Crosby? I promised my mother to meet her in Heaven, but as I am now living that will be impossible. She prayed with him and led him to Christ. As they finished, he said, Now I am ready to meet my mother in Heaven, for I have found God. There are many things in life that are important, but the greatest task we have been assigned is to do our part to rescue those who are perishing before it is eternally too late. The sacrifices that we make for the sake of the Gospel, whether they are physical or financial, are worth it. Do not allow anything to deter you from reaching those in danger of spending eternity in Hell. God has chosen you to reach others with the Gospel. Are you faithfully doing that vital work? -Selected

The Sacrifice of Praise "For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come. By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased." -Hebrews 13:1416... What could you give to God that would express your gratitude and convey honor to Him? Hebrews 13 suggests the sacrifice of praise. All throughout Scripture we see people offer this sacrifice to God. Job worshipped God when he had nothing (Job 1:2021). The book of Psalms chronicles David’s praise in both the good times and the bad. Mary expressed praise when she learned she was to be the mother of Christ (Luke 1:4655). And one man from the group of ten lepers Jesus healed offered thanks and praise (Luke 17:1516). From these testimonies, we see that our sacrifice of praise should be continualnot contingent on our mood or current circumstances. A. W. Tozer said, Gratitude is an offering precious in the sight of God, and it is one that the poorest of us can make and be not poorer but richer for having made it. Even in times when we do not have as much as others in the way of material blessings, we still have so much for which to be thankful. And when we purposefully give thanks to God, that sacrifice of our heart is pleasing to Him. The giving of thanks is a habit which we can develop and cultivate. By focusing on the good things we have and realizing that every one of them came from God, we find that even in times of lack we can be thankful. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights (James 1:17). Thanksgiving requires that we set aside our pride and our desire to take credit for what we have and that we acknowledge the goodness of God in providing for us. -Selected