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Divine Sugar Sticks for August 2002Buddy develops these on a daily basis. I'll try to keep up with his creations as often as I can, so check back often for the latest treats of the day.  What's the background behind Sugar Sticks? Click here to find out.
Thursday, August 29, 2002 Thought for the Day!If you stood before God today and He said to you, “Why should I let you in My Heaven,” what would you say?
Divine Promises Must be Realized Because They Are the Promises of Deity. They Are the Promises of God.
Because of all He is in Himself as God, He was and is bound to fulfill every Word of His. Those prophets were not reliable messengers if what they declared as Promises were only empty words, and the Scriptures would not be holy in recording them. The witness of the New Testament, however, is eloquent with the fulfillment of the covenant God made with His chosen.
“I Have Sworn Unto My Servant David,” Psalm 89:3
Divine Promises are God-breathed and, therefore, impossible of non-fulfillment. With such a God as our Father, we should say, farewell to any doubt and trust Him totally. The Divine Promises, fountains of our perpetual refreshment, are in our souls. What more do we need?
Promises Are Backed by God’s Faithfulness, Which Runs Like a Golden Thread Through His WordAll writers of Holy Writ combine to magnify God for His unfailing faithfulness to all generations.
“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,” Hebrews 11:11
God’s faithfulness then is our special ground of encouragement as we appropriate His Promises.
David Would Have to Feed Upon This Divine Faithfulness, Which is “The Girdle of His Reins,” Isaiah 11:5
Another guarantee of fulfillment is in the very Names of God. What an evangel each one of His JEHOVAH titles contain.
Bagel LancersThe Lord Jesus Christ as the Promised Messiah of IsraelAs to His guileless naturePromise: “Because He hath done no violence, neither was any deceit in His mouth,” Isaiah 53:9. Performance: “Who did no sin, neither was guilt found in His
mouth,” 1 Pet 2:22. As to his unflagging zealPromise: “The zeal of Thine house hath eaten Me up,” Psa 69:9. Performance: “His disciples remembered that it was written “the zeal of Thine house hath eaten Me up,” John 2:17.
Bagel LancersThe Lord Jesus Christ as the Messiah of IsraelAs to His parabolic teachingPromise: “I will open My mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old,” Psa 78:2. Performance: “I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things
that have been kept secret,” Matt 13:35. As to His miraculous ministryPromise: “God will come. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped,” Isa 35:4-6. Performance: “Jesus answered, the blind receive their sight,” Matt 11:4-6, John 11:47.
Wednesday, August 28, 2002 Any Chosen Promise Must be Contemplated PracticallyPaul, when he presents a Promise of comfort, at the same time excites us to duty. With him Truth had to be turned to practical account. When the apostle reminds us of the paternal relation of God to His own, it is to animate them to resist unto blood striving against sin. To Paul, the Promises were not an end in themselves, but were the means to the end.
John likewise turns Truth to a practical account when, after putting the saints in remembrance of what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us in making us His children, checks any undue elation or elevation over our glorious hopes by instantly reminding us that such is our hope in Christ, that we should “purify ourselves even as Christ Himself is pure,” 1 John 3:1-3.
Peter Inspires Us as He Speaks of the “Exceeding Great and Precious Promises”But he does not leave us to muse over the problems as suchWhy were they given? Peter tells us:
At All Times Our Eyes Must be Fixed Not on a Promise Merely, but on Christ, the Only Foundation of Our HopesAnd in and through Whom alone all Promises are made good to usAlso upon the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, through whose Grace we discover the excellency and blessedness of the Promises. The three Persons of the ever-blessed Trinity stand ready to supplement these Promises with deeds.
You have probably read of the old lady who had an extremely lazy and unworthy method of using her Bible for help and guidance. When passing through a time of need, her way of securing Divine aid was to hold a closed Bible in her hand and pray, “O Lord, give me the right verse to comfort me.” Then she would let her Bible fall open and the first verse her eyes lighted upon was supposed to be the one Divinely given. Well, up against it one day, the dear soul prayed and acted in this fashion, and the first verse to catch her glance was, “And Judas went out and hanged himself.” Petulant over the failure to receive the Promise she felt she needed and should receive, she prayed the second time, and let her Bible open at random. This time she read, “What thou doest, do quickly.” It is needless to say that that is not the way to use God’s Word or to seek assurance therein.
While the Promises Form “God’s Promise Box” and Constitute the Believer’s Spiritual Treasure, and it is Profitable to Have Them Collected and Classified for Our Enlightenment and Edification …... the Promises, in themselves, must never be allowed to supercede or substitute our study of the Bible as a whole. Although the Promises are a mine of unsearchable riches, they are only specimens of still greater spiritual wealth. Precious in themselves, they are only meant to stimulate investigation. The believer, whom these grains of precious ore shall lure to further search to the mine itself, will find his pleasing toil amply repaid from the endless store which remains behind of hidden treasure.
Monday, August 26, 2002 Dear Abba!Q. I was baptized when I was an infant. Now that I am an adult, do I have to be baptized again? A. Babies should not be baptized Biblically. Baptism means that you have accepted Christ as your personal Saviour and you are going to walk in newness of life. Since an infant is not able to make a decision to accept Christ as Saviour, they are still lost and without Christ. Water baptism is for believers only. Baptizing infants is another Roman Catholic doctrine, where the godfather presents the baby for baptism and the priest asks the godfather, “Have you renounced Satan?” When the issue is not the godfather, but the child. Renouncing Satan doesn’t save you either.
There Was a Definite Promise Given to the Apostle Paul for a Particular Purpose in a Time of TrialThere was “given to him a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet him, lest he should be exalted above measure.” Thrice Paul besought to relieve him of this thorn, but was met with the Divine announcement, “My Grace is sufficient for thee, for My strength is made perfect in weakness,” 2 Cor 12:7-9. What saint among you has not found consolation in these precious words.
“My Grace is Sufficient for Thee”When overwhelmed by the trials and frustrations of the world, we read this Promise and say to our despondent soul, “Up, trudge another mile.” But while we have a right to appropriate and apply such an assuring Promise, we must first of all interpret it in the light of its context. Certain verses then express the experience of particular persons. Yet what is recorded of them is for our instruction and comfort, so that if we find ourselves in similar circumstances, like the saints of old, we too, can find Grace and mercy.
“Thou Which Hast Showed Great and Sore Troubles Shalt Quicken Me Again and Shall Bring Me Up Again From the Depths of the Earth,” Psalm 71:20Compare Psalm 118:6 with Hebrews 13:6This Promise is applicable to all saints as well as to the psalmist to whom it was given. While it may be evident that a chosen Promise has a distinct obvious sense by itself, yet often it will be found that there are other aspects of the Truth to be gleaned by examining the background of the Promise given in the Sacred Record.
Mohammedanism!The causes for the rapid spread of this religion are fourfold:
Buddhism!Its spread was due to four causes:
Christianity!The spread of Christianity.
Sunday, August 25, 2002 “Thou Shalt Love the Lord Thy God With All Thine Heart and With All Thy Soul and With All Thy Might,” Deuteronomy 6:5, 18The Lord Jesus Christ took this Jewish command with promise and applied it to those of His own day and to all who follow Him. Matt 22:37, Mark 12:29, 30, Luke 10:27.
“God Said to Solomon, Behold This Was in Thine Heart and Thou Hast not Asked Riches, Wealth, Honor, nor the Life of Thine Enemies…“...Yet neither hath thou asked long life, but hast asked wisdom and knowledge for thyself, that thou mayest judge My people over whom I have made thee king. Wisdom and knowledge is granted unto thee, and I will give thee riches and wealth and honor, such as none of the kings before thee, neither shall there any after thee have the like,” 2 Chr 1:16. Within certain limits, any sovereign or ruler can re-echo Solomon’s prayer for wisdom and receive it to govern his people, for it is
Solomon’s request for wisdom inspires believers to seek the same gift though it may not be for the same purpose Solomon asked his gift.
“But the Comforter, Which is the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father Will Send in My Name, He Shall Teach You All Things, and Bring All Things to Your Remembrance Whatsoever I Have Said Unto You,” John 14:16, 26The Lord Jesus Christ’s Promise that when the Holy Spirit came, He would teach the apostles all things about Himself and bring to their remembrance His many utterances, is a Promise and it is your privilege and mine to claim. Are not the Holy Spirit’s illuminations, instruction, and guidance for all born again by His power?
“But You Have an Unction From the Holy One and ye Know All Things...“...But the anointing which you have received of Him abideth in you and ye need not that any man teach you, but as the same anointing teach you of all things, and is Truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in Him,” 1 John 2:20, 27. The indwelling Guest the Redeemer sent, “with us to dwell” is our indwelling Teacher and Monitor. And the same good Spirit guards us from all dangerous and fatal mistakes. To show the inconsistency of the translators, the words “unction” and “anointing” are the same word, which anointing you receive at the point of salvation.
Thought for the Day!Your hand in mine,
Saturday, August 24, 2002 There are Promises Given to the Jews for the Jews to ClaimYet the Truth they contain can be appropriated by believers today. Was it not to Israel as God’s vineyard of red wine that He said,
It Was to Jerusalem During the Kingdom Age That God Said,
Coming to the New Testament we find the same Divine Promise and protection translated into Pauline phraseology.
So it is for the godly Jew and the Christian, the Truth is the same. God is ever mindful about His own as the mountains are round about Israel.
What is Essential to Remember is a Rule so Often Lost Sight of…Namely, while all the Bible is written for us, not all of it was written to us. Promises made to particular persons, and in cases and for reasons that equally concern other saints, are yet applicable to the comfort of all, and may be pleaded with faith and prayer as Paul reminds us.
“Behold I Give You a Sign; a Virgin Shall Conceive, and Bear a Child,” Isaiah 7:14When my wife was dying of cancer, I went from church to church to find some answers of “why Christians suffer.” In one of the churches that I attended, the pastor said “it doesn’t make any difference if you believe in the virgin birth or not.” I have found since then that many men profess themselves unable to accept the Doctrine of the virgin birth of our Lord because it would involve a biological miracle. Of course, this position assumes that miracles are impossible, and dodges the whole question. If miracles are possible, then it becomes merely a question of fact as to whether Christ’s birth was such a miracle or not. A fact is a matter of history and must be decided by historical investigation. As far as our historical investigation is concerned, the facts of the virgin birth of our Lord are as well established as those of any other event in the New Testament. From the philosophical point of view, if God intended to cause the incarnation of His Son, the virgin birth is a logical way of bringing a result such as that about. Doubtless God might have incarnated His Son in a child born of human parents, if He had chosen to do so, but if He had done so, it would have made it more difficult for mankind to believe in the Divinity of our Lord. Also if Christ had been born of human parents, it would be rather difficult to see how He could have escaped the burden of condemnation resting on the human race because of Adam’s sin. And so difficult to see how He could have escaped actual sin, though doubtless even then could have miraculously brought such a result about had He chosen to do so. Therefore, the virgin birth was the logical and natural means of uniting the two natures, and of bringing the human nature into the Person of the pre-existent Christ, in union with the Divine nature. Therefore, we cannot doubt the fact that it did occur and accept the Truth of both the Old and New Testaments.
Friday, August 23, 2002 “Lo, I Am With You Alway, Even Unto the End of the Age,” Matthew 28:26This was a statement of fact, although we name it as a Promise, and rightly so. Such a fact is the other side of the command to go and teach all nations. Whether we realize His sacred presence or not, as we labor in the Lord’s name, the fact remains that He is with us. If some earth-born cloud arises to hide Him from our eyes, He is still near because He has stated that He will never leave nor forsake His own. Here then is a blessed fact to be accepted by faith and constantly rested in.
“God is Love.” “God is Great.”Here we readily concede that these are distinct and precious phrases. We call these Promises and they light up the pages of the Bible as the stars light up the sky at night. These gracious epithets form an exceeding great army.
The point to remember, however, is that the majority of these statements are facts. No one and nothing can alter the fact that “God is love.” Of course, such a blessed fact carries with it the Promise that He will be loving in His treatment of saint and sinner alike.
The Stipulation of the PromisesAmong the many striking evidences of the Bible being God’s inspired, infallible Word are:
This is why Peter reasons that “the exceeding great and precious Promises” enable us to become “partakers of the Divine nature.”
Several Blessings or Duties Are Sometimes Compressed into One VerseFor instance, take this “Proverb” which is also a “Promise” from Solomon’s collection.
Here is a verse offering the pastor-teacher a wide range of exposition. The possession and manifestation of humility and godliness and reverence can lead to both material and spiritual gains.
There are Direct Promises and Particular Blessings, Some Which Were Made to All Men in General, According to the Rules and Limitations IndicatedHere are two illustrations of this Truth
In the plainest terms, God tells us what He is in Himself and what He is willing to bestow upon those who fulfill the stipulation laid down.
How the saints of every succeeding age irrespective of nationality, or position, have staked their claims in such a rich mine of promised sustenance.
There are Those Promises Addressed to Definite Persons, but in Which All Christians May Take ComfortThe assurance given to Joshua of Divine companionship can be experienced by all of us.
Here as you can see a particular Promise given first to Moses, then to Joshua, becomes a general Promise for the saints of God to realize. He has promised never to leave us, never to leave us alone.
Thursday, August 22, 2002 As for the Three Verbs That Are Used in the English for “Promise” We HaveFirst: EPANGELLO, meaning to announce and proclaim. In the New Testament the word has two meanings: “To profess and to promise,” each used in the middle voice, to promise. The middle voice is reflexive which means the emphasis is on the Promiser.
Another Word for Promise is “PROEPANGELLO” Used in the Middle Voice…...And denoted “to promise before.” PRO means before, and it occurs twice in Paul’s writings.
The term “PROEPANGELLOMAI” also means to promise before, and is translated by the one word “afore-mentioned,” 2 Cor 9:5.
HOMOLEGEOHere we have a word meaning to agree or confess, and it signifies to promise.
The verb “EXOMOLOGEO” means to agree openly, to acknowledge outwardly or fully. It is translated “consented” in Luke 22:6 in the original, where the A.V. has “promised.” In these various words for Promise you can see the uniqueness and accuracy of Scripture in the original languages.
A PromiseThe expression of an inward resolution can be covered to be beneficial in many ways – by a verbal declaration, or by writing, or by other ways of expressing the intention of one’s mind. All God’s Promises are in written form in His Word, which is the only authentic revelation of the Divine mind and the purpose the world has. Rom 1:2.
Who Has Not Broken a Promise Among Us?Certainly that is God’s reputation, for not one of His multitudinous Promises can possibly fail. The God we love and serve is a God of Truth. He requires Truth as one of the virtues of His intelligent offspring.
This reflection of the Divine character is a just and glorious tribute to God’s reliability. Also a sad, yet just, reflection on human character because the inference of the above passages is that man is capable of promising and guilty of breaking his promise and becoming a liar. Men lie. The Lord doesn’t.
God Keeps His Word of PromiseMacbeth gives us these lines: And by these juggling fiends no more believed, King Henry VI and the Divine Promises: The Promises are like ADONAI’S garden,
Monday, August 19, 2002 The Hebrew Noun “DAHTAR” is Generally Recorded “Word”But the word “Promise” is found in 1 Kings 8:56 and Nehemiah 5:12, 13
A difficulty in assessing the number of Bible Promises is further seen in the fact that another Hebrew word for “Promise” is “OMER” meaning, “saying.” This is the term used in “Doth His Promise fail for evermore,” Psa 77:8 and employed again as “word” in passages like “The Lord gave the Word (Promise),” Psa 68:11.
The Change in Psalm 105:42“He remembered His holy Word” reminds us that God’s “holy Word” is always a “holy Promise.” The Hebrew verb “DABHAR” is usually translated “speak,” but “promise” is found in many places.
EPANGELLIAFrequently this term stands for the thing promised, and so signified a gift, graciously bestowed, not a pledge secured by negation. Thus in Gal 3:14, The Promise of the Spirit denoted the Promised Spirit. Luke 24:49, Acts 2:23, Eph 1:13.The Promise of the eternal inheritance is the promised inheritance. On the other hand, in Acts 1:4, “the Promise of the Father is the Promise made by the Father.”
Promises, in the Plural, is Because the One Promise to Abraham was Variously Repeated
The plural is also used because it contained the germ of all subsequent Promises. Rom 9:4, Heb 6:12, 7:6, 8:6, 11:17.
In Galatians 3, Paul shows the Promise was conditional upon faith and upon the fulfillment of the law. The law was later than and inferior to the Promises and did not annul it. Gal 3:21 with 4:23, 28. Again, the covenants of the Promise, Eph 2:12, does indicate different covenants, but often a covenant renewed, all centering in Christ as the promised Messiah Redeemer, and comprising the blessings to be bestowed through Him.
The Plural is Likewise Used in the Book of Hebrews of Every Promise Made by God and of Special Promises Mentioned
For other applications of the word EPANGELLA, see Eph 6:2, 1 Tim 4:8, 2 Tim 1:1, Heb 4:1, 2 Pet 3:4, 9. Some manuscripts have the word meaning “message” instead of “ANGELIA,” as in 1 John 1:5.
In Several Places the Revised Version Gives “Speak” or “Say” Instead of “Promise”
The Greek noun “EPANGELLA,” which is primarily a law term, denoting a summons. EPI means upon. ANGELO means to proclaim or announce. It also meant an undertaking to do or give something, a promise. It is used only of the Promises of God, except in Acts 23:21, “Looking for a Promise from Thee.”
The Word of God Related to the Lord Jesus Christ in Promises
Friday, August 16, 2002 “He Hath Set Eternity in Their Heart,” Ecclesiastes 2:11Great souls are portions of eternity, destined to spend this eternity with the Eternal One Himself. The depth of such a blessed eternity has not been fully revealed, but we do rejoice in the knowledge that, as the children of God, we are a part of that flowing river which will ultimately join the Heaven, the boundless sea, rolling through depths of eternity. Within the breast of both savage and saint can be found the hope of immortality. Man may try to believe in oblivion at death, but ever and anon, the God-implanted desire for continuance beyond the grave expresses itself.
“He Hath Set Eternity in Their Heart”Revelation and intuition confirm that death is not the end of all, but simply an episode on the way to the Great Beyond. Whether eternity is to be blessed or tragic depends upon our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.
“From Everlasting to Everlasting Thou Art God,” Psalm 90:2, Hebrews 13:8This great Promise implies that all God has been and is, He will forever and ever be. He is the Changeless One. Throughout eternity ours will be the joy and privilege of basking in His eternal love and Grace and glory. 1 Pet 5:10, 11; 2 Cor 4:17; 2 Tim 2:10.
Not Until Eternity With the Lord Can We Begin to Know What it is to Appropriate the Promises of:
We can add this to the list of what Heaven is like.
“Behold I Make All Things New,” Revelation 21:5All things will need to be made new for they are sadly battered and worn by sin. Through Grace we are new creatures in the Lord Jesus Christ, and when He comes, our bodies will be new, like unto His glorious body. Transformed into His likeness, we shall be altogether new and holy. Then there will come from His hand the new Heaven and the new earth as full of beauty, if not more glorious than His first creation. Isa 65:17, 2 Pet 3:13.
“His Servants Shall Serve Him and They Shall See His Face and His Name Shall be in Their Forehead,” Revelation 22:3, 4Eternal blessings are ours in part now. We serve Him, but not as devotedly as we should. We see His face, but only as reflected in His Word. His name is on our forehead, although we are not branded as His as we should be. But in eternity, these beginnings will be perfected. Then we shall serve Him without weariness or mistake. Then we shall see His face, and what joy that will be to see our blessed Saviour as He is. Then His name will be photographed upon our brow. The secret mark of inward Grace develops into the public sign manual of confessed relationship. The vast angelic host will know us as being the Lord Jesus Christ’s.
“Time Shall be No More”What is the practical outcome of our contemplation of all the Lord has for us when “time shall be no more?” Does not Peter sum up our present obligation for us in his exhortation, “Wherefore beloved, seeing you look for such things, be diligent that you may be found of Him in peace,” 2 Pet 3:14. Heirs of a new world, we should be found living unworldly lives. Soon to see His face, we should seek to live as always in His presence. If we think seldom and superficially of His return, Millennial reign, and eternal dominion, our spiritual life will be immeasurably weakened. It is high time for us to wake out of sleep for midnight will soon be past. When the eternal sun arises, may we be found ready to enter our everlasting inheritance. In such a glorious future the Promises will still be our perpetual delight, even though they will be fulfilled.
Thursday, August 15, 2002 Thought for the Day!The Simplicity of the Gospel
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 | “Behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity 18 years and she was bowed together, bent over double, and could in no wise lift up herself.” |
She became totally hopeless like all of us who come into this world.
Sunday, August 11, 2002
A term made up of the Latin “mille” meaning a thousand, and “annus” meaning a year. It is used as “a thousand years” six times by John, Rev 20:1-7, and represents the last dispensation for man before the final removal of the curse, Rev 22:3.
Among other definitions of this glorious period the Bible mentions are:
| “The dispensation of the fullness of times, Eph 1:10. |
| “The world or age to come,” Matt 12:32, Eph 1:21. |
| “The kingdom of Christ and of God,” Eph 5:5, 2 Tim 4:1, Rev 11:15. |
| “The kingdom of Heaven,” Matt 3:2, 4:7, 7:21. |
| “The times of the restitution of all things,” Matt 19:28, Acts 3:20, 21. |
| “The consolation of Israel,” Luke 2:25. |
| “The redemption of Jerusalem,” Luke 2:38. |
| “The kingdom of His Dear Son,” Col 1:13, 2 Pet 1:11. |
Particularly in the Psalms. See Psa 72, 85, 89, 100, etc.
Among the Millennial Promises we have:
| The promised glory of the Lord. “The glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together,” Isa 40:5, 4:5. |
| The personal exultation of Christ. “At the name of Jesus every knee should bow,” Phil 2:6-11. |
| The promised throne for Christ. “To give unto Him the throne of His father David,” Luke 1:32, Psa 2, 110. |
| The promised perfect government. “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven,” Matt 6:10; Heb 10:12, 13; Psa 45:6, 7. |
| The promised abundance of peace. “The meek shall inherit the earth and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace,” Psa 37:11. “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth,” Matt 5:5. |
More to come.
| The promised physical change on earth. “The desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose,” Isa 35:1-7, 66:20-25. “All the land shall be turned as a plain,” Zech 14:4-15. |
| The promised holiness highway for earth’s redeemed. “An highway shall be there...the way of holiness,” Isa 35:6-10. |
| The promised universal reign of Christ. “His dominion shall be from sea to sea and from the river to the ends of the earth,” Zech 9:9-11, Micah 5:2-5, Isa 9:6, 7. |
| The personal abolition of war. “He maketh wars to cease unto the ends of the earth,” Psa 46:8-11. “They shall beat their swords into ploughshares,” Isa 2:4-5. |
More to come.
| The promised deliverance from corruption. “The creation itself shall also be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the liberty of the glory of the children of God,” Rom 8:20-22, 1 Cor 15:24-28, Eph 1:10. |
| The promised transformation of the animal creation. ”The wolf and the lamb shall feed together,” Isa 65:25. |
| The promised general recognition of God. ”The earth shall be full of the knowledge of JEHOVAH as the waters cover the sea,” Isa 11:9, Hab 2:14. “JEHOVAH alone shall be exalted in that day,” Isa 2:12-22, Psa 46:8. |
| The promised righteousness of Israel as a nation. ”Thy people also shall be all righteous,” Isa 60:21. |
| The promised reign of the Church with Christ. ”Do you not know that the saints shall judge the world,” 1 Cor 6:2, 3.” “I saw thrones, and they sat upon them,” Rev 20:4, Luke 22:28, 29. |
More to come.
| The promised bondage of the devil. ”Satan...bound for a thousand years and cast into the abyss,” Rev 20:1-3. |
| The promised longevity of man. “The child shall die an hundred years old,” Isa 65:20-25, Rev 21:3-7. |
| The promised period of righteousness and truth and peace. “Righteousness and peace will kiss each other,” Psa 85:10, 11, 13; Isa 2:3, 11:4-9l; Micah 4. |
The passages cited indicate that the Millennium will be an age of wide-spread blessedness, with sin and rebellion under cover, because the devil is imprisoned and not able to continue his control of evil forces. With Christ reigning with an iron rule, the earth will breathe a purer air.
The kingdom He will establish and reign over for a thousand years will continue into the new earth and will therefore be eternal in nature.
This list of Millennial Promises should shut the mouths of all your a-millennial friends.
Saturday, August 10, 2002
Roses are sweet on the stem, but it is only when you distil them that you get their full strength.
A jewel might be bright in the casket, but it must be held up in varying lights to see it in its full glory.
It is with the wide Heaven of any of the Promises as with evening skies. At first we see only a single star, but we look again and again, clusters and galaxies shine out as darkness deepens, till the whole night is radiant.
How true is this sentiment as we consider the glorious Promises of our Lord’s return. In the world’s gathering darkness, these advent Promises seem to shine with a greater brilliance.
If we had no other Promise of Christ’s coming, the one He left His own would be sufficient. Because He is faithful who promised, we know that He will not go back on His Word.
Then was it not His dying wish that the body of Christ should be with Him? John 14:3, 17:24.
In a sinless Heaven, the whole of the ransomed family, the Head, with all its members; the vine, with all its branches; the Shepherd with His flock, will be together for ever. Therefore the necessity of His own precious Promise.
Are we found pleading this Promise? Here and now we dimly see Him through the lattice of Scripture. But before long, He will take us to His abode for the vision of His glory that will never fade.
Who are those who eagerly expect the Lord from Heaven? Paul tells us in His narrative where the Promise is found.
| “All who are found in Him.” |
The One we look for is the Promiser Himself. Presently He is at the right hand of God, where He waits, expecting to make a footstool of His enemies.
But before He comes to earth to punish His foes and silence the groan of creation, He is to appear for His people to deliver them altogether from the bondage of corruption, and to crown them with glorious liberty. Coming as the Saviour, He will save us from sin within and around. Then, and not till then, will the body of Christ be saved to sin no more. The foundation of such a hope is a sure one – His oath, His promises, His covenant character, His finished work assure us of its fulfillment.
Because we cannot tell when He will manifest Himself, we must always be wakeful and spiritual. Whether He comes at evening when the work of the day is done, or at midnight when the world slumbers, or at a cock crowing when dawn appears, in the morning when the day is bright and strong, may the King of kings find us ready when He summons us home.
Meanwhile, as we rest in our invisible Lord, let us likewise rest in hope we shall see Him whom our souls love.
Because of the Promises the Lord Jesus Christ made and the precepts He left us, and the warnings He uttered, we must always be watchful and active. But can we say that we are awake to our responsibilities and our privileges and our expectations?
Are we looking, longing, and praying for the Lord’s coming? Do we love the thought of His appearing? Is it high time to wake out of sleep? But our departure and the return of the Lord are uncertain, so we must watch.
He has purposely concealed the time of His coming, in wisdom and mercy, for our good. He commands us to awake and keep awake. We are to watch the events of the times and sensing His nearness, be ready to hail His appearing. And be thankful for our ignorance.
This phase of resurrection must not be confused with the resurrection of the martyred saints as the Millennium is inaugurated, Rev 20:4, nor with the resurrection unto damnation, John 5:29, Rev 20:11-15.
The Bible nowhere teaches a general resurrection. When saints and sinners alike are raised and parted, right and left, what is promised as Christ’s coming to the air is a particular resurrection – a resurrection out from among the dead – only the dead in Christ.
The wicked dead are left in their graves until later when they will be raised to bear their final doom.
In this great chapter called the Magna Charta of Resurrection, Paul deals with the marvels of marvels – namely that the sleeping ashes of the sepulchre will stir at the times of the archangel’s trumpet. Dishonored rust will awake and Christ’s dead men shall arise. Written to the Thessalonians of their blessed dead, Paul said, “Them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him,” or through Him Who is the resurrection and the life.
| “I will ransom them from the power of the grave,” Hosea 13:14. |
| “He will swallow up death in victory,” 1 Cor 15:54, Isa 25:8. |
| “O My people, I will open your graves,” Ezek 37:12, 13. |
| “Our Saviour Jesus Christ who hath abolished death,” 2 Tim 1:10. |
| “God hath both raised up the Lord and will raise us up by His own power,” 1 Cor 6:14. |
| “My flesh shall also rest in hope,” Psa 16:9, Job 19:26. |
| “I shall be satisfied when I awake with Thy likeness,” Psa 17:15. |
From the deepest caves of the ocean,
From the desert and the plain,
From the valley and the mountain,
Countless throngs shall rise again.
Thursday, August 8, 2002
The revealing Truth is that the Bible, when describing the glories of Heaven, deals in negatives rather than in positives.
Yet the very negative description has a power to make on us a deep impression that Heaven is a scene of transcendent blessedness.
“No temple.” In Heaven there is not specialty in forms of worship.
This Promise would give the Orthodox Jew the idea of a city to be avoided, for of old the temple was his glory. But through the ages, temples and their methods of worship have helped to nourish superstition and secularism. The absence of a temple in Heaven, however, does not mean the cessation of worship.
“No temple” really means “all temple” – united worship everywhere.
| “The Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.” |
God and His Son are not only to be the Objects of heavenly worship, but the very Temple of perpetual devotion. Worship is not only to be rendered, the saints are in the Father and the Son in their worship.
In Heaven there is no necessity for second-hand knowledge.
The sun and the moon are just secondary organs of light, for God is the Fountain of all light. He is the Father of lights. The sun catches His radiance and spreads it abroad.
Here and now second-hand knowledge is indispensable. We learn from the Bible which came to us from holy men of God. We learn from pastor-teachers, authors, parents and teachers.
But in Heaven our spiritual intelligence will be perfected by direct contact with the Source of all true knowledge.
We are told to give thanks in everything.
And most of us do not. But I bet here is one you never gave thanks for till now.
Give thanks for your ignorance.
Based on these passages.
| “Thou knowest not what a day may bring forth,” Prov 27:1. |
| “It is the glory of God to conceal a thing,” Prov 25:2. |
Thank God for your ignorance of what God hides from you about the future.
Wednesday, August 7, 2002
Paul’s medication is the very best for all kinds of mental agitation.
“No care, but all prayer.”
Joyful communion with the Lord produces a heavenly peace which “garrisons the mind,” i.e., stands guard over the mind, preventing the intrusion of foes like worry and fear.
He who directs angels, feeds sparrows, and calms storms is our Lord who is able to keep us in “perfect peace,” literally, the doubling of the word “peace” – peace, peace.
To think on all the noble virtues also makes for an untroubled mind. Phil 4:8, 9.
As does the blessed contentment Paul practiced. Phil 4:1, 11.
Why should we worry when the Lord has promised to supply our every need according to His riches in glory? Phil 4:19.
Are you a worrier and does your worry result in physical troubles for which medicine is needed?
Why not pack up and move from your gloomy quarters on Worry Street, to Thanksgiving Avenue, where people live who do not need tranquilizers, pills, drugs, and tablets, for theirs is an inner peace which nothing can disturb.
Paul reminds us that godliness not only carries the Promise of life that now is, but also “of that which is to come.”
Now we have these inspiring Promises bright with future bliss – Promises related to the eternal realm. The good hope in our departure is that when we leave this body, we have the promised prospect of resurrection, reunion, perfection of personal and social happiness in the full enjoyment of our Saviour’s presence for all eternity.
One knows hardly where to begin when it comes to a brief classification of all that awaits the Christian when he or she comes to prove that to “die is gain.” And what a gain Heaven is!
No wonder Paul said that to depart and be with Christ was far better than anything earth could offer.
What a wonderful Promise to sustain us as we continue to battle against the forces which are hostile to our faith here below. Under its inspiration, we press towards its glorious goal. In Heaven our unfinished service, incomplete consecration, partially appreciated Divine gifts, and undeveloped capacities will all reach perfection.
The kind of place the Lord is preparing for His own in our Father’s house will be worthy of Himself and will suit us admirably.
“The Lord Jesus Christ Himself is preparing a home for you.”
Our present abode may be incommodious and uncomfortable, but Heaven will be spacious, magnificent, and worthy of our “Great Architect and Builder.”
This was the Promise Abraham received. “He looked for a city which hath foundations, whose Builder and Maker is God,” Heb 11:10.
Grace is our present possession.
Glory is our future gift.
We go from Grace to glory!
It is Grace that prepares us for glory!
God’s saving, sustaining, sanctifying, and satisfying Grace carries with it the Promise of glory, in which God will perfect that which concerns us.
After we have eaten the bread of Grace, we shall drink the wine of glory.
I know not, oh, I know not, what joys await us there,
What radiance of glory! What blessings beyond compare.
As your eyes run over the following list of Promises, remember to look up the context in each case for a full understanding of each Promise.
| “An inheritance incorruptible ... reserved in Heaven for you,” 1 Pet
1:3, 4, Eph 1:19. |
| “It is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom,” Luke 12:22, Matt 13:43. |
| “We have a building of God...eternal in the Heavens,” 2 Cor 5:1, 8. |
| “Today thou shalt be with Me in Paradise,” Luke 23:43, 16:22. |
| “An entrance into the everlasting kingdom,” 2 Peter 1:10, 11. |
| “Seek those things which are above,” Col 3:1. |
| “Absent from the body, face-to-face with the Lord,” 2 Cor 5:8. |
| “At Thy right hand are pleasures for evermore,” Psa 16:11, 1 Cor 2:9. |
| “Joint heirs with Christ...that we may also be glorified together,”
Rom 8:2, 17, 18, 30. |
| “Father, I will that they also whom Thou hast given Me be with Me where
I am,” John 17:24. |
O think to step ashore, and that shore Heaven;
To clasp a Hand outstretched and that’s God’s hand.
To breathe new air, and that celestial air;
To feel refreshed, and know its immortality.
Oh, think! To pass from storm and stress;
To one unbroken calm, To wake and find it glory.
Tuesday, August 6, 2002
Although the word “worry” is not in the Bible, all it represents occupies a large space in Biblical Precepts and warnings.
As Christians, we should shun worry, because it is unbelief parading in disguise.
When God urges us not to “fret” ourselves, Psa 37:1, 7, He is actually telling us not to worry.
Worry is not a virtue, a grace, or a duty, but a sin against God and ourselves. There are some who would not be content unless they worried. They sometimes even tarry over their worrying. We used to call them “worry worts.”
The suggestion that they should be anxious about nothing is resented, but Paul’s Promise is a radical cure for corroding care.
Tranquility of soul is the only proper attitude toward worry. Even though you are a Christian, cares will come your way. But when they do, you must cast them upon the Lord. “Cast all your cares on Him for He keeps on caring for you.”
Some say, “well that is all right for you, but my case is exceptional. You don’t have any idea as to what I am facing.”
Still the answer is, “in nothing be anxious.”
There are no exceptions to this rule. The secret of not worrying is in the Promise of the Lord Jesus Christ, that all the things we worry about will be given to us if we put Him first.
| “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and all these things will be added unto you.” |
Christ knew that worry was not only a sin against God, but detrimental to one’s spiritual and physical life.
“Take no thought” literally means, “do not worry.” The Lord Jesus Christ did not mean that we are to completely disregard what may lie ahead. But He would have us know that it is useless being over anxious about tomorrow because “all our tomorrow’s are in His hand.”
These two can be expelled if we only believe the Promise that “all things worked together for good.”
Does He not superintend every moment of every one of His own, and have their best and highest interest at heart?
If we therefore worry, we are not trusting His love and wisdom and providence. When we worry, we sin against Him and His Promises.
Sunday, August 4, 2002
The phrase “the Lord is the Spirit” refers to God the Holy Spirit, and not the Second Person of the Trinity. “The Lord is the Spirit” asserts the Deity of the Third Person.
The phrase never means that the Spirit supercedes the presence of the resurrected indwelling Lord Jesus Christ in the believer, Rom 8:10, Gal 2:20, Col 1:37.
The activity of the One cannot be attributed to the Other. They are separate and distinct Persons, both of whom are equally present with and in the believer.
The Old Testament credits the Holy Spirit with the renewal or restoration of the earth after the judgment and destruction of original creation. Gen 1:2, Job 26:13, Psa 104:30.
To keep humanity from returning the earth to chaos, the Holy Spirit, as the power of God, restrains sin. 2 Thes 2:6, 7.
This is one of God’s common Grace benefits to all mankind. Another benefit of common Grace occurs in evangelism. Every human-born being subsequent to the fall of Adam is born spiritually dead, without a human spirit.
The Holy Spirit must act as the missing human spirit so the spiritual information of the Gospel is comprehensible, 2 Cor 2:14b.
Friday, August 2, 2002
Never before did God the Holy Spirit accomplish the four supernatural works in every believer. These works comprise four of the ministries of God the Holy Spirit in the believer at the point of salvation.
Possessing these four blessings, the individual believer today has the most phenomenal spiritual privileges of history.
Whether or not the purpose is fulfilled by the believer depends upon the filling of the Spirit and the application of the Word of God to experience.
The filling of the Holy Spirit is an absolute status commanded to every believer for the empowering of the Christian way of life, Eph 5:18.
The filling of the Holy Spirit may be lost at any time through sin, but it may be regained instantly through confession of sin, 1 John 1:9. By contrast, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is a permanent condition, not mandated, but represented in Scripture as an accomplished fact for all believers.
This good of intrinsic value, “gold, silver, precious stones,” is the only work that can survive the test of time and be rewarded in eternity. 1 Cor 3:14.
Thus, God the Holy Spirit, often neglected and unrecognized, is majestic, all powerful, and loving, coequal with the other two Members of the Godhead – God the Father and God the Son.
My father was a missionary in Africa and I just got a report that he died. How did he die?
His Bible class ate him!
Thursday, August 1, 2002
| “Who walk in the steps of that faith...of Abraham,” Rom 4:14. |
| “Ye should follow His steps,” 1 Pet 2:21. |
| “He will not suffer thy foot to be moved,” Psa 121:3. |
| “Thou shalt walk in thy safety and thy foot shall not stumble,” Prov 3:23. |
If we follow the steps of Abraham and in the steps of the Lord Jesus Christ, “whose day Abraham saw,” then our walk will be a safe one.
Our feeble foot is apt to stumble, but Divine Grace is able to keep us from stumbling. What with pitfalls and snares, weak knees, weary feet, and subtle enemies, no child of God would stand fast for an hour were it not for the “faithful Love” which will not “suffer our foot to be moved.”
What a sweet Promise this is. On the King’s Highway there are many cripples. The best of us halt in faith, in prayer, in patience, and service. What lame ones we really are.
But the Promise is that God saves His “ready to halt ones” so that they can run their race with diligence. Waiting on Him for renewal of strength, we come to know what it is to walk and not faint. When God becomes our all, our walk before and with Him is uninterrupted, and promised fellowship is realized.
St. Patrick, who was a Scotsman and not Irish, and who won many Irish Catholics to Lord, had this prayer inscribed on his breastplate.
God be in my head
And in my understanding.God be in my eyes
And in my looking.God be in my mouth
And in my speaking.God be in my heart
And in my thinking.God be at mine end
And at my departing.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
It doesn’t make any difference where you have been, or where you are going. What is important is “where you stand.”
| “Having put on the whole armour of God, so stand.” |
| “Stand fast in the liberty where Christ has set you free.” |
Make a stand!
Giving is an act of worship, which is a remembrance of the sacrificial Gift of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Giving is a mental attitude of Grace and inner happiness, rather than an amount donated.
Giving must originate from free will apart from coercion and emotional manipulation, or legalistic pressure. Giving is an expression of the royal priesthood of the believer priest in privacy and freedom.
Giving is a privilege associated with Grace.
Giving is a soul activity. Since giving commemorates God’s Grace, the believer must give on the basis of virtue and integrity.
The Word of God and love motivate giving.
Giving depends on Grace orientation and Grace orientation depends on the understanding of the Divine way of operating and relating that operation to the Christian way of life.
Money in the Lord’s work must be properly administered.
Confession of sin and the resultant filling of the Holy Spirit is a prerequisite for giving with proper motivation.
Grace giving is Divine Good motivated by the Word of God, not human good motivated by approbation lust, coercion, emotion, guilt, peer pressure, or desire for prestige.
God provides everything for giving–both the mental attitude and the means. To actually give, the believer must be the recipient of both spiritual and material blessings from God.
God never promises great material blessings to the believer. He supplies enough for us to fulfill His plan for our life and to express our Grace orientation through giving.
Check back tomorrow for more Divine Sugar Sticks!
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