Our Adversaries (9-24-06)

Our Adversaries
Bible Study Time 9-24-06

In I Peter 5:8, Peter spoke to the Jewish dispersion and said:

1 Peter 5:8 (NKJ)
8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

At this point in Peter’s life, it was particularly appropriate for Peter to speak of the devil as a roaring lion because he was anticipating the tribulation period in which the devil will rule the world through the antichrist in a reign of terror. During those days of the tribulation period, the wrath of the antichrist will be aimed particularly at the nation of Israel.

Revelation 12 encapsulates Satan’s conflict with Israel through the ages. Verse 1 says:

Revelation 12:1 (NKJ)
1 Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars.

This woman is the nation of Israel, and the twelve stars represent the twelve tribes of Israel. Verse 2 says:

Revelation 12:2 (NKJ)
2 Then being with child, (the woman) cried out in labor and in pain to give birth.

The child to whom Israel gave birth was the Lord Jesus, but then:

Revelation 12:3 (NKJ)
3 . . . another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads.

The fiery red dragon is the devil, and he has seven heads because he is the spiritual power behind the Gentile empires that have had and will have dominion over Israel from the time of her first captivity 600 years before Christ to the reign of the antichrist. These Gentile empires are Assyria, Babylon, Media, Persia, Greece, Rome, and the empire of the antichrist. The ten horns are the ten nations that make a league with the antichrist during the tribulation period. Verse 4 goes on to say that:

Revelation 12:4 (NKJ)
4 (The dragon’s) tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born.

This makes it clear that the devil was behind Herod’s plot to kill all of the baby boys after the wise men failed to bring him the details concerning the birthplace of the King of the Jews. Verse 5 says:

Revelation 12:5 (NKJ)
5 (The woman) bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her Child was caught up to God and His throne.

The Lord Jesus came to establish the earthly kingdom and rule over all nations with a rod of iron, but instead, He was rejected by the Jews and crucified. After His crucifixion, He was raised from the dead and taken up into heaven where He was given a place of exaltation at the Father’s right hand.

Then, because the Apostle John was not called to reveal the mystery concerning the Church age in which we now live, he went straight from Christ’s ascension to the tribulation period, saying:

Revelation 12:6 (NKJ)
6 Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days.

According to the Jewish calendar, 1260 days is three and a half years. So God is going to protect the believing Jews from the terrors of the antichrist for three and a half years. Then we read that:

Revelation 12:7-9 (NKJ)
7 . . . war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought,
8 but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer.
9 So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Then the book of the Revelation goes on to describe Christ’s return to the earth to defeat the antichrist and the dragon before He rules and reigns over the nations in a world wide kingdom of peace and righteousness.

But we can see that during the tribulation period, the devil will definitely be going about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour, and Revelation 12 says that the fiery, red dragon is none other than the serpent of old who suddenly appeared in the Garden of Eden to tempt Eve.

In the Garden, the serpent did not come to Eve as a roaring lion. On the contrary, he came to her with subtle craftiness. He did not try to intimidate her with a frightening roar, but he seduced her with gentleness and flattery. After Eve ate the forbidden fruit, Adam also ate, and the curse of death came upon all mankind.

In parts of our world today, the devil is already roaring like a lion, terrorizing believers with overt persecution and threats of death, but there are other parts of the world where Satan is still working in very subtle ways. In either case, we know that the devil is still a fierce adversary.

Today, Satan still resides in the heavens as the prince of the power of the air, and He will not be expelled from the heavens until half way through the tribulation period. At that time, there will be a loud voice in heaven, declaring:

Revelation 12:10 (NKJ)
10 . . . "Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.

Indeed, Satan is the accuser of the brethren. The book of Job says that:

Job 1:6-7 (NKJ)
6 . . . there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them.
7 And the LORD said to Satan, "From where do you come?" So Satan answered the LORD and said, "From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it."

Here, Satan indicates that he had been quietly stalking the inhabitants of the earth.

Job 1:8 (NKJ)
8 Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?"

God mentioned Job by name to Satan, and Satan’s response reveals that he was very much aware of Job and of Job’s powerful testimony for the Lord. Clearly, Satan had looked for opportunities to attack Job but had found none for the Lord had set up a hedge of protection around Job.

Job 1:9-11 (NKJ)
9 So Satan answered the LORD and said, "Does Job fear God for nothing?
10 "Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.
11 "But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!"

As we know, the Lord did allow Satan to afflict Job, but Job was faithful to God through all of his afflictions. At one point, Job said:

Job 1:21 (NKJ)
21 . . . "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return there. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD."

Then another time he said, “Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?”

Obviously, Satan is a powerful adversary, but God is an ally with much greater power. Job knew that he could put his trust in the Lord.

The Lord Jesus, Himself, gave us the supreme example of what it means to trust the Lord in times of adversity. Isaiah spoke for the Lord Jesus in Chapter 50 of Isaiah and said:

Isaiah 50:6-10 (NKJ)
6 I gave My back to those who struck Me, and My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard; I did not hide My face from shame and spitting.
7 "For the Lord GOD will help Me; therefore I will not be disgraced; therefore I have set My face like a flint, and I know that I will not be ashamed.
8 He is near who justifies Me; who will contend with Me? Let us stand together. Who is My adversary? Let him come near Me.
9 Surely the Lord GOD will help Me; who is he who will condemn Me? Indeed they will all grow old like a garment; the moth will eat them up.
10 "Who among you fears the LORD? Who obeys the voice of His Servant? Who walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the LORD and rely upon his God.

So, the Lord God can be trusted even in the darkest hour, but Isaiah 50 also indicates that God is not someone you want as your adversary. Yes, God is a wonderful ally, but He can also be your worst possible adversary. Isaiah 50, verse 1, says:

Isaiah 50:1-3 (NKJ)
1 . . . For your iniquities you have sold yourselves, and for your transgressions (Jerusalem) has been put away.
2 Indeed with My rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers a wilderness; their fish stink because there is no water, and die of thirst.
3 I clothe the heavens with blackness, and I make sackcloth their covering."

King Ahaz of Judah found God to be a formidable adversary. II Chronicles 28 says that:

2 Chronicles 28:2-4 (NKJ)
2 (King Ahaz) walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and made molded images for the Baals.
3 He burned incense in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, and burned his children in the fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel.
4 And he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places, on the hills, and under every green tree.

King Ahaz knew the terms of the covenant that God had made with Israel. He had been told about the fact that faithfulness to God would result in blessing but that rebellion would result in desolation. In spite of this covenant, Ahaz rebelled against the Lord and refused to worship the Lord.

2 Chronicles 28:2-5 (NKJ)
5 Therefore the LORD his God delivered (Ahaz) into the hand of the king of Syria. They defeated him, and carried away a great multitude of them as captives, and brought them to Damascus. Then he was also delivered into the hand of the king of Israel, who defeated him with a great slaughter.

Then, when the Edomites and the Philistines attacked him, he called upon the kings of Assyria to come and help him. However, when they arrived, they too attacked him and carried away many of the treasures of the temple.

God brought misery and destruction upon Ahaz and the people of Judah because he refused to follow the Lord, and let me just say this to you this morning, if you don’t know the Lord, if you have refused to accept Jesus Christ as your Savior, God can be a terrible adversary. No one can ride the fence when it comes to faith in Christ. Jesus said:

Matthew 12:30 (NKJ)
30 "He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.

That’s pretty clear, isn’t it? Either you’re saved or you’re not saved, and if you’re not saved, Jesus Christ is your adversary. When Jesus was teaching in Luke 12, He said:

Luke 12:58 (NKJ)
58 "When you go with your adversary to the magistrate, make every effort along the way to settle with him, lest he drag you to the judge, the judge deliver you to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison.

There will be serious consequences for all of eternity for those who refuse to settle, or reconcile, with Jesus Christ. Just before Jesus was crucified, He said:

John 12:31-32 (KJV)
31 Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.
32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.

If you’re not saved, God is drawing you to Himself, convicting you of your sin and pleading with you to accept Jesus Christ so that you can be reconciled to God through faith in Christ.

We see extreme examples in our world today of people who refuse to accept Christ to their own destruction. We have seen example after example of people who are willing to blow themselves up in suicide bombings rather than turn their hearts over to Jesus Christ. Rebelling against Jesus Christ has serious consequences for all of eternity.

King Ahaz was one of those who refused to be reconciled to God. He was warned many times that his failures as king were a result of His rebellion against God, but He continued on in his path of destruction. II Chronicles 28 tells us that:

2 Chronicles 28:22-24 (NKJ)
22 . . . in the time of his distress King Ahaz became increasingly unfaithful to the LORD . . .
23 For he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus which had defeated him, saying, "Because the gods of the kings of Syria help them, I will sacrifice to them that they may help me." But they were the ruin of him and of all Israel.
24 So Ahaz gathered the articles of the house of God, cut in pieces the articles of the house of God, shut up the doors of the house of the LORD, and made for himself altars in every corner of Jerusalem.

King Ahaz was traveling through life with God right by His side, but He fought God all the way. He could not bring himself to settle with his adversary along the way.

Praise the Lord, no one has to live that way. Jesus said:

Matthew 11:28 (KJV)
28 Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Thank you for listening to Bible Study Time this morning. I’ll look forward to being with you again next week at this same time.

Write me at: jimjoan77@juno.com

Church links:

http://www.peacechurch-ok.org/

http://www.eleventhavenuechurch.com/

http://gracebiblechurch-fw.com/

The Creation (9-17-06)

The Creation
Bible Study Time 9-17-06

In the first verse of the Bible, God declares Himself to be the creator of all things. It says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Adam, of coarse, was created on the sixth day, and he personally passed down to his descendants the facts of the creation as long as he was alive, and he lived until Noah’s father was 56 years old.

Three generations after Noah, Nimrod built the Tower of Babel and introduced his clan to the worship of the sun, the moon and the stars, as well as the forces of nature. They saw the forces of nature as the mysterious force behind the evolution of the universe. As a result, they increasingly saw the story of creation, which had been handed down to them since the time of Adam, as just a myth.

When God called Abraham out from among the moon worshipers in Ur of the Chaldeans, He revealed Himself to Abraham as the God the creation. Abraham knew that God was the creator of the universe and that He was sovereign over all of its events.

From Abraham to Moses the faith of Abraham and the story of the creation were maintained and taught by men such as Isaac, Jacob and Joseph, but finally Moses was instructed to write it all down and preserve it for all mankind.

In recent years, man has taken a giant step backwards to the time of the Tower of Babel, preferring to believe that the forces of nature have acted independently from any personal God to orchestrate the evolution of the universe through the course of millions of years.

However, the creation itself bears witness to the Genesis account of creation. The Psalmist said:

Psalms 19:1-4 (NLT)
1 The heavens tell of the glory of God. The skies display his marvelous craftsmanship.
2 Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known.
3 They speak without a sound or a word; their voice is silent in the skies;
4 yet their message has gone out to all the earth, and their words to all the world . . .

God assembled the molecules of creation so that they join together in a chorus that declares the glory of God. It could be that this molecular refrain rang out with greater clarity in ages past before the Bible was written.

It was probably through the message of the stars that the wise men heard about the birth of the King of the Jews. Since the Chaldeans are thought to have developed the science of astronomy, it may be that God first revealed Himself to Abraham through the stars of heaven.

We have no way of knowing the full effect of heaven’s voice in ages past, but we do know that even today, with the full revelation of God’s word at hand, the heavens still bear a powerful testimony to the glory of God. Paul warned the Roman believers that even today:

Romans 1:18-20 (NKJ)
18 . . . the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,
19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.
20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,

All created beings are left without excuse before God because His eternal power and Godhead have been seen in the creation from the beginning. Today, however, the greatest testimony concerning the credibility of the word of God is the vibrate testimony of the millions of people through the years who have come to the living waters of Jesus Christ.

Those who have tasted the living water have found the peace that passes understanding and the joy that defies description. Those who drink from those waters know from experience that the Bible is the word of God and that when the Bible says, “God created the heavens and the earth,” that’s exactly what happened. Paul told Timothy to watch out for those who try to twist the facts of science to deny the word of God. In I Timothy 6, Paul said:

1 Timothy 6:20 (NKJ)
20 O Timothy! Guard what was committed to your trust, avoiding the profane and idle babble and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge – (then Paul goes on to say that)
21 by professing (this false knowledge) some have strayed concerning the faith . . .

There are those who think that the creation is a peripheral issue for Christians and that it really makes no difference whether we believe in creation or evolution. But make no mistake about it, false doctrine always has serious consequences. Paul said that he even knew of some who were being led astray in matters of the faith by pseudoscience.

The devil works very hard and very effectively to disguise the truth so as to make it look unintelligent or unsophisticated, but the word of God breaks through Satanic deception and gives us strength to stand fast in the liberty by which Christ has made us free. The Lord Jesus said:

John 8:31-32 (NKJ)
31 . . . “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.
32 “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

When the first verse of Genesis 1 says, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth,” we not only learn that God created all things, but we learn that God is eternal. God existed before the heavens and the earth existed, before the beginning. To create means to make something out of nothing. Therefore, God created the heavens and the earth out of nothing. There were no raw materials for Him to work with, and there was no one else there to supervise or lend a helping hand. In Job, Chapter 38, God asked Job:

Job 38:4-7 (NKJ)
4 "Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding.
5 Who determined its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it?
6 To what were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone,
7 When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

No, Job wasn’t there in the beginning with God, but Paul tells us that the God who did create all things is someone that mankind has gotten to know a lot better through the ages. Paul said that the One who created all things is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. In Colossians 1:15, Paul said:

Colossians 1:15-17 (NKJ)
15 (Christ) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.
17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.

Jesus Christ was there as part of the Godhead before anything was created. He is eternal. He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. The Apostle John confirmed the fact that Jesus Christ was there in the beginning and that He is the creator. John 1 speaks of the Lord Jesus and says:

John 1:1-3 (NKJ)
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.

We know that the Word is Jesus Christ because verse 14 of John, Chapter 1, says:

John 1:14 (NKJ)
14 . . . the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

Jesus Christ was and is a member of the Godhead, and as such, He is eternal. Therefore, Paul could say in Romans 1 that all created beings have witnessed since the time of the creation the invisible attributes of God, such as His eternal power and Godhead.

If we go back to Job, Chapter 38, we see that God said something very interesting to Job. He said that when the cornerstone of the foundation of the world was laid, “the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy.”

First, what was the song that the morning stars were singing? Was it the song of praise that is spoken of in Psalms 19 where we read that the heavens declare the glory of God? Was it the song that spoke to Abraham and the wise men? It very well could have been.

Second, who were the sons of God that shouted for joy? Most agree that these sons of God were the angels, but when were they created? There is no mention of the creation of the angels in Genesis, Chapter 1, when everything else was created. Were they created before God created the heavens and the earth? That’s unlikely because after the creation Moses referred to the angels as the host of the heavens and the earth. Genesis 2:1 says:

Genesis 2:1 (NKJ)
1 Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished.

The host of the heavens and the earth must have been created at some point after God created the heavens and the earth. They were created to serve and worship the Lord. When the Prophet Micaiah was brought before King Ahab and King Jehoshaphat, he said, “Therefore hear the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing by, on His right hand and on His left.”

We know that some of the host of heaven followed Lucifer in his prideful rebellion against the Lord. These demonic forces have through the ages conspired to rob God of His glory as the creator of the universe. They were no doubt the spiritual force behind the Tower of Babel and the system of idol worship which developed there in the plain of Shinar. They were the spiritual force behind the idols of the nation of Israel. II Kings, Chapter 17, speaks of the ten northern tribes of Israel and says:

II Kings 17:16 (NKJ)
16 . . . they left all the commandments of the LORD their God, made for themselves a molded image and two calves, made a wooden image and worshiped all the host of heaven . . .

Paul said that we today still:

Ephesians 6:12 (NKJ)
12 . . . wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

The angels must have been created at the time that God created the heavens and the earth. Then as a result of Lucifer’s rebellion:

Genesis 1:2 (NKJ)
2 The earth (became) without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep . . .

Lucifer and his rogue angels were cast out from the presence of the Lord, and Lucifer became known as Satan or the devil, who is the archenemy of God and the chief architect of all unrighteousness.

The devil and his legions must have watched with morbid curiosity when one day God exclaimed, “Let there be light.” Their hearts and minds must have burned with envy as God created man and gave man dominion over all of the beautiful things of the restored earth.

The Bible says that the devil, even then, was “more cunning than any beast of the field,” and with his subtle powers of deception, he tricked Eve into eating the fruit of the one tree which was forbidden, knowing that God had promised death in the day that they ate its fruit. True to His word, God pronounced the curse of death upon Adam and all of his descendants.

However, at the time that God pronounced the curse, He gave the prophecy that someday Satan would bruise the heel of the seed of the woman, but that the seed of the woman would ultimately bruise the head of Satan.

Jesus Christ, the One who created all things, was willing to leave the glory of heaven to become the seed of the woman. Satan bruised the Lord’s heel at the time of the crucifixion, but the Lord Jesus bruised the head of Satan when He was raised from the dead.

Jesus Christ conquered death, hell and the grave so that all who believe in Christ and the power of His death, burial and resurrection could have eternal life. Paul said that “the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

The heavens and the earth that we see today are still suffering from the terrible curse of sin, but the Bible tells us that someday this curse will be lifted by the same power that raised Christ from the death. We can not even imagine how beautiful that New Heaven and New Earth will be.

Today, we who believe in Jesus hold the down payment for that beautiful New Heaven and New Earth, and that down payment is a new heart. We are born with hearts that are desperately wicked, but through faith in Christ, we are born again with a new heart, so that old things are passed away, and behold, all things are become new. If you don’t know Christ as your personal Savior this morning, won’t you put your faith in Him right now and discover for yourself the spiritual glory of the new creation.

Thank you for listening to Bible Study Time this morning. I’ll look forward to being with you again next week at this same time.

Write me at: jimjoan77@juno.com

Church links:

http://www.peacechurch-ok.org/

http://www.eleventhavenuechurch.com/

http://gracebiblechurch-fw.com/

The Gospel of Jesus Christ (9-10-06)

The Gospel of Jesus Christ
Bible Study Time 9-10-06

When we look at the Old Testament scriptures, we find only two chapters devoted to the creation of the universe while more than fifty chapters are devoted to the Tabernacle and its rituals. Similarly, we find that the first 2000 years of human history is recorded in the first 12 chapters of the book of Genesis while the last fourteen chapters of Genesis are devoted to the life of Joseph.

Obviously, God had a specific purpose in mind when He wrote the Bible, but what purpose would dictate spending so much time on the tabernacle and the life of Joseph. The Tabernacle was just a tent which was moved from place to place as the children of Israel traveled through the wilderness. Joseph was not even in the bloodline of the Lord Jesus and no eternal promises were given to Joseph.

The reason that there is so much attention paid to the life of Joseph and the Tabernacle is that they were both detailed pictures of Jesus Christ, and in this we see the purpose or the theme of the entire Bible. God gave the Bible to reveal the full glory of Jesus Christ.

The Bible reveals the life of Christ with the Father before the creation. It reveals His interaction with the nation of Israel throughout the Old Testament. It reveals His willingness to accept a body of flesh so that He could die for the sins of the world, conquer death by means of the resurrection and then be exalted in heaven where He sits today at the right hand of the Father. Finally, it reveals that someday Christ will return to the earth to rule in a kingdom of righteousness and peace.

The Tabernacle with its courtyards, sanctuaries, furniture and vessels presented a beautiful picture of Jesus Christ. The bronze altar (Exodus 27:1-8) was a picture of the cross on which the Lord Jesus was offered as a whole burnt offering. The laver, in which the priests washed before entering the Holy of Holies or before approaching the altar was a type of Christ cleansing the believer from the defilement of sin (John 13:2-10) and from every spot or wrinkle or any such thing, as Ephesians 5 puts it. The golden lampstand pictured Christ as the light of the world while the showbread pictured the fact that Christ is the Bread of Life.

Then, of coarse, the veil in front of the Holy of Holies pictured the spiritual separation which existed between God and man until Jesus Christ entered the Holy of Holies to place His blood upon the mercy seat. When He entered, the veil was torn from top to bottom to show that mankind now has access to the Father through faith in Jesus Christ.

Everything about the Tabernacle pointed to Jesus Christ and the work that He was to accomplish upon the cross. The Bible places such an emphasis on the Tabernacle because the purpose of the Bible is to reveal the person and work of Jesus Christ.

Fourteen chapters of the Bible are devoted to the life of Joseph because his life is a picture of the life of Christ. Jacob had to wait a long time for the birth of Joseph. Joseph was called the son of Jacob’s old age. Accordingly, the nation of Israel had to wait for two thousand years for the birth of Jesus Christ.

Joseph was rejected by his brothers just as Jesus was rejected by the Jews. John said that Jesus came unto His own, but His own received Him not. Joseph was falsely accused and was sent down into prison only to be raised up out of that prison to become the ruler of Egypt. Likewise, Jesus Christ was sentence to death on the basis of false testimony. He was crucified and buried, but after 3 days He was raised from the dead to a place of exaltation and glory at the right hand of the Father. Time and time again we see the person and work of the Lord Jesus in the life of Joseph.

Though it is not a history book, the Bible is accurate in all of its historical facts. The Bible is accurate in all of its scientific details, but it was not given as a science textbook. The Bible was written by men, but it was inspired by the Holy Spirit, and the overall theme of the whole book is the revelation of Jesus Christ. In John 5, the Lord Jesus chastised the Pharisees, saying:

John 5:37 (NKJ)
37 " . . . the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form.

In other words, they had never seen God, the Father, or heard His voice, but the Father had given clear testimony concerning the Lord Jesus through the prophets. Then Jesus said:

John 5:38 (NKJ)
38 " . . . you do not have (the Father’s) word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe.

Obviously, God’s word was not abiding in the Pharisees because they did not believe in Jesus Christ. Those who have the word of God abiding in them are the ones who believe in Jesus Christ. Then Jesus said:

John 5:39 (NKJ)
39 "You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.

All of the Bible from the book of Genesis to the book of the Revelation was given to reveal Jesus Christ, but as the natural man reads the scriptures, his mind can not comprehend the glory of that revelation. It was not until after the Christ’s resurrection that He personally opened the eyes of His disciples so that they could see Christ in the scriptures. In Luke 24, Jesus said:

Luke 24:44-46 (NKJ)
44 . . . "These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me."
45 And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.
46 Then He said to them, "Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day,

The disciples could not understand the prophecies concerning Christ in the Old Testament until the Lord opened their understanding, and people today are no different. Without supernatural intervention, we can not see the glory of Christ in the Bible. But Paul says that we who believe have this supernatural intervention through the Holy Spirit. I Corinthians, Chapter 2, says:

1 Corinthians 2:12-14,16 (NKJ)
12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.
13 These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned . . .
16 For "who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?" But we have the mind of Christ.

The Holy Spirit reveals the mind of Christ to us and creates the mind of Christ within us. We come to know Christ as the One who is the same yesterday, today, and forever. His essential nature and character never change. He is always faithful, gentle, kind and loving. However, as we read through the scriptures, we see that the Lord Jesus is presented in different ways in the different programs of God.

In most of the Old Testament scriptures, God was dealing specifically with the nation of Israel, and there Christ is presented there as Israel’s coming Messiah. He is seen as the Anointed One who will someday serve as Israel’s Prophet, Priest and King. We see Christ in the types or pictures such as the Tabernacle and the life of Joseph, and we see Him in the promises and the prophesies as well.

In the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, the Lord Jesus is seen as the One who came down out of heaven to become a man. He is the Son of God who became the Son of Man so that He could reign as King over all the earth. At one point Isaiah prophesied about the Lord Jesus and said:

Isaiah 9:6 (NKJ)
6 For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder . . .

As the Son of Man, Jesus was born as a child, but as the Son of God, He is eternal and could not be born. Therefore, as the child He was born, but as the Son, He was given. He came preaching the gospel of the kingdom, saying, “the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” He did miracles, wonders and signs to prove that He was the Son of God, but in spite of His gracious words and His stunning miracles, He was rejected and crucified upon the cross of Calvary.

During the Acts period, the Lord Jesus is presented as the resurrected and ascended Christ who is waiting in heaven for Israel to repent of their sin of unbelief so that He can return to the earth and establish the kingdom. In Acts, Chapter 2, Peter said:

Acts 2:22-24,36 (NKJ)
22 "Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know--
23 "Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death;
24 "whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it . . .
36 "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ."

During this time period, the apostles also did many miracles to validate their message, but again, the nation of Israel refused the kingdom which God was graciously offering to them.

With Israel’s rejection of Christ complete at the end of the Acts period, God temporarily set aside Israel’s kingdom program to call out the Church which is the Body of Christ. This new program is revealed by the Apostle Paul in Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians and in His pastoral epistles to Timothy and Titus. Paul wrote these epistles after the Acts period while he was still in his Roman prison. In these epistles, Paul revealed the Lord Jesus as the Head over all things to the Church which is His Body. In Ephesians, Chapter 1, we read that:

Ephesians 1:20-23 (NKJ)
20 . . . (God) raised (Christ) from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,
21 far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.
22 And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church,
23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

Then in Colossians, Chapter 1, Paul said:

Colossians1:24-26 (NKJ)
24 I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church,
25 of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God,
26 the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints.

The prophets never spoke of this church to which we belong today because they knew nothing about it. Paul said that this truth was a stewardship which was given to him but had been hidden from the previous generations throughout the ages.

The prophets who knew about the death of Christ, envisioned a scenario in which the resurrected Christ would be accepted by Israel during the tribulation period. The fact that Israel was going to reject the resurrected Christ was a mystery, and therefore, the Church which came about as a result of their rejection was also a mystery. In Ephesians, Paul said:

Ephesians 3:3,5,6 (NKJ)
3 . . . (God) made known to me the mystery
5 which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets:
6 that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel,

When Paul revealed the program for the Church, the Body of Christ, he revealed that the Church will be caught up to be with Christ in heaven before the tribulation period begins. But what about those who believe during the tribulation period? God has a word for them in the scriptures as well.

From the book of Hebrews to the book of the Revelation, we see Christ presented once again as Israel’s Messiah. In these books, the believing Jews of the tribulation period are encouraged to endure with patience the suffering which is caused by the antichrist. Finally, in the book of the Revelation, we see the second coming of Christ as He returns to the earth to defeat the forces of the antichrist before He rules over the earth for a thousand years and then on into eternity.

The purpose of the Bible is to reveal the full glory of Jesus Christ, the Son of God whose name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace. He is the One who is today exalted in heaven and who has been given the name which is above every name.

Someday every knee shall bow at the very mention of the name of Jesus, and before we close this morning, I’d like to just say that if you don’t know the Lord Jesus today, you can bow before Him right now. You can bow before Him in a spiritual sense. Even today, you can humble yourself before the Lord Jesus and call upon His name. If you believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins, that He was buried and that He rose again the third day, God will give you everlasting life. The Bible says that the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Thank you for listening to Bible Study Time, and I’ll look forward to being with you again next week at this same time.

Write me at: jimjoan77@juno.com

Church links:

http://www.peacechurch-ok.org/

http://www.eleventhavenuechurch.com/

http://gracebiblechurch-fw.com/

All Spiritual Blessings (9-3-06)

All Spiritual Blessings
Bible Study Time 9-3-06

In the book of Ephesians, the Apostle Paul writes to us today, as members of the Church which is the Body of Christ, and the very first thing he says after his initial greeting is:

Ephesians 1:3 (NKJ)
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,

In this statement, Paul does not hesitate. He does not equivocate as he plainly declares that we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.

The connection between spiritual blessings and the heavenly places is a logical one sense heavenly things are spiritual by nature. Spiritual things stand in contrast to the things of the earth which are physical. In I Corinthians 15, Paul wrote about the resurrection of the dead and said:

1 Corinthians 15:44 (NKJ)
44 (The body) is sown a natural body, (but) it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.

1 Corinthians 15:42-49 (NKJ)
47 The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven.
48 As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly.
49 And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man.

In this passage we see that the spiritual body is a heavenly body. It is associated with heaven while the natural or physical body is associated with the earth. Paul goes on in Ephesians, Chapter 2, to say that God has:

Ephesians 2:5-7 (NKJ)
5 . . . made us alive together with Christ . . .
6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

Our position today is in the heavenlies, and therefore, our blessings are spiritual in nature.

Did you notice that Paul used the word together three times? We have been made alive together with Christ. We have been raised up together, and we have been made to sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

Our position and our realm of blessing has been determined by the fact that we have been brought together with Christ. We have been baptized by the Holy Spirit into the death, burial, resurrection and ascension of Christ. Therefore, we are citizens of heaven, and we are called upon to set our affections on things above, not on the things of the earth.

The other day I heard a lady on television speaking about the blessings that God has for us today, and she said that we should just stick with the four gospels and claim everything that we see in the four gospels. But beloved, just think of the precious blessings that we would miss if we did just stick with the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

The Apostle Paul is the apostle who was chosen first to go to the Gentiles when the New Covenant Kingdom was being offered to Israel. Then when that kingdom program was set aside, God revealed to Paul the program for today, the program for the Church which is the Body of Christ.

As we study the writings of the Apostle Paul and open our hearts to the working of the Holy Spirit, the spiritual blessings with which we have been blessed become a source of strength for us in our everyday lives. Regardless of the trials and tribulations we face, we know that we are together with Christ. We have been made alive together with Christ. We have been raised together and seated together in the heavenly places in Christ. These are just a few of the spiritual blessings we enjoy in the heavenly places in Jesus Christ.

Our spiritual blessings stand in contrast to the blessings which were promised in the Old Covenant Law. In the Law, God promised Israel that if they would keep His commandments, He would given them health and wealth and protection from foreign invaders. Clearly, these can not be classified as spiritual blessings. These are blessings that pertain to the earth.

When we read the Old Covenant Law, we see that God never promised eternal life to those who kept the Law. God knew the weakness of man’s fleshly nature, and He knew that no one could earn eternal life by keeping the Law.

So, why was the Law given? Paul said that it was given as a schoolmaster. It was given to teach man about God’s righteousness and holiness. The writer of the book of Hebrews confirmed for us that no one can be saved by the Law, and he concluded that without faith it is impossible to please God. Therefore, the only people who were actually saved during the Old Testament times were those people who had faith in God and believed what God said.

In accordance with the Law Covenant, God gave Israel great physical blessings. He gave them tremendous prosperity and peace throughout the entire region, but the only ones who experienced any of the spiritual blessings of God were those who actually trusted in God and believed what God said.

Joshua is an example of one who truly believed in God. He came back from spying out the land of Canaan and said, “We can take the land because God is on our side.” Later, when God called Joshua to lead the army of Israel into the land, God told Joshua:

Joshua 1:9 (NKJ)
9 " . . . Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."

Now that was a spiritual blessing. God was making a difference in Joshua’s heart. God was blessings Joshua with freedom from fear. God said, “The Lord you God is with you wherever you go.” This was a spiritual blessing which came down from heaven and blessed Joshua’s heart.
But in keeping with the conditions of the Law Covenant, God also told Joshua that the physical blessings of the kingdom would depend upon whether the children of Israel lived by the Law. He said:

Joshua 1:7 (NKJ)
7 "Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go.

As we know, Joshua did enter into and conquer the land of Canaan, and the kingdom which was established by Joshua’s army did grow into a glorious kingdom under David and Solomon, but toward the end of Solomon’s life, Solomon’s heart was seduced by the gods of his pagan wives. From that time on, the kingdom began to fall apart.

At that point, God spoke to the prophets and the prophets spoke to the people. They said that someday God was going to make a New Covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. They said that this New Covenant was not going to be like the Old Covenant because it was going to be based in the power of the Holy Spirit. The people would by God’s own provision have the power to walk according to the righteousness of God.

The Lord Jesus came as Israel’s Messiah. He was rejected by the nation of Israel and was crucified by the Romans, but His shed blood became the basis for God’s New Covenant with Israel.

After His death, burial and resurrection, the Lord Jesus ascended into heaven where He placed some of His blood upon the mercy seat of the temple in heaven. At last, all of the prerequisites for the New Covenant had been accomplished, and it was time for the pouring out of the Holy Spirit upon the nation of Israel.

Chapters 1 and 2 of the book of Acts document for us exactly what happened. Peter and the other disciples were waiting in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit. All of a sudden:

Acts 2:2-6 (NKJ)
2 . . . there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.
4 . . . they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
5 And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven.
6 And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language.

Peter and the apostles spoke in tongues and then Peter told them that Jesus Christ, the one they had crucified, had been raised from the dead and taken up into heaven. He told them that if they would repent and be baptized, God would forgive their sin, and Jesus Christ would return to earth to fulfill all of the Jewish promises.

It is clear from Isaiah’s prophesy that the power to speak in tongues was given at this time to confirm the message the apostles were preaching. Isaiah said:

Isaiah 28:11 (NKJ)
11 . . . with stammering lips and another tongue (God) will speak to this people,

Three thousand people were saved on that Day of Pentecost, and no doubt many people believed in Jesus Christ that day because they witnessed God speaking through these men in many different languages.

Now here again, we need to make a distinction between that which is spiritual and that which is of the natural or physical world. Speaking in tongues should not be classified as a spiritual blessing. It was not something that happened in their hearts; it was something that happened in their physical bodies.

It was not until the Apostle Paul come along that people began to understand the spiritual blessings which are associated with the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Paul said in Romans, Chapter 6:

Romans 6:3-6 (NKJ)
3 . . . do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?
4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection,
6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.

This is the spiritual blessing that took place on the Day of Pentecost in Acts, Chapter 2. The people were baptized into the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, and as a result they became new creations in Christ. The old things passed away as the old sin nature was crucified with Christ. Then the new nature was produced by the Holy Spirit who was living within them.

This change in their hearts is evident in Acts, Chapter 2, not only be the fact that they spoke in tongues, but by the fact that afterward they continued steadfastly in the apostle’s doctrine and fellowship, and they continued daily with one accord, praising God. Oh, what a change God had made in their hearts and lives.

When the Apostle Paul wrote to us about our blessings as members of the Church, the Body of Christ, he said that we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.

This means that every spiritual blessing of the Old Covenant Law is ours. When God told Joshua that He would be with Joshua wherever he went, that is one of our spiritual blessings for we have been blessed with all spiritual blessings. When God told Joshua that He would given him every place that the sole of his foot tread upon, we know that we can not claim that blessing because we have not been blessed with all physical blessings.

In like manner, we can not claim the promised kingdom of the New Covenant. That is a physical blessing which will come upon this physical earth. Neither can we claim the miracles, wonders and signs which God gave in connection with the New Covenant. But I do want to emphasize that all of the spiritual blessings of the New Covenant belong to us.

When we believe, we are baptized into the death, burial and resurrection of Christ just like those who were saved under the New Covenant program. However, as is often the case, we have additional blessings. The New Covenant Christians stopped with the resurrection, but our identification with Christ continues on into the ascension of Christ. No where in Paul’s early New Covenant ministry do we see him speaking of saved people be ascended with Christ into the heavenlies, but that is specifically revealed in Paul’s revelation to the Church which is the Body of Christ.

Today, we enjoy every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. Therefore, we should set our affections on things above and not on the things of this earth.

I see that our time is almost gone for this morning, and I hope that you are rejoicing in the spiritual blessings which God has given to us today. After all, a heart that is full of rejoicing is one of the spiritual blessings with which we have been blessed. Thank you for listening to Bible Study Time. I’ll look forward to being with you again next week at this same time.

Write me at: jimjoan77@juno.com

Church links:

http://www.peacechurch-ok.org/

http://www.eleventhavenuechurch.com/

http://gracebiblechurch-fw.com/

The Word of God (8-27-06)

The Word of God
Bible Study Time 8-27-06

In Luke, Chapter 11, the Lord Jesus told His disciples that when they were praying, they should call God Father. Up to this point, the Jewish people knew God only as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but the Lord Jesus wanted His disciples to know that they had been called into a close personal relationship with God.

In Luke, Chapter 6, the Lord said to the crowds:

Luke 6:35-36 (NKJ)
35 " . . . love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; . . . and you will be sons of the Most High . . .
36 "Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.

To be accepted as a Son of God based on good works, we would have to be perfect even as God is perfect, but the disciples had already been accepted as Sons of God because of their relationship with Jesus Christ. The fact that they believed in Jesus Christ gave them this special position of favor in God’s sight. The Apostle John later revealed that Jesus Christ is, in fact, the way, the truth and the life and that no man can come to the Father except through Christ.

The Lord also taught His disciples to pray that the kingdom would come so that God’s will might be done on earth as it is in heaven. In this we see the central focus of the Lord’s earthly ministry. As Jesus Christ went preaching the kingdom of heaven, He did miracle after miracle to prove that He was the promised Messiah and that the kingdom of heaven was at hand. All who believed in Jesus were called to be the Sons of God.

Then, after telling His disciples to pray for the kingdom, He taught them to pray that God would give them their daily bread, and this is what I would like for us to focus on for the rest of our time together this morning.

We know that God is the One who supplies our daily needs. We can all attest to the faithfulness of God in doing so. Paul said, “My God shall supply all of your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

It is interesting that Christ instructed His disciples to pray for their daily bread. While most of us feel a little better if we have enough food in the refrigerator for at least a couple of days, we know that God is able to provide for us even on a day by day basis if that’s in keeping with His plan and purpose. Actually, that is exactly what He did when He provided manna for the children of Israel in the wilderness.

Exodus 16 says that when the children of Israel grumbled in the wilderness because they were hungry, God sent down bread from heaven. It says:

Exodus 16:1316,19-21 (NKJ)
13 . . . in the morning the dew lay all around the camp.
14 And when the layer of dew lifted, there, on the surface of the wilderness, was a small round substance, as fine as frost on the ground.
15 So when the children of Israel saw it, they said to one another, "What is it?" For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, "This is the bread which the LORD has given you to eat.
16 . . . Let every man gather it according to each one's need, one omer for each person, according to the number of persons; let every man take for those who are in his tent.'"
19 And Moses said, "Let no one leave any of it till morning."
20 Notwithstanding they did not heed Moses. But some of them left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and stank. And Moses was angry with them.
21 So they gathered it every morning, every man according to his need . . .

God wants us to work hard and save during the good times so that we will have plenty during the hard times. Joseph advised Pharaoh to do exactly that. They stored the surplus grain that was produced during the seven years of plenty so that they would have grain for food during the seven years of famine. As a matter of fact, it was this stored grain which provided for Joseph’s family during the famine.

The Bible also tells us that we can learn a good lesson from the ant. The New Living Translation interprets Proverbs, Chapter 6, this way:

Proverbs 6:6-8 (NLT)
6 Take a lesson from the ants, you (who are lazy). Learn from their ways and be wise!
7 Even though they have no prince, governor, or ruler to make them work,
8 they labor hard all summer, gathering food for the winter.

So God may allow us to store up and save for the future, or He may provide for us one day at a time, but either way, our faith in His ability to provide is something that has to be renewed by the Spirit of God on a daily basis.

Now as we look a little closer at Luke, Chapter 11, it seems that the Lord Jesus was probably alluding to some even deeper spiritual truths as He spoke of our daily bread. First, we know that Jesus is the bread of life. In John 10 He told the Jews:

John 6:49-51 (NKJ)
49 "Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, (but they) are dead.
50 "This is the bread which comes down from heaven that one may eat of it and not die.
51 "I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world."

The Lord Jesus is the true bread which came down from heaven so that we might partake of Him, or more literally, so that we might partake of His spiritual life and receive spiritual nourishment from His Spirit. Then Jesus said something that was and is very hard to understand. He said:

John 6:53-54 (NKJ)
53 . . . "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.
54 "Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.

Now these are strange words, and John said that when Jesus said these words some of the people who had been following Him went back home and “walked with Him no more.” Nevertheless, those who were true believers listened carefully as Jesus explained the actual meaning of His words. He said:

John 6:63 (NKJ)
63 "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.

He encouraged His disciples to look beyond the normal earthly meaning of His words to see the spiritual meaning behind His words. The Lord said, “The words that I speak to you are spirit.”

He was not saying that we have to eat His physical body or drink His literal blood in order to have eternal life, and neither was He saying that we have to eat or drink anything that represents His body or His blood. No, He said, “The words that I speak to you are spirit.” Jesus Christ is the living bread which came down from heaven so that we could eat and drink of His spiritual life and live forever.

This gives us a clue concerning the daily bread for which the disciples were instructed to pray. When the Lord told His disciples to pray for their daily bread, He was referring to Himself and to the Word of God. To be filled with Christ is the same as being filled with the Word of God. Paul said in Ephesians 5:

Ephesians 5:18-20 (NKJ)
18 . . . be filled with the Spirit,
19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord,
20 giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

Then in Colossians, Chapter 3, he said:

Colossians 3:16-17 (NKJ)
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

Now, those of you who love math are going to love these two verses because in them we see the transitive property. The transitive property says that if A=B and B=C then A=C. Since being filled with the Spirit and being filled with the word of Christ both result in the same thing, they must both be equal to each other. These two expressions, being filled with the Spirit and being filled with the word of Christ, can essentially be used interchangeably since being filled with the Spirit will result in a desire for the word and being filled with the word will result in a heart that is open to the Spirit of God.

Therefore, when Jesus taught His disciples to pray for their daily bread, He was asking them to pray for a daily portion of the Spirit of Christ. There is no such thing as storing up enough of the Spirit today so that we will have enough to last us for two days or two weeks. We need a fresh supply of the Spirit of God moment by moment as we serve the Lord.

This means that we need the Word of God on a daily basis. We can’t just read the Bible through one time, and then say, I’ve already read that book. We need to take in the Word of God on a daily basis so that our hearts will be open to the working of the Holy Spirit.

As we look at the rest of Luke, Chapter 11, we do see what appears to be an emphasis upon the Word of God. In verse 5 Jesus said:

Luke 11:5-10 (NKJ)
5 . . . "Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves; (Again, we see the bread, and you say lend me three loaves,)
6 'for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him';
7 "and he will answer from within and say, 'Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you'?
8 "I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs.
9 "So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
10 "For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

Notice that in this story, the Lord says that if you are seeking some bread, or in other words if you are seeking to understand the Bible, you may have to be fairly persistent. You may not be able to just pick up the Bible and understand everything you read right at first. But don’t give up. God does want you to understand the word of God. He wants you to understand every word of it, but the Word of God is the kind of bread that you have to digest a little bit at a time.

God chided Israel in Isaiah, Chapter 55, saying:

Isaiah 55:2-3 (NKJ)
2 Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in abundance.
3 Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live . . .

But in Isaiah, Chapter 28, Isaiah said:

Isaiah 28:9-10 (NKJ)
9 "(To) Whom will (God) teach knowledge? And whom will he make to understand the message? . . .
10 . . . precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little."

Yes, God wants us to understand the Word of God, but it will become clear to us one precept at a time. Here a little and there a little. We must be persistent in our desire and persistent in our asking. If we seek, we will find; if we ask, we will receive.

Then, down in verse 27 of Luke 11, a woman cried out after hearing the wonderful words of the Lord Jesus. She said:

Luke 11:27-28 (NKJ)
27 . . . "Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!"

But what did Jesus say in response? He said:

Luke 11:28 (NKJ)
28 . . . "More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!"

Our family relationships on this earth are the most cherished relationships that we have in all the world, but we have to realize that they are of this world. Jesus said that hearing the word of God and keeping it is more important than even our family relationships. Our family relationships are for the here and now, but the Word of God will stand forever. In fact, the best way for us to enjoy and secure our family relationships is to hear the word of God and keep it.

I see that our time is almost gone for this morning, but as we close I’d like to remind you that if you don’t know Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, you can’t come to God as your heavenly Father. You do not have personal access to the Father because no one comes to the Father except through Jesus Christ. But if you put your faith in Christ and believe that He died on the cross for your sins, God will forgive your sins and accept you as one of His sons and then you can experience the blessing that it is to come to the God of the universe and call Him Father.

Thank you for listening to another broadcast of Bible Study Time. I’ll look forward to being with you again next week at this same time..

Write me at: jimjoan77@juno.com

Church links:

http://www.peacechurch-ok.org/

http://www.eleventhavenuechurch.com/

http://gracebiblechurch-fw.com/

Everything New (8-20-06)

Everything New
Bible Study Time 8-20-06

Last week we saw that the curse of death came upon all men because of Adam’s sin, but because of God’s amazing grace, all men now have access to eternal life because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Even before Adam’s sin and before the curse was pronounced, God had already formulated His plan of redemption, and His plan provided for the restoration of mankind as well as the restoration of all of creation. His plan was to make everything new.

For 2000 years, God gave no real clue as to what His plan for redemption might entail other than the fact that He sacrificed an animal to provide clothing for Adam and Eve and His statement that the seed of the woman would bruise the head of Satan.

Nearly 2000 years past before God took the first step in His plan for redemption. That first step was the calling out of Abraham.

While Abraham was still living in Ur of the Chaldeans, the Lord said:

Genesis 12:1-3 (NLT)
1 . . . "Leave your country, your relatives, and your father's house, and go to the land that I will show you.
2 I will cause you to become the father of a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and I will make you a blessing to others.
3 I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you."

Later, God told Abraham:

Genesis 17:4,6-8 (NLT)
4 "This is my covenant with you: I will make you the father of not just one nation, but a multitude of nations!
6 I will give you millions of descendants who will represent many nations. Kings will be among them!
7 "I will continue this everlasting covenant between us, generation after generation. It will continue between me and your offspring forever. And I will always be your God and the God of your descendants after you.
8 Yes, I will give all this land of Canaan to you and to your offspring forever. And I will be their God.

In making these promises God had identified the people through whom redemption would come, and He had identified the land which would serve as the focal point in His plan of redemption. The people would be the children of Abraham, and their land would be the land of Canaan.

By the time another thousand years had past, the children of Abraham had indeed grown into a great nation, and they were well established in the land of Canaan. It was at this point that God told King David that someday even the heavens and the earth would be redeemed from the curse and that one of his descendants would rule over all the earth. In Psalm 102 David said:

Psalms 102:25-28 (NLT)
25 In ages past you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands.
26 . . . they will perish, but you remain forever; they will wear out like old clothing, (but)You will change them like a garment, and they will fade away.
27 . . . you are always the same; your years never end.
28 The children of your people will live in security. Their children's children will thrive in your presence."

David was allowed a glimpse into the future when even the present heavens and the present earth will pass away, but after David the nation of Israel sinned against the Lord. They forsook the Lord God and went after the pagan gods of the Canaanites. As a result, God sent the prophets to warn them of the judgment that was sure to come, the time when the children of Israel would be carried away into captivity to live as slaves in a foreign land.

However, the prophets also confirmed the prophecies of David and said that God would restore Israel and all of creation at some point in the future. In Isaiah 51, the Lord spoke to the believing remnant of Israel, saying:

Isaiah 51:1 (NLT)
1 "Listen to me, all who hope for deliverance — all who seek the LORD! Consider the quarry from which you were mined, the rock from which you were cut!

(Here the Lord refers back to Abraham and more specifically to the faith of Abraham, pointing out that Israel had become a great nation because of the faith of people like Abraham. So He says, “Consider the rock from which you were cut.”)

Isaiah 51:2-3 (NLT)
2 Yes, think about your ancestors Abraham and Sarah, from whom you came. Abraham was alone when I called him. But when I blessed him, he became a great nation."
3 The LORD will comfort Israel again and make her deserts blossom. Her barren wilderness will become as beautiful as Eden — the garden of the LORD. Joy and gladness will be found there. Lovely songs of thanksgiving will fill the air.

Now notice in verse 6 the Lord says:

Isaiah 51:6 (NKJ)
6 Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look on the earth beneath. For the heavens will vanish away like smoke, the earth will grow old like a garment, and those who dwell in it will die in like manner; but My salvation will be forever, and My righteousness will not be abolished.

In Isaiah 55 the Lord said:

Isaiah 55:3 (NKJ)
3 Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you-- the sure mercies of David.

Indeed, Isaiah knew that a new covenant was coming and that this new covenant was going to be an everlasting covenant based on the promises which were given to David.

The author of the book of Hebrews wrote about the glory of the New Covenant, and in the very first chapter, he went right back to David’s prophecy in Psalm 102, saying:

Hebrews 1:10-12 (NKJ)
10 And: "You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands.
11 They will perish, but You remain; and they will all grow old like a garment;
12 Like a cloak You will fold them up, and they will be changed. But You are the same, and Your years will not fail."

Peter expanded on this theme, saying:

2 Peter 3:10-13 (NKJ)
10 . . . the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.
11 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness,
12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?
13 Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

The Apostle John looked into the future and said:

Revelation 21:1-2 (NKJ)
1 . . . I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea.
2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

Someday, God is going to make everything new. What a comforting thought that is for us today as we hear the dreadful news that planet earth can not continue as it is. It used to be that the Bible teachers who were called the prophets of gloom and doom, but now it’s the scientists who predict a dire future for planet earth. Between global warming and natural disasters and wars that have to be fought in order to preserve the peace, what kind of future does this planet have?

Never fear, the Bible says that God has everything under control. Everything is going along precisely in accordance with His plan and purpose. Things will continue to get worse and worse, but the long term future for planet earth looks very positive.

Someday God is going to do away with our present earth, and He’s going to make a new heaven and a new earth. The old heaven and earth will be cast away like an old garment that’s completely worn out. Then God will make everything new. Isaiah said that all things will be as beautiful as they were in Eden, the Garden of God.

But what are we to do in the meantime. Well, God has already started the process of making everything new, and He decided to start that process with those of us who believe in Jesus Christ. In II Corinthians 5, Paul said:

2 Corinthians 5:17,18,20,21 (NKJ)
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation,
20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God.
21 For He made (Christ) who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

What we as believers have experienced so far in our walk with Christ is just the beginning of the process of our salvation. The writer of Hebrews says that:

Hebrews 7:25 (NKJ)
25 (Jesus Christ) is . . . able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him . . .

We can look at the word uttermost in two ways. We can look at it in terms of quantity, and we can look at it in terms of quality. First, God is able to save us all the way to the end. He will never leave us or forsake us. Jesus said:

John 10:27-28 (NIV)
27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.
28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.

Second, Jesus Christ saves to the uttermost in the sense that He will save every aspect of our being, inside and outside, and He will save everything around us. The redemption of the Lord Jesus Christ will leave no stone unturned. His salvation will save to the uttermost.

At this present time we have experienced the salvation of our souls. God has crucified the old man with Christ and has created within us the new man which is created according to God in true righteousness and holiness. Romans, Chapter 6, says that:

Romans 6:4 (NKJ)
4 . . . just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

Romans 8:1-2 (NKJ)
1 (And) There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made (us) free from the law of sin and death.

Romans 8:14-17 (NKJ)
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father."
16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
17 and if children, then heirs-- heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ . . . that we may also be glorified together.

According to Hebrews, God has made Jesus Christ the heir of all things, and we are joint heirs with Christ. Now, this does not say that we are co-heirs with Christ. A co-heir is one who gets a portion of the inheritance when the inheritance is divided among the heirs.

But we are not co-heirs with Christ; we are joint heirs with Christ. That means that all of us get everything. We have been made the heir of all things with Christ, and this includes the new heaven and the new earth. Romans 8 says that:

Romans 8:19-24 (NLT)
19 . . . all (of) creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are.
20 Against its will, everything on earth was subjected to God's curse.
21 All creation anticipates the day when it will join God's children in glorious freedom from death and decay.
22 For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.
23 And even we Christians, although we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, also groan to be released from pain and suffering. We, too, wait anxiously for that day when God will give us our full rights as his children, including the new bodies he has promised us.
24 Now that we are saved, we eagerly look forward to this freedom . . .

Well, I see that our time is already gone for this morning. I trust that you are rejoicing in the fact that someday God will make everything new, and He has already started that process in the hearts of those of us who believe in Jesus. Thank you for listening to another broadcast of Bible Study Time, and I’ll look forward to being with you again next week at this same time.

Write me at: jimjoan77@juno.com

Church links:

http://www.peacechurch-ok.org/

http://www.eleventhavenuechurch.com/

http://gracebiblechurch-fw.com/

All Sufficient Grace (8-13-06)

All Sufficient Grace
Bible Study Time 8-13-06

In Romans, Chapter 5, the Apostle Paul said:

Romans 5:12-14 (NKJ)
12 . . . just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned--
13 (For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law.
14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.

Here we see that before the Law, God did not hold people accountable for their individual sins because there was no law. As Paul said, sin is not imputed where there is no law.

However, it is clear that all people from Adam to Moses were under the curse of death because they all died. Paul’s question then was this: On what basis did God sentence everyone to death? His conclusion: All people received the death sentence because of Adam’s sin.

The curse of death passed from Adam to all those who followed after him though they did not commit the same sin that Adam committed. No one after Adam had the opportunity to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. When God pronounced the curse, He said:

Genesis 3:22-24 (NKJ)
22 . . . "Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, (he may) put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever"--
23 therefore the LORD God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken.
24 So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.

Obviously, God is the One and only being who has the right to determine what is good and what is evil, to determine what is just and what is unjust. There is no one above God to pass judgment upon His judgments or upon His actions. He is the ultimate authority over all of creation. It was God who determined that because of Adam’s sin the sentence of death would pass upon all people.

That’s bad news, and some people say, I just can’t believe in a God like that. Well, for those people there is some more bad news. We don’t get to chose the character of God. God is who He is, and it is in our best interest to find out who He is. Proverbs, Chapter 9, says:

Proverbs 9:8-12 (NLT)
8 . . . don't bother rebuking mockers; they will only hate you. But the wise, when rebuked, will love you all the more.
9 Teach the wise, and they will be wiser. Teach the righteous, and they will learn more.
10 (The) Fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in understanding.
11 Wisdom will multiply your days and add years to your life.
12 If you become wise, you will be the one to benefit. If you scorn wisdom, you will be the one to suffer.

Those who are wise will want to find out who God is because the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Accordingly, those who are wise rejoice in the word of God. The Bible is the direct result of God’s love and of His grace. The Bible is the only book which is written by God, and it is God’s purpose to reveal Himself through the Bible. Paul said:

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

Peter said:

2 Peter 1:19-21 (NKJ)
19 And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, 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;
20 knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation,
21 for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

Because God loves us, He gave us His word. Because He wants all men to be saved, He gave us His word, and in His word we find that because of one man’s sin, death passed upon all men.

Why did God tell us this? He wants us to understand why we look around and see so much evil. He wants us to understand why we look around and see people who do foolish things and create so much needless pain and suffering. He wants us to understand why we do foolish things that create so much pain and suffering. He wants us to understand how to be saved from sin and from eternal condemnation.

The good news about the word of God is that it is not something that we have to travel across land and sea to find. It’s not something that we have to search for in the far reaches of outer space or in the depths of the ocean. No, the word of God is close at hand. As Moses told the children of Israel:

Deuteronomy 30:11-14 (NLT)
11 "This command I am giving you today is not too difficult for you to understand or perform.
12 It is not up in heaven, so distant that you must ask, 'Who will go to heaven and bring it down so we can hear and obey it?'
13 It is not beyond the sea, so far away that you must ask, 'Who will cross the sea to bring it to us so we can hear and obey it?'
14 The message is very close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart so that you can obey it.

The Apostle Paul wrote the book of Romans during the Acts-period while God was offering the New Covenant Kingdom to the nation of Israel. Paul said in Romans 10 that his heart’s desire and his prayer for Israel was that they would be saved, but he went on to say that they were ignorant of the fact that:

Romans 10:4-11 (NKJ)
4 . . . Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
5 For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law, "The man who does those things shall live by them."
6 But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?'" (that is, to bring Christ down from above)
7 or, " 'Who will descend into the abyss?' " (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).
8 But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith which we preach):
9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
11 For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame."

God’s wants people to understand how to be saved from the curse of sin. Oh, what a simple message of salvation God has provided for us through the Bible. The book which is close at hand. It’s found in almost every home in America and is being distributed all around the world even as we speak. This book is the book that contains God’s simple message of salvation:

Romans 10:9 (NKJ)
9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

Romans 5 says that by one man sin came into the world, and by God’s decree, death passed upon all men. God had the right to do that because He is God, but He also has the right to offer salvation to any and all who believe in the work of one righteous man. Romans 5 says that:

Romans 5:15-17 (NLT)
15 . . . this one man, Adam, brought death to many through his sin. But this other man, Jesus Christ, brought forgiveness to many through God's bountiful gift.
16 And the result of God's gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man's sin. For Adam's sin led to condemnation, but we have the free gift of being accepted by God, even though we are guilty of many sins.
17 The sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over us, but all who receive God's wonderful, gracious gift of righteousness will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ.

It was by God’s decree that death passed upon all men, and it is by God’s decree that all men can be saved because of Christ’s finished work upon the cross. Just as surely as all people face physical death because of Adam’s sin, all who believe in Jesus Christ will be given victory over sin and death and will someday be given an immortal body which is not subject to death.

This salvation has nothing to do with our good works. It has to do with God’s overwhelmingly abundant grace. Paul said:

Romans 5:20-21 (NKJ)
20 . . . the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more,
21 so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The Law was given so that we could understand the magnitude of our sin, but where sin abounded, grace did much more abounded.

God’s superabounding grace is beautifully illustrated in the parable of the king who forgave the debt of His servant. In that parable the Lord said that the king forgave his servant even though the servant owed him 10,000 talents, which was probably more than 15 million dollars by our standards today. Specifically, Jesus said:

Matthew 18:23-27 (NKJ)
23 "Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.
24 "And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.
25 "But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made.
26 "The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, 'Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.'
27 "Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.

Of coarse, we know that according to this parable this same servant went out and found a man who owed him only a hundred denarii, or a few thousand dollars, but he refused to forgive the debt. The Lord said:

Matthew 18:28-34 (NKJ)
28 "But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, 'Pay me what you owe!'
29 "So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.'
30 "And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt.
31 "So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done.
32 "Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me.
33 'Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?'
34 "And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him.

What an incredible illustration of God’s forgiveness and of our own reluctance to forgive! The king represents our heavenly Father and the fact that He is willing and able to forgive all of our sins, regardless of how great our sin debt may be. He makes no requirement for us to even try to pay the debt ourselves. Our debt is too great to even begin to pay it off.

When I read this story, I am convicted that I often view my sin debt as being somewhat like the 100 denarii, which was about what a man would receive for a hundred days worth of work, or four or five months worth of work. Well, even that is a sizable debt. I know that most of us would be fairly upset if someone owed us 4 or 5 months worth of back pay, but they refused to pay us.

But I am amazed when I see that my sin debt in the sight of God is not represented by a hundred denarii, but it’s represented by 10,000 talents, by millions of dollars. Truly the grace of God is amazing. I know that I can’t even image the vastness of my sin, but this I know, according to Romans 5, where sin did abound, grace did much more abound. Where I am often unwilling to forgive even the sins that I can understand, God is willing to forgive my sin debt which is greater than I can imagine.

Our heavenly Father is willing to forgive our sin debt because of the work of Jesus Christ, His Son, upon the cross of Calvary. The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

If you have never accepted God’s forgiveness for your sin, won’t you confess your sinful state today and accept God’s forgiveness through faith in Jesus Christ and His sacrifice upon the cross of Calvary.

Well, I see that our time is gone for this morning. Thank you for listening to another broadcast of Bible Study Time.

Write me at: jimjoan77@juno.com

Church links:

http://www.peacechurch-ok.org/

http://www.eleventhavenuechurch.com/

http://gracebiblechurch-fw.com/

Life After Death (8-6-06)

Life After Death
Bible Study Time 8-6-06

In Mark, Chapter 12, the Sadducees asked Jesus a question about what marriage will be like after the resurrection. Of coarse, the Lord Jesus knew that the Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection so He said:

Mark 12:24-27 (NLT)
24 "Your problem is that you don't know the Scriptures, and you don't know the power of God.
25 For when the dead rise, they won't be married. They will be like the angels in heaven.
26 But now, as to whether the dead will be raised — haven't you ever read about this in the writings of Moses, in the story of the burning bush? Long after Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had died, God said to Moses, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.'
27 So he is the God of the living, not the dead. You have made a serious error."

The fact that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were already poised to be raised from the dead makes them living beings even though their bodies lie in the grave.

After Elisha died, his body was placed in a tomb. Some time later, some Israelites were burying a man when they spotted a band of Moabite raiders. They hurriedly placed the man’s body in Elisha’s tomb, and when the man’s body touched Elisha’s bones, he suddenly revived and stood upon his feet.

In this we see a powerful demonstration of the potential for life that lies dormant within the bodies of all those who have died. Being raised from the dead is a sure thing for all those who face death.

Believers who die in our present age will be resurrected before the tribulation period. All other believers will be resurrected just before the thousand year reign of Christ. Then all of the unsaved dead will be resurrected at the end of Christ’s thousand year reign only to face Christ at the Great White Throne of judgment.

When Moses went to Egypt to deliver his fellow countrymen from Egyptian bondage, he became discouraged when Pharaoh refused to let the children of Israel go, but God encouraged Moses, saying:

Exodus 6:2-4 (NLT)
2 . . . "I am the LORD.
3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as God Almighty, though I did not reveal (to them that) my name (is) the LORD . . .
4 And I entered into a solemn covenant with them. Under its terms, I swore to give them the land of Canaan, where they were living.

Notice that God did not say, “I swore to give you the land of Canaan.” He said, “I swore to give them the land of Canaan.” The implication of these words is clear; someday Abraham, Isaac and Jacob will be resurrected to receive the land of Canaan.

Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob lived their whole lives knowing that God had not and would not fulfill this promise until after many generations. At one point God actually told Abraham that his descendants would be strangers in a strange land and would be afflicted for 400 years before being brought back into the land of promise.

Even so, Abraham was not discouraged. Hebrews 11 says that:

Hebrews 11:8-10,13 (NLT)
8 It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave (his) home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going.
9 And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith — for he was like a foreigner, living in a tent. And so did Isaac and Jacob, to whom God gave the same promise.
10 Abraham did this because he was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God.
13 All these faithful ones died without receiving what God had promised them, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed the promises of God. They agreed that they were no more than foreigners and nomads here on earth.

Why were these men willing to live their whole lives without ever seeing the fulfillment of God’s promise? They believed in the resurrection. The book of Hebrews goes on to say that

Hebrews 11:17-19 (NKJ)
17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,
18 of whom it was said, "In Isaac your seed shall be called,"
19 concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense.

Clearly, Abraham’s faith was not weakened by the prospect of death. Death had no bearing on his faith because he knew that God has the ability to raise the dead.

I’m afraid that many times we get wrapped up in the things of this life, and we start feeling that all is lost if things don’t go just this way or that way, but Abraham did not seem to worry about the details of this life. He was able to keep his eyes steadfastly fixed upon the reward that God had promised Him. He knew that there was nothing in this world that could keep him from seeing and obtaining that heavenly city with eternal foundations.

The Apostle Paul expressed pretty much the same idea in Romans, Chapter 8, when he said:

Romans 8:16-18 (NKJ)
16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
17 and if children, then heirs-- heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.
18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

Romans 8:28-30 (NKJ)
28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.
30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.

Romans 8:33,35,38,39 (NKJ)
33 Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies.
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come,
39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

On the other hand, in I Corinthians 15, Paul said that:

1 Corinthians 15:19-20,23-26 (NLT)
19 . . . if we have hope in Christ only for this life, we are the most miserable people in the world.
20 But the fact is that Christ has been raised from the dead. He has become the first of a great harvest of those who will be raised to life again.
23 But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised first; then when Christ comes back, all his people will be raised.
24 After that the end will come, when he will turn the Kingdom over to God the Father, having put down all enemies of every kind.
25 For Christ must reign until he humbles all his enemies beneath his feet.
26 And the last enemy to be destroyed is death.

Notice that here in I Corinthians, Paul gives the order of the resurrections, and He says that the first resurrection after that of Christ will be the resurrection of believers at Christ’s second coming. Then he says that the end will come and death will be destroyed.

Since Christ’s second coming will occur at the end of the tribulation period, it seems apparent that at this point Paul did not see a resurrection of believers before the tribulation period. This timeline of events is in perfect agreement with Revelation, Chapter 20, where the Apostle John said that the “first resurrection” will be before the thousand year reign of Christ, and it will include those who were killed for refusing the mark of the beast. In Revelation 20, and verse 4, John said:

Revelation 20:4-5 (NLT )
4 . . . I saw thrones, and the people sitting on them had been given the authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony about Jesus, for proclaiming the word of God. And I saw the souls of those who had not worshiped the beast or his statue, nor accepted his mark on their forehead or their hands. They came to life again, and they reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
5 This is the first resurrection. (The rest of the dead did not come back to life until the thousand years had ended.)

Clearly, John did not see a resurrection of believers before the tribulation period, but he went on to say that the second resurrection will take place at the end of the thousand year reign when Christ subdues all of His enemies. This will take place at the Great White Throne judgment when all of the unsaved dead are cast into the lake of fire.

The Bible says that the lake of fire is the second death, and as I Corinthians 15 says, this is the time when death as we know it will be destroyed. The death that we are familiar with is one which is not eternal. People today who die without accepting Christ go to a place known as hell or hades, but at the time of the Great White Throne judgment, death and hell will be cast into the lake of fire along with those who are unsaved. .

It is somewhat startling to many people when they see that neither Paul (in I Corinthians 15) or John (in Revelation 20) saw a resurrection of believers before the tribulation period, and unfortunately, many people look at these verses and conclude that the Church of our present age will go through the tribulation period. However, we must not forget that I Corinthians was written during the Acts period before the Church, the Body of Christ, was revealed.

During the Acts period, the Apostle Paul was preaching as a minister of the New Covenant. He was anticipating the tribulation period, the second coming of Christ and the setting up of the kingdom. By the time the Apostle Paul wrote Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, I and II Timothy and Titus, he had been given the revelation concerning the Church which is the Body of Christ.

Paul said that this revelation was something which none of the other apostles or prophets knew about because it was revealed specifically to Paul. In the letters which he wrote after the Acts period, Paul never even once referred to the second coming of Christ. Instead, he always referred to the appearing of Christ. In Paul’s first letter to Timothy he said:

1 Timothy 6:13-14 (NKJ)
13 I urge you in the sight of God . . .
14 that you keep this commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ's appearing,

In Paul’s second letter to Timothy he said:

2 Timothy 4:8 (NKJ)
8 Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.

To Titus Paul wrote that we should:

Titus 2:12-13 (NKJ)
12 . . . live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age,
13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,

Paul may not have known about the significance of the appearing of Christ when he wrote his Acts period epistles. If he did, he gave no such indication in those letters.

Today, our hope of the pretribulation rapture lies in Paul’s revelation of the mystery concerning the Church which is the Body of Christ. In this body of truth Paul revealed that the program for the Church, the Body of Christ, is separate and apart from God’s program for Israel.

Therefore, the Church, the Body of Christ, will be taken up into heaven before God resumes his dealings with Israel. Specifically, the rapture and resurrection of the Church will occur at the time of Christ’s appearing for:

Colossians 3:4 (NKJ)
4 When Christ who is our life appears, then (we) also will appear with Him in glory.

I see our time is gone for this morning. Thank you for listening to another broadcast of Bible Study Time.

Write me at: jimjoan77@juno.com

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