Studying Scripture with Pastor David Higa at ccEchoPark

Pastor David Higa
  • 5.0 (10)
  • Religion & Spirituality

Study the whole Bible chapter-by-chapter, verse-by-verse with Pastor David Higa at Calvary Chapel Echo Park in Los Angeles ccEchoPark.com

  1. 9h ago

    Matthew 6:19-34 | Right Priorities

    Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. - Matthew 6:17-18 This was a passage that captivated my attention years ago as a non-believer because it had to do with money. Way back in the day, success to me meant making money, having a decent job, and owning a lot of things to be seen by men. It certainly is not a coincidence that this section follows the one on Right Religion [Matt 6:1-18]. Jesus, the all-time Master teacher, connects the two with a warning; because we as believers can get wrapped up in being seen by men. Remember in the prior section that Jesus used the word Hypocrites three times regarding wrong giving [Matt 6:1-4], wrong prayer [Matt 6:5-15], and wrong fasting [Matt 6:16-18]. Right religion [i.e., right worship] is not something we do to be seen by men. Real worship is in the secret place one-on-one with the Lord. What then flows are Right Priorities, which is our topic today. If we are drawing near to God, our priorities are on target. It does not come by forcing rules and regulations; right priorities are from a heart that rightly responds to the grace of God. It is through Grace that we are saved, sanctified, and transformed. When Grace flows in, Godly priorities flow out; in what we do and say, and specifically how we use money. Because how we use money reflects our heart. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. A good friend of mine once told me, If you want to know a persons heart, look at their check book. The things a person spends on are the things he loves. And if he hordes like Ebenezer Scrooge, he certainly loves himself the most. That is why giving in secret is such a good reflection of the heart, and it is something we can all do as a test of our own hearts. Open your check book and notice what you invest in and what you do not. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. It is a true statement. But seek ye first His Kingdom and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you. This is the end-summary of our passage this morning. Right priorities come with this right order. God will meet our needs when we seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, He will not always meet our wants, but certainly our needs. This is a clear and concise promise from Gods word. Remember, however, that right priorities are from a changed heart that comes from right worship.

    Matthew 6:19-34 | Right Priorities

  2. 4d ago

    Judges 7-8 | Gideon's Army

    Judges 7-8: Gideon's Army

    Judges 7-8 | Gideon's Army

  3. 5d ago

    Revelation 6:9-17 | Prayers for Judgment

    When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. [Rev 6:9] At first glance this fifth seal seems unique in that it doesnt administer any sort of judgment. And they cried with a loud voice saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth? [Rev 6:10, emphasis mine] No judgment per se, but notice their cry! These souls are in fervent prayer for judgment. It is similar to the imprecatory psalms; psalms calling upon God to judge our adversaries. Psalms 64:7-9 and 79:10 are examples. In this time of grace and mercy, we may not embrace these kinds of imprecatory prayers, but in the midst of the Tribulation, imprecatory prayers will be partnered with the Lamb administering judgment. The focus of the fifth seal is not martyrdom, because martyrdom could not be judgment from God. [MacArthur] It embraces the context of furthering Gods wrath and judgment through prayer. The fifth seal is a loosening of the prayerful force behind the acts of Judgment administered by the Lamb. These prayers of martyred Tribulation Saints are a spiritual potency by which the 7th Seal of judgment is fueled. Just as the prayers of the Saints today [during this time of Mercy] partner in the work of salvation; so will be the prayers of those souls under the altar partner in the work of vengeance [during the Tribulation]. The Seals of judgment depict Jesus in a different manner. His posture is one of authority and Judge, no longer Intercessor. And from this position, He will restore all things. Dr. Barnhouse said it well: There are four things out of place in the universe: The church is out of place; she ought to be in heaven. Israel is out of place; she ought to be in the Land sworn to her and possess every part of it. The devil is out of place; he ought to be in the lake of fire but he is still roaming free. And Christ is out of place; He should be through with intercession and seated on His throne, reigning, instead of upon His Fathers throne interceding. This Day, however, is fast approaching when Jesus will put all things in their rightful place.

    Revelation 6:9-17 | Prayers for Judgment

  4. 6d ago

    Genesis 27-28 | Jacob and Esau

    Genesis 27-28: Jacob and Esau

    Genesis 27-28 | Jacob and Esau

  5. Aug 24

    Matthew 6:16-18 | Right Fasting

    But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. -Matthew 6:17-18 Fasting is a spiritual practice oftentimes overlooked in our day. Perhaps it is because we are not commanded to fast in the New Testament. Then the disciples of John [the Baptist] came to Him [Jesus], saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but Your disciples do not fast? [Matt 9:14] But in addition, fasting is a privilege, and privileges have a different DNA than commands. It is not the physical act of fasting that is the privilege; it is the result, which is drawing near to the Lord. Fasting denies self, and the result is that we are set apart from self and drawn to God. He must increase, but I must decrease was how John the Baptist described it. That is what fasting does; it decreases I, and increases Him, which is always a good thing. But notice the fuller context of Matthew 9:14. And Jesus said to them, Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? You see, Messiah, God Incarnate, was in their very midst. Fasting brings one near but Jesus was right there to behold, in flesh. That is why Jesus did not call His disciples to fast. because they were as close as they could possibly be [i.e., we beheld His glory John 1:14] But now that He has returned to the right hand of the Father, it is our privilege and joy to fast and draw near. Because He must increase, but I must decrease. That is the powerful work of fasting. Right fasting is a joy, not a chore. It requires discipline as with any commitment. It is an investment in drawing near to God and a divestment in being consumed with self. That is, too, why fasting goes together with prayer, especially the prayer of intercession. Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. [Matt 6:16] If we fast with sad countenance, we are missing the point. While fasting requires discipline, its great blessing is being closer to our Lord. And that should bring a countenance of joy, peace, and strength even in the midst of intercession.

    Matthew 6:16-18 | Right Fasting

  6. Aug 20

    Judges 6 | Gideon's Fleece

    Judges 6: Gideon's Fleece

    Judges 6 | Gideon's Fleece

  7. Aug 19

    Revelation 6:1-8 | The Real and the Counterfeit

    Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals; and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, Come and see. And I looked, and behold a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer. [Rev 6:1-2] The Real and the Counterfeit are revealed in these verses. They identify Christ and Antichrist, respectively. It is like comparing real and counterfeit money. The latter looks just like the real. It is even used as such by those who are deceived. But in the end it is a lie, a fake, a forgery; and those holding the counterfeit have been taken and deceived; they have been ripped off. That will be the unfortunate reality for many in the latter days after the Rapture of the Church. Revelation 6 reveals the beginning of the end, the Tribulation period, the last seven years before Christ returns. The Antichrist will be fully engaged during that time and will appear like Christ while being in total opposition to Him. This man of sin and son of perdition [ref. 2 Thes 2:3] will deceive even the elect. He will mislead Israel until the middle of the Tribulation and then enter the Temple and demand to be worshipped as God. That will fulfill the abomination that causes desolation prophesied in Dan 9:27 Matt 24:15. Israel will then recognize their error and turn and follow the Real. They will finally see Jesus as their Messiah [ref. Jer 31:31-34; Rom 11:25-26]. This morning we will cross reference to several Scriptures that describe Antichrist and then observe our Rev 6 passage on the four horsemen of the apocalypse. Each horseman comes at the loosing of a seal on the scroll that was introduced in Rev 5. If the scroll is indeed the Title Deed to the Earth, then the seal judgments are the final countdown to Jesus Return. Can any of the four horsemen be the Antichrist? Can all of horsemen be the Antichrist? I think it is quite possible, but we cannot know for sure. We should, however, note that the judgments of famine and pestilence and death are in line with the work of Antichrist described in Scripture. Two things we can know, however, are that the loosing of the seals begin the seven year Tribulation, and that the Church is in heaven at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb [ref. Rev. 4] during that time.

    Revelation 6:1-8 | The Real and the Counterfeit

  8. Aug 18

    Genesis 25-26 | Abraham's Death

    Genesis 25-26 "Abraham's Death"

    Genesis 25-26 | Abraham's Death
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Study the whole Bible chapter-by-chapter, verse-by-verse with Pastor David Higa at Calvary Chapel Echo Park in Los Angeles ccEchoPark.com

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