The book of Philippians expands on the message found in earlier posts. In part, the scriptures reveal the 'who, being in the form of God thought it not robbery to be equal with God.' But He made Himself of no reputation and took upon Himself the form of a servant. In so doing, He was made in the likeness of men and being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death even the death of the cross.
Wherefore, God has highly exalted Him and given Him a name. It is this name that the scriptures state is above every other name. It is upon hearing the name of JESUS that the scriptures state that every knee should bow. Indeed, every tongue should confess that JESUS the Christ IS LORD -- to the glory of God forever.
God is also, according to the scriptures, ONE SPIRIT. God upon counselling with Himself determined that He was going to show Himself in form. And not only was He going to shown Himself in form spiritually but He was also become an earthly image of His spiritual form. In creation, God will display His spiritual power and majesty.
So God, who is one Spirit steps out in form. Not created but rather Himself in spiritual form. The very same God. No greater and no lesser the same one God (never seen afore) reveals Himself to mankind. The unseen is now seen. God in form coming forth from His spiritual innermost being. Not another person but the innermost being of God coming forth. God in form. Not another person as is propagated by so many church fathers.
When God created man, the image created was an earthly created image of the spiritual form of God. God breathing into man so that man now becomes a living soul. But as we know from Genesis, the first book of the Bible, Adam disobeys God's instructions. As a consequence, Adam’s disobedience results in Adam’s expulsion from the Garden. God had said that the soul that sins shall surely die. This explains why death now encompasses Adam and his seed.
In reality, there was no escaping the sentence of death pronounced. Everyone has, at one time or another, an appointment with death. Still, God said to Adam, "What have you done?" The plan of God for His creation appears to have been stymied.
But the Love of God toward His creation is far greater than our tongue or penmanship can grasp, or for that matter ever tell. FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD!
For God so loved you and I!
Stand in the offering plate.
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness
Saturday, October 12, 2019
O Come, Let Us Come Before His Presence With Thanksgiving - Part 2425
"O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto Him with psalms.
For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In His hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is His also. The sea is His, and He made it: and His hands formed the dry land.
O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. For He is our God; and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand. To day if ye will hear His voice, harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness: when your fathers tempted Me, proved Me, and saw My work. Forty years long was I grieved with this generation,
and said, "It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known My ways: unto whom I sware in My wrath that they should not enter into My rest." (Psalm 95:1-11)
Happy Thanksgiving to one and all. Stand in the offering plate.
For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In His hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is His also. The sea is His, and He made it: and His hands formed the dry land.
O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. For He is our God; and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand. To day if ye will hear His voice, harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness: when your fathers tempted Me, proved Me, and saw My work. Forty years long was I grieved with this generation,
and said, "It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known My ways: unto whom I sware in My wrath that they should not enter into My rest." (Psalm 95:1-11)
But from the very beginning, the Lord God had a plan of salvation worked out so that we could enter His rest -- that is, we could come and sing unto Him, making a joyful noise to the Rock of our salvation. It is for this reason that we who believe come before His presence with thanksgiving and make a joyful noise unto Him with psalms.
For our God is not only a Great God and a Great King above all gods but He loved His creation so much that He willingly laid down His life for His people ... so that we could find rest in His goodness and grace and mercy.
Ask Jesus to be Lord and King of your life today. Be water baptized in His precious, holy Name -- the Name of the Lord Jesus -- who is above all things.
Happy Thanksgiving to one and all. Stand in the offering plate.
Ask The Saviour To Comfort You And To Release You From The Bondage And Captivity Of Sin - Part 2424
The Lord will not suffer His Holy One to see corruption!
Adam’s disobedience seemingly delayed the ultimate plan of God for man's destiny. However, that would possibly be man's reasoning. But in actuality, it separated the wheat from the tares, for being tempted and tried as a result of our prone to sin fallen nature, we are now at least capable of making choices.
We attend schools that are supposed to equip us with tools that allow us to function effectively in society. Unfortunately, some of us fall through the cracks and launch out into life acquiring our education through the “school of hard knocks." Often, from this latter school we never really graduate but we do earn a down to earth education.
The second school is the “School of Kneeology.” You ask what kind of school is that? Please listen carefully. Before you dig the hole you are in deeper,(resulting from an uphill- downhill- roller coaster ride) I have good news to share.
You are sons and daughters or the Most High King ... of Almighty God. Yes, maybe even a messed up son of God but you are a son or daughter of God nevertheless. In desperation, tears falling like a river, call upon the name of JESUS. Just call on the God who loves you beyond measure and let Him deliver you from your bondage and heavy burdens! That is the school of kneeology - a place where anyone who attends can graduate with first class honours.
Indeed, God loves His creation. So much does God love us that He alone took our debt of sin upon Himself that we the captors of sin, sickness, and disillusionment could obtain salvation. You are the works of His hands and within you is His breath. Use that breath now to ask God into your life as your Saviour! Wrap your breath around your tongue and ask the Lord Jesus to save you.
Ask the Saviour to help you and comfort, strengthen and keep you. Yes, He is willing to save you. He will carry you through. For when we repent and are water baptized in the precious, holy Name of the Lord Jesus (the answer of a good conscience toward God) we can be assured that nothing -- absolutely nothing shall separate us from the Love of God!
His promise to us when we are faithful in rejoicing in Him. Praise our Lord God and Saviour Jesus the Christ today -- in your heart, in your very being, from morning to night, and forever more.
Stand in the offering plate.
Adam’s disobedience seemingly delayed the ultimate plan of God for man's destiny. However, that would possibly be man's reasoning. But in actuality, it separated the wheat from the tares, for being tempted and tried as a result of our prone to sin fallen nature, we are now at least capable of making choices.
We attend schools that are supposed to equip us with tools that allow us to function effectively in society. Unfortunately, some of us fall through the cracks and launch out into life acquiring our education through the “school of hard knocks." Often, from this latter school we never really graduate but we do earn a down to earth education.
The second school is the “School of Kneeology.” You ask what kind of school is that? Please listen carefully. Before you dig the hole you are in deeper,(resulting from an uphill- downhill- roller coaster ride) I have good news to share.
You are sons and daughters or the Most High King ... of Almighty God. Yes, maybe even a messed up son of God but you are a son or daughter of God nevertheless. In desperation, tears falling like a river, call upon the name of JESUS. Just call on the God who loves you beyond measure and let Him deliver you from your bondage and heavy burdens! That is the school of kneeology - a place where anyone who attends can graduate with first class honours.
Indeed, God loves His creation. So much does God love us that He alone took our debt of sin upon Himself that we the captors of sin, sickness, and disillusionment could obtain salvation. You are the works of His hands and within you is His breath. Use that breath now to ask God into your life as your Saviour! Wrap your breath around your tongue and ask the Lord Jesus to save you.
Ask the Saviour to help you and comfort, strengthen and keep you. Yes, He is willing to save you. He will carry you through. For when we repent and are water baptized in the precious, holy Name of the Lord Jesus (the answer of a good conscience toward God) we can be assured that nothing -- absolutely nothing shall separate us from the Love of God!
His promise to us when we are faithful in rejoicing in Him. Praise our Lord God and Saviour Jesus the Christ today -- in your heart, in your very being, from morning to night, and forever more.
Stand in the offering plate.
Praise Ye The Lord, From The Rising Of The Sun Unto The Going Down Of The Same; The Lord's Name To Be Praised - Part 2423
Praise ye the Lord.
Praise, O ye servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord. Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and for evermore. From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the Lord’s name is to be praised.
The Lord is high above all nations, and His glory above the heavens. Who is like unto the Lord our God, who dwells on high, who humbles Himself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth!
He raises up the poor out of the dust, and lifts the needy out of the dunghill; that He may set him with princes, even with the princes of His people. He makes the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children.
Praise ye the Lord.
From Psalms 113 -- for your learning and edification. Stand in the offering plate.
Praise, O ye servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord. Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and for evermore. From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the Lord’s name is to be praised.
The Lord is high above all nations, and His glory above the heavens. Who is like unto the Lord our God, who dwells on high, who humbles Himself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth!
He raises up the poor out of the dust, and lifts the needy out of the dunghill; that He may set him with princes, even with the princes of His people. He makes the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children.
Praise ye the Lord.
From Psalms 113 -- for your learning and edification. Stand in the offering plate.
Now Faith Is The Substance Of Things Hoped For; The Evidence Of Things Not Seen - Part 2422
Jesus is God in visible form. Indeed, from the beginning, when the world and man was first created, God knew then that salvation meant showing Himself in human form. A visible form so that we could see that God Himself loved us so much that He would die for us. As a consequence, you now have God’s own personal spirit and word.
To understand the depth of God's love further, let us view this same God who has made all things. It was not another person or triune figure in a godhead. It was the unseen God who loved us so much now being seen. When God made all things for Himself and by Himself, it was because He loved us. He still loves us. This visible form of God that has no beginning of days nor end of life took on a human form for us.
Yes, everything is of God whether it is seen or unseen. In fact, all things are made by God. And, as a result of His counsel, the counsel that determined He was going to create a universe, led to all things contained in the universe being an expression of Himself (God in created form). The earth showing His handiwork while the heavens displayed His Glory for all to enjoy. It is no wonder that we say, this is the best life we have ever lived and this is the best place I have ever been. It's because the Almighty God who loves us so much wanted it that way.
One cannot hide from the Lord. Some will try to hide. However, they are fighting a losing battle. At the end of life's road, there is God. In the scriptures, Jesus as a man, is typified as a Lamb slain before the foundation of the earth. God knows the ending from the beginning. He also foreknew that He Himself would go to all extremes to enable us to become a temple and a habitation. A temple that God is going to furnish according to His predetermined counsel. And once we have accepted God's grace, then He, our God is going to move in, at which time we will see that Jesus as a man was the cornerstone of the establishment of this temple.
The fullness of the measure of the stature of Christ, who is the form of God. Think about this for a moment. The fullness of God in Christ. So God's promised/counselled Word veiled Himself in flesh and fashioned Himself as a man. Therefore let this humble mind and attitude be in us which was in Christ Jesus, who though His divine nature was from the beginning God.
Jesus in the flesh thought it not robbery to be equal with God. He emptied Him of reputation and stripped Himself of glory. Indeed, He took upon Himself the nature of a slave /servant. He was born in human guise in the likeness of men. He finally humiliated Himself in obedience so as to die, even going so far as to die a criminal’s death. That is, the death of the cross. God manifest in the flesh.
The record does not say that He was representative of God, neither does the record say that He is a god. What the record does declare is that ALL the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily in Jesus. The scriptures also declare that it pleased the Holy Ghost, His Father that in Him should all the fullness of the Godhead dwell. God is Spirit ... the only begotten son who is in His bosom has manifestly declared Him.
Remember the scriptue, "And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh." Who appeared in the flesh? According to the scriptures, He (God) was made visible in human form. He was revealed in our nature and showed Himself as a human being. He was justified in the Spirit and declared / pronounced righteous. Furthermore, He was proved spotless and pure in His Spirit, seen of angels and made visible unto messengers. He preached to the Gentiles, to whom the good news was given among the nations.
Most of all, He was believed on in the world. He was trusted throughout the world and then received up into glory. He is now glorified in the Heavens. Here is a simple example. If you take a drop of water from the ocean, that drop of water would contain all the elements that were in all the ocean. By using the same analogy, the scriptures deliver the message in this fashion. If you have seen me, you have seen the Father. There isn't another God. Rather, I am God manifest in the flesh as a son.
Stand in the offering plate. Give yourself willingly to the one who loved you and sacrificed Himself for you. He has done it all just for you. Come to the Lord Jesus. Be baptised into the watery grave with Jesus and rise out of the water a new creation. New and justified and fellowshipping with the same God who created you. Be filled with His holy spirit and go on your way rejoicing. God in Christ bless you!
To understand the depth of God's love further, let us view this same God who has made all things. It was not another person or triune figure in a godhead. It was the unseen God who loved us so much now being seen. When God made all things for Himself and by Himself, it was because He loved us. He still loves us. This visible form of God that has no beginning of days nor end of life took on a human form for us.
Yes, everything is of God whether it is seen or unseen. In fact, all things are made by God. And, as a result of His counsel, the counsel that determined He was going to create a universe, led to all things contained in the universe being an expression of Himself (God in created form). The earth showing His handiwork while the heavens displayed His Glory for all to enjoy. It is no wonder that we say, this is the best life we have ever lived and this is the best place I have ever been. It's because the Almighty God who loves us so much wanted it that way.
One cannot hide from the Lord. Some will try to hide. However, they are fighting a losing battle. At the end of life's road, there is God. In the scriptures, Jesus as a man, is typified as a Lamb slain before the foundation of the earth. God knows the ending from the beginning. He also foreknew that He Himself would go to all extremes to enable us to become a temple and a habitation. A temple that God is going to furnish according to His predetermined counsel. And once we have accepted God's grace, then He, our God is going to move in, at which time we will see that Jesus as a man was the cornerstone of the establishment of this temple.
The fullness of the measure of the stature of Christ, who is the form of God. Think about this for a moment. The fullness of God in Christ. So God's promised/counselled Word veiled Himself in flesh and fashioned Himself as a man. Therefore let this humble mind and attitude be in us which was in Christ Jesus, who though His divine nature was from the beginning God.
Jesus in the flesh thought it not robbery to be equal with God. He emptied Him of reputation and stripped Himself of glory. Indeed, He took upon Himself the nature of a slave /servant. He was born in human guise in the likeness of men. He finally humiliated Himself in obedience so as to die, even going so far as to die a criminal’s death. That is, the death of the cross. God manifest in the flesh.
The record does not say that He was representative of God, neither does the record say that He is a god. What the record does declare is that ALL the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily in Jesus. The scriptures also declare that it pleased the Holy Ghost, His Father that in Him should all the fullness of the Godhead dwell. God is Spirit ... the only begotten son who is in His bosom has manifestly declared Him.
Remember the scriptue, "And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh." Who appeared in the flesh? According to the scriptures, He (God) was made visible in human form. He was revealed in our nature and showed Himself as a human being. He was justified in the Spirit and declared / pronounced righteous. Furthermore, He was proved spotless and pure in His Spirit, seen of angels and made visible unto messengers. He preached to the Gentiles, to whom the good news was given among the nations.
Most of all, He was believed on in the world. He was trusted throughout the world and then received up into glory. He is now glorified in the Heavens. Here is a simple example. If you take a drop of water from the ocean, that drop of water would contain all the elements that were in all the ocean. By using the same analogy, the scriptures deliver the message in this fashion. If you have seen me, you have seen the Father. There isn't another God. Rather, I am God manifest in the flesh as a son.
Stand in the offering plate. Give yourself willingly to the one who loved you and sacrificed Himself for you. He has done it all just for you. Come to the Lord Jesus. Be baptised into the watery grave with Jesus and rise out of the water a new creation. New and justified and fellowshipping with the same God who created you. Be filled with His holy spirit and go on your way rejoicing. God in Christ bless you!
And The Name Of The Lord Jesus Was Magnified! And Many That Came Believed, And Confessed; So Mightily Grew The Word Of God - Part 2421
"And certain of the chief of Asia, which were his friends, sent unto him, desiring [him] that he would not adventure himself into the theatre. Some therefore cried one thing, and some another: for the assembly was confused; and the more part knew not wherefore they were come together. And they drew Alexander out of the multitude, the Jews putting him forward. And Alexander beckoned with the hand, and would have made his defence unto the people. But when they knew that he was a Jew, all with one voice about the space of two hours cried out, "Great is Diana of the Ephesians."
And when the town clerk had appeased the people, he said, "Ye men of Ephesus, what man is there that knows not how that the city of the Ephesians is a worshipper of the great goddess Diana, and of the image which fell down from Jupiter? Seeing then that these things cannot be spoken against, ye ought to be quiet, and to do nothing rashly. For ye have brought hither these men, which are neither robbers of churches, nor yet blasphemers of your goddess. Wherefore if Demetrius, and the craftsmen which are with him, have a matter against any man, the law is open, and there are deputies: let them implead one another. But if ye enquire any thing concerning other matters, it shall be determined in a lawful assembly. For we are in danger to be called in question for this day’s uproar, there being no cause whereby we may give an account of this concourse."
And when he had thus spoken, he dismissed the assembly. (Acts 19:30-41)
Prior to this scriptural account, we see a number of events happening.
Then said Paul, "John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on Him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus." When they heard [this], they were baptized in the Name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid [his] hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied. And all the men were about twelve.
As a consequence, God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul: so that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them.
Third, we see certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, take upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the Name of the Lord Jesus, saying, "We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches." And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, [and] chief of the priests, which did so. And the evil spirit answered and said, "Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?"
And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. And this was known to all the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the Name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.
Indeed, many that came believed, and confessed, and shewed their deeds. As well, many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all [men]: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver. So mightily grew the Word of God and prevailed.
Imagine, the believing community burned their curious arts and books and when they counted the price of them, they found it fifty thousand pieces of silver. The result? So mightily grew the Word of God and prevailed.
Fourth, we see that after these things were ended, Paul purposed in the Spirit, when he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, "After I have been there, I must also see Rome." So he sent into Macedonia two of them that ministered unto him, Timotheus and Erastus; but he himself stayed in Asia for a season.
And the same time, there arose no small stir about that way. For a certain [man] named Demetrius, a silversmith, which made silver shrines for Diana, brought no small gain unto the craftsmen; whom he called together with the workmen of like occupation, and said, "Sirs, ye know that by this craft we have our wealth. Moreover ye see and hear, that not alone at Ephesus, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul hath persuaded and turned away much people, saying that they be no gods, which are made with hands: so that not only this our craft is in danger to be set at nought; but also that the temple of the great goddess Diana should be despised, and her magnificence should be destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worships."
And when they heard [these] sayings, they were full of wrath, and cried out, saying, "Great is Diana of the Ephesians." And the whole city was filled with confusion: and having caught Gaius and Aristarchus, men of Macedonia, Paul’s companions in travel, they rushed with one accord into the theatre.And when Paul would have entered in unto the people, the disciples suffered him not.
It is at this point wherein we see the assembly in confusion. Here is Paul preaching in the Name of the Lord Jesus. Conversely, those who made money from making silver shrines for what they perceived to be the great goddess Dianna were suddenly losing business. In fact, so much so, that they wanted Paul stopped. Nevertheless, as we know, Jesus is both Lord and Christ, the King of kings and Lord of lords and He never takes second place for all power and authority are His. (Matthew 28:18; Revelation 1:8)
Our takeaway? To magnify the Name of the Lord Jesus. To be water baptized by immersion in the precious, holy Name of the Lord Jesus. To understand that no other religious god that the world worships can supersede worshipping the Lord our God -- His Name JESUS -- in this current dispensation of grace.
For He is the only God who loved His people enough to shed His precious holy blood on a cross so that we might have everlasting life in Him.
Stand in the offering plate.
Monday, October 7, 2019
Jesus, The Everlasting Beacon Of Light And Hope And Peace - Part 2420
JESUS said that if He were to be lifted up (crucified) He would draw all men and women to Himself! There are choruses such as the one that follows that further elaborates on this point.
When I survey the wondrous cross on which the Prince of glory died
My richest gain I count but loss and pour contempt on all my pride
Forbid it, Lord that I should boast. Save in the death of Christ my God!
All the vain things that charm me most. I sacrifice them to His blood
See from His head, His hands, His feet. Sorrow and love flow mingled down!
Did e'r such love and sorrow meet or thorns compose so rich a crown?
Were the whole realm of nature mine that were an offering far to small
Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all!
Just as the chorus suggests, the redemption of all mankind is not dependant upon fallen man’s capability to redeem him or herself, although in their respective sin prone mind they might think they can. But man’s life is likened in the scriptures to a boat without a rudder. Adrift in an ocean, and totally at the mercy of tides and wind -- which of themselves can be merciless! Maintaining a stiff upper lip, while noteworthy is in such cases similar to burying one's head in sand. The reality is that apart from the intervention of another, all things will inadvertently remain constant. But this is where the good news begins.
With God’s intervention there is hope eternal. How doe we know? Even the winds and the sea obey His voice! The question is this. How can one believe in God if they have not heard of God? And even supposed they were to believe that there was a God, how would that change their personal circumstances, for even the devil believes that there is one God.
Further, religion talks about God as if religious institutions were beacons of light. As we all see, religions erect buildings and some of them fill these buildings with their vain imaginations. This is what the scriptures say. They fill their buildings with images and relics, dead lifeless things that are totally useless! Indeed, they are as useless as a straw is to a drowning person who in desperation grabs at the straw. God has said, "Heaven is my throne and earth my footstool and you are building a house for me. Are you yet without understanding?" God does not live in buildings made with man’s hands.
Rather, God who is one Spirit has revealed His pure spiritual humanity in the face of the man JESUS. This same Jesus who is the Lord Himself declared that all of these efforts to build buildings and religious institutions are nothing more than sinking sand. When JESUS speaks, it is His holy Spirit message being spoken through the vocal cords of the man JESUS. How do we know? Well, JESUS equals God’s Word. These are not the Words of another.
The Holy Ghost declares that men are worshiping Him in vain! They are deceivers, asserting that they know Jesus but they do not. Men who have discarded His Word, substituting their own version of erroneous false teachings in its place. Indeed, many practice a form of worship patterned after man’s wisdom -- which wisdom in God’s eyes is foolishness! In this same context, many of the same foolish pagan religions that date back to 300/400 AD can be likened to the Roman soldiers at the cross dividing JESUS' garment amongst themselves. Still, the Word of the LORD went forth from Jerusalem. Keep that thought! And receive God's Word today!
Stand in the offering plate.
When I survey the wondrous cross on which the Prince of glory died
My richest gain I count but loss and pour contempt on all my pride
Forbid it, Lord that I should boast. Save in the death of Christ my God!
All the vain things that charm me most. I sacrifice them to His blood
See from His head, His hands, His feet. Sorrow and love flow mingled down!
Did e'r such love and sorrow meet or thorns compose so rich a crown?
Were the whole realm of nature mine that were an offering far to small
Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all!
Just as the chorus suggests, the redemption of all mankind is not dependant upon fallen man’s capability to redeem him or herself, although in their respective sin prone mind they might think they can. But man’s life is likened in the scriptures to a boat without a rudder. Adrift in an ocean, and totally at the mercy of tides and wind -- which of themselves can be merciless! Maintaining a stiff upper lip, while noteworthy is in such cases similar to burying one's head in sand. The reality is that apart from the intervention of another, all things will inadvertently remain constant. But this is where the good news begins.
With God’s intervention there is hope eternal. How doe we know? Even the winds and the sea obey His voice! The question is this. How can one believe in God if they have not heard of God? And even supposed they were to believe that there was a God, how would that change their personal circumstances, for even the devil believes that there is one God.
Further, religion talks about God as if religious institutions were beacons of light. As we all see, religions erect buildings and some of them fill these buildings with their vain imaginations. This is what the scriptures say. They fill their buildings with images and relics, dead lifeless things that are totally useless! Indeed, they are as useless as a straw is to a drowning person who in desperation grabs at the straw. God has said, "Heaven is my throne and earth my footstool and you are building a house for me. Are you yet without understanding?" God does not live in buildings made with man’s hands.
Rather, God who is one Spirit has revealed His pure spiritual humanity in the face of the man JESUS. This same Jesus who is the Lord Himself declared that all of these efforts to build buildings and religious institutions are nothing more than sinking sand. When JESUS speaks, it is His holy Spirit message being spoken through the vocal cords of the man JESUS. How do we know? Well, JESUS equals God’s Word. These are not the Words of another.
The Holy Ghost declares that men are worshiping Him in vain! They are deceivers, asserting that they know Jesus but they do not. Men who have discarded His Word, substituting their own version of erroneous false teachings in its place. Indeed, many practice a form of worship patterned after man’s wisdom -- which wisdom in God’s eyes is foolishness! In this same context, many of the same foolish pagan religions that date back to 300/400 AD can be likened to the Roman soldiers at the cross dividing JESUS' garment amongst themselves. Still, the Word of the LORD went forth from Jerusalem. Keep that thought! And receive God's Word today!
Stand in the offering plate.
(Written by William (Bill) McKendrick)
When His Glory Shall Be Revealed, When He Is Glorified, Have Fervent Charity Among Yourselves, For We Shall Be Known By His Love - Part 2419
"O God, Thou art my God; early will I seek Thee: my soul thirsts for Thee, my flesh longs for Thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; to see Thy power and Thy glory, so as I have seen Thee in the sanctuary. Because Thy loving kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise Thee." (Psalm 63:1-3)
Indeed, Jesus said, "Little children, yet a little while I AM with you. Ye shall seek Me: and as I said unto the Jews, "Whither I go, ye cannot come" ... so now I say to you. "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another." By this shall all [men] know that ye are My disciples, if ye have love one to another." (John 13:33-35)
"But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins. Use hospitality one to another without grudging. As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God gives: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: 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 rests upon you: on their part He is evil spoken of, but on your part He is glorified.
So, how should His loving kindness ... which the psalmist David describes as better than life ... flow through us, so that those around us will come to the same understanding? Jesus told His disciples that they would know us by our love! Our love for our Lord God and Saviour, Jesus the Christ, and our love for one another.
We see this same charity expressed in I Peter -- the same charity that the scriptures explain -- covers a multitude of sins. That is, when we who believe display "fervent charity" among ourselves as stewards of the manifold grace go God. Interestingly, too, we are instructed to continue rejoicing and be glad with exceeding joy -- even when we are in the midst of the fiery trials. Even when we are suffering, or there are those who reproach you for the name of Christ.
The rest of the story from I Peter 4:
Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: 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 rests upon you: on their part He is evil spoken of, but on your part He is glorified.
But 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. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf. For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls [to Him] in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator." (I Peter 4:7-19)
And in all things rejoice, for He is forever faithful to those who love Him. In this current dispensation of grace, His Name is JESUS for He shall save His people from their sins.
Stand in the offering plate.
Wednesday, October 2, 2019
Becoming Clothed In The Righteousness Of God Our Saviour, Jesus The Christ - Part 2418
And of His Spirit, the fruit of the promised SEED, have all believers in the promised SEED of God received. God planned and put in motion all things, as predetermined by the counsel of His own will. Therefore, this plan of redemption is entirely God’s plan, wherein God would willingly become our Saviour, shedding His precious, holy blood on a cross so that we might have abundant life in Him. (Acts 20:28; I Timothy 3:16; Isaiah 9:6)
No one was His counsellor. Rather, God purposefully prepared Himself a body in which God could appear as a Son brought forth from a willing surrogate mother named Mary. This meant that Mary herself lived her life in a prone to sin body inasmuch as she also was one of Adam’s fallen race.
In Jesus then, a new bloodline began. A bloodline that did not descend from Adam. Within this new bloodline, JESUS is the SEED of the Spirit of God. The embryo, the bones, and the blood, were of the Spirit of God. Similarly, the embryo was clothed with Adamic prone to sin flesh whilst in the womb of His surrogate mother Mary.
JESUS, whilst in that body was tempted, and tried in all points - just like as we are - but without succumbing to sin. In other words, if man were ever to be redeemed, it would require a sinless man willing to die -- to become the purchase necessary to save us from our sins. For it is written in the scriptures that the wages of sin is eternal death. It is also written that the gift of God is eternal life.
But in deciding the plan of salvation, God searched and concluded that there was no man found that was holy, righteous, or undefiled. Therefore, it is written, a body have you prepared Me. For God so loved the world that He gave His ONLY Begotten Son to die at Calvary so that men and women could be free.
And looking back, this plan of salvation is exactly what God has done. For JESUS was conceived of the holy Spirit of God - the Holy Ghost which overshadowed Mary so that she could bring forth a son, the holy thing in the womb (as Luke, a physician describes in the gospel of Luke).
Therefore, the He who was brought forth was God in the flesh. Pure, holy, undefiled, and separate from sinners. It was God who purposed to lay down His sinless life. God Himself as a Son becoming the only means of eternal salvation. By the sacrifice of His life, we in turn could be called sons and daughters of God.
Thus, we ought not to dismiss the Word/Wisdom of God. Instead, we must be born again. This is why we are instructed to rise and be baptized. Wash away your sin whilst you are calling upon the Name of our great God and only Saviour JESUS the Christ! (Acts 2:36-42)
Stand in the offering plate.
No one was His counsellor. Rather, God purposefully prepared Himself a body in which God could appear as a Son brought forth from a willing surrogate mother named Mary. This meant that Mary herself lived her life in a prone to sin body inasmuch as she also was one of Adam’s fallen race.
In Jesus then, a new bloodline began. A bloodline that did not descend from Adam. Within this new bloodline, JESUS is the SEED of the Spirit of God. The embryo, the bones, and the blood, were of the Spirit of God. Similarly, the embryo was clothed with Adamic prone to sin flesh whilst in the womb of His surrogate mother Mary.
JESUS, whilst in that body was tempted, and tried in all points - just like as we are - but without succumbing to sin. In other words, if man were ever to be redeemed, it would require a sinless man willing to die -- to become the purchase necessary to save us from our sins. For it is written in the scriptures that the wages of sin is eternal death. It is also written that the gift of God is eternal life.
But in deciding the plan of salvation, God searched and concluded that there was no man found that was holy, righteous, or undefiled. Therefore, it is written, a body have you prepared Me. For God so loved the world that He gave His ONLY Begotten Son to die at Calvary so that men and women could be free.
And looking back, this plan of salvation is exactly what God has done. For JESUS was conceived of the holy Spirit of God - the Holy Ghost which overshadowed Mary so that she could bring forth a son, the holy thing in the womb (as Luke, a physician describes in the gospel of Luke).
Therefore, the He who was brought forth was God in the flesh. Pure, holy, undefiled, and separate from sinners. It was God who purposed to lay down His sinless life. God Himself as a Son becoming the only means of eternal salvation. By the sacrifice of His life, we in turn could be called sons and daughters of God.
Thus, we ought not to dismiss the Word/Wisdom of God. Instead, we must be born again. This is why we are instructed to rise and be baptized. Wash away your sin whilst you are calling upon the Name of our great God and only Saviour JESUS the Christ! (Acts 2:36-42)
Stand in the offering plate.
The Lord Is my Shepherd; He Restores my Soul And Leads me In the Paths Of Righteousness - Part 2417
"Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over." (Psalms 23:5)
"For Thou Lord art Most High for evermore." (Psalms 92:9)
One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism ...
As David the psalmist points out in these scriptures is that "it is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto Thy Name; O Most High; to shew forth Thy lovingkindness in the morning, and Thy faithfulness every night ... for Thou Lord, hast made me glad through Thy work; I will triumph in the works of Thy hands. O Lord, how great are Thy works and Thy thoughts are very deep." (Psalm 92:1-5)
You see, the Word of God contains power. In essence, the Word of God provides the meat that we yearn for in our very souls, the substance which renews our minds and hearts from the carnal of this world. And through the study of His Word, our relationship with the Lord Most High becomes closer, wherein we willingly desire to set our sights on the heavenly. As David writes, the Lord shews forth His lovingkindness and faithfulness in all things. He makes us glad -- so much so, that we sing praises unto Thy Name.
His Name in this current dispensation of grace? JESUS, for He shall save His people from their sins -- the Great I AM of the old springing forth to do a new thing so that we might find abundant life in Him; in His goodness and grace and mercy. And He desires that we turn to Him in our hearts so that He can make us whole; sustained in His mighty presence -- the same God who created the world who loved us so much that He would willingly become our Saviour.
Although David had not seen the promise of salvation, He knew God's continuing faithfulness in all things. David recognized the Lord as a Shepherd, who would leave the 99 sheep to go after the 1 who was lost. This is the God we serve. This is the God who endured the hate of the world on a cross so that we might find real life in Him. And this same God is calling us into His fold this day. He paid the ultimate price -- shedding His own precious, holy blood -- as the Good Shepherd who laid down His life for His sheep.
As David said, "Offer unto God thanksgiving ... call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Me." (Psalm 50:14-15)
And let your cup too runneth over with joy! Stand in the offering plate.
"For Thou Lord art Most High for evermore." (Psalms 92:9)
One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism ...
As David the psalmist points out in these scriptures is that "it is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto Thy Name; O Most High; to shew forth Thy lovingkindness in the morning, and Thy faithfulness every night ... for Thou Lord, hast made me glad through Thy work; I will triumph in the works of Thy hands. O Lord, how great are Thy works and Thy thoughts are very deep." (Psalm 92:1-5)
You see, the Word of God contains power. In essence, the Word of God provides the meat that we yearn for in our very souls, the substance which renews our minds and hearts from the carnal of this world. And through the study of His Word, our relationship with the Lord Most High becomes closer, wherein we willingly desire to set our sights on the heavenly. As David writes, the Lord shews forth His lovingkindness and faithfulness in all things. He makes us glad -- so much so, that we sing praises unto Thy Name.
His Name in this current dispensation of grace? JESUS, for He shall save His people from their sins -- the Great I AM of the old springing forth to do a new thing so that we might find abundant life in Him; in His goodness and grace and mercy. And He desires that we turn to Him in our hearts so that He can make us whole; sustained in His mighty presence -- the same God who created the world who loved us so much that He would willingly become our Saviour.
Although David had not seen the promise of salvation, He knew God's continuing faithfulness in all things. David recognized the Lord as a Shepherd, who would leave the 99 sheep to go after the 1 who was lost. This is the God we serve. This is the God who endured the hate of the world on a cross so that we might find real life in Him. And this same God is calling us into His fold this day. He paid the ultimate price -- shedding His own precious, holy blood -- as the Good Shepherd who laid down His life for His sheep.
As David said, "Offer unto God thanksgiving ... call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Me." (Psalm 50:14-15)
And let your cup too runneth over with joy! Stand in the offering plate.
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