September 1, 2021

From creation to CREATION by Gary Rose


Since my earliest memories, I have been gazing at the stars in wonderment. Oh, the sights I have seen on jet black nights; full-moons, comets, falling stars, The Milky Way galaxy and constellations of all sorts in all seasons over the years.


God has made such a wonders in this existence of ours that any reasonable person will marvel at both their beauty and complexity. As I consider these things, I remember God’s own comments on his creation from Genesis…


Genesis 1 ( World English Bible )

31 God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. There was evening and there was morning, a sixth day.


And then there are these words from the Psalms…


Psalm 8 ( WEB )

1 For the Chief Musician; on an instrument of Gath. A Psalm by David.

Yahweh, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth, who has set your glory above the heavens!
2 From the lips of babes and infants you have established strength, because of your adversaries, that you might silence the enemy and the avenger.

3 When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have ordained;

4 what is man, that you think of him? What is the son of man, that you care for him?


In the New Testament, we find Paul preaching at Athens…


Acts 17 ( WEB )

16 Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw the city full of idols.
17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with those who met him.
18 Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also were conversing with him. Some said, “What does this babbler want to say?” Others said, “He seems to be advocating foreign deities,” because he preached Jesus and the resurrection.
19 They took hold of him, and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new teaching is, which is spoken by you?
20 For you bring certain strange things to our ears. We want to know therefore what these things mean.”
21 Now all the Athenians and the strangers living there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell or to hear some new thing.
22 Paul stood in the middle of the Areopagus, and said, “You men of Athens, I perceive that you are very religious in all things.
23 For as I passed along, and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.’What therefore you worship in ignorance, this I announce to you.
24 The God who made the world and all things in it, he, being Lord of heaven and earth, doesn’t dwell in temples made with hands,
25 neither is he served by men’s hands, as though he needed anything, seeing he himself gives to all life and breath, and all things.
26 He made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the surface of the earth, having determined appointed seasons, and the boundaries of their dwellings,
27 that they should seek the Lord, if perhaps they might reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.
28 ‘For in him we live, and move, and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also his offspring.’

29 Being then the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold, or silver, or stone, engraved by art and design of man.
30 The times of ignorance therefore God overlooked. But now he commands that all people everywhere should repent,
31 because he has appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom he has ordained; of which he has given assurance to all men, in that he has raised him from the dead.”


In every culture that has ever existed, there have been those who sought after the divine, those who longed to understand God. The apostle Paul recognized this, for virtually every thoughtful person recognizes that human beings are special among all of God’s creation. Realizing this, it is a small step ( for most of us, anyway ) to want please God by doing HIS will. When we obey that will, as exhibited by the Gospel, we become a newly created spiritual being as is exemplified by the following verse from Paul’s letter to the Corinthians…


2 Corinthians 5 ( WEB )

17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new.


So, once again we are back to creation, this time a spiritual one. Jesus has made this possible and we should obey his will to make this possible. ( see also Matt. 28:18-20; Rom. 6:1-11,23; 8:1,2, 10, 11; 12:5; Gal 3:24-28; Col 2:12; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 ) And I ask you, isn’t that the most wonderful thing that you can think of? More magnificent than that the picture above with its wonderfully colored sky. Why not obey God’s Gospel and be created anew; trust me- You will shine more than any scene in any sky ever has!


Bible Reading for September 1 and 2 by Gary Rose

Bible Reading for September 1 and 2

World  English  Bible


Sept. 1

Psalms 26-29

Psa 26:1 Judge me, Yahweh, for I have walked in my integrity. I have trusted also in Yahweh without wavering.

Psa 26:2 Examine me, Yahweh, and prove me. Try my heart and my mind.

Psa 26:3 For your loving kindness is before my eyes. I have walked in your truth.

Psa 26:4 I have not sat with deceitful men, neither will I go in with hypocrites.

Psa 26:5 I hate the assembly of evildoers, and will not sit with the wicked.

Psa 26:6 I will wash my hands in innocence, so I will go about your altar, Yahweh;

Psa 26:7 that I may make the voice of thanksgiving to be heard, and tell of all your wondrous works.

Psa 26:8 Yahweh, I love the habitation of your house, the place where your glory dwells.

Psa 26:9 Don't gather my soul with sinners, nor my life with bloodthirsty men;

Psa 26:10 in whose hands is wickedness, their right hand is full of bribes.

Psa 26:11 But as for me, I will walk in my integrity. Redeem me, and be merciful to me.

Psa 26:12 My foot stands in an even place. In the congregations I will bless Yahweh.


Psa 27:1 Yahweh is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? Yahweh is the strength of my life. Of whom shall I be afraid?

Psa 27:2 When evildoers came at me to eat up my flesh, even my adversaries and my foes, they stumbled and fell.

Psa 27:3 Though an army should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear. Though war should rise against me, even then I will be confident.

Psa 27:4 One thing I have asked of Yahweh, that I will seek after, that I may dwell in the house of Yahweh all the days of my life, to see Yahweh's beauty, and to inquire in his temple.

Psa 27:5 For in the day of trouble he will keep me secretly in his pavilion. In the covert of his tabernacle he will hide me. He will lift me up on a rock.

Psa 27:6 Now my head will be lifted up above my enemies around me. I will offer sacrifices of joy in his tent. I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to Yahweh.

Psa 27:7 Hear, Yahweh, when I cry with my voice. Have mercy also on me, and answer me.

Psa 27:8 When you said, "Seek my face," my heart said to you, "I will seek your face, Yahweh."

Psa 27:9 Don't hide your face from me. Don't put your servant away in anger. You have been my help. Don't abandon me, neither forsake me, God of my salvation.

Psa 27:10 When my father and my mother forsake me, then Yahweh will take me up.

Psa 27:11 Teach me your way, Yahweh. Lead me in a straight path, because of my enemies.

Psa 27:12 Don't deliver me over to the desire of my adversaries, for false witnesses have risen up against me, such as breathe out cruelty.

Psa 27:13 I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of Yahweh in the land of the living.

Psa 27:14 Wait for Yahweh. Be strong, and let your heart take courage. Yes, wait for Yahweh.


Psa 28:1 To you, Yahweh, I call. My rock, don't be deaf to me; lest, if you are silent to me, I would become like those who go down into the pit.

Psa 28:2 Hear the voice of my petitions, when I cry to you, when I lift up my hands toward your Most Holy Place.

Psa 28:3 Don't draw me away with the wicked, with the workers of iniquity who speak peace with their neighbors, but mischief is in their hearts.

Psa 28:4 Give them according to their work, and according to the wickedness of their doings. Give them according to the operation of their hands. Bring back on them what they deserve.

Psa 28:5 Because they don't regard the works of Yahweh, nor the operation of his hands, he will break them down and not build them up.

Psa 28:6 Blessed be Yahweh, because he has heard the voice of my petitions.

Psa 28:7 Yahweh is my strength and my shield. My heart has trusted in him, and I am helped. Therefore my heart greatly rejoices. With my song I will thank him.

Psa 28:8 Yahweh is their strength. He is a stronghold of salvation to his anointed.

Psa 28:9 Save your people, and bless your inheritance. Be their shepherd also, and bear them up forever.


Psa 29:1 Ascribe to Yahweh, you sons of the mighty, ascribe to Yahweh glory and strength.

Psa 29:2 Ascribe to Yahweh the glory due to his name. Worship Yahweh in holy array.

Psa 29:3 Yahweh's voice is on the waters. The God of glory thunders, even Yahweh on many waters.

Psa 29:4 Yahweh's voice is powerful. Yahweh's voice is full of majesty.

Psa 29:5 The voice of Yahweh breaks the cedars. Yes, Yahweh breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.

Psa 29:6 He makes them also to skip like a calf; Lebanon and Sirion like a young, wild ox.

Psa 29:7 Yahweh's voice strikes with flashes of lightning.

Psa 29:8 Yahweh's voice shakes the wilderness. Yahweh shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.

Psa 29:9 Yahweh's voice makes the deer calve, and strips the forests bare. In his temple everything says, "Glory!"

Psa 29:10 Yahweh sat enthroned at the Flood. Yes, Yahweh sits as King forever.

Psa 29:11 Yahweh will give strength to his people. Yahweh will bless his people with peace. 

 

Sept. 2

Psalms 30-32

Psa 30:1 I will extol you, Yahweh, for you have raised me up, and have not made my foes to rejoice over me.

Psa 30:2 Yahweh my God, I cried to you, and you have healed me.

Psa 30:3 Yahweh, you have brought up my soul from Sheol. You have kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.

Psa 30:4 Sing praise to Yahweh, you saints of his. Give thanks to his holy name.

Psa 30:5 For his anger is but for a moment. His favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may stay for the night, but joy comes in the morning.

Psa 30:6 As for me, I said in my prosperity, "I shall never be moved."

Psa 30:7 You, Yahweh, when you favored me, made my mountain stand strong; but when you hid your face, I was troubled.

Psa 30:8 I cried to you, Yahweh. To Yahweh I made supplication:

Psa 30:9 "What profit is there in my destruction, if I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise you? Shall it declare your truth?

Psa 30:10 Hear, Yahweh, and have mercy on me. Yahweh, be my helper."

Psa 30:11 You have turned my mourning into dancing for me. You have removed my sackcloth, and clothed me with gladness,

Psa 30:12 To the end that my heart may sing praise to you, and not be silent. Yahweh my God, I will give thanks to you forever!


Psa 31:1 In you, Yahweh, I take refuge. Let me never be disappointed. Deliver me in your righteousness.

Psa 31:2 Bow down your ear to me. Deliver me speedily. Be to me a strong rock, a house of defense to save me.

Psa 31:3 For you are my rock and my fortress, therefore for your name's sake lead me and guide me.

Psa 31:4 Pluck me out of the net that they have laid secretly for me, for you are my stronghold.

Psa 31:5 Into your hand I commend my spirit. You redeem me, Yahweh, God of truth.

Psa 31:6 I hate those who regard lying vanities, but I trust in Yahweh.

Psa 31:7 I will be glad and rejoice in your loving kindness, for you have seen my affliction. You have known my soul in adversities.

Psa 31:8 You have not shut me up into the hand of the enemy. You have set my feet in a large place.

Psa 31:9 Have mercy on me, Yahweh, for I am in distress. My eye, my soul, and my body waste away with grief.

Psa 31:10 For my life is spent with sorrow, my years with sighing. My strength fails because of my iniquity. My bones are wasted away.

Psa 31:11 Because of all my adversaries I have become utterly contemptible to my neighbors, A fear to my acquaintances. Those who saw me on the street fled from me.

Psa 31:12 I am forgotten from their hearts like a dead man. I am like broken pottery.

Psa 31:13 For I have heard the slander of many, terror on every side, while they conspire together against me, they plot to take away my life.

Psa 31:14 But I trust in you, Yahweh. I said, "You are my God."

Psa 31:15 My times are in your hand. Deliver me from the hand of my enemies, and from those who persecute me.

Psa 31:16 Make your face to shine on your servant. Save me in your loving kindness.

Psa 31:17 Let me not be disappointed, Yahweh, for I have called on you. Let the wicked be disappointed. Let them be silent in Sheol.

Psa 31:18 Let the lying lips be mute, which speak against the righteous insolently, with pride and contempt.

Psa 31:19 Oh how great is your goodness, which you have laid up for those who fear you, which you have worked for those who take refuge in you, before the sons of men!

Psa 31:20 In the shelter of your presence you will hide them from the plotting of man. You will keep them secretly in a dwelling away from the strife of tongues.

Psa 31:21 Praise be to Yahweh, for he has shown me his marvelous loving kindness in a strong city.

Psa 31:22 As for me, I said in my haste, "I am cut off from before your eyes." Nevertheless you heard the voice of my petitions when I cried to you.

Psa 31:23 Oh love Yahweh, all you his saints! Yahweh preserves the faithful, and fully recompenses him who behaves arrogantly.

Psa 31:24 Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who hope in Yahweh.


Psa 32:1 Blessed is he whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is covered.

Psa 32:2 Blessed is the man to whom Yahweh doesn't impute iniquity, in whose spirit there is no deceit.

Psa 32:3 When I kept silence, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.

Psa 32:4 For day and night your hand was heavy on me. My strength was sapped in the heat of summer. Selah.

Psa 32:5 I acknowledged my sin to you. I didn't hide my iniquity. I said, I will confess my transgressions to Yahweh, and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah.

Psa 32:6 For this, let everyone who is godly pray to you in a time when you may be found. Surely when the great waters overflow, they shall not reach to him.

Psa 32:7 You are my hiding place. You will preserve me from trouble. You will surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah.

Psa 32:8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you shall go. I will counsel you with my eye on you.

Psa 32:9 Don't be like the horse, or like the mule, which have no understanding, who are controlled by bit and bridle, or else they will not come near to you.

Psa 32:10 Many sorrows come to the wicked, but loving kindness shall surround him who trusts in Yahweh.

Psa 32:11 Be glad in Yahweh, and rejoice, you righteous! Shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart! 

 

Sept. 1

Romans 13

Rom 13:1 Let every soul be in subjection to the higher authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those who exist are ordained by God.

Rom 13:2 Therefore he who resists the authority, withstands the ordinance of God; and those who withstand will receive to themselves judgment.

Rom 13:3 For rulers are not a terror to the good work, but to the evil. Do you desire to have no fear of the authority? Do that which is good, and you will have praise from the same,

Rom 13:4 for he is a servant of God to you for good. But if you do that which is evil, be afraid, for he doesn't bear the sword in vain; for he is a servant of God, an avenger for wrath to him who does evil.

Rom 13:5 Therefore you need to be in subjection, not only because of the wrath, but also for conscience' sake.

Rom 13:6 For this reason you also pay taxes, for they are servants of God's service, attending continually on this very thing.

Rom 13:7 Give therefore to everyone what you owe: taxes to whom taxes are due; customs to whom customs; respect to whom respect; honor to whom honor.

Rom 13:8 Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.

Rom 13:9 For the commandments, "You shall not commit adultery," "You shall not murder," "You shall not steal," "You shall not give false testimony," "You shall not covet," and whatever other commandments there are, are all summed up in this saying, namely, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."

Rom 13:10 Love doesn't harm a neighbor. Love therefore is the fulfillment of the law.

Rom 13:11 Do this, knowing the time, that it is already time for you to awaken out of sleep, for salvation is now nearer to us than when we first believed.

Rom 13:12 The night is far gone, and the day is near. Let's therefore throw off the works of darkness, and let's put on the armor of light.

Rom 13:13 Let us walk properly, as in the day; not in reveling and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and lustful acts, and not in strife and jealousy.

Rom 13:14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, for its lusts.

 

Sept. 2

Romans 14

Rom 14:1 Now accept one who is weak in faith, but not for disputes over opinions.

Rom 14:2 One man has faith to eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables.

Rom 14:3 Don't let him who eats despise him who doesn't eat. Don't let him who doesn't eat judge him who eats, for God has accepted him.

Rom 14:4 Who are you who judge another's servant? To his own lord he stands or falls. Yes, he will be made to stand, for God has power to make him stand.

Rom 14:5 One man esteems one day as more important. Another esteems every day alike. Let each man be fully assured in his own mind.

Rom 14:6 He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks. He who doesn't eat, to the Lord he doesn't eat, and gives God thanks.

Rom 14:7 For none of us lives to himself, and none dies to himself.

Rom 14:8 For if we live, we live to the Lord. Or if we die, we die to the Lord. If therefore we live or die, we are the Lord's.

Rom 14:9 For to this end Christ died, rose, and lived again, that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.

Rom 14:10 But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

Rom 14:11 For it is written, " 'As I live,' says the Lord, 'to me every knee will bow. Every tongue will confess to God.' "

Rom 14:12 So then each one of us will give account of himself to God.

Rom 14:13 Therefore let's not judge one another any more, but judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling block in his brother's way, or an occasion for falling.

Rom 14:14 I know, and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean of itself; except that to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean.

Rom 14:15 Yet if because of food your brother is grieved, you walk no longer in love. Don't destroy with your food him for whom Christ died.

Rom 14:16 Then don't let your good be slandered,

Rom 14:17 for the Kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Rom 14:18 For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men.

Rom 14:19 So then, let us follow after things which make for peace, and things by which we may build one another up.

Rom 14:20 Don't overthrow God's work for food's sake. All things indeed are clean, however it is evil for that man who creates a stumbling block by eating.

Rom 14:21 It is good to not eat meat, drink wine, nor do anything by which your brother stumbles, is offended, or is made weak.

Rom 14:22 Do you have faith? Have it to yourself before God. Happy is he who doesn't judge himself in that which he approves.

Rom 14:23 But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because it isn't of faith; and whatever is not of faith is sin.

He who has ears to hear, let him hear! Matthew 11:15 by Roy Davison

http://www.oldpaths.com/Archive/Davison/Roy/Allen/1940/ears.html

He who has ears to hear, let him hear!
Matthew 11:15

"The hearing ear and the seeing eye, The Lord has made both of them" (Proverbs 20:12).

By means of a marvelous mechanism, God gives us the ability to hear.

As I speak, my diaphragm, vocal chords, throat, mouth, teeth and tongue move in intricate ways to produce a complex of sound waves, vibrations in the air.

A message is being sent! Can you hear it? Are you listening?

A shell-shaped protrusion on each side of your head catches the sound waves and enables you to know the direction of the source. The waves swirl around and enter the ear canal. The delicate skin on this canal grows outwardly at 2 or 3 mm per day to continually renew itself.

The outer section of this canal is coated by a water-repellent wax-like substance which traps dirt and helps to keep water out of your ears. The inner part of the canal does not have this substance, which is why you should never poke a swab into your ear, or the wax may be pushed back too far and block the canal. When I was a boy, my father warned me not to put anything other than my elbow in my ear.

The back of the ear canal is closed off by a membrane called an ear drum. The sound waves of my voice strike this membrane and cause it to vibrate. Thus, the air vibrations are converted into mechanical vibrations. Attached to the inside of the ear drum, there is a lever system composed of three small bones. They transmit the mechanical vibrations to the footplate, which is in direct contact with the fluid in the inner ear. Thus, the mechanical vibrations are converted into fluid vibrations. To equalize the pressure on both sides of the ear drum, a tube (the eustachian tube) runs from behind the ear drum to your throat. Swallowing helps balance the pressure.

The inner ear converts the hydraulic vibrations into nerve impulses.

The outer section of the inner ear, called the vestibule, is also used for balance and orientation. Operating something like the water tube in a level, it lets you know which way is down, and gives you a sense of motion, which is your sixth sense. Spinning around causes this fluid to slosh about, which makes you dizzy because your brain no longer knows which way is up. The sensors in the vestibule are also used to keep the visual image in your brain "right-side-up" when you tilt your head.

The back part of the inner ear is a coiled duct, shaped something like a snail shell. It contains an extremely complex system of nerve fibers which can detect frequencies from 20 cycles per second to as high as 20,000 cycles per second. The physical processing of such a wide range of frequencies is an amazing engineering feat, especially since it is done in a mechanical device the size of a pea.

The decreasing diameter of the coil, causes the wave crests of the various frequencies to strike the walls at different places, which enables the nerves to report reception of that particular frequency to the brain. 23,500 sensors send these signals to the brain through the acoustic nerve which is a bundle of about 30,000 individual fibers. These fibers are grouped according to frequency, and the intensity of a sound is indicated by the number of fibers carrying the sound. These signals go to different parts of the brain, where the signals from the two ears are mixed, decoded, insignificant signals are filtered out, and significant signals are acted on and stored in memory.

Thousands of different creatures have ears specifically engineered for their own needs.

The ear was made by God (Proverbs 20:12). It did not evolve, it could not, not in a hundred billion years.

How well do we use these marvelous ears God has given us?

When Jesus was transfigured on the mountain, the Father spoke from heaven: "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, Hear Him!" (Matthew 17:5).

Jesus explained that some refuse to hear: "For the heart of this people has grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their heart and turn, So that I should heal them. But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear" (Matthew 13:15,16).

Jesus presented the truth on a take-it-or-leave-it basis: "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" (Matthew 11:15). Anyone who has children knows it is possible for audible words to be ignored and simply "not heard"! Are we listening to our Father? Are we willing hearers of the word of God?

In the parable of the sower, Jesus said that good hearts will hear and obey the word: "But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience" (Luke 8:15).

Jesus also warned: "Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given" (Mark 4:24). He once told the crowd: "Hear Me, everyone, and understand" (Mark 7:14). And on one occasion He told His disciples: "Let these words sink down into your ears" (Luke 9:44).

Jesus explained that the family of God consists of those who listen to the Father: "My mother and My brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it" (Luke 8:21). He also said: "He who is of God hears God's words" (John 8:47); "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me" (John 10:27); "Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice" (John 18:37).

Paul warned Timothy that some people will turn their ears away from the truth: "Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables" (2 Timothy 4:2-4).

Seven times in Revelation, in the letters to the seven churches of Asia Minor, Christ commands: "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches" (Revelation 2:7,11,17,29; 3:6,13,22). The Spirit speaks through the holy Scriptures: "We also have the prophetic word made more sure, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter 1:19-21). Are we listening? Are we heeding the prophetic word? Are we hearing what the Spirit says to the churches?

"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16,17).

Most people who call themselves Christians, do not listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. They prefer to follow their own whims, the latest trend, or the traditions of men.

The only way to really be a church of Christ, the only way to really be a Christian, is to hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

In the Gospels, Jesus cried out time and time again: "If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear" (Matthew 11:15; 13:9, 43; Mark 4:9,23; 7:16; Luke 8:8; 14:35). And in Revelation 13:9, as the New Testament draws to a close, we read it again: "If anyone has an ear, let him hear."

Roy Davison

The Scripture quotations in this article are from
The New King James Version. ©1979,1980,1982,
Thomas Nelson Inc., Publishers unless indicated otherwise.
Permission for reference use has been granted.

Published in The Old Paths Archive
(http://www.oldpaths.com)

ONCE IN GRACE ALWAYS IN GRACE? by steve finnell

http://steve-finnell.blogspot.com/2016/09/once-in-grace-always-in-grace-steve.html


ONCE IN GRACE ALWAYS IN GRACE?  by steve finnell


Do the Scriptures support the position of, once in grace always in grace?

Clarification of Hebrews 6:4-6 needed.

Hebrews 6:4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6 if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to open shame.(NKJV)

Possible Clarifications

A. It is not impossible for those Christians who deny that Jesus is the Christ to be saved.

B. If a Christian falls away, it is because they were not saved in the first place.

C. There no possibility that a person with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit could fall away.

D. If a Christian fails to repent of a sinful lifestyle, by continuing to murder, steal, get drunk, and commit fornication, they will still be saved because once you are saved you can never be lost.

E. God knows it is impossible to be lost once you are saved, He put Hebrews 6:4-6 in the Bible by accident.

F. Just because a person has been enlighten, and has tasted the heavenly gift, and has the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and has repented, does not mean they are saved. You cannot fall from grace if you were never saved.

G. No clarification needed, just read the Scriptures.

A through G you make the call!

 It takes a master of deception to convince people that they can never fall from grace.  

Can The President Strengthen My Religious Liberty? by Ken Weliever, ThePreacherman

https://thepreachersword.com/2017/05/05/can-the-president-strengthen-my-religious-liberty/#more-10633

Can The President Strengthen My Religious Liberty?

Yesterday, on the National Day of Prayer, President Trump, signed an executive order designed to strengthen religious freedom.

Ironically, The Religious Liberty Executive Order, was strongly opposed by liberals, but also criticized by many conservatives as not going far enough to protect people of faith. In fact, the National Review called the Order “worse than useless.” Many are calling for a change in legislation, including a repeal of the so-called Johnson Amendment that restricts political activity of churches under threat of losing their tax-exempt status.

Nevertheless, the President promised in a Rose Garden ceremony, “We will not allow people of faith to be targeted, bullied or silenced again and we will never stand for religious discrimination.”

Furthermore, the President signed a Proclamation making the first Thursday in May The National Day of Prayer, as all Presidents have done since Harry Truman in 1952.  The Proclamation was also a strong message extolling our religious freedom:

“We are also reminded and reaffirm that all human beings have the right, not only to pray and worship according to their consciences, but to practice their faith in their homes, schools, charities, and businesses – in private and in the public square – free from government coercion, discrimination, or persecution. Religion is not merely an intellectual exercise, but also a practical one that demands action in the world. Even the many prisoners around the world who are persecuted for their faith can pray privately in their cells. But our Constitution demands more: the freedom to practice one’s faith publicly.”

While we are happy to live in a country where we enjoy the freedom of worship, and desire to have the religious liberty to practice our faith without fear, we recognize our true liberty is in the Lord, not in Presidential proclamations.

Jesus said, “You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.” The freedom of which Christ speaks is the freedom from the slavery of sin. Freedom from Satan’s snare. Freedom from personal guilt. Freedom from condemnation (Jn 8:31-36; Rom. 8:1).

The Bible calls for Christians to “stand fast in the liberty by which Christ has made us free.” Yet that liberty is not to be used for carnal objectives, or selfish goals, but as an opportunity to serve the Lord and our fellow man (Gal 5: 1, 13; 1 Pet 2:16).

Regardless of the political situation where I live, I can enjoy spiritual freedom in Christ and experience the liberty of living a life the Lord directs. Certainly, a political and cultural climate that is favorable to Christianity makes it easier, but is not necessary to committed, faithful discipleship.

ThePreachersWord believes that too many churches in America have strayed from the command of the Great Commission and the spiritual purpose for which Christ died for the church (Mk. 16:15-16; Eph. 4:11-16). No where in the Bible do we read of first century churches petitioning Rome for favorable laws, organizing protests, or sending lobbyists to Caesar’s palace.

Individually, like the apostle Paul did on more than one occasion, we may take advantage of the laws as citizens to accomplish God’s will (Acts 16:35-38; 25:11). And surely we are to be good, law abiding citizens (Rom 13:1-7). However, let us never forget that our true citizenship is in heaven (Phil. 3:20). As pilgrims, on the way home, we seek to be “the salt of the earth” and the light of the world.”

Finally, let us be reminded that the work of the Gospel is spiritual, not political. The Kingdom of God will not exercise influence over the kingdom of men by force, legislation, or partisan politics.

In the meantime, we rejoice for any orders by our President or legislation by Congress that insures our freedom. But we know that our true liberty is not in men’s edicts, but in the message of the cross (1 Cor 1:18).

–Ken Weliever, ThePreacherman

"THE GOSPEL OF JOHN" This Is Eternal Life (17:2-3)







 

"THE GOSPEL OF JOHN"

This Is Eternal Life (17:2-3)

INTRODUCTION
  1. In His "High Priestly Prayer" (John 17), Jesus makes mention of eternal life...
    1. "that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him." - Jn 17:2
    2. "And this is eternal life..." - Jn 17:3
  2. Eternal life is a major theme in the gospel of Christ...
    1. Jesus was crucified in order to offer eternal life - Jn 3:14-16
    2. Eternal life in Christ Jesus is the gift of God - Ro 6:23
  3. But what exactly is eternal life...?
    1. Is it simply a future blessing, pertaining to life after death?
    2. Or is it a present possession, something to enjoy in this life?

[What does the Bible say? Let's see if we can find the answer to the question...]

  1. ETERNAL LIFE: PRESENT OR FUTURE?
    1. ETERNAL LIFE AS A FUTURE BLESSING...
      1. Many scriptures refer to eternal life as a future blessing
        1. Jesus spoke of it in this way - cf. Mt 25:46; Mk 10:28-30
        2. Paul wrote of it in this way - cf. Tit 1:2; 3:7; Ro 6:22
      2. Thus many think of eternal life in this way
        1. As a future blessing
        2. An everlasting existence in the presence of God, free from death, sorrow and pain - cf. Re 21:1-7
        3. Available in this life as a hope
        -- It is certainly scriptural to conceive of eternal life as a hope for the future
    2. ETERNAL LIFE AS A PRESENT POSSESSION...
      1. John often writes of eternal life as a present possession
        1. As that which is abiding in one (or not) - cf. 1Jn 3:14-15
        2. That God has given us eternal life, that we have eternal life - 1Jn 5:11-13
      2. Might John be using a form of speech known as the futuristic present?
        1. "This use of the present tense denotes an event which has not yet occurred, but which is regarded as so certain that in thought it may be contemplated as already coming to pass." - Dana & Mantey, p. 185
        2. Examples of such speech can be found in Jn 14:3; 17:24
        3. If so, eternal life would still be only a future blessing, something to be hoped for
      3. There is another explanation which I believe highly plausible
        1. John chooses to use the phrase "eternal life" in a special sense
          1. Describing a quality of life (and not just quantity of life) which comes by knowing God and His Son Jesus Christ
          2. In the manner in which Jesus uses it in His "High Priestly Prayer" - Jn 17:3
            1. Jesus says "This is eternal life..."
            2. Defining it as "that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ..."
        2. In these sense, eternal life is a present possession!
          1. When we come to 'know' God and Jesus, we experience a quality of life that surpasses what the world has to offer
          2. As a present possession, this quality of life is a foretaste of the future blessing we shall experience with God
          3. As a foretaste, this quality of life can rightly be called eternal life
          4. For is not our life with God now really the beginning of eternity with God?

          [Since Jesus spoke of eternal life in both ways, it is both a future blessing and present possession. As we come to 'know' God and Jesus, we begin to experience the blessings of eternal life. This naturally raises the question...]

  2. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO 'KNOW' GOD AND JESUS?
    1. THE MEANING OF THE WORD 'KNOW'...
      1. There are two different words for 'know' in the Greek
        1. oida - this word suggests a fulness of knowledge, coming from observation
        2. ginosko - this word suggests a progression in knowledge, frequently implying an active relationship between the knower and the object known
      2. In Jn 17:3, the word is ginosko
        1. So to 'know' God and Jesus goes beyond knowledge of facts about them
        2. It implies a progressive knowledge and understanding which comes by having an active relationship with Them
        3. "To know the Father and Jesus Christ (for He is the only way to the Father) refers not to merely abstract knowledge, but to joyful acknowledgment of his sovereignty, glad acceptance of his love, and intimate fellowship with his person (through Scripture, that is, through his Word to us; and through prayer, that is, through our word to him)." - Hendriksen
    2. WHAT IS INVOLVED IN 'KNOWING GOD'...
      1. As suggested by Hendriksen, it involves communication through the Word and prayer
      2. It is also directly related to keeping the commandments of the Lord
        1. As emphatically stated by John in his epistle - 1Jn 2:3-4
          1. This is how we know that we know (ginosko) Him
          2. Otherwise we lie if we say that we know (ginosko) Him
        2. As explained by Jesus to His apostles - Jn 14:21,23
          1. Keeping His commandments results in being loved by the Father and the Son
          2. Keeping His word results in the Father and Son dwelling in us
        3. Thus we will 'know' (ginosko) them: ever progressing in knowledge because of an active relationship with God and Jesus!
CONCLUSION
  1. Eternal life is more than just a hope regarding a future blessing...
    1. It is a present possession, an unparalleled quality of life available in this life
    2. It is a blessing that comes from 'knowing' God and Jesus in a personal and progressive way
    3. It is enjoyed only by keeping the commandments of God and Jesus!
  2. In the course of our short sojourn in this life, 'knowing' God is most important... - Jer 9:23-24
    1. More so than wisdom
    2. More so than power
    3. More so than riches

Jesus came to show us the only way to truly 'know' God, and to experience the eternal life that He made possible through His death on the cross. Are you walking in the commandments of the Lord that you might truly know God and His Son Jesus, and thereby experience eternal life...?

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