WordsOfLife TheBible

The Role of the Holy Spirit in a Believer's Life

noreply@blogger.com (Words Of Life) — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 05:18:00 +0000

Two Types of Spirits - As we study the Bible we see that the Bible speaks of two spiritual kingdoms – the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan. These kingdoms are ruled by two distinct spirits – the Spirit of Truth (God and true believers) and the spirit of error (Satan and unbelievers). Eph 2:2 describes the natural state into which we are all born and in which the vast majority of mankind dies as they travel the broad road that leads to destruction.

1 John 4:6 “We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.”

John 14:17 “... the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.”

Eph 2:2 “Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air [Satan], the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.”

The Spirit and the Word at Work in Salvation - The Holy Spirit works through the words of Scripture. This is the means whereby a person receives the gift of salvation, or eternal life. This is what is in view in Luke 4:18 when Jesus spoke of being empowered by the Holy Spirit in order to accomplish the awesome task of saving His people from their sins. God vividly depicts the problem that man has brought upon himself, and the solution that only God can provide in Eze 36.

Rom 10:17 “... faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.”

Luke 4:18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised…”

John 3:5 “… Except a man be born of water [typifying the Word of God] and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”

John 6:63 “It is the spirit that quickeneth [make alive]; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.”

Eze 36:26 “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.”

He Works Repentance unto Salvation - Unless God directly intercedes in an individuals’ life, he can never repent and become saved. One might repent from some outward sins but never can repent inside out, from his sinful nature, which is genuine repentance. “Repentance” is metanoeo (G3340), signifying a “change of mind or understanding or a renewed mind”. One can demonstrate remorse at what he had done (based on the “sorrow of the world”), but not repentance (based on “godly sorrow”), which is a gift from God and has everything to do with salvation. God utilizes His divine words of the Bible to give people spiritual life in their souls. As one reads the Bible, the Holy Spirit convicts of sin, righteousness, and judgment, as we find in John 16:8. As God opens our spiritual eyes and ears to comprehend our spiritually dead condition, we realize that we are sinners by birth and by nature, and that we have violated God’s Word, the Bible.

2 Cor 7:10 “For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.”

2 Tim 2:24-26 “And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, 25In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; 26And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.”

Acts 11:18 “When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.”

Rom 2:4 “Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?”

He Indwells the New (Resurrected) Soul - What actually takes place in salvation? God uses many analogies in the Bible to describe how and where one is born from above, or becomes saved. One such picture is circumcision. God informs us that physical circumcision could accomplish nothing in and of itself, but was merely a sign pointing to a far greater spiritual reality of circumcision of “heart”. When God refers to the “heart” and the “spirit” (as we read in Eze 36:26), He is speaking metaphorically of our soul, the invisible part of our personality that will exist forever. God often speaks of circumcision in terms that can only be properly understood to mean spiritual circumcision. That is the meaning of the “circumcision made without hands” mentioned in Col 2:11. And what “instrument” is used to perform this type of “surgery” on one’s heart (or soul)? It can only be the “Sword of the Spirit” – the Word of God, the Bible – as Heb 4:12 indicates.

Rom 2:29 “But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.”

Php 3:3 “For we [believers] are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.”

Col 2:10-11 “And ye are complete in him [Christ], which is the head of all principality and power: 11In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:”

Eph 6:17 “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:”

Heb 4:12 “For the word of God is quick [or living], and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

Tit 3:5-7 “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

He Causes the Christian to Believe and to be Sanctified - “Belief”, or “faith”, is indeed a gift that God bestows on all of His children in mercy, since the recipients of this wonderful gift are totally undeserving of it. We learn that in order to enter Heaven we must be “holy”; and the only way we can become holy is by being clothed with the holiness, or righteousness, of God Himself. The Greek word for “holiness” is translated as “sanctification”. It is vital to understand than man is born spiritually dead in trespasses and sins, and this deadness prevents him from doing anything in order to become saved. Thus, salvation is an impossibility for man – except by the wonderful grace of God alone.

Rom 10:17 “... faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.”

Gal 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”

Heb 12:14 “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.”

2 The 2:13 “But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth.”

He Will Open Believer's Spiritual Eyes and Ears to Scriptures - Lord Jesus declared in John 16:13 that the Holy Spirit will guide believers into all truth. The Greek word for “guide” “hod” is also translated into English as “lead”. The Holy Spirit guides every true Christian into all truth from the Scriptures as they learn more and more about their blessed Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He not only teaches us the truth from the Bible, but also causes us to remember it.

He Moves the Child of God to Obedience - When someone becomes saved he is a “new creature” (creation) in Christ, and God works in his life “to will and to do of his good pleasure” according to Php 2:13. This means that he will increasingly have a genuine motivation to obey the Bible. This means that when God redeems somebody, he acquires a new set of thoughts, words, and actions, which could be compared to learning a new language in a different culture. Tit 3:5 informs us that this renewing has to do with salvation and is the work of God the Holy Spirit.

Rom 12:1-2 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

Tit 3:5 “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.”

He Gives Us Access to the Father - In fact, the Holy Spirit is intimately involved in the Christian’s prayer life. Only He can help us pray “according to the will of God”. This gracious fellowship with the Father by means of prayer is such a wonderful comfort, since quite often we find ourselves worried and beset by our own sin as well as the problems we face on a daily basis.

Eph 2:18 “For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.”

1 Cor 2:11 “For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.”

1 John 5:14 “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:”

Rom 8:26-27 “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.”

Php 4:6-7 “Be careful [anxious] for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

He is the Down Payment and Seal of Our Salvation - Last, but certainly not least, each “born-again” Christian has the incomparable awareness that his body is now the temple of God. As incredible as that may seem, a true believer has become the dwelling-place of the living God. The true believer has also been given the Holy Spirit as the “earnest”, or down payment, of their salvation. Our physical bodies are merely “tabernacles”, or tents that are used briefly during our earthly pilgrimage; but our eternal home is God Himself: May God give us a greater sensitivity to the Sword of the Spirit – God’s Word – as we strive for greater obedience and humility in our lives.

Rom 5:9 “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.”

2 Cor 1:22 “Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.”

2 Cor 5:1-5 “For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life. Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.”

The Role of Holy Spirit as the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity

noreply@blogger.com (Words Of Life) — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 05:14:00 +0000

Reproving the World of Sin - In John 16:9, what is the connection between “sin” and “believe not on me”? We must always remember that whenever we study the Bible we must let the Bible teach us. With this principle in mind, in this verse we find that belief is equated with not abiding in darkness. This particular passage helps us to understand that spiritual light, or belief, is associated with spiritual life. This means that a person whom God draws to salvation will not remain in spiritual darkness because God will give him the faith of Christ as a gift. Spiritual darkness is intimately identified with spiritual death and eternal condemnation.

John 16:8-11“And when he [the Holy Spirit] is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: Of sin, because they believe not on me [Jesus Christ]; Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.”

John 12:46 “I [Jesus Christ] am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.”

John 8:12 “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”

John 3:19-20 “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.”

Reproving the World of Righteousness - The Lord Jesus is actually called “Righteous” in 1 John 2:1, and the Old Testament also makes this point. I want to highlight two aspects of why Jesus speaks of going to His Father. Firstly, He could only re-enter Heaven if He had successfully paid for the sins of His people, which He most certainly did. God goes to great lengths to emphasize the “joy” that He would ultimately experience after enduring the wrath of God. This same joy would also be the precious possession of every child of God, as these verses in John 16 so vividly point out. Secondly, Christians, as recipients of the Holy Spirit, would be qualified to be ambassadors for Christ in accordance with God’s plan to evangelize the world.

John 16:10 “... Of righteousness, because I [Jesus Christ] go to my Father, and ye see me no more…”

Jer 23:5-6 “Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch [Lord Jesus Christ], and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. 6In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely [Judah and Israel typify Elect of God, circumcised in heart]: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.”

Heb 12:2 “… who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

1 Pet 1:8 “... ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.”

John 14:12 “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do [greater work is evangelizing the world]; because I go unto my Father.”

Reproving the World of Judgment - Well, who is “the prince of this world” in John 16:11? The prince, or ruler, of this world is Satan himself. The Lord Jesus ascended into Heaven and will not appear again physically until Judgment Day. May God be pleased to convict us of sin, righteousness and judgment as we ponder on these verses.

John 16:11 “Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged”.

John 12:31 “Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.”

Eph 2:2 “Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.”

Acts 17:31 “Because he [God the Father] hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man [Jesus Christ] whom he hath ordained; whereof he [God the Father] hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him [Jesus Christ] from the dead.”

Psa 96:13 “… for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.”

He Will Guide You into All Truth - Also, the Lord Jesus declared in John 16:13 that the Holy Spirit will guide believers into all truth. The Greek word for “guide” “hod” is also translated into English as “lead”. It is used to refer to many of the religious leaders, whom Jesus characterized as being “blind leaders of the blind” in Mat 15:14 because they were not saved and were leading others away from salvation with their erroneous teaching. God gives us more information concerning the Holy Spirit’s wonderful ministry to every single Christian through the use of the word “guide”. Just as Phillip helped the Ethiopian understand the Gospel (which is a role of all believers), the Holy Spirit guides every true Christian into all truth from the Scriptures as they learn more and more about their blessed Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

John 16:13-15 “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.”

1 John 5:6 “And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.”

Acts 8:30-37 “And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? 31And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him. 32The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth: 33In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth. 34And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man? 35Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.”

He Will Show You Things to Come - What does that phrase mean? Actually, the same word “shew” is found in all three verses of John 16:13-15. The Greek word for shew “anaggell” is also found as “declare”. Paul is declaring what every Christian is supposed to teach – all of the Bible and only the Bible. The Holy Spirit not only teaches us the truth from the Bible, but also causes us to remember it. Bear in mind that the “all things” here mean all “spiritual things” in the Scriptures.

John 16:13-15 “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.”

Acts 20:27 “For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.”

John 14:26“ But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”

1 Cor 2:13 “Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.”

John 12:16 “These things understood not his disciples at the first: but when Jesus was glorified, then remembered they that these things were written of him, and that they had done these things unto him.”

He Shall Glorify Jesus Christ - This section concerns the work of God the Holy Spirit in glorifying God the Son, even as the Son glorifies God the Father. We read in John 14:26 above that God the Father sent the Holy Spirit in the name of Jesus Christ. How does the Holy Spirit testify and glorify the Lord Jesus Christ? The same Greek word is used in these two verses and is translated as both “testify” and “beareth witness”. God and His Word are “truth”. The Holy Spirit testifies and bears witness through every word in the entire Bible. I realize that we have been speaking of the Holy Spirit’s particular role within the Godhead today, but we must never forget that no Member of the Triune Godhead operates independently of the other Two.

John 16:13-15 “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.”

John 17:1 “These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee…”

John 15:26 “But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me…”

1 John 5:6 “And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.”

John 5:39 “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.”

1 John 5:7 “For there are three that bear record [or bear witness, or testify] in heaven, the Father, the Word [Word in flesh, Lord Jesus Christ], and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.”

He is the Author of the Bible - It is important to understand that God the Holy Spirit is the Divine Author of the Word of God, the Bible. The Word of God is the sword of the Spirit. Why would God use the illustration of a “sword”, the only offensive weapon in the list of the Christian’s armor? Indeed, God’s double-edged Sword has the power to either cause spiritual death [judge] or spiritual life.

2 Pet 1:21 “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”

Eph 6:17 “... And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

Heb 4:12 “For the word of God is quick [alive], and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

Difference Between Religion & Salvation

noreply@blogger.com (Words Of Life) — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 05:08:00 +0000

Most People are “Religious” - There is, however, a big difference between religion and salvation. Most people are religious – including many who say they are “Christians” – and are very sincere and devoted to the ways of their religions; but they have never become saved. Jesus Christ is the Only Way to escape the “second death” of God’s eternal wrath because He is God’s Way. Only a true believer – that is, one in whom the Holy Spirit “dwells” – has been adopted into God’s eternal family as one of His children and has become a “joint heir” of heavenly glory with Christ.

Pro14:12 “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”

John 3:14-16 “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 16For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Acts 4:12 “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name [Jesus Christ] under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”

Rom 8:15-17 “For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16The Spirit itself [Himself - the indwelling Holy Spirit] beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.”

Only a True Believer has Eternal Life and his Religion is “Pure” - A true believer is one who has entered into a personal, intimate and eternal relationship with God through salvation. Therefore, a true believer is no longer under God’s condemnation and wrath because the penalty for all of his or her sins – past, present and future – have been fully paid by Jesus Christ. How can a religion be “pure and undefiled”? The word “undefiled” in Jam 1:27 means to be unsullied or unstained by sin. How can one be sinless and “unspotted from the world” in the eyes of God? This word “undefiled”, for example, describes both the Author of salvation (Jesus Christ): “For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens…(Heb 7:26)”, as well as salvation itself: “To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you (1 Pet 1:4)”, which God has so lovingly given to His people: “For he [God the Father] hath made him [God the Son] to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him (2 Cor 5:21)”. God the Son, Who is perfectly holy, harmless [innocent], and undefiled, became unholy, guilty, and defiled in paying for the sins of each born-again Christian. Only a true believer has a “pure” religion – that is, the only religion that has eternal spiritual value because it is “clean”, or “undefiled”.

John 5:24 “Verily, verily, I [Jesus Christ] say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him [God the Father] that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.”

1 John 5:11-13 “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. 13These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”

Rom 5:1-2 “Therefore being justified by faith [i.e., Christ’s faith], we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 2By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”

Jam 1:26-27 “If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain. 27Pure religion and undefiled [uncontaminated] before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.”

Matt 5:8 “Blessed are the pure in heart [saved heart with indwelling Holy Spirit]: for they shall see God.”

1 Tim 1:5-7 “Now the end of the commandment is charity[love] out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned [without hypocrisy]: 6From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling; 7Desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm.”

Tit 1:15-16 “Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled [contaminated] and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled. 16They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.”

Psa 119:1 “Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD.”

Unsaved Man’s Religious Ideas are Based on Superstition - God allows those who are perishing to obtain some measure of psychological satisfaction from their vain (empty) and defiled (unclean) religious practices in a manner typified by the physical satisfaction derived from drinking physical wine and strong drink. Sadly, their religious efforts are totally useless for obtaining a right standing with God. Therefore, they will remain spiritually impoverished without repentance unto salvation because the unsaved are “spiritually” dead (Eph 2:1-5). Pagan religions and false gospels are based on “superstitious” doctrines that involve a fear of the supernatural but not a reverential “fear” of the True and “Living God” based on the sound doctrines of the Bible.

Acts 17:22 “Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious.”

Acts 25:19 “But had certain questions against him of their own superstition, and of one Jesus, which was dead, whom Paul affirmed to be alive.”

Psa 111:10 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.”

Psa 147:11 “The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy.”

Ecc 12:13-14 “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. 14For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.”

Pro 9:10 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.”

Unsaved (natural) Man has No Spiritual Understanding of Truth - His superstitious religious beliefs are based on man’s “wisdom” – not God’s as set forth in His Word, the Bible. Consequently, God considers him to be spiritually drunk. “The drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty” – where the meaning of “poverty” is to become “dispossessed” or “disinherited” (i.e., to be spiritually unsaved). 1 Cor 2:13 declares God's wisdom is revealed by Holy Spirit: “not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual [comparing scripture with scripture]”.

1 Cor 2:12-16 “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 13Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual [comparing Scripture with Scripture]. 14But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. 16For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? but we [saved] have the mind of Christ.”

Isa 55:7-9 “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. 8For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. 9For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

Pro 23:19-21 “Hear thou, my son, and be wise [with God's wisdom], and guide thine heart in the way[God's way]. 20Be not among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh: 21For the drunkard [with false Gospels and Pagan religions] and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags [filthy rags].”

Doctrines of Works - Man’s Works of Righteousness are as Filthy Rags - One common aspect of all the pagan religions and false gospels of the world is the notion that man must do something to gain favor with whomever or whatever they worship. That idea is perfectly “logical” from a human perspective because we are self-centered beings. God, however, has stated very clearly that salvation is by His grace alone, through the faith of Christ and not by man’s “works” (efforts) in any way, shape, or form. God describes the spiritual covering of unbelievers by the word “rags” and says that all of “unclean” man’s attempts at being “righteous” are like “filthy rags” in His sight. God must cover us with the spotless robe of Christ’s righteousness to be acceptable to God. “we [believers] are His workmanship” – that is, salvation is the result of God’s work in the hearts of His children. Once God saves someone, He puts a sincere desire in that person’s heart to obey His commandments and to serve Him by performing “good works” under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. In other words, the only works of man that have any spiritual value are those performed after he becomes saved. There is nothing a man can do to make himself right with God before salvation takes place. The complex aspects of the True Gospel are incomprehensible and illogical to the natural (or unsaved) man – in fact, they are “foolishness” to those who “perish”, as we read in the following passages:

Isa 64:6 “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.”

Isa 61:10 “I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.”

Eph 2:8-10 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that [faith] not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

Rom 11:6 “And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.”

1 Cor 1:18-21 “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. 19For it is written,* I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. 20Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.” [* Isa 29:14]

Unsaved Man Hates the Doctrines of God’s Sovereign Grace - The doctrines of God’s sovereign grace are repugnant to man. His natural, sinful pride causes him to reject the notion that God is totally in charge of His own salvation program. An unsaved person cannot bring himself to admit that salvation is totally God’s work for His glory. Throughout the history of the world mankind has invented many kinds of religions and “do-it-yourself” salvation plans in order to get right with God, but the verses below relate to the fact that it is only God’s actions that produce salvation from eternal damnation.

Eze 36:22 “Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel [typifying the Elect of God], but for mine holy name's sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went.”

Rom 9:13-16 “As it is written, Jacob [typifying elect] have I loved, but Esau have I hated. 14What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. 15For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, andI will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. 16So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.”

Isa 5:20-21 “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! 21Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!”

Eph 1:3-6 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 4According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 5Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.”

John 14:6 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

John 6:65 “And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.”

John 6:44 “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.”

John 6:37 “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.”

Mans’ Works – Physical Circumcision - Physical circumcision is an example of a perfectly “logical” works-type salvation doctrine that was being taught by some in the early NT church who tried to hold to the OT ceremonial laws, which were fulfilled and rescinded by Christ at the cross: Actually, God’s Law regarding physical circumcision was never a requirement for salvation. It was to be obeyed merely as a “token”, or a physical sign representing the spiritual reality of salvation (Gen 17:11). Ancient Israel “stumbled” over God’s salvation plan because they thought that religiously keeping the Law would make them “righteous” instead of trusting in God's Mercy for salvation.

Acts 15:1-2 “And certain men which came down from Judaea taught the brethren, and said, Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved. 2When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question.”

Acts 15:24 “For as much as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment:”

Rom 9:31-33 “But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness. 32Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone; 33As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.”

1 Cor 1:23 “But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;”

Deu 10:15-17 “Only the LORD had a delight in thy fathers to love them, and he chose their seed after them, even you above all people, as it is this day. 16Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked. 17For the LORD your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward:”

God’s Work – Spiritual Circumcision - When God said, “Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart” in Deu 10:16 and “Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and take away the foreskins of your heart” in Jer 4:4, He obviously had spiritual circumcision in view. By these statements God emphasized the fact that man cannot save himself by his own efforts (i.e., cut off his own sins) any more than he can circumcise the “foreskin” of his heart (i.e., his spirit essence). However, because mankind in general cannot possibly carry out those commands, neither can man keep God’s Law, so, the next logical question is, “Why then the Law?” God answers that question for us in these verses leading up to Gal 3:29. We see that God’s Law is intended to be a “schoolmaster” to teach us about our sin and our desperate need for a Savior – the Lord Jesus Christ. The Law is a representation of God’s righteousness and an indication of His very nature. “Circumcision” of the heart means spiritual circumcision – that is, the spiritual reality of salvation by the cutting away of sin and the shedding of Christ’s blood in the Atonement. Of course, no one can perform that operation on his own heart – only God can do it. That is the meaning of the “circumcision made without hands” in Col 2:11.

Deu 30:6 “And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live.”

Rom 2:28-29 “For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: 29But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter;whose praise is not of men, but of God.”

Col 2:10-11 “And ye are complete in him [Christ], which is the head of all principality and power: 11In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:”

Gal 3:19-29 “Wherefore [Why] then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator. 20Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one. 21Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. 22But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. 23But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. 24Wherefore [Therefore] the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. 26For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. 27For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. 29And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.”

God’s Work – Spiritual Baptism - Man must be “baptized” (i.e., have his sins washed away) by the Holy Spirit in order to receive God’s gift of eternal life. God replaced the Old Testament sign of “physical circumcision” with the New Testament sign of “water baptism”, and many today stumble on the spiritual significance of baptism in the same way the Israelites stumbled on the spiritual significance of circumcision. They do not understand that God referred to spiritual baptism in verses such as the following, and they erroneously believe that water baptism is necessary for salvation. Many pervasive and spiritually dangerous doctrines of man’s “works” being taught all over the world today insist that man must somehow participate in his salvation. These perfectly “logical” – but erroneous – doctrines have been taught and disputed throughout the NT period, but only the doctrines of God’s Sovereign Grace are true.

Matt 3:11 “I [John the Baptist] indeed baptize you with water unto repentance. but he that cometh after me [Jesus Christ] is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:”

John 3:5 “Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water [the Word of God] and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”

Eph 5:26 “That he might sanctify and cleanse it [Church] with the washing of water by the word,”

Rom 10:17 “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

Acts 8:13,23 “Then Simon [the sorcerer] himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done. 23For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity.[language pointing to the condition of unsaved]”

Rom 6:3-5 “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 4Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:”

Christ's Humanity

noreply@blogger.com (Words Of Life) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 01:39:00 +0000

God in flesh - One of the most marvelous truths of Scripture is the incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ. The word “incarnation” means “in the flesh”. We read these words in the old hymn, “Out of the ivory palaces, into a world of woe. Only His great eternal love, made my Savior go”. Christ entered this sin-cursed earth at His “first coming” about 2,000 years ago. Although He was God in the flesh, He was fully human in every respect. Just as the disciples lived, ate, and fellowshipped with the Savior, we can, too, through His blessed Word. As they handled Him, we can likewise spiritually handle Him through the Bible.

John 1:1,14 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”

Mat 4:16 “The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.”

Mat 1:25 “And [he] knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.”

1 John 1:1 “That which [He who] was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life.”

Christ's Humanity - He is the only one who has ever perfectly possessed both a divine nature as fully God and a perfect human nature as fully man as the Scriptures advise us in Col 2. Even as a young boy we see that the Lord Jesus was keenly aware of His purpose in being sent to earth as God and man. We see this demonstrated when Jesus’ parents found Him disputing with the teachers and leaders in the Temple.

Col 2:9 “For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.”

Luke 2:52 “Jesus [as a child] increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.”

Luke 2:49 “And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist [know] ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?”

Despised and rejected of men - We also learn from John 1 that there were those who were looking for this coming Messiah: And who can forget Nathanael’s response?! Jesus was identified as coming from the “other side of the tracks” in modern vernacular, and throughout his earthly pilgrimage He was despised and rejected as prophesied in Isa 53. Jesus fully understood such an attitude, as He stated in Mark 13. However, this was only the beginning of several tests that Christ had to endure.

John 1:45 “Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. 46And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.”

Isa 53:3 “despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not”

Matt 13:57 “And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house.”

Second Adam - Unlike his human counterpart, the first Adam, He was completely successful in passing the severe test because He was God in human flesh. He was the only perfect human being and God, the Lord of glory, simultaneously. But His greatest test, the Atonement, was still to come. It would be the greatest test that any human being has ever faced to this day. No ordinary human being could ever face and successfully meet God’s strictest requirement, which was to become sin – not his Own sin – but to be laden with the sins of His people. Jesus Christ had to suffer the equivalent of an eternity in Hell for His people as their substitute. In Heb 4:15 we catch a glimpse of His total identification with mankind. This principle that Christ fully experienced the same human emotions that we do is evidenced in John 11:35, which is possibly the shortest verse in the entire Bible.

Heb 4:15 “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.”

Luke 4:1-2 “And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness. Being forty days tempted of [tested by] the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered.”

2 Cor 5:21 “For he [God the Father] hath made him [God the Son] to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”

Rom 5:14 "Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure [figure of Christ] of him that was to come."

Rom 5:19 "For as by one man's [First Adam] disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one [Second Adam] shall many be made righteous."

1 Cor 15:45 "And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam [Christ] was made a quickening spirit."

John 11:35 “Jesus wept.”

It is finished - After the betrayal in the Garden of Gethsemane by Judas Iscariot, Jesus allowed Himself to be captured, humiliated, beaten, sentenced by Pontius Pilate, and crucified. Nevertheless, the slow torture He experienced on the cross (as terrible as it was), was insignificant to the spiritual torture he was undergoing as He was enduring God's Wrath Hell for His people. What had been “finished” was the Atonement for the sins of God’s elect – a crucial element of their salvation. No mere human could pay the enormous price of the sins of those whom Christ came to save. Only a perfect Being – Jesus Christ, Who was fully God and fully man – could pay the infinite price required by God’s justice for sin.

Heb 2:9 “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death [second death] for every man [every one of His people].”

Heb 7:26-27 "For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; 27Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself."

Isa 53:11 "He [God the Father] shall see of the travail of his [God the Son] soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities."

John 19:30 “When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.”

Mark 15:46 “And he bought fine linen, and took him down, and wrapped him in the linen, and laid him in a sepulchre which was hewn out of a rock, and rolled a stone unto the door of the sepulchre.”

God raised Him from the dead - Many would like to believe that this is where the story ends, but we find this declaration in Acts 13 that Death could not hold the Lord Jesus Christ. His resurrection guaranteed beyond a shadow of doubt that every true Christian will end up in Heaven and every non-Christian will be judged for their sin and thrown into the Lake of Fire. In the face of this historical reality, may each of us heed the warning in 2 Cor 13:5

Acts 13:30 “But God raised Him from the dead.”

1 Pet 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively [living] hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”

Col 3:1-2,5 "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 5Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:"

2 Cor 13:5 “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?”

Christ's Deity

noreply@blogger.com (Words Of Life) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 01:37:00 +0000

Christ's Deity - We read in Isa 9:6 the prophetic utterance that Christ would take upon Himself a human nature and still retain His eternal position in the Godhead. Even the mystery of the Trinity is revealed in this verse as God the Son, Jesus Christ, is called the “the Mighty God” and “the Everlasting Father”. This is further emphasized in Heb 1, where we find this majestic description of God the Son.

Isa 9:6 “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace”

Heb 1:3 “Who [Christ] being the brightness of his [God the Father’s] glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his [Christ’s] power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.”

Php 2:5-6 “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God [the Father], thought it not robbery to be equal with God.”

John 10:30 “I and my Father are one.”

John 14:9 “Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?”

Emmanuel - God with us - God the Father continues to highlight the work of God the Son further in Heb 1. You might be asking the question, why is God the Father emphasizing the work that His Son came to do? What was Christ’s mission after all? This can be summed up in the meaning of His name, Jesus, which is found in Mat 1. The name “Jesus” means “Jehovah is salvation”; thus, Jesus Christ is the Savior of His people.

Heb 1:8-10 “But unto the Son he [God the Father] saith, Thy throne, O God [the Son], is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee [Christ] with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. And, Thou, Lord [Christ], in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands.”

col 1:14-19 "In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: 15Who [Lord Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: 16For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 17And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. 18And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.19For it pleased the Father that in him [Lord Jesus] should all fulness dwell;"

Mat 1:23 “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son [Christ], and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.”

1 John 5:9-10 "If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son. 10He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son."

Jesus - Jehovah Saviour - Just how did Jesus “save His people from their sin”, and who are His people? He gave His life for the remnant He chose by Grace, from every kindred, tongue and nation. Well, we have to understand that Jesus is not talking about giving His physical life (which of course He did); but rather to pay the penalty of sin (which is eternal damnation in Hell, Second death, death of his soul) for the “many”, or “the sheep”, or His “chosen ones”. All of these are references to those who are true Christians. We must remember that by nature and by conception all men are sinful; and, as a result, we deserve to go to Hell, or the “lake of fire”, where we have to pay for our sins. The only alternative is that the Savior Jesus Christ acted as our substitute and paid this incomprehensible ransom on behalf of every true believer. Only God could become laden with sin – not His own, of course – for His people, and only He could successfully atone for the sins of all the believers. He confirmed that He had paid the penalty of sin when He cried out on the cross, “It is finished”. In addition, God the Father had promised Christ that His soul would not be left in Hell, but that He would be raised from the dead and raised him from the dead.

Isa 43:11 "I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour."

Luke 2:11 "For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord."

Mat 1:21 “Ye shall call His name JESUS, for He shall save His people from their sin.”

Mat 20:28 “Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.”

John 10:11 “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life [soul] for the sheep.”

Psa 16:10 and Acts 2:27 “Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.”

Acts 13:30 “But God raised Him from the dead.”

Alpha and Omega - We see from these two passages that the Beginning and the Ending, the Alpha and Omega (the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet), the Redeemer, the LORD (Jehovah) of Hosts, and the Almighty all refer to the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.

Isa 44:6 “Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.”

Rev 1:8 “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord [Lord Jesus], which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.”

Col 1:13-17 “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.”

Every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord - God requires all men to acknowledge Christ as God, as we see in 1 John 2. He is not only carefully called God, He is constantly called the Lord as we see in Luke 2. Who is the great God and Savior? It’s none other than Jesus Christ. The Bible is replete with references that clearly identify Jesus as God. Jesus is indeed the LORD from Heaven, the Creator and the only Savior.

Php 2:9-11 “Wherefore God [the Father] also hath highly exalted him [Christ], and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

1 John 2:22-23 “Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: [but] he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.”

1 Tim 1:1 “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope.”

Luke 2:11 “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.”

Tit 2:13 “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.”

"The Prince of Peace" - The Peace Of GOD, Which Passeth All Understanding

noreply@blogger.com (Words Of Life) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 01:26:00 +0000

Peace is the Work of Righteousness - One might ask, “What exactly is the ‘work of righteousness’?” Any time we see the word “work” in the Bible with regard to salvation, we can know that it has to allude to something that God does. Any work of ours can never be righteous in God’s eyes. The same idea is also delineated in the New Testament in Titus 3. The “works of righteousness” were accomplished by God as we learn from Isaiah 61.

Isa 32:17-18 “And the work of righteousness [the work of Christ's atonement] shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever. And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places…”

Isa 64:6-7 “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee: for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities.”

Tit 3:5 “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us…”

Isa 61:10 “I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.”

Quietness - We saw in Isaiah 32 that the “work of righteousness shall be peace”. Then it says, “the effect of righteousness quietness... forever”. What is the “quietness” that this verse speaks about? It is the effect of righteousness, or salvation. The Hebrew word for “quietness” is also commonly translated as “rest”. Another aspect of salvation and yet another word meaning “rest” is translated as “still” in Psalm 32. After we have received salvation, God leads us to the “still [or quiet] waters” to drink of the Water of Life – the Gospel – and to “green pastures” where we feed upon the Word of God. I am reminded of the Good Shepherd in John 10.

Isa 32:17-18 “And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever. And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places…”

Isa 30:15 “For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength…”

Isa 11:10 “And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.”

Psa 23:2 “He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.”

John 10:9 “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”

Assurance - Let’s continue in Isaiah 32. What does “assurance for ever” signify? As we have been learning, we need to compare “spiritual things with spiritual” – the biblical blueprint that God has given us in 1 Corinthians for studying the Bible. The Hebrew word for “assurance” is usually rendered “safely” or “safety”; and its root word is almost always translated as “trust”. We read about the Israelites who were “safely” delivered by God (a picture of salvation) out of the hand of Pharaoh (a picture of Satan), and in the process He destroyed the Egyptian army (a picture of unbelievers). Psalm 16 affirms the hope of the resurrection and the promise that God the Father made to God the Son that His soul would not be left in Hell. The word for “assurance” is translated in this passage as “hope”.

Isa 32:17-18 “And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever. And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places…”

1 Cor 2:13 "Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual."

Psa 78:53 “And he led them on safely, so that they feared not: but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.”

Psa 16:9 "Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope."

Acts 2:29-31 "Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. 30Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; 31He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption."

Peaceable Habitation - Today we learned that the “work of righteousness” is peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Also, the “effect” of that eternal peace that God has secured for His people is eternal rest and safety, which will always belong to each child of God. But how does the Bible define the phrase in Isaiah 32 “And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation...”? This is the same word for “peace” that we saw in verse 17. It is the Hebrew word shalowm from which King Solomon’s name is derived, and he is a great representation of the Prince of Peace, the Lord Jesus Christ. The word for “habitation” describes the place where believers dwell and is also rendered, as a “sheepcote”, or “fold”, where sheep are protected. May God have mercy on many who are listening to His Word, and grant them that eternal peace and rest found only in the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Isa 32:17-18 “And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever. And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places…”

Isa 9:6 “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace... ”

John 10:16 “And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold [peaceable habitation], and one shepherd.”

Php 4:6-7 “Be careful [anxious] for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

Jesus Christ, "The True Light" of the World

noreply@blogger.com (Words Of Life) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 07:11:00 +0000

Woe unto them that put Darkness for Light, and Light for Darkness - The big problem that man faces is his inability to see his own sinfulness. He is blinded to it. In fact, he actually thinks he is “righteous”, or “good”. Spiritual darkness is a characteristic of unsaved man. 2 Cor 4:3-4 says, “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world [Satan] hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them”. Man dead in trespasses and sins, cannot see spiritual things. He cannot understand spiritual truths, as they relate to God and His Word, apart from God opening up man’s understanding. He is far away from the truth of the Word of God. He is quite happy and content, for the most part, living in this world in ignorance, without knowledge of God in the world. Mankind in this darkness, can develop all manner of false religions and false gods and false ideas about the true God. They can come up with philosophies and theories and traditions and religions, yet in all these philosophies what is revealed is the truth that man sits in darkness. Mat 6:23, reminds us: “But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!” Isa 5:20-21 admonishes, “Woe unto them... that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; ...”

Isa 5:20-24 “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight! Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink: which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him! Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the law of the LORD of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.”

Jesus is the “True Light”, which Lighteth Every Man that cometh into the world - It is His glory, indeed, that was the source of light when He declared in Gen 1:3, “And God said, Let there be light: and there was light” even though He had not yet created the sun. 1 Tim 6:16 announces that the invisible God – the Creator – is unapproachable without the Lord Jesus: “Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen”. Psa 107:10 reveals the sinful nature of all who are unsaved: “Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron”. This verse is also quoted in Isa 9:1-2, and adds that there is genuine hope in spite of man’s sinfulness: “Nevertheless the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, ... The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined”. It also appears in Mat 4:16 and other New Testament passages as well: “The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up”. God gives this glorious declaration in John 1:1,4-5,9 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 4In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 5And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. 9That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. 14And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth”. The spiritual “everlasting light” spoken of in Isa 60:19-20 will one day be fulfilled literally in the New Heavens and the New Earth. It will be His inexpressible glory that will illuminate the “New Jerusalem” for eternity, according to Rev 21:23: “And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.”

John 1:1-5,9 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2The same was in the beginning with God. 3All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 5And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. 9That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.”

Luke 1:78-79 “Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us, 79To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

Isa 60:19-20 “The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the LORD shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory. Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the LORD shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended. Thy people also shall be all righteous: they shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified.”

Men loved Darkness rather than Light, because their Deeds were Evil - Men hated this light; they did not want the Light of God, who was personified by Jesus who was and is the truth of God. He came to the world and the world had Him crucified and placed on a Cross. John 3:19 explains why this is so: “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil”. We see that this idea of “hiding from God” stems from our sinfulness as seen in Isa 29:15: “Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the LORD, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us?”. Rev 1:14 gives this portrait of God the Son: “His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire…”. Indeed, those eyes can penetrate the vast, dark regions of the human heart, open it up, lay it bare, and leave nothing hidden to Him, Who is Eternal Light. 1 Cor 4:5 further adds: “Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God”. Spiritual darkness is intimately identified with spiritual death and eternal condemnation. Rom 2:16 speaks of that Last Day: “In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel”. Bible also warns of Satan’s deceptive show as an imitator of Christ. We read that he comes as “an angel [or messenger] of light” with his counterfeit “ministers of righteousness” in 2 Cor 11:14-15: “And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 15Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works”. In order to maintain his hold on mankind, Satan works feverishly at his main objective, which is that of deceiving mankind with false gospels to keep them from hearing the Truth. He accomplishes that primarily by keeping people in bondage to various religions and false gospels and using his lying human “ministers of righteousness”. Rev 19:20 declares the end — destiny of all the unsaved and Satan with his emissaries : “And the beast [Satan] was taken, and with him the false prophet [his ministers] that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone”. In Mat 25:30, we see that one of the prominent characteristics of Hell is “outer darkness”: “And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth”.

John 3:19-21 “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.”

John 12:46 “I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness. 47And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. 48He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.”

Thy Words giveth Light; It giveth Understanding unto the Simple - Even though Peter saw a part of the Lord’s glory during the experience on the Mount of Transfiguration, he declares in 2 Pet 1:19, under the inspiration of God: “We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts”. Then verses 20 and 21 tell us that he is speaking about God’s Holy Word, the Bible. This Word has more validity than even what Peter, James and John witnessed with their five physical senses that day on the mountain with Christ. Pro 6:23 declares, “For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life:” This is why Israel was told to bind the Law on their “foreheads”. This symbolized that God’s Word was to be in front of their eyes (on their minds) at all times – in their personal lives, in their marriages, in raising children, in their vocations, in their spare time activities, in their use of money, in their social relationships – in every area of their lives. May God cause us to seek His Word as Psa 119:105 teaches: “as a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path”. I will leave you with this solemn pronouncement that encourages all of us to trust the only the Bible and look to it for divine truth. Isa 8:20 proclaims, “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them”.

Psa 119:130 “The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.”

2 Pet 1:16-21 “For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. 18And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount. 19We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: 20Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. 21For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”

Believers are sent to bear Witness of that Light - 2 Cor 4:6 highlights the necessity of salvation, by the Lord Jesus Christ, the only Savior for sinners: “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ”. And Acts 26:23 declares the redemption that God has procured for each believer from the “darkness” and “power of Satan” by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ: “That Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should show light unto the people, and to the Gentiles”. Psa 27:1, “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” Rev 22:3-5 describes those who have been redeemed by the grace of God as joyfully beholding the Father’s face: “And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever”. Those individuals whom God has chosen to save are called, among other names, the elect, the redeemed, the sheep, His people, and the children of God. They are described thusly in 1 Pet 2:9: “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light”. God commissioned Paul (and all true believers), as an “ambassador for Christ”, to be the apostle to the Gentiles, as we see from Acts 13:47 (quoting Isa 49:6), “For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth”. This is also revealed in Paul’s testimony of his Damascus road experience to King Agrippa, as found in Acts 26:16-18. May God grant us His strength to be ambassadors of His salvation program today.

John 1:6-8 “There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. 8He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.”

Isa 49:6 “And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob (the elect), and to restore the preserved of Israel (Israel of God): I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth”

Acts 26:16-18 “But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee; Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me”

Now are ye Light in the Lord - The Bible only knows of two great kingdoms that have opposed each other throughout history – the kingdom of God (light) and the kingdom of Satan (darkness). All human beings start out in the kingdom of Satan, but only God’s children have been placed within the kingdom of God as we read in Col 1:12-13: “Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: 13Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:” In John 12:46, we read, “I [Jesus Christ] am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness”. This particular passage helps us to understand that spiritual light, or belief, is associated with spiritual life. This means that a person whom God draws to salvation will not remain in spiritual darkness because God will give him the faith of Christ as a gift. This can be verified by other verses, such as John 8:12, “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life”. The truth is not merely a principle to be believed, but is intended to be lived out through which the true nature of the Christian become apparent. John 3:21 says that the one doing truth does so openly, letting his light shine as a witness – to demonstrate that his good works are done by God, who is working to will and to do of his good pleasure in the believer’s life, “… he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God”. We discover another aspect of fellowship, or salvation, in 1 John 1:6-7 where God highlights a vital facet of the Christian life as walking (or living) in “the light” as opposed to walking in “darkness”, which was our spiritual status prior to salvation. Eph 6:11 admonishes, “The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light”

Eph 5:8-11 “For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.”

1 John 2:8-11 “Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth. 9He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. 10He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. 11But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.”

Matt 5:14-16 “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. 15Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 16Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

Phil 2:15-16 “That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; 16Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.”

1 John 1:5-7 “This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: 7But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”

Two-Edged Sword

noreply@blogger.com (Words Of Life) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 07:11:00 +0000

God's Word is Two-Edged Sword. The Word [and the Word in flesh, our Lord Jesus Christ] is discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart

Heb 4:12 "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."

John 1:14 "And the Word was made flesh [Jesus Christ], and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth."

Mark 2:6-8 "But there was certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts, 7Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only? 8And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts?"

God uses His Word, the Two-Edged Sword to Circumcise the hearts of His Children [making them born again of Water, the Word of God and Spirit, the Holy Spirit]

Josh 5:2-3 "At that time the LORD said unto Joshua, Make thee sharp knives, and circumcise again the children of Israel the second time. 3And Joshua made him sharp knives, and circumcised the children of Israel at the hill of the foreskins."

Deu 10:16 "Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked."

Deu 30:6 "And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live."

Deu 6:6-7 "And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: 7And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up."

Eph 6:17 "And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:"

Rom 2:29 "But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God."

The Word of God, the Two-Edged Sword can cut to Eternal Life or to Eternal Damnation

2 Cor 2:14-17 "Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place. 15For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish: 16To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things? 17For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ."

The Word of God, the Two-Edged Sword can cut through the hearts, one edge cut to Salvation

Rom 10:17 "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."

Eph 6:17 "And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:"

Acts 2:37-41 "[on the day of Pentecost] Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? 38Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. 39For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the LORD our God shall call. 40And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. 41Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls."

Luke 2:34-35 "And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his [Jesus Christ] mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against; 35(Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed."

The Word of God, the Two-Edged Sword can cut through the hearts, the other edge cut to damnation

Acts 7:54-60 "When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him [Stephen] with their teeth. 55But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, 56And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. 57Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, 58And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul. 59And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. 60And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep."

False Gospels are sharp as two-edged sword too but cuts only to destruction

Pro 5:3-4 "For the lips of a strange woman [doctrines that are not under the authority of the 'whole Bible'] drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil: 4But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword."

The Word of God, the Two-Edged Sword shall Judge in the last day

Rev 1:12-17 "12And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; 13And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man [Jesus Christ] , clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. 14His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; 15And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. 16And he [Lord Jesus Christ] had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength. 17And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first [John 1:1, In the beginning was the Word] and the last [John 12:48, the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day] :"

John 1:1-3 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2The same was in the beginning with God. 3All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 14And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth."

John 12:47-48 "And if any man hear my [Jesus Christ] words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. 48He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day."

1 Cor 6:2-3 "Do ye not know that the saints [born again believers] shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? 3Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?"

1 Cor 1:2 "Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus [born again believers] , called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both their's and our's:"

Psa 149:5-9 "Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds. 6Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand; 7To execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people; 8To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; 9To execute upon them the judgment written: this honour have all his saints. Praise ye the LORD."

The Word of God, the Two-Edged Sword cuts [brings divisions in] the families

Luke 12:51-53 "Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division: 52For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three. 53The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law."

Matthew 10:21-22 "And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death. 22And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved."

Luke 14:26-27 "If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. 27And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple."

Not That We Loved God, But That He Loved Us

noreply@blogger.com (Words Of Life) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 07:03:00 +0000

God gave his only begotten son

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

God gave his life and died for us while we were yet sinners

Rom 5:7-8 "For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. 8But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

John 15:12-13 “This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. 13Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”

John 10:11,15,17-18 “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. 15As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. 17Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. 18No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.”

God loved us first and paid unimaginable price for our sins

1 John 4:10 “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”

God fulfilled the law of righteousness for us and clothed us with His robe of righteousness

Rom 13:10 “Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.”

Mat 5:17 “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.”

John 10:18 “No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.”

2 Cor 5:21 “For he [God the Father] hath made him [God the Son] to be sin for us, who [God the Son] knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him [God the Son].”

Heb 10:8-10 “Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”

Love the LORD thy God with all thine Heart, and with all thy Soul

noreply@blogger.com (Words Of Life) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 07:02:00 +0000

Love God with all our heart, all our soul and in all our strength is the first greatest commandment

Deu 6:4-6 “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart…”

Matt 22:36-38 "Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 37Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38This is the first and great commandment. "

More than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices and Jesus fulfilled this commandment by keeping his Father’s commandment and offering up himself

Mark 12:33 "And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices."

Heb 10:8-10 “Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”

John 10: 17-18 “Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. 18No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.”

Matter of heart. God looks at the heart

Isa 29:13 “Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men.”

1 Sam 16:7b “... for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.”

Pro 21:2 “Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the LORD pondereth the hearts.”

Mat 12:34b "... for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.”

Psa 19:14 “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.”

Man’s heart is sinful and desperately wicked

Jer 17:9-10 “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.”

Gen 6:5 “And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”

Circumcision of heart “by God” [must be born again from above] is required to love our God with all our heart

Rom 2:29 “But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.”

Deu 30:6 “And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live.”

Ezekiel 36:26-27 "A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. 27And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them."

Circumcision of heart achieved by the two edged sword, which is Bible

Heb 4:12 “For the word of God is quick [alive], and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

Acts 2:37 “Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?”

Rom 10:17 “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

Loving God is keeping God’s commandments. Obedience is the evidence of Love.

John 14:15 "If ye love me, keep my commandments."

1 John 3:18 "My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth."

1 John 5:3 "For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous."

John 14:21 "He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him."

Good Soldier of Jesus Christ - Suffer Happily for Christ’s Sake

noreply@blogger.com (Words Of Life) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 07:01:00 +0000

Endure Hardness, suffer affliction happily for His sake, be patient as a good soldier of Jesus Christ

2 Tim 2:3-4 “Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.”

2 Tim 2:9-12 “Wherein I suffer trouble, as an evil doer, even unto bonds; but the word of God is not bound. Therefore I endure all things for the elect’s sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:”

Jam 5:10-11 “Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience. Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.”

Acts 9:16 “For I will shew him [Paul] how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake.”

Php 1:29 “For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;”

2 Cor 11:23-28 “Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I [Paul] am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; In journeying often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.”

Watch…Work…Make Full Proof

2 Tim 4:1-5 “I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.”

2 Cor 1:6“And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation.”

Pray…Sing Psalms

Jam 5:13 “Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.”

Jam 5:16b-18 “… The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man [born again believer, imputed with Christ's Righteousness] availeth much. Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.”

Gal 4:6-7 “Be careful [or anxious] for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

1 Pet 5:10 “But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.”

Light Affliction, Which is but for A Moment

noreply@blogger.com (Words Of Life) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 06:59:00 +0000

God Tries the Hearts of His Children Continually.

1 Chro 29:17 "I know also, my God, that thou triest the heart, and hast pleasure in uprightness. As for me, in the uprightness of mine heart I have willingly offered all these things: and now have I seen with joy thy people, which are present here, to offer willingly unto thee."

1 Sam 16:7 "But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but theLORD looketh on the heart."

Job 7:17-18 "What is man, that thou shouldest magnify him? and that thou shouldest set thine heart upon him? 18And that thou shouldest visit him every morning, and try him every moment?"

Isa 40:22 "It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:"

God chastises His Children for their Sins so that they won't be Condemned with the World on the Day of Judgement.

Lam 3:39 "Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins? "

1 Cor 11:31-32 "For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. 32But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world."

Heb 12:6-8 "For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. 7If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? 8But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons."

Job 5:17-18 "Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty: 18For he maketh sore, and bindeth up: he woundeth, and his hands make whole."

Lam 3:32-33 "But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies. 33For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men."

Lam 3:22-23 "It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. 23They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness."

Psa 94:12 "Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O LORD, and teachest him out of thy law;"

God Chastizes His Children to Mold them into the Likeness of Christ and not to Destroy them.

Heb 12:10-11 "For they [our earthly fathers] verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he [God] for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. 11Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby."

Phil 3:10 "That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;"

1 Cor 10:12-13 "Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.13There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."

1 The 3:3 "That no man should be moved by these afflictions: for yourselves know that we are appointed thereunto."

1 Thes 5:9 "For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,"

Psa 66:10-11 "For thou, O God, hast proved us: thou hast tried us, as silver is tried. 11Thou broughtest us into the net; thou laidst affliction upon our loins."

Isa 64:8 "But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand."

Tribulation Works out Furit of the Spirit in us.

Gal 5:22-23 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law."

Jam 1:2-4 "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; 3Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. 4But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing."

Rom 5:3-4 "And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; 4And patience, experience; and experience, hope:"

We Glory in Tribulations because the Sufferings of this Present Time are Not Worthy to be Compared with the Glory which shall be Revealed in us.

Rom 8:16-18 "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. 18For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us."

Rev 21:4 "And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. 4And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away."

1 Pet 1:4-6 "To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, 5Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:"

2 Cor 4:16-18 "For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.17For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;18While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal."

Trials come when we think we are at the peak of Spiritual Life. God will Strengthen us to Face the Trials. We are Kept by the Power of God.

Mark 1:10-13 "And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him: 11And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. 12And immediately the spirit driveth him into the wilderness. 13And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him."

Luke 22:31-32 "And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: 32But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren."

2 Cor 12:7-10 "And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. 8For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. 9And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong."

John 15:4-5 "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 5I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: forwithout me ye can do nothing."

Harden not your Heart in the Day of Temptation.

Psa 95:8-9,11 "Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness: 9When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my work. 11Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest."

Job 5:19 "He shall deliver thee in six troubles: yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee."

Pro 24:10 "if thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small."

Job 2:9-10 "Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die. 10But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips."

Job 1:20-22 "Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, 21And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD. 22In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly."

What Son is he whom the Father Chasteneth not?

noreply@blogger.com (Words Of Life) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 06:58:00 +0000

Even Gods corrections and chastisements demonstrate His perfect, loving care and concern for each of His beloved children as He conforms them to the image of His dear Son

Rom 8:28:"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."

Heb 12:6-11: "6For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. 7If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? 8But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.9Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? 10For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.11Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.

God grants His children the Holy Spirit

Luke 11:9-13:"And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. 10For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 11If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? 12Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 13If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him? "

God provides His Children and meets their worldly needs and spiritual needs

Matthew 6:25-34:"Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 26Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? 27Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? 28And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? 31Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."

Parents, declare the love of our God to your Children

Psa 78:4-8 “We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done. For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children: That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children: That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments: And might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation; a generation that set not their heart aright, and whose spirit was not stedfast with God.”

Deu 6:7 “And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.”

Eph 6:4 “And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.”

Gen 18:19 “For I know him, that he [Abraham] will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.”

We need to recognize that our children need instruction

Pro 15:31-32 "The ear that heareth the reproof of life abideth among the wise. 32He that refuseth instruction despiseth his own soul: but he that heareth reproof getteth understanding."

Proverbs 22:15 "Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him."

Proverbs 29:15 "The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame."

Psalm 58:3 "The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies."

Tit 1:6 “If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly”

1 Tim 3:12 “Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well.”

Chastisement is an act of love, to save our Children's soul from hell

Proverbs 23:12-14 "Apply thine heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge. 13Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die. 14Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell."

Rod of correction is the Word of God

Psalm 23:4 "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me."

2 Tim 3:15 "And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus."

Heb 4:12 "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."

Rom 10:17 "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."

2 Tim 3:16 "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:"

Thou Shalt Love thy Neighbour as Thyself

noreply@blogger.com (Words Of Life) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 06:56:00 +0000

The second greatest commandment is to love our neighbor

Mark 12:30-31 “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these”

1 John 4:20-21 “ If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? 21And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also."

Loving our neighbor is fulfilling the law

Rom 13:8-10 "Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. 9For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 10Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law."

Mark 12:33: "And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices."

Love is not just emotion but action

1 John 3:16-18 "Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? 18My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth."

Parable of how to love our neighbor

Luke 10:29-37 "... And who is my neighbour? 30And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. 33But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, 34And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. 36Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? 37And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise."

Loving neighbor is meeting their greater Spiritual need in addtion to meeting their worldy needs, escape from eternal damnation, by ministering Gospel. Nakedness, bound, wounded, spiritually represent the sinful condition of man and oil represents the Holy Spirit and wine represents the Word of God

Gen 3:8-10 “… and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.”

Isa 1:6a “From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment.”

Luke 4:18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised…”

Feed the sheep.When we receive the agapao love (unconditional love of God) we share the Gospel with our neighbours that they too might receive the unconditional love of God . This is the ministry of reconciliation. This is Phileo love (brotherly love)

John 21:15-17 “So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest [agapao] thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love [phileo] thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest [agapao] thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love [phileo] thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest [phileo] thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest [phileo] thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love [phileo] thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.”

Ye Did It Not To One Of The Least Of These, Ye Did It Not To Me

noreply@blogger.com (Words Of Life) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 06:55:00 +0000

Matt 25:42-45 "For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: 43I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. 44Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? 45Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me."

Is this verse talking about not meeting worldly needs of our neighbors or not meeting their greater spiritual need?

Let us examine the verse 32.

Matt 25:32 "And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:"

The separation between Sheep and Goats is not made based on our good works (charity work) but on the Salvation. The Sheep are the ones who found Grace in the eyes of God. Great philanthropists can be in the list of goats too, and this allegation is against them too.

Matt 25:41 "Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:"

So how do we understand this verse?

With this in mind, let us examine this by comparing scripture with scripture.

Hunger and Thirst

Matt 5:6 "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled."

John 6:35 "And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst."

John 4:14 "But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life."

"bread of life" and "living water" represent the Word of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, Word in flesh.

Stranger

Eph 2:12-13 "That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: 13But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ."

we all are "by nature the children of wrath" (Eph 2:3) and aliens and strangers to the Kingdom of God until He "translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son" (col 1:13).

Naked

2 Cor 5:1-3 "For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle [corruptible bodies] were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven [glorious spiritual bodies]: 3If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked."

Isa 61:10 "I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness , as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels."

We are all naked before God because of our sin until God clothes us with "Christ's robe of righteousness". God clothing Adam and Eve with animal skin typifies the covering God is providing through his son Jesus "to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him" (2 Cor 5:21)

Sick

Isa 1:4-6 "Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward. 5Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. 6From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment."

Mark 2:17 "When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."

We are all infected with sin which brings us eternal death unless God heals us by giving Salvation. Jesus Christ is our Great Physician.

Prison

John 8:32-34 "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. 33They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? 34Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin."

Isa 42:6-7 "I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; 7To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house."

We are all are in the bondage of sin and servants (slaves) to sin. Our Savior gave the Gospel of Grace to us and redeemed us by his precious blood. we are commanded to go into all the world and "to testify the gospel of the grace of God." (Acts 20:24)

Luke 4:18-19 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me [Jesus Christ], because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 9To preach the acceptable year of the Lord." Isa 61:1

We have to share Gospel with our neighbors to meet their greater spiritual need, escape from the eternal damnation. God has commissioned Paul and all believers to share Gospel.

Acts 26:18 "To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me."

Does it mean that we ignore our neighbors physical needs? meeting our neighbors physical needs is a good work that results from or the evidence of Salvation.If we do not show our love for a brother in physical need, then there is no love in us, in other words we are not truly born-again.

1 John 3:17 "But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?"

James 2:26 "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also."

Now with all the above in mind, we can interpret the above verse as follows:

Matthew 25:42-45 "For I was an hungred [for bread of life] , and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty [for living water] , and ye gave me no drink: 43I was a stranger [alien to the kingdom of God] , and ye took me not in: naked [in need of Robe of Righteousness], and ye clothed me not: sick [sin sick] , and in prison [bondage of Satan] , and ye visited me not. 44Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? 45Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me."

A Man's Foes Shall Be They Of His Own Household

noreply@blogger.com (Words Of Life) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 06:52:00 +0000

God's Word brings divisions in the unequally yoked families and a man's enemies shall be they of his own household.

Matt 10:34-38 "Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. 35For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. 36And a man's foes shall be they of his own household. 37He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me."

Matt 10:21-22 "And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death. 22And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved."

1 John 3;13,15 "Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you. 15Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him."

because we are not of the World, but God has chosen us out of the World, therefore the World hates us

Matt 24:9 "Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake."

John 15:18-20 "If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. 19If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. 20Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also."

John 16:2-3 "They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. 3And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me."

if we suffer for Righteousness' sake, happy are we. Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad

1 Pet 3:14-15 "But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled; 15But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:"

1 Pet 4:14-16 "But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. 15But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters. 16Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf."

Matt 5:11-12 "Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 12Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven [reward is eternal life]: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you."

we follow after our Master who set us an example

Matt 10:24-25 "The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord. 25It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?"

John 16:33 "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."

in nothing terrified by our adversaries. Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul.

Phil 1:28-29 "And in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God. 29For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;"

Matt 10:26-28 "26Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known. 27What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops. 28And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him [God] which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."

with all boldness we ought to speak the word of God

Acts 4:29 "And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word,"

John 9:18-25,30-34 " But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind, and received his sight, until they called the parents of him that had received his sight. 19And they asked them, saying, Is this your son, who ye say was born blind? how then doth he now see? 20His parents answered them and said, We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind: 21But by what means he now seeth, we know not; or who hath opened his eyes, we know not: he is of age; ask him: he shall speak for himself. 22These words spake his parents, because they feared the Jews: for the Jews had agreed already, that if any man did confess that he was Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue. 24Then again called they the man that was blind, and said unto him, Give God the praise: we know that this man is a sinner. 25He answered and said, Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see. 30The man answered and said unto them, Why herein is a marvellous thing, that ye know not from whence he is, and yet he hath opened mine eyes. 31Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth. 32Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind. 33If this man were not of God, he could do nothing. 34They answered and said unto him, Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out."

Acts 8:1-5 "And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles. 2And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him. 3As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison. 4Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word. 5Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them."

Acts 28:30-31 " And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him, 31Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him."

If God be for us, who can be against us? we are more than conquerors through him that loved us

2 Cor 7:4-6 "Great is my boldness of speech toward you, great is my glorying of you: I am filled with comfort, I am exceeding joyful in all our tribulation. 5For, when we were come into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we were troubled on every side; without were fightings, within were fears. 6Nevertheless God, that comforteth those that are cast down, comforted us by the coming of Titus;"

Phil 1:19-21 "For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, 20According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death. 21For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain."

Rom 8:31-39 "What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? 32He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? 33Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. 34Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. 35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or swrd? 36As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Woe is unto me, if I Preach not the Gospel!

noreply@blogger.com (Words Of Life) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 06:51:00 +0000

Woe is Unto Me [I am damned], If I Preach Not the Gospel! Sharing Gospel is not Optional, it is a Commandment. If I am Reconciled to God, I am given the Ministry of Reconciliation. It is a Necessity laid upon me. We Faithfully Water and Plant and Leave the Result to God.

Mark 16:15 “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”

Isa 6:8 “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.”

1 Cor 9:16 “For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!”

Luke 4:18 (quoting Isa 61:1) “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me [Jesus], because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised.”

2 Cor 5:18-19 "And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; 19To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation."

1 Cor 3:6-7 "I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. 7So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase."

2 Cor 4:3-4 “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”

Witness of the Power of God. The Gospel of Christ is the power of God unto salvation.

Heb 4:12 "For the word of God is quick [alive], and powerful [dunamis in Greek, dynamite], and sharper than any twoedged sword [can cut to Salvation or can cut to Judgement], piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."

Jer 23:29 "Is not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?"

Isa 55:11 "So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it"

Rom 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”

1 Cor 1:17-25 “For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.”

Witness of Sin, Righteousness, and Judgment. Sharing Gospel should include all these three elements.

Acts 20:24 “But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.”

Acts 26:22-28 "Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come: 23That Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the people, and to the Gentiles. 24And as he thus spake for himself, Festus said with a loud voice, Paul, thou art beside thyself; much learning doth make thee mad. 25But he said, I am not mad, most noble Festus; but speak forth the words of truth and soberness. 26For the king knoweth of these things, before whom also I speak freely: for I am persuaded that none of these things are hidden from him; for this thing was not done in a corner. 27King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets? I know that thou believest. 28Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian."

John 16:8-11 “And when he [Holy Spirit] is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment. 9Of sin, because they believe not on me; 10Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; 11Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.”

Acts 24:25 "And as he [Paul] reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee."

Sin - Inheritted from First Adam.

Rom 5:14 "Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come."

Isa 1:5-6 "Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: [picture of our sin sickness] the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. 6From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment."

Heb 9:22 "And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission."

Jam 2:10 "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all."

Righteousness - the Righteousness which is of God by Faith

Gen 22:8 “And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.”

Luke 2:10-11 "And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord."

2 Cor 5:21 “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”

Phil 3:9 "And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:"

Judgement - Eternal Damnation.

Psa 9:17 “The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.”

Mat 23: 33 “Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?”

2 Cor 5:10-11 "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. 11Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences."

Heb 2:3 "How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;"

How Beautiful are the Feet of them that Preach the Gospel of Peace

noreply@blogger.com (Words Of Life) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 06:49:00 +0000

How Beautiful are the Feet of them that Preach the Gospel of Peace, the Peace between God and Man through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. We are Peace Makers, in the Sense we Bring this Gospel of Peace to the Lost World.

Isa 52:6-9 "Therefore my people shall know my name: therefore they shall know in that day that I am he that doth speak: behold, it is I. 7How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! 8Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the LORD shall bring again Zion. 9Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem: for the LORD hath comforted his people [elect of God], he hath redeemed Jerusalem [new Jerusalem consisting of all born again believers]."

Rom 10:14-15 "How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? 15And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!"

Eph 2:13-16 "But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. 14For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; 15Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; 16And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:"

Rom 5:1,9-10: "1Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 9Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. 10For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life."

Isa 9:6 "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."

Matt 5:9 "Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God."

We are Ambassadors for Christ for the Ministry of Reconciliation, if we are Reconciled to God [saved].

Mark 16:15 "And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature."

2 Cor 5:18-20 "And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; 19To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. 20Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God."

Many are Called but Few are Chosen [saved] and these Few are the Faithful Laborers for the Harvest of Great Multitude of People that are being Saved during this Great Tribulation.Though great in Multitude, still Remnant Compared to the World Population through out the Earth History.

John 6:65-66 "And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father. 66From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him."

Matt 20:1-16 "For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard. 2And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 4And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way. 5Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise. 6And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle? 7They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive. 8So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first. 9And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny. 10But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny. 11And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house, 12Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day. 13But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny? 14Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee. 15Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good? 16So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen."

Matt 9:36-38 "But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. 37Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; 38Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest."

Luke 10:1-2 "After these things the LORD appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come. 2Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest."

Rev 7:9,13-14 "After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes [robe of Christ's Righteousness], and palms in their hands; 13And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? 14And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb."

Rev 1:5 "And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,"

Few are chosen, so that God gets all the Glory He Rightly Deserves.

Judges 7:2-6 "And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me. 3Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand. 4And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there: and it shall be, that of whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, This shall not go with thee, the same shall not go. 5So he brought down the people unto the water: and the LORD said unto Gideon, Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink. 6And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water."

Eph 1:3-7 "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 4According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 5Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. 7In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;"

We are Unprofitable Servants doing which is our Duty to do

noreply@blogger.com (Words Of Life) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 06:48:00 +0000

Our Savior Jesus Christ is our Door/Gate and we are Doorkeepers in the House of God.

John 10:9 "I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture."

Acts 4:12 "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."

Acts 14:27 "And when they were come, and had gathered the church together, they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles."

Matt 7:13-14 "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it."

Psa 84:10 "For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness."

We are Given the Keys to Heaven, in the Sense, We are used of God in Proclaiming the Gospel which has the Power to Bind Satan and Lose the Elect of God who are Bound by Satan.

Matthew 16:18-19 "And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter [representing all elect of God], and upon this rock [Rock is Christ] I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it [against the eternal invisible Church of God built with living stones of all born again believers]. 19And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth [bind Satan] shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth [lose the Elect of God] shall be loosed in heaven."

Matt 18:18 "[Jesus addressing his Disciples who represent all of the Elect of God] Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."

Isa 61:1 "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me [Lord Jesus Christ] ; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;"

Acts 26:16-18 "[God addressing Paul who represent all of the Elect of God] But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee; 17Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, 18To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me."

Isa 58:6 "Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?"

Our Savior Jesus Christ is our Master and we are Unprofitable Servants doing which is our Duty to do.

Luke 22:24-30 "And there was also a strife among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest. 25And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors. 26But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve. 27For whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? is not he that sitteth at meat? but I am among you as he that serveth. 28Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations. 29And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me; 30That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel."

John 13:12-17 "So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you? 13Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. 14If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet. 15For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. 16Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. 17If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them."

Matt 23:12 "And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted."

Luke 17:7-10 "But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat? 8And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink? 9Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I trow not. 10So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do."

Rom 12:1 "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service"

Our Savior Jesus Christ is our Good Shepherd who gave his Life for His Sheep. We are made Shepherds and we Ought to Lay Down our Lives for the Brethren and Occupy Ourselves with Feeding the Sheep.

Luke 19:12-13,16-26 "He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. 13And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come. 16Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds. 17And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities. 18And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds. 19And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities. 20And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin: 21For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow. 22And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow: 23Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury? 24And he said unto them that stood by, Take from him the pound, and give it to him that hath ten pounds. 25(And they said unto him, Lord, he hath ten pounds.) 26For I say unto you, That unto every one which hath shall be given; and from him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away from him."

John 21:15-17 “So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest [agapao] thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love [phileo] thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest [agapao] thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love [phileo] thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest [phileo] thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest [phileo] thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love [phileo] thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.”

Take Heed, Feed the Flock, Plow in Hope and Watch for the Bridegroom

Acts 20:28 "Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood."

1 Pet 5:2 "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;"

1 Cor 9:9-11 "For it is written in the law of Moses, thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen? 10Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope. 11If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things?"

Luke 12:35-38 "Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning; 36And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately. 37Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them. 38And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants."

Matt 25:10 "And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut."

Luke 13:24-27 "Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. 25When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are: 26Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. 27But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity."