Divine Sugar Sticks for January 2000

I find that there are some who do not believe in eternal security. Here are some principles to support the doctrine of eternal security.

1. The positional approach, every believer is in union with the Lord Jesus Christ. Rom 8:1, Eph 1:3-6, Jude 1:1

2. The logical approach. God did the most for us when we were His enemies and will He not do “much more” for His sons? Rom 5:9, 10, 15, 17, 20

3. Anthropomorphism approach. The believer is held by God’s hand and He will never let go. John 10:28, Psa 37:24

4. Experiential approach. Though we say we no longer believe God remains faithful for He is immutable. 2 Tim 2:12-13

5. The family approach. We are born into God’s family and we can’t be born out of it. John 1:12, Gal 3:26

6. The body approach. The Head of the body is Christ and He can never say to any member of the body, the believer, He does not need him. 1 Cor 12:23, Col 1:18

7. The Greek tense approach. The word is an aorist tense, which is once and for all. Acts 16:31.
The perfect tense. Eph 2:8-9. Saved in the past with results that you go on being saved.

8. The inheritance approach. 1 Pet 1:4-5

9. Sovereignty approach. 2 Pet 3:9. Not willing that any should perish.

10. The sealing ministry of God the Holy Spirit. 2 Cor 1:22, Eph 1:13, Eph 4:30, 2 Tim 2:19, the guarantee of protection and safe delivery.

There is much confusion concerning the Sermon on the Mount. The Sermon on the Mount was taught by the Lord Jesus Christ to His disciples telling them about eight areas of happiness for their lives.

The word “blessed” is in the plural and it means “happinesses.”

1. Matt 5:3, “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” This is a reminder of the Grace of God in salvation.

2. Matt 5:4, “Blessed are they that mourn.” This is inner happiness that comes from the Word of God in the soul of the believer, which can handle pressure and suffering situations in life.

3. Matt 5:5, “Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth.” “The meek” are those who are Grace oriented. “Inherit the Earth” is for Jewish believers in the Millennium.

4. Matt 5:6, “Blessed are they which hunger and thirst after righteousness.” This is the believer who has a desire for the Word of God and is growing in Grace by the knowledge of our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.

5. Matt 5:7, “Blessed are the merciful.” Mercy is Grace in action. Grace loving. And inner happiness is promised here based on the believer thinking Grace at all times. This is being Grace oriented.

6. Matt 5:8, “Blessed are the pure in heart.” “Pure in heart” is literally “pure in mind,” which means there is inner happiness only when we are in fellowship with God.

7. Matt 5:9, “Blessed are the peacemakers.” Peace here and peacemakers are those who witness for the Lord Jesus Christ and communicate the way of peace between God and man, the doctrine of reconciliation.

8. Matt 5:10-12, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake.” Inner happiness is the possession of those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, verse 10. For Christ’s sake, verse 11.

The Sermon on the Mount is eight ways to have inner happiness.

Who and what is the Lord Jesus Christ.

1. The necessity of the humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ.

    a. To be our Saviour, Heb 2:9-12
    b. To be our Mediator, 1 Tim 2:5
    c. To be our High Priest, Heb 5:7, 9
    d. To be our King, 2 Sam 7:16-19

2. The hypostatic union. The God-man.

    a. Phil 2:6, 7, John 1:1-14, Rom 3:2-5, Heb 2:14, Gal 4:4-5

3. The resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ

    a. By God the Father, Acts 2:24, Rom 6:4, Eph 1:19-20
    b. By the Son, John 2:19, 10:17-18
    c. By God the Holy Spirit, Rom 8:11, 1 Pet 3:12

4. The spheres of ministry

    a. Law, Matt 5-7
    b. Kingdom, Matt 13
    c. Church, Matt 16, John 13-17

The doctrine of Christology.

Facing the 21st century we can’t forget his majesty, the devil. He is still the ruler of this world and the prince of the power of the air.

What is he doing in the 21st century?

1. He accuses the believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, trying to hinder the work of the Lord Jesus Christ on the Earth.
Job 1:6-11, 2 Cor 2:11, Rev 12:9-10, Zech 3:1
But, we have a Defense Attorney, 1 John 2:1

2. He invites believers to ignore the Word of God and accept false doctrine.  We are here now!!!
1 Tim 4:1, 1Cor 10:19-20, 2 Cor 11:3, 11:13-15, 1 Chr 21:1

3. He seeks to frustrate God’s will.
Operational will, James 4:7-8
Geographical will, 1Thess 2:18

4. He encourages believers to worry, 1 Pet 5:7-9

5. He obscures the focus of the believer, Heb 12:2, Col 3:1
To self, to things, 1 Cor 1:10-11
To people, Jer 17:5

6. He gets the believer to be occupied with temporal solutions to man’s problems and therefore neglects Divine solutions.

7. Instills the fear of death in the believer, Heb 2:14, Psa 23:4

8. Blinds the minds of the unbeliever, 2 Cor 4:3-4, Luke 18:12, 2 Thess 2:9-10

9. He deceives nations, Rev 12:9, Rev 20:3, 8. We are there now also!!!

But He that is in you is greater than he that is in the world.

Divine guidance and knowing the will of God.

A complete study of the mechanics of the will of God is found in Acts 11.

A. Guidance through prayer, Acts 11:5
B. Guidance through the mental attitude, Acts 11:6
C. Guidance through the Word of God, Acts 11:7-10
D. Guidance through providential circumstances, Acts 11:11
E. Guidance through the filling of the Holy Spirit, Acts 11:12
F. Guidance through fellowship and comparison of data, Acts 11:13-15
G. Guidance through remembering Scriptures, Acts 11:16

Where the Lord guides, He provides.

The plan of God in a nutshell!

1. Stage one, salvation.

    A. Executed by the Lord Jesus Christ, John 17:4

        1. The incarnation leading to the Cross, John 14:6, Gal 4:4
        2. Resurrection, 1 Cor 15
        3. Accession and session, Heb 9:24

    B. Provided for the whole human race, 1 John 2:2

    C. It begins when a person accepts Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour, Acts 4:12

    D. Many assets are received by the believer at the point of salvation.

2. Stage two, the Christian way of life.

    A. Executed by God the Holy Spirit, John 14:26-29, 16:14, 1 Cor 3:16, 6:12, Eph 3:16, Phil 1:20-21

    B. Provision for the believer to live a supernatural way of life. A supernatural way of life needs a supernatural means of executing it. This is God the Holy Spirit controlling the believer.

3. Stage three, eternity

    A. Executed by God the Father, John 14:1-2, Rev 21:4
    B. Begins at the believer’s departure or the Rapture of the Church, Phil 1:21, 1 Thess 4:13-18
    C. Provision for the believer in eternity, Rev 21:4

No more sorrow, no more tears, no more death! Who is afraid to go home?

Three falls to a finish!

The three falls of Satan.

1. At the point of negative volition. During the five “I wills.”
Isa 14, Ezek 28:15. There we have iniquity.

2. In the middle of the Tribulation, he is denied access to Heaven, power lust. Rev 12:9, Ezek 28:16

3. At the end of the Tribulation he is cast into the Lake of Fire. This is his final fall.
Three falls to a finish!

Matt 25:41, Rev 20:10, Ezek 28:18

Hell is prepared for Satan and his angels. It is not designed for members of the human race. But people choose to go there when they reject Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour.

With all the emphasis today in our up and coming election about the subject of abortion being the main issue in both platforms, I know that Christians and non-Christians are not interested in what the Bible has to say, but just take a look at what Jesus Christ had to say. Is that okay if we do that? Remember I didn’t say this, the Lord Jesus Christ said this. Are you ready?

Matt 10:28, “And fear not them which kill the body.” “But are not able to kill the soul.” ”But rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”

The soul is eternal, and the soul is going to live forever somewhere, and each person decides where their soul is going to spend eternity.

”All souls are mine saith the Lord” — not either the Republicans or the Democrats or the Bull Moose Party.

Lovingkindness

The translators had quite a problem with this word and it is only one word in the Hebrew language of the Old Testament, “CHESED.”

Psa 36:7, “How excellent is Thy lovingkindness. O God. Therefore, the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Thy wings.”

The reason why the psalmist responded by putting his trust in the Lord was because of God’s lovingkindness. Lovingkindness includes both God’s love and Grace or we could say, loving Grace, or Grace loving.

When you come under God’s loving Grace you are vulnerable and cannot resist. Your knees buckle and your heart beats faster and you are tongue-tied. That is what happens when we realize God’s lovingkindness or loving Grace.

Have you found that love? That is why submission is easy. That is why when you hear His voice or He glances at you, well as they say, which I hesitate to say, but to make my point, it “turns you on.” Now that is Christianity!

Promotion
There are promises for promotion just like there are promises for marriage and children and husbands and wives.

You are in full-time Christian service at the time in which you accept Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour. Everything that you do, your job, or vocation, is a part of your full-time Christian service.

If you do your job as unto the Lord, then the Lord will promote you. You can’t promote yourself. Only the Lord can promote you.

Psa 75:6, 7, “For promotion cometh neither from the East, nor from the West, nor from the South. But God is the judge. He putteth down one and setteth up another.”

You are never promoted until the Lord promotes you.

The Lord is a promoter.

Listening to the Word of God being taught for many years I have heard many commands coming from the pulpits of our country and some of them seemed very hard. But I never ever heard the command to be happy as Christians. This seems contrary to most pulpits. But we are commanded to be happy.

Phil 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice.”

But we settle for “happy hour” and happy hour is described for us in the Bible.
Prov 14:13, “Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful and the end of that mirth is heaviness.”

And yet when we trust and put ourselves under the shadow of the Lord's wings:
Psa 36:8, “They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of Thy house and Thou shalt make them drink of the river of Thy pleasures.”
The word for “pleasures” is literally, “the Garden of Eden.” Look it up yourself.

1 John 1:4, “And these things write we unto you that your joy may be full.”
Because of
1 John 1:3, “That ye also may have fellowship with us and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.”

God gives you His joy when you are in fellowship with Him. Sorrowful, but always rejoicing.”

The Old Testament is a record of God's promises to patriarchs, kings, prophets, Israel, lowly saints, and to the world at large.

The Hebrew word “dabtar” is generally rendered “word” but “promise” is found in 1 Kings 8:56 and in Neh 5:12-13.

“According to all that He promised there hath not failed one Word of all His great promise.”
“That they should do according to the promise."

The Word, Word and the Word, promise are the same word, God’s promises are based on His Word.
Try claiming them!

The plural is used in Hebrew of every promise made by God and of special promises mentioned.

Heb 7:8, “Blessed Him that had the promises.”
Heb 11:33, “Who through faith obtained promises.”

Blessed is plural and promise is plural.
So then how many promises are there then to be claimed?

1. The contents of the promise.
Acts 26:2-3, “The promise made of God unto our fathers.”
Rom 4:20, “He staggered not at the promises of God.”
1 John 2:25, “This is the promise that He hath promised us.”

2. The heirs of the promise
Rom 9:8, “The children of the promise are counted for the seed.”
Rom 15:8, “To confirm the promises made unto the father.”
Gal 3:29, “Heirs according to the promise.”

3. The condition of the promise.
Rom 4:13-14, “The promise through the righteousness of faith.”
Gal 3:14-22, “Receive the promise of the spirit through faith.”
Heb 10:3, “After ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.”

God's promises are back by His faithfulness.

Deut 7:9, “Know therefore that the Lord thy God, He is God, the faithful God, who keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love Him and keep His commandments to a thousand generations.”
Heb 10:23, “He is faithful that promised.“
Heb 11:11, “Sarah received strength to conceive seed and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised.”
1 Cor 1:9, “God is faithful by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of His Son Jesus Christ our Lord.”
1 Cor 10:13, “God is faithful who will not suffer you to be tempted above that which ye are able.”
1 Thess 5:24, “Faithful He is that calleth you, who will also do it.”

It is a bit much to put “promise” and “faithful” together. Like “promise” isn’t enough or “faithful” isn’t enough.

God's faithfulness is our special ground of encouragement as we appropriate His promises.
Lam 3:23, “Great is Thy faithfulness.”

David would have to feed upon this Divine faithfulness which is:
Isa 11:5, “The girdle of His reins.”
Psa 37:3, “Verily thou shalt feed upon His faithfulness.”

Make a feast out of God's faithfulness and promises.
What promise did you eat for lunch?

Did you ever notice the characteristics of the Lord in His use of two animals - an eagle and a hen?

Deut 32:11, “As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young. Speadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings.”

Matt 23:37, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets and stonest them that are sent unto thee. How often I would have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not.”

An eagle and a hen.
The Eagle: strong, sovereign, and fierce.
The hen: peaceful, gentle, and affectionate.

The Lord is righteousness and justice, but He is also love. Consider all of His essence.

What does the Lord promise to those of us who have put our trust in Jesus Christ as our personal Saviour????

These two verses that I have been working on for over a month will give you the answer and much more so.
1. Satisfaction
2. Joy
3. Life
4. Light

Psa 36:8, “They shall be abundantly satisfied.”
“Thou shall make them drink of the river of Thy pleasures.”

Psa 36:9, “For with Thee is the fountain of life.” “In Thy light shall we see light.”

Satisfaction, joy, life, and light abundantly.
This is a good message for your pastor to work up.

Prov 4:18, “But the path of the just is as a shining light that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.”

We are walking toward a great Light and the nearer we get the brighter it gets.

The last words of Longfellow's poem:

Out of the shadows of night
The world rolls into light
It is a day break ever here.

“Thy Word is a light unto my path.”
“The entrance of Thy Word giveth light.”

Prov 6:22, “When thou goest, it shall lead thee. When thou sleepest, it shall keep thee. And when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee.”

1. Shall lead
2. Shall keep
3. Shall talk

Sounds a little like Psalm 23, “I shall not want.”

Prov 10:7, “The memory of the just is blessed, but the name of the wicked shall rot.”

“The memory of the just shall be blessed” … “Do this in remembrance of Me.” “A book of remembrance was written before them.”

Only the actions of the just
Smell sweet and blossom in the dust.

Prov 10:22, “The blessings of the Lord it maketh rich. And He addeth no sorrow with it.”

The blessings we enjoy are not the fruit of our own merits. But the fruit of God's Grace and mercy.

“Not of works lest any man should boast.”

Prov 12:24, “The hand of the diligent shall bear rule. But the slothful shall be under tribute.”

Bearing rule over the body, 1 Cor 9:27
Bearing rule over the soul, 2 Cor 10:5
Bearing rule over the spirit, Prov 16:32

“The three bears.”

Prov 13:15, “Good understanding giveth favour. But the way of transgression is hard.”

Because …

1. Sin begets sin, chain sinning.
2. It makes a guilty conscience.
3. It always turns out hideous.
4. It brings future punishment.

Death is the ultimate wages of sin, temporal and eternal.

Prov 14:12, “There is a way that seemeth right unto a man but the end thereof are the ways of death.”

The cream of Earth's pleasures float on the top. He that thinks by a deeper draught to find yet more, fares worse.

He said, “I am the Way.”

I know that most of you are very busy trying to make a living and spending time loving your wives and children, and don’t have time for a long-winded old Bible puncher. So we have some short shots, a Bible fix as it were.

I have been studying a passage for the last month that has really got a hold of me. Of course, I have been studying the Word of God for 40 years now on a daily basis so I cant take your time now to explain it all, but just humor an old Bible thumper.

Psa 36:5-7, “Thy mercy o Lord is in the Heavens. Thy faithfulness reaches unto the clouds. Thy righteousness is like the great mountains. Thy judgments are a great deep.”

His mercy, His faithfulness, His righteousness, and His judgments are all behind one thought …
“Thou preservest man and beast.”

That is what God's character is all about. He has you in mind.

Notice we are between His mercy and righteousness, which are over us.
And His judgments are beneath us.

We are surrounded by His, verse 7, lovingkindness, grace.

I tried to be short but it is tough.

The most complete directory for prayer

To whom shall we pray, and where:
Psa 150:1, “Praise ye the Lord. Praise God in His sanctuary. Praise Him in the firmament of His power.”

Why?
Psa 150:2, “Praise Him for His mighty acts. Praise Him according to His excellent greatness.”

Wherewith? Whatsoever is helpful?
Psa 150:3-5, “Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet. Praise Him with the psaltry and harp,  Praise Him with the timbrel and dance. Praise Him with stringed instruments and organs. Praise Him upon the loud cymbals. Praise Him upon the high sounding cymbals.”

Who should praise?
Psa 150:5, “Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord.”

The Psalm begins with, “Blessed is the man.”
The Psalm ends with, “Praise ye the Lord.”

This would make a nice message for some pastor.

In the days of Malachi, the chosen of the Lord were accustomed to converse one with the other, so that the Lord Himself listened to their talk. He liked it so much that he took note of it, and made a book which He lodged in the record office.

Malachi 3:16, “Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another, and the Lord hearkened and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for them that feared the Lord and that thought about His Name.”

A lost art. Maybe we can pick up the slack with email!

The importance of the original languages of Scripture are very important when studying the Word of God. For example:

Eph 2:8-9, “For by Grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is a gift of God, and not of works lest any man should boast.”

The tense of the verb is past tense. And it reads, “For by Grace you have been saved. This is a past tense. Also note that Ephesians is written to believers and not to unbelievers.

Like 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

And that is written to believers also, not to unbelievers as a salvation verse, but for believers to get back into fellowship with the Lord.

The same thing is true of Rev 3:20, “I stand at the door and knock.” That is also to a believer and not for salvation, but for a believer to get back into fellowship.

Much harm has been done in not rightly dividing the Word of Truth.
 
 

Did you ever notice, as a believer, what is behind God's Promises?

Psa 36:5, “Thy mercy, Oh Lord, is in the heavens. And Thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds.”
Mercy is behind faithfulness.

Lam 3:22-23, “It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning. Great is Thy faithfulness.”
His mercy and love are behind His faithfulness in keeping His promises to us.

Num 23:19, “God is not a man that He should lie. Neither the son of man that He should change His mind.”
Hath He not said and shall He not do it, or hath He spoken and shall He not make it good?”

Psa 89:34, “My covenant will I not break. Nor alter that thing that is gone out of My lips.”

If you have His Word, you have His Word!

Isa 1:16-17, An eight-fold instruction:

Wash you, make you clean.
Put away the evil of your doings.
Cease to do evil.
Learn to do well.
Seek judgment.
Relieve the oppressed.
Judge the fatherless.
Plead for the widows.

Isa 6:1, “When Uzziah died, I saw the King of kings.”

Uzziah's reign was a kind of a Victorian Era in Jewish history. It was when this was passed away into shame and disgrace that Isaiah saw the eternal King sitting on the throne.

Isa 33:21, “And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee. Saying this is the way, walk ye in it. When ye turn to the right hand and when ye turn to the left.”

“A word behind” means their backs are turned away from the Lord and from the Word of God. And they are going further and further away from Him.

Sounds like Christendom of the 21st century. A.D.

Our country is trying to remove B.C and A.C. from our calendars. But no matter how hard they try, they are faced with the fact that the Lord is eternal and omnipresent.

Isa 33:21, “But there the glorious Lord will be unto us a place of broad rivers and streams wherein shall go no galley with oars, neither shall galant ships pass thereby.”

Jerusalem lacked a river. Nearly all large cities are built on seas or rivers.

The Lord promised to be a river, without the drawback that the enemies’ vessels could come up against the city. So, there is no drawback, no temptation in any blessing that the Lord gives.

Jerusalem is landlocked, but it will become on a great river. When the Lord returns, it will be a seaport. Very enterprising.

Isa 22:22, “And the key of the house of David will lay on His shoulders. So shall He open and none shall shut, and He shall shut and none shall open.”

The Spanish Jews have a silver key of David bearing this inscription: “God shall open, the King shall enter.”

Goel is the Hebrew word for “kinsman redeemer,” the nearest of kin to redeem. Boaz was one and as such, he is a type of Christ.

Lord of the harvest
Near kinsman
Supplier of wants
Redeemer of the inheritance
A man who gives rest
Wealthy kinsman
Bridegroom

The book of Ecclesiastes has this theme: “Under the sun.”
The book of Ephesians has this theme: “In the heavenlies.”

Under the sun, in the heavenlies

In the heavenlies, is rest.
Under the sun, or under “the Son.”

Ecc 9:15, “Now there was found in it a poor wise man and he by his wisdom delivered the city. Yet no man remembereth that same poor man.”

The Lord Jesus Christ became poor, 2 Cor 8:9
By His wisdom, Isa 53:11
No man remembereth, 1 Cor 11:24

Ecc 9:16, “His wisdom is despised,” Isa 53:3

“His words are not heard,” Deut 18:18-19

The Scripture says that “God is not willing for anyone to perish.” Therefore it is not God's fault if they do perish. If any person searches the Scriptures, they can be saved apart from a church, an evangelist, or a missionary.

The Holy Spirit is the agent of evangelism. He convicts everyone of unbelief in Christ.

And since the Word of God is alive and powerful, all the person has to do is search the Scriptures and when they do what happens? “Search the Scriptures and in Them ye may find Me and have eternal life.”

And thereby “the Grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men.”

A Christian Salad!

“Let us” come to the throne
“Let us” love on another
“Let us” fear
“Let us” drawn nigh
“Let us” hold fast
“Let us” run
“Let us” progress
“Let us” faint not
“Let us” put on the robe

I guess oil and vinegar will go with this salad!

Christian Bees!

“Be” ye subject
“Be” sober
“Be” likeminded
“Be” subject
“Be” not idle
“Be” found in love

Bees get buzzing!

Answered prayer brings rest to the soul!

1 Sam 2:1, “And Hannah prayed and said my heart rejoiceth in the Lord, mine horn is exalted in the Lord, my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies, because I rejoice in my salvation.”

Most Christians have to have returned to them the joy of their salvation.

1 Sam 16:13, “Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of the brethren and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.”

In 1065 B.C no one took David as king.
Three years later he had 300 followers, 1 Sam 17:2
Four years later he had 600 followers, 1 Sam 27:2

“A great host,” 1 Chron 12:22

One year later, "the men of Judah,” 2 Sam 2:4

God rejected Saul and God provided David.

We had a snow storm here in Anderson and my computer was out for a whole day. So, I apologize. I have not gone negative to the Word of God.

Here is an update on the latest weather report:

Well, we still have snow and the sun, the "son" has come out.
Where did all this sun come from and why?
Job 37:6, “For He saith to the snow be thou on the Earth. Likewise to the small rain, and to the great rain, of His power.”

The snow came from the Lord. Why? To show His power. We sure did have a lot of snow and it sure did stop traffic. Snow equals omnipotence.

Weather report number four

Why so much snow?

Job 38:22-23, “Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow or hast thou seen the treasures of hail which I have reserved against the time of trouble against the day of battle and war?”

Snow halts warfare. It is tough to fight in a heavy snow. We learned this in WWII.

Weather report number five

The snow is still on the ground and Anderson is trying to dig out. But,

Prov 25:13, “As the cold of snow in the time of harvest, so is a faithful messenger to them that send him, for he refreshes the soul of his masters.”

Snow, like the water of the Word, is a faithful messenger, and refreshes the soul

“Good news from a far country is like a cool drink of water to a thirsty man.”

Weather report number six

Snow teaches us that the wages of sin is death.

Job 24:19, “Drought and heat consume the snow waters. So doth the grave those who have sinned.”

“The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Get saved!

Christian weather report from Anderson  …

Snow snow  snow  snow  snow  snow snow  snow

The message of the snow:
1. Forgiveness of sin, Psa 51:7, Isa 1:18
2. The faithulness of God, Prov 25:13
3. The importance of the Word of God, Psa 147:16-18, Psa 148:8
4. The glory of the Lord Jesus Christ, Rev 1:14

We now turn to our Sponsor …
“I am the Way and the Truth and the Life, and no one cometh unto the Father but by Me.”

Special weather report bulletin from Anderson ...

Flash  flash  flash  flash  flash  flash  flash

Matt 16:1-4

“The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting, desiring Him that He would shew them a sign from Heaven. He answered and said unto them, when it is evening ye say it will be fair weather for the sky is red. And in the morning it will be foul weather today for the sky is red and lowering. O ye hypocrites, ye may discern the face of the sky but you cannot discern the signs of the times. A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign, and there shall no sign be given unto you but the sign of Jonah and He left them and departed.”

They couldn’t tell weather or not!
Did you like our teleprompter?
We pause for a commercial ...

“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.”

Tears, Tears, Tears

How many tears do we shed in a lifetime?
Tears of parents and children and friends. Tears over the lose of a loved one, over a child and even children over parents.
Is it not time for us to cry also for our country?

Well, God promises to wipe away all our tears.

Psa 116:8, “He will wipe the tears from our eyes.”

And He remembers all the tears that He has dried.
He puts them in a tear bottle, Psa 56:8

And each time He dries our tears, it reminds us of the time when He will wipe away out tears once and for all. Rev 21:4. There is no crying in Heaven. Tears may be of joy. You know men cry, too. It is not just a woman thing. Christ cried over others and over the nation Israel. And He was anything but a sissy, probably the strongest man that ever lived.

Strong men cry. Fathers cry over their children. Trust me.

How many tears do we shed in a lifetime?
Can you remember?
Tears over your children, tears over those who gave their lives for our country, tears over our loved ones who are no longer with us.
Well you may not remember them. But,

Psa 56:8, My tears are put into a bottle and they are in the Lord's book. He remembers all your tears and puts them in a bottle and writes them down in a book.
Psa 116:8, “For Thou hast delivered my soul from death, delivered my eyes from tears.”
Rev 21:4, “Thou shalt wipe away all tears from their eyes.”

A tear drop bottle, written down and delivered.

That is a great deliverance.

Walking before the Lord.
Walking after the Lord.

Most people think that these two phrases are alike, but they are not.

“Walking before the Lord,” means in His eyes, with Him knowing if you are in or out of fellowship.
So “walking before the Lord,” means fellowship and communion.

“Walking after the Lord,” means guidance, and following Him and doing His will, which cannot be done unless you are first walking before Him.

If you are not walking before Him, you cannot walk after Him. Ask your pastor.

Mark 1:23, the devil in a synagogue.
Mark 1:30, the devil in a house.
Mark 1:32, the devil in the city.

But Christ is there also, He’s omnipresent.
The devil can only be at once place at one time but Christ can be everywhere all the time.

“Greater is He that is in you than he that is the world.”

If you hear someone say, “the devil is after me.” Well then you are free because he can’t be two places at once. Where do you think he is today?

Christ overcame the storm, Mark 4:39
Christ overcame the devil, Mark 4:13
Christ overcame disease, Mark 5:29
Christ overcame death,  Mark 5:42

“With God nothing is impossible.”

Through faith we overcome the world … and it needs overcoming.

Mark 6:20, Herod feared John ... And did many things.

Had he feared the Lord, he would have done everything.

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” Wisdom is the application of the Word to  personal experience.

It is one thing to know it, but it is another things to apply it. “Not hearers of the Word only, but doers of the Word.”

Mark 6:27, “Give ye them to eat.”
God uses our resources.

Mark 6:41, “Christ gave them to the disciples to set before them.”

“Go and distribute, the Lord has need of thee.”

“As you have freely received, so freely give.”

“As you have received Christ, so walk ye in Him.”

Mark 8:36, “He who sins for profit will not profit by sin.”

The wages of sin is always death.

“The soul that sinneth, it shall surely die.”

Notice the emphasis on religion as we face the year 2000:

A new Buddah in China.
A new Moses in Cuba.
A new pope in Rome.

Shades of the coming Tribulation. Ain’t it?

When religion is in the driver's seat, Christ sits in the back.

Headlines: A new Buddah, a new Moses, a new Pope.
But the same Christ. “Today, yesterday, and forever.”

He never changes, but there is always a new Buddah, a new Moses, and a new Pope.
I remember when I couldn’t eat meat on Friday and St. Christopher would keep you from having an automobile accident. Now it is seatbelts.
“Christ … the same yesterday, today, and forever.”
Are you not glad that Christ changes not?

He is still “the Way, and the Truth, and the Life, and no one comes unto the Father but by Him.”
Time to take up an offering.

A 71-year-old woman wrote me recently and she said.

“My husband and I are going to a dead church and I am a Christian. Will you please explain to me how I can apply this passage to my life?” And she sent the passage.
I realized that most Christians do not know how to apply the Word of God to their very own experience. Maybe it is not taught any more.

But here is a beautiful example where one psalmist applies the Word of God to his own personal experience from another Psalm and psalmist.
See if you can see it. If not, ask your pastor.

Psa 56:13, “The Lord hath delivered my soul from death. Wilt Thou not deliver my feet from falling?” “That I may walk before God …”  There is the plan.

Now notice the application:
Psa 116:8-9, “For Thou hast delivered my soul from death. Mine eyes from tears and my feet from falling.”

Now notice the application:
Psa 116:9, “I will walk before the Lord.”

He made a decision, he made an application, one psalmist from another. I think it is great! How about you?
“Not hears only, but doers of the Word.”
It sure is lacking in the 20 and 21st centuries.

See if your morning newspaper or TV news does not line up with this passage:

Isa 1:2-4, A ten-fold accusation

V2, Children have rebelled against God
V3, Israel doth not know
V3, My people doth not consider
V4, A sinful nation
V4, A people laden with iniquity
V4, A seed of evil doers
V4, Children that are corrupt
V4, They have forsaken the Lord
V4, They have provoked the Holy One of Israel to wrath
V4, They are gone away backward

Isa 1:6, “From the sole of their feet, even unto the head, there is no soundness.”

Civilization is a poor varnish and you only have to scratch it to turn up the same old egotism that has prevailed for thousands of years.

We have to break the mirror so that we can’t see how ugly we really are.

Isa 1:16-17, An eight-fold instruction

Wash you, make you clean
Put away the evil of your doings
Cease to do evil
Learn to do well
Seek judgment
Relieve the oppressed
Judge the fatherless
Plead for the widow

Isa 1:18, No matter how fast the colors are …

The blood of Christ can wash it out.

Though your sins be as scarlet …

Mark 9 on the Mount of Transfiguration

The Christian life on the mountain top, V2
Spiritual communion, occupied with Christ

V 9, in the plain
Practical, confident, occupied with Christ
“They saw no man save Jesus.”

What need is there of anyone else?

How John closes his message.
John 20:31, “These are written that ye might believe and that believing ye might live.”

How Luke closes his message.
Luke 24:47, “That repentance and remission of sins should be preached.”

How Mark closes his message.
Mark 16:16, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved.”

How Matthew closes his message.
Matt 28:20, “Teaching them to observe all things.”

Life ... Forgiveness … Salvation … Enlightenment.

Because by nature we are:
Dead … Sinful … Lost … and Ignorant

We see many people today with pierced ears. But not for the same Biblical principle.

‘And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children, I will not go out then his master shall bring him to the door or unto the door post and his master shall bore his ear through with an awl and he shall serve him for ever.”

A free-will bond slave, servant.

“The Lord hath opened my ear and I was not rebellious. Neither turned away my back,” Isa 50:5

… The willing pierced ear Servant of the Lord.

Maybe Christians who are truly serving the Lord ought to have their ears pierced, i.e., open to the listening of the Word of God.”

Christ our Servant example.

Do you know what God's first name is?

Give up?  It is Andy!

Andy walks with me,
Andy talks with me,
Andy calls me His own.

“Andy will never leave thee nor forsake thee.”

The Lord Jesus Christ is called the Servant of the Lord. And a successful one He was among all servants. Believers are servants of the Lord. In Isaiah 50, the Lord challenges the believer with these qualifications for a servant in order that we might receive the commendation and coronation and confession of …

“Well done thou good and faithful servant.”

Isa 50:5, Obedience to the Word of God
Isa 50:6, A willing sufferer
Isa 50:7, Q servant’s resolve
Isa 50:8-9, A servant’s triumph
Isa 50:10, A servant’s call to faithfulness

“Be ye imitators of God as beloved children.”

Isa 53 … Despised—yet accepted and adored
Poor—yet rich        to die—yet to live
The rabbis teach that there must be a double Messiah to fulfill this chapter.

In the sight of God—a tender Branch

In the sight of man—a root out of dry ground.

God is angry with the wicked, Isa 54:7

God is unwilling to punish, 2 Pet 3:9

God is glad to forgive, Isa 1:18

God rejoices over the forgiven, Luke 15:6-7

Isa 59:1, “Behold the Lord’s hand is not shortened that it cannot save, neither His ear heavy that it cannot hear.”

If our water supply runs short, we do not conclude that the river or the lake has run dry. But that are pipes are out of order.

“And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness and all kings thy glory and thou shalt be called by a new name which the mouth of the Lord shall name,” Isa 62:2

By a new name …
Saints because of their separation
Believers because of their faith
Brethren because of their love
Disciples because of their knowledge
Christians because of their Head

Psa 37:38, “But the transgressors shall be destroyed together; the end of the wicked shall be cut off.”

Straus when dying said to his daughter, “This is the last of me. Now we separate. I sink into nothing.”

Psa 40:7, “In the volume of the Book it is written of Me.”

There is only one Book.
There is only one Person.
The Person of the Book.

“In the volume of the Book it is written of Me,” Psa 40:7

It might be rendered, “In the unrolling of the scroll.”
Whenever the scroll is unrolled, we find Christ.

Exodus 14;13, “Moses said, “Stand still and see the deliverance of the Lord.”
The Lord said, “Go forward.”

No one can go forward in the strength of the Lord, until he has first stood still in his own helplessness.

Faith seems to be as feeble as a wall of water. But it is as strong as a wall of iron.

Exodus 14:22

Exodus 15:13, “Thou in Thy mercy hast led forth the people which Thou hast redeemed. Thou hast guided them in Thy strength unto Thy holy habitation.”

The redeemed are led forth. And then the redeemed are guided.
Where the Lord guides, the Lord provides.

Exodus 16:21, “And they gathered it every morning, every man according to his eating and when the sun waxed hot it melted.”

The day break blessing is a day-long gain. Seek the heavenly manna in the morning of your life.

“I am the Bread of life that came down from Heaven.”

Exodus 16:32, “And Moses said, ‘This is the thing which the Lord commandeth. Fill an omer of it to be kept for your generations that they may see the bread wherewith I have fed you in the wilderness when I brought you forth from the land of Egypt’.”

The way to enrich your life is to keep a retentive memory.

Exodus 17:6, “Behold I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb and thou shalt smite the rock and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.”

The Holy Spirit was not given until the Rock, Jesus Christ, was smitten.

Exodus 17:14, “And the Lord said unto Moses, ‘Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua, for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under Heaven.”

This prophecy was fulfilled in 1 Chronicles 4:43, “And they smote the rest of the Amelekites that were escaped and dwelt there unto this day.”
God keeps His protecting Word.

Satan's Promises.

Gen 3:4-5, “The serpent said unto the woman, ‘Ye shall not surely die for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened and ye shall be as Elohim knowing good and evil’.”

But notice who this promise came from:

John 8:41, “He abode not in the truth because there is no truth in him, when he speaketh a lie he speaketh of his own, for he is a liar and the father of it.”

With such a Divine estimate of Satan's character, before us what else can we do but discount the fulfillment of his promises.

Satan complains that there is a hedge around Job, Job 3:23
Job thinks that the hedge is to prevent him from getting out.
But it was really to keep Satan from getting in.

“Whoso breaketh a hedge, a serpent shall bite him,” Ecc 10:8

Instead of cursing the sin in which he was born, Job cursed the day in which he was born, Job 3:3.

By chastening, the Lord separates the sin that He hates from the sinner who He loves, Job 5:17.

It is as high as Heaven. What canst thou do? Deeper than hell what canst thou know? Job 11:8-9

The measure thereof is longer than the Earth, and broader than the sea.
The height, depth, length, and breadth.

“May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height,” Eph 3:18

“Man that is born of a woman is of few days and full of trouble, Job 14:1

People always complain that their days are few. And yet act as there was no end to them.

“His confidence shall be rooted out of His tabernacle and it shall bring him to "the king of terror,” Job 18:14

Death may be the king of terror, but Jesus Christ is the King of kings.

“For I know that my Redeemer liveth and that He shall stand at the latter days upon the Earth. And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God.” Job 19:25-26

Job believed in two great doctrines which most do not believe in: The doctrine of redemption and the doctrine of resurrection.

There is a tremendous promise hidden in an Old Testament passage which probably most Christians have never read.
It talks about God supplying all your needs — over and above anything you ask or think.

“And ye shall eat old store and bring forth the old because of the new,” Lev 26:10

The old provisions that you have been hiding and hoarding in the barn, take them out and eat them so that you can make room for the new store which the Lord is sending. Empty your shelves. This is a good promise for Y2K and other similar situations of want.

Notice the Unique Way in Which God Promises to Supply All Your Needs.

The Bible must be understood in the time in which it was written and the Jews were under an agricultural economy.
Notice the unique promises of provision:

“And ye shall eat old store and bring forth the old because of the new,” Lev 26:10

“And your threshing shall reach unto the vintage and the vintage shall reach unto the sowing time and ye shall eat your bread to the full and dwell in your land safely, Lev 26:5

“Behold the days come, saith the Lord, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed and the mountains shall drop sweet wine and all the hills shall melt,” Amos 9:13

A unique picturesque way that the Lord will provide.

“But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in Glory in Christ Jesus,” Phil 4:19
Jehovah Jireh!

“Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me.”

We may talk about the Lord Jesus Christ here now.

But when we get into the valley of the shadow of death we will talk “with Him.”

“My cup runneth over”

Why does the Lord make your cup run over? In order that you may taste the Grace of God. “Taste and see that the Lord is gracious.”

Grace is poured out upon His lips.

The Shepherd leads and goodness and mercy bring up the rear.
All believers have two footmen – goodness and mercy – coming in behind them.

Nearly everyone can repeat Psalm 23 from memory, but not every one can from the soul:

V 1, Perfect satisfaction
V 2, Rest and quietness
V 3, Restoration and guidance
V 5, Consecration and joy

With us, the Lord
Beneath us, green pastures
Beside us, still waters
Before us, a table
Around us, our enemies
After us, goodness and mercy
Ahead of us, the house of the Lord

The defending Name, Psa 20:1
“The Lord hear thee in a day of trouble. the Name of the God of Jacob defend thee.”

The displayed Name, Psa 20:5
“We will rejoice in Thy salvation and in the Name of our God we shall set up our banners. The Lord fulfill all thy petitions.”

The Name depended upon, Psa 20:7
“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we will remember the Name of the Lord our God.”

Psa 22, Yesterday
Psa 23, Today
Psa 24, For ever

“Jesus Christ – the same yesterday, today and for ever.”

Christ knows your frame
Christ knows your name
And Grace is Christ's game

We are saved by Grace.
We grow in Grace.
And we keep on tasting His Grace.

“Taste and see that the Lord is Gracious.”

Nehemiah faced six forms of opposition in his work

The laughter of the enemy, Neh 2:19
The grief of the enemy, Neh 2:10
The wrath of the enemy, Neh 4:1
The mocking of the enemy, Neh 4:3
The conflict with the enemy, Neh 4:8
The subtlety of the enemy, Neh 6:1, 10

Nehemiah began his work in prayer, Neh 1:4
“I prayed before the God of Heaven.”

Nehemiah continued his work in prayer, Neh 4:4
“Hear O our God.”

Nehemiah did not cease at the end of his work, Neh 13:31
“Remember me, O my God, for good.”

“Pray without ceasing “

Here is a good outline for a message for your pastor.

Neh 3:10 “Work against the house.”

There is a ministry we have for Christ at home, as well as on foreign fields.
You don’t have to cross a body of water to be a missionary.
We are in full-time Christian service wherever we are.

Are you at work??? Why not work as unto the Lord?

Neh 3:10 “Every man straight before him.”

Some were fighting, Joshua 4:20
Some were repairing, Neh 3:10
Some were watching, Neh 7:3
Some were looking, Prov 4:25

Whatever you do, do it with all your might as unto the Lord.

In Neh 8 the word “understand” occurs six times
V 2, 3, 7, 8, 12, 13

This is the importance of understanding and knowing the Word of God.

“My people are destroyed because of lack of knowledge.”
“Grow in Grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.”
 
 

People often tell Christians that is not Christlike to be mad. Well, Christ was mad and I find myself being mad also over the very same thing He was mad about. It is organized religion misrepresenting the Lord.

And the outstanding case in history is the case with Moses. God buried Moses Himself and Moses never went into the Promise Land because …
He misrepresented God. This is typical of organized religion.

Moses was told to speak to the rock and water would come out. This command was strictly by Grace.
But Moses disobeyed the Word of God and struck the rock and therefore he misrepresented the Lord.

And that is something to be mad about. We are flooded with religion misrepresenting God today.
I hope you are mad, too. “Be angry and sin not.”

If you are troubled about sin, sin is no longer the issue!

Why? Christ paid for all the sins of the world. Notice:

He covered it, Rom 4:7
He blotted it out, Isa 43:25
He removes it beyond recall, Psa 123:12
He hides it beyond discovery, Jer 50:20
He casts it into the depth of the sea, Micah 7:19
He casts it behind His back, Isa 38:17
He cleanses the sinner whiter than wool, Isa 1:18
He won’t impute it once it is forgiven, Rom 4:8
He will forgive it, Col 1:14

Sin is no longer the issue but Christ is. What think ye of Him?

What Does Salvation Save Us From?

From our sins, Matt 1:21
From coming wrath, Rom 5:9
From enemies satanic and human, Luke 1:69-71
From all trouble, Psa 34:6
From all uncleanness, Ezek 36:29
From sinful dwelling places, Ezek 37:23
From our distresses, Psa 107:13

“Thanks be to God for His unspeakable Gift!”

The Uniqueness of Redemption

It means to buy a captive out of a market place
To take away from the market place what was purchased
To set free and to let go

“Let the redeemed of the Lord say so.”

The Security of Our so Great Salvation

“He is at my right hand. I shall not be moved,” Psa 16:8
“None of them that trust in Him shall be desolate,” Psa 34:22
“He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved,” Psa 55:22
“The Lord is thy Keeper,” Psa 121:5
“The Lord preserveth all them that love Him,” Psa 145:20
“He preserved the way of His saints,” Prov 2:8
“He will keep the feet of His saints,” 1 Sam 2:9

A Young Peoples’ Program

“It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth,” Lam 3:27
“Remember now thy Creator in the day of thy youth,” Ecc 12:1
“The Child grew and waxed strong in spirit,” Luke 1:18
“Jesus Himself increased in wisdom and stature and in favour with God and man,” Luke 2:52
“I love them that love Me and those that seek Me early shall find Me,” Prov 5:17
“Let no man despise thy youth,” 1 Tim 4:12

Justified by Christ

“Being justified freely by His Grace,” Rom 3:24
“Therefore being justified by faith,” Rom 5:1
“The free gift, justification of life,” Rom 5:18
“It is God that justifieth,” Rom 8:23
“Being justified by His Grace,” Titus 3:7
“Ye cannot be justified by the law of Moses,” Act 13:39
“But now being justified by His blood,” Rom 5:9
“In the Lord shall be justified,” Isa 45:25

Believing in Christ is Receiving Christ.

“As many as received Him … to them that believe,” John 1:12
“If thou believest with all thy heart ... I believe,” Acts 8:37
“If thou shalt ... believe in thine heart,” Rom 10:8-10
“That Christ may dwell in your heart by faith,” Eph 3:17
“Believe ... that ye may know you have eternal life, 1 John 5:13
“Whoso believeth in Him shall have everlasting life,” John 3:6
“He that believeth on Me hath everlasting life,” John 6:47
“Blessed are they that have not seen, but yet have believed,” John 20:29
“For by Grace are ye saved through faith,” Eph 2:8
“He that believeth in Him shall not be confounded,” 1 Pet 2:6
“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved,” Acts 16:31

Restoration Back to Fellowship for the Believer is Important

“I will heal their backsliding. I will love them freely,” Hosea 14:4
“If any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father,” 1 John 2:1
“I acknowledged my sin unto Thee ... Thou forgavest,” Psa 32:5
“Your sins are forgiven you for His Name’s sake,” 1 John 2:12
“I have sinned ... Bring forth the best robe,” Luke 14:21-22
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness,” 1 John 1:9

We Never Have to be Ashamed.

“They shall not be ashamed that wait for Me,” Isa 49:23
“I know I shall not be ashamed,” Isa 50:7
They looked unto Him, their faces were not ashamed,” Psa 34:5
“I am not ashamed of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ,” Rom 1:16
“Hope maketh not ashamed, Rom 5:5
“In nothing shall I be ashamed,” Phil 1:20, 2 Tim 1:12
‘Be not ashamed of the testimony of our Lord,” 2 Tim 1:8
“God is not ashamed to be called their God, Heb 11:16
“As a Christian let him not be ashamed,” 1 Pet 4:16

God’s Faithfulness

“His faithfulness reaches unto the clouds,” Psa 36:5
“Thy faithfulness in all generations,” Psa 59:1
“O Lord, in faithfulness Thou hast afflicted me,” Psa 119:75
“In faithfulness, answer me,” Psa 143:1
“He is God, the faithful God,” Deut 7:9
“Faithfulness, the girdle of thine loins,” Isa 11:5
“I have declared Thy faithfulness,” Psa 40:10
“To show forth Thy faithfulness every night,” Psa 92:3

God's Desire is for Us to be Faithful

“Daniel forasmuch as He was faithful,” Dan 6:4
“They which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham,” Gal 3:9
“Moses was faithful in all his house,” Heb 3:5
“He counted me, Paul, faithful,” 1 Tim 1:12
“Silvanus, a faithful brother unto you,” 1 Pet 5:12
“Epaphrus, a faithful minister of Christ,” Col 1:7
“Tychicus, a faithful minister,” Col 4:7
“Timothy, my beloved son, faithful in the Lord,” 1 Cor 4:17
“Onesimus, a faithful and beloved brother,” Col 4:9
“Gaius, thou doest faithfully,” 3 John 5
“Antipas, my faithful martyr,” Rev 2:13
“The Church in Smyrna, faithful unto death,” Rev 2:14
“Well done thou good and faithful servant.”

Christ Our Welcomed Visitor

“God will surely visit you,” Gen 50:24
“What is man that thou shouldest visit him,” Job 7:17-18
“O visit me with Thy salvation, Psa 106:4
“God did at that time visit the gentiles, Acts 15:14
“Thou hast visited me in the night, Psa 17:3
“The Dayspring hath visited us,” Luke 1:68, 71
“Behold I stand at the door,” Rev 4:20

Christ, a welcomed visitor. He came to visit and He stayed.

The Guiding Star

“There shall come a Star out of Jacob,” Num 24:17
“We have seen His star in the east,” Matt 2:2
“Till the Daystar arise in your hearts,” 2 Pet 1:19
“I will give Him the morning star, Rev 2:28
“I am the bright and Morning Star,” Rev 22:16

The Guiding Star, every day is Christmas.

Oh Captain, My Captain!

“In their rebellion, appointed a captain,” Neh 9:14
“As Captain of the Lord of hosts am I now come,” Joshua 5:14
“David became a captain over them,” 1 Sam 22:2
“God Himself is with us for our Captain,” 2 Chr 13:12

“The Captain of their salvation,” Heb 2:10

Our commanding Captain!

A Provident Husband

“For thy Maker is thy Husband,” Isa 54:4-5
“I am an Husband unto them, saith the Lord,” Jer 31:32
 “I have espoused you to one Husband, Christ,” 2 Cor 11:2

There are no single Christians. All Christians are married. There is no need for single groups.
There are no orphans either!

The Medicine of Cheer ...

God is blessed, or happy, and there never was a time when God was not happy. He wants you to be happy also. He wants to give you His happiness.

“A merry heart doeth good like medicine,” Prov 17:22
“A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance,” Prov 15:13
“Let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth,” Ecc 11:9

The word here is literally the mind, so this is a mental attitude.

Why Should We be Cheerful?

“Be of good cheer, thy sins be forgiven thee,” Matt 9:2
“Be of good cheer, it is I. Be not afraid,” Matt 14:27
“Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world,” John 16:32
“Be of good cheer, thou must bear witness,” Acts 23:11
“I exhort thee be of good cheer,” Acts 27:22
“Be of good cheer for I believe God,” Acts 27:25, 36
“God loveth a cheerful giver,” 2 Cor 9:7
“He that showeth mercy with cheerfulness,” Rom 12:5

Therefore, “Rejoice and again I say rejoice.”

A Unique Look at God’s Omnipresence

“Am I a God at hand,” Jer 23:23, 24
“Be not far from me for trouble is near,” Psa 22:11
“Though He be not far from every one of us,” Acts 17:27, Psa 139:7-10
“The Lord will be with you,” 2 Chr 20:17

Immanuel = God with us!

Immanuel

“Lo, I am with you all the days,” Matt 28:26
“Christ liveth in me,” Gal 2:20
“Certainly I will be with thee,” Exodus 3:12
“For God is with us,” Isa 8:10
“The Lord of hosts is with us,” Psa 46:7
“Emmanuel, God with us, Matt 1:23
“The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon Him,” Psa 145:18
“I am with thee and no man shall set on thee to hurt,” Acts 18:10

“I will never leave thee nor forsake thee”

This promise is not only one of the most precious in the Bible, but also the most remarkable in that you can read it backwards and it means the same thing …
Take it the wrong way around:

Thee forsake, nor thee leave, never will I.

Hebrew is read from left to right.
You can’t get this promise backwards. Claim it. If you are coming or if you are going.

Are You in Need of Comfort?

“The God of all comfort,” 2 Cor 1:3
“As one whom his mother comforteth even so will I comfort you,” Isa 66:13
“Another Comforter,” John 14:16
“God that comforteth those that are cast down.” “Comforteth in your comfort,” 2 Cor 7:6, 13
“The Lord answered the angel with good words and comfortable words,” Zech 1:13
“Comfort ye one another with these words,” 1 Thess 4:15

Three sources of comfort: God the Father, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Word of God, and in addition, God the Holy Spirit, another Comforter.

There is probably no gold in Ft. Knox.  And we seem no longer to be mining for gold.
Like there is gold in them there hills!

I know where you can find some if you want to stock up, in case the price of gold goes up.

Psa 119:72, “The law of Thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver.” Hi ho silver!

Psa 19:10, The statutes of the law ... “more to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold.”

Psa 119:140, “The Words of the Lord are pure Words …” as silver is tried in a furnace of Earth, purified seven times.

The gold rush is on.

Words are the garments of thoughts

The Bible, therefore, as the Word of God, is the outer expression of His inner thoughts. Scripture is the revelation of the Divine mind.

The Word of God is alive and powerful, Heb 4:12
In His Word do I hope, Psa 130:5
To Him that trembleth at My Word, Isa 66:2
This Word that came from the Lord, Jer 26:1
Thy Word have I hid in my heart, Psa 119:11

If you notice Psalm 119 and see where the expressions are used like “My Word,” “the Word of God,” “the Word,” “Thy Word,” “This Word.”

You will find enough promises to last you at least till this evening.

The inspiration of the Trinity

Heb 1:1, “God who in sundry times and divers manners spoke …”
2 Cor 13:3, “Christ speaketh in me”
1 Pet 1:11, 2 Pet 1:21, “It is not ye that speak, but God the Holy Spirit.”

Are you listening to Them?

The teaching ministry of the Trinity.

Isa 48:17, “The Lord God which teacheth thee to profit.”
Gal 1:12, “I was taught by the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
John 14:26, “The Holy Spirit, He shall teach you all things.”

Not a bad group of teachers. Right students?

The fellowship of the Trinity

1 John 1:3, “Our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Phil 2:1, “If any fellowship of the Spirit.”

The cure for care!

“The very hairs of your head are all numbered,” Matt 10:30
“A bruised reed shall He not break,” Isa 42:3
“He shall fed His flock like a Shepherd,” Isa 40:11
“Take no thought for tomorrow,“ Matt 6:34
“I would have you without carefulness,” 1 Cor 7:32
“No man careth for my soul, Psa 142:1, Luke 10:40
“Cast all your cares upon Him for He careth for you,” 1 Pet 5:7

“We are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus,” Gal 3:26

“They shall be called the children of God,” Matt 5:9

“We are the children of God,” Rom 8:16, 17, 21

“We know that we love the children of God,” 1 John 5:2

A Christian is a child of God. Christianity is a relationship, not a religion.

“Cast all your cares upon Him for He careth for you.”

Through every moment of every day
Whatever may meet you on life's way
This thought shall be thy strength and stay

He cares.

When shadow veils the fairest scene
And pleasures fade that might have been
On this unchanging Saviour lean

He cares.

He marks the steps He goes before
From this time forth for evermore
Then from thy soul let praise outpour

He cares.

When the Levitical priest entered the Holy Place, he first came to a laver, which had water in it, and the base of it was a mirror.

The water and the mirror emphasized the importance of the Word of God. You look into the Word and you see yourself and it is necessary to be cleansed for service.

Eph 5:26, “Cleansed by the washing of the water by the Word.”
2 Cor 3:18, “But we all with open face beholding as in a glass.”

It is the principle of necessity for cleansing for believers.

1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Isa 52:11, “Be ye clean that bear the vessels of the Lord.”

The absolute honesty of the Bible is no more clearly brought out than in a marriage situation listed for us in Gen 30.

Think of this ugly list:

Gen 30:1, Envy
“And when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister; and said unto Jacob, Give me children, or else I die.”

Gen 30:2, Anger
“And Jacob's anger was kindled against Rachel: and he said, Am I in God's stead, who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womb?”

Gen 30:4, Impatience
“And she gave him Bilhah her handmaid to wife: and Jacob went in unto her.”

Gen 30:14, Human devices for forestalling God's purposes
“And Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest, and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them unto his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, Give me, I pray thee, of thy son's mandrakes.”

Gen 30:32, Deceptive scheming
“I will pass through all thy flock to day, removing from thence all the speckled and spotted cattle, and all the brown cattle among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats: and of such shall be my hire.”

Gen 30:41-43, The most absolute selfishness
“And it came to pass, whensoever the stronger cattle did conceive, that Jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the cattle in the gutters, that they might conceive among the rods. But when the cattle were feeble, he put them not in: so the feebler were Laban's, and the stronger Jacob's. And the man increased exceedingly, and had much cattle, and maidservants, and menservants, and camels, and asses.”

A marriage made in Heaven???

“Blessed are the merciful for they shall receive mercy”

This is the principle of Grace-oriented believers – those who receive Grace and treat others in Grace.

1 Pet 5:5-6, “Yea all of you be subject one to another and be clothed with humility.”
An apron of humility.

The example and the principle:
John 13:4, “Christ riseth from supper and laid aside His garments and took a towel and girded Himself.”
An apron of humility ... needed for service. Grace oriented.

If you ever get discouraged in witnessing, or spreading the Word of God, or in helping others spread the Word … Here is a promise for you and me and all of us!

Ecc 11:6, “In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand; for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good.”

Our responsibility is only to sow. The Lord's responsibility is to give the increase.

1 Cor 3:6, “I have planted, Apollos hath watered, but God gave the increase.”

Did you ever notice how embracing the word “Word” is?

The Word and Deity, John 1:1
The Word and creation, John 1:1-3
The Word and life, John 1:4-5, 9
The Word and the world, John 1:10
The Word and men, John 1:11-13
The Word Incarnate, John 1:14
The Word Revealed, John 1:16-18

Did you ever notice the Bible and its many descriptions as food?

Milk, 1 Cor 3:2
Strong meat, 1 John 2:14
Bread, Deut 8:3
Honey, Psa 119:103

It is good to have a well-balanced meal. “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” “Take eat …”

“Having nothing and yet possessing all things”

Why?

Because …
God’s eternity is the date of our happiness.
His unchangeableness is the rock of our rest.
His omnipotence is the constant guard of our life.
His faithfulness is the security of each new day.
His mercies are the unfailing overflowing store.
His omniscience is the careful overseer to guide us.
His wisdom is the judicious counselor to instruct us.
His omnipresence is the assurance of sweet company.
His holiness is the fact of sanctifying Grace.
His all sufficiency is the lot of our inheritance.
His infinity is the extent of our glorious portion.

“Having nothing yet possessing all things.”

Seeking to link the promises to the various phases of our spiritual life we find that they cover a very wide area.

There is a need for every promise and a promise for every need.

Examining the nature of these manifold promises we will discover that each great promise is:

A shaft to lighten the day’s journey.
A key to unlock the day’s program.
A moral to quicken the day’s appetite.
A tonic to energize the day’s doing.

The Benedictions of the Bible

“Grace be with you all,” Titus 3:15
“Grace be with them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity,” Eph 6:24
“The Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ the Son of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all,” 2 Cor 13:14
“The God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ make you perfect,” Heb 13:20-21
“Now unto Him that is able to keep thee from falling,” Jude 1:24, 25

Between the Father and the Son there has ever existed that pure delight, possible only to Deity.

Prov 3:12, “As a Father loveth the Son in whom He delighteth.”
Prov 8:30, “I was daily His delight.”
Prov 22:8, “Seeing He delighteth in Him.”
“Malachi, the messenger of the covenant whom ye delight in.”
2 Pet 1:17, “My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” Literally “Delighted.“

God’s delight is in His beloved Son.

The Lord delights in the believers.

Num 14:8, “If the Lord delight in us, then He will bring us into this land.”
Psa 16:3, “The saints in whom is all My delight.”
Psa 149:4, “The Lord taketh delight in His people.”
Prov 8:31, “My delights are with the sons of men.”
Isa 62:4, “The Lord delighteth in thee.”
Mal 3:12, “Ye shall be a delightsome land.”
SOS 7:6, “How fair and how pleasant are thou, O love, for delights.”

God delights in the way of His people.

Psa 37:23, “He delighteth in his way.”
2 Sam 22:20, “He delivered me because He delighteth in me.” Also in Psalm 18:19.
1 Kings 10:9, “Blessed be the Lord thy God which delighteth in thee.”

God delights in honesty and integrity.

Prov 11:1, “A just weight is His delight.”
Prov 11:30, “Such as are upright in their way are His delight.”
Prov 12:22, “They that deal truly are His delight.”
Prov 16:13, “Righteous lips are His delight.”
Pursuing this aspect of meditation further, we discover that we are commanded to delight ourselves in the Lord.

So we have a kind of "mutual delight society."
Psa 37:4, “Delight thyself in the Lord.”

It is only fair if the Lord delights Himself in us, it stands to reason we should delight ourselves in Him.

One of the ways to delight in the Lord is to delight in His Word.

Psa 1:2, “His delight is in the law of the Lord.”
Psa 112:1, “Blessed is the man that delighteth greatly in His commandments.”
Psa 119:16, 22, 24, 35, 47, 70, 92, 143, 174

“I will delight myself in Thy statutes.”
Jer 6:10, “The Words of the Lord, they have no delight in them.”
Rom 7:22, “I delight in the law of God.”

In the President's prayer during the New Year's Eve celebration in the White House, he prayed for and quoted a passage of Scripture in Isaiah 2:4.

He prayed to “beat the swords into ploughshares.”

But that can’t be accomplished until Christ returns.

He should have quoted Joel, where it says “turn your ploughshares into swords.”

Psa 130:7, “With Him is plenteous redemption,” A.D. 2000

How stupendous and far reaching was the work of the Cross. The tragedy is that although Christ died for all, only a few in comparison have appropriated their redemption.

There are 150 references to our redemption. Go over them some time and see if you have claimed all your redemption rights.

Redeemed from iniquity, Titus 2:14
Redeemed from the curse and bondage of the Law, Gal 3:13
Redeemed from the power of sin, Rom 6:18
Redeemed from any kind of bondage, Exodus 6:6
Redeemed from all evil and trouble, distress, adversity, Psa 25:22, 1 Kings 1:29, 2 Sam 4:9, Gen 48:16
Redeemed from deceit and violence, Psa 72:14
Redeemed from death and hell, Job 5:20, Psa 103:4, Hosea 13:14
Redeemed from all enemies, Psa 136:24, Micah 4:10
Redeemed from the great enemy, the terrible one, Psa 106:10, Psa 107:2, Jer 15:21, Jer 31:11

If we are redeemed, we should know what we are redeemed from ... Ain’t it?

The Bible is called many things besides being called the Scriptures.

One of the most refreshing and fulfilling names for the Bible is “tender grass.”

Deut 32:2, “My doctrine shall drop as the rain; My speech shall distill as the dew; as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass,”

2 Sam 23:2, 4, “His Word was in my tongue as the tender grass springing out of the Earth by clearing shining after rain.”

Here we have a striking symbol drawn from nature of the refreshing and reviving influences of the Scriptures.

What a promise of spiritual quickening there is in the truths of the Bible being able to revive and quicken our parched souls and the dry barren condition of the Church, just as the continuous rain brings new life to the field and lawns.

How we need these showers of blessings!

Isaiah’s New Year’s Celebration/New Year’s Eve Party

Isa 56:12, “Come ye, say they, I will fetch wine and we will fill ourselves with strong drink and tomorrow shall be as this day and much more abundant.”

I will bet there were a lot of headaches the next morning!

Luke 6:46, “And why call ye Me Lord, Lord and do not the things that I say?”

You call Me Master and obey Me not.
You call Me the Light and see Me not.
You call Me the Way and walk Me not.
You call Me the Life and desire Me not.
You call Me wise and follow Me not.
You call Me rich and ask Me not.
You call Me fair and love Me not.
You call Me eternal and seek Me not.
You call Me gracious and trust Me not.
You call Me noble and serve Me not.
You call Me mighty and honour Me not.
You call Me just and fear Me not.
If I condemn you, blame Me not.

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