Mark S. Mitchell - Immeasurably More: A Year of Devotions from the Writings of Ray Stedman

OTHER BOOKS BY MARK S. MITC HELL

The Power of His Pres ence

Portrait of Integr ity

Immeasurably More

A YEAR OF DEVOTIONS FROM THE WRITINGS OF RAY STEDMAN

MARK S. MITCHELL

Copyright 2016 Mark S. Mitchell.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

All Scripture quotations not otherwise attributed are from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION NIV Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc. Use of either trademark requires the permission of Biblica, Inc.

Scripture quotations marked RSV are from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1952 (2 nd edition, 1971) by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are from The Authorized (King James) Version. Rights in the Authorized Version in the United Kingdom are vested in the Crown. Reproduced by permission of the Crowns patentee, Cambridge University Press.

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ISBN: 978-1-5127-5132-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-5133-8 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-5131-4 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016912541

WestBow Press rev. date: 10/21/2016

CONTENTS

January
JOHN 112 : Our Lords Closest Friend

February
ISAIAH: The Farseeing Prophet

March
PHILIPPIANS: Christ, Our Confidence and Strength

April
LEVITICUS: The Way to Wholeness

May
ACTS 112: An Unfinished Story

June
PRAYING TO THE FATHER

July
ACTS 1328: Turning Point

August
JEREMIAH: Profile of Courage

September
ROMANS 18: From Guilt to Glory

October
1 CORINTHIANS: Epistle of the Twenty-First Century

November
ROMANS 916: From Guilt to GloryExhibited and Experienced

December
HEBREWS: All about Faith

To the members of the Ray Stedman Ministries board of directorsDon Broesamle, Rich Carlson, Greg Sims, and Jimmy Stewartand to the Stedman family: Laurie Stedman Higuera, Elaine Stedman, and Linda Stedman Teshima. It has been a joy to labor together and to see God do immeasurably more than we could ask or t hink.

Gods eternal purpose is for his people to be worshipers. Hidden in Christ with God (Col. 3:3)he in us and we in himwe are drawn into Christs very life. In our inseparable intimacy with him, we grow to understand the power of the gospel: Christ in you, the hope of glory (Col. 1:27). We are joined with Christ in an eternal relationship, immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine (Eph. 3:20).

Don Broesamle, Ray Stedman Minist ries

R ay C. Stedman (191792) understood the power of biblical exposition. For forty years as pastor of Peninsula Bible Church in Palo Alto, California, he committed to preaching through entire books of the Bible, or to laying open major portions of Scripture.

Unfortunately, yearly devotionals often read as if we are eating in a school cafeteria where the meals keep changingtoday light fare from the gospels, tomorrow something to savor from the prophets. We may find a degree of satisfaction and yet still yearn for a more systematic, integrated feeding of our spiritual lives.

In an expository presentation of the whole counsel of God, Stedman offered the congregation balanced biblical truth by which to grow into the spiritual maturity God intends.

This treasury of daily studies faithfully captures his book-by-book exposition, fully explored in practical monthly segments. Each selection invites readers to open their Bibles and to explore the Scriptures alongside Stedmans related expository message. An introductory verse directs the focus to each days central theme. Each selection concludes with a prayer and an application question, helping readers to weave into their lives the lessons they have learned.

Immeasurably More champions a theme that is predominant throughout Stedmans messages: the New Covenantthe believers total dependence on the power of the indwelling Christ to live the Christian life. As we make every effort to rest in Him (Heb. 4:11), the Lord is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us (Eph. 3:20).

I hope that this book will satisfy the spiritual appetites of growing believers who desire to experience immeasurably more than they can ask or imagine in their walk with Christ.

Mark S. Mitchell

Our Lords Closest Friend

An introduction for the month of January

W e are beginning studies in the gospel according to John. This gospel was written by the disciple of whom it was said, Jesus loved him. John was the closest intimate of our Lord during the days of his ministry, so this constitutes an important gospel.

Three and a half years of close companionship with Jesus had a tremendous impact on John. The apostle was an old man when he wrote this gospel. As best we can tell, he wrote it from the city of Ephesus, where he settled after the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in AD 70, in order to guide the Christian community in that great Roman center. He probably wrote toward the close of the first century. The gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke had already been written and widely circulated among the early Christians. All the letters of Paul had been written, as had all the letters of Peter.

This gospel was one of the last books of the New Testament to be written. Because it came so late, many have felt that John had perhaps forgotten some of the details of the things that had happened to him. He does not retrace many of the events recorded in the so-called synoptic gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Johns work is different, and he told us why he wrote this gospel:

Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name (John 20:3031).

It is clear that Johns method is selection, and his purpose is regeneration: life in the name of Jesus, exciting, compelling, fulfilling, satisfying life, what Jesus meant when he said, I have come that you might have life and that you might have it more abundantly.

Although John allowed forty or fifty years to go by before recording the events he had witnessed, we must remember that he had been retelling this story almost every day for all those years. He was, of course, helped by the promise of Jesus that when the Spirit came, he will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you (John 14:26). The apostles had not only their vivid memories but also the help of the Spirit to recall what Jesus had said on specific occasions, and they meditated many long hours over those events. Perhaps that is why John could add insights and interpretations to his accounts that the others do not include. All this was burned into the apostles memories by the constant recitation of what had happened. Through the years they never forgot what Jesus said and did. We can be certain that this is an authentic witness from an authentic disciple who recalls vividly everything that Jesus said and did in those three and a half marvelous years.