The Days of Noah Part 4: The Flood

This is the 4th in a series of the series called The days of Noah, this being The Flood.  This is one of the most powerful sermons I have ever heard, and it moved me to tears.  I know that it will be a blessing to you, and I beseech you to either read the whole of the notes (which are long) or take the time to listen to the sermon at Sermon Audio which is linked below. 

As a background, prior to Noah building the ark, God spoke to Noah, who "found grace in the eyes of the LORD" (Gen 6:8) and instructed Noah to build the ark to the LORD's specifications (Gen 6:13-16) and told Noah that he, the LORD would bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, and every living thing that is in the earth would die, but with Noah he would establish his covenant. In Gen 6:3 the LORD said "My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years."  Noah with his wife, his sons, and his son's wives, would be safe on the ark.  This is the background, and following are the notes from the sermon:

The Days of Noah - the Flood

Genesis 7:1-24

Between the end of Gen 6 and Gen 7:1 almost 120 years had passed during which Noah continued working and building the ark.  And when the ark was finished, God speaks to Noah Gen 7:1-4 "And the LORD said unto Noah, come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.  Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female.  Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth.  For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth."    God speaks after 120 years and tells Noah to bring his family and the animals and the birds into the ark for the time of judgment had come.  120 years had passed since the first warning, since the preacher of righteousness was instructed by God to begin building the ark.  Now God says there are seven days left, the time has come.

Seven more days of grace V4. The door of grace, of salvation on the side of the ark would be open for another seven days.   Didn't God give the people in the world of Noah's day every opportunity.  He gave them the preacher, he gave them 120 years, and now a further 7 days of grace.  The bible tells us that Noah gathers his family into the ark.  His wife, his sons and his son's wives.  But note that Noah's sons had not been born when God had last spoken to Noah.  When God told Noah that the flood was coming 120 years ago, Noah's sons were not born, because it tells us that Noah's sons were born when Noah was 500 years old (Gen 5:32) and the flood came when Noah was 600 (Gen 7:6) but God had told Noah 120 years previous that the flood would come, 20 years before Noah's sons were born.  So Noah's sons had grown up when their father was building the ark and preaching righteousness.  God had not directly spoken since, Noah's sons had never heard the message direct from God, just from their father the preacher.  But when they were 100 years old, they and their wives went into the ark.  They believed the preacher, they believed the flood was coming, but the ungodly did not and yet both groups had heard the same message from the same preacher.  It saved some and condemned others.  Because some people, when they hear the gospel, the gospel saves them.  But some people, the gospel hardens.

The Days of Noah Part 3: Noah's World

This is the third in a series of 7 posts regarding Noah and the flood from Genesis 6 to 9 in the bible.

The Days of Noah Part 3:  Noah's World




In the previous two messages we have studied the proofs from the bible and from geology and geography that Noah and the global flood were historic events.  Noah was a real person and the flood was a real event.  Noah was a man of faith who walked with God, and because of that God told Noah that because the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually, (Gen 6:5) that God would destroy every living thing that he had created, from the face of the earth and Noah, in the light of that, became a preacher of righteousness, and he warned the generation in which he lived of the judgment which was coming.  The fact that the generation of his day didn't listen is irrelevant because they were warned.  Because of that there are no excuses in the day of judgment.  

What kind of world did Noah live in?   
Noah's world was a real world, not  a world of fun added things of children's stories. It had a culture, it had a philosophy of life, a way of thinking.  A way not very different from our society.  Indeed we may discover that the same philosophy that prevails today in Western society is very similar to the way of thinking in Noah's day because humans don't change.  They are the same today as they were in the whole of history since the fall.  Technology advances, but humans do not change.

Gen 6:5 "And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually."   They had an evil mind.  God saw that man's wickedness, man's morality or ethics was evil.  The wickedness of man was great, abounding, overflowing.   Man's wickedness had reached a new low.  Every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.  Every imagination, every concept, every purpose or device of the thoughts of his plans of his heart.  All day, all month or all year, continually.  Genesis 6 teaches that man coming up to the flood had come to such a stage of moral evil just before the flood, that everything was utterly evil all the time.  They did not do evil through carelessness not heeding what they do, they did evil deliberately, contriving how to do mischief.  There was no good to be found among them and God saw it. In other words, an evil mind-set had come down.  A depraved mind-set.

The Days of Noah Part 2: Noah the Person

This is the second in a 7 part series on Noah and the Flood from Genesis 6.

The Days of Noah:  Part 2, Noah the Person

Noah lived 4,600 years ago.  He was a real, historical person and has a very detailed family tree.  The flood is also a real, historical event.  Genesis and the Lord Jesus say so, there are many references to Noah and the flood in the bible.  In almost every continent, there are flood stories. 

What type of a man was Noah?  he has a reputation as the man who built the ark, and sinned after the flood was over in drunkenness.  But let us truly look at Noah as the person he was.

Noah was descended from Seth.  Why is this important?  Noah was brought up in a godly home.  Who is Seth?  Adam's third son.  First Cain, then Abel but Cain murdered Abel and was sent away.  From Cain came the godless line.  After this another son was born to Adam called Seth and the godly line continued through that line. Genesis 4:25-26 "And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth.  For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew.  And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD."  Noah was from this line.  Noah's great-grandfather was so much a man of God that he was taken straight from  earth to heaven, that being Enoch. Genesis 5:24 "And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him".

Noah's father, Lamech, called his son Noah because Noah means "rest" or "comfort".  Lamech knew that toil and hardship was in this world and it was a result of human sin and God's curse..  Gen 5:28-29  "And Lamech lived an hundred eighty and two years, and begat a son: and he called his name Noah saying, This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD hath cursed." So Lamech named his son Noah because he knew that the reason why things were hard and life was troubled was because of human sin.  Lamech knew far more than most modern people.  Lamech knew far more than many Christians in the western world today.  People wonder why bad things happen to Christians.  Lamech knew why bad things happen to good people and this was 4,600 years ago.  Today Christians ask "why did this happen to me?"  Because we live in a cursed, fallen world and these bad thing happen because of human sin.  Lamech lived in a world in which he needed comfort and rest, so he named his son Noah.  God's name would have been mentioned in Noah's home and this influenced the boy Noah.

The Days of Noah Part 1: Noah was a real, historic person

Are you one that doubts the reality of the man called Noah, and the flood that God brought upon the earth?  This is the first in a 7 part series of in-depth articles on Genesis 6 to 9 based on the King James bible.

The Days of Noah Part 1

The Proofs that Noah was a living, historic person and the flood was an actual, historic fact.

Genesis 6:1-14 "And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.  And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.  There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.  And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.  And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.  And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.  But Noah found grace  in the eyes of the LORD.  These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God. And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.  The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.  And God looked upon the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.  And God said unto Noah, the end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.  Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch."
 
About 5,000 years ago, around 3,000 BC there lived a man called Noah.  Noah was a man who was very different from the generation in which he lived.  We read about Noah mostly in the book of Genesis.  The book of Genesis is the book of beginnings and it is a history book.  Genesis contains real, actual, literal history.  Genesis is the foundation of the whole bible and all the major doctrines of scripture can be traced in their foundation to the book of Genesis.  The author is God, the writer is Moses.  The first 5 books of the bible are called the books of Moses, the Lord Jesus says so in John 5:46 "For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me."  2 Chron 35:12 "......as it is written in the book of Moses" 2 Corin 3:15 "But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the veil is upon their heart." Romans 10:5 "For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law..." 1 Corin 9:9  "For it is written in the law of Moses..."   To disagree on this is to disagree with the bible.  Noah and the events recorded about his day are real history.  These things happened and these things are recorded for us that we may learn from them.  1 Corin 10:11 "Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition upon whom the ends of the world are come."  There is a stark lesson for the new testament church to be found in Noah and his day as recorded in the book of Genesis 6.

Psalm 8: God's Handiwork

As of a few days ago, this being October 26, 2015, there is a beautiful sight in the pre-dawn sky, that being the planets Venus and Jupiter being close to each other.  The sermon below, fits so beautifully with this beautiful sight.  I just don't know how anyone can look at the stars and not be convicted or believe in the Creator.

God's Handiwork

Psalm 8:1-9 "O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens.  Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and avenger.  When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.  Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet: All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field; The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.  O LORD our Lord how excellent is thy name in all the earth."
 
This Psalm detaches us from human problems and anxieties and transfers our mind to distant unexplored regions.  This Psalm is true elevated thought.  If you have ever gone out on a clear starry night, away from those street lights which obliterate 90% of the glory of God, if you stay in the dark until your eyes get adjusted to the dark and then you look at the heavens, the things that God has made, and you see the different colors, and the shooting stars;  if you use binoculars and look at the night sky, just the pure size of it, you will feel very, very small.  And that is what David saw, and when he saw it, it made him think about God and it made him worship God because creation points to the Creator.  The Psalm opens in V1 with admiration of God, "O LORD, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens".  O Jehovah, our Jehovah.  Excellent means how large, how wide is the authority of thy name in all the earth.  The word glory means grandeur, majesty or outshining.  God's glory, the outshining of God is above all the heavens.  It is pre-eminent over the heavens.  God you are so great, your glory - your outshining is beyond the heavens.  You outshine the heavens in your glory.  

When David looked at the creation, the earth and the heavens, it made him think of a big God.  It didn't lead to petty thoughts.  He didn't go out and see this creation and then have little petty thoughts.  He was thinking that God is great and other things receded into the background.  It gave him a proper view of God, a proper perspective.  Sometimes as Christians we think of a limited God like us, but we need to look at the stars more.  So in this Psalm of David firstly we see an admiration of God, and secondly the admiration led to a wonder of God's greatness revealed in his creation.

Are You Too Busy?

Are you too busy?  Busy for what, you may ask.   My husband and I have found over the years, that many times people are “too busy” to do things that they do not want to do, but they are never too busy to do the things that they do want to do.  Should this be?  We have family members that say they are “too busy” to have us over for dinner, but that they would be available months down the road.   But what if they really wanted to have someone over for dinner?  We know that they are not too busy for that, but find the time because it is something they want to do.  We know other people who do not answer emails because they are “too busy” when actually they did not want to deal with the subject matter of the email, and this to their shame because being in a position of authority, they should never have been “too busy” to respond to something concerning the place they were in authority over.

“Too busy” is too often a very sad excuse.  Websters 1828 dictionary defines busy thus:

“Employed with constant attention; engaged about something that renders interruption inconvenient; as, a man is busy in posting his books”

Note the above, engaged with something that renders interruption inconvenient.  Inconvenience, that is the key.  “I am too busy, I don’t want to be bothered because I am too busy doing other things and I will get around to you eventually”..

What should be the attitude of a Christian?

Galatians 6:9 “And let us not be weary in well-doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”
Hebrews 4:16 “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”

So let us never be weary in well-doing, and let us always be ready to help a person who may ask,  and let us never be so busy with things of this world that we cannot or do not want to  spend quality time wherever or however it is asked of us.

Wild Rose with Matthew 5:8

This photo was taken in summer at the walk way of Somenos Marsh in the Cowichan Valley.  I loved the textures of this wild rose against the sturdiness of the fence and it reminds me the beauty of the pure in heart who will see God.

Bible Women: Jochebed, mother of Moses

(Exodus 1-2)

The story of Jochebed and the birth of Moses was at a time of great trial and tribulation for the people of Israel.  Background is necessary before introducing Moses' mother Jochebed. 

It is amazing to look back on the life of Joseph and remember how God protected him, and put him in a position of power and authority, so that the people of Israel would be preserved  in the time of famine...but in the passage of time, the new king of Egypt did not know of Joseph, and so things are about to change mightily for the children of Israel, and yet, in their misery, God is ever in control bringing things to pass that would lead to the exodus of the children from Egypt back to the promised land.

Exodus 1:7-11 "And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them.  Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph.  And  he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we: come on, let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and so get them up out of the land.  Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens.  And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities..."

But  the more that the children of Israel were afflicted by the Egyptians, the more they increased in numbers, and so the more the Egyptians afflicted them.  It was a vicious circle.  Exodus 1:13-14 "And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour: and they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in mortar, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field....."
 
Now the king seeks to stop the increase in a very drastic way, and he spoke to the Hebrew midwives whose names we are given.  Exodus 1:16 "And the king of Egypt spake to the Hebrew midwives, of which the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah: and he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the stools; if it be a son, then ye shall kill him: but if it be a daughter, then she shall live."     
And here is a wonderful verse - Exodus 1:17 "But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive."  Perhaps we are given the name of the midwives as a memorial to them because their reverential fear of the LORD God caused them to disobey the order of the king, and save the baby boys.  When the king found this out,  he called for the midwives "And the king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said unto them, Why have ye done this thing, and have saved the men children alive? And the midwives said unto Pharoah, Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women, for they are lively, and are delivered ere the midwives come in unto them."  It is true that they made the excuse that the babies were born before they got there, but still, they preserved the male children..and God blessed the midwives, Exodus 1:20 "Therefore God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty." Proverbs 11:18 "The wicked worketh a deceitful work: but to him that soweth righteousness shall be a sure reward."  And so now Pharaoh orders not the midwives, but the parents to kill their baby boys.  Exodus 1:22 "Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive."

Should a Christian Judge: Seeing Wrong and Speaking Out

Yesterday I posted my concerns regarding whether or not a Christian should judge.  After that I listened to this sermon on the subject and it was very helpful to me.  At the beginning of this sermon, Paul Dowling speaks of society professing not to believe in any rights or wrongs, and in my life I have heard many times certain family members speaking of "my truth" or "your truth".    These notes are quite long, but I hope that you will read all of them. 

Should a Christian Judge: Seeing Wrong and Speaking Out

Matthew 7:1-5 "Judge not, that ye be not judged.  For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.  And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest  not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye."
 
The purpose of this series (on judging) is to correct the thinking in the area of our cultural attitude.  Our society and culture thinks certain things and the Christian church has suckled from society's views and have come to read our society's views into new testament Christianity.  And in this series, people that do such things have made Christianity to be toothless.  Our society likes to say of itself that it is non-judgmental.  "I wouldn't judge" is the common blurb.  Our society also professes not to believe in any rights or wrongs, any absolutes.  If you don't believe in rights or wrongs you are not going to be judgmental.

If something is right, than the other is wrong.  Therefore society says that no matter what people say or do, say nothing because everyone has a right to their opinion, just say or do nothing about it.  And all these things hang together.  If you don't believe in right or wrong, you don't speak out about right and wrong. This wouldn't be so bad if that attitude stayed in the world, but now this whole pollution from our society has entered into the church of Christ.  And people have come to think that it is spiritual to be non-judgmental.  Let me tell you it is not spiritual to be non-judgmental.
We study this because the popular view today is never judge anything, never be angry about anything, never call anybody any name and just be nice and encouraging all the time.  That is the vast majority view of Christianity today.  That view is a twisting and perversion of new testament Christianity.

Christian Essentials: You Must Be Born Again

The following notes are taken by myself from a sermon preached by Rev Paul Dowling of Whiteabbey Congregational (Reformed) on October 18/15 upon his return to preaching after a serious illness.

Christian Essentials:  You Must Be Born Again

John 3:1-8 "There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:  The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.  Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.  Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.  That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.  The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit."
 
Everything that is in the bible is important. Everything.  Church practice is important or it wouldn't be in the scriptures.  Some things are more than important, they are absolutely essential.  What brings the essential things home is when we are unwell.  When I was unwell, after I was unwell I thought much about the essential things in the bible that we must be clear on.  The first night when I was taken in the ambulance to the hospital to intensive care, that night when the doctor said that I was seriously ill, and then when the pain came and my blood pressure went down to 50/20,  it just came into my mind, "maybe this is it".  And immediately following that thought, was the thought "are you ready to meet God?" and immediately following that was this "all I know is I am trusting in Jesus Christ alone and if that is not good enough there is no salvation".  The one thing that matters is this, are you trusting in Jesus Christ, nothing else counts for anything.  There is nothing in me or you, there is nothing in any one of us that will commend us to God except being in God's way of salvation, Jesus Christ, and that is the essential thing. 

Cowichan River Trail in Autumn with Proverbs 2:8

The trail beside the Cowichan River is particularly beautiful in Autumn when leaves are blowing in the wind and the trail is strewn with them.  and even though this path is not very narrow, it is a reminder to me of Proverbs 2:8, that God preserveth the way of his saints and keepeth the paths of judgment.

Ephesians: All of Grace

Ephesians 1:3-10 "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:  Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.  In whom we have redemption though his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: That in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him."

The blessings of God towards his people are amazing, they are spiritual blessings, and believers receive these spiritual blessings in that they are chosen in Christ from before the created order and they are chosen in Christ to be holy and without blame.  They are chosen in Christ to be sanctified, separation from sin to God, chosen to be made positionally holy and blameless.  God chose you for that before you existed.  We are adopted as his own children, he determined beforehand, he decreed from eternity that we would be adopted as his children, that we would be brought into the household of God and receive an eternal inheritance in Christ Jesus. 

By pure grace, which we have no right to, he has made us accepted in the very holy presence of God.  What blessings.  Anyone that would say "so what" or take these blessings for granted has never understood sin or God's holiness because that God would do those things for sinful wretches is absolutely astonishing.  Not to be amazed at these things that the bible says that God has done is to be an easy believer who sees salvation as a human right.  But the true Christian is saved by grace, undeserved mercy.  By grace, no one is saved as a human right.  The church needs to get away from the idea that humans have any right before God.  No one has rights to those things because salvation is of grace through faith.  Only grace.  It is only after we are adopted into his family that we become his children and the inheritors of eternal blessings from God and even then it is by Jesus Christ.  

In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace.  

Halloween and Christmas as Church Practice

Deau 18:9-12 "When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations.  There shall not be found among you any one that.....useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.  For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee."

What about the practice of Halloween and Christmas?  Should we be putting Christ back into Christmas.  What's the harm of trick or treat, or bonfires, or witches or wizards or monsters and children pretending to be them. God says these things are an abomination, but it is great fun for the unthinking.  Truth should guide our thinking and not the world's idea of fun.

Should we be putting Christ back into Christmas?  the problem is that this question overlooks the question of whether or not these festivals are right at all.  There can be no Christian way of doing things that are wrong, so we cannot speak of the Christian way to observe these things unless they are legitimate in the first place."

Churches have Halloween parties, and Christmas trees in pulpits.  Should this be?  Can we Christianize that which God has not even commanded or hinted at?  

What biblical command or principle is there for celebrating Halloween or Christmas:  There is no command or principle at all.  We are told to remember the Lord's death and that is it. 1 Corinthians 11:26 "For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till he come."  Neither Halloween nor Christmas was celebrated in scripture nor were they given a Christian veneer until the Roman Church..  until then both these celebrations were by pagans.. pagan festivals.  And both were hijacked by the Roman church and given an unbiblical Christian veneer.  Well what is the origin?  

He Bled for Us

He Bled For Us 

1 Peter 2

1 Peter 2:20-25 "For what glory is it, if when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God.  For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls."

A lovely section of scripture is 1 Peter 2.  What is the context of verse 24? "Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed"  Well, who was the letter written to? It was not written to everybody in the world.  According to chapter 1:2, "Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied."  This letter was written to the elect, those set apart by the Holy Spirit unto obedience, for those who are sprinkled with the blood of Jesus, that's who this letter is for.  It is addressed to believers, those who are redeemed by the blood of Christ.  If you are not saved, this letter is not for you, and the blessings of this letter are not for you.  But if  you are saved, redeemed by the blood of Jesus than these promises are for you.

In Chapter 2 Christians are told to be good in their life, (V1) be hungry for spiritual food (V2-3)  because you are God's spiritual house (V5-8) you are priests (V9)you are to be  holy (V11-16) be respectful (V17-18) patient in suffering (V19-21) and Christ is your example (V22-25)  Addressed to Christians, to the saved, to the born again blood-bought obedient believer.
V24 "Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed." This verse contains gospel truths, contains the good news of the gospel, and what happened on the cross of Christ.  Here is salvation in a person.

Bible Women: Rachel - Loved by her husband

Wife of Jacob, mother of Joseph and Benjamin,  sister of Leah,  daughter of Laban, Rachel is one of the most prominent women in the book of Genesis.

We first meet Rachel upon Jacob's arrival in Haran, where he has gone to search for his uncle Laban after being sent on this journey by his father Isaac.  (Genesis 28:1 "And Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and said unto him, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan.  Arise, go to Padan-aram, to the house of Betheuel thy mother's father; and take thee a wife from thence of the daughters of Laban thy mother's brother.").  Upon arriving in Haran, Jacob saw a  well in the field, and 3 flocks of sheep lying by it, and so Jacob asked the keepers of  the sheep of what land they were and they told him Haran, and that is how Jacob discovers that he has reached the land of his uncle.  Jacob asked if they knew Laban, and they did, and at that moment, "Rachel came with her father's sheep: for she kept them.  And it came to pass, when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother's brother, and the sheep of Laban...that Jacob went near, and rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the flock of Laban his mother's brother." (Genesis 29:9-10) and he kissed Rachel a kiss of greeting and wept..he must have been so glad that his journey was finally over.  And Rachel, hearing that Jacob was her cousin, ran to tell her father, upon which Laban came running, and Jacob was brought to their house.

After a month, Laban asked Jacob what he desired to be his wages for serving for him, and Jacob gives his answer.  "And Laban  had two daughters: the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel.  Leah was tender eyed; but Rachel was beautiful and wellfavoured.  And Jacob loved Rachel; and said I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter." (Genesis 29:16-18)  And so Jacob worked seven years for Rachel and that "they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her." (Genesis 29:20)

God Will Provide Himself With a Sheep?

A few weeks ago in one of the meetings of the church I attend, an older gentleman quoted Genesis 22:8 from his J.N. Darby translation and it is noted that there is a big difference, and an important difference, between the J.N.Darby translation and the King James..

Genesis 22:8 King James

And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.

Genesis 22:8 J.N Darby translation 

And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself with the sheep for a burnt-offering. And they went both of them together.

Both of these verses say that it is God that will provide, but here is the big difference.  The King James says "God will provide himself a lamb"  while the Darby says  "God will provide himself with the sheep"

We know that God did provide himself a lamb, for the Lord Jesus Christ is God incarnate, Philippians 2:7 "But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men."  John 1:1, 14 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word was made 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."  John 1:29 "The next day John (the Baptist) seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world."

The Darby translation is only speaking of this specific occasion when Abraham went with Isaac to offer him as a burnt offering as he was instructed to do in Genesis 22:1-2 (King James)  "And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.  And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of."  The reason why I say that the Darby is only speaking of this occasion is by the use of the word "with", this word "with" was added, it is not in the King James.  And also, in the Darby translation it says that "God will provide himself with the sheep"...  while the King James speaks "God will provide himself a lamb".

The King James is speaking of this occasion, because it is Abraham speaking to Isaac, believing that God will intervene,  but it is also looking forward to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, who was crucified on Calvary's cross, who shed his precious blood and took upon himself the penalty for sin and then gave up his spirit, to be raised from the dead on the first day of the week.   The Darby translation is not looking forward to the Lord Jesus in this verse.

We know from Genesis 22:13 that according to the King James "..Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns..."  the very fact that it was an adult ram that was provided for this instance, this makes the words "God will provide himself a lamb" so much more significant.

This is one of the reasons why I use only the King James, for I trust it.

Let Your Women Keep Silence in the Churches

Let your women keep silence in the churches..  here is another admonition of the apostle Paul that has brought about much debate.. I believe that the main reason for this debate is that many women today do not hold to being submissive to men.  Things today are not what they were in the days when Paul wrote these words.  But does this mean that they are not in effect today?  I believe that they are in effect. Even though we have the bible in completed written form, we are still living in bible times, for the Lord Jesus has not yet returned.  It is easy to lose sight of this fact, that we are part of bible times..

Here are the verses in question:

1 Corinthians 14:34-35 "Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law.  And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church."
As always, it is not wise to take a verse out of context, we have to look at the whole chapter, and in this case at the reason why Paul wrote to the church at Corinth in the first place.  In chapter one we learn that Paul told this church that they should "all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.  For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, ...that there are contentions among you." (chapter 1:10-11)  So we know that this was a church with problems, just as there are many churches with problems today, and so are these teachings not for today also?

In chapter 3:3 we learn that "ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?"

This church had some members that were not walking by the Spirit's leading, but, because they were believers, Paul wrote them this letter to teach them the way that things ought to be, that everything be done "decently and in order" (chapter 14:40)

So with this background, this brings us to the verse in question, that of women keeping silence in the church.  What is the appropriate time that Paul tells these women that they are keep silence? The following verse explains it.  (V35) "And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church."

Ephesians: The Doctrine of Divine Choice - Are You Offended at God's Choice?

Ephesians 1:1-5 "Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will."

Ephesians is a letter of blessings, the blessings are for the steadfast and faithful, they are spiritual or heavenly blessings, they are from God the Father through Jesus Christ.  Now we come to the question, why do the blessings come to us?  Why?   V4 tells us why.. this is a study on the first half of V4, "According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world"   This verse teaches a doctrine that is taught in many other verses of the bible, but this verses teaches a doctrine that many people do not like.  The doctrine of divine choice, or God's choice.  Humans fear those words, they feel uncomfortable and uneasy.. if the subject was the doctrine of human choice, people would be at ease and comfortable, but that God should have a choice, humans don't like that.  It makes us feel uncomfortable, that we are not in control.  There is no other doctrine that is more offensive to human choice than this doctrine that this verse teaches.

We are all born with a nature that automatically believes in free will.. we all automatically believe in human choice.  If we can't decide our choices, than that is not fair.  We are born thinking that we as humans have the right to control our destiny.  Well, no we don't.  God has the right.  He is the creator and we are his creation.  It was God's choice that the sky would look blue, it was God's choice that grass and leaves would look green. He did not ask for our opinion.  Because he made it, he has the choice to decide, not us.  Because he is the Creator, he has divine choice.  Unconditional election, predestination.  God chooses people to be saved according as he has chosen us in him before the foundation of the world.

Bible Women: Leah - Wife by Deception

Sister of Rachel, daughter of Laban, wife of Jacob..this is Leah.  Her story is one of obedience to her father, desire for her husband,  envy by her sister.  She bears the honour of being the mother of half of the twelve tribes of Israel, and one of her sons, Judah, was to be the line through whom came Joseph,  the husband of Mary, of whom was born the Lord Jesus Christ.

Genesis 29:16-17  "..Laban had two daughters: the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel.  Leah was tender eyed; but Rachel was beautiful and wellfavoured."   I would like to believe that the expression "tender eyes"  is an expression of a compassionate, gentle soul, but Strongs concordance interprets this expression as one who has weak eyes. This is in contrast to her sister who was beautiful,  "Rachel was beautiful and well favoured.   Still the important thing to remember here is that the Lord does not judge us by our physical appearance, and praise His name for that.  Truly, "...the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart." (1 Samuel 16:7)

The story of Leah begins when Jacob was called by his father Isaac who "blessed him and charged him, and said unto him, ....go to Padan-aram,to the house of Bethuel thy mother's father; and take thee a wife from thence of the daughters of Laban thy mother's brother." (Genesis 28:2) Jacob was specifically instructed "thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan) (Genesis 28:1)  Leah was not present when Jacob arrived at Padan-aram, and it was Rachel that Jacob met first, and Jacob loved Rachel.  Genesis 29:18 "..Jacob loved Rachel; and said (to Laban her father) I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter."   No doubt Leah came to know Jacob quite well as he worked those seven years for Rachel to be his wife,  but we do not know whether or not Leah knew that it would be her that would be given to Jacob on his wedding night.  The custom of the time was that the younger daughter should not marry before the older daughter, and so perhaps Leah was aware of what was to happen.. in any event on the night when Jacob was to receive Rachel as his wife, Laban took Leah instead, and brought her to Jacob.  Genesis 29:23 "And it came to pass in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter, and brought her to him; and he went in unto her." No doubt Leah was covered, as was the custom of women in those days to be wholly covered when the marriage took place.  Jacob would not have recognized the deception until morning which is exactly what happened "...in the morning, behold, it was Leah: and he said to Laban, what is this thou hast done unto me?..." (Gen 29:25) and Laban gives his explanation Genesis 26-27 "..Laban said, it must not be so done in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn.  Fulfil her week, and we will give thee this also for the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years."  And Jacob did so and fulfilled her week: and he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife also."  and so Leah had Jacob for herself for a period of seven days, before Rachel was given to him also as his wife for which he then had to serve Laban for seven more years.

Colossians 1:14 "...in Whom we have Redemption Through His Blood..."

This morning in our worship service, one of the older gentlemen read Colossians 1:14 thus “in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins;”.  Because I use the King James, I noticed right away that this version left out a very important phrase..  in the King James Colossians 1:14 reads thus “In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins.”   So my question is, how can there be redemption without the precious blood of Christ.  I do not know why the translators of his particular version left out the blood, but to me that is a very important thing.  What does the bible say about the blood of Christ?  I do not know how many times “blood” is left out in other versions, but here are some verses on this subject from the King James that I think are very important, and I have a challenge to anyone who reads this..  Compare these verses with your version, and see how many times the precious blood of Christ is left out..  If it is, you have a watered-down version, and a watered-down version brings a watered -down gospel, and a watered-down gospel brings a  watered-down salvation..
Matthew 26:28 “For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”

Acts 20:28 “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood”

Romans 3:25 “Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;”

Romans 5:9 “Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.”

Ephesians 1:7 “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;”

Ephesians 2:7 “But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.”

Colossians 1:20 “And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.”

Hebrews 9:12 “Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.”

Hebrews 9:14 “How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”

Hebrews 10:19 “Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,”

1 Peter 1:2 “Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.”

1 Peter 1:19 “But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:”

1 John 1:7 “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”

Revelation 1:5 “And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,”

Revelation 5:9 “And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;”

An Introduction to the Book of Ephesians

The book of Ephesians is a most beautiful book, I know people who have memorized it in its entirety.    This post is the first of many based on notes I have made from sermons on this book by Paul Dowling of Whiteabbey Congregational (Reformed).  I hope that these posts will be a blessing.

Understanding Ephesians, Introduction

Acts 20:17-38

Ephesians 1:1-4 "Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be  holy and without blame before him in love.:"

Ephesus was the most important city in Asia Minor, modern day Turkey.  In those days Ephesus had a population of over 600,000 people.  It had a harbor in which trade ships traveled.  Ephesus was the commercial center of the whole region, built on major trade routes.  Ephesus also boasted the temple of Diana, which is the Greek god Artemus, the huntress.  This was one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world.  The amphitheatre could seat 25,000 people with excellent acoustics.  In this city there was a Christian church, a body of believers and the first mention of Paul the apostle visiting the city is in Acts 18. They wanted him to come back again and he said that he would, God willing.

This church was founded or planted by the apostle Paul.  Acts 19:1 "And it came to pass, that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus:.."  He came and preached and lived in Ephesus for two years, Acts 19:10 "And this continued by the space of two years.." When he lived there he was their pastor and taught them sound doctrine.  That is why in the book of Ephesians you will not find Paul correcting any faulty doctrine that the Ephesians have because they were well instructed in the word of God.  They were a doctrinally sound church.  They also were saved from paganism, some of them from witchcraft.  When they were saved, they made a clean break with their worldly occultic practices in the past.  Acts 19:18-20 "And many that believed came, and confessed, and showed their deeds.  Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver.  So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed." When they were saved they burned their magic books to a value of 50,000 pieces of silver.  They burned them because they were converted and the books were evil.  They would not sell them because they did not want to pass on that which was evil, they did not want to make financial profit.  They did not want other people to read it, they wanted other people to be saved.  What is more valuable to you, money or people's souls?  Evil and the promotion of evil must be destroyed to obey the bible.  Some modern professed Christians love money more than souls, but the Ephesians would not do that because they loved Christ so much.  They wouldn't promote anything contrary to Christ. 

Who are Abraham's Descendants? What are the Covenants of Scripture?

Genesis 12:1-3

Genesis 15:1-21

Abram obeyed God, he left his father's house and his father's land when he was 75.  In Genesis 12 God is voicing a covenant with Abram;  an agreement, a promise between two parties.  There are certain things that Abram has to do, and in light of this there are certain promises that God makes to Abram.  I will give you the land, I will make of you a great nation, I will make you a blessing to all nations, in you shall all families of the earth be blessed.  People have called this covenant that God made with Abram the Covenant of Promise.  In Genesis 15 we see the covenant ratified or made legal in a powerful way.

An explanation of the covenants of scripture.  God always deals with people by way of covenant in the bible.  The Adamic covenant made with Adam: The covenant of works, certain duties imposed by God and then a warning..  "do not eat of the fruit....."  there were consequences for breaking covenants.  This was a contract of relationship between two parties, God and man.  Adam and Eve disobeyed God and broke the covenant and now man is under the sentence of death.  Humans cannot approach God by our works.  It was finished at the fall.

Then the Noahic covenant, the covenant of preservation.  The rainbow is the sign of that covenant.  God promised to do certain things, not to flood the world with water again.  Then there is the Mosaic covenant, the covenant of law and sacrifices.  The law was never meant to save.  If the law was meant to save why did they have a sacrificial system? The law was to show sin, failure to keep the law.  All these covenants can be summed up under three broad sections: