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Divine Sugar Sticks for April 2000
Saturday, April 29, 2000 Growth! Most Christians evidently do not grow. Otherwise, there
would not be a command in the Word of God to grow. 2 Pet 3:18. There are three
stages of growth in 1 John 2:12-14: Babe (little children), young man,
(adolescent, sophomore), and mature fathers. Little children, a babe: They
can produce Divine Good through the filling of the Holy Spirit but they spend
quite a bit of time out of fellowship, carnal. He is
not oriented to the Grace of God and the Plan of God. He
often has a maximum amount of human viewpoint in his mind and very little Divine
Viewpoint. Isa 55:7-8 He is unstable. He
cannot talk or communicate intelligently and usually does not have a frame of
reference. He has to be entertained and amused, and
must receive maximum attention from others. He cannot
eat solid food, but only can take in basics. Does that describe you or I?
Growth – Part Two Adolescent BelieversHe can
produce Divine Good through the filling of the Holy Spirit and application of
the Word of God to experience. He gets violently out
of fellowship and is a troublemaker, but does use 1 John 1:9 quite consistently,
a sophomore with a little knowledge and sometimes dangerous. Mature BelieversHe can
produce Divine Good through the filling of the Holy Spirit. He
has a maximum amount of the Word of God stored in his human spirit. He
is oriented to the Grace of God and he has a relaxed mental attitude. He
is enjoying inner happiness. He has the capacity to love the Lord, his wife, his
children, and others. And enjoys having the mastery over the details of life and
is not a slave to them. He or she has maximum
production because of having no calluses on the soul because of the constant
inhale and exhale of the Word of God. Thus he or she
stays in fellowship a maximum amount of time and out of fellowship a minimum
amount of time. Believers in a Local Church may range all the way from babyhood to complete maturity. Mature believers should teach the baby believers. Mature believers fulfill the salt and light principle found in Matt 5:13-16.
Growth – Part Three There are degrees of growth, but there is no degree of spirituality. While one helps the other, they are different in every respect. Growth in the Christian life does not remain static. There is progression and there is retrogression. One of the great objectives in the Christian life is to get the one who is born again to grow. That is the function of the Local Church. The Local Church is the only Biblically-ordained organization for that function. A zeal without knowledge is unfruitful. Rom 10:2-4, ”For I bear thee record that they have a zeal of God but know according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness are going about to establish their own righteousness. And have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth.” Also check out 2 Tim 3:7. Commanded to Grow 1 Pet 2:2, “As new born babes desire the sincere milk
of the Word that ye may grow thereby.” Desire = have an appetite for the Word. ”That I may know Him.”
Soul Breathing! If you are a believer then you are tricotomos, which means you have a spirit, soul, and body. The real you is the soul. We take in air and exhale air in other to breathe and stay alive physically. We also take in the Word of God and exhale the Word of God in our souls, soul breathing. Here is what happens in your soul. Say hello! Self-Consciousness of the Soul Mentality of the Soul Volition or Free Will of the Soul Emotions of the Soul The Conscience of the Soul You inhale the Word of God and the entire soul is breathing. The old sin nature is stopped from distorting the function of the soul and God is glorified. Want to see what you were like in your soul before you
breathed in and out the Word of God? Self-consciousness–you
are aware of yourself. Mentality–you are thinking
only of yourself. Volition–you are making decisions
to please only you. Emotions–you appreciate
thinking about yourself and doing things that satisfy you. Conscience–you
have your own human norms and standards.. Old sin
nature is running full throttle controlling your life, with lusts of all kinds
– materialism lust, approbation lust, sex lust, etc., etc. Isn’t it enough to make you sick?
Heaven’s Three Designations New Heaven, Rev 21:1 The eternal new Heaven The eternal new Earth The eternal new Jerusalem.
Eph 4:17, “This I say therefore and testify in the Lord
that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk in the vanity of their minds.” Eph 4:18, “Having the understanding darkened and
alienated from the life of God through ignorance that is in them because of the
blindness of their minds.” Eph 4:19, “Who, being past feeling, have given
themselves over to lasciviousness to work all uncleanness with greediness.” Eph 4:20, “But ye have not so learned Christ.”
Believers are to wise up and stop acting like an unbeliever. The first solution is to get back in fellowship by 1 John
1:9 and begin to take in the Word of God on a crash program. Third solution: Growing to maturity, from babe to adolescent to fathers.
The Holy Spirit in the Church Age 1. The Holy Spirit indwells every regenerate person. Rom
5:5, 8:8-9 Anything the unbeliever can do is not the Christian way of life or spirituality.
Friday, April 28, 2000 The Doctrine of Inheritance 1. Christ is the heir of all things, Heb 1:2 Heir today, gone tomorrow!
The Incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ 1. The incarnation is the revealing of
God, through the humanity of Jesus Christ to the human race. The revelation: The purpose of the revelation: John 14:6, “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life, and no one cometh unto the Father but by Me.” Mary is not the mother of God, as has been taught and still is being taught. Christ died. God can’t die. Mary is the mother of the humanity of Jesus Christ. God doesn’t have a mother. God has a Father. That is Jesus Christ and God the Father. So long Pope!
Greek Grace Gems! 1 Pet 5:5, “Likewise ye younger submit yourselves unto the elder, yea, all of you be subject one to another and be clothed with humility for God resisteth the proud and giveth Grace to the humble.” The Greek word for “humility” is TAPEINOPHROSUNE. Humility is a mental attitude thought pattern of Grace. The word here PHROSUNE is thinking, the mind. Grace thinking recognizes that we, at no time, earn or deserve any blessing from God. Humility understands that everything depends on who and what God is and has done. Humility is not self-effacement, like you hear people say, “Aw shucks, that was nothing.” Nor is it telling your failures. Nor is it telling jokes on yourself to show how stupid you are, or standing round shouldered. Humility, Grace thinking, causes a believer to have no illusions about himself. Thus, the believer becomes mature. Instead of having an inferiority complex or superiority complex, he has a relaxed mental attitude. Mental attitude humility produces a relaxed mental attitude towards believers that have authority over them. Only mental attitude Grace can give a believer submission to the teaching authority of another. Pride is the opposite of humility and always resents and rejects the authority of someone teaching the Word of God. Thus, humility greatly increases the learning of the Word of God and, of course, this causes the believer to be spiritually self sustaining. A believer that has the correct Biblical concept of humility, is a wonderful believer to be around. They are relaxed and confident and dogmatic and sure and not double-minded. In the Old Testament, this word appears as a noun three times, in all its forms about 40 times. It is found in the New Testament approximately 15 times.
Believers Being Dishonest in Business Eph 4:28, “Stop stealing now.” Paul is saying you are in the process of stealing. So, stop it now. The present tense means they are doing it now. The active voice means they are doing it. And it is in the imperative mood, which means this is a command to stop. In place of stealing, engage in legitimate business practices. Every believer has the right to make a living and to labor and to work and to work hard. ”That he may give.” The believer also has a responsibility to give to others in need. The believer in business is in full-time Christian service, just as much as any minister or missionary. Dishonesty neutralizes this portion of the Christian’s ministry and duty. Therefore, he is grieving the Holy Spirit and out of fellowship. All day on the job and every day on the job.
The Sins of the Tongue – Among the Seven Worst Sins Eph 4:29, “Every word that is corrupt out of your mouth let it not proceed,” flow out, “but that which is good to the use of building up,” edifying, “that it may give,” minister, ”present Grace in the hearers.” Instead of the sins of the tongue, build, edify, mature. ”Good,” is good that is intrinsically good, Divine
good. The Divine Viewpoint of life. We are to pass Grace on to others – by the
use of the tongue. Most believers today try to minimize the sins of the tongue and the mental attitude sins and build up the sins of an overt nature. Verse 30, the 10 grievances in Eph chapter four. They can
be put into three groups: Verse 31, the results of the grieving of the Holy Spirit. Verse 32, the results of the filling of the Holy Spirit.
The History of Civilization as Related to the Word of God The Divine interpretation of history is set forth in the Word of God. The Bible gives the mind of Christ in regard to the ups and downs of civilizations. According to the Bible, when there is a saturation of the
Word of God in any one generation or period of history, there is prosperity and
blessing from God. Great Britain became great because of her adherence to the Word of God. When the Word of God was forsaken, down went the nation. Likewise the United States. History has proved that God established four Divine
Institutions for both the believer and the unbeliever, for operating in the
devil’s world. God operates through different administrations or
dispensations. Eph 3:1-10 History proves that we learn from history, that we
learn nothing from history.
Greek Grace Gems! The word “hope” in the New Testament is a very special word. It looks like this: ELPIS. It means a joyful anticipation of something that is sure to happen. It’s not like our English word, “hope,” where we wish this will happen. This Greek word said it has to happened. Now, the Hope of Israel is of their coming Messiah at the Second Advent, His kingdom on Earth, plus the new Earth of eternity. Luke 1:54, 67-79, 2:28, Acts 26:6-7, Acts 28:20, Eph 2:12 The Abrahamic covenant, as amplified by the Palestinian,
Davidic, and new covenants promised to Israel: Abraham was promised a city, the New Jerusalem. Abraham, though a millionaire, lived in a tent and his hope was vested in this promise mentioned in Heb 11:9-10. The hope for the Church is centered in the blessed Hope, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Rapture, the return of Christ to catch up His bride. Titus 2:13-15, 1 John 3:2-3, 1 Thes 4:13-18, etc. The Word of God indicates that strength to live the Christian way of life depends upon the believers’ hope, sureness concerning eternity. 1 John 3:3, “And every man that hath this hope in Him purified himself, even as He is pure.” Hope is the mental attitude that results from application of the Word, such as an eternal inheritance. 1 Pet 1:4-5, the new home, yet future. John 14:1-3, the resurrection body, 1 Cor 15:51-57, Phil 3:21, 1 John 3:1-2. Hope is derived from such passages as Rev 21:4, which states there will be no more tears, death, pain. Hope is a kind word with encouragement and confidence. Because of hope we have in Christ, death has lost its sting and the grave its victory, 1 Cor 15:54-58. Therefore, the word, “hopeless,” should not even be in the vocabulary of a believer. That is a word for the unbeliever who is without hope, without Christ, and without eternal life.
The Ministry of God the Holy Spirit in the Millennium! 1. All believers of all ages will be in resurrection bodies in the Millennium, with the exception of the Tribulational believers. 2. Tribulational believers who are alive at the Second Advent will go into the Millennium in their physical bodies. 3. These believers in physical bodies will be indwelt by God the Holy Spirit. 4. All believers in physical bodies, non-resurrection
bodies, will have old sin natures. 5. When Jesus Christ returns to the Earth at the Second Advent, all the demons will be removed from the Earth, including Satan. Therefore, there will be no religion. 6. Because Christ is on the Earth and it is not necessary to produce the character of Christ, spirituality then becomes a matter of ecstatics, which is an appreciation for the person of Christ as He lives and reigns on this Earth. 7. There will be great spirituality in the Millennium
because Jesus Christ will be present and there will be perfect environment. Joel
2:28-29. Verse 29, “Upon the servants and upon the handmaids.”
All believers in the Millennium will be indwelt by God the Holy Spirit. Now, with this in mind, you can look forward to it and you will know it when you get there.
The Holy Spirit’s Ministry in the Old Testament 1. The Holy Spirit never permanently indwelt anyone in the Old Testament. 2. He came upon them and empowered them for a special function and then left. 3. Joseph was the first believer mentioned as being empowered in Gen 41:38 and he was empowered by the Holy Spirit to preserve a nation from starvation during a famine. 4. Bezaleel and Aholiab, workers on the tabernacle, were given special wisdom and ability through the Holy Spirit, Ex 35:30-35. 5. Moses and the elders, 70, who helped him were empowered by the Holy Spirit to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt, Num 11:16-17. 6. The workers on Aaron’s garments, Ex 28:3. 7. King David was empowered, 1 Sam 16:13. 8. King Saul was empowered, 1 Sam 10:6. Saul could have been Israel’s greatest king. but through sin and continuous disobedience, the Holy Spirit left Saul, 1 Sam 16:14. 9. The prophets were empowered. Elijah and Elisha in 1 and 2 Kings. Isaiah and Daniel in 2 Pet 1:21. 10. Samson, a judge, was empowered, Judges 13:25, 14:6, 15:14. The Holy Spirit empowered specific people for specific jobs. The Holy Spirit gave some people special understanding and wisdom. Some became great leaders of God’s people, such as some of the judges. Some, to reveal God’s Word, were writers of the Old Testament. The Holy Sspirit gave some special skills or unusual physical strength for use in God’s service, such as: Workers on the tabernacle, Samson. And the Holy Spirit was removed because: The work was finished or because of sin. David prayed “Take not Thy Holy Spirit from me,” because he could lose the Holy Spirit. But we can’t, so don’t pray David’s prayer. We can quench and grieve the Holy Spirit, but He, too, will never leave you, along with God the Father and God the Son.
Thursday, April 27, 2000 Inner Beauty! 1. What you think cannot be seen in either male or
female. But, the result of what you think is apparent. “As a man thinketh in
his mind so is he.” Inner beauty is ageless.
Inner Beauty – Part Two 1. A woman cannot win her unbelieving husband to the Lord apart from inner beauty, which is accomplished through the filling of the Spirit and knowledge of the Word of God. This results in her being Grace oriented, having inner happiness, a relaxed mental attitude, capacity for love and life, and the mastery over the details of life. 2. This is the woman’s charm, but it also belongs to all believers who are controlled by God the Holy Spirit and have the Word of God stored in their human spirit. 1 Tim 2:9, 10, 15. 1 Tim 2:9, “Modest apparel” is well-arranged apparel. 1 Tim 2:10, Godliness, God-like-ness 1 Tim 2:11 “If” is a 3rd class condition, which means potential. In faith, faith in the Word. “Charity,” is the filling of the Holy Spirit. “Love” is sobriety, mental attitude stability. Inner happiness is God’s cold cream. It’s ageless.
Most people when they talk about the Lord Jesus Christ say that He is a good man and a good teacher and an ethical person and that He never did anything wrong, like Pontius Pilate, “I find no fault in Him.” They also say that the God of the Old Testament is full of wrath and punishment. But the God of the New Testament is love and compassion. They refer to Jesus Christ in contrast to the Old Testament as “sweet Jesus.” Since Jesus Christ is true humanity and also absolute Divinity, He is the God of the Old Testament and of the New Testament and He will display to you what it is that makes Him, God, angry. Now here is one verse, if you will concentrate you will see all the essence of God in Christ – love and Grace and compassion and also wrath and anger. And, what is it that Christ is angry with? Matt 23:37, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee. How often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings.” Now right there you see love, compassion, and Grace. “Sweet
Jesus.” Notice this other verse where Christ gets angry again. ”Therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.” No, the God of the Old Testament is the God of the New Testament. The only problem is, is that Jesus Christ is more than love.
Wednesday, April 26, 2000 God is Love! Many people say that God is love, and He is. When you ask them, “Is that in the Bible?” They say, “Yes.” And when you ask them to show it to you, they can’t find it. But it is in the Bible. Do you know where it is? Can you find it without using software? Well, God is love, but that is not all He is. So don’t stop there. He is also righteousness and justice, and that means wrath. If you want to know what makes God mad, I will tell you. Do you want to make Him mad? I know how. Do you want to do it, since you think He is only love. Well, this is how you do it. It is very easy. God gets angry when love’s purposes are frustrated. Find out what made the Lord Jesus Christ mad. ”He that believeth on the Son hath eternal life, but he that believeth not on the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him.”
Eph 1:13, “In Whom ye also trusted after that ye heard the Word of Truth, the Gospel of your salvation, in Whom also after that ye believed ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise.” Three stages to salvation are given in this passage. 1. You must hear the Word of Truth. ”After that when ye
heard the Word of Truth.” The sealing ministry of the Holy Spirit is the basis of our eternal security, Eph 4:30. Sealing indicates:
Eph 1:14, “Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession unto the praise of glory.” A portion of our inheritance. A. The Holy Spirit is the earnest down payment of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, which is the resurrection of the believer’s body at the Rapture, 1 Thes 4:13-18 B. “Earnest” in the Greek means a dot with a circle around it. The Lord has put a circle around us. We are His possession. And this is our position in Christ. 2 Cor 1:22, “He hath also sealed us and given the earnest of the spirit in our minds.” We are His possession and He is our possession. He owns us and we own Him.
Results of the Filling of the Holy Spirit A. Imitation of Christ, John 16:14, 2
Cor 3:3, Phil 1:20, Gal 4:19 ”Be not drunk with wine wherein is excess, but be filled with the Spirit.”
The Doctrine of the Transition of God the Holy Spirit A. Just as the Holy Spirit sustained the humanity of the
Lord Jesus Christ during His ministry, so the Holy Spirit sustains the believer
in the Lord Jesus Christ. John 14:12 ”Put on the Lord Jesus Christ,” i.e., the filling of the Holy Spirit. Rom 13:14 accomplished by 1 John 1:9.
Greek Grace Gems! Eph 5:1, “Be ye therefore follows of God as dear children.” The Greek word for “followers” is literally “imitators.” MIMEOMAI, the word from which we get mimic. 1. As members of the family of God we should bear the
family resemblance, Gal 3:26, 1 John 1:1
Tuesday, April 25, 2000 Biblical Principles on Giving 1. The more you give, the more you receive back, 2 Cor
9:6. It is the principle found in Prov 11:24-25 where the farmer is planting a
seed. The more he sows, the more he harvests. 2. Giving is a mental attitude, 2 Cor 9:7. “Cheerful” is the Greek word HILASTERION. Many transliterate it as hilarious but that is not translation. The meaning is mentally stimulated. 3. The more money you give as a believer, the more money God supplies to you so you can keep on giving, 2 Cor 9:10. God provides the seed in the first place and He is in it all the way. 4. Giving results in enrichment, 2 Cor 9:11a. The word “bountifulness” means blessing and the more faith you exercise, the more enrichment you receive. It is all a non-meritorious action. 5. God’s Divine essence guarantees these things, 2 Cor 9:8-9. Sovereignty, immutability, backs up the doctrine of Grace in giving. 6. Both the giving and the administration of money should glorify the Lord, 2 Cor 9:1. 7. A collection and/or offering and/or Christian giving should not embarrass anyone, 2 Cor 9:3-4. There are some 22 principle of giving in this context and if anyone is interested I would be glad to give you the whole list. The main principle I find is this, As the Lord has prospered you, so you purpose in your mind how you will give.
The believer’s greatest occupational hazard is disorientation to the Grace of God, Gal 5:4, Heb 12:15 1. You are out of fellowship with the
Lord, carnal. Grace and salvation is stated as a principle. A. Grace is involved in prayer, Heb
4:16 What have we that we haven’t received it from the Lord
and why do we act as if we haven’t?
Grace is the Basis for the Production of Divine Good 2 Cor 15:10, 2 Cor 6:1, 2 Cor 9:8, 2 Cor 9:11 1 Pet 2:19, “For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully.” The word in that text translated “thankworthy” is the Greek word CHARIS, which is Grace, and not thankworthy. Please correct the translation. Translators are trying to keep the Grace of God from you, and we need all the Grace we can get. He giveth more Grace. When the going gets rougher, He giveth and giveth and giveth more Grace.
Acts 20:35, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” 1. Giving expresses the principle of Grace. Grace giving is the principle, not gimmick giving.
Hebrew Honeys! We are going to look at the verb “to kill” in the Hebrew language, using the following Hebrew stems. 1. Qal stem, active voice, indicative mood. Declarative.
Kills The believer in the Lord Jesus Christ should be familiar with both the Greek and the Hebrew alphabet and basic grammar because knowing the original languages are the basis for accurate Bible teaching.
Heaven! There are three heavens. In 2 Cor 12:1-3 Paul was caught up into the third Heaven. If there is a third, then there are two others, second and a first. The first Heaven, the atmosphere all around us. Probably up to 90 to 100 miles out, gravity may be the boundary. Second Heaven, the abode of the angels. This includes the galaxies and stars and planets. Billions upon billions of light years of space with millions of celestial bodies moving at rapid rates of speed. Isa 14:13 and other passages. You can come to this conclusion by a careful study of the stars and categories. “Star” or “stars” refer to angels, and the abode of angels. Your wife may be an angel but she didn’t come from Mars or Venus, but angels do. The third Heaven. The presence of God, the throne room. Billions and billions of light year away. Where Jesus Christ is right now, Heb 9:24. It is called the Heaven of heavens. Duet 10:14 angels are also in the third Heaven. At this time Satan has access into the third Heaven where God the Father abides. Job chapter 1 and 2. He will not have that access after the middle of the Tribulation. Compare Rev 9:1, “star,” refers to Satan with Rev 12:3-4. Satan was the cherub who guarded the throne and when he fell, he influenced a number of angels, probably one third, Ezek 28:14, “Thou art the anointed cherub,” angel, highest rank, messianic angel, “That covereth,” that guards, “the holy mountain of God.” Rev 12:4 refers to a third part of the stars, angels of Heaven. Now, Satan goes up to the throne room on those occasions when angels assemble. Rev 21:10, Job chapter 1 and 2, Zech 3, and at other times he is in the second heaven or on Earth. He apparently commutes all over in fulfilling his rulership of the Earth.
Five Sins Against God the Holy Spirit By the unbeliever only: 1. Resisting the Holy Spirit. Acts 7:51. This is rejection of the Lord Jesus Christ in the Church Age. This is the pre-salvation ministry of God the Holy Spirit in a convicting ministry, John 16:7-11, of: A. Sin of unbelief in Christ Rejecting Jesus Christ is resisting the ministry of the Holy Spirit. 2. Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Matt 12:31-32 Rejection of Jesus Christ while Jesus Christ was ministering on the Earth, the previous dispensation of the Jewish Age. Jesus Christ was filled with the Holy Spirit during His earthy ministry and to reject Him was blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, an unpardonable sin. By the believer: All of these are a result of the believer being controlled by his old sin nature. A. Lying to the Holy Spirit. Acts 5:3,
false motivation, approbation lust. ”Do it as unto the Lord” or don’t do it.
Monday, April 24, 2000 Greek Grace Gems! Acts 27:17, “Which when they had taken up they used helps, undergirding the ship and fearing lest they should fall into quicksands, strake sail, and so were driven.” The Greek word for “quicksands” is the word SYRTIS. The Syrtes, Major and Minor, lie on the north coast of Africa, between the headlands of Tunis and Barca. They have been regarded as dangerous to mariners, from the early times, both from the character of the sands and from the cross current of the adjoining waters. In the voyage described in this chapter, the vessel had left the shelter of the island of Canda and was drifting before the N.E. wind EURAQUILO. The mariners might well fear that they would be driven on the Syrtes on the leeward of their course. The changing character of the tempest, however, drove them into the sea of Adria. Whatever the Bible covers, you can believe it is accurate even when it comes to quicksands.
Greek Grace Gems! The word “rainbow” is the word IRIS, the flower which describes the rainbow seen in the heavenly vision, Rev 4:3. It is emblematic of the fact that in the exercise of God’s absolute sovereignty and perfect commands, he will remember is covenant concerning the Earth. Gen 9:9-17 In Rev 10:1, “the rainbow,” the definite article suggests a connection with the scene in Rev 4:3 and here it rests upon the head of an angel who declares that, “There shall be no delay no longer.” The actual meaning is the mercy is to be shown to the Earth must be preceded by the execution of Divine judgment upon the nations who defy God and His Christ. Ezek 1:28 The next time you see a rainbow, see the Redeemer.
Sunday, April 23, 2000 - Easter Sunday Thoughts about the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ If Christ has not risen, what then? 1. We are still lost without hope and without eternal
life and without Christ. You can add others. But He arose! He is risen!
I am sorry friends, but the latest news has really made me ashamed that I am an American. I fought in World War II and some of the tactics that we fought against are now being demonstrated by our country. Breaking down doors and cursing, with armed assault weapons and hitting people over the head with their rifles and having no respect for Easter, yet having respect for the Moslem religion. We are like Israel wishing for a king like the other nations and we have one. Sounds like Hitler or Stalin or Castro ... Truly I agree with the woman who said “he disgraced the White House and now he is disgracing our house.” The Cubans ran away from Communism and looked for freedom in our country and what they found was another Communist country and no freedom. Thank God we have Christ and Christ is the only One who makes us free. It is going to be interesting to see how long the Lord allows this country to remain. I don’t believe our country will be here when the Tribulation occurs. Sorry if I offended you, but as an American soldier fighting for freedom, this smacks of slavery. A president who is a draft dodger, supposedly non-militant, this sure is a display of militancy. ”Cast all your cares on Him for He careth for you.”
Saturday, April 22, 2000 Thoughts about the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ: During our life time, we end up with scars and bruises. Even in childhood we fall off our bikes or fall down in the playground. I tripped over a tennis racket and broke my arm, for example. Even if you have never had an accident that left a scar on your body, when you get older, it is evident that you are getting older and there are marks on your body which are old age marks. Some even try to remove them. Ashley, my granddaughter, said to me, “Gramps, your hands look old.” And I said, “They sure do, Honey, because I AM old.” So, we all end up with marks and bruises and scars of one sort or another and there are some people who are only too proud to show you their operation. Well, when we depart and are with the Lord, we will no longer have any scars or marks on our body. But He will! ”They shall look upon Him whom they have pierced.” He will always be identified as our only Saviour. Where did you get those scars, Lord?
Thoughts about the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ Christ mentioned two resurrections! John 5:29, “And some shall come forth; they that have done good unto the resurrection of life and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.” The first one may well be the final aim of a Christian’s life. The second one is a fate which one would think no sane man would deliberately provoke. Each carries in its name, life and damnation, its dominant characteristic. One, life, is full of attractiveness. And the other, damnation, partially unveiling depths of shame and punitive retribution, which might appall even the strongest of souls. Which will it be for you and yours? We are all going to be resurrected, but what kind of a body are you looking for?
Friday, April 21, 2000 The news stated today that the Pope was hearing confessions on Good Friday, which he says is the crucifixion of Christ. First of all, no one can receive confession of sins but God. No one can forgive sins but God. Confession of sin for the unbeliever doesn’t bring salvation. Only faith in Christ does. Sin is not the issue to the unbeliever, but Christ is the issue since He paid for all sins. Sin is the issue in the believer’s life, to restore us back to fellowship with God again. Secondly, the Pope has the wrong day. Christ was not crucified on Friday. It was on Wednesday. Jewish time: Wednesday night to Thursday night is one
day.
This time of the year we are celebrating the bodily resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. For the first time in history we have a man, a human being, sitting at the right hand of God the Father. Because He sits there, we can sit there, too, if you choose. Because He arose, we will arise also in a resurrection body exactly like His, and we will be like Him because of seeing Him as He is. But, did you know that when Christ arose, He did not rise alone? No, He sure did not. Did you know when Christ arose we arose with Him? Col 3:1, “If ye then be risen with Christ.” ”If”
is a first class condition in the Greek and it means “if and it is true.” Now, you can celebrate the resurrection of Christ and that you as a believer have risen with Him. “Therefore, seek those things which are above where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.” This may add something to your Easter. Remember it’s not a rabbit, but it is a Lamb we are looking for.
Thursday, April 20, 2000 Greek Grace Gems! Eph 3:17, “That Christ may dwell in your hearts by
faith. That ye being grounded and rooted in love.” There are 14 different words for “dwell” in the Greek language. And this one that God the Holy Spirit chose out of the 14 is a very interesting one. KATAOIKEO. OIKEO means to “dwell.” KATA means “down.” The literal translation is that Christ may be at home in your mind. He indwells all believers but He is not at home in all believers. Being at home means a place where you can take off your tie and take off your shoes and relax because you are at home. Question: Is Christ at home in our minds? Can He take His shoes off? And be at home?
Wednesday, April 19, 2000 The Doctrine of the “First Born” 1. This is the eldest son’s exclusive right of
inheritance. Primogeniture. Now, in connection with the Lord Jesus Christ: 1st: Saviour–First Advent. Ruler–Second Advent 1st: Spiritual death, Psa 22:1 1st: Jesus Christ seated at the right
hand of the Father
Grace Provided in Order for the Believer to Live the Christian Way of Life 1. Prayer. Find Grace in time of need. Heb 4:16 What would we do without the Grace of God? Well, we just wouldn’t!
Grace and Peace be Multiplied Unto You From God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 1. The entrance factor is found in 1 Pet 2:3. Every
believer has tasted God’s Grace at least once at the Cross. The Cross is the
maximum expression of Grace. 2. The Christian way of life has a plan. Rom 8:29. In all
phases, we as believers are to be conformed to the image of His Son. How is this
accomplished?
Percentage of Giving … How Much do You Give? 1. In the Old Testament A. They gave tithes, plural, to the
Levites to maintain the temple. Num 18:21-24. There is no temple today. It was
destroyed in 70 A.D. In Deut 14:28-29 Israel tithed 2/10 or 3/10 of their income. 2. In the New Testament Tithing in the New Testament is never enjoined. Remember the Mosaic Law has been set aside since the day of Pentecost, when the Church Age began. ”As God has prospered you.” It may be more than 10
percent or less then 10 percent.
Eight Ways in Which God is Faithful to You as a Believer in Christ! You may find yourself in one of these eight situations, so here is a promise for each and every one of them for you to claim. 1. When you sin as a believer, God is still faithful to
you. 2. When you think you can lose your salvation, eternal
security. 3. If you are unstable, there is stability for you. 4. In times of pressure, there is the faithfulness of
God. 5. Fellowship provided for you by the faithfulness of God
in time. 6. God will keep His promise to you because of His
faithfulness. 7. If you suffer, God is still faithful. 8. A eternal future for you is provided by the
faithfulness of God. 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.”
God Resists the Proud and Gives Grace to the Humble Isa 30:18, “And therefore will the Lord wait that He may be gracious unto you and therefore will He be exalted.” You exalt the Lord when you receive and appreciate His Grace. The interesting thing in this verse is the verb “wait.” This is one of those Hebrew Honeys again. The Hebrew word is CHAKAM and it means that the Lord is tapping His foot waiting to pour out His Grace on you. ”For by Grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is a gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast.”
Well, there is the old math and now we have the new math. But there is an ancient math. You find it in most of the salutations in the different books of the Bible. God never adds or subtracts. He always multiplies. Now, there is a beautiful study found right in the structure of the Word of God itself, and it would be a good outline for pastors, missionaries, Sunday School classes, Bible studies, and individual studies. It is found in 1 Pet 1:2-25 and I will send this great outline next time. You say you can’t wait! Yea, I believe that.
Grace and Peace Multiplied, 1 Pet 1:1-25. You can take this to the bank. Grace is Multiplied. Peace is Multiplied. Both the multiplication of Grace and peace end the same
way–with emphasis on the Word of God.
Tuesday, April 18, 2000 Another Hebrew Honey! We all heard about having a “Mac attack.” Well, here
is one: The Hebrew word here is AMAC, which literally means, “daily beareth our burdens.” It is a remarkable blending of majesty and
condescension. “Blessed is the Lord. Here is the Highest who daily beareth our
burdens.” And that is the lowest. Notice the Hebrew again. “Day by day beareth our
burdens.”
A Hebrew Honey! There is an idiom which runs throughout the book of Jeremiah. It occurs 11 times in the book. Here is one of the 11, and you can look the others up for your own personal Bible study. Jer 7:13, “And now because ye have done all these works, saith the Lord and I speak unto you rising up early and speaking but ye hear not. And I called you, but ye answered not.” ”Rising up early” appears 11 times in Jeremiah. The Hebrew word is SHAKAM, which means to incline the shoulder to a burden, to load up on the back of a beast and start early in the morning before anyone is up. Before you even get up, He is already carrying your burdens ... while you sleep. Here are the other places this idiom is found: Repetition is theological glue.
How to Apply the Essence of God to the Lord Jesus Christ 1. Jesus Christ is righteous. He cannot be unrighteous or
unfair.
The Essence of God’s Love Applied. God is Love. 1. God’s love is perfect, even as God is perfect. Psa
18:30 Wouldn’t you like to have a lover like that for your very own? It is as simple as “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.” Who loves you baby?
The Firsts of the Human Race 1. Gen 2:9, the first test for volition. One tree–negative
volition was the only way in which man could sin in innocence. The Lord God made coats of skins. God did the work. The
coats of skin were obtained by the shedding of blood. Heb 9:22, 1 Pet 1:18-19.
And He clothed them. They were spiritually dead, no fellowship with God. The issue is good versus good. Human good versus Divine Good. The coats of skin versus fig leaves. ”Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us.”
Monday, April 17, 2000 12 Principles Regarding the Grace of God Isa 54:6, “For the Lord hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit and a wife of youth when thou wast refused, saith thy God.” 1. There is no more undeserving creature in the universe
than a jealous, maligning and nagging woman.
Greek Grace Gems Eph 3:19, “And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.” 1. The Greek word for “fullness” is PLEROO. 2. The importance of this word PLEROO:
Grace in Operation 1. Grace always depends upon the character of the person,
not on the merits of another.
Four Areas of Human Pride Which Reject the Grace of God. 1. The pride of the believer who rejects eternal
security. 2. The pride of the believer who succumbs to the
pressures of adversity. 3. The pride of pseudo-spirituality. 4. The pride of the emotional believer. ”Pride goeth before a fall.” He “resists the proud and gives Grace to the humble.”
Grace in Salvation is Stated as a Principle 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.” Psa 103:8, “The Lord is merciful and gracious and slow to anger and plenteous in mercy.” Verse 10, “He hath not dealt with us after our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.” Verse 11, “For as the Heaven is high above the Earth, so great is His mercy toward them that fear Him.” Verse 12, “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us.” See also the following passages for the same principle of
Grace in salvation:
Grace and the Christian Way of Life Are Stated as a Principle A. Grace is involved in prayer. Heb 4:16
Flattery! Prov 28:23, “He that rebuketh a man afterwards shall find more favor than he that flattereth with the tongue.” 1. Flattery here in the Hebrew is causative, a HIPHIL
stem which means “to smooth, to flatter, or to flirt.”
Don’t Turn Friendship Into Intrusiveness! Prov 25:17, “Withdraw thy foot from thy neighbor’s house, lest he be weary of thee and so hate thee.” 1. Respect the privacy of others.
Rom 12:3, “For I say through the Grace given unto me, to every man that is among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think. But to think soberly according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.” 1. Faith is thinking and making use of the Word of God in
applying the Word. There is no merit in faith. All the merit is in the
Object of faith – Christ and the Word of God.
Grace and Peace Mentioned in the Following Verses Gal 1:3, Eph 1:2, Phil 1:2, Col 1:2, 1 Thess 1:2, 2 Thess 1:2, 1 Tim 1:2, 2 Tim 1:2, Titus 1:2, Philemon 1:3, 1 Pet 1:2, 2 Pet 1:2, 2 John 1:3 1. It is technical in order – Grace always comes before peace. 2. Grace is the title for God’s plan, operation Grace. 3. Grace is the work of God on behalf of man—all that God is free to do for man on the basis of the Cross, which is the maximum expression of Grace. 4. Grace is unmerited favor. God does the work, man does not earn or deserve it or work for it. God gets the glory. Isa 30:18-19 5. “Grace unto you” is a dative of advantage. It is to the advantage of a person to come under the Grace of God. 6. “And peace.” Inner stability is always a result of Grace. It comes from the utilization and the appropriation of Grace. 7. “From” is APO in the Greek – from the ultimate source and origin of Grace and peace. 8. “God the Father,” the first Source, the Author of the Divine plan, the Planner. 9. “And the Lord Jesus Christ,” the second Source. He executed the plan and went to the Cross, which made provision for entrance into the plan of God. For stages one, two, and three of God’s plan, God’s righteousness and justice were satisfied at the Cross. 10. The Holy Spirit is not mentioned in the salutation
because, while the Holy Spirit is co-equal with the Father and with the Son, the
ministry of the Holy Spirit is a behind-the-scenes ministry. 11. The Holy Spirit is never mentioned in a salutation, but is mentioned in the benediction in 2 Cor 13:14. All the above verses or salutations repeat these very same principles.
Giving – Grace or Gimmick? Acts 20:35. “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” 1. Giving expresses the principle of Grace. If you want to be reminded of the Grace of God and the more you are reminded of the principle of Grace, the more you are oriented to Grace. So give ...
The Dangers of Money to the Unbeliever 1. Salvation has been paid for, 1 Pet 1:18-19, therefore
it cannot be purchased with money. Mark 8:36-37
The Danger of Money to the Believer in the Lord Jesus Christ 1. Money can keep a believer from honoring the Lord Jesus Christ, the purpose for which he is left here on this Earth. Ecc 5:10-21, Ecc 6:21. Solomon was a rich king, but he crowded out the Lord. 2. Money can be a source of temptation. 1 Tim 6:7-19 3. Believers should spend their money wisely. 1 Tim 6:8. Investigate carefully before you give. Don’t give to groups and organizations that send people to hell and give them a good feeling about it, too. Give money to the glory of the Lord. 4. Believers do not give into the storehouse treasury. Mal 3:10. The local Church needs money, but you don’t give it through the Church only. The storehouse is not New Testament giving. There is no storehouse today. 5. Two other passages that deal with the believer and his
money are:
Illusions About Money, From the Human Viewpoint … 1. Money is happiness. False. The Word of God brings
happiness.
Friday, April 14, 2000 If we have been illuminated, enlightened, comforted, and encouraged by the Word of God while on Earth here as Christians, what will it be like where we go Home? Just think of not having a temporary tent and the old sin nature – with which to struggle while we are here, with all its trends and lust patterns – and we’ll be in a resurrection body, and in the presence of the pure Blaze of the Light of the Word Himself. Here are a few concepts to think about. Psa 17:15, “As for me, I will behold Thy face in
righteousness and I shall be satisfied, when I awake with Thy presence.” ... Sitting at the right hand of God.
“The common people heard the Lord gladly.” ”I have revealed My Word to children, babes.” You don’t have to be a genius to understand the Word of God. A distinction should be made between human IQ, which is diving your mental age by your chronological age. Whereas your spiritual IQ is determined by the amount of knowledge of the Word of God you have stored in your human spirit. 2 Pet 1:1-11 The stages of growing in Grace by the knowledge of our Saviour Jesus Christ: 1. The communication of the Word of God, in a local
church, with a pastor-teacher. 2. Comprehension of the Word of God. Eph 3:18, hearing
the Word of God as per 3. The storage stage whereby the human spirit is filled
with knowledge by faith, 4. The frame of reference where the Word is cycled into the norms or standards of the conscience. This great stabilizer allows the Word of God to be applied in pressure situations, Eph 3:19. 5. The exhale of the Word of God from the human spirit,
and the frame of reference. 6. Residual doctrine in the human spirit and frame of reference becomes the building blocks for edification — which is Grace orientation, mastery over the details of life, a relaxed mental attitude, capacity for love and life, and inner happiness. That is being edified!
There are three types of sin: In the conception of the humanity of the Lord Jesus
Christ 2 Cor 5:21, “For He,” God the Father, “hath made Him,” God the Son, to be sin for us who,” Jesus Christ, “knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness,” absolute righteousness, of God in Him,” in the Lord Jesus Christ. Conclusion: Therefore, the man, the male, is responsible for passing on the old sin nature. Rom 5:12, “For by one man sin entered into the world.”
So that those of you who are my friends and fellow Christians will not be deceived, I am truly A LIBERAL. Don’t shoot me! Just hold on for a moment because you are as liberal as I am if you think about it. ”Oh no, I am not!” “Oh yes you are!” James 1:5, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God that giveth to all men ‘liberally’ and upbraided not, and it shall be given him.” The Lord is a liberal ... a liberal giver ... That is a true liberal!
Jesus Christ and His Essence Applied 1. Jesus Christ is God. The essence of Christ applied. The justice of the Judge, the Lord Jesus Christ.
One of the secrets of living the Christian way of life is to apply the essence of God to your own personal experience. Here is an example of the essence of God applied: 1. God’s love is perfect, even as God is perfect. Psa
18:30. God’s essence applied.
God is Light and in Him There is No Darkness At All. The Essence of God Revealed. Like all colors in light are not manifest at the same time, so all characteristics of God are not manifest at one time. There is a light spectrum. Characteristics of God are rarely all manifest at one time. Just as the various colors of light may not all be manifested at the same time. Example:
The Faithfulness of God. God is Faithful. God expresses His faithfulness to us in eight different ways: 1. The faithfulness of God to forgive the believers’
sin. 1 John 1:9 Everyone of these eight verses has the word “faithfulness.” Check it out.
Thursday, April 13, 2000 Greek Grace Gems! Let’s look at the word “sail.” 1. PLEO ... to sail, Luke 8:23 Notice the importance of the prepositions EK, DIA, HUPO, PARA. For further questions, ask Dan – he is Navy officer.
Greek Grace Gems! 1 Cor 15:51, “Behold I show you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we will be changed in a twinkling of an eye.” There is a time coming, if we are alive at the time, the Lord will descend from Heaven and we will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air, and never experience death. The Greek word “mystery” is MUSTERION. We have just transliterated this word rather than explained it. Among the ancient Greeks the mysteries were religious rites and ceremonies practiced by secret societies into which any one who so desired might be received. Those who were initiated into these mysteries, became possessors of certain knowledge which was not imparted to the uninitiated, and were called the perfected. So the mystery of Scripture is not a mystery, but it is something revealed only to those who are in family of God.
Wednesday, April 12, 2000 Perception! Perception is the act of receiving impressions by the senses. There are three systems of perception: 1. Rationalism. This makes reason the sole guide in the interpretation of the Scriptures and any supernatural happening is explained away by reason. 2. Empiricism. Everything must be checked out through the sensory pattern. You must smell, see, hear, taste, feel, in order to come to any conclusion. This perception through the senses is correlated with the mind. 3. Faith. Complete confidence in something or someone. A
great percentage of information that you have has come through faith. Like 1
plus 1 equals 2. When you began to learn, you accepted certain things to be
true.
Tuesday, April 11, 2000 The Love of God Manifested to the Human Race 1. God is perfect and God is love. Therefore, His love is perfect Divine love. 2. The Cross was the greatest manifestation of His love that the world has ever seen. 3. At the Cross you connect with His love, which is extended to all in salvation. 4. God’s Divine love towards the unbeliever is a mental attitude. John 3:16 5. God’s Divine love towards the believer is in the area of mental attitude and in the area of soul rapport, both AGAPE and PHILOS. 6. Every believer is loved by God with exactly the same amount of love that He has for His Son the Lord Jesus Christ. 7. “Beloved,” when used for believers refers to all kinds of believers – mature, immature, spiritual, carnal. 8. Regardless of your status as a believer, God loves you with an infinite amount of love. 9. Love and eternal life and immutability mean that God never changes His attitude about you. 10. You can change your attitude towards God, but He never changes His attitude toward you. God loves you knowing every thing you think and do and are. 11. It is your response to His love at salvation that begins the possibility of love in the Christian way of life. The filling of the Holy Spirit produces the fruit of the Spirit, Divine love, and this is spirituality. Gal 5:22-23 12. The Word of God in the human spirit is what produces the assurance that we have of the love of God. And this assurance grows as a frame of reference and the establishment of maturity.
Six Ways to Identify the Old Sin Nature in Scripture When the old sin nature controls the life, it distorts the proper function of the soul and when the Holy Spirit is in control, then the soul can operate the way in which the Lord designed it to operate. 1. “Sin” in the singular in contrast to “sins”
refer to the old sin nature 2. “Flesh.” Emphasis on where it is located. 3. “Old man.” It is called “old man” because it
is as old as Adam. 4. “Heart.” Used two ways in Scripture. So, you don’t want to give your heart to God because it is desperately wicked and incurably evil, as per Jer 17:9. 5. “Carnal” 6. “Spirit.” James 4:5, “The spirit,” old sin nature, “that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy” compared with Gen 6:5. Know your enemy – the enemy within!
Monday, April 10, 2000 Greek Grace Gems! In Philadelphia a man left an estate. It was called “Gerard College” and it was an orphanage. He accepted any one without at least one parent, a father. You went in there at an early age and finished college there. If this verse had been correctly translated and taught, it would do wonders for orphans, who grow up feeling that they are not cared about and have no father or don’t know who he is. John 14:18, “I will not leave you comfortless. I will come to you.” The message for orphans and single-parent children is they don’t have to be an orphan unless they want to be. The word translated comfortless is ORPHANOS. A literal translation: “I will not leave you as an orphan. I will come to you.” If you are an orphan, you can accept Jesus as your personal Saviour and you have God as your Father. Pass the word along to orphans. They don’t have to be orphans if they don’t want to be. I believe that God the Father is one of the best fathers that there are. Remember Father’s Day.
Since this is April and the true Christmas and Passover time, we will have a double blessing. A double blessing of both a Greek Grace Gem and a Hebrew Honey all in one. Mal 3:17, “And they shall be Mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in the day when I make up my jewels. And I will spare them as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.” The word “jewels” is talking about believers. The word in the Hebrew is CEGLLAH, which means treasure, like a treasure chest full of jewels. Psa 116:15, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.” The word “precious” is VAQAR, which means valuable, bright, very costly, excellent, honorable, of great reputation. It means also “treasure.” God’s most precious treasure is the believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Pet 2:6, “Wherefore, also it is contained in the Scriptures, behold I lay in Zion’s Chief Corner Stone, elect, precious, and he that believeth on Him shall not confounded.” 1 Pet 2:7, “Unto you therefore which believe He is precious. But unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner.” The word “precious” in the New Testament Greek is the word TIMÉ, which means most valuable, highly prized, costly, and most honorable. We are highly prized by the Lord, His treasure. And in response to His love and attitude towards us, we respond and believe truly He is precious. The Lord is the portion and inheritance of my lot and we are the Lord’s inheritance and portion of His lot.
God’s Love Towards the Believer 1. By providing a defense Attorney when Satan accuses the believer, 1 Jn 2:1 2. In Divine Discipline when out of fellowship, Heb 12:5, “Whom the Lord loveth.” 3. By giving more Grace. We have 1 John 1:9, so when we are out of fellowship, we can get back into fellowship and then use all the assets of time which are provided by God. 4. By enabling the believer to produce Divine Good when in fellowship, which is produced by the filling of the Spirit. “The fruit of the Spirit is love.” 5. Alternative to God’s love: John 3:36, “The wrath
of God abideth on him.” ”Jacob have I loved, Esau have I hated.”
God is Love God’s love towards His Son, John 3:35, John 5:20 God’s love toward mankind, i.e., salvation.
Sunday, April 9, 2000 Greek Grace Gems! John 10:28, “I give unto them eternal life and they shall never perish, neither shall any one pluck them out of My hand.” The word you have translated “never” there in our English Bibles is incorrect. There is not only one word here for “never,” but in the Greek New Testament, there are three words: OUK ME OUDIES, which translated correctly would mean ”Not never, by no means, never yet, no man, no one, not some man, not any thing.” This should give you absolute assurance and eternal security.
Saturday, April 8, 2000 Why Did Jesus Christ Come the First Time? Well, we know He came to die for the sins of the whole
world. Did you know that Jesus Christ came to show us the love
that God the Father has for His Only Begotten Son, that that same love He can
have for you and I, and the way in which that is accomplished is simply by Jesus
Christ coming to indwell you. John 17:26, “And I have declared unto them Thy Name, and will declare it, that the love wherewith Thou hast loved Me may be in them, and I in them.” The whole Trinity indwells us. Some say “I don’t believe in the Trinity.” Well, all of the Trinity indwells you. Don’t you know who indwells you? Father, Son, and Holy Spirit all indwell you. Christ is the Object of the Father’s love, and the Object of the Father’s love, Christ, indwells you. So, the Father can’t stop loving you!
Friday, April 7, 2000 The Essence of God God has essence. Sometimes the is essence is referred to
as attributes. God is sovereign, righteous, justice, love, eternal life,
omniscience, omnipresence, omnipotence, immutability, and veracity. Omnipotence is found in Rev 19:4 and refers to God’s unlimited power. The word “almighty” is used 10 times. Rev 19:6 with 2 Cor 6:18, Rev 1:8, 4:8, 11:17, 15:3, 16:7, 14, 19:15, 21:22. Omnipresence is found in 1 Kings 8:27, 2 Chr 2:6, Psa 119:12, Isa 66:1, Acts 17:28. God is everywhere. Omniscience is found in Psa 33:13-15, 139:2, 147:3, Isa 44:28, 46:9-10, Mal 3:16, Matt 6:8, 10:29-30, Acts 2:23. The secret is to apply the essence of God to your personal experience. This is problem solving by the essence of God.
We are all born physically alive and spiritually dead. We are called ENEMIES OF GOD. When a member of the human race believes in the Lord Jesus Christ, he is no longer an enemy of God but A CHILD OF GOD. We go from being an enemy to family. The believer is no longer behind the barrier. Eph 2:15, 16. ENMITY HAS BEEN REMOVED. There is no longer a barrier. The only separation between God and man is now the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Salvation is dependent upon man’s volition. The work has already been done. The human race is redeemed, not conquered. Therefore only the fallen angels keep on being the enemies.
There are three categories referred to in Scripture as enemies: 1. Death. 1 Cor 15:26 In the Hebrew, this word is a QAL, active, participle, which is declarative and it means “keeps on being enemies.” They are and we were, and so was death, but Christ has conquered it all. When Christ makes you free, you are free indeed.
Jesus Christ was made a little lower than the angels in order that He might die for everyone. Heb 2:9 After His ascension and His acceptability in session, He was and is higher than angels. Heb 1:13, 1 Pet 3:22 The length of His session is until His enemies be made His footstool, which is an idiom in the ancient language which represents the fact that our enemies are conquered. Heb 10:13 This was said to Jesus Christ at the beginning of the Church Age, indicating that the Church would be involved in the process of making His enemies His footstool. Heb 10:12, Acts 1:8 Believers in the Church Age are in Christ and are therefore positionally higher than angels. Heb 1:14 At the Second Advent, we will be actually higher than angels in a resurrection body minus the old sin and minus human good. The body of Christ, the Church Aage believers, is being completed on Earth by the conversion of individuals and when completed it is raptured. 1 Thess 4:13-18
The Victory of Positional Truth, 1 Cor 15:20ff A. In Adam all die. An individual dies spiritually as he is born physically. B. In Christ, all are made alive. When born again, the individual is made spiritually alive. 1. This builds on the body of Christ. There are two resurrections, John 5:29, just as there are
two categories of homo sapiens, believers and unbelievers. 1. The resurrection of Christ. In His
ascension, He was the first man to be in the presence of God in Heaven. 1 Cor
15:23 There is only one phase to the resurrection of damnation. The Great White Throne judgment. Rev 20:11-15. Please notice they are judged according to their works. They reject the work of Christ, and then stand on their own human good, every good deed will be judged.
Thursday, April 6, 2000 Did You Know That Christ Wrote Two Volumes of His Book? Now, this is not “off the wall kind of stuff.” Here is the verse: John 17:26, “I have declared unto them Thy Name.” John 17:26, “And will declare it.” What is the subject of these two volumes? Jesus Christ came to tell us how much the Father loved Him and how much He loves us, in Him. That is why Christ is called “My beloved Son.” And we are also called “beloved” in John 3:1-2. Two volumes on God’s love for Him and for us!
While growing up they would give you prizes in church if your memorized all the books of the Bible. But no one ever got it right. They always left out one of the books of the Bible and it is the … Book of Hezekiah! Didn’t you read that book? You should have it as it has been in the Word all the time. Look it up. Isa 38:9. “The writing of Hezekiah, king of Judah when he was sick, and was recovered of his sickness.”
I had walked life’s way with an easy tread With station and rank and wealth for my goal I had built my castles and reared them high I met Him and knew Him and blushed to see Melted and vanished and in their place My thought is now for the souls of men The word in Scripture for “present with the Lord” is the Greek word “PROS” which means “face to face.”
The Selection of a Life-Time Mate 1. Falling in love is not always rational. People often marry when judgment is null and void. It is important therefore to absorb principles of application of the Word of God before you become emotionally involved. 2. Don’t marry an unbeliever, 2 Cor 6:14-18 3. Don’t marry in immaturity, while you are too young. 4. Don’t marry on a wave of libido. 5. Do not marry simply to fulfill sexual desires. Sex is
not love. It is only one of the many manifestations of love. Love is a mental
attitude, AGAPE love. Out of this also comes rapport love, PHILOS. When you
magnify sex out of its proper perspective, you ignore the field of: 6. Don’t marry because of social pressures 7. Do not marry a divorced person except under bona fide conditions. 8. Do not marry to acquire a status symbol, or to improve economic situations in life. 9. Do not marry with the attitude that if things do not work out, that you can get out of it easily. Marriage is a Divine Institution, not to be taken lightly. 10. Do not marry a person because they are sympathetic to you in a stress period, like any port in a storm. 11. Do not marry a neurotic, a gambler, an addict, a jealous person, an alcoholic, or an egotist. None of them would make a good mate. 12. Women should not get married till they understand the principle that in marriage they loose their freedom. A woman must be careful to surrender her volition to a man who will cherish it, and not abuse it. She must realize that she is surrendering both her soul and her body to one man. Both as long as they both shall live. 13. A man must be willing to assume leadership and should be careful to find a woman with the proper mental attitude.
The Greatest Enemy to Marriage Mental attitude sins are the worst, the Bible says, and most people never confess them. If you break fellowship with Jesus Christ in time, then God the Father will not answer your prayers. And Peter said that lack of domestic tranquility hinders your prayers. When you bring the mental attitude sin of jealousy into your marriage, you destroy your marriage. SOS 8:6, “Jealousy is as cruel as the grave.” There are two types of jealousy in Numbers chapter five. A. Jealous and you have a right to be. It is really going
on. Therefore, jealousy is the basis for the destruction of love in marriage. SOS 8:6. More to follow ...
Jealousy as the Enemy in Marriage – Part 2 1. The same jealousy that destroys love in marriage, also destroys the function of the soul. Job 5:2, Prov 14:30, and that is why some people are psychotic, and why some people are neurotic. You can become mentally ill by perpetuating jealousy. But your shrink won’t tell you that simply because they don’t know it. 2. Jealousy there is the strongest of the mental attitude sins. Prov 27:3-4, where it is compared with anger, and is stronger than anger, and remember anger can do some horrible things. 3. Love precedes jealousy. Before you can be good and
jealous in marriage, you have to have love in marriage. Ecc 9:6, you are not
jealous of those for whom you care nothing. 4. Jealousy motivates revenge. Prov 6:34, therefore jealousy takes real or apparent wrongs out of the Lord’s hands and intrudes on the Divine prerogative of judgment. Rom 12:19, Deut 32:31. The Bible says, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.” Jealousy says, “Forget it, Lord. I will take care of it.” More to follow …
Jealousy as a Great Enemy of Marriage, Part 3 1. Jealousy actually split nations, like Israel. The tribe of Ephraim was jealous of the tribe of Judah, Isa 11:13. 2. Jealousy was the motivator of the religious leaders who crucified Christ. Matt 27:18, Mark 15:10, interesting point. 3. Jealousy over the authority of Joseph motivated his brothers to sell him into slavery. Acts 7:9. This is true today. Anyone in authority always has X number of people who are jealous. 4. Negative volition toward the Word of God manifests itself in jealousy. Rom 1:28 ff 5. Jealousy rejects the teaching of the Word of God. 6. False doctrine produces jealousy. 1 Tim 6:4. Jealousy and envy are synonymous with each other. ”Jealousy is as cruel as the grave.” It kills marriage.
Wednesday, April 5, 2000 Gracious Greek Gems! A Diet From Deity Most people are looking for a good diet ... without knowing that the Lord has His own health food store. Here is His diet, a “diet from Deity.” The word “sound” in Scripture is the Greek word HUGIAINO, which means to be healthy, sound in health. We get our English word from this and it is hygiene. It is translated in Scripture as “safe and sound,” and it is used as sound Doctrine, sound of words, wholesome, healthful, sound in the faith. 2 Tim 1:13, “Hold fast the form of sound words which
thou hast heard of me in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.” It is healthy to take in the Word of God. The Word of God is God’s health food, “soul food.” Psa 34:8, “O taste and see that the Lord is good.
Blessed is the man that trusteth in Him.” You have to go on a steady diet prescribed by our Deity.
Hebrew Honeys! Now here is a real Hebrew Honey! Prov 31:10-31. This section of Proverbs talks about the virtuous woman, a lady far above rubies. Notice the literary structure of this Proverb: A. Husband, v
11 A. Husband, v 23 Beside that, there are 22 letters in the Hebrew alphabet. Each one of these 22 verses starts off with a different letter of the Hebrew alphabet so you know what the content of the verse will be. For example, in verse 13, “She seeketh wool and flax and worketh willingly with her hands.” The letter at the beginning of this verse is the letter which pertains to hands, which the Hebrew letter JOD.
Excuses, Excuses, Excuses Luke 14:18, “And they all with one consent began to
make excuses. The first said unto Him, I have bought a piece of ground and I
must needs and go see it, I pray thee have me excused.” What excuses we make for not following the Lord! It is as if we live two lives – one for the Lord and one for our selves. Why not include Him in your real estate business and your farm and in your marriage? After all, you are in full-time Christian service at the point of salvation and Christianity is not something that you take off and put on when you go to work or when it comes to your marriage. Why not include Him in anything and everything? He will do wonders for you! Remember how He enhanced the wedding when He appeared and turned the water into wine? Include Him in your marriage.
The Marriage of Two Souls SOS 3:1. “Whom my soul loveth.” The Right-Man and the Right-Woman will have compatibility in their souls. The soul has essence. For example: 1. Self consciousness — you are aware of things around
you Now, the Right-Man comes along, compatibility in the soul. 1. Self consciousness — now you have an awareness of
each other You probably even have compatibility in your old sin nature – same area of human good, same areas of likes and dislikes, same area of asceticism or lasciviousness. In some instances exact opposites may marry and have compatibility. The Unifier, of course, is the Word of God.
Safeguard Against Pre-Martial Sex For the Woman: The Word of God gives the woman stability. Isa 33:6, “Wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times.” On a date, the man is the custodian of his partner’s soul and body. 1 Pet 2:25 analogy. For the Man: He needs to have accurate information concerning himself and the opposite sex and himself. Prov 5:20, 6:24-32 7:1-27, 1 Cor 6:16-18, and on womanhood, Prov 31. He needs to have the right companionship: He needs to respect the privacy of the opposite number on a date. In other words stop bugging her to make out.
Monday, April 3, 2000 God’s gracious provision whereby a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ can grow in Grace and in the knowledge of our Saviour Jesus Christ. 1. The formation and preservation of the canon of Scripture. 2. Authorization of the local church for the communication of the Word of God, 1, 2 Timothy, and Titus. This is to be done in a public assembly. The Word of God is to be dispensed to all believers, and this is a part of the doctrine of the privacy applied to believer priests in the Church Age. 3. The spiritual gift of pastor-teacher is given to communicate the Word of God. Obviously no pastor earns or deserves this gift. It is a Grace gift, as is the Canon and so is the local church. Eph 4:11-16 4. The indwelling of God the Holy Spirit as the Teacher of the Bible, John 14:16-17, John 16:13, 1 Cor 6:19-20, and this is given by Grace – we don’t deserve or earn the indwelling Holy Spirit. 5. The means by which a person is filled with the Spirit. 1 John 1:9, Heb 2:1, Eph 5:14-18 and again this is given only by the Grace of God. 6. The inhale and exhale of the Word of God, intake and application. Psa 42:1, “panteth.” Psa 119:131, and “panted.” Eph 4:23, and “be renewed in the breathing of your mind.” 7. The mind is where the Word is first comprehended, Eph 4:23, Rom 12:2, and we don’t earn or deserve this provision either. 8. The human spirit is where the Word through application of faith becomes useable and it is categorized. Rom 8:16, 1 Cor 2:1-16, Eph 3:16-18 Then the Word of God becomes residual doctrine and it not only becomes the foundation for maturity, but also the building material for a relaxed mental attitude, capacity for life and love, inner happiness and Grace orientation.
Six Stages of Growing in Grace 1. Stage One: The communication of the Word of God in the case of a local church, the pastor-teacher. For example, in Ephesians and Colossians, Paul was the communicator. 2. Stage Two: The comprehension of the Word of God, Eph 1:18, hearing the Word of God as per James 1:22-23. 3. Stage Three: The storage stage where the human spirit is filled with the Word by faith, Rom 8:16, Eph 3:18. 4. Stage Four: This is the frame of reference stage, which goes into the norms and standards and this becomes a great stabilizer and allows the Word of God to be exhaled, applied in pressure situations, Eph 3:19. 5. Stage Five: Exhale of the Word from the human spirit and the frame of reference, the application of the Word of God to daily living inwardly and overtly, Eph 4:23 and following, Eph 6:10 “putting on the armor” and following. 6. Sixth Stage: Residual doctrine in the human spirit and frame of reference becomes the building material for the edification of the soul.
The Bible Commands Responsibility in Three Areas 1. All believers are in full-time Christian service. 2. Both single and married status are right. Each case must be discerned on its own personal merits. Each person must decide for himself which is better for him. There are some people who will not use time properly unless they are married. 3. Celibacy is not holier than marriage. Under certain conditions, it can be a satanic doctrine. 2 Tim 4:3, Spirituality is the filling of the Holy Spirit in either single or married state. 4. There are times when we have to choose between using our time in a legitimate activity, weeping, rejoicing, business or using time for the Lord’s service, 1 Cor 7:30
Great Decisions in Life The greatest decision of all is to receive Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour. Another great decision is whether or not to marry. Another great decision is marrying the right man or woman. Marriage is a good and wonderful thing, as long as you have the right person, the one that the Lord has for you. However, the Lord has certain responsibilities for some men and some women whereby if they enter marriage, even though it may be good in principle, it can be wrong for them because it cuts into their time of service in the Plan of God. Example: Paul, 1 Cor 9:5. There is a tremendous need for concentrated service for the Lord, and the real issue is utilization of time. Quite obviously the single believer has more time to serve the Lord. The principle in 1 Cor 7:38 is that it is better for the utilization of time, when one is serving the Lord to be single rather than married. In married status, time is consumed in: A. Making the marriage successful, the
mate must not be neglected.
Marriage With all the confusion about men coming from Mars and women coming from Venus, we have entirely forgotten what marriage really is. Marriage is a Divine Institution, a basis for order in the human race. It is also the boundary for sex and a stable environment for children. Now, right there you can see what is wrong in our country today. The mental attitude of love is the foundation for marriage and should be the basic concept for marriage. Sex is one of the many expressions of this love. Mental attitude love in marriage finds many areas of expression: conversation, companionship, kindness, communication, sex. This is compatible with the concept spirituality, where the filling of the Holy Spirit produces a mental attitude of love, which finds many areas of expression in the Christian way of life. Gal 5:22, “The fruit of the Spirit is love,” that is AGAPE, and that is mental attitude love. Our love happiness must precede our sex happiness. There must be the touching of souls before there is the enjoyable touch of bodies. “Whom my soul loveth.” ”The husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the Church,” Eph 5:23. Leadership entails responsibility. 51 percent of the responsibility in every home lies with the husband. The husband is always commanded to love his wife, Eph 5:25 and that is again, AGAPE love. The wife is never commanded to love her husband. The wife has to be taught how to love her husband and her children, Titus 2:4. This is rapport love and response love which precedes from the husband’s love.
What is Marriage All About? – Part Two The wife is to be a help-meet, literally a helper of the
same species, to her husband, Gen 2:18-22. The husband’s love, both mental and physical, should be primarily aggressive and protective. The man initiates. The wife’s love should be responsive and receptive. The real adjustment in marriage is in the area of mental
attitude. We are what we think, Prov 23:7.
The Woman’s Role as a Mother 1. First of all, the mother, being a believer, her first responsibility is her relationship with the Lord, to stay in fellowship with the Lord in time and learn the Word of God. 2. She is responsible to train her children in the Word
of God. Duet 6:6-9. 3. The family is sanctified because she is a believer, 1
Cor 7:14. 4. In extreme cases, if the husband refuses to let her teach the children the Word of God, the authority of the Word of God supercedes the authority of the husband. At the same time she should treat him in mental attitude Grace, which is a result of the filling of the Holy Spirit. 5. Her submission in other areas and her mental attitude of Grace in marriage, resulting from the filling of the Holy Spirit, will go far in winning an unbelieving husband to the Lord. By her manner of life, he sees her live it.
Biblical References to Right-Man/Right-Woman 1. The woman is a responder, but designed to respond to just one man. This is why immoral women whether ignorant or clever, never understand why they are not happy. 2. Gen 3:16, “Desire” is here speaking of the woman’s craving for a man, but it has to be the Right-Man. 3. “And he shall rule over thee.” “He,” is the man. A woman must respect a man. And she must realize that she is surrendering her soul and body to that one man, surrendering her freedom to him. 4. When a woman seeks to respond to the wrong man, the woman destroys her soul. And vice versa, Prov 6:32. Prov 6:32, “But whoso committeth adultery,” single or married, “with a woman,” wrong woman. “He that doeth it destroyeth his own soul.” A. “Destroy” is a term for putting calluses on the soul and it causes a seared conscience, and twists, perverts, distorts, and destroys the function of the soul and destroys any chance for happiness in a marriage relationship. B. “Destroy the soul” is spelled out for us in Rom 1:18ff, where it talks about homosexuality and lesbianism. Eph 4:19 talks about being past feeling. These are the calluses that are formed on the soul. C. Premarital sexual relationships not only give the girl and the guy a horrible sense of guilt, but also the feeling that “I have blown it.” D. According to 1 Cor 6:16, premarital sex has an effect on the physical body. 1 Cor 6:16-18. E. Monogamy, one man/one woman, in contrast to polygamy, one man and many women, is ordained of God to demonstrate that God has a Right-Man and a Right-Woman for each other. 1 Cor 7:2-4.
Point Two on the Biblical Principle of Right-Man/Right-Woman. 1. Just as there is only one Saviour and one body, the body of Christ (which is made up of all believers, called the bride, the church, and the bridegroom, Christ), so there is one man and one woman in God’s design. Eph 5:31-33. A. The husband, if properly matched, will love his wife. God has designed the right combination to work
beautifully, Jer 31:22 in the Hebrew. 1. Sexual relations before marriage can destroy any happiness in this area before marriage. 2. Sexual relations before marriage can destroy the soul
and make it impossible to find the Right-Man or Right-Woman. This is such a marvelous relationship that it is unbelievable this is the matching of physical bodies. More to follow …
Saturday, April 1, 2000 The Love of God for the Human Race 1. God is perfect. God is love. Therefore, His love is
perfect. This is one of the categories of Basic Bible Doctrine.
Promises for Senior Citizens Psa 71:18, “Now also when I am old and greyheaded, O God, forsake me not until I have shewed Thy strength unto this generation, and Thy power to every man that is to come.” When you get older, it is obvious to yourself and other people you do not have the strength to do the things you used to do when you were younger. So, it is no longer an issue of your strength, it is an issue of the Lord’s strength. And the contrast between your weakness and the Lord’s strength and power is obvious. You can’t help yourself and therefore you can’t help others but the Lord can help all of us. ”O God, do not forsake until, “until” I have shewed Thy strength unto this generation and Thy power to every one that is to come.” In old age the issue is clear as to whose strength it is.
Promises for Senior Citizens Ruth 4:15, “And He shall be unto thee a Restorer of thy
life and a “Nourisher of thine old age.” In old age the Lord will nourish you. In old age He will carry you and bear you and deliver you. Take these promises and pray them back to the Lord. And cast them on Him and tell Him that you have His Word that He will sustain you.
Senior Citizen Promises Any time you want a promise for old age, all you have to do is live in Indiana. While driving down the street you see rows and rows of corn. I understand that is true in Iowa, too. Corn, corn, corn. They even have it in grocery stores, even in cans. That is like a rainbow from the Lord about His promise to you in old age. There are many examples of it. Job 5:26, “Thou shalt come to Thy grave in a full age, like a shock of corn cometh in his season.” God only picks ripe corn, in his season. When you are ripe, you go home, not when you are rotten. If you are rotten when you go home, that is not God’s choice. That is your choice going home under the sin unto death. Examples: Gen 35:29, the same was true of Isaac.
Senior Citizen Promises What are the advantages of growing old? “Growing in Grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” The older you get in the Lord, the better you should be in the Lord. Psa 90:12, “So teach us to number our days that we may
apply our minds unto wisdom.” Wisdom is the application of the Word of God to
experience.
Promises for the Sunset Years Prov 3:2, “For length of days and long life and peace shall they add to thee.” Prov 3:16, “Length of days is in her right hand and in her left hand riches and honor.” In context it is speaking about the Word of God. Prov 4:10, “Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings, and the years of thy life shall be many.” This is David teaching his son Solomon the importance and the advantage of the Word of God in your life when you are older. Prov 9:11, “For by Me thy days shall be multiplied and
the years of thy life shall be increased.” At the end of your life, after you have tried everything and anything, and you know you are leaving, you can still call upon the Lord and be saved. ”Whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord shall
be saved.”
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