Unabridged Christianity Friday, Jan 11 2019

A Spirit of Bondage

John 3:8
⁸ The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

What makes a person a Christian is their miraculous rebirth. We must not forget they that worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in truth.

We have been studying the peculiar difficulties of understanding the differences between a religious man and a Christian.

One of the snares the devil employs so frequently is to make a religious man think he is a Christian when he has never been born again. In order to enter the kingdom of heaven there are two forms of worship required; in Spirit and in truth. A man who has never been born again cannot worship in Spirit because the Spirit is not in him. They may think they have worshiped Him because they’ve gone to church their entire lives, but God is a Spirit.

The enemy of our souls uses religion to delude people into thinking it is a particular building, certain rituals, robes and vestments that determine our condition with God. Religion is external with certain trappings.

A man who has been born of the Spirit has the life of God in his soul. It is an internal thing. He has communion with the Trinity. He knows Him. He knows His presence. He knows what it is to grieve Him. He knows what it feels to be dependent upon Him, to realize his own weakness and utter need for Him. He is aware of His activities within him, promptings, leading, corrections. He also knows the power He can give to do whatever he is called to do: preaching, teaching, service, prayer.

Another vital part of what the Holy Spirit does within those who are born again is assurance of salvation. There are two big things the Holy Spirit does in us; sanctification and assurance. Delivering us from sin gives us assurance, certainty. It is this assurance that gives us joy. The joy of the LORD is our strength.

A religious person can never know assurance.

There is a distinction that is very subtle between assurance and self-satisfaction. Paul explains it in Philippians 3:3-6

³ For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.

⁴ Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more:

⁵ Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee;

⁶ Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

A Christian who is born again and filled with the Spirit of the living God receives assurance. In spite of his unworthiness he has been given this free gift from God. John 3:15-17

¹⁵ That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

¹⁶ For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

¹⁷ For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

It is entirely because of the work of the LORD Jesus Christ. It is dependent on God’s grace.

There is no higher test of the rebirth than this because it cannot be counterfeited.

Assurance shows itself in various ways:

1. Deliverance from the spirit of bondage and fear. Romans 8:15
   ¹⁵ For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
2. Deliverance from the law. This is the bondage of religion. Romans 6:14
   ¹⁴ For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. Romans 8:1-2  There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. ² For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
3. Peace with God Romans 5:1
   5 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: Romans 8:7
   ⁷ Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
4. He has Faith. Romans 4:3b
   Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.
5. He has the Spirit of Adoption Galatians 4:6
   ⁶ And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

How do you approach God? Is He your Abba? Your Daddy?

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My Savior My Hope Wednesday, Oct 24 2018

 

The verses for today may be found in the book of Philippians 3 verses 15-21:

¹⁵ Let us therefore, as many as are ^[a]perfect, have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you; ¹⁶ however, let us keep ^[b]living by that same standard to which we have attained.

¹⁷ Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us. ¹⁸ For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, ¹⁹ whose end is destruction, whose god is their ^[c]appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things. ²⁰ For our ^[d]citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; ²¹ who will transform ^[e]the body of our humble state into conformity with ^[f]the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.

We will begin with the definition of terms beginning with “Savior”. Many would say to you that it means that “Christ died for my sins on the cross at Calvary and saved me from hell and gave me the right to enter heaven when I die.” And, that is all true. But, it is more than that.  He was also the Savior of the whole cosmos. It tells us that in the previous chapter 2 verses 9 and 10: ⁹ For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, ¹⁰ so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹ and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Thank God for this.

Let me ask you this one question, “Do you know you are saved?”

How do you know this? Do you hope for heaven? Do you hope for the coming of Christ? Do you live for Christ? Does the Holy Spirit bear witness with your spirit that you are a child of God? Have you given up trusting in man to save you: Politics, commercialism, indeed the whole world?

Our citizenship is in heaven.

We eagerly wait for a Savior: The LORD JESUS CHRIST.

Is Jesus transforming you from the body of your humble state into conformity with the body of His glory?

2 Corinthians 3:18 ¹⁸ But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.

Now let’s go on to define hope: Heb 11:1 11 Now faith is the ^[a]assurance of things ^[b]hoped for, the ^[c]conviction of things not seen.

Ephesians 2: ⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith; and ^[h]that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.

Matthew 12:21 ²¹ “And in His name the ^[c]Gentiles will hope.”

Romans 1:5 5 Therefore, having been justified by faith, ^[a]we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ² through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and ^[b]we exult in hope of the glory of God.

Hope is a yearning. It is something unseen that you know that you have in your grasp. Have you lost all hope? I pray that you find it again in Jesus Christ my Savior and my hope.

Jude 1:24-25 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,

²⁵ To the only wise God our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.

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Come Back to the LORD-Day 21 Wednesday, Apr 11 2018

Today is the last day of our 21 day series “Come Back to the LORD”. The Scripture to which I would like to draw your attention is found in the book of Psalms, chapter 119, verses 161-168:

Shin.

¹⁶¹ Princes persecute me without cause,
But my heart stands in awe of Your words.
¹⁶² I rejoice at Your ^[a]word,
As one who finds great spoil.
¹⁶³ I hate and despise falsehood,
But I love Your law.
¹⁶⁴ Seven times a day I praise You,
Because of Your righteous ordinances.
¹⁶⁵ Those who love Your law have great peace,
And ^[b]nothing causes them to stumble.
¹⁶⁶ I hope for Your salvation, O Lord,
And do Your commandments.
¹⁶⁷ My soul keeps Your testimonies,
And I love them exceedingly.
¹⁶⁸ I keep Your precepts and Your testimonies,
For all my ways are before You.

For we know: 1 John 4:3-5

³ and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world. ⁴ You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. ⁵ They are from the world; therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them.

 

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Come Back to the LORD-Day 20 Tuesday, Apr 10 2018

The Scripture to which I would like to draw your attention today can be found in the book of Psalms, chapter 119, verses 153-160:

Resh.

¹⁵³ Look upon my affliction and rescue me,
For I do not forget Your law.
¹⁵⁴ Plead my cause and redeem me;
Revive me according to Your ^[bq]word.
¹⁵⁵ Salvation is far from the wicked,
For they do not seek Your statutes.
^156 [br]Great are Your mercies, O Lord;
Revive me according to Your ordinances.
¹⁵⁷ Many are my persecutors and my adversaries,
Yet I do not turn aside from Your testimonies.
¹⁵⁸ I behold the treacherous and loathe them,
Because they do not keep Your ^[bs]word.
¹⁵⁹ Consider how I love Your precepts;
Revive me, O Lord, according to Your lovingkindness.
¹⁶⁰ The sum of Your word is truth,
And every one of Your righteous ordinances is everlasting.

For we know Psalms 136:6-8

For though the Lord is exalted,
Yet He regards the lowly,
But the haughty He knows from afar.

⁷ Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will ^[a]revive me;
You will stretch forth Your hand against the wrath of my enemies,
And Your right hand will save me.
⁸ The Lord will accomplish what concerns me;
Your lovingkindness, O Lord, is everlasting;
Do not forsake the works of Your hands.

 

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Come Back to the LORD-Day 16 Friday, Apr 6 2018

Today’s Scripture may be found at Psalm 119:121-128

Ayin.

¹²¹ I have done justice and righteousness;
Do not leave me to my oppressors.
¹²² Be surety for Your servant for good;
Do not let the arrogant oppress me.
¹²³ My eyes fail with longing for Your salvation
And for Your righteous ^[a]word.
¹²⁴ Deal with Your servant according to Your lovingkindness
And teach me Your statutes.
¹²⁵ I am Your servant; give me understanding,
That I may know Your testimonies.
¹²⁶ It is time for the Lord to act,
For they have broken Your law.
¹²⁷ Therefore I love Your commandments
Above gold, yes, above fine gold.
¹²⁸ Therefore I esteem right all Your precepts concerning everything,
I hate every false way.

For we know Deuteronomy 4:29-30

²⁹ But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul. ³⁰ When you are in distress and all these things have come upon you, in the latter days you will return to the Lord your God and listen to His voice.

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God’s Blessings of Redemption Thursday, Nov 30 2017

Ephesians

The Blessings of Redemption

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus ^[a]by the will of God,

To the ^[b]saints who are ^[c]at Ephesus and who are faithful in Christ Jesus: ² Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, ⁴ just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before ^[d]Him. In love ^5 [e]He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the ^[f]kind intention of His will, ⁶ to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. ⁷ In ^[g]Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace ⁸ which He ^[h]lavished on ^[i]us. In all wisdom and insight ⁹ He ^[j]made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His ^[k]kind intention which He purposed in Him ¹⁰ with a view to an administration ^[l]suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things ^[m]in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him ^11 [n]also we ^[o]have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, ¹² to the end that we who were the first to hope in ^[p]Christ would be to the praise of His glory. ¹³ In ^[q]Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also ^[r]believed, you were sealed in ^[s]Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, ¹⁴ who is ^[t]given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.

¹⁵ For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and ^[u]your love for all the ^[v]saints, ¹⁶ do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers; ¹⁷ that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the ^[w]knowledge of Him. ¹⁸ I pray that the eyes of your heart ^[x]may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the ^[y]saints, ¹⁹ and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might ²⁰ which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, ²¹ far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. ²² And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, ²³ which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

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God’s Miracles Sunday, Aug 20 2017

God’s Miracles

 

We can choose to concentrate upon the desires of the flesh until we finally give into temptations, or we can choose to be born again. It is a miracle. We cannot change by ourselves. Only the God of creation can regenerate us into new people, a saved people, a living people. Almighty God recreates us anew. He is the one who does it all. We have only to receive from Him his perfect unconditional love.

So many times, people choose not to take God up on his offer of salvation because they have pride and want to be able to contribute to their own salvation by doing something before they come to God for a little assistance.  It won’t work.

Man has absolutely nothing to do with his own salvation. When he is born again he is regenerated, changed, made anew. The eternal God does the work. We are finite. We are very small. We are incapable of saving ourselves. We can’t even understand what is happening to us as God regenerates us.

Listen to the voice of God when He speaks to your heart, “Come”.  Answer the call. “Do you want to be saved?”

Approach God with reverence and godly fear. He is the God of holiness, and of power. Your breath is in His hands. Take off your shoes from off your feet. Humble yourself before you are standing before him at the end of your life. Accept His offer of salvation. Be ready to listen, be afraid to look. Quiver. Stand trembling in the presence of the Almighty God. Put your hands over your face because he is kind, pure, and holy. There is no hope for any of us until we are silenced and shamed before a holy God. “God, be merciful to me a sinner.”

Cast yourself as you are before him. Listen to His message of deliverance.  That he loves you with an everlasting love. He wants to make you his child, to put a new heart, a new mind, a new desire, a new purpose in you. Yield yourself to it.

Do you want to be saved? Amen.

 

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God’s Feasts Wednesday, Feb 1 2017

Do any of you remember that Beatles’ song, “Eight Days A Week?”

“Eight days a week, I love you. Eight days a week is not enough to show I care.”

That is how it is with God.

What does that have to do with the bible you ask?

It’s in there.

Come with me to Leviticus 23 where God instructs Moses about his sacred feasts.

Now go down to verses 39-43.

^{39 “‘So beginning with the fifteenth day of the seventh month, after you have gathered the crops of the land, celebrate the festival to the Lord for seven days; the first day is a day of sabbath rest, and the eighth day also is a day of sabbath rest. 40 On the first day you are to take branches from luxuriant trees—from palms, willows and other leafy trees—and rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days. 41 Celebrate this as a festival to the Lord for seven days each year. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come; celebrate it in the seventh month. 42 Live in temporary shelters for seven days: All native-born Israelites are to live in such shelters 43 so your descendants will know that I had the Israelites live in temporary shelters when I brought them out of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.’”}

God is pretty good at hiding things in plain sight. In these verses he is talking about the Feast of Booths or the Feast of Tabernacles. In verse 39 he says “The first day is a day of Sabbath rest and the eighth day is a day of Sabbath rest.”

These booths or Tabernacles were used to represent our bodies-temporary houses. From the time we are saved until we physically die our bodies become temporary places to live. We already have eternity within us via the deposit of his Spirit. The week long feast represents our lifetime.

We all know that there are only seven days in a week. Then the week ends. There is no eighth day in a week. But if you turn the number 8 on its’ side you get the symbol for infinity. So there you have it. After our lives in these temporary bodies die we get eternity.

Today we call this thinking out of the box. When the eighth day comes you are outside of time.

Isaiah 55:

⁷ Let the wicked forsake their ways
    and the unrighteous their thoughts.
Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them,
    and to our God, for he will freely pardon.

⁸ “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
⁹ “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Everything God has instituted, His Sabbaths, His Feasts are signs that point to our eternity with Him.

2 Corinthians 5:1-6

5 For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. ² Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, ³ because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. ⁴ For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. ⁵ Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

⁶ Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord.

God is not only outside of time, he is also outside of space.

Revelation 20:11

The Judgment of the Dead

¹¹ Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them.

 

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God’s Gift Wednesday, Jan 4 2017

When a person gives a gift to someone they don’t expect to be paid for it by the receiver of that gift. That is what the word gift means-something given freely. At Christmas time, we all get great joy out of giving gifts to our children and grandchildren and watching them open up their presents and enjoying them. They can only open one gift at a time and play with one toy at a time. We don’t expect them to open up everything all at once but we wait for them to check it out, see how it works, what they can do with it. Sometimes, children will even start playing with the box that the gift came in and get great enjoyment out of it.

But God gives gifts to us that keep on giving.

Let me show you what I mean.

Remember the woman at the well? ¹⁰ Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”

Remember what he spoke to his disciples after he was resurrected? ⁴ On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. ⁵ For John baptized with^[a] water, but in a few days you will be baptized with^[b] the Holy Spirit.”

Remember what Paul told the Romans? ²³ For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in^[b] Christ Jesus our Lord.

Remember what Paul told the Ephesians? ⁸ For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—

Remember what Paul admonished Timothy? ¹³ Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. ¹⁴ Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you.

¹⁵ Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress.

And-⁶ For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. ⁷ For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.

So far we see that the gift of God is actually multiple gifts: living water, baptism of the Holy Spirit, eternal life, faith, salvation, spiritual gift, boldness, power, love and self-discipline.

In Hebrews we learn that the gift of God can be shared and tasted: ⁴ It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, ⁵ who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age ⁶ and who have fallen^[c] away, to be brought back to repentance.

In James we learn that he had planned to give us his gift from the very beginning: ¹⁶ Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. ¹⁷ Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. ¹⁸ He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of all he created.

In Peter we learn that God has a purpose in giving us gifts: ¹⁰ Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.

In John we learn God gives us peace: ²⁷ Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

So now we know that in addition to all the other gifts, he has also enlightened us, shared the goodness of the word of God, shared his power, given us every good and perfect gift, truth, grace, and peace.

The most precious gift of all was the gift of his Son, Jesus by whom we have access to the Father through his blood. Ephesians 2:¹³ But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

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God’s People Wednesday, Oct 26 2016

⁷ [I am writing] to all who are beloved of God in Rome, called to be saints (God’s people) and set apart for a sanctified life, [that is, set apart for God and His purpose]: Grace to you and peace [inner calm and spiritual well-being] from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

⁸ First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith [your trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness] is being proclaimed in all the world. ⁹ For God, whom I serve with my spirit by preaching the gospel of His Son, is my witness as to how continuously I mention you ¹⁰ in my prayers; always pleading that somehow, by God’s will, I may now at last come to you. ¹¹ For I long to see you so that I may share with you some spiritual gift, to strengthen and establish you; ¹² that is, that we may be mutually encouraged and comforted by each other’s faith, both yours and mine. ¹³ I do not want you to be unaware, ^[c]brothers and sisters, that many times I have planned to come to you, (and have been prevented so far) so that I may have some fruit [of my labors] among you, even as I have among the rest of the Gentiles. ¹⁴ I have a duty to perform and a debt to pay both to Greeks and to barbarians [the cultured and the uncultured], both to the wise and to the foolish. ¹⁵ So, for my part, I am ready and eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome.

¹⁶ I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation [from His wrath and punishment] to everyone who believes [in Christ as Savior], to the Jew first and also to the Greek. ¹⁷ For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed, both springing from faith and leading to faith [disclosed in a way that awakens more faith]. As it is written and forever remains written, “The just and upright shall live by faith.”

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