Nine Forty-Day Periods
“To whom also he showed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.” (Acts 1:3)
It is interesting how often the Scriptures refer to a 40-day period. There are nine different 40-day periods noted in Scripture (the phrase itself occurs 17 times), and it may be noteworthy that 40 days is one-ninth of the original (and prophetic) lunar/solar year of 360 days (note Genesis 7:11; 8:3-4; Revelation 11:2-3). Thus, the total of the nine 40-day periods equals the ideal year.
These nine 40-day periods are as follows: (1) The intense rainfall at the start of the Flood (Genesis 7:12, 17); (2) The first giving of the law (Exodus 24:18; Deuteronomy 9:9, 11); (3) The second giving of the law (Exodus 34:28; Deuteronomy 9:18, 25); (4) The searching of Canaan by the fearful spies (Numbers 13:25; 14:34); (5) The defiance of Israel by Goliath (1 Samuel 17:16); (6) Elijah’s journey to Horeb (1 Kings 19:8); (7) Jonah’s reluctant preaching in Nineveh (Jonah 3:4); (8) Christ’s temptation in the wilderness (Matthew 4:2; Mark 1:13; Luke 4:2); (9) Christ’s post-resurrection ministry (Acts 1:3).
Each of these periods was a time of great stress and intense testing for one or more of God’s people, except the last. Instead, the final 40-day period, encompassing Christ’s ministry to His disciples after His resurrection, was a time of triumph and great blessing. He had come victoriously through the most intense time of stress and testing that anyone could ever experience, and now He could show Himself alive eternally to His disciples and promise them the same victory. Forty days of testing, then 40 days of triumph! Even a lifetime of testing is more than balanced by an eternity of blessing. HMM
“To whom also he showed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.” (Acts 1:3)
It is interesting how often the Scriptures refer to a 40-day period. There are nine different 40-day periods noted in Scripture (the phrase itself occurs 17 times), and it may be noteworthy that 40 days is one-ninth of the original (and prophetic) lunar/solar year of 360 days (note Genesis 7:11; 8:3-4; Revelation 11:2-3). Thus, the total of the nine 40-day periods equals the ideal year.
These nine 40-day periods are as follows: (1) The intense rainfall at the start of the Flood (Genesis 7:12, 17); (2) The first giving of the law (Exodus 24:18; Deuteronomy 9:9, 11); (3) The second giving of the law (Exodus 34:28; Deuteronomy 9:18, 25); (4) The searching of Canaan by the fearful spies (Numbers 13:25; 14:34); (5) The defiance of Israel by Goliath (1 Samuel 17:16); (6) Elijah’s journey to Horeb (1 Kings 19:8); (7) Jonah’s reluctant preaching in Nineveh (Jonah 3:4); (8) Christ’s temptation in the wilderness (Matthew 4:2; Mark 1:13; Luke 4:2); (9) Christ’s post-resurrection ministry (Acts 1:3).
Each of these periods was a time of great stress and intense testing for one or more of God’s people, except the last. Instead, the final 40-day period, encompassing Christ’s ministry to His disciples after His resurrection, was a time of triumph and great blessing. He had come victoriously through the most intense time of stress and testing that anyone could ever experience, and now He could show Himself alive eternally to His disciples and promise them the same victory. Forty days of testing, then 40 days of triumph! Even a lifetime of testing is more than balanced by an eternity of blessing. HMM
Walk in the Daylight - by Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org
Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. -Romans 13:13
Much of the entertainment industry wants to make bad things look good and good things look bad. They'll take something that's forbidden, something we know is sinful, and make it look very appealing by the way they present it.
Then they'll take something that's good, virtuous, and wholesome, and make fun of it or even outright attack it.
Yet the Bible tells us, "Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy" (Romans 13:13 NKJV).
Let me put that into the modern vernacular: Don't party and drink. Have you ever been in a place where a group of people are drinking, and they get louder and louder? Pretty soon no one even knows what they're laughing at.
The Christian should be under the control of the Holy Spirit not alcohol or drugs. Ephesians 5:18 tells us, "Don't be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit" (NLT).
Then there is the word: lewdness, which comes from a Greek term that simply means "bed." It holds the same connotation as two people going to bed together. We understand that doesn't mean taking a nap.
The word lust in this verse doesn't merely describe a person given over to immorality. It describes someone who is living immorally but is incapable of feeling shame. It's shameless excess and the complete absence of restraint.
In other words, this is a person who not only lives immorally, but they proclaim it. They flaunt it. They're proud of it.
It frightens me when I hear of Christians engaging in sexual activity outside of God's constraints, having affairs, extramarital sex, and premarital sex.
The Bible is saying that should not be true of us. So, don't live that way.
The Good Pastor
�I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.� (John 10:14)
The Greek word used here for �shepherd� is the same as for �pastor.� The Lord Jesus, therefore, was saying, in effect: �I am the good pastor: the good pastor giveth his life for the sheep [that is, �for His flock�].� A good pastor is, thus, one who leads his flock into good pasture, who knows his flock, and who is known by his flock. A good pastor would even give his life for his flock (vv. 1-16).
However, this is not merely a term for the leader of a church congregation. The term and the concept are sufficiently broad to include all those individuals (teachers, military officers, parents, etc.) who have leadership responsibilities.
In all such cases, our guide and example is our good shepherd, our good pastor, our good leader�the Lord Jesus Christ. With this in mind, consider some of the other biblical references to our good shepherd: �Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; Neither as being lords over God�s heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away� (1 Peter 5:2-4).
Note also Hebrews 13:20-21: �Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever.�
Most every Christian, at least on occasion, must assume the function of a spiritual shepherd, and every Christian, always, is spiritually a sheep. The Lord Jesus is our good shepherd, and we do well to follow Him in all things. HMM
�I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.� (John 10:14)
The Greek word used here for �shepherd� is the same as for �pastor.� The Lord Jesus, therefore, was saying, in effect: �I am the good pastor: the good pastor giveth his life for the sheep [that is, �for His flock�].� A good pastor is, thus, one who leads his flock into good pasture, who knows his flock, and who is known by his flock. A good pastor would even give his life for his flock (vv. 1-16).
However, this is not merely a term for the leader of a church congregation. The term and the concept are sufficiently broad to include all those individuals (teachers, military officers, parents, etc.) who have leadership responsibilities.
In all such cases, our guide and example is our good shepherd, our good pastor, our good leader�the Lord Jesus Christ. With this in mind, consider some of the other biblical references to our good shepherd: �Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; Neither as being lords over God�s heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away� (1 Peter 5:2-4).
Note also Hebrews 13:20-21: �Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever.�
Most every Christian, at least on occasion, must assume the function of a spiritual shepherd, and every Christian, always, is spiritually a sheep. The Lord Jesus is our good shepherd, and we do well to follow Him in all things. HMM
No Spiritual Downtime - by Greg Laurie -
Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts. -2 Timothy 2:22
Years ago, I was in a mall in Hawaii when a guy recognized me and walked up to say hello. We started talking, and then I asked him where he went to church.
"Well, I haven't been for a while," he told me. "I'm on a spiritual vacation."
So, we had a long talk, and thankfully, it resulted in his making a recommitment to the Lord.
In 2 Samuel 11 we find the story of someone who tried to take a spiritual vacation as well. King David no longer was the shepherd-warrior of his early days. Instead, we find him kicking back, complacent, and with too much time on his hands.
We read that "late one afternoon, after his midday rest, David got out of bed and was walking on the roof of the palace. As he looked out over the city, he noticed a woman of unusual beauty taking a bath" (verse 2 NLT).
Back in those days, the roofs were flat which provided additional living space. David's palace would have been perched above the other homes, so he had a vantage point. He could see into other people's rooftops and yards. He could survey everything.
Was David looking for trouble? I think he may have been because he ended up having sexual relations with the woman. And ultimately, he murdered her husband to try and cover it up.
David was being physically and spiritually lazy when he should have been leading his troops into battle. Instead, he was taking a spiritual vacation.
When we're spiritually lethargic we become more vulnerable. It happened to David, and it can happen to us, especially these days.
Don't go on a spiritual vacation. The moment you stop going forward spiritually you will start going backward. The moment you fall asleep spiritually you'll be weak and vulnerable.
The Crucial Point
�But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.� (Galatians 6:14)
Whenever people speak of �the crucial point of the issue� or �the crux of the matter,� they are inadvertently acknowledging the centrality of the cross of Christ, for these words are derived from the Latin crux, meaning �a cross.�
The cross of our Lord Jesus Christ is right at the very heart of Christianity and also at the very heart of the opposition to Christianity. �For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God� (1 Corinthians 1:18).
It was at the cross, and on the cross, that Christ defeated Satan. �Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it� (Colossians 2:14-15).
And it is at the cross that we also must be crucified, spiritually, if Satan is to be defeated in our own lives. �I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me� (Galatians 2:20). �And they that are Christ�s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts� (Galatians 5:24). �Our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin� (Romans 6:6).
Crucifixion, of course, is exceedingly painful, and therefore there is a very real �offence of the cross� (Galatians 5:11). Many Christians resist the demands on the life and the mind and the body that are entailed in such total identification with Christ. They would rather glory in earthly things. But how much better it is to glory, as Paul did, only in the cross, crucified unto the world. HMM
�But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.� (Galatians 6:14)
Whenever people speak of �the crucial point of the issue� or �the crux of the matter,� they are inadvertently acknowledging the centrality of the cross of Christ, for these words are derived from the Latin crux, meaning �a cross.�
The cross of our Lord Jesus Christ is right at the very heart of Christianity and also at the very heart of the opposition to Christianity. �For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God� (1 Corinthians 1:18).
It was at the cross, and on the cross, that Christ defeated Satan. �Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it� (Colossians 2:14-15).
And it is at the cross that we also must be crucified, spiritually, if Satan is to be defeated in our own lives. �I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me� (Galatians 2:20). �And they that are Christ�s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts� (Galatians 5:24). �Our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin� (Romans 6:6).
Crucifixion, of course, is exceedingly painful, and therefore there is a very real �offence of the cross� (Galatians 5:11). Many Christians resist the demands on the life and the mind and the body that are entailed in such total identification with Christ. They would rather glory in earthly things. But how much better it is to glory, as Paul did, only in the cross, crucified unto the world. HMM
Toxic Envy - by Greg Laurie -
A sound heart is life to the body, but envy is rottenness to the bones. -Proverbs 14:30
I heard about a crab fisherman who would carry his catch around in an open bucket. When someone asked him if he was concerned about the crabs getting out he said, "No, the moment one of those crabs starts to climb out, the others reach up and pull him back down."
It reminds me a lot of how kids can be. In their minds, everything has to be equal. If you give a gift to one of them they expect you to give it to the others. And if you allow one to do something they expect you to allow the others to do the same thing too.
Writing to the believers in Rome the apostle Paul said, "Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy" (Romans 13:13 NKJV).
Maybe you're saying, "I think I'm doing pretty well because I'm not living immorally. And I'm not drinking."
Yes, but what about the rest of the verse? What about strife and envy? The term Paul used for strife refers to persistent contention, bickering, petty disagreement, and enmity. It reflects a spirit of antagonistic competitiveness that fights to have its own way.
It's really the desire to prevail over other people. This is someone who can't stand being surpassed and begrudges others' success and position. It's someone who always wants to be number one, the top dog. If you tell a story they'll tell a better story. If you talk about an accomplishment they'll have a better accomplishment, at least in their minds.
I've heard it said that envy shoots at another and wounds itself. We have to be very careful of this sin.
Don't be like that. Instead, focus your energies on becoming more like Jesus Christ.
From Head to Foot, Be His - by Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org
But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts. -Romans 13:14
I have a friend who always looks like he's wearing an outfit no matter what day of the week it is. For some people, everything is an outfit. Their jeans are ripped in all the right places and their shirt is a certain way. They think it all through.
It's okay to think about what we wear, of course, because we put on clothes every day. But, the apostle Paul wrote, "Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts" (Romans 13:14 NKJV).
Now, doesn't Jesus Christ live in the heart of every Christian? The answer is yes, He does. So why do we need to put Him on?
The J. B. Philips New Testament puts the verse this way: "Let us be Christ's men from head to foot, and give no chances to the flesh to have its fling."
The picture Paul is giving us is that our clothes should conform to us; we should not conform to our clothes. In other words, let Jesus be a part of everything you do.
Make Him a part of every decision. Make Him a part of every area of your life. He's not just Sunday Jesus. He's also Monday Jesus, Tuesday Jesus, and Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday Jesus too.
Jesus should be Lord over wherever we happen to be and whatever we happen to be doing, and He should be Lord over what we watch on television and take in through social media. He should be Lord when we step out our door and Lord when we return home.
He should be Lord of all because if Jesus is not Lord of all, then He's not Lord at all.
So, put on the Lord Jesus Christ.
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