Ps.90:12 So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.
Look back on days wasted, days gone forever! I need forgiveness for the days I was given, by God, for His purpose, that I wasted. Who did I not tell about the love of Christ? Who did I not hug, who so desperately needed the loving arms of another? Who needed money and I did not share? These things haunt me for I know I am guilty, are you? As I study God's Word, I see the overwhelming love God has shone to sinners! He would have us to do the same, but do we? Christ died for the sinner, He shed His precious blood for the outcast! It is true that we shower love on family and friends but what about strangers? What about the ones in prison who are in rebellion and so lost? How do we get a heart of wisdom? We pray and study the Word. God has not thrown us into a sinful land and not given us what we need to survive temptation. Fill your hearts and minds with the goodness of His commands. Show the world the love that is commanded us by Christ. We are His light in this dark and sinful place!
Lord, I pray for a heart to love the unlovable just as You first loved me, a sinner, lost in my rebellion. Lord, help us not to judge others, as we have no right. For we also are under the judgement of God, who has the right. Amen
Count this day as your last! It may really be, God alone knows! He has determined your days before you ever came to be! And with these thoughts comes fear of your eternity and your judgement, and this produces humbleness! And with that humbleness, may we know that Christ alone offers salvation to the world.
Ps.39:4 "Show me, O LORD, my life's end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life.
Ecc.7:2 It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of every man; the living should take this to heart.
Deut.32:29 If only they were wise and would understand this and discern what their end will be!
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Sunday, November 27, 2011
To Cancel the Claims of Hell on Our Soul
"Paul says, God's love for His people is as long as eternity past, so wide as to include all nations, so high as to ring praises from angels in heaven, and so deep as to cancel the claims of hell on our soul".
Bryan Chapell
The Church: A Demonstration of God's Power and Love
Eph.1:3-10 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
Eph.2:4-10 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ--by grace you have been saved-- and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.Eph.3:14-21 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith--that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
Eph.4:2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love
Eph.4:15-16 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
Eph.5:2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
Lord, thank You for Jonathan B. and his wonderful sermon today. Your abundant love for him and Your mighty power over life and death are evident in his life. His complete trust in You is a wonderful testimony of humble submission. Your Word does hold the keys to eternal life through Christ. Amen
Bryan Chapell
The Church: A Demonstration of God's Power and Love
Eph.1:3-10 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
Eph.2:4-10 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ--by grace you have been saved-- and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.Eph.3:14-21 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith--that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
Eph.4:2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love
Eph.4:15-16 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
Eph.5:2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
Lord, thank You for Jonathan B. and his wonderful sermon today. Your abundant love for him and Your mighty power over life and death are evident in his life. His complete trust in You is a wonderful testimony of humble submission. Your Word does hold the keys to eternal life through Christ. Amen
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Establish Your Hearts
James 5:8 You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.
Definition of establish: Set up on a firm or permanent basis
So, with our being patient in all circumstances, we stand firm of God's promise. That means whether in good times or bad, we are to be content with our trials and our happiness. For we know that this is our temporary home here on this earth and that God is faithful in His promise of the hope we find in Christ!
1 Peter1:3-9 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith--more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire--may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.Lord, I know from the truth of Your Word, that our hope is in Christ alone! Help us to establish our foundation through Your Word. Open our hearts and give us clear understanding. Amen
Definition of establish: Set up on a firm or permanent basis
So, with our being patient in all circumstances, we stand firm of God's promise. That means whether in good times or bad, we are to be content with our trials and our happiness. For we know that this is our temporary home here on this earth and that God is faithful in His promise of the hope we find in Christ!
1 Peter1:3-9 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith--more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire--may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.Lord, I know from the truth of Your Word, that our hope is in Christ alone! Help us to establish our foundation through Your Word. Open our hearts and give us clear understanding. Amen
Monday, November 21, 2011
Hallelujah! What a Savior!
Romans 6:3-4 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
Christ has indeed made a way for the sinner to be reconciled to God. By His blood, which He shed on the cross, He has raised us from death to life. When you are baptised, you are immersed in the water signifying death(buried with Christ) and raised out of the water(Resurrection of Christ), signifying walking in new life with Christ as our example. There is only one Savior!
Eph. 4:4-6 There is one body and one Spirit--just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call-- one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
1Peter 3:18-22 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, because they formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.
Matt.3:11-12 "I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."
Mark 16:15-16 And he said to them, "Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
Lord, I pray the power of Your Word will convict the sinner's heart! Pour out Your Spirit to the ends of the earth and claim Your church. Amen
Christ has indeed made a way for the sinner to be reconciled to God. By His blood, which He shed on the cross, He has raised us from death to life. When you are baptised, you are immersed in the water signifying death(buried with Christ) and raised out of the water(Resurrection of Christ), signifying walking in new life with Christ as our example. There is only one Savior!
Eph. 4:4-6 There is one body and one Spirit--just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call-- one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
1Peter 3:18-22 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, because they formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.
Matt.3:11-12 "I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."
Mark 16:15-16 And he said to them, "Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
Lord, I pray the power of Your Word will convict the sinner's heart! Pour out Your Spirit to the ends of the earth and claim Your church. Amen
Friday, November 18, 2011
I am the LORD; I have spoken, and I will do it
Ez. 36:36 Then the nations that are left all around you shall know that I am the LORD; I have rebuilt the ruined places and replanted that which was desolate. I am the LORD; I have spoken, and I will do it.
Our wicked souls have the need to be cleansed. Christ precious blood is the sacramental water we need for cleansing. Some are humbled and will ask for this gift but others will deny Christ and receive the punishment. Humbled souls, led by the Holy Spirit, while learning the truth of the Gospel, will run from sin. You will be forever changed to a new creation because of the truth God will give you. All men will have to follow Christ or deny Him. Christ is coming! Nations will bow down even if they now deny Christ. God is faithful and true, He will do what He promises!
Ps.103:19 The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all.
Is.55:7 let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon
Acts 17:30-31 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead."
Titus 2:11-14 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
John 14:15 "If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
Our wicked souls have the need to be cleansed. Christ precious blood is the sacramental water we need for cleansing. Some are humbled and will ask for this gift but others will deny Christ and receive the punishment. Humbled souls, led by the Holy Spirit, while learning the truth of the Gospel, will run from sin. You will be forever changed to a new creation because of the truth God will give you. All men will have to follow Christ or deny Him. Christ is coming! Nations will bow down even if they now deny Christ. God is faithful and true, He will do what He promises!
Ps.103:19 The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all.
Is.55:7 let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon
Acts 17:30-31 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead."
Titus 2:11-14 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
John 14:15 "If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
The Power of the Cross
Many people, are at this very moment, are facing a certain death. They are very ill and will soon pass from life to death. God has written for them a certain number of life days and one death day. He made these life days and the one death day before we ever came to be. He is the Creator and He takes and gives life according to His will. The more I read God's Word and the more He reveals to me, I am totally humbled! There is no other book on earth that is more gripping than the written truth of God and His vast knowledge of all things seen and hidden, His mercy, His love, His grace through His Son, and His soon coming wrath on the unbelievers across all nations. I can not make you believe but if you will read His Word, He will awaken your soul to the truth. You can do nothing to gain salvation, Christ paid the price on the cross. He wants your obedience, faith and trust in the fact that indeed He alone is our security. His kingdom can not be shaken, it stands forever and ever!
1 Cor.1:17 For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.
Col.1:15-20 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
Col.2:13-14 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.
Heb. 12:25-29 See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, "Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens." This phrase, "Yet once more," indicates the removal of things that are shaken--that is, things that have been made--in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.
Job 12:9-10 Who among all these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done this? In his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind.
Job 14:5 Since his days are determined, and the number of his months is with you, and you have appointed his limits that he cannot pass
Ps.66:8-9 Bless our God, O peoples; let the sound of his praise be heard, who has kept our soul among the living and has not let our feet slip.
Oh Lord, You are awesome in power and might! Man is not worthy of Your consideration, but You Lord are worthy of all praise. Lord, help me teach the truth of Your glorious Word. Everyday I am more humbled by the wisdom held in Your gospel. Forgive me for I know just how much I should receive death and hell but by your mercy and grace, I have life. Amen
1 Cor.1:17 For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.
Col.1:15-20 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
Col.2:13-14 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.
Heb. 12:25-29 See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, "Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens." This phrase, "Yet once more," indicates the removal of things that are shaken--that is, things that have been made--in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.
Job 12:9-10 Who among all these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done this? In his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind.
Job 14:5 Since his days are determined, and the number of his months is with you, and you have appointed his limits that he cannot pass
Ps.66:8-9 Bless our God, O peoples; let the sound of his praise be heard, who has kept our soul among the living and has not let our feet slip.
Oh Lord, You are awesome in power and might! Man is not worthy of Your consideration, but You Lord are worthy of all praise. Lord, help me teach the truth of Your glorious Word. Everyday I am more humbled by the wisdom held in Your gospel. Forgive me for I know just how much I should receive death and hell but by your mercy and grace, I have life. Amen
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Without the Shedding of Blood There is No Forgiveness of Sins
Heb.9:22 Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.
God is holy, period! He can not look upon sin. We are sin, period! Even in our best attempt, we still are sinful! If I had to give a one liner to sum up the gospel, it would be that "the blood of Christ alone offers salvation to the world." There is no way for us to be reconciled to a holy God because of our rebellion of sinfulness. We must be covered in the blood of Christ so that we can be acceptable to holy God. We must first believe that God is indeed the supreme Creator of all things. That He, being holy, will not tolerate sin. That all things exist through Him and by Him. That He is worthy of all our praise! That Christ is His only begotten Son, wholly man and wholly God, born through a miracle by the Holy Spirit. That God does have a purpose for you and that all who earnestly seek Him will find Him! It matters not what language you speak, where you live, what horrible thing you have done in the past, or what evil has a hold on your mind. God Will deliver you from it!!! His Word is all powerful and He never fails!
Father, we stand on Your Word alone! We stand on the promise of the salvation that comes from Christ! Amen
Rom.11:36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.
Rev.4:11 "Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created."
1Cor.8:6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.
Acts 4:12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."
God is holy, period! He can not look upon sin. We are sin, period! Even in our best attempt, we still are sinful! If I had to give a one liner to sum up the gospel, it would be that "the blood of Christ alone offers salvation to the world." There is no way for us to be reconciled to a holy God because of our rebellion of sinfulness. We must be covered in the blood of Christ so that we can be acceptable to holy God. We must first believe that God is indeed the supreme Creator of all things. That He, being holy, will not tolerate sin. That all things exist through Him and by Him. That He is worthy of all our praise! That Christ is His only begotten Son, wholly man and wholly God, born through a miracle by the Holy Spirit. That God does have a purpose for you and that all who earnestly seek Him will find Him! It matters not what language you speak, where you live, what horrible thing you have done in the past, or what evil has a hold on your mind. God Will deliver you from it!!! His Word is all powerful and He never fails!
Father, we stand on Your Word alone! We stand on the promise of the salvation that comes from Christ! Amen
Rom.11:36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.
Rev.4:11 "Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created."
1Cor.8:6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.
Acts 4:12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
What Sin Is
The definition of sin is: transgression against God's law or rebellion against God
1John 3:4 Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness.
The punishment for sin:
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Sin is long standing:
Romans 5:13 for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law
Christ was not a sinner:
2 Cor.5:21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Christ is our advocate before God:
1 John 2:2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.
1 John 2:1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
We have power from Christ to resist sin:
Romans 8:9-11 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.
We are covered in saving grace:
Eph.1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace
We, the human beings which God created, were born in sin because of the sin imparted to us from Adam and Eve. But there is deeper sin here, the personal ones we willingly commit!
Oh Lord, forgive us, Lord forgive me, when we knowingly rebell against You. Engrave Your Word on our hearts so we will not sin. Burn Your Word in our souls so that when we do sin, we suffer fear! Fear of everlasting separation from You. Amen
1John 3:4 Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness.
The punishment for sin:
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Sin is long standing:
Romans 5:13 for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law
Christ was not a sinner:
2 Cor.5:21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Christ is our advocate before God:
1 John 2:2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.
1 John 2:1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
We have power from Christ to resist sin:
Romans 8:9-11 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.
We are covered in saving grace:
Eph.1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace
We, the human beings which God created, were born in sin because of the sin imparted to us from Adam and Eve. But there is deeper sin here, the personal ones we willingly commit!
Oh Lord, forgive us, Lord forgive me, when we knowingly rebell against You. Engrave Your Word on our hearts so we will not sin. Burn Your Word in our souls so that when we do sin, we suffer fear! Fear of everlasting separation from You. Amen
Monday, November 14, 2011
A Better Promise
Heb.8:6 But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises.
Heb.8:1-2 Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, a minister in the holy places, in the true tent that the Lord set up, not man.
The old promise held no salvation!
Heb.8:7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second.
Christ alone is our hope!!!
Long ago, priest would sacrifice animals and use the blood for atonement, to satisfy God's demand for payment for our sinfulness. But God knew we had need for a real Saviour. One who would pay our debt and offer a salvation that could not be attained through a ritual but through the eternal gift of blood, shed for all time.
Heb.9:11-21 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant. For where a will is involved, the death of the one who made it must be established. For a will takes effect only at death, since it is not in force as long as the one who made it is alive. Therefore not even the first covenant was inaugurated without blood. For when every commandment of the law had been declared by Moses to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, saying, "This is the blood of the covenant that God commanded for you." And in the same way he sprinkled with the blood both the tent and all the vessels used in worship.
Salvation from Christ can not be earned. It is a gift!
Lord, teach us to be bold in sharing the gospel. Let us teach from Your Word, the truth and not get caught up in the things of this world. The truth is that all who deny You suffer! Amen
Heb.8:1-2 Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, a minister in the holy places, in the true tent that the Lord set up, not man.
The old promise held no salvation!
Heb.8:7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second.
Christ alone is our hope!!!
Long ago, priest would sacrifice animals and use the blood for atonement, to satisfy God's demand for payment for our sinfulness. But God knew we had need for a real Saviour. One who would pay our debt and offer a salvation that could not be attained through a ritual but through the eternal gift of blood, shed for all time.
Heb.9:11-21 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant. For where a will is involved, the death of the one who made it must be established. For a will takes effect only at death, since it is not in force as long as the one who made it is alive. Therefore not even the first covenant was inaugurated without blood. For when every commandment of the law had been declared by Moses to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, saying, "This is the blood of the covenant that God commanded for you." And in the same way he sprinkled with the blood both the tent and all the vessels used in worship.
Salvation from Christ can not be earned. It is a gift!
Lord, teach us to be bold in sharing the gospel. Let us teach from Your Word, the truth and not get caught up in the things of this world. The truth is that all who deny You suffer! Amen
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Our Life and Death Appointment
Every person of human origin has a long standing appointment with their Creator! By this I mean, before you were ever born, God knew you, even before you had any days of life, while you were still in the secret place that only God knows of. These appointments are when God gives your soul life and when He takes your soul back in death. The soul is spirit and meant to last forever. God's gospel word has been passed down from generation to generation and will stand as truth.
Heb.9:27 And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment
Ps.139:13-16 For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.Gen.2:7 then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.James 4:13-15 Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit"-- yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that." We are all perishing, but to where we go at the end, depends on your relationship with the only true, living God, who created the universe! He has made salvation available to all people through the blood of Christ! You will never be good enough, do enough good deeds, or be able to lead a sin free life! Only Christ was able to pay our debt to a holy God for our salvation. He willingly obeyed God! He willingly died! We owe Him everything! 1Cor.15:21-22 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.Ps.90:12 So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.2 Cor.5:1 For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.Only God holds the power of life after death!Ezek.37:1-14 The hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the LORD and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. And he said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" And I answered, "O Lord GOD, you know." Then he said to me, "Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the LORD." So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them. But there was no breath in them. Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord GOD: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live." So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army. Then he said to me, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, 'Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off.' Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the LORD; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the LORD."Lord, how we ache for the lost. We can not understand how the love that is offered by Christ can be ignored. Lord, only You can quicken hearts to receive the truth. Help us as we speak the truth of the gospel. Amen
Heb.9:27 And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment
Ps.139:13-16 For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.Gen.2:7 then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.James 4:13-15 Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit"-- yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that." We are all perishing, but to where we go at the end, depends on your relationship with the only true, living God, who created the universe! He has made salvation available to all people through the blood of Christ! You will never be good enough, do enough good deeds, or be able to lead a sin free life! Only Christ was able to pay our debt to a holy God for our salvation. He willingly obeyed God! He willingly died! We owe Him everything! 1Cor.15:21-22 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.Ps.90:12 So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.2 Cor.5:1 For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.Only God holds the power of life after death!Ezek.37:1-14 The hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the LORD and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. And he said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" And I answered, "O Lord GOD, you know." Then he said to me, "Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the LORD." So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them. But there was no breath in them. Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord GOD: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live." So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army. Then he said to me, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, 'Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off.' Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the LORD; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the LORD."Lord, how we ache for the lost. We can not understand how the love that is offered by Christ can be ignored. Lord, only You can quicken hearts to receive the truth. Help us as we speak the truth of the gospel. Amen
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)