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Bible teaching
ministry of
Stephen &
Brooksyne
Weber
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Friday,
March 15, 2024
"God’s
Word Is Not
Chained"
Message
summary:
Remember
today, even in
the darkness,
God's Word
(the Gospel)
is not chained
and is bearing
fruit all over
the world!
Listen
to our message
on your audio
player.
"Remember
Jesus Christ,
raised from
the dead,
descended from
David. This is
my gospel, for
which I am
suffering even
to the point
of being
chained like a
criminal. But
God’s word is
not chained"
(2 Timothy
2:8,9).
Wednesday
afternoon when
we returned
from the Amish
school program
we wrote about
yesterday we
stopped by an
Amish run
Re-Uzit shop
in Bird in
Hand (another
unusually
named
Lancaster
County town).
Brooksyne
especially
enjoys these
types of shops
and now Ester
is also
getting the
bug since she
has three
rooms of her
own after our
add-on. I
moseyed in
with her
trying to be a
pretty good
husband but
was ready to
leave long
before she
was!
I
did find a
small item
that
interested me,
a small welded
piece of
chain,
although I
really don't
know what
purpose it
has. So at
just $2.00 I
bought it
since I like
what chains
represent in
Scripture and
in Christian
music such as
"Chainbreaker"
by Zach
Williams.If
you've got
pain, He's a
pain taker
If you feel lost, He's a way maker
If you need freedom or saving, He's a prison-shaking Savior
If you got chains, He's a chain breaker
If you feel lost, He's a way maker
If you need freedom or saving, He's a prison-shaking Savior
If you got chains, He's a chain breaker
Today
I want to
consider a
verse I don't
recall ever
giving much
attention to.
All my sermons
since 1993 are
in digital
form and
searchable,
also every
Daily
Encouragement
message since
the beginning
in October
1996.
It's
in 2 Timothy,
Paul's last
letter
chronologically.
It's a word to
Timothy and to
each of us
expressing
Paul's
priorities: "Remember
Jesus Christ,
raised from
the dead,
descended from
David. This is
my gospel, for
which I am
suffering even
to the point
of being
chained like a
criminal. But
God’s word is
not chained"
(2 Timothy
2:8,9).
Although
2 Timothy is
not among the
grouping
called "Prison
Epistles"
(Ephesians,
Philippians,
Colossians and
Philemon) Paul
was in some
type of
confinement as
he wrote this
letter as
well, "I
am suffering
even to the
point of being
chained like a
criminal".
This is clear
throughout the
book as he
appeals for
others to come
to him.Our
focus today is
the last
phrase, "But
God’s word is
not chained".
"But"
- Thank the
Lord for this
great
transitional
term of
contrast!
"God's
word" is
used 11 times
in Acts (click
here for these
verses) as
a synonym for
the gospel,
which is
clearly its
meaning in
this passage
(in context).
"Is not chained". "Not" is the Greek particle "οὐ" indicating absolutely not. Not chained is certainly a contrast to Paul being chained.
John
Bunyan
(1628-1688)
who wrote
Pilgrim’s
Progress, was
imprisoned in
Bedford,
England for
preaching the
gospel. Yet
for several
centuries that
book was
second in
sales only to
the Bible.
Bunyan’s cell
window faced a
high stone
wall that
surrounded the
prison, making
it impossible
to see into or
out of his
cell. On many
days, however,
he would
preach loudly
enough for his
voice to be
heard on the
outside of the
wall, where
hundreds of
listeners,
believers and
unbelievers,
eagerly
awaited his
proclamation
of God’s Word,
which was
literally not
imprisoned by
stone walls or
iron bars!
Paul
wrote to the
Colossians
that "In
the same way,
the gospel is
bearing fruit
and growing
throughout the
whole
world—just as
it has been
doing among
you since the
day you heard
it and truly
understood
God’s grace" (Colossians
1:6).
Remember
today, even in
the darkness,
God's Word
(the Gospel)
is not chained
and is bearing
fruit all over
the world!
Stephen
&
Brooksyne
Weber
Daily prayer:
Merciful
Father, no
evil person or
force on earth
can prevent
the message of
the Gospel of
Jesus Christ
from spreading
to the four
corners of the
world. You use
the most
unlikely
messengers in
the most
unlikely
settings to
reach those
who have not
heard
and
those who have
heard but
walked away
from the
truths
espoused in
Scripture.
Remembering
that Your
salvation
message cannot
be chained
brings great
comfort to our
hearts.
Persecution
cannot hinder
the operation
of the work of
God on
people's
hearts or
their
consciences.
We pray for
those who
regularly
visit the
prisons to
carry forth
the gospel and
for those who
are
incarcerated
but now walk
in the light
of Jesus
Christ.
Empower and
embolden them
to share the
gospel message
with those who
are imprisoned
with them. You
are a God of
the impossible
and You do
great things
to and through
those yielded
to Your will.
We thank You
for Your
unchained
power and
unlimited
goodness to
each of us
through Christ
Jesus our
Lord. Amen. For further study on today's text Charles Spurgeon has a sermon:
In
what sense is
it true that
“the word of
God is not
bound”? That
the word is
not bound is,
at this time,
true in many
senses. (Full
sermon - Not
Bound Yet)
Today's
Suggested
Music and
Supplemental
Resources
"Chainbreaker"
Watch
on YouTube
Zach Williams
Long
my imprisoned
spirit lay
Fast bound in sin and nature's night;
Thine eye diffused a quick'ning ray,
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
My chains fell off, my heart was free;
I rose, went forth and followed Thee.
Fast bound in sin and nature's night;
Thine eye diffused a quick'ning ray,
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
My chains fell off, my heart was free;
I rose, went forth and followed Thee.
"Break
Every Chain"
Watch
on YouTube
Jesus
Culture
"Living
Hope"
Watch
on YouTube
Phil
Wickham
Hallelujah,
praise the One
who set me
free
Hallelujah, death has lost its grip on me
You have broken every chain
There's salvation in Your name
Jesus Christ, my living hope
Hallelujah, death has lost its grip on me
You have broken every chain
There's salvation in Your name
Jesus Christ, my living hope
It's
interesting
how many songs
have a theme
including
chain. See
this list.
Chaplain Dave Hertle holding the heavy chain cross that
has links
welded
together. We
visited with
him at a
trucker chapel
many years ago
near Omaha,
Nebraska.
We
had a
beautiful,
very warm day
yesterday and
I (Stephen)
took a bike
ride through
rural
Lancaster
County between
Mount Joy and
Manheim.
This
farm setting
was off Weaver
Road near Rt
772.
Kaufmans
Distillery
Covered Bridge
This
was built in
1874 and named
after a nearby
distillery.
Shencks
Mill Covered
Bridge was
built in 1855
Both
of these
bridges cross
Chiques Creek
and are still
heavily used.
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In considering support we are so pleased when we hear from you, our readers, that our messages are a source of teaching and encouragement to you. We also urge you to consider the mission aspect of these daily teachings that are freely available and read by many all over the world.
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Weber
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Joy, PA 17552
To
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(This will
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Stephen and
Brooksyne
Weber -
700001-237376
serving in
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chaplaincy
(Daily
Encouragement
is our
endorsed
special
chaplaincy
ministry).Thank
you,
Stephen & Brooksyne
Stephen & Brooksyne
2024
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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 and a variety of other versions.
Personal Mission Statement: "I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."
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