Just sharing.

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Redemption Through His Blood Alone In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. Ephesians 1:7,8 NIV __________________ Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood He entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? Hebrews 9:12,14 KJV __________________ For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Romans 3:23-26 NASB __________________ You know that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your fathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. He was destined before the foundation of the world but was made manifest at the end of the times for your sake. 1 Peter 1:18-20 RSV __________________ Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift: Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God is the object of our faith; the only faith that saves is faith in Him.

 

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“Beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.”

Matthew 14:30

Sinking times are praying times with the Lord's servants. Peter neglected prayer at starting upon his venturous journey, but when he began to sink his danger made him a suppliant, and his cry though late was not too late. In our hours of bodily pain and mental anguish, we find ourselves as naturally driven to prayer as the wreck is driven upon the shore by the waves. The fox hies to its hole for protection; the bird flies to the wood for shelter; and even so the tried believer hastens to the mercy seat for safety. Heaven's great harbour of refuge is All-prayer; thousands of weather-beaten vessels have found a haven there, and the moment a storm comes on, it is wise for us to make for it with all sail.

Short prayers are long enough. There were but three words in the petition which Peter gasped out, but they were sufficient for his purpose. Not length but strength is desirable. A sense of need is a mighty teacher of brevity. If our prayers had less of the tail feathers of pride and more wing they would be all the better. Verbiage is to devotion as chaff to the wheat. Precious things lie in small compass, and all that is real prayer in many a long address might have been uttered in a petition as short as that of Peter.

Our extremities are the Lord's opportunities. Immediately a keen sense of danger forces an anxious cry from us the ear of Jesus hears, and with him ear and heart go together, and the hand does not long linger. At the last moment we appeal to our Master, but his swift hand makes up for our delays by instant and effectual action. Are we nearly engulfed by the boisterous waters of affliction? Let us then lift up our souls unto our Saviour, and we may rest assured that he will not suffer us to perish. When we can do nothing Jesus can do all things; let us enlist his powerful aid upon our side, and all will be well.

 

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The Exclusivity Of Salvation Through Christ Alone



Clearly, trusting in Jesus Christ is the one and only way that God can save us, and to establish that truth, read these 7 Bible verses.

John 14:6 Jesus said to him, I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Jesus makes it abundantly clear that there is no other possible way to the Father than through Him. He is the one and only way. He alone is the truth, and not one of many truths. He is the one and only way to be saved, and not one of many ways. If there is more than one path to God, it is to the Great White Throne judgment seat where Christ will judge all who have rejected Him (Rev 20:12-15), but that’s a path no one should take, and they need not take it. Put your trust in Him.

John 6:44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.
This verse gives no room for a human interpretation or rationalization. It is what it says. No man and no woman can come to the Father unless it is through Jesus Christ our Lord, and that person must be being drawn to Him. Only then will the Lord “raise him up on the last day.” If you choose to reject the one and only way to the Father (through Jesus Christ), then you will be forever separated from God by your sins, and instead of having Christ atone for your sins, you will have to pay for them yourselves (Rev 21:8).

Acts 4:12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.
No other name is given to us whereby we can be or must be saved. Choose any religious leader you can think of. They’re not the way. Their name can’t save you. It is only in Christ that we can be saved, for truly, “there is salvation in no one else.” This conflicts with most of the world’s religions because most are works-based. This view of salvation looks like; our works + Jesus = salvation, when nothing could be further from the truth (Eph 2:8-9). God alone saves and it is only through the name of Jesus Christ. There is absolutely no other way. So says me? No, so say Scripture! The jailer asked the right question: “Sirs, what must I do to be saved” (Acts 16:30)? The answer of course is, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household” (Acts 16:31).

First Timothy 2:5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.
There are no humans on earth that can mediate between us and God. It takes a High Priest, and Jesus Christ Himself is our High Priest and Mediator because only He can enter into heavenly sanctuary and into the presence of God the Father. Only He and the Spirit have access to the Father, so that’s why we pray through Jesus’ name, so “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb 4:16). Jesus’ open access to the Father gives us access to the Father. Not just any mediator will do. It must necessarily be Jesus Christ.

John 10:7-9 Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.
When you’re invited to a wedding, you’re normally given an invitation, so without the invitation, you can’t attend. In a similar fashion, Jesus is the one and only way into the kingdom. He is not only our access to the Father; He is the door by which we must pass through to enter into the kingdom. You must enter the kingdom through the King of that Kingdom. If you hear His voice and He knows you by name, then you are in the sheepfold. Many say they know Christ, but your eternity depends upon whether Jesus knows you! His knowing you is more critical than you knowing Him, because a lot of people will claim to know Him, but Jesus will say to those “many” (Matt 7:21), “Depart from Me, for I never knew you” (Mat 7:23).

John 3:16-17 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
God gave His Son so that we might receive eternal life, and all will receive it if they have repented and put their trust in Christ. Jesus’ atonement is efficient for all to be saved and sufficient for all the world to be saved, but they must believe in Him. To believe in Him doesn’t simply mean having head knowledge about Him, but having a personal relationship with Christ…being in His Word and in prayer through His name. Eternal life comes to all who believe. The Scriptures say, “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom 5:8), and that was necessary because “the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 6:23).

Acts 2:38 And Peter said to them, Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
A person who repents and trusts in Christ will be saved, but it is actually God Who grants repentance (Acts 5:31, 11:18; 2 Tim 2:24-26). Once a person has been granted repentance by God, then they “receive the gift of the Holy Spirit,” and with that, “the forgiveness of…sins.” That’s when the believer should be baptized. All who believe are told to be baptized. If you’ve trusted in Christ, and repented of your sins, but haven’t been baptized, why not? It is a command of Christ!

Conclusion
The Bible is clear: None but God can save, and that means whoever believes in Jesus Christ will be saved, so please share these Bible verses with someone that conclusively prove that only God can save, and rather than see Christianity as being a narrow path to God (which it is), be thankful that there is even a path at all. If there was only one way out of a burning building, you’d not be worried about the narrowness of the way, so rather than bemoaning the fact that Jesus is the only way to be saved, be thankful that God has provided any way for us to be saved.

 

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He Is Triumphant! When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. Colossians 2:13-15 NIV __________________ Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed. Psalm 2:1,2 KJV __________________ That in all the dominion of my kingdom men are to fear and tremble before the God of Daniel; For He is the living God and enduring forever, And His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed, And His dominion will be forever. He delivers and rescues and performs signs and wonders In heaven and on earth, Who has also delivered Daniel from the power of the lions. Daniel 6:26,27 NASB __________________ We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28 RSV __________________ Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift: Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God is the object of our faith; the only faith that saves is faith in Him.

 

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“The Messiah shall be cut off, but not for himself.”

Daniel 9:26

Blessed be his name, there was no cause of death in him. Neither original nor actual sin had defiled him, and therefore death had no claim upon him. No man could have taken his life from him justly, for he had done no man wrong, and no man could even have lain him by force unless he had been pleased to yield himself to die. But lo, one sins and another suffers. Justice was offended by us, but found its satisfaction in him. Rivers of tears, mountains of offerings, seas of the blood of bullocks, and hills of frankincense, could not have availed for the removal of sin; but Jesus was cut off for us, and the cause of wrath was cut off at once, for sin was put away for ever.

Herein is wisdom, whereby substitution, the sure and speedy way of atonement, was devised! Herein is condescension, which brought Messiah, the Prince, to wear a crown of thorns, and die upon the cross! Herein is love, which led the Redeemer to lay down his life for his enemies!

It is not enough, however, to admire the spectacle of the innocent bleeding for the guilty, we must make sure of our interest therein. The special object of the Messiah's death was the salvation of his church; have we a part and a lot among those for whom he gave his life a ransom? Did the Lord Jesus stand as our representative? Are we healed by his stripes? It will be a terrible thing indeed if we should come short of a portion in his sacrifice; it were better for us that we had never been born.

Solemn as the question is, it is a joyful circumstance that it is one which may be answered clearly and without mistake. To all who believe on him the Lord Jesus is a present Saviour, and upon them all the blood of reconciliation has been sprinkled. Let all who trust in the merit of Messiah's death be joyful at every remembrance of him, and let their holy gratitude lead them to the fullest consecration to his cause.

 

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What Does The Parable Of The Weeds Mean?



God actually knew there would be tares or false converts within the church, but why?
The World
In the Parable of the Weeds, Jesus said that “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away” (Matt 13:24-25), and in time, “when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also” (Matt 13:26). Jesus said you will know them by their fruits, or in this case, what comes to seed shows where the root is. After the weeds sprang up, the servants of the Master asked Him, “do you want us to go and gather them?’ But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, “Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn” (Matt 13:28-30).

Seeds and Weeds
If it were up to us, we might uproot the wheat in our congregations and mistake the weeds for what is actually the wheat. Only God knows the heart (1 Sam 16:7), however this parable is referring to the world and not the church. For example, there are many who live like the world who claim to believe in Christ. These are those out in the world who hear the Word of God (Matt 13:38), but they are also part of the world, so the majority of these tares or weeds are not members of any church. Jesus said, “The field is the world, and the good seed represents the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one” (Matt 13:38). This parable tells us that Jesus fully expects there to be tares or weeds on the earth, up until the day of His return. On the Day of Judgment, there will be many false converts who will be stunned to hear that Jesus doesn’t even know them (Matt 7:21-23)!

Fruits and Roots
It is only as the plant mature and bears fruit (or seed) that we can know with some assurance where the root is, but even then, only God knows for certain. That’s because some bear fruit or seed at a slower pace than others, and people may not always see the good seed that a person produces as good works are not done to be seen by others. That being said, Jesus reminds us that a “healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit” (Matt 7:18). Again, we shouldn’t be surprised by the fact that there’ll be weeds mixed in with the wheat in the world, and in some cases, scattered within the churches, but we can get into trouble when we try to settle something with someone that they’ve already settled with God.

We may not have all the facts, but is shouldn’t surprise us that some churches may be full of tares. Churches that neglect or have none of the sacraments like the Lord’s Supper and baptism, no church discipline, and don’t preach on sin, sanctification, holiness, repentance, evangelism, and other essentials, as even today, there “are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light” (1 Cor 11:13-14), and “So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds” (1 Cor 11:15). Jesus will send His angels “and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace” (Matt 13:41-42a), but that will not be until harvest time is, and no one knows that day or hour, but at that time, “the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear” (Matt 13:43).

Human Responsibility
Why there are tares or weeds within the church is not precisely stated in Scripture. Jude actually wanted to write about their common salvation, but something more urgent came along, and it was the necessity to contend for the faith once delivered to the church (Jude 1:3). The reason was that “certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ” (Jude 1:4). How those who pervert the gospel “were designated for this condemnation” is beyond my comprehension. All I know is that all things work together for the good for the children of God (Rom 8:28), but all things work out for the bad for those who oppose the gospel of Christ. This doesn’t mean they are helpless victims of prophecy or circumstance. We are all responsible for our own actions and will reap the consequences of those actions, both bad and good. It is the idea of human responsibility for the choices they make, but it’s much worse for the false convert.

Why? If they’ve sat under good Bible preaching and teaching for some time, but have never been brought to repentance and faith in Christ, more will be required of them than those who haven’t really understood the gospel. Jesus said that “the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating. Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more” (Luke 12:48). With knowledge comes responsibility; with much knowledge comes much more responsibility.

Conclusion
Where the Bible is silent, I believe I must be silent. Where the Bible is not specific about something, I can’t be specific about it either. Why God allows tares to grow alongside the wheat that’s scattered in the world is beyond me. I do know that it has been appointed as such and that it all glorifies Him. No matter what happens, His will is going to be done, and that always glorifies God. We too should seek to glorify God in our bodies, in our conversation, and in our thought life. Tough to do, but we can have the Spirit’s help and He will give us the right words to say to the weeds in the world that they might become the children of God. It is only by God’s grace that we are not still weeds. Even though we are not better than others…we are better off…but only because of Christ.

 

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Get Wisdom - He IS! My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Colossians 2:2,3 NIV __________________ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God; all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father. John 1:1-4,14 RSV __________________ "The LORD possessed me (Wisdom) at the beginning of His way, Before His works of old. From everlasting I was established, From the beginning, from the earliest times of the earth. " Proverbs 8:22,23 NASB __________________ Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift: Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God is the object of our faith; the only faith that saves is faith in Him.

 

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“But I give myself unto prayer.”

Psalm 109:4

Lying tongues were busy against the reputation of David, but he did not defend himself; he moved the case into a higher court, and pleaded before the great King himself. Prayer is the safest method of replying to words of hatred. The Psalmist prayed in no cold-hearted manner, he gave himself to the exercise — threw his whole soul and heart into it — straining every sinew and muscle, as Jacob did when wrestling with the angel.

Thus, and thus only, shall any of us speed at the throne of grace. As a shadow has no power because there is no substance in it, even so that supplication, in which a man's proper self is not thoroughly present in agonizing earnestness and vehement desire, is utterly ineffectual, for it lacks that which would give it force. “Fervent prayer,” says an old divine, “like a cannon planted at the gates of heaven, makes them fly open.”

The common fault with the most of us is our readiness to yield to distractions. Our thoughts go roving hither and thither, and we make little progress towards our desired end. Like quicksilver our mind will not hold together, but rolls off this way and that. How great an evil this is! It injures us, and what is worse, it insults our God. What should we think of a petitioner, if, while having an audience with a prince, he should be playing with a feather or catching a fly?

Continuance and perseverance are intended in the expression of our text. David did not cry once, and then relapse into silence; his holy clamour was continued till it brought down the blessing. Prayer must not be our chance work, but our daily business, our habit and vocation. As artists give themselves to their models, and poets to their classical pursuits, so must we addict ourselves to prayer. We must be immersed in prayer as in our element, and so pray without ceasing. Lord, teach us so to pray that we may be more and more prevalent in supplication.

 

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The Living, Active, Word Of God
J


God’s Word has power, and I think you’ll better understand that power after reading about the living, active Word of God.
The Word Convicts
Some people tell me that they have a gift of discernment, and that they can tell when someone’s lying or if something’s not right, and maybe they do, but no human alive can discern the human heart like the Word of God can. The author of Hebrews tells us that “the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account” (4:12-13).

The Word of God exposes the wickedness of our hearts, which Jeremiah described as “deceitful above all things, and desperately sick” (Jer 17:9), but God wants us to see our own wickedness (Rom 3:10-12, 23) so we’ll run to the cross. Only God can give us a new heart and create a new creation in Christ (2 Cor 5:17), however, the Word is alive and active and works to expose what we don’t see. It cuts us down to the joints and marrow, or where we live, and in God’s sight, we’re all “naked and exposed” before the One to whom we’ll give an account.

The Word Sanctifies
The Word of God cuts us to the heart, but it doesn’t cut in order to hurt, rather it cuts like the surgeon’s scalpel…cutting in order to heal. And the Word of God is intended to sanctify us, as Jesus says in John 17:17, “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.” The word “sanctify” means to make holy or set apart for holy use, and God’s intention for every believer is to live a life that is pleasing to Him. The Apostle Paul told Timothy that “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Tim 3:16-17), so the Word has the power to make us complete and equip us for every good work sovereign assigned to us by God (Matt 25:35-36, 28:18-20; Eph 2:10).

The Word may need to correct us, to reprove us, and to teach us, but remember, God’s desire is for us to live a life of holiness, and the Word of God can help us, along with the Spirit of God. This doesn’t mean we’ll reach a state of sinless perfection in this life because that’s not possible this side of the kingdom, but there should be a tendency toward sinning less over time, even though sinless-ness is not yet possible. Even so, God’s Word can help the sanctification process in us.

The Word’s Power
I hear people say that they can’t witness for Christ because they’re terrified, but don’t they realize that the gospel doesn’t depend upon human ability but upon the power of God. Paul tells us, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Rom 1:16). If we are too shy to ever share Christ, then we are ashamed of the gospel, and that’s not good, for to be ashamed of the gospel is to be ashamed of Christ and His words (Mark 8:38; Luke 9:26). Maybe we should understand that it’s not up to us to save anyone. It’s up to God’s Spirit and God’s Word, “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Cor 1:18).

It is the power of salvation for those who believe, so trust God and share Christ. He can use the weakest witness from the shiest person to save anyone. Here’s why. It takes the Spirit of God with the Word of God to birth the children of God, and all for the glory of God. God’s Word has power. Trust it. Unleash it, and let it do what God sends it out to do. Isaiah wrote: “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:10-11). The power doesn’t depend on the person. The power is in God’s Word and in His Spirit. Let it loose and it will not return void.

The Enduring Word
Most of the false cults have had their so-called “inspired” books changed over time, being revised as often as a new generation is born, but the Word of God changes not…just like God. Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away” (Matt 24:35). “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever” (Isaiah 40:8). Even though these words were written thousands of years ago, here they are, still being uttered 2,000 years later, and will be into all eternity. John wrote, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1), so will God’s Word will abide forever. The benefits of the enduring Word are a well-lit path where we’re less likely to stumble (Psalm 119:105).

Conclusion
Jesus told the sinister minister, Satan that “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matt 4:4). Satan doesn’t live by “every word of God,” but loves to take every other word or words out of context. He and his ministers use verses as “proof texts” by taking texts out of context for false pretexts. That’s why we need the whole counsel or the whole Word of God in book, chapter, and paragraph to grasp the context. The Apostle Peter told Jesus, “You have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68), and the “words of eternal life” are found in Scripture. The Word of God convicts us, sanctifies, us, and has God’s power in it, which means it will endure forever. I hope you enjoyed reading about the benefits of God’s Word, and if you have, may I suggest you share this with someone you know, and why not do it right now?

 

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Rest in Him! There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience. Hebrews 4:9-11 NIV __________________ Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30 KJV __________________ By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made. Genesis 2:2,3 NASB __________________ The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing. Zephaniah 3:17 KJV __________________ Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift: Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God is the object of our faith; the only faith that saves is faith in Him.

 

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“And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king's house.”

2 Samuel 11:2

At that hour David saw Bathsheba. We are never out of the reach of temptation. Both at home and abroad we are liable to meet with allurements to evil; the morning opens with peril, and the shades of evening find us still in jeopardy. They are well kept whom God keeps, but woe unto those who go forth into the world, or even dare to walk their own house unarmed. Those who think themselves secure are more exposed to danger than any others. The armour-bearer of Sin is Self-confidence.

David should have been engaged in fighting the Lord's battles, instead of which he tarried at Jerusalem, and gave himself up to luxurious repose, for he arose from his bed at eventide. Idleness and luxury are the devil's jackals, and find him abundant prey. In stagnant waters noxious creatures swarm, and neglected soil soon yields a dense tangle of weeds and briars. Oh for the constraining love of Jesus to keep us active and useful! When I see the King of Israel sluggishly leaving his couch at the close of the day, and falling at once into temptation, let me take warning, and set holy watchfulness to guard the door.

Is it possible that the king had mounted his housetop for retirement and devotion? If so, what a caution is given us to count no place, however secret, a sanctuary from sin! While our hearts are so like a tinder-box, and sparks so plentiful, we had need use all diligence in all places to prevent a blaze. Satan can climb housetops, and enter closets, and even if we could shut out that foul fiend, our own corruptions are enough to work our ruin unless grace prevent. Reader, beware of evening temptations. Be not secure. The sun is down but sin is up. We need a watchman for the night as well as a guardian for the day. O blessed Spirit, keep us from all evil this night. Amen.

 

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Preparing to Die is the Best Way to Live



The street artist Banksy has unveiled new artwork that captures the ethos of this moment.
He depicts a child playing with a nurse doll wearing a face mask and cape. Figures of Batman and Superman lie in a wastebasket on the floor. The artist donated his work to the University Hospital Southampton in the UK.
Healthcare workers are our new superheroes. Researchers seeking therapies and vaccines for COVID-19 are our harbingers of hope.
As the coronavirus pandemic continues, no one is certain where we’re going, but it seems certain that it’s nowhere we’ve been before.
But that’s not really true.

The Antonine Plague (AD 165) killed over five million people. During the Plague of Justinian (AD 541–42), as much as 50 percent of the European population perished. The Black Death (1346–53) killed between seventy-five and two hundred million people. The influenza epidemic of 1918 killed an estimated fifty million.
Since then, however, advances in medical science have fostered the illusion that death can be managed.
I live each day in the belief that with diet and exercise, I can avoid heart disease or stroke. Since I don’t smoke, I won’t get lung cancer. Since I don’t drink alcohol, I won’t die of cirrhosis of the liver. So long as I continue to get regular check-ups, my doctor will diagnose cancers or other diseases before they can kill me.
But none of that is really true.

A dear friend died recently of a massive heart attack. So far as I know, he had no preexisting conditions and seemed to be in excellent health. His sudden death reminds me that the same could happen to me today.
Medical advances may extend my life, but they cannot prevent my eventual death.
Those who lived in days of plague, influenza epidemics, smallpox, polio, and other infectious outbreaks learned from personal experience what we need to remember: we are “a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes” (James 4:14). This is because “our days on earth are a shadow” (Job 8:9).


Here’s the paradoxical truth: one of the ways God redeems the fact of our mortality is by using it to help us live our best life.
If you knew that you would die next month of COVID-19, what would you do to prepare? Whom would you forgive or seek forgiveness from? What would you do or stop doing? What changes would you make to prepare to meet God?
Isn’t it true that making these changes is the best way to live, even if you were to live another thirty years?

Jonathan Edwards resolved “that I will live so as I shall wish I had lived when I come to die.” Before he died, he helped spark the First Great Awakening, became president of the College of New Jersey (later Princeton), and is widely considered America’s greatest theologian.
Edwards was right to live each day in light of his death: he died at the age of fifty-five from the new smallpox vaccination.

I have led more than thirty study tours of the Holy Land. Each time, we climb to the top of the remains of Megiddo, that ancient fortress that looks out over the expansive plain known in English as Armageddon (Revelation 16:16).
Each time, I remind the group (and myself) that we are one day closer to eternity than ever before. And we have only today to be ready.
What if it were today?

 

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Our Omnipotent God! Omnipotent! For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38,39 NIV __________________ Then Job answered the LORD, and said, "I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee." Job 42:1,2 KJV __________________ "Ah Lord GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! Nothing is too difficult for You, who shows lovingkindness to thousands... O great and mighty God. The LORD of hosts is His name! Jeremiah 32:17,18 NASB __________________ Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD, or as his counselor has instructed him? Whom did he consult for his enlightenment, and who taught him the path of justice, and taught him knowledge, and showed him the way of understanding? Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are accounted as the dust on the scales; behold, he takes up the isles like fine dust. Isaiah 40:13-15 RSV __________________ Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift: Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God is the object of our faith; the only faith that saves is faith in Him.

 

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“He expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.”

Luke 24:27

The two disciples on the road to Emmaus had a most profitable journey. Their companion and teacher was the best of tutors; the interpreter one of a thousand, in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. The Lord Jesus condescended to become a preacher of the gospel, and he was not ashamed to exercise his calling before an audience of two persons, neither does he now refuse to become the teacher of even one. Let us court the company of so excellent an Instructor, for till he is made unto us wisdom we shall never be wise unto salvation.

This unrivalled tutor used as his class-book the best of books. Although able to reveal fresh truth, he preferred to expound the old. He knew by his omniscience what was the most instructive way of teaching, and by turning at once to Moses and the prophets, he showed us that the surest road to wisdom is not speculation, reasoning, or reading human books, but meditation upon the Word of God. The readiest way to be spiritually rich in heavenly knowledge is to dig in this mine of diamonds, to gather pearls from this heavenly sea. When Jesus himself sought to enrich others, he wrought in the quarry of Holy Scripture.

The favoured pair were led to consider the best of subjects, for Jesus spake of Jesus, and expounded the things concerning himself. Here the diamond cut the diamond, and what could be more admirable? The Master of the House unlocked his own doors, conducted the guests to his table, and placed his own dainties upon it. He who hid the treasure in the field himself guided the searchers to it. Our Lord would naturally discourse upon the sweetest of topics, and he could find none sweeter than his own person and work: with an eye to these we should always search the Word. O for grace to study the Bible with Jesus as both our teacher and our lesson!

 

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What’s God’s New Normal for the Church in the Wake of the Coronavirus?


I hear fellow Christians say that they long to go back to normal life, to the way things were before the Coronavirus struck. I certainly understand their perspective and empathize with this viewpoint. Still, while I appreciate the sentiment, I also have to come to terms with biblical reality: missional Christianity requires that we don’t look to go back to the old normal, but to operate within the new normal reality before us. God’s normal is always to engage the pressing challenges in our day and to invite Jesus’ church to join the Spirit on mission.
Here’s a Christianity Today piece that highlights ways churches are stepping up in the present time. The following reflection highlights the way one pastor and church, Mark Nicklas and his community Beaverton Foursquare, are stepping up and participating in the triune God’s normative mission in the face of the Coronavirus. You will find the full video interview with Pastor Mark at the close of this blog post.
Here are some highlights from the interview with Mark:

• Pastor Mark and Beaverton Foursquare have a vital partnership with a Pastor and church in China. Moreover, people of diverse backgrounds attend and lead at Beaverton Foursquare, including many who are Asian American. We need to highlight and celebrate such partnerships increasingly to counter the increase of racist acts committed against Asian Americans in our society. Rather than point fingers as to who is to blame for the virus that is no respecter of geographical boundaries or ethnicities, Mark and his Chinese pastoral colleague and their churches are partnering together to get medical supplies to one another for use in serving their broader communities impacted by the pandemic.

• The idols of health and wealth are not secure in our culture presently. People are forced to slow down, even stop, and ask what really matters when health and wealth are no longer perceived as givens? Are we mindful of people’s insecurities, open and desirous of providing sensitive and sound spiritual care, while also providing material and medical resources where possible?

• Pastor Mark is trained in the sciences and respects what the scientific community has to say. There is no conflict for him between his faith and science. While trusting in God’s miraculous interventions, Mark also respects science and its achievements. He believes the medical community is leading the way in helping us fight a “deadly, contagious virus.” We need to take seriously not only our faith, but also science, as well as this virus, which involves appropriate social distancing. It’s all part and parcel of engaging effectively today.

• Mark and Beaverton Foursquare are partnering with other churches, the school across the street, and civic authorities. They understand that we are all in it together. From international partnerships to partnerships close to home, they clearly comprehend that this is no place or time to be lone rangers. We need to work together in solidarity. This pandemic truly affects us all.

• Lastly, as someone who takes very seriously the Apostle Paul’s conviction that we are called to be ambassadors of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20), Mark highlights that the love of Christ is to compel us, like it did Paul and his ministry team. Mark says, “Love is lapped up wherever it is spilled.” God’s love is lavish, so it never runs out. Since Christ died for us, we must no longer live for ourselves, but for Christ Jesus, and let his love flow through us to others:

“For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again” (2 Corinthians 5:14-15; NIV).

Will we respond as vessels for God’s love in the present Coronavirus context? Let’s step up, not down, as God’s new normal for us is what it has always been for Jesus’ church in the Spirit—engage!

 

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Seek His Righteousness The LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless. O LORD Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in You. Psalm 84:11,12 NIV __________________ Evil pursueth sinners: but to the righteous good shall be repayed. Proverbs 13:21 KJV __________________ "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." Matthew 6:33 NASB __________________ And men will say, "Surely there is a reward for the righteous; Surely there is a God who judges on earth!" Psalm 58:11 RSV __________________ Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift: Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God is the object of our faith; the only faith that saves is faith in Him.

 

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“Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures.”

Luke 24:45

He whom we viewed last evening as opening Scripture, we here perceive opening the understanding. In the first work he has many fellow-labourers, but in the second he stands alone; many can bring the Scriptures to the mind, but the Lord alone can prepare the mind to receive the Scriptures. Our Lord Jesus differs from all other teachers; they reach the ear, but he instructs the heart; they deal with the outward letter, but he imparts an inward taste for the truth, by which we perceive its savour and spirit.

The most unlearned of men become ripe scholars in the school of grace when the Lord Jesus by his Holy Spirit unfolds the mysteries of the kingdom to them, and grants the divine anointing by which they are enabled to behold the invisible. Happy are we if we have had our understandings cleared and strengthened by the Master! How many men of profound learning are ignorant of eternal things! They know the killing letter of revelation, but its killing spirit they cannot discern; they have a veil upon their hearts which the eyes of carnal reason cannot penetrate. Such was our case a little time ago; we who now see were once utterly blind; truth was to us as beauty in the dark, a thing unnoticed and neglected.

Had it not been for the love of Jesus we should have remained to this moment in utter ignorance, for without his gracious opening of our understanding, we could no more have attained to spiritual knowledge than an infant can climb the Pyramids, or an ostrich fly up to the stars. Jesus’ College is the only one in which God's truth can be really learned; other schools may teach us what is to be believed, but Christ's alone can show us how to believe it. Let us sit at the feet of Jesus, and by earnest prayer call in his blessed aid that our dull wits may grow brighter, and our feeble understandings may receive heavenly things.

 

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How Can We Be Holy, As God Is Holy?
J


The Word tells us to be holy as God is holy, so how is that possible?

Holy, Holy, Holy
Perhaps one of the greatest attributes of God, if not “the” greatest attribute of God, is that He is holy. When Jews wanted to emphasize something, they would often repeat it, much in the same way that God often repeated a person’s name twice, but this repeating of the person’s name was an indication of a close, personal relationship. Jesus would say “Peter, Peter,” and later, “Saul, Saul.” In the past, God said “Moses, Moses,” or “Abraham, Abraham,” so importance or emphasis was often the purpose of repeating something or someone’s name, so what are we to make of Isaiah seeing the Lord on His throne, while the seraphim’s proclaim, “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory” (Isaiah 6:3)! Here it is stated that God is not just “Holy, or “Holy, Holy,” but “Holy, Holy, Holy.” Repeating something three times is the greatest emphasis that could be given in Jewish literature, and as great of an emphasis as there is in the Bible, and it is reserved for God alone. God is so holy that it is beyond human comprehension, so how can we be holy as God is holy? Isn’t that asking the impossible?

False Converts
There will be many people that will be before Christ on Judgment Day, but many will hear the most shocking thing of their life. Jesus said of that Day, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven” (Matt 7:21), so doing God’s will is more important than saying, “Lord, Lord,” which again, repeating a name indicates a personal relationship, but they don’t really have one with Christ. They think they know the Lord, but Jesus doesn’t know them, and that has tragic consequences. The Lord said that “many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name” (Matt 7:22)?

They thought they were doing things for Christ, but not actually doing the things He specifically commanded (i.e. Matt 25:35-36). They emphasized works and “doing” instead of the finished work of Christ, and as a result, Jesus says that “I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness” (Matt 7:23). It does not matter to Jesus if you say you know Him. What is of eternal importance is that He knows you. They relied on their works to be saved (Eph 2:10), instead of Christ to save them by grace alone. There are “many” who think they have this relationship with Christ (“Lord, Lord”) but these same many, not a few, will be turned away from the kingdom for all time.

You Be Holy
The Bible calls us to be holy as God is holy, but God wouldn’t command us to do something if it were not possible, so it must be possible to become holy before God, or at least, in His sight. The Apostle Peter commanded us to be “like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior” (1 Pet 1:15). He could have been quoting Leviticus 11:44-45, or Leviticus 19:2, or even Leviticus 20:7, but his point is well taken: “You shall be holy, for I am holy” (1 Pet 1:16), so how do we do that or how do we become holy? Is it even possible that fallen, sinful creatures can become holy?

To answer this question, we must look to Jesus. The Apostle Paul tells us that it was “For our sake he [God] made him [Jesus] to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor 5:21). Notice that it wasn’t for our sakes that He made us to be sinless, but rather, it was for Jesus’ sake. It was because of Him “who knew no sin” that Jesus became sin for us. This was the only way that “we might become the righteousness of Christ,” and being seen as having Jesus’ very own righteousness. Only then can we enter the kingdom. For everyone that has received the righteousness of Christ, they are not the same because, “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Cor 5:17).
Old Nature
Our old, sinful nature doesn’t just disappear overnight or on the day we’re saved, but rather, the new creation in Christ and our old nature battle it out. After we receive a new nature as a child of God, the old still likes to come knocking at our door and make himself at home. It’s a battle that we will all fight, all the way to the grave. The new creation in Christ is enough to take us into the kingdom, even though the old nature tugs at our sleeve and still whispers in our ear, “Do this.” Paul wrote, “For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing” (Rom 7:19). Sound familiar? Paul was a new creation in Christ (2 Cor 5:17), but the old kept being resurrected, time and again, until in desperation, Paul cried out, “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death” (Rom 7:24)? I bet you know Paul’s answer. It comes next in Romans 7:25 where Paul gives us all hope. He answers his own question with, “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin” (Rom 7:25).

Conclusion
To be holy as God is holy we must repent of our sins and put our trust in Christ. Once that happens, we become new creations in Christ and our nature is changed. We now desire to live holier lives and to avoid those things we used to do before we were saved. Now, we might fall into sin, but it’s not like it was before where we’d dive into sin and drink up the waters. Today we still sin but we don’t keep on sinning because the Holy Spirit convicts of us our sins and we confess them to God and repent of them. The new creation confesses and repents, whereas the old man even denied there is such a thing as sin, but the one who admits they’re a sinner and confesses their sins before God will be like the tax collector who came to God and was saved. Jesu said of him, “I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other” (Luke 18:14a). The Pharisee tried to justify himself by his works.

That’s bad news because we’ve already seen the results of bringing works to Christ to show we’re saved (Matt 7:21-23). The saved are not saved by works, but the saved will do works because they’re saved. The lost do works believing that will save them, but their works will be the thing that condemns them as “they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done” (Rev 20:13). We must trust in the finished work of Christ. If you think you’re a good person, or you trust in your own “goodness” or works, then “the second death, the lake of fire” (Rev 20:14) is your final destination. I pray you repent of that and trust in Christ today, while the present day of salvation is still here (2 Cor 6:2). Tomorrow it may not be. In fact, tomorrow, “you” may even not be (Heb 9:27).

 

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Your Redeemer Lives! As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, And at the last He will take His stand on the earth. Even after my skin is destroyed, Yet from my flesh I shall see God; Whom I myself shall behold, And whom my eyes will see and not another. My heart faints within me! Job 19:25-27 NASB __________________ May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer. Psalm 19:14 NIV __________________ The Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth. Genesis 48:16 KJV (this is the Angel of the Lord, The Lord Jesus Christ) __________________ For thou art our Father, though Abraham does not know us and Israel does not acknowledge us; thou, O LORD, art our Father, our Redeemer from of old is thy name. Isaiah 63:16 RSV __________________ Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift: Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God is the object of our faith; the only faith that saves is faith in Him.

 

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“Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken thou me in thy way.”

Psalm 119:37

There are divers kinds of vanity. The cap and bells of the fool, the mirth of the world, the dance, the lyre, and the cup of the dissolute, all these men know to be vanities; they wear upon their forefront their proper name and title. Far more treacherous are those equally vain things, the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches. A man may follow vanity as truly in the counting-house as in the theatre. If he be spending his life in amassing wealth, he passes his days in a vain show. Unless we follow Christ, and make our God the great object of life, we only differ in appearance from the most frivolous.

It is clear that there is much need of the first prayer of our text. “Quicken thou me in thy way.” The Psalmist confesses that he is dull, heavy, lumpy, all but dead. Perhaps, dear reader, you feel the same. We are so sluggish that the best motives cannot quicken us, apart from the Lord himself. What! will not hell quicken me? Shall I think of sinners perishing, and yet not be awakened? Will not heaven quicken me? Can I think of the reward that awaiteth the righteous, and yet be cold? Will not death quicken me? Can I think of dying, and standing before my God, and yet be slothful in my Master's service? Will not Christ's love constrain me? Can I think of his dear wounds, can I sit at the foot of his cross, and not be stirred with fervency and zeal? It seems so!

No mere consideration can quicken us to zeal, but God himself must do it, hence the cry, “Quicken thou me.” The Psalmist breathes out his whole soul in vehement pleadings: his body and his soul unite in prayer. “Turn away mine eyes,” says the body: “Quicken thou me,” cries the soul. This is a fit prayer for every day. O Lord, hear it in my case this night.