John 15:18-27 - The World and The Followers of Jesus

In the King James bible, John 15 uses the word "hate" in Jesus speaking to his disciples. Noah Websters 1828 defines the word "hate" as to dislike greatly, to have an aversion to.  According to their definition it is less than "abhor" or "detest".    I can attest that this is certainly true with regard to some family members who are anti-gospel, and even Christians who do not want to stand for the truth but are willing to compromise for the sake of "unity"..   but on to the verses in John 15.

V18-21  (Jesus speaking to his disciples) "If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.  If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you........if they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you......but all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me."

These are tough words.  No one wants to know that the world of the unsaved will greatly dislike us, or have an aversion to us.  But the bible shows us that the scribes and Pharisees hated the Lord Jesus so much that from the beginning of his ministry they sought ways to kill him.  For Christians now, mostly it is that if we stand for the truth of God's word or the gospel, we are avoided and would spend a lonely life but for the presence of the Holy Spirit who is our comfort and encourager as well as being our teacher.  If we were still in the world,  if we were still lost in our sins,  we would be accepted.  But again Jesus teaches that "I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you."  And may I say that many Christians do not want to accept that Christ has chosen them, they would rather believe that they chose Christ of their own "free will" and this alone makes for hard feelings towards any Christian who holds to the truth that the bible teaches, that Christ chose his own.  Christians are not hated for who they are so much as what they believe.  The gospel divides families, the bible divides families.

V22-27 "if I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin but now they have no cloke for their sin...if I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father....But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: and ye also shall bear witness, because ye  have been with me from the beginning."

Those that were on this earth during Jesus ministry of teaching, preaching and healing, are now without excuse when they rejected Christ because they were witnesses of him.  Now they had no covering for their sin, because even though they were witnesses of Jesus' ministry, they  had an aversion to him and rejected him.  Now Jesus tells his disciples that when the Holy Spirit comes, they would bear witness that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, the promised Redeemer, and they will spread the gospel and carry forth the teachings of the Lord Jesus.   For Christians today who look back to the cross by faith, and believe on Jesus as their Saviour, we also testify of Jesus, and bear witness of  his teachings, and of the gospel.

The next post will summarize chapter 16 and 17 before moving on to Chapter 18, the betrayal and arrest of Jesus.

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vcg

Daily Bible Reading: John 11:32-57 Jesus Raises Lazarus and the Response of the Priests

In my last two posts from the gospel of John chapter 11, the first was concerning the death of Lazarus, the second was concerning Jesus teaching Martha about the resurrection, specifically that Jesus is the resurrection and the life.  In this post, Mary comes to Jesus, and with power, Jesus raises Lazarus from the grave in the witness of many people.

As the section starts, Martha has gone home and told secretly told Mary that Jesus "calleth for thee" (V28)

V32-36 When Mary came to Jesus and saw him, she fell down at his feet saying "Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died"  Mary had faith the Jesus could have healed her brother.  She did not know the wonder and mercy she was about to witness. When Jesus saw her weeping, and that those who came with her were also weeping, he groaned in the spirit and was troubled.   Jesus asked "where have ye laid him?" and they said to Jesus "Lord, come and see."  Then we have the shortest verse in the bible, powerful in its meaning, "Jesus wept"  These two words show the compassionate heart of Jesus.  Some of the people said "behold how he loved him" but others said "could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind have caused that even this man should not have died?" Referring to Jesus as "this man" reveals that they did not believe on Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God.

Daily Bible Reading: John 11: 1-16 -The Death of Lazarus

John chapter 11 is full of teaching:  Firstly is the raising of Lazarus.  This is not the first time that Jesus has raised the dead; previously he raised the dead son of a widow while on his way to burial, also the daughter of Jairus, a child of 12.  But Lazarus is different.  He was raised to show forth the glory of God.  Lazarus, unlike the previous two, was already in the tomb, and had been for several days.  He was a person well known to Jesus and loved by him.  Many people witnessed the raising of Lazarus.  Jesus did it in a very public manner while the first two were in a more quiet way.

The raising of Lazarus takes place after the teaching of Jesus that he is The Good Shepherd.  That his sheep hear his voice, that they follow him,  Lazarus heard the voice of Jesus calling him and he came forth.

Also in this chapter is Lazarus' sister Martha.  Jesus gives Martha the assurance of resurrection.  Also here is the shortest verse in the bible "Jesus wept." 


V1-3 A certain man named Lazarus was sick.  He was of the town of Bethany, as were his sisters Martha and Mary.   They sent word to Jesus saying "Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick." 

From this we know that Martha and Mary were well acquainted with Jesus as they did not hesitate to send word to Jesus that Lazarus was sick.  It is likely that they believed that Jesus would come and heal Lazarus as he had done to so many others.

V4-7  Jesus said to his disciples "this sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.  Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus."  This verse is confirmation of the close relationship that they had.  But Jesus did not immediately go to Lazarus, he stayed  two more days in the same place because the death of Lazarus was to be very significant.

V7-16 After the two days were up, Jesus told his disciples "let us go to Judea again."  His disciples were surprised at that  because the Jews had wanted to stone Jesus there.  But Jesus said to them "our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep."  His disciples did not understand that Jesus was going to raise Lazarus from the dead, they just thought that Lazarus was sleeping as restful sleep so Jesus told them "Lazarus is dead."  Then Jesus told them that he was glad that he was not there when Lazarus died because it was because of this that they would believe.  Jesus said "nevertheless let us go to him." 

My next post will be about Martha, and her assurance of the resurrection of Lazarus.

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vcg

Salvation Comes to Zacchaeus

Luke 19:1-10

The Lord Jesus is going on his journey to Jerusalem, he is going to the feast of the Passover and on the way  he comes to Jericho.  It's a six hour walk from Jericho to Jerusalem and as Jesus is passing through Jericho (which was a fertile and prosperous city) he was surrounded by a throng of people.  V3  There are two main characters in this story, Jesus and Zacchaeus.. 

V1 Jesus was coming up through Jericho through a large crowd of people.  He is now a very famous and controversial person who has healed many sick people, exorcised demons, performed miracles, and most important he has been teaching and preaching for 3 years.  Crowds follow him everywhere he goes, but they say he is an old testament Prophet returned.  The powers that be in Israel, the religious authorities and leaders, hate Jesus because during his 3 year ministry he has exposed their sin and hypocrisy of religion.  He has unmasked their disobedience to God and their love of human ideas.  He has shown that the leaders are sinners just like everybody else and they hate him for it because the religious always think that they are better than everybody else.  They have tried to trick Jesus and he not only refutes them but he makes them look foolish.  All these leaders want Jesus dead and they are willing to stoop to any level and use any means to accomplish their goal of murder.  So much for their religion.  But in doing all this, these leaders are exactly fulfilling the plan that God had ordained before the world was even made.  So here is Jesus coming up the main street of Jericho.

And here is Zacchaeus V2-4  "And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was very rich. And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature.  And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way."   Zacchaeus doesn't have the credentials of Jesus, the common people hate Zacchaes because he is a tax collector (publican) and not only that but (V2) he was the chief tax collector, the boss of all the tax collectors.  Tax collectors in Israel were known as traitors because they worked for Rome and hated by the common people.  Zacchaeus was rich (abundant in his wealth) but this day Zacchaeus heard that Jesus was coming, he must already of heard of Jesus.  He wants to see Jesus, he had a casual interest and wanted to see who he was.

One Month Away..

My goodness, how time flies.  It has been one month since I made my last blog post and so much has happened.   Illness was in this house, and I was sick with bronchitis and the flu.  My husband came down with the same thing but whereas I was able to stay home, he had to make a trip to the emergency room of the local hospital having breathing problems and abdominal pain.  He was on oxygen and IV fluids while there and they sent him home on antibiotics saying that he also had bronchitis.  In all, I was sick from February 4th until this past week which was end of March, and he was sick from middle of March to this week when we both finally stopped coughing.  Thank the Lord that this is past.

Also, in the middle of March I sadly made the decision to sell my little Chihuahua/toy poodle puppy after taking her for her second vaccine and was told by the vet of all the problems that a tiny dog such as her can face.  I saw future huge vet bills in the picture which would be very difficult to meet being retired and on fixed income, and this combined with the fact that our Shih Tzu had become very depressed while we had her, plus the fact that house-breaking her was going to be a major issue, brought about this decision.  I know that it was the right decision because the day after I listed her she was sold to a very nice lady.  I believe in my heart that the Lord sent this lady.

As well, my daughter-in-law was involved in a car accident which was not her fault.  Someone turned left in front of her and the crash which followed resulted in her car being written off.  I am so very thankful that she was not seriously injured, and that my granddaughter was away at Girl Guide camp and so was not in the car when the crash occurred.  Quite often we hear of accidents in this area where people are killed, so thank the Lord for my daughter-in-law's life being spared.

I confess that I have not been listening to sermons this past month, with all that has gone on I have felt kind of numb, but I know that it is time to get my life back on track and to this end, I will be posting notes to sermons by Paul Dowling again soon.

Seriousness is Better Than a Good Laugh

Ecclesiastes 7:1-4

These words in the book of Ecclesiastes were written by a man of whom God says was the wisest man who ever lived.  He was a king, one of the greatest kings in world history.  He was rich, so rich that his riches are beyond description.  He had 700 wives, and 300 concubines.   He experienced all the pleasure he ever wanted, he was looked up to by surrounding kings and queens who paid homage to him.  No kingdom in the history of the world was equal to the glory of King Solomon and his kingdom.  But King Solomon fell.  The bible tells us that his wives turned his heart away from God 1 Kings 11:3-4 "...and his wives turned away his heart.  For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God..." and King Solomon built temples to false gods and he began to live only for pleasure and feasting and he made God angry with him and God punished him.  It was after Solomon's fall when he saw his great failings and he turned back to God in his old age that he wrote the Proverbs and the book of Ecclesiastes.  It was after all his experience of life that he wrote these words:

  Eccle 7:1-4 "A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one's birth.  It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart.  Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better.  The heart of the wise in in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth."
 
When Solomon wrote those words he was inspired by God the Holy Spirit, this is the teaching of God.  The message can be summed up in one sentence.  Seriousness is better than frivolity.  Here is a paragraph of relevance to our entertainment-crazed generation.  The four verses are  a series of paradoxes, apparent contradictions, they state the complete opposite of what the majority opinion is in this world.  That is to be expected because when it comes to the real meaning of life and real life values, the world is always wrong because the unsaved world does not know the author of life.  They do knot know the one who came to give us life in all its fullness so therefore its obvious that they are going to be wrong in their view of life.

The Hands of Jesus

John 20:24-29

V27 "Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands;......" Jesus said "Behold my hands" 

 It was Sunday night,  Jesus had risen from the dead and that evening he appeared to all the disciples except Thomas who had missed Christ's appearance.  The disciples had told Thomas that Christ had come into their midst, but Thomas said V25 "Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and  thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe."  It was 8 days after that and  the disciples had gathered again, and the doors were shut when suddenly Jesus was there and he said V26 "Peace be unto you." Thomas was there, and Jesus spoke words that would change Thomas forever: V27 "Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing."     
 
"Behold my hands" Behold, pay attention, perceive with your eyes, look.  The word behold is used to emphasize something that is very important.  He commanded Thomas to look at his hands.  Thomas could have looked his eyes away, he didn't need to put his finger into his hands, but as he looked upon the pierced hands of the Son of God, it changed this doubter forever. 

Little hands:  Look at the hands of Jesus Christ, at the reality of biblical truth, and perhaps if you are not saved, the words "behold my hands" will change your life.  We will stand in the upper room and look at Jesus hands and see with your mind's eye how these hands of Jesus came to be so scarred.  Remember firstly that these hands used to be little hands, because 33 years previous Jesus was born.  A little baby with little hands.  But those hands which Jesus was showing to Thomas, grew by natural gradual process in the normal way and please note that this Jesus is the creator of all things.  John 1:3  "All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made."  Those little hands are the hands of the creator, but the eternal Son of God once had little hands when Jesus was born of Mary, "unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." (Luke 2:11)

Working Hands: But also remember that his hands were working hands.  Joseph, the husband of Mary, was a carpenter and sons in those days always learned their father's trade, so Jesus was a carpenter.  The bible plainly tells us this in Mark 6:3 "Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Judah, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him."    Jesus was a tradesman.  His hands were a workman's hands.  He worked with wood up until he was 30 years old.  In Jesus' day you couldn't be a tradesman if you couldn't do the work.  Joseph taught Jesus the trade, and he could do it and that is all that counts.

Jesus Calms the Storm

Mark 4:35-41 "And the same day, when the even (evening) was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side.  And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship.  And there were also with him other little ships.  And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waters beat into the ship, so that it was now full.  And he (Jesus) was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?  And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still.  And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.  And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?  And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?"
 
Earlier that day the Lord Jesus had been teaching in parables to multitudes of people.  After Jesus had taught the multitudes all day, he was weary, and for a short time he was teaching his disciples what the parables meant in a house and then he was back out on  boat.  After all the teaching was over, the multitudes were sent away, and Jesus said to his disciples "let us pass over to the other side."  The other side of what?  The other side of the Sea of Galilee.  The Lord Jesus had been teaching most of the day at Capernaeum.  Jesus wanted to go to another place at the other side called Gadara. (Chp 5:1)  This journey would take between 5 and 6 hours in good weather.
According to V35 they set sail in the evening where Jesus fell asleep at the back of the boat.  They were sailing in a smaller boat for 5 or 6 hours.  It would have been dark, and cold.  The disciples would have felt the splash of the water on their faces, and heard the flap of the sails, felt the wind. 
With the darkness, storm clouds were gathering and the wind began to strengthen causing the waves to be bigger, and the waves were smashing against the side of the boat.  The sea became like a cauldron.  When it began Peter and James were used to being on the sea because they were fishermen but it wasn't long before they were afraid.  Men who went to sea all their lives began to think that they were going to perish, so ferocious was the storm.  Matthew's gospel says  it was like a tempest on the sea.  With this fierce wind blowing, the waves were very large and broke over the boat so that the ship was now filling with water.

The Sea of Galilee is in a basin, down low 680 feet below the Mediterranean.  It is very hot during the day, the east side has mountains, the west side has hills and valleys.  To the north is Mount Herman with cold air that came down.  With cold air coming down and hot air rising up, that can cause a great storm.  This storm of wind made experienced sailors terrified.  In this situation, Jesus is weary.  V38  he was in the hinder part of the ship on a pillow asleep.  A great contrast between Jesus sleeping and the great storm which was taking place.   That teaches us of the humanity of Jesus Christ, he was tired and sleepy just like we can be.

What Is It to be Sealed With the Spirit?

Ephesians 1:9-14; Romans 10:14-17

The child of God is blessed with all spiritual blessings in Christ.  It doesn't matter whether the child of God feels or understand the blessings or not, Christ hath blessed us V3 "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ."  Its something that Christ has done and we don't do it.  We are blessed in mind-blowing ways, in that we have been chosen in Christ from before the created order, we are blessed in that we are chosen to be holy and blameless before God.  In that we are adopted as God's beloved children and we are blessed in that it has been predestinated that we would inherit the inheritance of Christ.  We are blessed in that by grace we have been made acceptable in the presence of God, in that we have been bought by the blood of Jesus, all our sins are forgiven.  What blessings.  To do these things for us, God has abounded in his mercy and grace.  And more than that God has illuminated the saved, revealed his will to us and also the true believer has true unity in Christ presently.  One in Christ.  The body of believers is united.  We have been predestinated to bring God praise and glory.  

Another blessing is after we believed:  the sealing of the Holy Spirit.  Christ's people are sealed with the Holy Spirit.  V12-14 "That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.  In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory."
 
You trusted when you heard the gospel, you were sealed after you believed, and what is it to be saved by the Holy Spirit?

Godly or Ungodly?

Psalm 1

Out of all the countless number of people in the world and all their outward differences they are all one race, the human race.  Out of all those people there is one division, one dividing line that is not merely cosmetic, one dividing line that is real.  The bible plainly teaches that all the people in the world are divided into two groups.  Whatever group you are in is going to determine where you will spend eternity.  This one division between men is described as the saved and the lost, saints and sinners, child of light or child of darkness, believer or unbeliever.  Psalm 1 describes this division of humanity in detail.  This psalm gives all obvious physical and practical differences and evidences of who is in which group.  You can't read Psalm 1 and be confused about who is godly and who is not.  It is plain as day.  Psalm 1 describes the godly person and the ungodly person in unmistakable terms inwardly and outwardly.  Someone who is blessed and someone who is not.   You need to learn which group you are in because it is of drastic importance to your welfare in eternity.  Are you godly or ungodly?  What does Psalm 1 teach?

V1-3  "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.  But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.  And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper."    Here is the person who is blessed.  The word blessed means someone who is enjoying God's special favor.  The godly person does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly.  The word counsel means advice.  The godly person does not follow the advice of ungodly people, they don't walk in that way.  The advice of the ungodly in our society is this:  don't be moral, do what you want.  Don't talk about sin.  The godly person will not take that advice because he does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly.  The word walk means the path of life, the direction.  If you are godly you don't take your direction from the ungodly.  The godly person's life is different.

The Temptation of Christ

Matthew 4:1-11, Psalm 91:1-12

Imagine the Son of God, working alone in a carpenter's shop in Nazareth..Jesus worked in this shop until he was 30 and then there came a day when the Lord Jesus left the carpenter shop, when he told his mother it was time for him to leave. There came a day when the public ministry of Jesus Christ began. On that day Jesus set out on a path set by God, a path for his life and that path would lead him to a tortured crucifixion even though he would never commit a single sin. That path would take him on a destiny that was planned by him and for him before the world was even made. The mission upon which eternal life or everlasting torment for the human soul depends. 

Jesus would live 3 more short years and accomplish a goal that would make him the Saviour of a countless multitude who will gather around the throne of glory in heaven. But also a mission that would make him the object of scorn, derision and hatred from the world. Nothing is more important than the life and death, resurrection and ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is his life, beginning at these 3 years and the things he did and how he suffered and died, and his present intercession that sorts out the sheep from the goats. That is what sorts out the children of God from the children of the Devil. This whole purpose of Christ from his baptism by John and when the Holy Spirit descended upon him in the form of a dove, when God spoke audibly from the glory and said Matthew 3:17 ..."this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased". And then Jesus was led into the Judain wilderness to be tempted of the devil, the temptation of Christ. Let us consider the passages concerning the temptation: Matthew 4:1-2 "Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungered."

Rejoice, Its a New Year

It was early to bed last night, and after being awakened at midnight by the noise of many fireworks, it was back to sleep and waking up this morning refreshed and happy that a new year has begun.  It's a day to rejoice for these reasons:

a fresh new start

the days are getting longer

Spring is coming

most of all, for Christians each day is one day closer to the Lord Jesus Christ's return

for myself and my husband perhaps the Lord will lead us to a church that holds to the old paths.  (Jeremiah 6:16 "Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls...).

I don't have many goals but one of them is to eat healthier, mostly fruits and vegetables and no beef and another is to go for a walk everyday as I really need more exercise.

The old year and all of its trials and troubles are gone and Philippians 3:13,20 are perfect verses:

".....this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.  For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ."

Below is a beautiful sunrise, taken from our front yard.  A new day, and a new year has begun.

The Mystery of the Gospel

Ephesians 3:1-14 

The apostle Paul was a great man in intellect, in the gospel, and in his zeal for the promotion of the gospel across the known world at that time.  He was a man who trusted in providence, commissioned by God to do what he was doing, felt privileged to preach the gospel, had concern for other people, was in fellowship with God even though he was writing this epistle from prison.  What type of message did he preach?  Paul preached a revealed message that came to him by revelation.  It was and is a message that is revealed by God and therefore it is God's message.  If it is God's message it doesn't need to be adjusted by men and women who are sinful.  

Paul preached a message that was and is:
A mystery:  V3-4, 9  "How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ). And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ."  The message was a mystery, a hidden thing.  Mystery means "a thing that is not obvious to the understanding"  The gospel is not an obvious message contrary to what "easy believism" teaches.  It is profound.  General revelation is not enough, the creation is not enough to bring you to salvation.  It leads you to believe in a creator God if you think logically, but how we can know God through general revelation remains a mystery.  We need special revelation to get to know the creator God.  This is found in the word of God through the prophets and apostles.  The bible's message is profound and mysterious.  It tells us of a holy God who is sinless and perfect.

What is God? God is a spirit: infinite, eternal and unchanging in  his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness and truth.  How can this God justify sinners who are guilty and remain just and holy?  It doesn't make sense that he could or would, but that is exactly what the message of the bible is. A mystery that we would not know otherwise, that God can and does justify guilty sinners upon certain conditions.  And he does it in a way that his justice and holiness is retained.  That is profound and amazing, not obvious, a profound mystery explained.   This marvelous message has been shaken by some modern evangelists who say "You want to be saved? It is O so simple, repeat these words after me".  But no! It's not O so simple.  It's a profound, amazing message that God can and does save sinners.  God can save sinners and give them a perfect righteousness, blotting out all their sins by punishing all those sins on his only begotten Son.  He takes sinners into his own family even though they were and are guilty as charged.  That is not "O so simple, repeat these words and raise  your hand".  The gospel is about a message that brings you into an encounter with the living Christ, by grace through faith you receive him and it changes your life, you repent of your sin and trust him.  It is a mysterious, profound, amazing message.  It is about Christ becoming the Lord of your life, it is not "O so simple".  Modern techniques cheapen the mystery and the profundity of the gospel.  They make it into a man-made "easy peasy" ritual, perform this, that and the other and you have your insurance policy to heaven but that is not what Paul preached.

Psalm 34: I Will Bless the LORD at All Times

This is a very beautiful Psalm, full of faith and trust, and of the importance of a reverential fear of the LORD for who he is.  I believe that the Psalms is where the poetic beauty of the King James bible shines forth.

Psalm 34  (I do not put in the verse breaks, I would rather let the words flow.)
I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.  My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.  O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together.  I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.  They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed.  This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.

The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.  O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.  O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him.  The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing.  Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the LORD.  What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good?  Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.  Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.

The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.  The face of the LORD is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.  The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them from all their troubles.  The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.  Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.  V20  He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken.  Evil shall slay the wicked: and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate.  The LORD redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate.

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V20 is probably prophetic speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross where none of his bones were broken.

Psalm 25: Unto Thee O LORD

Further to my post a day or so ago regarding the words  "I Am" as used in positive thinking, as contrast here is a Psalm of David that shows the heart of a man devoted to the Lord but who was also a man who had sinned regarding Bathsheba and her husband Uriah (2 Samuel 11) and acknowledges that sin before the Lord asking for mercy and forgiveness.   Opposite of positive thinking,  Psalm 25 is a beautiful psalm of  requests, dependence and trust.  David's requests to the Lord are highlighted.
Here is Psalm 25:  (KJV)

Unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.  O my God, I trust in thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me.  Yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed: let them be ashamed which transgress without cause.  Show me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths.  Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; (added by me - David's relationship with the Lord is a personal one)  on thee do I wait all the day.  Remember, O LORD, thy tender mercies and thy lovingkindnesses; for they have been ever of old.  Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: according to thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodness' sake, O LORD.  Good and upright is the LORD, therefore will he teach sinners in the way.  The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way.  All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies.  For thy name's sake, O LORD, pardon mine iniquity; for it is great.  What man is he that feareth the LORD? him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose. (added by me - Proverbs 16:9 A man's heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps).  His soul shall dwell at ease; and his seed shall inherit the earth.  The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him (added by me - a reverential fear for who God is) and he will show them his covenant.  Mine eyes are ever toward the LORD; for he shall pluck my feet out of the net.  Turn thee unto me, and have mercy upon me; for I am desolate and afflicted.  The troubles of my heart are enlarged: O bring me out of my distresses.  Look upon mine affliction and my pain; and forgive all my sins.  Consider mine enemies; for they are many; and they hate me with cruel hatred.  O keep my soul and deliver me: let me not be ashamed; for I put my trust in thee.  Let integrity and uprightness preserve me; for I wait no thee.  Redeem Israel, O God, out of all his troubles.

Two Simple Words: I Am

I Am - two simple words.    Yesterday I was waiting for our local news to start and caught the last couple of minutes of Dr. Phil's show with Joel Osteen on it promoting his book regarding I am.   In looking up a review for the book online today, it seems to me that that Mr. Osteen's book is about positive thinking - I am this, I am that, I am (put in the word of your choice).
However,  the words "I am" are very precious in the bible, the word of God.  How are the words "I am" used there?  here are a very few and these all speak of deity:

Genesis 17:1 "And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect"

Exodus 3:14 "And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you."

Exodus 20:2 "I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage."

What does the Lord Jesus say about himself?

John 6:35 "And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst."

John 8:58 "Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am."

John 9:5 "......................I am the light of the world"

John 10:11 "I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep."

And what do men say about themselves using "I am" in the bible?

Psalm 6:2 "Have mercy upon me, O LORD; for I am weak: O LORD, heal me; for my bones are vexed."

Psalm 40:17 "But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me: thou art my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God"

Psalm 119:141 "I am small and despised: yet do not I forget thy precepts."

Note that  none of the verses quoted above regarding what men say about themselves are lifting themselves up in a positive way, but they know that there hope is in the Lord, not in themselves.

Therefore, rather you should say, I am a sinner, and I need the Saviour, and then repent and call upon the Lord Jesus Christ who will save your soul.   All the positive thinking in the world will not  bring you to heaven, if you do not recognize your need of the Saviour, and repent of your sins, you are condemned to that place of torment.  The choice is yours.

The Parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man: Why Was the Rich Man in Hell?

Luke 16:19-31

The parable of Lazarus and the rich man is very well known, it is about a beggar who is covered with sores, and a rich man who has all his wants and needs met.  But what happens when they both die is the key to the reason for this parable, told by the Lord Jesus Christ.



This passage teaches that life does not end at death.  Jesus plainly teaches in this section of scripture, in perfect alignment with the rest of the bible, that there are places where the human soul goes after death and continues to exist.  All true churches believe that because they all believe what Jesus says and they follow Jesus Christ.  A Christian is a follower of Jesus and believes Jesus.   These days a belief in hell is fading fast, and compromised churches are leading the way in unbelief.  As well as this, students in bible colleges are no longer interested in the subject.   It's the churches' neglect of the subject of everlasting punishment which has happened in the same period of time when the world is becoming more rebellious, more permissive, more violent and more godless.   The church is a pale reflection of the world and the world's views.  But the bible has not changed, the bible and the words of Jesus Christ are unchanged.  The eternal destinies of those who die have not changed, nothing has changed.  God has not changed his mind and it's completely irrelevant that society does not like or believe the doctrine or that they don't want the doctrine.  Hell still exists.   The opinion of men is not the measure of truth nor reality.  God's word is the measure of truth.  He is the ultimate reality.   Even if you don't believe in hell, you will still end up there if you are not a Christian.  Hell is a real and remote place, a place of fire and darkness, a place of everlasting punishment.  Think about it.

What does Jesus say about the passage in Luke 16?  he is speaking to people who were religious but not converted, not saved.  V14 "And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him." 

There were once two men:  V19-21 "There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day.  And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores."   We see in these verses a description of the two men.  The rich man is described as being clothed in purple and fine linen, same thing in Rev 18:12, it means that this emphasizes luxury, the best.  The labels of the day, the rich man was clothed in. V19 tells us of his diet.  He had plenty to eat every day.  But then the beggar is also described.  His name is Lazarus, the rich man is not named.  Lazarus is the complete opposite of the rich man:  lying at the gate, outside the home.  He is full of sores, the Lord says the dogs came and licked his sores, so the sores were not bandaged, no one was looking after him.  What was the beggar's desire?  He simply wanted the crumbs, the leftovers, the scraps that fell from the rich man's table.  What a pitiful picture.  The Lord is describing two men who are vastly different.

The Translation of the Authorized King James Bible: Why It Was Important Then, and Why It Is Important Now

It is right that Christians should take time to consider and reflect upon the origin, use and acceptance of the Authorized version of the bible also known as the King James.  It is also necessary because of the implications arising from such a study.   For 1300 years English speaking people were without a bible and during that time idolatry and superstition reigned.  This was known as the Dark Ages.  We should value the privilege we have to read the King James bible that we have now.

There was a pressing need of an acceptable, reliable and good translation that would be of great use to the cause of Christ,  from Hebrew and Greek into English.  The King James bible was authored by the cream of English scholarship. (for detailed information regarding these scholars please listen to the audio of this sermon linked to at the bottom of this post.)  When these men were all summoned to engage in the King's business we must remember that this was to be an international enterprise.  The translators were grouped into companies and not committees, because this was to be an imperial project, done publicly for English speaking people across the world.  Once the companies had finished their work it was sent to a final group of 12 that examined the entire translation before publication.   These men were not perfect, they were like you and I except God gave them certain abilities he did not give to us.  What did they think of themselves?  There were many chosen for this task that were greater in other men's eyes than their own, these were men that sought the truth rather than their own praise.  They were not interested in themselves.  They were humble.   These men were not ashamed at what they believed.  

There were rules which governed them:

1-5 emphasizing continuity with previous work done (Tyndale, Wycliffe, the Geneva Bible; (these were bibles which were despised by authorities and hated for their spread of the word of God across the land).  The translators were to make use of all that was done before. 

6-7 regarding commentary and explanation.  Cross references had a double purpose, to assist in understanding the text and also to demonstrate that it was one bible, a unity and a harmony in God's revelation.  It's all God's word, it's all authoritative, it's all from God, from Genesis to Revelation.

8-15 regarding the mechanics of translation.. there was a resolution of disputes, then the completed work was sent to a group of 12 that examined the entire translation.

The Authorized King James: Loved, Hated or Ignored

I’m quite sure that most people will see the title of this post and pass it by, but please bear with me because the subject is very important, whether you know it or not.  In Christianity today, there are few in number that still hold to their King James bible.  Most have been caught up by promoters of the new versions,  who use the excuse that their version is based on “older and better” manuscripts, (or so they believe) or else that it will be “easier to understand”.  Why did this happen? and what are the consequences? My next post will be notes from a sermon regarding the history of the King James and why it is so important.

My own history with the King James began when I was in grade 4, back in the day when the school day began with a bible reading from the King James and a recitation of the Lord’s Prayer.  The teacher asked me to memorize Psalm 23 and I am still struck by the beauty of the poetry of this most well-known and loved of Psalms.
Lets compare it with Young’s Literal Translation which is also in the public domain.

Psalm 23:1-6  Young’s Literal Translation
 Jehovah is my shepherd, I do not lack, In pastures of tender grass He causeth me to lie down, By quiet waters He doth lead me.  My soul He refresheth, He leadeth me in paths of righteousness, For His name’s sake,   Also — when I walk in a valley of death-shade, I fear no evil, for Thou art with me, Thy rod and Thy staff — they comfort me.  Thou arrangest before me a table, Over-against my adversaries, Thou hast anointed with oil my head, My cup is full!  Only — goodness and kindness pursue me, All the days of my life, And my dwelling is in the house of Jehovah, For a length of days!

Psalm 23: 1-6  King James
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want, He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.  He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.  Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.  Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.  Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

In the examples above, both of them are quite close in meaning, although the Young’s suggests a time period in the last verse, “for a length of days” while the King James is comforting in  that David believes that he will “dwell in the house of the LORD for ever”.  But more importantly, which one would be easier to memorize?  In the King James, the words flow in poetic beauty as it does throughout all of this bible (I won’t call it a version).

What is the Bible? God's Inspired Word

2 Timothy 3:13-17  "But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.  But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.  All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works."

The doctrine of scripture, or what is the bible, is what we are studying.  A true understanding of what scripture is will direct you on the true course of your Christian life.  It will put scripture in authority over you and guide you, but if you are unsure or wrong on the doctrine of scripture, if you are wrong on what is the bible, you will not remain on the true course in the Christian life.  You will find that the scripture will not guide you in vast areas of your life because if you don't have a true understanding of what scripture is.  You will end up supplanting scripture with your own ideas, your own tastes, likes and dislikes.  All heresy and apostasy comes from a wrong view of what scripture is, what the bible is.  People want to ignore the bits of the bible that they don't like on the basis of their own reason, their own mind.  They come to judge and sift the bible and say that bits are cultural and don't apply.  Error in the doctrine of scripture is the cause of all of this.  

What is the bible?  Scripture or the bible is God's inspired word.  It is God's inerrant word, that means it contains no errors.  It is God's infallible word, that means that whatever scripture speaks on, it is right or correct on that subject.  Scripture is the word of God.  But do we really see the implications of this?  we must really believe that, we need to get that, scripture is the word of God.  If we don't get that and understand what it means, we will end up adding our own ideas.  It is not the word of the apostle Paul, the prophets Isaiah or Jeremiah, not the word of the apostle John, it's the word of God.  The bible does not contain God's word like the liberals say, that is nonsense.  The bible does not contain God's word, the bible IS the word of God, therefore it is not wrong on miracles, or sodomites, or judgment, or anything it speaks on because it is God's word.  That is why there is no true Christian who can say, "O but that's just Paul, that's just his opinion", no true Christian will ever say that.  It's not Paul's opinion at all, its the word of God, not Paul.   People who do this show that they do not believe that the whole bible is the word of God.   Evangelicals  need to stop playing word games and say that they believe the bible is the word of God "but"..  you either believe that the bible is the word of God or you do not. The bible is the word of God and that is what Christians believe.