I Corinthians 15:8-10
And last of all He appeared to me, also, as to one abnormally born.
Paul considered himself to be an "abortion," born out of the proper time for him to live; either coming to faith too late, after the right time to be an apostle; or born too soon, before the "end days" he wrote about. He considered that he lived at the "wrong" time period, not realizing his own importance in planting the Church all over the known world at that time.
For I am the least of the apostles and do not deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the Church of God.
Paul is beating himself up here, for what God had already forgiven him for, when He called him to faith in Christ.
But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace to me was not without effect.
Here Paul admits that it is only by God's undeserved favor that he is the man he is "today," not the old man he used to be in the flesh.
No, I worked harder than all of them--yet not I , but the grace of God that was with me.
The effect of God's grace on Paul's life was that he worked so hard, constantly, to repair the damage he had done, turning around 180 degrees from the man he had been before. This is proof of God's working in him.
Whenever God gets hold of someone, there is a definite change in that person's thought processes, leading to a changed life-style, in turning away from the worldly way we used to live, turning toward God and His ways.
How has your life changed since God saved you?
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Tuesday, August 9, 2016
Monday, August 8, 2016
Conundrum Solved
Jeremiah 22:30
This is what the Lord says: "Record this man (Jehoiachin) as if childless, a man who will not prosper in his lifetime, for none of his offspring will prosper, none will sit on the throne of David or rule anymore in Judah."
This was Judah's last king. The Northern Kingdom of Israel had previously been conquered and dispersed and was no longer a Nation. Now the Southern Kingdom of Judah, including the Tribe of Benjamin, are being carried off to Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar. So King Jehoichin was captured, dethroned, and forced to go to this far away foreign country and would die there as a "nothing," and none of his descendants would ever reign.
Jeremiah 23:5-6
"The days are coming," declares the Lord, "when I will raise up for David (in David's line) a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. In His days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the Name (title) by which He will be called: The Lord our Righteous Savior."
Every king who ruled in Judah was of the same Davidic dynasty, the same family. Now none of this "royal line" could rule again. So how will this happen?
God solved this "problem" by having His Son Jesus to be born into David's line physically, but not the "royal" branch through Solomon, but through David's other son Nathan. (See Luke 3:23-38 for Mary's line all the way back to the first man, Adam.) Jesus' legal paternity was through Joseph, who was physically descended from Solomon and the rest of the line of kings, which gives Jesus the legal right to assume David's throne. (See Matthew 1:1-16 for Joseph's royal line back to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.)
So what we would view as impossible, God had already planned out in advance, all perfectly logical and reasonable in our hindsight. He is so great!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
This is what the Lord says: "Record this man (Jehoiachin) as if childless, a man who will not prosper in his lifetime, for none of his offspring will prosper, none will sit on the throne of David or rule anymore in Judah."
This was Judah's last king. The Northern Kingdom of Israel had previously been conquered and dispersed and was no longer a Nation. Now the Southern Kingdom of Judah, including the Tribe of Benjamin, are being carried off to Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar. So King Jehoichin was captured, dethroned, and forced to go to this far away foreign country and would die there as a "nothing," and none of his descendants would ever reign.
Jeremiah 23:5-6
"The days are coming," declares the Lord, "when I will raise up for David (in David's line) a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. In His days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the Name (title) by which He will be called: The Lord our Righteous Savior."
Every king who ruled in Judah was of the same Davidic dynasty, the same family. Now none of this "royal line" could rule again. So how will this happen?
God solved this "problem" by having His Son Jesus to be born into David's line physically, but not the "royal" branch through Solomon, but through David's other son Nathan. (See Luke 3:23-38 for Mary's line all the way back to the first man, Adam.) Jesus' legal paternity was through Joseph, who was physically descended from Solomon and the rest of the line of kings, which gives Jesus the legal right to assume David's throne. (See Matthew 1:1-16 for Joseph's royal line back to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.)
So what we would view as impossible, God had already planned out in advance, all perfectly logical and reasonable in our hindsight. He is so great!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Sunday, August 7, 2016
The Gospel
I Corinthians 15:1-7
Now, brothers,
This is Family Truth.
I want to remind you of the Gospel I preached to you,
Paul has previously taught these people at Corinth the Good News of the death burial and Resurrection of Jesus, as was predicted by the Old Testament prophets.
which you received,
They believed Paul then.
and on which you have taken your stand.
These people have argued for the Truth against others who have refused to believe and opposed it.
By this Gospel you were saved,
Their lives were changed for the better because of this belief, this is trust in Christ, the New Birth.
If you hold firmly to the Word I preached to you.
Continue to trust in God to be faithful to what He said He would do.
Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
If God is not trustworthy to keep His promises, or I, Paul, have been wrong in proclaiming what I believe to be true really isn't, then believing it would have no purpose, no power to change anything in our lives.
For what I received I passed on to you
This is what I learned from God, and I told you accurately what God taught me.
as of first importance:
This has Priority One, the foundational facts we build everything else on.
That Christ died for our sins
Jesus took our place in death, each one of us, to pay off our eternal debt we owe to God for all our deficiencies and missing the mark of His perfection.
according to the Scriptures,
Exactly as was foretold by the prophets long ago (see Isaiah 53).
That He was buried,
Because He really did die, they buried His dead body in a grave.
That He was raised on the third day
He came back to life and walked out of that grave with a whole new, Resurrection life, in the same body that died, but is now changed, on the third day after He died.
according to the Scriptures,
Just as had been previously predicted, years before, by the prophets.
and that He appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve.
He proved that He was really alive again by spending time with those who knew Him best, who would have recognized an impostor.
After that, He appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time,
This could not have been a mass hallucination, just thinking that they saw him if they, in fact, hadn't. They all really did see Him alive.
Then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles,
This may have been His half-brother who grew up with Him, but didn't believe in Him until after His Resurrection. (Can you imagine having a big brother who never did anything wrong?) James became the Church Leader, the Pastor of the church in Jerusalem.
Then He appeared to all the other guys who knew and followed Jesus from the beginning of His ministry.
This is the foundation of our faith. If Jesus didn't really die, or if He really didn't rise from the dead, then the foundation of our faith has been removed and the whole structure crumbles. That's why Paul was very careful to show the proofs of the fact that Jesus really did die, and really did come back to life after death. And this was all very clearly predicted by the Old Testament prophets.
We can be confidant that God's Truth is real, and we can put our full trust in God's fulfilling everything He has promised, no matter how unlikely or impossible it seems to us. God is God, and we are not. He sees the end from before the beginning, and He made it all and planned it out and designed everything to work according to the order He put into it. He knows about everything that is happening now and will in the future, and He has never promised anything that He has not already planned for.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Now, brothers,
This is Family Truth.
I want to remind you of the Gospel I preached to you,
Paul has previously taught these people at Corinth the Good News of the death burial and Resurrection of Jesus, as was predicted by the Old Testament prophets.
which you received,
They believed Paul then.
and on which you have taken your stand.
These people have argued for the Truth against others who have refused to believe and opposed it.
By this Gospel you were saved,
Their lives were changed for the better because of this belief, this is trust in Christ, the New Birth.
If you hold firmly to the Word I preached to you.
Continue to trust in God to be faithful to what He said He would do.
Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
If God is not trustworthy to keep His promises, or I, Paul, have been wrong in proclaiming what I believe to be true really isn't, then believing it would have no purpose, no power to change anything in our lives.
For what I received I passed on to you
This is what I learned from God, and I told you accurately what God taught me.
as of first importance:
This has Priority One, the foundational facts we build everything else on.
That Christ died for our sins
Jesus took our place in death, each one of us, to pay off our eternal debt we owe to God for all our deficiencies and missing the mark of His perfection.
according to the Scriptures,
Exactly as was foretold by the prophets long ago (see Isaiah 53).
That He was buried,
Because He really did die, they buried His dead body in a grave.
That He was raised on the third day
He came back to life and walked out of that grave with a whole new, Resurrection life, in the same body that died, but is now changed, on the third day after He died.
according to the Scriptures,
Just as had been previously predicted, years before, by the prophets.
and that He appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve.
He proved that He was really alive again by spending time with those who knew Him best, who would have recognized an impostor.
After that, He appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time,
This could not have been a mass hallucination, just thinking that they saw him if they, in fact, hadn't. They all really did see Him alive.
Then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles,
This may have been His half-brother who grew up with Him, but didn't believe in Him until after His Resurrection. (Can you imagine having a big brother who never did anything wrong?) James became the Church Leader, the Pastor of the church in Jerusalem.
Then He appeared to all the other guys who knew and followed Jesus from the beginning of His ministry.
This is the foundation of our faith. If Jesus didn't really die, or if He really didn't rise from the dead, then the foundation of our faith has been removed and the whole structure crumbles. That's why Paul was very careful to show the proofs of the fact that Jesus really did die, and really did come back to life after death. And this was all very clearly predicted by the Old Testament prophets.
We can be confidant that God's Truth is real, and we can put our full trust in God's fulfilling everything He has promised, no matter how unlikely or impossible it seems to us. God is God, and we are not. He sees the end from before the beginning, and He made it all and planned it out and designed everything to work according to the order He put into it. He knows about everything that is happening now and will in the future, and He has never promised anything that He has not already planned for.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Saturday, August 6, 2016
A Long, Peaceful Life
Psalm 34:11-14
Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Who is the man who desires life, and loves length of days that he may see good?
King David wanted his own children to know the Lord and have fulfilling lives. So he starts with a question: Who wants to live a long, healthy, satisfying life?
Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit.
Then watch your mouth! Whatever your heart is filled with will overflow through your words, so pay attention to how you speak. (I know that I still need to watch my tone of voice.)
Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.
We are to run away from evil, from temptation; and run toward, chase after "peace." This word is very extensive: it's an all-encompassing safety; it includes being friendly, being well, being happy, total welfare, prosperity, and good health. So we are to pursue good relationships with ourselves, our friends and families, our neighbors, our employers/employees, everybody whose life path crosses our life path. Then we can live a long life in peace, in prosperity and in good health.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Who is the man who desires life, and loves length of days that he may see good?
King David wanted his own children to know the Lord and have fulfilling lives. So he starts with a question: Who wants to live a long, healthy, satisfying life?
Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit.
Then watch your mouth! Whatever your heart is filled with will overflow through your words, so pay attention to how you speak. (I know that I still need to watch my tone of voice.)
Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.
We are to run away from evil, from temptation; and run toward, chase after "peace." This word is very extensive: it's an all-encompassing safety; it includes being friendly, being well, being happy, total welfare, prosperity, and good health. So we are to pursue good relationships with ourselves, our friends and families, our neighbors, our employers/employees, everybody whose life path crosses our life path. Then we can live a long life in peace, in prosperity and in good health.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Friday, August 5, 2016
The Law And The Cross
Romans 7:15-25; 8:1-10
(7:15) For that which I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate.
(7:18) For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the desire is present in me, but the doing of the good is not....
(7:21) I find then the principle that evil is present in me, Me, the one who desires to do good.
This is where I found myself as a young person. I wanted to be a good person who lived my life doing good; but I found myself instead falling into my besetting sin, over and over again.
(7:24-25) Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?
Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!...
Then God showed me Jesus on His Cross, and I knew that He didn't deserve any of it, but I did; I deserved it all for all the evil I had done: Jesus paid my debt of death, He took my place on the Cross--that's how much He loved me, even when I was still sinning!
(8:1-2) There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.
That day I discovered that I had been "seeing in black-and-white," now I saw in glorious "Technicolor"! And I had a new power, the ability to choose to do the right, instead of automatically falling into that sin again; I could say "No!" to wrong and turn to do what was right! I couldn't do that before.
(8:3-4) For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh,
I knew what was right, but I could not do it; I had only my flesh, which is weak.
God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh,
Jesus took on Himself an actual human body of flesh, in order to be that "sacrificial lamb" the Law stipulated to be brought by the penitent person to the priest, he laid his hands on the head of the animal, conferring his sin onto the animal, which died in the person's stead. Jesus is our "Lamb of God," Whose Divine Blood purchased the whole world, enough to pay off in full the whole debt of all our sins.
(8:7-9) Because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the Law of God, for it is not even able to do so; and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
This is why the Law could not save us; we cannot obey it because our flesh is too weak to be able to.
(8:10) However you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.
He means here that we are not just in our flesh, but we are also in the Spirit. God's own Life is living inside us, alongside our fleshly life. So now we have a truly free choice, for we have the power and authority to choose the right, or still choose to sin. Our choice.
So if you find that your only choices seem to be to go against the right that is hard to do, then search your own heart, to determine if you have really humbled yourself before Him in admitting that you deserve to die, and Jesus died for you.
If you don't think you're that bad, then consider that Jesus took our sin nature upon Himself on the Cross; He didn't just die for certain sins, He took the whole basket & everything in it. So if you've not been perfect, that "missing the mark" shows that you have that sin nature, that Jesus bore at Calvary, and let Him love you by paying your debt in full. Then God will give you His Spirit of Life, and you will be free, indeed.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
(7:15) For that which I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate.
(7:18) For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the desire is present in me, but the doing of the good is not....
(7:21) I find then the principle that evil is present in me, Me, the one who desires to do good.
This is where I found myself as a young person. I wanted to be a good person who lived my life doing good; but I found myself instead falling into my besetting sin, over and over again.
(7:24-25) Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?
Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!...
Then God showed me Jesus on His Cross, and I knew that He didn't deserve any of it, but I did; I deserved it all for all the evil I had done: Jesus paid my debt of death, He took my place on the Cross--that's how much He loved me, even when I was still sinning!
(8:1-2) There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.
That day I discovered that I had been "seeing in black-and-white," now I saw in glorious "Technicolor"! And I had a new power, the ability to choose to do the right, instead of automatically falling into that sin again; I could say "No!" to wrong and turn to do what was right! I couldn't do that before.
(8:3-4) For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh,
I knew what was right, but I could not do it; I had only my flesh, which is weak.
God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh,
Jesus took on Himself an actual human body of flesh, in order to be that "sacrificial lamb" the Law stipulated to be brought by the penitent person to the priest, he laid his hands on the head of the animal, conferring his sin onto the animal, which died in the person's stead. Jesus is our "Lamb of God," Whose Divine Blood purchased the whole world, enough to pay off in full the whole debt of all our sins.
(8:7-9) Because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the Law of God, for it is not even able to do so; and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
This is why the Law could not save us; we cannot obey it because our flesh is too weak to be able to.
(8:10) However you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.
He means here that we are not just in our flesh, but we are also in the Spirit. God's own Life is living inside us, alongside our fleshly life. So now we have a truly free choice, for we have the power and authority to choose the right, or still choose to sin. Our choice.
So if you find that your only choices seem to be to go against the right that is hard to do, then search your own heart, to determine if you have really humbled yourself before Him in admitting that you deserve to die, and Jesus died for you.
If you don't think you're that bad, then consider that Jesus took our sin nature upon Himself on the Cross; He didn't just die for certain sins, He took the whole basket & everything in it. So if you've not been perfect, that "missing the mark" shows that you have that sin nature, that Jesus bore at Calvary, and let Him love you by paying your debt in full. Then God will give you His Spirit of Life, and you will be free, indeed.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Thursday, August 4, 2016
Idols And God
Jeremiah 7:16-26
(Read the whole passage for more understanding)
(17-19) "Don't you see what they are doing [right] in the towns of Judah and in the [very] streets of Jerusalem? [The whole family gets involved:] The children gather wood, the fathers light the fire, and the women knead the dough and make cakes (wafers, like Communion wafers) to offer to the Queen of Heaven (a pagan idol). They pour out drink offerings to other gods to arouse My anger. But am I the One they're provoking? Aren't they rather [just] harming themselves, to their own shame?" --
(Some people today who consider themselves to be God's children, are lighting candles and praying to this pagan idol, the Queen of Heaven; they call her Mary. And they also pray to other "saints" instead of to God.)
(22-23) "I didn't just give them commands about burnt offerings and sacrifices, but I gave them this command: Obey Me, and I will be your God and you will be My people. Walk (lifestyle) in obedience to all I command you, that it may go well with you." --
When we put any other person, thing or idea before or alongside God, then we are disobeying the First Commandment. And that harms ourselves, and it becomes shameful when we realize what we're doing.
But when we live our lives every day in a lifestyle of humility before Him, realizing that He is God and we are not, and in obedience to the principles God revealed to us in His Word, letting Him be the Lord, the Boss, over our thinking processes and actions; that will be to our benefit, the way He designed this World to run. And He gets the credit, the glory.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
(Read the whole passage for more understanding)
(17-19) "Don't you see what they are doing [right] in the towns of Judah and in the [very] streets of Jerusalem? [The whole family gets involved:] The children gather wood, the fathers light the fire, and the women knead the dough and make cakes (wafers, like Communion wafers) to offer to the Queen of Heaven (a pagan idol). They pour out drink offerings to other gods to arouse My anger. But am I the One they're provoking? Aren't they rather [just] harming themselves, to their own shame?" --
(Some people today who consider themselves to be God's children, are lighting candles and praying to this pagan idol, the Queen of Heaven; they call her Mary. And they also pray to other "saints" instead of to God.)
(22-23) "I didn't just give them commands about burnt offerings and sacrifices, but I gave them this command: Obey Me, and I will be your God and you will be My people. Walk (lifestyle) in obedience to all I command you, that it may go well with you." --
When we put any other person, thing or idea before or alongside God, then we are disobeying the First Commandment. And that harms ourselves, and it becomes shameful when we realize what we're doing.
But when we live our lives every day in a lifestyle of humility before Him, realizing that He is God and we are not, and in obedience to the principles God revealed to us in His Word, letting Him be the Lord, the Boss, over our thinking processes and actions; that will be to our benefit, the way He designed this World to run. And He gets the credit, the glory.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Wednesday, August 3, 2016
When God Relents
Jeremiah 25 & 26
(26:3) "Perhaps they will listen and each will turn from their evil ways. Then I will relent and not inflict on them the disaster I was planning because of the evil they have done."
(13) "Now reform your ways and your actions and obey the Lord your God. Then the Lord will relent and not bring the disaster He has pronounced against you.
(18-19) Micah of Moresheth prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah. ... Did not Hezekiah fear the Lord and seek His favor? And did not the Lord relent, so that He did not bring the disaster He pronounced against them? We are about to bring a terrible disaster on ourselves!
(25:6-7) "Do not follow other gods to serve and worship them; do not arouse My anger with what your hands have made. Then I will not harm you."
"But you did not listen to Me," declares the Lord, "and you have aroused my anger with what your hands have made, and you have brought harm to yourselves."
We can never blame God for the troubles and depressions we experience as a Nation. He has told us how He has designed this world to work, and when we decide that we know better, and turn our backs on our Maker and His ways, we bring all these disasters on ourselves.
Wake up, people of God! This applies to any Nation whose people each turns away from their evil ways and seeks the Lord and His ways, Listen! God has planned terrible disasters for us, but He will relent when we turn toward Him. We don't have to be Israel or Judah: even Nineveh, that pagan, wicked, cruel, violent nation, turned from their evil deeds toward the Lord at Jonah's preaching, and God relented, for a generation. It made Jonah angry, too, he knew they deserved the destruction.
And God will relent from inflicting on us the disasters He has planned for all those who turn from His good ways, when each of us examines our own hearts and turns around from the sin that so easily besets us, confess and forsake, and turn to our Almighty Father Who loves us and has already met all our needs.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
(26:3) "Perhaps they will listen and each will turn from their evil ways. Then I will relent and not inflict on them the disaster I was planning because of the evil they have done."
(13) "Now reform your ways and your actions and obey the Lord your God. Then the Lord will relent and not bring the disaster He has pronounced against you.
(18-19) Micah of Moresheth prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah. ... Did not Hezekiah fear the Lord and seek His favor? And did not the Lord relent, so that He did not bring the disaster He pronounced against them? We are about to bring a terrible disaster on ourselves!
(25:6-7) "Do not follow other gods to serve and worship them; do not arouse My anger with what your hands have made. Then I will not harm you."
"But you did not listen to Me," declares the Lord, "and you have aroused my anger with what your hands have made, and you have brought harm to yourselves."
We can never blame God for the troubles and depressions we experience as a Nation. He has told us how He has designed this world to work, and when we decide that we know better, and turn our backs on our Maker and His ways, we bring all these disasters on ourselves.
Wake up, people of God! This applies to any Nation whose people each turns away from their evil ways and seeks the Lord and His ways, Listen! God has planned terrible disasters for us, but He will relent when we turn toward Him. We don't have to be Israel or Judah: even Nineveh, that pagan, wicked, cruel, violent nation, turned from their evil deeds toward the Lord at Jonah's preaching, and God relented, for a generation. It made Jonah angry, too, he knew they deserved the destruction.
And God will relent from inflicting on us the disasters He has planned for all those who turn from His good ways, when each of us examines our own hearts and turns around from the sin that so easily besets us, confess and forsake, and turn to our Almighty Father Who loves us and has already met all our needs.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)