Ah yes, once again the Master's men's Conference comes around at the Bill Rice Ranch about 7 miles from Murfreesboro, TN. Who has time to blog when they are surrounded by an explosion of color in God's creation, a plethora of great tasting food from God's bounty, and heart-warming, soul-stirring sermons froms God's Word?
More later when I get back...
Thursday, November 08, 2007
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
THE TOTAL PACKAGE
PROVERBS 3:5-7
Pastor Rick Jackson
In today's world we are often offered deals or items that can be called "the total package". It might be a new vehicle with all the bells and whistles. It might be that you get you cable TV, Internet connection, home phone and cell phone all from the same company. It could be that you can go to Wal-Mart and see a doctor, an opthamologist, buy your groceries while your car is being serviced!
It shouldn't surprise us to know that the concept of the "total package" has been in the Bible the whole time. There are many places we could go to see this but let's look in Proverbs 3.
I. THE MATTER OF THE HEART [v. 5]
1. The Wholeness of Salvation [v.5] He can do for you what you cannot do for yourself
Romans 10:9-10 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
2. The Holiness of Security [v. 5] He will keep for you what you cannot keep yourself [1 Pt. 1:3-16]
3. The Happiness of Serenity [v. 5] He knows what you cannot [Psalm 56:3]
What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.
II. THE MATTER OF THE HAND [v. 6]
1. This Is Personal [v. 6] "In all thy ways..." Proverbs 16:7
When a man's ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.
2. This Is Powerful [v. 6] "...acknowledge Him..." Ephesians 5:10
Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. Basically WWJD?
3. This Is Purposeful [v. 6] Mark 8:35
For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.
III. THE MATTER OF THE HEAD [v. 7]
1. See Yourself Biblically [v. 7, Psalm 144:3-4]
LORD, what is man, that thou takest knowledge of him! or the son of man, that thou makest account of him! Man is like to vanity: his days are as a shadow that passeth away.
2. See The Lord Biblically [v. 7] "...fear the LORD..."
3. See Life Biblically [v. 7]
Only one life,
twill soon be past;
Only what's done-
for Christ will last.
Pastor Rick Jackson
In today's world we are often offered deals or items that can be called "the total package". It might be a new vehicle with all the bells and whistles. It might be that you get you cable TV, Internet connection, home phone and cell phone all from the same company. It could be that you can go to Wal-Mart and see a doctor, an opthamologist, buy your groceries while your car is being serviced!
It shouldn't surprise us to know that the concept of the "total package" has been in the Bible the whole time. There are many places we could go to see this but let's look in Proverbs 3.
I. THE MATTER OF THE HEART [v. 5]
1. The Wholeness of Salvation [v.5] He can do for you what you cannot do for yourself
Romans 10:9-10 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
2. The Holiness of Security [v. 5] He will keep for you what you cannot keep yourself [1 Pt. 1:3-16]
3. The Happiness of Serenity [v. 5] He knows what you cannot [Psalm 56:3]
What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.
II. THE MATTER OF THE HAND [v. 6]
1. This Is Personal [v. 6] "In all thy ways..." Proverbs 16:7
When a man's ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.
2. This Is Powerful [v. 6] "...acknowledge Him..." Ephesians 5:10
Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. Basically WWJD?
3. This Is Purposeful [v. 6] Mark 8:35
For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.
III. THE MATTER OF THE HEAD [v. 7]
1. See Yourself Biblically [v. 7, Psalm 144:3-4]
LORD, what is man, that thou takest knowledge of him! or the son of man, that thou makest account of him! Man is like to vanity: his days are as a shadow that passeth away.
2. See The Lord Biblically [v. 7] "...fear the LORD..."
3. See Life Biblically [v. 7]
Only one life,
twill soon be past;
Only what's done-
for Christ will last.
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
QUOTES OF THE WEEK!
When Jesus comes I want Him to find me pulling in the harness, not standing in the stall. - Mrs. Tyre
I'm a nobody telling everybody about Somebody who can save anybody! - Source unknown
That's three quotes. Add another quote and make it a gallon! - Groucho Marx
I'm not overweight, I'm just under-tall. - Garfield (the cat, not the President)
---------------------------------------
The Greatest Man in History
J E S U S
had no servants, yet they called Him
M a s t e r.
Had no degree, yet they called Him
T e a c h e r.
Had no medicines, yet they called Him
H e a l e r.
He had no army, yet
Kings Feared Him.
He won no military battles, yet
He Conquered the World.
He committed no crime,
yet they crucified Him.
He was buried in a tomb,
yet He lives today.
I feel honored to serve such a Leader who loves us!
AND HE IS COMING AGAIN!!!!
-unknown origin, sent to me by Ronald
I'm a nobody telling everybody about Somebody who can save anybody! - Source unknown
That's three quotes. Add another quote and make it a gallon! - Groucho Marx
I'm not overweight, I'm just under-tall. - Garfield (the cat, not the President)
---------------------------------------
The Greatest Man in History
J E S U S
had no servants, yet they called Him
M a s t e r.
Had no degree, yet they called Him
T e a c h e r.
Had no medicines, yet they called Him
H e a l e r.
He had no army, yet
Kings Feared Him.
He won no military battles, yet
He Conquered the World.
He committed no crime,
yet they crucified Him.
He was buried in a tomb,
yet He lives today.
I feel honored to serve such a Leader who loves us!
AND HE IS COMING AGAIN!!!!
-unknown origin, sent to me by Ronald
Monday, November 05, 2007
ONE VERSE THAT CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE
GENESIS 15:1
Pastor Rick Jackson
THINK OF THIS VERSE AS THE PROMISE OF FAITH [Rm. 10:17, Gn. 15:1]
"After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying,"
Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
I. FAITH IS BETTER THAN FEAR [v. 1] "Fear not"
Over 60 times in the Bible the words "fear not" are found. Most of those times it is God or His representative talking. Most of those times it is predicated on God's presence, God's power, or God's promises.
1. GOD'S PRESENCE
Genesis 26:24 And the LORD appeared unto him the same night, and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham's sake.
Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
Deuteronomy 31:8 And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.
2 Kings 6:16 And he (Elisha) answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.
1 Chronicles 28:20 And David said to Solomon his son, Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the LORD God, even my God, will be with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house of the LORD.
Heb. 13:5-6 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.
2. GOD'S POWER
Deuteronomy 20:3 And shall say unto them, Hear, O Israel, ye approach this day unto battle against your enemies: let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be ye terrified because of them;
Isaiah 35:4 Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you.
Matthew 10:28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
3. GOD'S PROMISES
Genesis 46:3 And he said, I am God, the God of thy father: fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation:
Joshua 8:1 And the LORD said unto Joshua, Fear not, neither be thou dismayed: take all the people of war with thee, and arise, go up to Ai: see, I have given into thy hand the king of Ai, and his people, and his city, and his land:
Isaiah 41:13 For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.
Joel 2:21 Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice: for the LORD will do great things.
Luke 12:32 Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
Revelation 1:17-18 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
II. GOD IS BEFORE US [v. 1] "I am thy shield"
1. THIS SHOULD PRODUCE JOY
Deuteronomy 33:29 Happy art thou, O Israel: who is like unto thee, O people saved by the LORD, the shield of thy help, and who is the sword of thy excellency! and thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee; and thou shalt tread upon their high places.
Psalm 28:7 The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.
2. THIS SHOULD PRODUCE FAITH
2 Samuel 22:3 The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence.
Psalm 33:20 Our soul waiteth for the LORD: he is our help and our shield.
Psalm 119:114 Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word.
Proverbs 30:5 Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.
3. THIS SHOULD PRODUCE ASSURANCE
2 Samuel 22:36 Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy gentleness hath made me great.
Psalm 3:3But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.
Psalm 84:11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.
Ephesians 6:16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
III. GOD IS BEST FOR US! [v. 1] "I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward."
1. PAUL GOT A HOLD ON THIS
2 Corinthians 4:17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;
Ephesians 1:18-20 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
Ephesians 2:7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 3:20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
2. PETER GOT A HOLD ON THIS
1 Peter 4:13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
2 Peter 1:4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
3. JUDE GOT A HOLD ON THIS
Jude 1:24 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,
DO YOU HAVE A HOLD ON THIS?
Pastor Rick Jackson
THINK OF THIS VERSE AS THE PROMISE OF FAITH [Rm. 10:17, Gn. 15:1]
"After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying,"
Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
I. FAITH IS BETTER THAN FEAR [v. 1] "Fear not"
Over 60 times in the Bible the words "fear not" are found. Most of those times it is God or His representative talking. Most of those times it is predicated on God's presence, God's power, or God's promises.
1. GOD'S PRESENCE
Genesis 26:24 And the LORD appeared unto him the same night, and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham's sake.
Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
Deuteronomy 31:8 And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.
2 Kings 6:16 And he (Elisha) answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.
1 Chronicles 28:20 And David said to Solomon his son, Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the LORD God, even my God, will be with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house of the LORD.
Heb. 13:5-6 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.
2. GOD'S POWER
Deuteronomy 20:3 And shall say unto them, Hear, O Israel, ye approach this day unto battle against your enemies: let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be ye terrified because of them;
Isaiah 35:4 Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you.
Matthew 10:28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
3. GOD'S PROMISES
Genesis 46:3 And he said, I am God, the God of thy father: fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation:
Joshua 8:1 And the LORD said unto Joshua, Fear not, neither be thou dismayed: take all the people of war with thee, and arise, go up to Ai: see, I have given into thy hand the king of Ai, and his people, and his city, and his land:
Isaiah 41:13 For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.
Joel 2:21 Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice: for the LORD will do great things.
Luke 12:32 Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
Revelation 1:17-18 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
II. GOD IS BEFORE US [v. 1] "I am thy shield"
1. THIS SHOULD PRODUCE JOY
Deuteronomy 33:29 Happy art thou, O Israel: who is like unto thee, O people saved by the LORD, the shield of thy help, and who is the sword of thy excellency! and thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee; and thou shalt tread upon their high places.
Psalm 28:7 The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.
2. THIS SHOULD PRODUCE FAITH
2 Samuel 22:3 The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence.
Psalm 33:20 Our soul waiteth for the LORD: he is our help and our shield.
Psalm 119:114 Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word.
Proverbs 30:5 Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.
3. THIS SHOULD PRODUCE ASSURANCE
2 Samuel 22:36 Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy gentleness hath made me great.
Psalm 3:3But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.
Psalm 84:11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.
Ephesians 6:16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
III. GOD IS BEST FOR US! [v. 1] "I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward."
1. PAUL GOT A HOLD ON THIS
2 Corinthians 4:17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;
Ephesians 1:18-20 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
Ephesians 2:7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 3:20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
2. PETER GOT A HOLD ON THIS
1 Peter 4:13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
2 Peter 1:4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
3. JUDE GOT A HOLD ON THIS
Jude 1:24 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,
DO YOU HAVE A HOLD ON THIS?
Sunday, November 04, 2007
I AM WHAT I AM BUT AM I WHAT I OUGHT TO BE?
1 Corinthians 15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.Pastor Rick Jackson
I. THE PERSON TO BE!
Some years back the Army's recruiting motto was "Be all you can be! Join the Army." Now I am all for the U.S. Military but I've got to tell you -- for some people, joining the Armed Forces is a bad idea. "Oh, but the discipline, the camaraderie, the training is good for people." It's good for some people, maybe even most people, but not for all people. Sometimes idiots rise to become officers, sometimes the camaraderie might lead you into sin (many is the man who learned to drink in the Armed Forces and ruined his life), sometimes a person is bad and the training helps them be better at being bad. Not most... but some! But there is direction for every person that is THE PERSON TO BE! Male or female, young or old, red, yellow, black or white it doesn't matter. This is for everyone without exception.
1. THE PERSON TO BE IS A SAVED PERSON!
1 Corinthians 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither ° can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
Philippians 3:12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
The saved person is right before God.
2. THE PERSON TO BE IS AN STUDIED PERSON!
2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth
Who are you showing? God already knows, you aren't doing this to show off, You are doing this so you can show yourself whether or not you are approved unto God! The studied person is right to himself.
3. THE PERSON TO BE IS A SANCTIFIED PERSON!
1 Peter 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:
The sanctified person is right toward others!
II. THE PERSON THAT FLEES! [1 Timothy 6:1-11]
There are certain situations we should avoid. They are certain situations in which we should stand. But there are also certain times or certain situations in which the right thing to do is to flee!
1. 1 Corinthians 6:18 Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.
2. 1 Corinthians 10:14 Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.
3. 2 Timothy 2:22 Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
III. THE GOD THAT SEES!
If you are thinking at this point, "Man, that's hard stuff. Why should I be that person? Why should I flee those things?" Quite simply, you are being watched!
1. GOD SEES EVERYWHERE! [Proverbs 15:3] The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.
2. GOD SEES EVERYTHING! [Hebrews 4:12-13] For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.
3. GOD SEES EVERYBODY! [2 Chronicles 16:9] For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars.
(Look at His motive though! Yes, He sees the wrong, but He's looking for the right so He can help them. That's why we should be the person we ought to be and flee the things we ought to flee! God is watching us!)
Proverbs 22:12 The eyes of the LORD preserve knowledge, and he overthroweth the words of the transgressor.
1 Peter 3:12 For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.
I. THE PERSON TO BE!
Some years back the Army's recruiting motto was "Be all you can be! Join the Army." Now I am all for the U.S. Military but I've got to tell you -- for some people, joining the Armed Forces is a bad idea. "Oh, but the discipline, the camaraderie, the training is good for people." It's good for some people, maybe even most people, but not for all people. Sometimes idiots rise to become officers, sometimes the camaraderie might lead you into sin (many is the man who learned to drink in the Armed Forces and ruined his life), sometimes a person is bad and the training helps them be better at being bad. Not most... but some! But there is direction for every person that is THE PERSON TO BE! Male or female, young or old, red, yellow, black or white it doesn't matter. This is for everyone without exception.
1. THE PERSON TO BE IS A SAVED PERSON!
1 Corinthians 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither ° can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
Philippians 3:12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
The saved person is right before God.
2. THE PERSON TO BE IS AN STUDIED PERSON!
2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth
Who are you showing? God already knows, you aren't doing this to show off, You are doing this so you can show yourself whether or not you are approved unto God! The studied person is right to himself.
3. THE PERSON TO BE IS A SANCTIFIED PERSON!
1 Peter 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:
The sanctified person is right toward others!
II. THE PERSON THAT FLEES! [1 Timothy 6:1-11]
There are certain situations we should avoid. They are certain situations in which we should stand. But there are also certain times or certain situations in which the right thing to do is to flee!
1. 1 Corinthians 6:18 Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.
2. 1 Corinthians 10:14 Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.
3. 2 Timothy 2:22 Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
III. THE GOD THAT SEES!
If you are thinking at this point, "Man, that's hard stuff. Why should I be that person? Why should I flee those things?" Quite simply, you are being watched!
1. GOD SEES EVERYWHERE! [Proverbs 15:3] The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.
2. GOD SEES EVERYTHING! [Hebrews 4:12-13] For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.
3. GOD SEES EVERYBODY! [2 Chronicles 16:9] For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars.
(Look at His motive though! Yes, He sees the wrong, but He's looking for the right so He can help them. That's why we should be the person we ought to be and flee the things we ought to flee! God is watching us!)
Proverbs 22:12 The eyes of the LORD preserve knowledge, and he overthroweth the words of the transgressor.
1 Peter 3:12 For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.
Saturday, November 03, 2007
Has the missing link been found?
For many people, evolution is more than just a scientific argument about origins: they use it as their philosophy of living, and it impacts every area of their life. Those who want to reject the Creator are always looking for evidence to support their belief system of evolution.
Christians should be aware that every so-called “missing” link between man and ape has been rejected by scientists. Even many evolutionists throw out Neanderthal man and “Lucy” as our ape-like ancestors. But we shouldn’t even have to turn to science to know that these “ape-men” are false. The Bible clearly tells us that God created humans and animals reproducing after their own kind.
What’s the real missing link? It’s humankind’s relationship to the Creator. He made them, and He’s never been missing. We’re made in the image of God and are meant to worship and obey Him.
-------------------------------------------
News to Note Quick Look
Flame-headed Neanderthals: It’s a common caricature in textbooks, movies, and—more true than ever today—TV shows: a brow-ridged, (often) club-carrying Neanderthal, covered in thick, messy red hair.
Wait a second—red hair? Contrary to nearly all artists’ interpretations of Neanderthals as dark-haired, a DNA study published in the journal Science has shown that some Neanderthals (sometimes spelled Neandertals) were “probably redheads,” reports BBC News.
Questions about Dark Matter: Dark matter, a moderately evil-sounding, hypothesized component that is described as helping hold galaxies together, was all the rage just a few months ago. Now, a team of two astrophysicists is arguing that their modified theory of gravity explains the data and leaves no role for dark matter.
This information was provided by Answers In Genesis, an excellent source of material relating to Creation and evolution. Please visit their website using the link in the upper left.
Christians should be aware that every so-called “missing” link between man and ape has been rejected by scientists. Even many evolutionists throw out Neanderthal man and “Lucy” as our ape-like ancestors. But we shouldn’t even have to turn to science to know that these “ape-men” are false. The Bible clearly tells us that God created humans and animals reproducing after their own kind.
What’s the real missing link? It’s humankind’s relationship to the Creator. He made them, and He’s never been missing. We’re made in the image of God and are meant to worship and obey Him.
-------------------------------------------
News to Note Quick Look
Flame-headed Neanderthals: It’s a common caricature in textbooks, movies, and—more true than ever today—TV shows: a brow-ridged, (often) club-carrying Neanderthal, covered in thick, messy red hair.
Wait a second—red hair? Contrary to nearly all artists’ interpretations of Neanderthals as dark-haired, a DNA study published in the journal Science has shown that some Neanderthals (sometimes spelled Neandertals) were “probably redheads,” reports BBC News.
Questions about Dark Matter: Dark matter, a moderately evil-sounding, hypothesized component that is described as helping hold galaxies together, was all the rage just a few months ago. Now, a team of two astrophysicists is arguing that their modified theory of gravity explains the data and leaves no role for dark matter.
This information was provided by Answers In Genesis, an excellent source of material relating to Creation and evolution. Please visit their website using the link in the upper left.
Friday, November 02, 2007
False Prophets and True
And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many" (Matthew 24:11).
In the apostolic period, two main gifts of the Spirit were those of the apostle and prophet. In fact, the church itself was "built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets" (Ephesians 2:20). One function of these men was to receive and transmit God's revelation to His people--first verbally, then eventually written in permanent form in the New Testament. "Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto His holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit" (Ephesians 3:5).
The apostle Paul revealed also that such prophecies would cease once they were no longer needed. "When that which is perfect or `complete' is come, then that which is in part shall be done away" (I Corinthians 13:9-10). Clearly in the context, this refers to the complete revelation of God. When the last book of the Bible was transmitted to the church by the last living apostle, the Lord warned us neither to "add unto" nor to "take away from the words of the book of this prophecy" (Revelation 22:18-19).
But many false prophets have indeed "gone out into the world" (I John 4:1), just as Jesus warned, and they have "deceived many." One of them, a self-asserted seventh century "prophet" from Arabia, received certain "revelations" from a "god" that were vastly different from those of the God of the Bible, and his followers now number over a billion.
There have been others, before and since, and the Lord Jesus warned us always to "beware of false prophets" (Matthew 7:15). The basic criterion by which to test any alleged prophecy, ancient or modern, is whether or not it fully conforms to the written Word of God, the Bible. "To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them" (Isaiah 8:20). HMM
INSTITUTE FOR CREATION RESEARCH www.icr.org
In the apostolic period, two main gifts of the Spirit were those of the apostle and prophet. In fact, the church itself was "built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets" (Ephesians 2:20). One function of these men was to receive and transmit God's revelation to His people--first verbally, then eventually written in permanent form in the New Testament. "Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto His holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit" (Ephesians 3:5).
The apostle Paul revealed also that such prophecies would cease once they were no longer needed. "When that which is perfect or `complete' is come, then that which is in part shall be done away" (I Corinthians 13:9-10). Clearly in the context, this refers to the complete revelation of God. When the last book of the Bible was transmitted to the church by the last living apostle, the Lord warned us neither to "add unto" nor to "take away from the words of the book of this prophecy" (Revelation 22:18-19).
But many false prophets have indeed "gone out into the world" (I John 4:1), just as Jesus warned, and they have "deceived many." One of them, a self-asserted seventh century "prophet" from Arabia, received certain "revelations" from a "god" that were vastly different from those of the God of the Bible, and his followers now number over a billion.
There have been others, before and since, and the Lord Jesus warned us always to "beware of false prophets" (Matthew 7:15). The basic criterion by which to test any alleged prophecy, ancient or modern, is whether or not it fully conforms to the written Word of God, the Bible. "To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them" (Isaiah 8:20). HMM
INSTITUTE FOR CREATION RESEARCH www.icr.org
Thursday, November 01, 2007
The Dark Valleys
There are many dark valleys mentioned in Scripture, and these typify the many sufferings and hard experiences through which the people of God must pass. "For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake" (Philippians 1:29).
The valley of Achor--which means "trouble"--was so named because sin in the camp of God's people had caused great defeat for their armies there (Joshua 7:25-26). Willful sin inevitably must result eventually in a trek through the dark vale of trouble and defeat.
Then there is the vale of tears called Baca, or "weeping." Opinions differ as to whether this was an actual valley in Israel, but it came to symbolize a time of deep loss and sorrow. Repentance and restitution will lead one out of the valley of Achor, but God's comfort will guide through Baca. "Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee. . . . Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well. . . . They go from strength to strength" (Psalm 84:5-7).
Perhaps the darkest valley of all is the valley of the shadow of death. All must enter that valley once at least--some may even travel it often before its thick darkness finally conquers them. For those without Christ it is a valley of great fear; there have been multitudes "who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage" (Hebrews 2:15).
But for those who know the Lord, they need fear no evil for God is with them. Even His guiding staff and buffeting rod are comforting for they prove the love of the Shepherd. No wonder the 23rd Psalm is the most requested passage of Scripture by those deep in this dark valley. HMM
INSTITUTE FOR CREATION RESEARCH
www.icr.org
November 1, 2007
The valley of Achor--which means "trouble"--was so named because sin in the camp of God's people had caused great defeat for their armies there (Joshua 7:25-26). Willful sin inevitably must result eventually in a trek through the dark vale of trouble and defeat.
Then there is the vale of tears called Baca, or "weeping." Opinions differ as to whether this was an actual valley in Israel, but it came to symbolize a time of deep loss and sorrow. Repentance and restitution will lead one out of the valley of Achor, but God's comfort will guide through Baca. "Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee. . . . Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well. . . . They go from strength to strength" (Psalm 84:5-7).
Perhaps the darkest valley of all is the valley of the shadow of death. All must enter that valley once at least--some may even travel it often before its thick darkness finally conquers them. For those without Christ it is a valley of great fear; there have been multitudes "who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage" (Hebrews 2:15).
But for those who know the Lord, they need fear no evil for God is with them. Even His guiding staff and buffeting rod are comforting for they prove the love of the Shepherd. No wonder the 23rd Psalm is the most requested passage of Scripture by those deep in this dark valley. HMM
INSTITUTE FOR CREATION RESEARCH
www.icr.org
November 1, 2007
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
REFORMATION & REVIVAL
Pastor Rick Jackson
On October 31, 1517 "the priest and scholar Martin Luther approaches the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany, and nails a piece of paper to it containing the 95 revolutionary opinions that would begin the Protestant Reformation."
"In his theses, Luther condemned the excesses and corruption of the Roman Catholic Church, especially the papal practice of asking payment--called "indulgences"--for the forgiveness of sins. At the time, a Dominican priest named Johann Tetzel, commissioned by the Archbishop of Mainz and Pope Leo X, was in the midst of a major fundraising campaign in Germany to finance the renovation of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. Though Prince Frederick III the Wise had banned the sale of indulgences in Wittenberg, many church members traveled to purchase them. When they returned, they showed the pardons they had bought to Luther, claiming they no longer had to repent for their sins.
"Luther's frustration with this practice led him to write the 95 Theses, which were quickly snapped up, translated from Latin into German and distributed widely. A copy made its way to Rome, and efforts began to convince Luther to change his tune. He refused to keep silent, however, and in 1521 Pope Leo X formally excommunicated Luther from the Catholic Church. That same year, Luther again refused to recant his writings before the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V of Germany, who issued the famous Edict of Worms declaring Luther an outlaw and a heretic and giving permission for anyone to kill him without consequence. Protected by Prince Frederick, Luther began working on a German translation of the Bible, a task that took 10 years to complete.
"The term "Protestant" first appeared in 1529, when Charles V revoked a provision that allowed the ruler of each German state to choose whether they would enforce the Edict of Worms. A number of princes and other supporters of Luther issued a protest, declaring that their allegiance to God trumped their allegiance to the emperor. They became known to their opponents as Protestants; gradually this name came to apply to all who believed the Church should be reformed, even those outside Germany. By the time Luther died, of natural causes, in 1546, his revolutionary beliefs had formed the basis for the Protestant Reformation, which would over the next three centuries revolutionize Western civilization." [these quoted paragraphs were provided by the website www.history.com ]
Luther's ideas may have been revolutionary for a Catholic but the Baptists and other groups had always held many of these beliefs. For former Catholics it might have been a reformation, but for those whose colors had never dipped, whose faith had never faltered, whose foundation had always been the solid rock - a refocusing on these truths would be a revival not a reformation. Any Christian who gets away from these basic principles needs to refocus on these truths, repent of his backsliding and get revived by the Word of God, the Spirit of God and do the will of God.
What were the basic 5 tenets of the reformation/revival?
I. SOLA SCRIPTURA [II TM. 3:16-17]
Sola Scriptura does not mean the Bible is the only source of truth, but it does mean it is the only completely authoritative source for truth. And if any other source contradicts the Bible that source, on that point, is wrong. All Truth is God's truth. Truth is of God. God's Word is Truth [Jn. 17:17]. God's way is Truth [Jn. 14:6]. Men's conclusions or interpretations of truth are not always true. The evolutionist and the Creationist both look at the same evidence but their interpretations of the evidence differ. The evidence isn't wrong, the interpretation of the evolutionist is wrong.
The same is true in the areas of religion. When someone attempts to teach against the clear doctrine of the Bible with their own fanciful notions they are wrong. Either deliberately or in ignorance. Often arrogance will not accept their own ignorance even in otherwise "good" Christians. It's their way or the highway. The old maxim is still true, "In major things -Unity, in minor things -Liberty, in all things -Charity." A Jr. High student once confronted his teacher about a class lesson. He said the teacher was wrong in his interpretation. The next day the teacher showed the boy several commentaries that supported his teaching. The boy got mad. His attitude was, "Don't confuse me with the facts, my mind is already made up!" This type of behavior is not limited to 7th graders.
Jesus constantly pointed to the Scriptures as proof of His person, His presence, His power (authority) and His Preeminence! "Search the Scriptures..."
II. SOLUS CHRISTUS [JN. 14:6]
Solus Christus refers to the doctrine of Christ's substitutionary work as being the one and only way for sinners to obtain salvation. Salvation is not found in the Church, good works, the baptismal pool, the 10 Commandments or the Golden rule. All of these are good and right BUT none of these aid in the actual work of the salvation of the soul. Christ's death and resurrection is the complete and only basis for salvation.
The song writer was correct:
My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly trust in Jesus’ Name.
On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand;
All other ground is sinking sand.
III. SOLA GRATIA [EPH. 2:8-9]
Sola Gratia refers to the fact that Christ's payment is a free gift and cannot be earned by any supposed merit or works. [Rm. 6:23]
Romans 11:6 And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.
IV. SOLA FIDE [EPH. 2:8-9]
Sola Fide refers to the accessing of the free gift of God by faith alone [Rm. 4:1-13].
V. SOLI DEO GLORIA
1 Corinthians 1:31 That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.
Soli Deo Gloria completes and summarizes the rest. Think of it, the foundation is SOLA SCRIPTURA -God's Word, SOLUS CHRISTUS -God's Work -Christ did it all, SOLA GRATIA -God's Grace that bringeth salvation to all, SOLA FIDE -God's Way for sinners to access the grace, has to lead directly to SOLA DEO GLORY-God's glory. He did it all, He deserves ALL the glory!
1 Chronicles 16:29 Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.
Psalm 29:2 Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.
Isaiah 42:12 Let them give glory unto the LORD, and declare his praise in the islands.
Jeremiah wrote- Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD. [Jeremiah 9:23-24]
Galatians 6:14 But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.
2 Peter 3:18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.
On October 31, 1517 "the priest and scholar Martin Luther approaches the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany, and nails a piece of paper to it containing the 95 revolutionary opinions that would begin the Protestant Reformation."
"In his theses, Luther condemned the excesses and corruption of the Roman Catholic Church, especially the papal practice of asking payment--called "indulgences"--for the forgiveness of sins. At the time, a Dominican priest named Johann Tetzel, commissioned by the Archbishop of Mainz and Pope Leo X, was in the midst of a major fundraising campaign in Germany to finance the renovation of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. Though Prince Frederick III the Wise had banned the sale of indulgences in Wittenberg, many church members traveled to purchase them. When they returned, they showed the pardons they had bought to Luther, claiming they no longer had to repent for their sins.
"Luther's frustration with this practice led him to write the 95 Theses, which were quickly snapped up, translated from Latin into German and distributed widely. A copy made its way to Rome, and efforts began to convince Luther to change his tune. He refused to keep silent, however, and in 1521 Pope Leo X formally excommunicated Luther from the Catholic Church. That same year, Luther again refused to recant his writings before the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V of Germany, who issued the famous Edict of Worms declaring Luther an outlaw and a heretic and giving permission for anyone to kill him without consequence. Protected by Prince Frederick, Luther began working on a German translation of the Bible, a task that took 10 years to complete.
"The term "Protestant" first appeared in 1529, when Charles V revoked a provision that allowed the ruler of each German state to choose whether they would enforce the Edict of Worms. A number of princes and other supporters of Luther issued a protest, declaring that their allegiance to God trumped their allegiance to the emperor. They became known to their opponents as Protestants; gradually this name came to apply to all who believed the Church should be reformed, even those outside Germany. By the time Luther died, of natural causes, in 1546, his revolutionary beliefs had formed the basis for the Protestant Reformation, which would over the next three centuries revolutionize Western civilization." [these quoted paragraphs were provided by the website www.history.com ]
Luther's ideas may have been revolutionary for a Catholic but the Baptists and other groups had always held many of these beliefs. For former Catholics it might have been a reformation, but for those whose colors had never dipped, whose faith had never faltered, whose foundation had always been the solid rock - a refocusing on these truths would be a revival not a reformation. Any Christian who gets away from these basic principles needs to refocus on these truths, repent of his backsliding and get revived by the Word of God, the Spirit of God and do the will of God.
What were the basic 5 tenets of the reformation/revival?
I. SOLA SCRIPTURA [II TM. 3:16-17]
Sola Scriptura does not mean the Bible is the only source of truth, but it does mean it is the only completely authoritative source for truth. And if any other source contradicts the Bible that source, on that point, is wrong. All Truth is God's truth. Truth is of God. God's Word is Truth [Jn. 17:17]. God's way is Truth [Jn. 14:6]. Men's conclusions or interpretations of truth are not always true. The evolutionist and the Creationist both look at the same evidence but their interpretations of the evidence differ. The evidence isn't wrong, the interpretation of the evolutionist is wrong.
The same is true in the areas of religion. When someone attempts to teach against the clear doctrine of the Bible with their own fanciful notions they are wrong. Either deliberately or in ignorance. Often arrogance will not accept their own ignorance even in otherwise "good" Christians. It's their way or the highway. The old maxim is still true, "In major things -Unity, in minor things -Liberty, in all things -Charity." A Jr. High student once confronted his teacher about a class lesson. He said the teacher was wrong in his interpretation. The next day the teacher showed the boy several commentaries that supported his teaching. The boy got mad. His attitude was, "Don't confuse me with the facts, my mind is already made up!" This type of behavior is not limited to 7th graders.
Jesus constantly pointed to the Scriptures as proof of His person, His presence, His power (authority) and His Preeminence! "Search the Scriptures..."
II. SOLUS CHRISTUS [JN. 14:6]
Solus Christus refers to the doctrine of Christ's substitutionary work as being the one and only way for sinners to obtain salvation. Salvation is not found in the Church, good works, the baptismal pool, the 10 Commandments or the Golden rule. All of these are good and right BUT none of these aid in the actual work of the salvation of the soul. Christ's death and resurrection is the complete and only basis for salvation.
The song writer was correct:
My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly trust in Jesus’ Name.
On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand;
All other ground is sinking sand.
III. SOLA GRATIA [EPH. 2:8-9]
Sola Gratia refers to the fact that Christ's payment is a free gift and cannot be earned by any supposed merit or works. [Rm. 6:23]
Romans 11:6 And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.
IV. SOLA FIDE [EPH. 2:8-9]
Sola Fide refers to the accessing of the free gift of God by faith alone [Rm. 4:1-13].
V. SOLI DEO GLORIA
1 Corinthians 1:31 That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.
Soli Deo Gloria completes and summarizes the rest. Think of it, the foundation is SOLA SCRIPTURA -God's Word, SOLUS CHRISTUS -God's Work -Christ did it all, SOLA GRATIA -God's Grace that bringeth salvation to all, SOLA FIDE -God's Way for sinners to access the grace, has to lead directly to SOLA DEO GLORY-God's glory. He did it all, He deserves ALL the glory!
1 Chronicles 16:29 Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.
Psalm 29:2 Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.
Isaiah 42:12 Let them give glory unto the LORD, and declare his praise in the islands.
Jeremiah wrote- Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD. [Jeremiah 9:23-24]
Galatians 6:14 But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.
2 Peter 3:18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
QUOTES OF THE WEEK! (2)
All of these quotes were gathered from Warren Wiersbe's excellent book Be Obedient. The quotes are Wiersbe's unless otherwise noted.
----------------------------------------------
Many believers will not commit themselves to ministry in one church but move from church to church when pastors and music programs change.
Faith is not believing in spite of evidence; it is obeying in spite of consequence. - G.A. Studdert Kennedy
Life can be difficult, sometimes the enemy comes in like a flood. But then is the time to prove our faith and live our songs. - Amy Carmichael
When circumstances become difficult and you are in the furnace of testing, remain where God has put you until He tells you to move. Faith moves in the direction of peace and hope, but unbelief moves in the direction of restlessness and fear.
You are safer in a famine in His will than in a palace out of His will. It has well been said, "The will of God will never lead you where the grace of God cannot keep you."
Faith is living without scheming. - Pete Quist
A husband out of the will of God can bring untold trouble to his wife and family.
The heart of every problem is the problem in the heart.
Covetousness is both the beginning and the end of the devil's alphabet, the first vice in corrupt nature that moves, and the last which dies. - Robert South
Abraham was separated but not isolated; he was independent, but not indifferent.
The better you know your Bible, the better you are equipped to fight the battle.
If we fail in the battle, it is not the fault of the equipment or the strategy of our Captain. Something is wrong with the soldiers.
"The trouble with the church, " said a pastor friend, "is that there are too many generals and not enough privates!"
Abraham was the father of the faithful. And Lot, his nephew, was the father of all such as are scarcely saved. - Alexander Whyte
Many things in this world are legal as far as courts are concerned but morally wrong as far as God's people are concerned.
----------------------------------------------
Many believers will not commit themselves to ministry in one church but move from church to church when pastors and music programs change.
Faith is not believing in spite of evidence; it is obeying in spite of consequence. - G.A. Studdert Kennedy
Life can be difficult, sometimes the enemy comes in like a flood. But then is the time to prove our faith and live our songs. - Amy Carmichael
When circumstances become difficult and you are in the furnace of testing, remain where God has put you until He tells you to move. Faith moves in the direction of peace and hope, but unbelief moves in the direction of restlessness and fear.
You are safer in a famine in His will than in a palace out of His will. It has well been said, "The will of God will never lead you where the grace of God cannot keep you."
Faith is living without scheming. - Pete Quist
A husband out of the will of God can bring untold trouble to his wife and family.
The heart of every problem is the problem in the heart.
Covetousness is both the beginning and the end of the devil's alphabet, the first vice in corrupt nature that moves, and the last which dies. - Robert South
Abraham was separated but not isolated; he was independent, but not indifferent.
The better you know your Bible, the better you are equipped to fight the battle.
If we fail in the battle, it is not the fault of the equipment or the strategy of our Captain. Something is wrong with the soldiers.
"The trouble with the church, " said a pastor friend, "is that there are too many generals and not enough privates!"
Abraham was the father of the faithful. And Lot, his nephew, was the father of all such as are scarcely saved. - Alexander Whyte
Many things in this world are legal as far as courts are concerned but morally wrong as far as God's people are concerned.
Monday, October 29, 2007
QUOTES OF THE WEEK!
It's the job that's never started that takes the longest to finish. - J.R.R. Tolkien
When the waves are over your head they are under His feet! - Jeremiah Dixon
Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work. - Aristotle
There are two groups of people in the world, One expecting to get to heaven by what they do, the other by what the Lord Jesus did, when He died for our sins, paid our debt in full. - Sumner Wemp
He (Lot) was not the first nor the last to sell spiritual riches for paltry riches of the world. It did not seem a bad decision to him at the time, for as one Bible teacher put it, "His downward path was so gradual and gentle that it seemed quite natural and safe." It was, however, a fatal choice. - John G. Balyo
The will of God is good,
Nothing this truth can dim;
He gives the very best to those
Who leave the choice with Him. - Anonymous
We sometimes perceive a conflict between our best interests and the will of God, but the conflict is only apparent. Our best interests are always on the side of doing God's will. Whatever loss we may suffer, whatever hardships we must endure, there are compensations and rewards, for eventually we reap what we sow. No man ever cheated himself by being true to the Lord and trusting Him with his well-being. - John G. Balyo
We can no longer live the way we once lived because we no longer are who we once were. - Elmer Delancey
When the waves are over your head they are under His feet! - Jeremiah Dixon
Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work. - Aristotle
There are two groups of people in the world, One expecting to get to heaven by what they do, the other by what the Lord Jesus did, when He died for our sins, paid our debt in full. - Sumner Wemp
He (Lot) was not the first nor the last to sell spiritual riches for paltry riches of the world. It did not seem a bad decision to him at the time, for as one Bible teacher put it, "His downward path was so gradual and gentle that it seemed quite natural and safe." It was, however, a fatal choice. - John G. Balyo
The will of God is good,
Nothing this truth can dim;
He gives the very best to those
Who leave the choice with Him. - Anonymous
We sometimes perceive a conflict between our best interests and the will of God, but the conflict is only apparent. Our best interests are always on the side of doing God's will. Whatever loss we may suffer, whatever hardships we must endure, there are compensations and rewards, for eventually we reap what we sow. No man ever cheated himself by being true to the Lord and trusting Him with his well-being. - John G. Balyo
We can no longer live the way we once lived because we no longer are who we once were. - Elmer Delancey
Sunday, October 28, 2007
STEPS OF FAITH
GENESIS 13
Pastor Rick Jackson
I. SETTING THE STAGE [13:5-18]
1. A GENEROUS OFFER [13:5-9]
2. A GIGANTIC MISTAKE [13:10-13]
3. A GRACIOUS LORD [13:14-18]
II. SALVAGING THE SITUATION [14:1-16]
1. THE FORCES OF WAR [14:1-10]
2. THE FOLLY OF WORLDLINESS [14:11-12]
3. THE FACE OF WISDOM [14:13-16]
Abram trusted God but did his part in preparation. He realized the kind of world he was in while he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
III. STANDING FOR THE SAVIOUR! [14:17-24]
1. STANDING IN FOR THE SAVIOUR [14:17-19, Heb. 5:5-6, 10; 6:17-20]
2. HONORING THE SAVIOUR [14:20, Heb. 7:1-7]
3. SPEAKING UP FOR THE SAVIOUR [14:21-24]
Pastor Rick Jackson
I. SETTING THE STAGE [13:5-18]
1. A GENEROUS OFFER [13:5-9]
2. A GIGANTIC MISTAKE [13:10-13]
3. A GRACIOUS LORD [13:14-18]
II. SALVAGING THE SITUATION [14:1-16]
1. THE FORCES OF WAR [14:1-10]
2. THE FOLLY OF WORLDLINESS [14:11-12]
3. THE FACE OF WISDOM [14:13-16]
Abram trusted God but did his part in preparation. He realized the kind of world he was in while he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
III. STANDING FOR THE SAVIOUR! [14:17-24]
1. STANDING IN FOR THE SAVIOUR [14:17-19, Heb. 5:5-6, 10; 6:17-20]
2. HONORING THE SAVIOUR [14:20, Heb. 7:1-7]
3. SPEAKING UP FOR THE SAVIOUR [14:21-24]
GHOSTS, GULLIBILITY & GOD'S WORD
MARK 6:45-53
Pastor Rick Jackson
34% of Americans say they believe in ghosts, according to a poll by The Associated Press and Ipsos. That's the same percentage who believe in UFOs — exceeding the 19% who believe in spells/witchcraft. 48% believe in ESP.
23% say they have actually seen a ghost or "have been in one's presence, with the most likely candidates for such visits including single people, Catholics and those who never attend religious services. By 31 percent to 18 percent, more liberals than conservatives report seeing a specter."
Those who dismissed the existence of ghosts include Morris Swadener, 66, a Navy retiree from Kingston, Wash.
He says he shot one with his rifle when he was a child.
"I woke up in the middle of the night and saw a white ghost in my closet," he said. "I discovered I'd put a hole in my brand new white shirt. My mother and father were not amused."
3 in 10 have awakened sensing a strange presence in the room... singles are more likely than married people to say so.
14% — mostly men and lower-income people say they have seen a UFO.
Spells and witchcraft are more readily believed by urban dwellers, minorities and lower-earning people. Those who find credibility in ESP are more likely to be better educated and white — 51% of college graduates compared to 37% with a high school diploma or less.
Overall, the 48% who accept ESP is less than the 66% who gave that answer to a similar 1996 Newsweek question.
1 in 5 say they are at least somewhat superstitious, with young men, minorities, and the less educated more likely to go out of their way to seek luck. 26% of urban residents — twice the rate of those from rural areas — said they are superstitious, while single men were more superstitious than unmarried women, 31% to 17%.
The most admitted-to superstition, by 17%, was finding a four-leaf clover. 13% dread walking under a ladder or the groom seeing his bride before their wedding, while slightly smaller numbers named black cats, breaking mirrors, opening umbrellas indoors, Friday the 13th or the number 13.
Generally, women were more superstitious than men about four-leaf clovers, breaking mirrors or grooms prematurely seeing brides. Democrats were more superstitious than Republicans over opening umbrellas indoors, while liberals were more superstitious than conservatives over four-leaf clovers, grooms seeing brides and umbrellas.
The poll, conducted Oct. 16-18, involved telephone interviews with 1,013 adults and had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.
I. WHY DO SOME PEOPLE "SEE" GHOSTS?
1. THE WORLD [v. 45-48] physical surroundings create atmosphere
2. THE FLESH [v. 48] physical state causes anxiety
3. THE DEVIL [v. 49-50a] spiritual adversaries take advantage of our weaknesses
Ephesians 6:12 For we wrestle not against ° flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
1 Timothy 4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
John 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
II. WHY AREN'T GHOSTS REAL?
1. GHOSTS, BY DEFINITION, ARE THE SPIRITS OR SOULS OF THOSE WHO HAVE DIED
2. THE SPIRIT OF A SAVED PERSON GOES IMMEDIATELY TO HEAVEN
2 Corinthians 5:6-8 Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and ° willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.
3. THE SPIRIT OF A LOST PERSON GOES IMMEDIATELY TO HELL
Luke 16:22-23 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
III. HOW CAN I SETTLE THE MATTER ONCE AND FOR ALL?
1. ACCEPT GOD'S WORD ON THE MATTER [6:50]
2. ACCEPT CHRIST'S PERSON AS GOD
Matthew 14:33 Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.
3. ACCEPT ALL OF GOD'S WORK AS INDICATIVE OF HIS NATURE [6:51-52]
Pastor Rick Jackson
34% of Americans say they believe in ghosts, according to a poll by The Associated Press and Ipsos. That's the same percentage who believe in UFOs — exceeding the 19% who believe in spells/witchcraft. 48% believe in ESP.
23% say they have actually seen a ghost or "have been in one's presence, with the most likely candidates for such visits including single people, Catholics and those who never attend religious services. By 31 percent to 18 percent, more liberals than conservatives report seeing a specter."
Those who dismissed the existence of ghosts include Morris Swadener, 66, a Navy retiree from Kingston, Wash.
He says he shot one with his rifle when he was a child.
"I woke up in the middle of the night and saw a white ghost in my closet," he said. "I discovered I'd put a hole in my brand new white shirt. My mother and father were not amused."
3 in 10 have awakened sensing a strange presence in the room... singles are more likely than married people to say so.
14% — mostly men and lower-income people say they have seen a UFO.
Spells and witchcraft are more readily believed by urban dwellers, minorities and lower-earning people. Those who find credibility in ESP are more likely to be better educated and white — 51% of college graduates compared to 37% with a high school diploma or less.
Overall, the 48% who accept ESP is less than the 66% who gave that answer to a similar 1996 Newsweek question.
1 in 5 say they are at least somewhat superstitious, with young men, minorities, and the less educated more likely to go out of their way to seek luck. 26% of urban residents — twice the rate of those from rural areas — said they are superstitious, while single men were more superstitious than unmarried women, 31% to 17%.
The most admitted-to superstition, by 17%, was finding a four-leaf clover. 13% dread walking under a ladder or the groom seeing his bride before their wedding, while slightly smaller numbers named black cats, breaking mirrors, opening umbrellas indoors, Friday the 13th or the number 13.
Generally, women were more superstitious than men about four-leaf clovers, breaking mirrors or grooms prematurely seeing brides. Democrats were more superstitious than Republicans over opening umbrellas indoors, while liberals were more superstitious than conservatives over four-leaf clovers, grooms seeing brides and umbrellas.
The poll, conducted Oct. 16-18, involved telephone interviews with 1,013 adults and had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.
I. WHY DO SOME PEOPLE "SEE" GHOSTS?
1. THE WORLD [v. 45-48] physical surroundings create atmosphere
2. THE FLESH [v. 48] physical state causes anxiety
3. THE DEVIL [v. 49-50a] spiritual adversaries take advantage of our weaknesses
Ephesians 6:12 For we wrestle not against ° flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
1 Timothy 4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
John 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
II. WHY AREN'T GHOSTS REAL?
1. GHOSTS, BY DEFINITION, ARE THE SPIRITS OR SOULS OF THOSE WHO HAVE DIED
2. THE SPIRIT OF A SAVED PERSON GOES IMMEDIATELY TO HEAVEN
2 Corinthians 5:6-8 Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and ° willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.
3. THE SPIRIT OF A LOST PERSON GOES IMMEDIATELY TO HELL
Luke 16:22-23 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
III. HOW CAN I SETTLE THE MATTER ONCE AND FOR ALL?
1. ACCEPT GOD'S WORD ON THE MATTER [6:50]
2. ACCEPT CHRIST'S PERSON AS GOD
Matthew 14:33 Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.
3. ACCEPT ALL OF GOD'S WORK AS INDICATIVE OF HIS NATURE [6:51-52]
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Q: Why does God let violence happen?
A: There have been many episodes of students shooting classmates and teachers to death in America. After one such event, the headline of a newspaper article stated: “Why Did God Let That Happen?”
Why? Because we are all descendants of Adam—we have all sinned against our Creator. Because of our rebellion, God had to judge the world. What we see happening around us should be a reminder that we are living in a fallen, cursed universe. We need to be reminded over and over that it is not God who is to blame.
Not only this, but the increasing violence should remind us of something else. All through history we have seen that the more a nation turns away from God’s Word, the more perverse and violent a culture becomes.
Do you really want to do something to help prevent these kinds of things from happening? Then start teaching your children that the Bible, beginning with Genesis, is the foundation and absolute authority in all areas of life and conduct, that all humans are worthy of dignity and respect (since they were created in the image of God), and that they are accountable to God, their Creator.
This information was provided by Answers In Genesis, an excellent source of material relating to Creation and evolution. Please visit their website using the link in the upper left.
Why? Because we are all descendants of Adam—we have all sinned against our Creator. Because of our rebellion, God had to judge the world. What we see happening around us should be a reminder that we are living in a fallen, cursed universe. We need to be reminded over and over that it is not God who is to blame.
Not only this, but the increasing violence should remind us of something else. All through history we have seen that the more a nation turns away from God’s Word, the more perverse and violent a culture becomes.
Do you really want to do something to help prevent these kinds of things from happening? Then start teaching your children that the Bible, beginning with Genesis, is the foundation and absolute authority in all areas of life and conduct, that all humans are worthy of dignity and respect (since they were created in the image of God), and that they are accountable to God, their Creator.
This information was provided by Answers In Genesis, an excellent source of material relating to Creation and evolution. Please visit their website using the link in the upper left.
Friday, October 26, 2007
You can not stress the gospel too much
Sumner Wemp Oct 26, 2007 (see link upper left-hand corner)
You can not stress the gospel enough.
WHAT IS THE GOSPEL?
"I declare unto you the gospel...how that Christ died for our sins...and that he was buried, and that he rose again and that he was seen by above 500 people" ! Cor 15:1-6. Time after time you hear people and preachers tell, "You ought share your faith" or "You ought to share Christ." NO. We need to stop saying that. We are to share the gospel! For it is the gospel that is "the power of God unto salvation" Rom. 1:16. If you want to see people get saved, born again, become new creatures, GIVE THEM THE GOSPEL.
Share you faith
It is common to talk about the "Baptist faith" or "Methodist faith" What it implies is the Baptist's or Methodist's doctrine. People are scared to death they are going to have to defend their beliefs. NO. We are to share the gospel not defend or declare or deliver our faith. There is a world of difference and we muddy the waters telling people to "share your faith." The truth is no one ever got saved by us sharing our "faith."
Sharing Christ
People often think they have "witnessed" if they admit they are a Christian or talk about Jesus or talk about church or religion. No, we witness when we tell the gospel.
Share the gospel
The "gospel" means "good news." Boy do we ever have good news for a sin sick, lost world. God has not asked us to share bad news but good news. Please let this soak in until you are so excited about telling family, friends, and foes the good news.
"Christ died on the cross"
Is not the gospel. Those two thieves died on a cross. The good news is not that Christ died for us. Those soldiers are dying for us. The gospel is the Christ died for our sins, paid the debt in full, rose again and was seen by hundreds. Sin is the bottom line problem. Read tracts listen to sermons carefully and it will shock you how often they say "Christ died for us" or "Christ died on the cross" and feel confident they have preached the gospel. THINK. The unsaved person does not have a clue what it really means that Christ died on the cross. The liberals look at it as though He was martyred or showing a great example of love. No, He was dying for your sins and mine. The debt has been paid in full! Now that is good news. The only reason I will not go to hell is Christ for all of my sins paid the debt in full and rose again and was seen by hundreds, the proof he was risen from the dead.
People aften say, "Sumner" you are a great soul-winner. NO. I just give the gospel over and over and as clear as possible. People then believe the gospel and receive the Lord Jesus and their lives are changed. Doesn't that make sense?
Someone said, "You have the best website with more encouragment" Enter the drawings for packs of tracts www.sumnerwemp.com .Order some for you and your church 1-877-872-2871: Go to Feature Section, read encouraging articles
---------------------------------------------------
This is a real encouragement to me. I once had a person tell me I "preach too much Gospel". It dawned on me in all the time I have known them they have never shared with me about when they got to lead someone to Christ. I think Brother Wemp is more Biblical in this matter. I too hate to see a tract without the resurrection. I have had the head of the counseling arm of an otherwise solid ministry write me an ugly letter because I asked them to remember to include the resurrection in their tracts. Brethren, these things ought not so to be!
You can not stress the gospel enough.
WHAT IS THE GOSPEL?
"I declare unto you the gospel...how that Christ died for our sins...and that he was buried, and that he rose again and that he was seen by above 500 people" ! Cor 15:1-6. Time after time you hear people and preachers tell, "You ought share your faith" or "You ought to share Christ." NO. We need to stop saying that. We are to share the gospel! For it is the gospel that is "the power of God unto salvation" Rom. 1:16. If you want to see people get saved, born again, become new creatures, GIVE THEM THE GOSPEL.
Share you faith
It is common to talk about the "Baptist faith" or "Methodist faith" What it implies is the Baptist's or Methodist's doctrine. People are scared to death they are going to have to defend their beliefs. NO. We are to share the gospel not defend or declare or deliver our faith. There is a world of difference and we muddy the waters telling people to "share your faith." The truth is no one ever got saved by us sharing our "faith."
Sharing Christ
People often think they have "witnessed" if they admit they are a Christian or talk about Jesus or talk about church or religion. No, we witness when we tell the gospel.
Share the gospel
The "gospel" means "good news." Boy do we ever have good news for a sin sick, lost world. God has not asked us to share bad news but good news. Please let this soak in until you are so excited about telling family, friends, and foes the good news.
"Christ died on the cross"
Is not the gospel. Those two thieves died on a cross. The good news is not that Christ died for us. Those soldiers are dying for us. The gospel is the Christ died for our sins, paid the debt in full, rose again and was seen by hundreds. Sin is the bottom line problem. Read tracts listen to sermons carefully and it will shock you how often they say "Christ died for us" or "Christ died on the cross" and feel confident they have preached the gospel. THINK. The unsaved person does not have a clue what it really means that Christ died on the cross. The liberals look at it as though He was martyred or showing a great example of love. No, He was dying for your sins and mine. The debt has been paid in full! Now that is good news. The only reason I will not go to hell is Christ for all of my sins paid the debt in full and rose again and was seen by hundreds, the proof he was risen from the dead.
People aften say, "Sumner" you are a great soul-winner. NO. I just give the gospel over and over and as clear as possible. People then believe the gospel and receive the Lord Jesus and their lives are changed. Doesn't that make sense?
Someone said, "You have the best website with more encouragment" Enter the drawings for packs of tracts www.sumnerwemp.com .Order some for you and your church 1-877-872-2871: Go to Feature Section, read encouraging articles
---------------------------------------------------
This is a real encouragement to me. I once had a person tell me I "preach too much Gospel". It dawned on me in all the time I have known them they have never shared with me about when they got to lead someone to Christ. I think Brother Wemp is more Biblical in this matter. I too hate to see a tract without the resurrection. I have had the head of the counseling arm of an otherwise solid ministry write me an ugly letter because I asked them to remember to include the resurrection in their tracts. Brethren, these things ought not so to be!
Thursday, October 25, 2007
DAYS OF PRAISE - A GREAT DAILY DEVOTIONAL
Recently I started using a different daily devotional. This one is put out by ICR - The Institute for Creation Research and it is tremendous! I have found it easier to read each devotion as an email (since I check my email everyday anyway) than in booklet form, though it is available that way too! If you'd like to give it a try contact ICR at www.icr.org In the meantime here is another sample of their work (I have posted several previously):
The Joy of the Lord
Then He said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength" (Nehemiah 8:10).
Jerusalem's wall had been completed, God's Word had been honored, and there was a great day of rejoicing. The real joy in the hearts of the people, however, was not their joy--it was the joy of the Lord. They rejoiced because He rejoiced, and they shared His joy.
The Lord's joy is satisfied when His love is received and His purposes fulfilled. "The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; He will save, He will rejoice over thee with joy; He will rest in His love, He will joy over thee with singing" (Zephaniah 3:17).
To attain His joy, He must first redeem from the penalty of sin and death those whom He had created in His own image. Therefore, He "for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God" (Hebrews 12:2).
There will be a great day of rejoicing in the age to come when all the redeemed will be presented "faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy" (Jude 24). Until that day, however, "there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth" (Luke 15:10).
Joy is in the Lord's heart whenever His saving grace is received by a believing sinner. That same joy is likewise experienced by each believer whose testimony of life and word brings such a sinner to God.
Jesus said, "These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full" (John 15:11). His joy is our joy, and the joy of the Lord is our strength. HMM
INSTITUTE FOR CREATION RESEARCH www.icr.org
The Joy of the Lord
Then He said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength" (Nehemiah 8:10).
Jerusalem's wall had been completed, God's Word had been honored, and there was a great day of rejoicing. The real joy in the hearts of the people, however, was not their joy--it was the joy of the Lord. They rejoiced because He rejoiced, and they shared His joy.
The Lord's joy is satisfied when His love is received and His purposes fulfilled. "The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; He will save, He will rejoice over thee with joy; He will rest in His love, He will joy over thee with singing" (Zephaniah 3:17).
To attain His joy, He must first redeem from the penalty of sin and death those whom He had created in His own image. Therefore, He "for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God" (Hebrews 12:2).
There will be a great day of rejoicing in the age to come when all the redeemed will be presented "faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy" (Jude 24). Until that day, however, "there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth" (Luke 15:10).
Joy is in the Lord's heart whenever His saving grace is received by a believing sinner. That same joy is likewise experienced by each believer whose testimony of life and word brings such a sinner to God.
Jesus said, "These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full" (John 15:11). His joy is our joy, and the joy of the Lord is our strength. HMM
INSTITUTE FOR CREATION RESEARCH www.icr.org
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
MATTERS TO CONSIDER
Pastor Rick Jackson
I. THERE IS THE MATTER OF ACCESS
"We have access by one Spirit unto the Father" [Eph 2:18]
1. Think about Who and what God is
"God is holy" (1 Peter 1:16)
He is "the mighty God" [Isa. 9:7]
He is "the eternal God" [Deut. 33:27]
2. Remember we are to "fear God" [1 Peter 2:17]
It is no wonder that we all feel so unworthy to come to God for "help in time of need" [Hb. 4:16]
3. Learn that "the Holy Spirit helps our infirmities" [Rom. 8:26] and gives liberty, "for where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty" [2 Cor 3:17] to have access unto the Father.
"This is a reality as we 'walk in the Spirit.' Everything in the Christian life depends on us depending on the Holy Spirit to live the normal Christian life. If you are struggling in your prayer life, you are probably not 'consciously' depending on and 'walking' in the Spirit. We are invited to 'come boldly (not brashly) to the throne of grace that we may obtained mercy and find grace to help in the time of need' Heb 4:12. We have 'access by the Holy Spirit to the Father.' That is not just religious talk, it is the essential ingredient to coming to God in prayer and seeing answers to your prayer. " - Sumner Wemp
II. THERE IS THE MATTER OF BEING ACCESSIBLE
"YOU are an habitation of God THROUGH THE SPIRIT" [Eph 2:21, 22]
1. A Christian has been bought with a price! [I Cor. 6:20]
"Your body is a royal palace! You are the Buckingham Palace in the spiritual realm. God, the King of Kings, lives in your mortal body. Isn't that awesome! You and your body are sacred. Now doesn't that sober you and make your body and every place you go sacred?" - Sumner Wemp
It should make us want to sing, "The Lord is in His holy Temple, let all the world be silent."
2. "Glorify God in your body"
"For ye are bought with a price, (the precious blood of Christ) therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's" [1 Cor. 6:20]
Glorify God through your eyes in what you see, "I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes" [Psalm 101:3] "Look at the things that are eternal" [2 Cor. 4:18]
Glorify God through your ears in what you hear on radio, CD's or tapes! Mark 4:24 And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given.
Glorify God through your mouth in what you say, "let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth" [Eph. 4:29] neither griping or gossiping.
3. Glorify God through your mind in what you think about
"Whatsoever things are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, good report, think on these things" [Phil. 4:8]
"This book (the Bible) thou shalt meditate therein day and night" Josh 1:8.
Sumner Wemp watched an hour long television program showing all that is done when her Majesty. the Queen comes to the Windsor Castle. He said, "Of course, the palace was a clean as a hounds tooth. It was spic and span, 'fit for a Queen.' Everything was done so Her majesty would be comfortable there, feel at home. How much more should our 'castle' our bodies be kept pure and in order so God will feel at home."
III. THERE IS THE MATTER OF PLEASING GOD
You can please God!
"This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased' Lk 3:22. You are His son, is He well pleased?
1. The carnal minded can't please Him
"For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace...So then they that are in the flesh cannot PLEASE GOD. But ye are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his" Rom. 6-9.
2. They that are walking the flesh cannot please God.
One of the wonderful ministries of the Holy Spirit, as we walk in the Spirit, is to enable us to PLEASE GOD! Nothing could be finer! The man, Christ Jesus pleased God Jesus, the perfect example, PLEASED GOD
"And the Holy Ghost descended in bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice from heaven, which said, thou art my beloved Son; in thee I AM WELL PLEASED " Luke 3:22.
"And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee" Luke 4:14.
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor"...Luke 4:18.
"My meat is to do the will of Him that sent" John 4:32.
"For I do always those things that PLEASE HIM John 8:29.
3. Enoch PLEASED GOD AND SO CAN WE
"And Enoch walk with God and he was not for God took him" [Gen:5:24]
"By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death and was not found because God had translated him; for before his translation he had this testimony that he PLEASED GOD. But without faith it is impossible to PLEASE HIM." [Hebrews 11:5,6]
Do you want to please God? Deep down inside, do you want to PLEASE GOD? Jesus did it in the "power of the Holy Spirit." We too must PLEASE GOD, by the power of the Holy Spirit. YOU CAN! Are you walking in the flesh, producing the "works of the flesh" lusting for things or "walking in the Spirit" producing "the fruit of the Spirit"?
"The goal of every true disciple is to please God. The Bible is our guidebook, showing us how to do that." - Elisabeth Elliot
Know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come "For men shall be lovers of their own selves" 2 Tim 3:1, 2. "selfishness"
"Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush...Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways and see and ask for the old paths where is the good way and walk therein and ye shall find rest for your souls, but they said, We will not walk therein" [Jer 6:15, 16]
We as Christians must be ashamed of our sins, confess them, forsake them and make apologies and amends for those we have offended to please God. -Sumner Wemp
Most of this material was "borrowed" with permission from Sumner Wemp (see link in upper left corner)
I. THERE IS THE MATTER OF ACCESS
"We have access by one Spirit unto the Father" [Eph 2:18]
1. Think about Who and what God is
"God is holy" (1 Peter 1:16)
He is "the mighty God" [Isa. 9:7]
He is "the eternal God" [Deut. 33:27]
2. Remember we are to "fear God" [1 Peter 2:17]
It is no wonder that we all feel so unworthy to come to God for "help in time of need" [Hb. 4:16]
3. Learn that "the Holy Spirit helps our infirmities" [Rom. 8:26] and gives liberty, "for where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty" [2 Cor 3:17] to have access unto the Father.
"This is a reality as we 'walk in the Spirit.' Everything in the Christian life depends on us depending on the Holy Spirit to live the normal Christian life. If you are struggling in your prayer life, you are probably not 'consciously' depending on and 'walking' in the Spirit. We are invited to 'come boldly (not brashly) to the throne of grace that we may obtained mercy and find grace to help in the time of need' Heb 4:12. We have 'access by the Holy Spirit to the Father.' That is not just religious talk, it is the essential ingredient to coming to God in prayer and seeing answers to your prayer. " - Sumner Wemp
II. THERE IS THE MATTER OF BEING ACCESSIBLE
"YOU are an habitation of God THROUGH THE SPIRIT" [Eph 2:21, 22]
1. A Christian has been bought with a price! [I Cor. 6:20]
"Your body is a royal palace! You are the Buckingham Palace in the spiritual realm. God, the King of Kings, lives in your mortal body. Isn't that awesome! You and your body are sacred. Now doesn't that sober you and make your body and every place you go sacred?" - Sumner Wemp
It should make us want to sing, "The Lord is in His holy Temple, let all the world be silent."
2. "Glorify God in your body"
"For ye are bought with a price, (the precious blood of Christ) therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's" [1 Cor. 6:20]
Glorify God through your eyes in what you see, "I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes" [Psalm 101:3] "Look at the things that are eternal" [2 Cor. 4:18]
Glorify God through your ears in what you hear on radio, CD's or tapes! Mark 4:24 And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given.
Glorify God through your mouth in what you say, "let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth" [Eph. 4:29] neither griping or gossiping.
3. Glorify God through your mind in what you think about
"Whatsoever things are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, good report, think on these things" [Phil. 4:8]
"This book (the Bible) thou shalt meditate therein day and night" Josh 1:8.
Sumner Wemp watched an hour long television program showing all that is done when her Majesty. the Queen comes to the Windsor Castle. He said, "Of course, the palace was a clean as a hounds tooth. It was spic and span, 'fit for a Queen.' Everything was done so Her majesty would be comfortable there, feel at home. How much more should our 'castle' our bodies be kept pure and in order so God will feel at home."
III. THERE IS THE MATTER OF PLEASING GOD
You can please God!
"This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased' Lk 3:22. You are His son, is He well pleased?
1. The carnal minded can't please Him
"For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace...So then they that are in the flesh cannot PLEASE GOD. But ye are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his" Rom. 6-9.
2. They that are walking the flesh cannot please God.
One of the wonderful ministries of the Holy Spirit, as we walk in the Spirit, is to enable us to PLEASE GOD! Nothing could be finer! The man, Christ Jesus pleased God Jesus, the perfect example, PLEASED GOD
"And the Holy Ghost descended in bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice from heaven, which said, thou art my beloved Son; in thee I AM WELL PLEASED " Luke 3:22.
"And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee" Luke 4:14.
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor"...Luke 4:18.
"My meat is to do the will of Him that sent" John 4:32.
"For I do always those things that PLEASE HIM John 8:29.
3. Enoch PLEASED GOD AND SO CAN WE
"And Enoch walk with God and he was not for God took him" [Gen:5:24]
"By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death and was not found because God had translated him; for before his translation he had this testimony that he PLEASED GOD. But without faith it is impossible to PLEASE HIM." [Hebrews 11:5,6]
Do you want to please God? Deep down inside, do you want to PLEASE GOD? Jesus did it in the "power of the Holy Spirit." We too must PLEASE GOD, by the power of the Holy Spirit. YOU CAN! Are you walking in the flesh, producing the "works of the flesh" lusting for things or "walking in the Spirit" producing "the fruit of the Spirit"?
"The goal of every true disciple is to please God. The Bible is our guidebook, showing us how to do that." - Elisabeth Elliot
Know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come "For men shall be lovers of their own selves" 2 Tim 3:1, 2. "selfishness"
"Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush...Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways and see and ask for the old paths where is the good way and walk therein and ye shall find rest for your souls, but they said, We will not walk therein" [Jer 6:15, 16]
We as Christians must be ashamed of our sins, confess them, forsake them and make apologies and amends for those we have offended to please God. -Sumner Wemp
Most of this material was "borrowed" with permission from Sumner Wemp (see link in upper left corner)
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
A Rose by any other name...
In a small Midwestern conservative town, a new bar/tavern started building to open up their business. The local Baptist church started a campaign with petitions and prayers to block the bar from opening.
Work progressed, however, right up till the week before opening, when a lightning strike hit the bar, and it burned to the ground.
The church folks were rather smug in their outlook after that, until the bar owner sued the church on the grounds that the church was ultimately responsible for the demise of his building, "...either through direct or indirect actions or means."
The church vehemently denied all responsibility or any connection to the building's demise, in its reply to the court.
As the case made its way into court, the judge looked over the paperwork at the hearing and commented, "I don't know how I'm going to decide this, but as it appears from the paperwork, we have a bar owner that believes in the power of prayer and an entire church congregation that doesn't."
Work progressed, however, right up till the week before opening, when a lightning strike hit the bar, and it burned to the ground.
The church folks were rather smug in their outlook after that, until the bar owner sued the church on the grounds that the church was ultimately responsible for the demise of his building, "...either through direct or indirect actions or means."
The church vehemently denied all responsibility or any connection to the building's demise, in its reply to the court.
As the case made its way into court, the judge looked over the paperwork at the hearing and commented, "I don't know how I'm going to decide this, but as it appears from the paperwork, we have a bar owner that believes in the power of prayer and an entire church congregation that doesn't."
Monday, October 22, 2007
QUOTES OF THE WEEK!
Like almost everyone who uses e-mail, I receive a ton of spam every day. Much of it offers to help me get out of debt or get rich quick. - Bill Gates
Critics are a dime a dozen. Any fool can criticize! - Lee Roberson
The will of God is not an option, it's an obligation. - Wendell Calder
We have a troubled world, but we don't have to be troubled. - Fred Afman
God is not neutral! - David Bouler
Pride turned an angel into a devil. - Unknown
There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise is health. - Pr. 12:18
Critics are a dime a dozen. Any fool can criticize! - Lee Roberson
The will of God is not an option, it's an obligation. - Wendell Calder
We have a troubled world, but we don't have to be troubled. - Fred Afman
God is not neutral! - David Bouler
Pride turned an angel into a devil. - Unknown
There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise is health. - Pr. 12:18
Sunday, October 21, 2007
ABRAM FAILED BUT HE WASN'T A FAILURE
GENESIS 12:1-31:4
Pastor Rick Jackson
I. THE FIRST FAILURE - THE FLESH [12:1-8]
We saw last Sunday night Abram's failure in hesitating. He hesitated in leaving his country [v. 1, 11:31], his kindred [v. 1, 4-5] and his father [v. 1, 11:31-32] as God had said.
1. His separation was a matter of spiritual ties [12:1-3]
Joshua 24:2And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods.
2. His hesitation was a matter of carnal ties [12:4, Acts 7:2-4]
3. His dedication was a matter of renewed ties [12:5-8, Acts 7:5]
II. THE SECOND FAILURE - THE WORLD [12:9-20]
1. Abram ran from the will of God [12:9-10]
2. Abram ran from the wall of God [12:11-16]
Running away, however, is never the correct way to respond to testings of faith, reasonable as it may seem. - John G. Balyo
3. Abram ran from the witness of God [12:17-20]
III. THE THIRD FAILURE - FAILURE ITSELF
You can fail and not be a failure if you:
1. Remember the goodness of the Lord [13:1-2]
2. Return to the will of the Lord [13:3]
3. Repent toward God [13:4]
Romans 2:4 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?
Acts 20:21 Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.
Pastor Rick Jackson
I. THE FIRST FAILURE - THE FLESH [12:1-8]
We saw last Sunday night Abram's failure in hesitating. He hesitated in leaving his country [v. 1, 11:31], his kindred [v. 1, 4-5] and his father [v. 1, 11:31-32] as God had said.
1. His separation was a matter of spiritual ties [12:1-3]
Joshua 24:2And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods.
2. His hesitation was a matter of carnal ties [12:4, Acts 7:2-4]
3. His dedication was a matter of renewed ties [12:5-8, Acts 7:5]
II. THE SECOND FAILURE - THE WORLD [12:9-20]
1. Abram ran from the will of God [12:9-10]
2. Abram ran from the wall of God [12:11-16]
Running away, however, is never the correct way to respond to testings of faith, reasonable as it may seem. - John G. Balyo
3. Abram ran from the witness of God [12:17-20]
III. THE THIRD FAILURE - FAILURE ITSELF
You can fail and not be a failure if you:
1. Remember the goodness of the Lord [13:1-2]
2. Return to the will of the Lord [13:3]
3. Repent toward God [13:4]
Romans 2:4 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?
Acts 20:21 Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.
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