MONDAY MUSINGS FROM OUR FOUNDERS Jacob Broom

"I flatter myself you will be what I wish, but don’t be so much flatterer as to relax of your application – don’t forget to be a Christian. I have said much to you on this head, and I hope an indelible impression is made."


Jacob Broom

LEGISLATOR; SIGNER OF THE CONSTITUTION

In a letter to his son, James, attending Princeton University

Romans 8:1-11

Since man is absolutely sinful to the core of his natural being (Romans 1:18-32);

Since God is Righteous and has the right to judge mankind’s sin (Romans 2:1-16);

Since ritualistic obedience to the Law cannot remove sin (Romans 2:17-28);

Since God is faithful, even when we are not (Romans 3:1-8);

Since not one single person has ever been, is not now and never will be righteous (Romans 3:9-20);

Since Righteousness only comes through faith, apart from the Law (Romans 3:21-31);

Since both Old Testament and New Testament people are justified by faith (Romans 4:1-25;

Since Peace and Joy are only available through faith in Christ (Romans 5:1-11);

Since sin entered the world through Adam and was passed down generationally (Romans 5:12-20);

Since in Christ we have died to sin (Romans 6:1-14);

Since we have voluntarily made ourselves slaves to Christ (Romans 6:15-23);

Since we, in Christ, have died to the Law (Romans 7:1-6);

Since we still struggle with and commit sin (Romans 7:7-24)

And since we have been rescued from this body of death called sin by Christ (Romans 7:25)

The Verses

1. There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (Video)

2. Why? Because Christ sets us free from the Law of sin and death.

3. The Law could not save us, but Christ can, does and will.

4. The requirements of the Law are met in us by Christ.

5. “Living by the sinful nature” means never having trusted in Christ and not wanting to follow The Holy Spirit, while living in accordance with the spirit means letting Him lead in all things.

6. Failing to trust in Christ leads to eternal death, but being controlled by the Spirit gives life.

7. The world and unsaved people are hostile to God and cannot follow the Spirit’s guidance.

8. Those who are unsaved (controlled by the sinful nature) cannot please God, no matter how hard they try.

9. You are saved, and therefore controlled by the Holy Spirit. If you do not have the Spirit of Christ (the Holy Spirit) you are not saved. You cannot be saved and then get the Holy Spirit, because if you don’t have The Holy Spirit, you are not saved.

10. If you are saved (Christ is in you), your flesh will face death, but your essence, your spirit will never face death because of righteousness…not yours, Christ’s.

11. Just as Christ was resurrected, so you shall be resurrected as well. This harkens back to the conversation Jesus had with Martha when Lazarus had died in John 11:21-43.

The group called the "Sadducees" did not believe in a bodily resurrection. They constantly accosted Jesus on this point.

Martha did believe in the resurrection, but she did not really trust that Jesus was the Messiah.

Until Lazarus was raised, that is…then she believed.

PRAISE HIM TODAY!

MONDAY MUSINGS FROM OUR FOUNDERS Samuel Adams

"I conceive we cannot better express ourselves than by humbly supplicating the Supreme Ruler of the world . . . that the confusions that are and have been among the nations may be overruled by the promoting and speedily bringing in the holy and happy period when the kingdoms of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ may be everywhere established, and the people willingly bow to the scepter of Him who is the Prince of Peace."


Samuel Adams

SIGNER OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE; "FATHER OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION"; RATIFIER OF THE U. S. CONSTITUTION; GOVERNOR OF MASSACHUSETTS

Romans 7:7-25

Paul continues trying to help us understand the nature of the Law and how we are to relate to it.

Remember: God wrote the Law, so it is good. But its purpose is not its goodness but to show us our need for Christ.

The Verses

7. Once again Paul tells us that the Law reveals sin.

8. Without the law, there would be no way to recognize sin and therefore sin would, for all practical purposes, not exist.

9. With the revelation of the Law came the revelation of sin and the realization of the promise of death to Adam.

10. With the giving of the Law, God revealed to all mankind that his destiny is death by the Law.

11. Sin is deceitful, and makes us think we are having “fun,” but really only condemns me to death.

12. The Law is holy, having been written by God, Himself.

13. Paul asks another rhetorical question: If the Law is good, and its revelation brings death, is it the Law itself that kills me? NO! Through the Law sin can be recognized for how serious it is: utterly sinful, that is, it condemns us to eternal death.

14. Here Paul uses himself as an illustration. The Law reveals the absolute holiness of God, our inability to live up to it and how filled we are with sin.

15. Isn’t it true of all of us? What we know we should do we don’t do and what we know we should not do, we do.

16. Paul sets up a logical thought pattern: if I do the things I don’t want to do, I must confess that I am unable to keep the Law and am therefore in need of God’s salvation.

17. What causes us to do the things we do that we do not want to do? SIN.

18. Paul reiterates: nothing good lives in me. (Romans 3:10) I want to do what is righteous, but I cannot.

19. Paul admits to repeatedly doing what he does not want to do, no matter how hard he tries.

20. Sin tries at every moment to get its grasp on us, no matter how hard we try.

21. Paul is teaching us that even when we “do our best,” SIN is right there with us.

22. We may recognize the beauty and holiness of God’s Law, but the other law, the law of sin and death, wages war with us constantly. (Remember to whom Paul is writing: Christians in Rome, not pagans.)

23. Even though the Christian’s inner being knows Christ, there is always that struggle to keep our focus on Him. SIN tries to pull us away.

24. Here is Paul’s admission to TOTAL DEPRAVITY. He calls himself “wretched.” That is the Greek word: talaiporus and it means evil, bad, wicked and beyond hope. Without some outside help, he sees himself as beyond hope and asks, “Who will rescue me from this body of DEATH?”

25. Here comes the solution! Jesus Christ our Lord! Now we can change our slavehood from that of being a slave to sin to being a slave to the righteousness of Christ. In our minds (intellect) we can recognize our standing in Christ.

THERE’S A GREAT “THEREFORE” COMING UP AND THE FIRST 17 VERSES OF CHAPTER 8 WILL DEPEND ON THE FIRST 7 CHAPTERS OF ROMANS FOR UNDERSTANDING.

IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THIS, YOU NEED TO

MONDAY MUSINGS FROM OUR FOUNDERS Elias Boudinot

"Let us enter on this important business under the idea that we are Christians on whom the eyes of the world are now turned… [L]et us earnestly call and beseech Him, for Christ’s sake, to preside in our councils. . . . We can only depend on the all powerful influence of the Spirit of God, Whose Divine aid and assistance it becomes us as a Christian people most devoutly to implore. Therefore I move that some minister of the Gospel be requested to attend this Congress every morning . . . in order to open the meeting with prayer."

Elias Boudinot: PRESIDENT OF CONGRESS; SIGNED THE PEACE TREATY TO END THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION; FIRST ATTORNEY ADMITTED TO THE U. S. SUPREME COURT BAR; FRAMER OF THE BILL OF RIGHTS; DIRECTOR OF THE U. S. MINT

Romans 7:1-6

AN ILLUSTRATION FROM MARRIAGE

Three kinds of sanctification:

Powerless sanctification

Potential sanctification

Positional sanctification

1. Shackles of a saved soul – The Law canot produce sanctification

2. The struggle of the saved soul –


The Verses

1. Are you so ignorant that you do not realize that the Law is relevant only while your are alive? Once you die, the Law means nothing. The Jews had the law, but were unable to keep it.

2. This is an illustration that you and I are not under the Law. These are NOT rules concerning how a marriage should be, this is an illustrations from marriage about how the Law relates to people. The illustration is not about what a marriage should look like, but uses Jewish law to illustrate how man relates to sin.

3. Under Jewish law, marital faithfulness was expected while both parties were alive. If the husband died, however, the woman was free to marry without being considered an adulteress. She was free from the law.

4. Here is where he ties these thoughts to chapters 1 through 6 of Romans. When you were saved, you died to the Law. You now belong to another: Christ.

5. Under the Law, our passions and our guilt were made evident. And the fruit we bore was the fruit of death.

6. By dying to the Law, we have been released from the Law so that we are now controlled, not by a set of rules: the Law; but by the Spirit of God living in us.

Some of you have not yet learned that.

Last week, when we took that little test on Romans, some of you answered in such a way that you STILL consider the Law to be the rules we are to live by.

It’s not easy to overcome what we have been taught over the years in favor of what the Word of God actually teaches, which is not adherence to the Law, but following the leadership of the Holy Spirit as He works His way in our lives.

We still need to learn to DIE TO SELF; DIE TO THE LAW; DIE TO THE OLD WAY OF THINKING AND LIVE BY, THROUGH AND FOR CHRIST.

Living for Jesus a life that is true;
Striving to please Him in all that I do.
Pledging allegiance, glad hearted and free
This is the pathway of blessing for me O Jesus, Lord and Savior I give myself to Thee
For Thou in Thine atonement didst give Thyself for me
I own no other master; My heart shall be Thy throne
My life I give, henceforth to live O Christ for Thee alone

MONDAY MUSINGS FROM OUR FOUNDERS George Washington

“No country upon Earth ever had it more in its power to attain these blessings…Much to be regretted indeed would it be, were to neglect the means and depart from the road which Providence has pointed us to, so plainly; I cannot believe it will ever come to pass. The Great Governor of the Universe has led us too long and too far…to forsake us in the midst of it…We may now and then, get bewildered; but I hope and trust that there is good sense and virtue enough left to recover the right path.”

GEORGE WASHINGTON

Commander-in-Chief in the Revolutionary War, President of the Continental Congress, first President of the United States of America, known as “The Father of His country,” eulogized by Henry Lee as, “First in War, first in peace, first in the hearts of his countryman.”

Romans 6 15 – 23

The Law is useful to control the old nature, but obedience to it does not yield salvation.

Romans 6 is a review of Romans 1 through 5.

The new nature is to be yielded to Christ.

The Verses

15. This is a repeat of what Paul said in Romans 6:1 and his conclusion in Romans 6:14.

16. He continues to discus death to sin and being alive in Christ with an illustration from slavery. The slave must obey his master. Similarly, the Christian must become a slave to Christ and obey Him.

17. At one time every one of us was a slave to sin, now you follow the gospel in Christ (the form of teaching to which you were entrusted).

18. You have exchanged your slavery to sin for slavery to righteousness (which is only found in Christ).

19. Spiritual things are so deep that we would get lost in them. Many people think they are being spiritual when they are really just exercising their imaginations. We used to offer ourselves to wickedness; now we offer ourselves to righteousness (Christ).

20. When you were lost (slaves to sin) you did not care about God’s righteousness and did not let it control you.

21. That slavery to wickedness netted you nothing, and lead to death (Romans 6:23).

22. Now you are free from sin and have become slaves to God and reap lots of benefits.

23. When you were in sin, your rightful wage was eternal death. But through Jesus Christ you have received Eternal Life.

A TEST ON ROMANS 1:1 – ROMANS 6:23

1. According to Paul, the purpose of the Law is to
a. Give us a standard to live by
b. Give us a challenge we can’t meet
c. Show us our need for salvation
d. Provide us salvation

2. Paul wanted to visit Rome (1:8ff). This shows us
a. That Paul was a lonely guy
b. That Christians yearn for fellowship with other Christians
c. That Paul was crippled and could not get to Rome
d. That Paul wanted to set up a headquarters for Christianity in Rome

3. The unsaved person who will not repent and come to Christ will (Romans 1:18-32)
a. Suffer the wrath of God
b. Be saved because God loves everybody
c. Gradually come to realize God’s love for him/her
d. Get rich if he will follow the Laws of God

4. The judgement of God (Romans 2:1-16)
a. Will eventually be overcome by the love of God
b. Is really pretty unfair, but there’s nothing we can do about it
c. Is not relevant to today’s society
d. Is righteous and deserved by all mankind outside of Christ

5. Which two statements are true about Jews (Romans 2:17 – 29)
a. Jews are exempt from the Law
b. Jews can come into God’s Kingdom through Christ
c. Jews can be saved through their rituals
d. Jews, although they are God’s chosen people, must accept Christ to be saved.

6. In Christ, Christians can have (Romans 5:1-11)
a. Lots of money and things
b. Peace and joy
c. Power to keep bad things from happening
d. Citizenship in the United States, if they want it

7. Sin came into the world (Romans 5:12-21) CAUTION! TRICK QUESTION!
a. Because all mankind wanted to be like God
b. By Eve failing to obey God’s command
c. By one man: Adam
d. By Christ, who then showed us how to overcome it.

8. When we become alive in Christ, we also become (Romans 6:1-14)
a. Rich and famous
b. Steeped in religious tradition leading to peace and joy
c. Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound
d. Dead to sin

9. When we are saved, we enter into voluntary (Romans 6: 14-23)
a. Community service
b. Slavery
c. Military service
d. Life enrichment opportunities

10. Take a moment to reflect on and to write one sentence that you think best describes your relationship to the Law (Ten Commandments)

HOW DID YOU DO? HERE ARE THE ANSWERS:

1. c
2. b
3. a
4. d
5. d
6. b
7. c
8. d
9. b

10. This one's up to you

TALK ABOUT A NATURAL HIGH

As I watched this video, I thought about our planet: its beauty, its make-up and its Creator.

I also thought about the frantic search on Mars and other space places for "water" and therefore the possibility of life there.

When you look at the blue planet, Earth, from that high, you realize that (pretending for a moment that Darwinian evolution is factual) for life to have formed by chance there does not need to be water...

There needs to be:

WATER!!

If we find a drop, a pool or a puddle of water somewhere, our conclusion cannot possibly be that it is suffecient to support life...not even close.

Our Creator is so intellectually superior to us that if all the great minds that ever have been, are now or ever will be were connected together they would not represent the equivilent of a single neuron in the mind of God.

To think otherwise is total arrogance and bravado.

To God be the glory; great things He has done!

MONDAY MUSINGS FROM OUR FOUNDERS John Adams

"It is religion and morality alone which can establish the principles upon which freedom can securely stand."

John Adams, 1776

Romans 6:1-14

The last part of chapter 5 dealt with the imputation of sin.

Christ brings life and righteousness.

In chapter 6 we find "positional sanctification" identification with Christ.

Justification vs Sanctification

Justification is what God does for us in Christ at Calvary

Sanctification occurs when we walk with Christ and give ourselves over to Him.
　
The Verses

1. We have shown how the Law has shown us our need for salvation and breaking the Law is the attitude of not letting God tell us what to do. Logic might say, "I want to know more salvation. If I sin more, God can forgive me of more and therefore I’ll experience more of his grace.

2. Paul is clear that this is a wrong conclusion. In fact, he says that if we really died to sin as we testified when we were baptized, we would be ashamed to live in it.

3. We are buried with Him in baptism. You don’t bury a live man, you bury a dead man. The baptism here is not about the water, it is about being in Christ.

4. We are raised from the dead with Him. We are not the same. If we are the same, we need to look more closely at what we call our salvation. We are joined with a living Christ. There are only two places for sin: on you or on Christ. (Colossians 3:1)

5. We will be like Christ! While we are here, we are to be becoming Christ like to the best of our ability in the Holy Spirit. (I Corinthians 13)

6. When Christ was crucified, we were crucified with Him. How can we be crucified with Him when we hadn’t even been born yet? This speaks to the timelessness of The Godhead and eternity. (There are certain themes that are repeated over and over again in Scripture in many different ways. This concept of the timelessness of God is one of them)

7. IF YOU HAVE DIED (that is: died to sin by receiving Christ and becoming one with Him), YOU ARE FREE FROM SIN. (Sin is ANYTHING that is not in the dead center of God’s will.)

8. The glorious hope we have sharing His resurrection life.

9. Christ died once for all and will not die again. He has defeated death. (Revelation 1:18)

10. He died one time but He lives today.

11. Count yourselves dead to self and to sin. It’s not about you, it’s not about me, it’s all about Him.

Guard against sin in this world. How? By living in the presence of and the power of the Holy Spirit of God. His job is to constantly point you to God.

WWJD is more than just a trite little saying, it is the question planted in your mind and soul every moment of every day by the Holy Spirit.

Only to be what He wants me to be, every moment of every day;
Yielded completely to Jesus alone,
Every step of this pilgrim way:
Just to be clay in the Potter's hands,
Ready to do what His Word commands;
Only to be what He wants me to be, every moment of every day
　
Guard against sin, not through the use of a list, but by dependence on the Holy Spirit.

Offer yourself to God (Romans 12:1 & 2)

Jesus is your Master, sin is not.

YOU ARE NOT UNDER LAW

BUT UNDER GRACE!!

Romans 5 12-21

The first section of Romans had to do with the subject of sin.

The second section had to do with the subject of salvation.

Here’s a new section, whose subject is sanctification.

The verses

12. Sin entered the world through Adam, and with it all of the ills of the world as well as death itself. He reiterates that there are no exceptions…ALL men are born sinners. Adam had only one rule, and he could not follow it. By the way, you and I would not have done any better. Death has come to all men because all men are sinners.

13. Notice the sequence: Sin came first…THEN the Law. Without sin, there would never have had to be the Law. There’s more about this later in the passage.

14. Death reigned from Adam to Moses. Then came the Law. Adam’s sin was not that of breaking the Ten Commandments…they hadn’t been written yet. Adam’s sin was disobedience, and he passed that down as a pattern of the one to come (Law).

15. What Paul is saying is that every human being deserves to die an eternal death, but how great is the gift (Jesus) that overcame the sin of so many millions of people. Once the Law came into being, God’s grace in Christ just became MORE evident.

16. Sin brought condemnation, but Christ brought justification.

17. If death came by Adam, Christ brought the gift of righteous reign in life.

18. Ah! But just like it took only one man to bring death into the world, it took only one man – Jesus – to bring life into the world through His one act of SUPREME RIGHTEOUSNESS.

19. So, through one man (Adam) many were made sinners, through one man (Christ) many will be made righteous.

20. The Law is like a magnification glass, to make sin more evident. Where sin abounds, grace does much more abound.

21. Sin reigned in death, but grace reigns in righteousness and brings us eternal life…how? Through Jesus Christ our Lord (Greek word: Kurios)

SO...HOW GOOD ARE YOU?

Romans 5

In this chapter we’ll find out that there are benefits to trusting Christ in the here and now, not just in the future.

There are eight benefits: Peace; Access; Hope; Patience; Love of God; Holy Spirit; Deliverance from the Great Tribulation; Joy

The Verses

1. By one act of faith, we have peace with God through Christ. 1) World Peace – never happens; 2) Peace known as "tranquility of soul." John 14:27; 3) Philippians 4 the peace that passes understanding…peace with God – the peace that comes to a soul when he’s trusted Christ as savior and now has a God who is for him.

2. "Access" means we have access to God in prayer by faith. Our hope is "of the glory of God." That is the hope of eternity with God. I don’t know what Heaven will be like, but it will be eternally satisfying and joyful. Bernard Shaw pinned his hope on atheism. He said, when he was near death, "You’re looking at an atheist who has lost his faith."

3. Rejoice in troubles (sufferings). Suffering teaches us to keep on keeping on. We must learn to trust God in our suffering. Joy, hope and patience are associated with trouble. We need, by faith, to understand that God uses our troubles to work for good.

4. Perseverance builds character. There is no character in inconsistency, not giving our all, or not finishing a task. Character is built when we exercise our faith by keeping on going and not giving up.

5. This is the first time the Holy Spirit is mentioned in Romans. Notice he does not say that God WILL give us the Holy Spirit, but that He HAS given Him to us. After verse 8 the Holy Spirit is mentioned over 20 times.

6. Christ died for the ungodly. If we were not ungodly when we came to Christ, we never came to Christ. God does not save us by love. God is more than love…He is Holy and Righteous and can’t release sin just because He loves us. He saves us by His GRACE (Ephesians 2:8).

7. There have been so-called martyrs who have died for what they concluded were good causes and for good people, but it is rare. But nobody willingly gives up his life for a cause he knows is not a good one.

8. God revealed His love in Christ’s death, burial and resurrection. We were not "good little boys and girls" when Christ died for us…we were sinners. And while we were STILL sinners Christ died for us. We do not "clean up" to come to Christ, we come just as we are or He won’t take us. If there is "cleaning up" needed, he’ll do the cleaning AFTER He does the saving.

9. Christ did not die for Godly people, He died for the ungodly. We are saved from wrath through Him. Zephaniah 1:14. "Rock of Ages," says, "save from wrath and make me pure." We’re save by grace; we live by His grace and ten million years from today we’ll be in heaven with Him.

10. He died down here to save us. He lives up there to keep us saved.

11. We need to learn to "joy" in God. Have faith that God is who He is; that He has provided salvation for us. "Reconciliation" is a bookkeeping term. In bookkeeping, the debit columns and the credit columns of accounts payable and accounts receivable must be reconciled; that is: balanced.

Every credit must be posted and every debit must be entered and the books have to be reconciled.

Your eternal books were reconciled when Christ gave His blood for the remission of your sins.

Not only are we reconciled to Christ, we have been given the ministry of reconciliation (II Corinthians 5:18-21).

Romans 4:1-25

We’ve just studied the doctrine of JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH.

Here we have JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH illustrated by Abraham-before the Law and David – under the Law.

This section will deal with the idea that all, from the beginning of mankind, are saved by faith in Christ.

The Verses:

1. The "then" ("therefore in the KVJ) refers to the previous chapters. This reveals to us that the nation of Israel began with Abraham and that Abraham understood something about God’s salvation.

2. If Abraham had been justified by works, he would have some things to boast about. Yet Romans 3:27 teaches that we have nothing to boast about in our salvation, especially when ultimately standing before God. (Ephesians 2:5-10) Abraham’s good works were not the ground for his salvation. (James 2:21 – Abraham’s willingness to offer Isaac was proof of his faith, God’s preventing him from doing so was a picture of God’s grace.

3. See Genesis 15:6 and Hebrews 11:8-12.

4. We do not work for nothing. We work for wages. When you complete a day’s work you have earned and are owed a day’s pay.

5. The man who does not think of his salvation as a result of work but of faith is credited with God’s righteousness.

6. David, who was under the Law, was not justified by the Law, but by his faith.

7. This is quoting Psalm 32:1-2.

8. This is quoting Psalm 102:12. Also see II Corinthians 5:19.

9. Reiterates his teaching that salvation is not for Jews only.

10.He reasons that God’s grace belonged to the Jews even before they were circumcised.

11. God’s grace extends to gentiles.

12. Abraham’s faith was exhibited before he was circumcised.

13.Righteousness comes not by adherence to the Law, but by faith.

14.If we have to depend on our adherence to the Law, then our faith is useless and meaningless.

15. Without the Law, you would never know you had sinned.

16. "The Promise" is Christ (not the "Promised Land" or some ethereal promise)

17. This verse has been erroneously used by the "name-it-and-claim-it" crowd.

18. Abraham’s hope was in spite of the physical evidence of age, etc. Hebrews 6:19

19. Abraham and Sarah’s bodies told them that childbirth was impossible.

20. God want us to keep on keeping on in the faith

21.We must have no reservations about Christ’s ability to keep us as He promised.

22. Reference back to verse 3.

23. "It was credited to him…" is for us as well.

24. God will credit righteousness to ANYONE who trusts in and only in the finished work of Christ at Calvary.

25. Jesus was delivered to death…why?…not to be a martyr, but for our sins. His resurrection PROVED that we are therefore justified.

Romans 3:21-31

GOD’S WONDERFUL SALVATION

JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH

RIGHTEOUSNESS FOR A GUILTY AND SICK WORLD IS AVAILABLE

The Verses:

21. This not a reference to the attribute of God, it is the righteousness that He provides for us. I Corinthians 1:30; II Corinthians 5:21. You and I cannot work out our righteousness. God demands it and provides it. God can’t save you by the Law because you and I can’t keep the Law. God can’t accept imperfection, and you and I can’t provide perfection. The Old Testament witnessed to it. At the center of the Mosaic system was the Tabernacle, where a bloody sacrifice was offered. That bloody sacrifice pointed to Jesus Christ. The prophets witnessed to it. Remember Isaiah?

22. We are absolutely saved in Christ and in no other; we’re completely lost out of Christ; there is no middle ground. You are either a saint or an ain’t. Now, to be righteous means to be fundamentally right with God, and that on His terms: Under Law He requires righteousness from man; under grace He gives righteousness to man. The righteousness of God is that righteousness which God’s righteousness requires Him to require. This righteousness is secured by faith and not by works. Christ’s righteousness in imputed to all who believe: THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE: Between the Jew and the Gentile in this point:

23. (This is continuation of the previous thought). ALL HAVE SINNED (Jew & Gentile), and come short of God’s glory. What does "short of God’s glory mean?" Check out Romans 8:30; 9:4; II Corinthians 4:17; Colossians 1:27. This is a glory imputed to men. Then look at Matthew 25:31 (who is "his?") Romans 8:18; I Corinthians 10:31;

24. (This is the second part of the thought in verse 23) JUSTIFIED = Just as if you had never sinned; FREELY = there is no cost (except God’s cost); GRACE = God’s riches at Christ’s expense; REDEMPTION = claiming something that has already been paid for; Christ Jesus is the vehicle that brought us salvationl

25. ATONEMENT = "At One Ment"…being made one with Christ; FAITH = the essence of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen; FAITH IN WHAT? FAITH in the finished work of Christ at Calvary…where He shed His blood for us. He has DEMONSTRATED true justice (I John 1:9), past, present and future.

26. It boils down to the person of our faith: Jesus.

27. There is nothing over which we can give any credit of any kind to ourselves. We are not justified by observance of the Law, but on the principle of our faith.

28. Man is justified by faith apart from the Law (How many times does Paul have to make this point before we’ll adopt it as our own point?)

29. God is God is God of both Jew and Gentile. He is God and no one else is.

30. People in the Old Testament were justified by faith. People of the New Testament are justified by faith. The circumcised are justified by faith. The un-circumcised are justified by faith. The object of that faith always has been, is now, and always will be none other than Jesus.

31. When we exercise faith in Christ, we do not nullify the Law. The Law is upheld, not by what we do, but by who we trust. If you want to be saved by perfectly upholding God’s moral Law, you can only do it by faith in Christ. It is by our faith that the Law is upheld.
　

ROMANS PART 4

Romans 3: 1-20

1. If Jew and gentile are on the same footing before God, what is the value of circumcision? Rites and rituals have no meaning. After salvation, God will lead to church and baptism. Doesn’t my creed, my church membership, my baptism help toward salvation? NO.

2. Paul’s answer: The Jew should have had an advantage and a responsibility. God gave to Israel His oracles and gave them the responsibility of propagating the Word of God. God has a future for Israel. Israel was not a shadow of the church, but the base on which the church rests.

3. A man’s unbelief does not cancel the faithfulness of God. Our faith’s weakness does not negate God’s faithfulness. His promises to me do not depend on MY faith or faithlessness.

4. The unbeliever is a liar, because the faithfulness of God cannot be changed. I John 5:10.

5. Some argue that since Israel’s unbelief does nothing more than put in contrast the faithfulness of God with the faithlessness of man. Is God unjust to visit these people with wrath? NO. This is sometimes used as an excuse for sinning. Paul presents this question from the human point of view.

6. Here Paul states emphatically states that God would have no standing if He were at any point unjust. God defines "justice," not us.

7. If I can make God more just by my sin, since He can then forgive me more, then He would be unjust to judge me.

8. Paul drives his argument to its logical conclusion - argumentum ad absurdum.

9. Here starts the accusation of guilt against mankind. Christians are in no way better than non-Christians. Man is a sinner by both behavior and nature. Man does not become a sinner by sinning. Man sins because he is a sinner. Bad things happen in this world because it is a fallen world…period.

10. Too many equate being "righteous" with DOING right things. The only righteousness we have is that which has been imputed to us by Christ. That is to be right with God. God’s salvation is take-it-or-leave-it. Moral relativism says, "What’s good for you might not be good for me." God says, "I’ll decide what’s right and what’s wrong.

11. Paul asserts that there are none who seeks after God. Fact is, it is God who has sought after us. Christ’s death, burial and resurrection is evidence of the transcendent nature of God’s love for us.

12. Psalm 14:1; Psalm 53:1-3; Ecclesiastes 7:20.

13. When you visit the doctor, he looks at your throat. He can tell a lot about your health by looking at your throat. An infected throat gives off a foul odor. The fact of sin gives off a foul spiritual odor.

14. Cursing here is more than just bad language…it is an attitude toward God. James 3:5-6.

15. Man does not do well at trying to live in peace. Mankind tends to move toward war.

16. In war, the point is to kill people and break things.

17. Men don’t understand the meaning of "peace." They think it is the absence of war. But real peace belongs to God, and He will share it with you. John 14:27; Philippians 4:7.

18. Proverbs 9:10. Men do not fear God. Instead they openly and stubbornly defy Him. They live as though God does not exist.

19. If you are under the Law, the Law will condemn you. Get out from under the Law and get under Jesus.

20. You can not be justified by the Law…not by obedience to it nor by even observing it. Justification is by faith and by faith only. Galatians 3:23.

ROMANS PART 3

Romans 2: 17-29

The relationship of Jews (and us) to the Law.

The person who claims not to be a legalist, but who thinks adherence to the Law gives him some sort of favor with God, is a legalist.

The verses:

17. Jews reveled in their knowledge of and following of the Law. They thought (think) that following the Law proves their relationship with God.

18. Here begins the three essences of hypocrisy. You think you are better than anybody else because you have been instructed by the Law.

19. You think you can instruct other in righteousness because of your knowledge of the Law.

20. You think you have some corner on truth because you know the Law.

21. Teachers are not held to a higher standard, but to the highest standard (as we all are), which standard is not comparison with others, but comparison to Jesus. I John 1:10 tells us that we cannot claim to have no sin without making God out to be a liar.

22. Anyone who thinks he is righteous because he does not commit adultery needs to read Matthew 5:27-28. Sin is not a matter of behavior, but of an inward attitude toward the righteousness of God.

23. You may say, "Well, I live by the Ten Commandments and try to keep the Law." So look at James 2:10.

24. When you claim to be righteous when you are not, you give a false witness (the breaking of one of the Ten Commandments, by the way), and cause the name of Christ to be looked down upon.

25. The fleshly observance of ritual only has value in the life of someone who is perfect in his own behavior. Since we are all Law breakers, the rituals have no meaning.

26. Sometimes pagans do a better job of "living the Christian life" – as far as keeping the Law is concerned –than Christians do. That is even more reason not to claim to be "closer to God" than another.

27. The world will recognize our hypocrisy a lot quicker than they will recognize our good deeds.

28. To be a Jew was supposed to mean to be a specially chosen one of God and in a special relationship with Him. But the real test is what’s on the inside…and no Jew (or anyone else, for that matter) can claim closeness with God by ritual and other outward "evidences."

29. By the standard of verse 19, the Christian is a real Jew, because he lives by the Spirit, not by the Law. The righteous do not do acts of righteousness in order to be seen by men or patted on the back by others, but to know the acceptance and even the PRAISE of God. By what means do we get that praise? Not by anything we do, but by accepting what He has already done for us at the cross of Calvary.

ROMANS - PART 2

Romans 2:1-16

Chapter 1 dealt with the unrighteousness of mankind.

Chapter 2 deals with the self-righteousness of mankind.

God will judge self-righteous people and religious people.

Christians "on the mountaintop" tend to think they don’t need anything.

Verses 1-16 deal with the reason we are separated from God: Because of our stubbornness and unwillingness to know The Truth.

Verses 17-28 Deal with the false belief that adherence to the Law makes one right with God. The difference between what’s on the outside and who’s on the inside of a person.

People who don’t see their need, or who are satisfied with their spiritual station in life are deceived and need a good dose of the gospel.

Six Great Principles by which God is going to judge good people.

The rejection of the gospel brings on the judgement of God.

The Verses
1. The Greek for man is Anthropos means both men and women: mankind.

2. "We know" is a reference to living in reality (truth). So many church members live in a world of wishful thinking and unreality. Principle One: Man has an inherent knowledge that he must be judged by a "higher Power."

3. Criminals believe they will not be caught. Sin will be discovered and punished.

4. It is our response to God’s grace that we are brought to repentance.

5. It is our un-forgiven stubbornness that builds up God’s wrath.

6. Principle two: God will reward every man according to what he has done: the unbeliever for the evil in his heart, the believer for Christ’s propitiation for our sin. Absolute justice is God’s principle. God’s justice DEMANDS that EVERY sin be punished completely. Either you will make the eternal payment, or you will accept Christ’s payment. There is no other choice.

7. To them that seek (toiß men--zhtousin). Dative plural of the articular present active participle of zhtew with men on the one hand. Eternal life (zwhn aiwnion). Accusative case object of apodwsei. What all that means is that the phrase "persistence I doing good" belongs to a person: Jesus Christ. It is not our good, but His.

8. New Agers and others seek to find Godliness within themselves. Godliness is only found in Christ.

9. You must be perfect or you will be eternally in trouble.

10. As in verse 7, this is a reference to those who "do good" through knowing Christ.

11. God has no favorites. We are all saints in His eyes.

12. The purpose of the Law is to reveal sin. If you are a Law follower, the Law will only condemn you. Your only hope is in Christ. If you are not a Law follower, you are doomed to perish with no hope.

13. This verse is often used by legalists to show that we must obey the Law to be saved. The word, "obey" ("doers" in the King James) here is the Greek word: poietes which means: "absorber." So a doer of the Word is not about what you do, but who you know THE WORD, who is Christ Jesus.

14. Gentiles (here referencing all non-Hebrews) might do what is right, but that righteousness is counted for nothing in God’s eyes.

15. They make excuses for their behavior that is contrary to God’s Moral Law, but those excuses fall on deaf ears.

16. What "this" is he talking about? In the King James it reads: "In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel." He’s talking about Christ knowing your innermost thoughts and attitudes and judging us on what we really believe…not on what we say we believe.
　
　

ROMANS - PART 1

Romans is an incredible book. It contains the finest theology of God ever written.

The path of Romans starts with God's creation, dives into Hell, climbs and falls as indicated in the graph and culminates in a thrilling, magnificent triumph of God's people in Christ.

THREE THINGS YOU SHOULD LOOK FOR IN ROMANS:

Understanding of the basic facts of salvation

Unusual conviction about matters pertaining to the faith

Usefulness in practical Christian service.
　

The Verses:

1. Paul's own claim to apostleship is likewise based on the divine call of Christ (Rom 1:1; 1 Col 1:1; Gal 1:1, 15; cf. 2 Col 1:1; Eph 1:1; Col 1:1; 1 Tim 1:1; 2 Tim 1:1; Titus 1:1). He is an apostle, "not from men nor by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead" (Gal 1:1). His encounter with the resurrected Jesus served as the basis for his unique claim to be an "apostle to the Gentiles" (Rom 11:13). Paul bases his apostleship on the grace of God, not on ecstatic gifts or the signs of an apostle (2 Cor. 12). His apostolic commission is to serve God primarily through preaching the gospel (Rom 1:9; 15:19; 1 Col 1:17).

Paul uses the term to refer to those who had been commissioned by the risen Lord to the apostolic task. Included in this category are the Twelve (although he never explicitly applies the title of apostle to them as a group), Peter (Gal 1:18), Paul himself (Rom 1:1; 1 Col 1:1; 9:1-2; 15:8-10; Gal 2:7-8), James the brother of Jesus (Gal 1:19; cf. Acts 15:13), Barnabas (1 Col 9:1-6; Gal 2:9; cf. Acts 14:4, 14), and possibly others (Ro 16:7). In addition to understanding apostleship in terms of its basis in a divine call, Paul views the life of an apostle as being one of self-sacrificial service that entails suffering (1 Col 4:9-13; 15:30-32; 2 Col 4:7-12; 11:23-29).

2. We have been studying the gospel as promised in the Old Testament. Now here it is revealed by Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and Paul.

3. The human side of Christ (who was fully man and fully God)

4. The Holy Spirit had the authority to proclaim Christ the Son of God.

5. All people who come to God come through Christ, and come to Him through faith. There is no other way.

6. Paul reassured the Romans that they, too, belong to Jesus.

7. The letter is written to the church in Rome (not the Roman Catholic Church, which did not exist yet). Paul’s common greeting: Grace and Peace from God and Jesus.
8. The church at Rome is known throughout the known world for their faith. How are we known?
9. Paul thinks of the church at Rome often, God is his witness to that fact.

10. Through 13 Paul indicates his wish to go to Rome to visit them.
　
14 – 17 Repeats Habakkuk 2:4. We’re talking the Good News, here, known and lived by faith.

18 – 32 God’s wrath against mankind is evident: in nature; through conscience; through sin.

Chapter 2

The Verses:

1 – 16 The reason we are separated from God: Because of our stubbornness and unwillingness to know The Truth.

17 – 28 The false belief that adherence to the Law makes one right with God. The difference between what’s on the outside and what’s on the
inside of a person.

Chapter 3

The Verses

1 – 8 Deals with the faithfulness of God and the lack of faith of man. God is not to be compared to mankind. He is far above man.

9 – 20 Not one single person has ever been, is now or ever will be righteous in his own nature.

HOW LONG?

WATCH THIS VIDEO AND BE AWARE AND WARNED.





WHAT DID YOU THINK?

THE DEEP THOUGHTS OF C.S. LEWIS

Certainly one of our great Christian writers, C.S. Lewis was an outstanding apologist, as well as a great writer of narrative.

Here are some of my favorite C.S. Lewis quotations:

A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word, 'darkness' on the walls of his cell.

Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.

Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point.

Education without values, as useful as it is, seems rather to make man a more clever devil.

God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing.

How incessant and great are the ills with which a prolonged old age is replete.

Humans are amphibians - half spirit and half animal. As spirits they belong to the eternal world, but as animals they inhabit time.

I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.

If the whole universe has no meaning, we should never have found out that it has no meaning: just as, if there were no light in the universe and therefore no creatures with eyes, we should never know it was dark. Dark would be without meaning.

If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this.

It may be hard for an egg to turn into a bird: it would be a jolly sight harder for it to learn to fly while remaining an egg. We are like eggs at present. And you cannot go on indefinitely being just an ordinary, decent egg. We must be hatched or go bad.

It's so much easier to pray for a bore than to go and see one.

Of all tyrannies a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive.

The safest road to hell is the gradual one - the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.

There are two kinds of people: those who say to God, "Thy will be done," and those to whom God says, "All right, then, have it your way."

This is one of the miracles of love: It gives a power of seeing through its own enchantments and yet not being disenchanted.

You don't have a soul. You are a Soul. You have a body.

GOOD STUFF TO CONSIDER

The following was written by Christian radio personality, Brant Hanson. It deserves your attention.

A friend of mine did something really, really bad a couple years ago. Real bad. Not illegal bad, but...bad enough that even this week, it showed up on page two of a metro newspaper, a thousand miles away from where he did it.

I love this guy. He's fun, smart, and fairly new to Christian belief. He's accepted responsibility for what he did, and he's had to live with it every day. He told me the other day he was sorry even I was having to deal with it now. "I'm amazed how many people this has affected. One stupid, wrong decision I made and it keeps affecting so many people. My wife, my kids...it just keeps going."

And so it does. We marvelled at that, and, just stood there, quietly, just shaking our heads. Amazing? Yes. But not really surprising. The older I get, the more convinced I am there is no private sin. They don't all wind up on page two, but the surface of the pond is never undisturbed by the pebble. The ripples move well beyond ourselves, and, in many cases they radiate through generations.

Or, another recent example: One day, you're a minister getting in a quick ego-stroking flirt, thinking you're in some kind of private soap opera...and soon, there are 300 people in a flourescent-lit room, on metal folding chairs, discussing what you did. And they're cautioning each other not to judge you, and then they talk some more about what you did.

And then, some little kid you dont even know, like my daughter, has to hear some stranger talking in church about how the pastor-guy won't be back, he did something called "sexual misconduct."

Your soap opera? It wasn't private. Sins on the computer aren't private. Larry Ellison, from Oracle, said years ago: If you think he doesn't know what's on your hard drive, you're kidding yourself. By the way, Google knows, too.

But even if they didn't know, the sins in your head aren't private. Mine affect my attitude. They keep me from being concerned about other people. They make me a jerk, in seemingly unrelated ways. ("Why's Brant a jerk?" "Probably something seemingly unrelated.")

There is no "private sin." Turns out few things have done more harm than the "do no harm" ethic. The as-long-as-it-doesn't-hurt-anyone-else construction of morality is built atop the swamp of affluence. We afford this lie, because affluence loves not only privacy, but the fantasy of it. But like the 77's said, "The lust, the flesh, the eyes, and the pride of life -- drain the life right out of me."

And then...I'm not the person I'm supposed to be. I'm less creative. I'm less joyful. I have less social energy. My patience is gone. I care less about my neighbors.

Private rebellion. Public consequence. And if it seems unfair that what my friend did was so horrible, but what you or I do in our minds is somehow not so horrible -- well, you agree with Jesus. There IS no difference.

The ripple metaphor works. There's a better one, really, for what our "private" sins do to each other, but I don't want to gross you out with a picture of a fan being hit by organic material. I have higher standards than that.

Plus, I Googled for 20 minutes and couldn't find one.

REMEMBER INDEPENDENCE DAY FOR WHAT IT MEANS TO AMERICA!

HAPPY 4th OF JULY!

GREAT INSPIRATION AND ENCOURAGEMENT

Let me break from my regular posting for a moment. (Like my current break hasn't been long enough).

I work as a part-time Production Director at a Christian radio station in Southwest Florida, Kingdom FM .

Mostly you hear me on announcements and the like nowadays, as I am only working quarter-time.

Kingdom FM is heavy into Praise and Worship music with great lyrical content.

I have a friend who has an Internet radio station that is the essence of peaceful, uplifting, encouraging Christian music and ministry.

If you need a peaceful sound, something you can keep on in the background where you work that is unobtrusive, yet has a great presence, may I recommend that you tune in to Christian Life Radio .

This is inspirational radio in the true sense of the word.

When I am at my radio or in my car, I listen to Kingdom FM.

At my computer, where I have no radio, I often listen to Christian Life Radio.

I recommend both of these stations to you, each for its own format.

Both are available online.

MEMORIAL DAY

A DAY TO REMEMBER PEOPLE

I happened to watch Bill Moyers' Journal, today.

I don't usually watch him very long at a time, because he is smug, arrogant, supercilious and all sorts of other negative adjectives.

He believes himself to be very intelligent. He is sure of it. He is confident of it.

Moyers may be well educated, but he has the wisdom of dead grass.

As he closed his show, he began one of his patented snidely worded leftist commentaries about the purpose of Memorial Day, which he proclaimed was for us to remember war.

What a stupid, hair-brained, mindless, tasteless, insensitive and irresponsible thing to say.

Hey Bill! News Flash for you!

Memorial Day is to remember PEOPLE, you know: the ones who gave their lives in service to our country in the United States Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, National Guard, Coast Guard and Merchant Marines.

What a total fool Bill Moyers is. Total fool.

My father served 31 years in the United States Air Force (actually the Army Air Corps, which later became the Air Force).

He was a man who HATED war, but understood when and why it was necessary.

Most people today like the HATE WAR part, but are too stupid to know when or why is necessary.

President BO is one of those.

Colonel Joseph E. Scoggins was a man of honor, integrity and deep conviction. He was a man of superior skill at his job, and a patriot extraordinaire.

Pappy, as everybody called him, even his superior officers, was a man of faith and a deacon at Central Baptist Church, Miami, Florida.

He served during World War II in the South Atlantic Corridor between South America and Africa.

My father became the Deputy Commander of the last two bases on which he served, Robins Air Force Base in Warner Robins, Georgia and Westover Air Force Base in Massachusetts.

Because of hundreds of thousands of men like him, you live in a country which, up to now, has had more freedom than any other in the history of the universe. And so today I honor my father and all of the men who served with him in both the Atlantic and the Pacific theaters, as well as all of those who have given either their very lives or their lives of service to this country in all of its wars, past and present.

A MEMORIAL DAY RECOGNITION TO YOU ALL

PERSONALLY SPEAKING

I came home Thursday from the world's ritziest hospital, following my heart attacks (two of them...one Monday and one at the hospital Thursday morning - three stents in several coronary arteries).

It had wall to wall polished wood cabinets, a built in desk, draperies/sheers/verticles on the windows, high def. TV, a great staff and beds worse than an old Army cot.

I was sent there because none of the local hospitals had a surgeon who could do the proceedure STAT.

The least little activities leaves me breathless and worn out, so with your permission I will continue NOT blogging for a day or so (this one does not count...OK?).

I will, however, read yours and comment as strength permits, so keep on writing.

Thanks for all of your patience, prayers and well-wishes. I really DO appreciate it.

ADDENDUM: I am feeling quite a bit better tonight and should be back to blogging...perhaps by tomorrow. Come by if you are so inclined.

SORRY 'BOUT THAT

It was my intention to get back to blogging on this site, but Monday I had a heart attack and had to be in the hospital for four days.

I am home now and will get back to blogging ASAP.

Keep me in your prayers.

Thanks

DON'T YOU JUST LOVE IT?

AN APPLICATION OF I CORINTHIANS 13 FOR THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD.

In my early days of Christian service, I was a Minister to Youth.

Many times I was asked to counsel young people about their "romantic" involvements, sometimes in the roll of pre-marital counselor.

Most often the girl in the situation wanted to know if the guy really loved her.

I used a standardized psychological test to help them with some basic understanding of interpersonal relationships, since few of them were enthusiastic enough about their Christian "faith" to try to find out what the Word of God had to say.

Once we finished the test, however, we would go straight to the best definition of love found anywhere in the universe, I Corinthians 13.

Here is its text:

1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12 Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

After establishing the importance of love in verses 1-3, we would get to the definition, the most complete, comprehensive definition there is.

By the time we finished, one or the other or both of the parties knew whether they were "in love" God's way.

I used the passages as a test as follows:

Verse 4. "Love is patient, Love is kind It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud."

I would ask the girl, "Is he patient with you in all situations? Is he kind to you no matter what?"
The guy in the relationship would be asked the same question.

If each or either answered, "No," I would tell them they could not possibly love one another. If, on the other hand, the answer was, "Yes," I would tell them they might be in love and I would agree to go further with them.

"Is either of you envious of the other? Do you boast more about yourself than about the other one? Is either of you more proud of yourself than of your "partner?" would be the next question. "If so, you are not in love."

We would move to verse 5. "It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs."

This one is a little tougher.

Among teenagers and young adults, rudeness, self-centeredness and anger are almost a given.

But those three things ruin a marriage more quickly than anything else.

I would explain that God teaches us to be polite to one another, even when it is not easy to do so.

Then I would ask, "Have either of you used the phrase, 'If you loved me, you would...'?"

"That is conditional love, and has no place in a Christian relationship."

I would show them that thinking of others first is very important ["Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves." (Philippians 2:3, NIV)], and that anger is to be set aside [Ephesians 4:26 "Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:..."

I would ask, "Do either of you seek your own way first or get angry with the other one, allowing your anger to fester?"

I would explain that anger always has its roots in one not getting his/her own way and that if this condition exists, the relationship is not one of love.

Carrying a grudge, remembering past wrongs is also indicative that there is a problem...on the part of the one carrying the grudge.

In verse 6 we would read, "Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth."

Pure evil was not too often an issue, but failing to be truthful often was.

I would explain to them that love demands honesty. Not the hurtful kind, or the kind that runs around disguised as a compliment, like, "You're not nearly as ugly as everybody says you are."

The kind of honesty needed in a love relationship is the kind in which one does not hide things from the other.

Verse 7 tell us about love: "It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."

I explained that each person in a love relationship must look out for the other, trust the other, and always have a positive attitude toward the future, being careful to preserve the relationship, no matter what.

Verse 8: "Love never fails."

Love just keeps on keeping on, as the marriage vow says, "...for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health...'til death do us part" (each of which is guaranteed).

"The marriage kind of love is forever," I would explain. It is a commitment and a contract which is entered into in the presence of and with Almighty God Himself.

The world's philosophy does not conform to that viewpoint. It tells us that if we get tired of the marriage, stressed in it, "fall out of love," or just want new horizons, we can always get a divorce.

The rest of the passage tell us that other things of the earth will pass, but mature love is the greatest thing God ever invented.

8. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12 Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

From I Corinthians 13 we learn that love is not an emotion, although emotions result from true love, but is a decision to behave a certain way toward the other person, regardless of the circumstance.

Then God demonstrated how far we are to take that love.

As Romans 5:8 says, "But God commendeth his love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

THE WHOLE BIBLE IS ABOUT JESUS

I first posted this several years ago, but thought it was worth posting again.

See, I have learned that the Bible is not a book of history, although it contains the best history of Israel and the early church that has ever been written.

I have learned that the Bible is not a book of religious philosophy, although it contains the best religious philosophy ever written.

Neither is the Bible a book of science, wherever it and science disagree, the Bible is ALWAYS right.

The Bible is not a rulebook for living, although is contains the best rules for living that have ever been written.

The Bible IS God's revelation of His character, His love for His creation and His plan for its redemption.

God's plan for the redemption of man is in every word of the Word of God.

There is only one "stand alone" verse in all the Bible, and that is John 3:16 - "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."

When reading the Bible, it is important to read its passages in light of that one verse.

If you read it otherwise, you may learn some important things, but YOU WILL MISS THE POINT OF THE PASSAGE.

So, how do we find John 3:16 everywhere in the Word of God?

Look for Jesus.

Like this:

Jesus In Every Book of the Bible

In Genesis, He's the breath of life

In Exodus, the Passover Lamb

In Leviticus, He's our High Priest

Numbers, The fire by night

Deuteronomy, He's Moses' voice

In Joshua, He is salvation's choice

Judges, law giver

In Ruth, the kinsmen-redeemer

First and second Samuel, our trusted prophet

In Kings and Chronicles, He's sovereign

Ezra, true and faithful scribe

Nehemiah, He's the rebuilder of broken walls and lives

In Esther, He's Mordecai's courage

In Job, the timeless redeemer

In Psalms, He is our morning song

In Proverbs, wisdom's cry

Ecclesiastes, the time and season

In the Song of Solomon, He is the lover's dream

In Isaiah, He's Prince of Peace

Jeremiah, the weeping prophet

In Lamentations, the cry for Israel

Ezekiel, He's the call from sin

In Daniel, the stranger in the fire

In Hosea, He is forever faithful

In Joel, He's the Spirits power

In Amos, the arms that carry us

In Obadiah, He's the Lord our Savior

In Jonah, He's the great missionary

In Micah, the promise of peace

In Nahum, He is our strength and our shield

In Habakkuk and Zephaniah, He's pleading for revival

In Haggai, He restores a lost heritage

In Zechariah, our fountain

In Malachi, He is the son of righteousness rising with healing in His wings

In Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, He is God, Man, Messiah

In the book of Acts, He is fire from heaven

In Romans, He's the grace of God

In Corinthians, the power of love

In Galatians, He is freedom from the curse of sin

Ephesians, our glorious treasure

Philippians, the servants heart

In Colossians, He's the Godhead Trinity

Thessalonians, our coming King

In Timothy, Titus, Philemon He's our mediator and our faithful Pastor

In Hebrews, the everlasting covenantIn James, the one who heals the sick.

In First and Second Peter, he is our Shepherd

In John and in Jude, He is the lover coming for His bride

In the Revelation: He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords; He's the Prince of Peace; The Son of man; the Lamb of God; The great I AM.

He's the alpha and omega

Our God and our Savior

He is Jesus Christ the Lord and when time is no more

He is,

HE IS!

WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE?

We have all read about, or seen a movie, or watched a TV program about some "cult" enticing people to join and then not allowing them to leave.

Typically, they engage in the "brainwashing" techniques of stimulus deprivation, sleep deprivation, intense re-training, thought control and other nefarious acts that make the cult member think he/she must not leave for fear of disappointing the leader and therefore, God.

But that's not the only kind of cult in existence today.

What are some of the characteristics of a cult (not to be confused with a "sect," which is a whole different thing)?

The first and most important determination of whether a group is a cult is their answer to the question, "Who is Jesus."

Any entity that gives any answer other than: He is the Son of God; the third Person of the Trinity; co-equal with God; the payer of the sin-debt owed by all of mankind through His death, burial and resurrection, is a cult.

There are some "well-respected" cults in America today, who would take issue with that definition.

Too bad.

They need to come to the saving knowledge of Christ Jesus as Lord.

So what do cults do?

Let's let simple arithmetic inform us.

Addition:

Cults add to Scripture.

The revelation of God provided in the Bible is never sufficient for a cult. Thus they must add to the written revelation of Scripture, usually with additional scriptures or with their own translation of the Bible.

In this way we have books that contradict the Word of God. Since the Bible claims exclusivity as the written revelation of God, we must see that other books, even if the followers of cults claim that they are equal to the Bible, must actually be over and above the Word of God.

Subtraction:

Cults subtract from the person of Christ.

Cults cannot tolerate the divinity and exclusivity of Jesus and thus usually reduce Him to being a created being.

In some cases they make Jesus only a manifestation or mode of God. In either case, the role of Jesus as revealed in Scripture is diminished.

Multiplication:

Cults multiply the requirements of salvation.

Salvation, as it is presented in the Scriptures, is by God's grace through faith alone.

Cults continually add to the requirements of salvation, always adding human works as a necessary prerequisite to salvation.

No cult teaches or endorses justification by faith alone. Thus all cults reject the very heart of the gospel.

Division:

Cults divide the loyalty of believers.

Each cult believes that it has exclusive revelation and understanding of God that ensures its followers are either exclusively God's people or are somehow more blessed than others.

Cults always seek to divide believers against each other based on the previous three marks.

Thus cults are, by their very nature, divisive.

I urge you to accept the offering of God found in John 3:16 - 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.," and Romans 10:9 & 10 - "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."

Then you will have life, and have it abundantly.

HOPE YOU HAD A HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

WANT TO BE STOLEN FROM?

Think about it.

Do you realize that all anger results from not getting your own way?

Don't misunderstand.

Anger is not always bad.

Sometimes getting your own way is good because it happens to be the right way.

Nevertheless, learning to properly deal with and express anger so as to be productive rather than unproductive is very important. Anger is a natural emotion that each of us experiences.

When used correctly it can motivate us into action to complete a task or right an injustice.

This type of anger can give us a strong sense of accomplishment when we take immediate action to correct the injustice or perceived wrong.

However, anger can also be a thief.

When someone directs anger negatively toward themselves or others, anger steals from that person.

10 Things Anger Steals from You:

1. Anger can steal your time.

2. Anger can steal your energy.

3. Anger can steal your self-respect.

4. Anger can steal your relationships with family, friends and co-workers.

5. Anger can steal your ability to communicate effectively.

6. Anger can steal your sense of right and wrong.

7. Anger can steal your vision of the future.

8. Anger can steal your health.

9. Anger can steal your sense of well being.

10. Anger can steal your problem-solving skills.

If you don’t control your anger, it will control you. Uncontrolled anger is giving your personal power to someone or something else.

An important part of growing up is learning how to effectively deal with anger issues.

Questions you might like to ask yourself:

1. Is my anger holding me back from developing relationships, setting goals or effectively communicating my ideas?

2. Where is my anger directed?

3. What caused me to get upset?

4. Who can I talk with to help me understand my anger issues?

5. Is my anger to a point that I need some professional advice?

Quote for Discussion:

"To overcome difficulties is to experience the full delight of existence."

Ephesians 4:26 "In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry." (NIV)

SUNDAY SING, MAY 3

"Come, Thou Almighty King"
by Unknown Author

Hear it here: http://www2.mp3raid.com/search/download-mp3/4/instrumental_hymns.html

1. Come, Thou almighty King,
Help us Thy name to sing,
Help us to praise!
Father all-glorious,
O'er all victorious,
Come and reign over us,
Ancient of Days.

2. Come, Thou Incarnate Word,
Gird on Thy mighty sword,
Our prayer attend;
Come and Thy people bless
And give Thy Word success;
Stablish Thy righteousness,
Savior and Friend!

3. Come, holy Comforter,
Thy sacred witness bear
In this glad hour.
Thou, who almighty art,
Now rule in every heart
And ne'er from us depart,
Spirit of Power!

4. To the great One in Three
Eternal praises be
Hence evermore!
His sovereign majesty
May we in glory see
And to eternity
Love and adore!