Results 141 - 160 of 495
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Results from: Notes Author: Aixen7z4 Ordered by Verse |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
141 | And the winner is ___ ? | Is 42:4 | Aixen7z4 | 107154 | ||
The points are well taken. Cain did not listen to God. He would not have listened to Abel. It reminds me of Abraham’s statement in Luke 16. Abraham saith unto him, “They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.” And he said,” Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent“. And he said unto him, “If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.” I agree also as to the reasons you gave, why the church is asleep. On the one hand, prosperity. On the other hand, problems same as the world. Whatever the reasons we are asleep, God says we must awake. Wherefore he saith, “Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light”. And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed. And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Old Testament saints who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Yes, I know I left out the suffering ones and their suffering. But they were all winners. They all obtained a good report through faith. Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us. It is true, too, that we must lead exemplary lives. But we are also called to go, to run, to fight. If there are preachers who ask them to sit tight, there must be some who also say, “Come on!” That would be a call to action. Satan is busy, and we've got work to do as well. |
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142 | And the winner is ___ ? | Is 42:4 | Aixen7z4 | 107155 | ||
It should become clearer as we move along. | ||||||
143 | Was Jesus Rich? | Is 53:2 | Aixen7z4 | 149440 | ||
Jesus was not rich. In fact, he was poor. Paul, in 2 Corinthians 8:9, notes that Jesus gave up his riches and became poor, for our sakes. “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich”. When was Jesus rich? And in what way? The fact is, Jesus is God. He made everything, and in that sense, everything belongs to him. “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him” (Colossians 1:16). He says, “Every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills” (Psalm 50:10). He says, “the world is mine, and the fulness thereof” (v.11). Again, the psalmist says, “The earth is the LORD'S, and the fulness thereof” (Psalm 24:1). When Jesus lived on this earth, he had nothing. He was born in a manger, in a stable (Luke 2). He had no home of his own (Matthew 8:20). He had made everything (John 1:2) and given it to us (Acts 17:25). Yet, when he was here, he was hungry and thirsty, and needed people to give him things (Mark 15:41, John 4:7). Still, he said he said he had not come to get, but to give what he had (Matthew 20:28). Specifically, he had come to give his life (Mark 10:45). One can only imagine the reason for the question, as there are people who claim to be servants of Jesus and seek to justify their desire for riches. That is curious, in light of Jesus’ statement that we should sell what we have and give to the poor as we come to follow him (Luke 12:33, etc). He said that we should lay up treasures in heaven and not on earth (Matthew 6:20). Paul warns us about wanting to be rich, saying that those who pursue riches pierce themselves through with many sorrows (1 Timothy 6:10). We should want to be like Jesus. “It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord” (Matthew 10:25). If we want to be like Jesus, we should “set our affection on things above, not on things on the earth” (Colossians 3:2). Jesus advises us to get “true riches” (Revelation 3:18). We should be rich in good works (1 Timothy 6:18). Forget about getting rich the way the world does, ‘cause those things do not last (1 John 2:17). Jesus became poor, so that we might become rich, in good works. |
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144 | Christmas | Jer 10:1 | Aixen7z4 | 107050 | ||
What a strange idea! Yet we hear it so often. We have been free to change the types of clothes we wear and our mode of transportation and the silverware we use. Therefore we are also free to invent religious ceremonies or import strange practices into the church. We can take any pagan practice and put an X in front of it and that makes it good for us to do. Since life continues to bring changes, and the accoutrements we use continue to evolve, is there any limit to what we can add or change in the church? There are some who say they celebrate Christmas by recalling what the Bible says about the birth of Christ. That sounds better. The admit that the Lord never asked us to celebrate his birth, but they feel free to do it because he did not prohibit it. Some of us wonder if they will one day decide to all climb trees on Fridays since that is not prohibited either. There is a rumor that the Druids used to do it and some Christians have thought it might be a good idea since Jesus was hung on a tree on such a day. But God has not left it up to us to decide what we should remember and celebrate and do. He tells us what he wants. That is why we remember his death. He said "This do". That is why we preach the Gospel. He said, "Go ... and preach the Gospel". That is why we baptize new believers. He said, " ... baptizing them in the name of the Father ...". Are we free to add other sacraments and celebrations ad infinitum to our liking whether or not the Lord requires them? That is the question. People who celebrate Christmas will likely continue to do so regardless of what we say here. But some of us will let it be known, for what it is worth, that we stopped celebrating Christmas when we found out about the origin of the practice. |
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145 | Christmas | Jer 10:1 | Aixen7z4 | 107071 | ||
My brother: I agree with you completely. I view Christmas the same as Sunday. He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. What I find interesting is the reasons that people give for what they do, for the way they exercise the freedom that they perceive God has given. Is it wonderful that God has given us this freedom? With it comes a responsibility. I think he says that we should use our freedom to benefit one another. For, brethren, we have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love, serve one another. For myself, I observe Thanksgiving with all my might because I cannot count the scripture passages saying we should give thanks. I do not celebrate birthdays because I do not see it done among God’s people in Scripture. To think of God having a birthday every year, the God who inhabits eternity, seems ludicrous to me. The fact that he became flesh and dwelt among us is a wonder I will never get over, and I ponder it, then entire length of it, every day of my life. Yet a very dear brother of mine used to pray, “From the bottom of my heart I want to say, 'Happy birthday, Jesus'”. I thought “…”. But I never said anything to him. As far as I know I have no right or duty to abridge another man’s freedom. But I think each one of us should question ourselves. Are we doing this because we want to? Or are we doing it because someone other than Christ has foisted it on us. The answer comes perhaps in the activities that constitute our celebration. Why the tree? Why the lights? Why the tinsel? I was once shocked to find myself singing to a tree: “O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree”. I stopped. But I understand that some of my brethren can justify it. If we have reasons for what we do, then they may serve to guard us against the next religious invention. Taleb is correct about the names days of the week, is he not? But we are stuck with them, just as most of us are stuck with the name of the street we live on. How would you like to live at 666 Devil’s Lane? There are some things we may decide to live with. And then there are things we voluntarily take on. It may be because we want to do more and more to please God, I suppose. We need to be careful, I think, that whereas we claim freedom we are actually making ourselves slaves to the ways of the world. Were you a slave when you were called? That shouldn't bother you. However, if you have a chance to become free, take it. But God has not left it up to us to decide what we should remember and celebrate and do. He tells us what he wants. That is why we remember his death. He said "This do". That is why we preach the Gospel. He said, "Go ... and preach the Gospel". That is why we baptize new believers. He said, " ... baptizing them in the name of the Father ...". Are we free to add other sacraments and celebrations ad infinitum to our liking whether or not the Lord requires them? That is the question. Since we have so much freedom, why not use it in the area that God has suggested? Let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good works. Let's see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out in times of need. |
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146 | Christmas | Jer 10:1 | Aixen7z4 | 107113 | ||
I really did agree with you, Tim. I agreed with you completely. The other comments were concerning other people, who give their reasons for choosing to celebrate Christmas. As I recall, you did not give any reason. You said you do it because you have not been convinced by Scripture that God forbids it. The comments were not made with any but a slim-chance hope of convincing anybody. The chances would be almost the same, I suppose, as trying to change the names of the days of the week. Better to shrug it off or else to rationalize the use of Sunday and Moonday and the others. It is too difficult to change things like that, and no one is convinced it’s worth the effort. We are stuck with some things and we have to live with them. Some things we choose to keep. I would prefer not to say Sunday, but sometimes I do. I would prefer not to celebrate Christmas, and I don’t. There have been massive, concerted efforts in the past to stamp out Christmas, and they have failed. I do not expect that there will be any mass conversions now. Maybe one out of a thousand reading this thread will change their mind. The main reason for my participation here is to comment on the reasons that people give. It seems to me that the reasons are really one or more of these: 1. God said to do it. 2. I thought of it myself. 3. I am going along with what I see others doing. This will sting the ego, but the answer, in every case, is number 3. Someone has quoted Jeremiah: “Thus saith the LORD, ‘Learn not the way of the heathen’”. That is God speaking. Does anyone ask, “Where did I learn about the Christmas?” Does it matter if it was in fact from the pagans? The fact is it does not matter. We will not change. They said to Jeremiah, “As for the word that thou hast spoken unto us in the name of the LORD, we will not hearken unto thee. But we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth forth out of our own mouth”. Jeremiah confesses, “O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps”. There are forces and pressures, some spiritual, some social, that shape our behavior, and some of us feel called to expose them. It does not matter that some say, “Who are you to judge?” and “Do you think you are better?”. We will simply say, “Thus saith the Lord”. The barbs will sting and we will say like Jeremiah, “Woe is me for my hurt! My wound is grievous. But I said, ‘Truly this is a grief, and I must bear it’”. Thus saith the LORD, “Learn not the way of the heathen”. |
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147 | Christmas | Jer 10:1 | Aixen7z4 | 107120 | ||
The question took me by surprise. Surely there are tons of information on the subject. I did my own study, laboriously, 35 years ago, and was convinced. Today the evidence has mounted, and access to it is easier. Type the words "Christmas" and "origins" into Google, and you get articles like this. Christmas: An Historical Survey Regarding Its Origins and Opposition to It by Kevin Reed “To speak against Christmas observance is considered by many people to be sacrilegious and others as religious fanaticism. After all, how can anyone legitimately oppose such a hallowed institution? … “The purpose of this study is to set forth scriptural reasons for opposing Christmas celebration. … “The ignoble nature of the origins and customs of Christmas can be found in many standard reference sources. … (The facts: God did not say it, Jesus did not do it, the disciples did not do it, no church or Christian individual did it before the Bible record closed. Where did it come from? The pagans started it. The Christians adapted it, and adopted it.) … “The transition from festivals commemorating the birth of a sun god to a celebration ostensibly for the Son of God occurred sometime in the fourth century. Unable to eradicate the heathen celebration of Saturnalia, the Church of Rome, sometime before 336 A.D., designated a Feast of the Nativity to be observed". … The article is at http://www.swrb.com/newslett/actualnls/Xmas_ch2.htm |
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148 | Christmas | Jer 10:1 | Aixen7z4 | 107151 | ||
That is reasonable, Tim. It may be correct to say they were not. I had thought that might be what you had in mind, but it is hard to cover every possibility. Actually, I think I failed to answer your question altogether. All I was saying is that many others have answered the questions, and the article I cited was only one of many. You say that the author promised scriptural reasons and did not deliver. Yet a quick count showed me that he had over fifty scriptural citations, including those in his footnotes. It is true that his work is a historical review, but he contrasts historical actions of the church with scripture. For example: “This policy (of leaving pagan temples intact) differs greatly from the conduct of the children of God who cut down sacred groves, destroyed the remnants of idolatry, or burned their heathen books in order to make a clean break with pagan ways (Ex. 34:13; Deut. 12:2-4, 29-32; 2Kings 18:4; Acts 19:19)”. You asked: “When exactly did the heathen celebrate the birth of Jesus?” My answer: Tim, I think it is fair to say they are still doing that today. It happened like this. They were worshipping the sun God. The church came in. They said we will let them continue much of what they are doing. But we will change the word “sun” to the word “Son”. I think it is a fair question to ask whether the people had been converted. If not, they were still pagan. They started calling themselves Christian, or they were told to do so. They did not mind changing their names, as long as their lives did not have to change. Is that what Jesus had in mind? Contrast that to the Thessalonians. They turned from idols to serve the living and true God (1 Thess 1:9). One of the defenders of Christmas has said that Paul did not preach against the goddess Diana. The people could use the same temple and artifacts. Just worship Jesus instead. Yes, that is in one of the articles. I note, however, that at Ephesus “many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men”. The church from Rome would not ask the Germans to tear down their temples. Just put the name Jesus over the door. Keep their books. Just replace the name “Saturn” with the name “Son of God”. Keep the dates the same, the activities the same, the articles the same, only change the name. These are historical statements and I am not here to attest to their accuracy. I am only saying that some writers use these to justify a celebration of Christmas. Pagan activities could be Christianized by replacing key words. The practices remained the same. Thus Christians could sing to a tree, as long as the name of the tree had Christ in it. They had never done anything like that in Bible times, but somehow it was OK now. Yet the word says we should “stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our (the apostles’) epistle (2 Thess 2:15). I think if was Pizzarro who said, “We did not come to convert these Indians. We came to take from them their gold”. Nevertheless, it was helpful, in making them loyal subjects of Spain, to have them also adopt the religion of the mother country. I can tell you that my parents were Catholics. The church did not care what kind of life they lived. They had not converted them to anything except loyalty to the church. My parents were pagans, bowing down to statues and to Christmas trees. What more can I say? I must leave this topic. But our God is a gracious God. He told Samuel to allow the people to have a king. It may be he has also said it’s OK to have Christmas. I am sure that some Christians who celebrate Christmas “regard it unto the Lord”. What the heathen and the unbelievers are doing when the celebrate it, I’m not sure. Whether or not they are really celebrating it, I'm not sure. |
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149 | Christmas | Jer 10:1 | Aixen7z4 | 107218 | ||
It is such an uncomfortable time for some of us, this time of the year. It is somewhat like holding our breath till it all passes. We do not know how to respond when people speak to us of Christmas, or speak across our faces to each other. Most often we smile or grunt or say, “God bless you”. But now and then we say something, knowing it is not popular. But we feel we would be failing the Lord if we refrained. Some of us want to say, as followers of Christ, that Christmas does not fit. It is not of God and has nowhere, to our knowledge, earned his approval. But we do not want to contribute to an argument, or even a discussion. We want to say simply that Jesus never celebrated his birth and never asked us to do so. We want to say that there is no record in the Bible of believers having done it. We feel no need to do it. We wonder why we have adopted a pagan practice and tried to offer it to God. We fear we may have turned again to the weak and beggarly elements. When the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because we are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba, Father”. Wherefore you are no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. Howbeit then, when we knew not God, we did service unto them which by nature are no gods. But now, after that we have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn we again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto we desire again to be in bondage? We observe days, and months, and times, and years. But some of us will let it be known, for what it is worth, we do not submit to that bondage. We do not observe days, and months, and times, and years. We will let our brethren know that we stopped celebrating Christmas when we found out about the origin of the practice of it, and of the practices within it. Nor do we celebrate the new year. We would not debate with those who do, for “he that regarded the day regarded it unto the Lord”. These trembling souls wanted only to make this statement. We are not willing to answer questions concerning this. We will not even answer who “we” are for fear that it would pit us against “them”. We wanted to make this statement wile maintaining the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. It took all our energy to choose our words carefully, and we post this here in the hope that the Lord will use it for his glory. |
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150 | 1 Thess. 5:17 | Jer 29:12 | Aixen7z4 | 149838 | ||
This is a good opportunity for us to understand what preachers mean when they say that God always answers our prayers but sometimes the answer is No. How do we know when the answer is No? And for those who say that another answer is “Wait” one might ask how we can determine which one it is. I think we must acknowledge that there are times when God does not even hear our prayers. There are also times when he does not answer. Moses (Deuteronomy 3) refers to a time when “the LORD was wroth with me for your sakes, and would not hear me”. I take that to mean the Lord would not listen, and would not even consider the request. Samuel described a condition under which “You shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the LORD will not hear you in that day” (1 Samuel 8). Job cried in despair, “I cry unto you, and you do not hear me: I stand up, and you regard me not" (Job 30). David knew it: “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me” (Psalm 66). When prayers are not answered, God says that is one of the reasons (Isaiah 59): “Your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear". David prayed, “O my God, I cry in the daytime, but you do not hear” (Psalm 22). Isaiah reports the Lord saying, “When you spread forth your hands, I will hide my eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear" (Isaiah 1). The Lord told Jeremiah (chapter 7), “Do not pray for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to me: for I will not hear you”. These examples should suffice to show there are times when God does not even listen to our prayers, not even to consider our requests. But there are also times when he listens but does not answer. Jesus did it. A woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David. My daughter is grievously vexed with a devil”. But he answered her not a word (Matthew 15). He indicated that there are times, as then, when God will not answer right away, but only after he has seen our importunity (Luke 18). It is one of the reasons we should keep on asking, when we know that our prayers are according to his will. He will answer when he knows the time is right. It’s what he did with the slaves in Egypt. He had heard their cry. Eventually he responded by coming down to deliver them (Exodus 3). There are some times when God says, “Wait”. It is what he said to Habakkuk. When the prophet complained, “O LORD, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear! … and you will not save!” the Lord said, “I will work a work in your days, which ye will not believe, though it be told you” (Chapter 1). But he does not leave us to interpret silence as a "No", or even as a “Wait”. The prophet decided to wait for an answer, and he got it. “The LORD answered me, and said, ‘Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that reads it. … Though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come’” (chapter 2). “Wait” is something that he says sometimes, even when we have not prayed. But again, he says it, and he does not leave us to infer it from his silence. The fact is, many of our prayers are already answered, and we need only to find it. That is the case with questions we may ask the Lord. The answers are in the word of God. But when we ask for things, we need not invent answers or assume that God is saying “No” or “Wait”. Ordinarily, an answer means we get what we have requested. Instead of saying “No” it is God’s way to show us his will instead, so we can pray for it and get it. That is what he did for Paul (2 Corinthians 12). That is what he did for Jesus (Luke 22:42,42; Hebrews 5:7). May God help us to understand his will and to pray in accordance with it. Then we will have our prayers answered. |
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151 | 1 Thess. 5:17 | Jer 29:12 | Aixen7z4 | 149847 | ||
I was pleased to read Piper’s paper. He seemed to be saying what I understand: that we can only exercise faith in what God has said. We cannot believe God about anything God has not said. When we have not seen the mind of God on a subject, when he has not revealed it in Scripture, then the word Faith does not apply. God must speak first, and faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10). But God has spoken (Hebrews 1) and we need to find, in Scripture, what he has said. I was surprised, and disappointed, when he added “when Scripture does not give a promise that a particular blessing will definitely be given in answer to prayer, God may make known in some other way that He intends to give the blessing”. He does say that he is adding that “with some hesitancy”, and that is understandable. The reason is not; it is because he has never experienced it. He says, “God has never communicated to me what He intends to do any other way than by the Scripture”. Here we have the familiar and dangerous error of exalting “experience” (even possible, potential experience) to the level of Scripture, and I think it is most unfortunate. He should have decided to refrain from saying those things. He whom God has sent speaks the words of God (John 3). We should be guided by the Spirit, and he does not speak of himself; but whatsoever he hears, that’s what he speaks (John 16). It is important that we “learn not to think beyond the things which are written” (1 Corinthians 4). I appreciate the reminder, that our prayers should be for that which brings glory to the Lord. One might even say that we should bring him glory with our lives, and our worship, and our thanksgiving, even before we bring our supplications. Whatever he shows us his will is, we should pray as Jesus did (John 12:28): "Father, Glorify your name". |
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152 | Is there a ligjt in the darkness? | Lam 3:2 | Aixen7z4 | 102081 | ||
Compudex: You are a blessing. Thank you for those thoughts. I hope to return to them again and again. The one about the darkness being a glimpse of hell is a gem. It is true. If we cannot bear to be away from him for a moment, what will they have to endure for eternity? It confirms to me that it is good to admit how we feel, even before them. Perhaps it can motivate them to seek him, to dread the absence of his presence. The one about the children of Israel in Egypt is a gem. I have often wondered how they felt, especially those who knew the word God had given to Abraham about the length of time they were to spend there. The ones who went into captivity must have felt it too, knowing that the seventy years had to be fulfilled. We will see the light again, of course. “For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And they shall look unto the earth; and behold trouble and darkness, dimness of anguish; and they shall be driven to darkness. “Nevertheless the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward did more grievously afflict her by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations. The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined”. It has happened before, and it will happen again. It happened when he came the first time, and it will happen again when he comes again. In the meantime, there is darkness, and it seems to me that we are like Jeremiah, carried away in the darkness of this age. The only light we seem to have at times is the light of the word of God word. It is a light that shineth in a dark place. But Christians are a light as well, even as he was the light of the world. He said, “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world” and he said “Ye are the light of the world.” And when a believer lets his light shine, the world is a little less dark. Sometimes they do that, and with your post, that’s what you did. We need more of that. |
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153 | GOD SPEAKS TO THOSE WHO WOULDNT LISTEN ? | Ezek 2:2 | Aixen7z4 | 83140 | ||
As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are his ways higher than our ways, and his thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall his word be that goeth forth out of his mouth: it shall not return unto him void, but it shall accomplish that which he please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto he sent it. And if any man hear his words, and believe not, he does not judge him: for he came not to judge the world, but to save the world. He that rejecteth him, and receiveth not his words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that he hath spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. If he had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin. They, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear, (for they are a rebellious house,) yet shall know that there hath been a prophet among them. |
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154 | Has he (not) shown you? | Mic 6:8 | Aixen7z4 | 101474 | ||
What does the Lord require of me? It is probably the most important question we should be asking as we go to the word of God. I am aware that the question has been asked before on this forum. Someone was looking for materials for a class, I think. I would like to suggest here that the matter goes beyond academics. It is related to life. God has revealed many things to us in his word, secret things, if you will. The answers are found nowhere else. Principally he has revealed himself, his nature, and he has revealed our nature and our need. But this revelation did not come only by words. It is probably in the incarnation that he showed us what he wanted to show us most clearly, in the life and work of Christ. Now we should know more clearly than Micah did, what God requires of us. Let us not be shy to discuss it for fear it will reveal our shortcomings. Let us encourage each other to know it (Ephesians 5:17) and to do it (John 13:17). |
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155 | When God Sings | Zeph 3:17 | Aixen7z4 | 149890 | ||
That is so beautiful, I fear I will spoil it by trying to add to it. The Lord will call on his speople to sing (v. 14). He will also sing to his people? I wonder when that will be. But would you not say there are other times when God has sung? What do we have in Isaiah 5? It may not be the happiest of songs, but it is a love song, I think, from God, to his Son, about his people. Some say that God dictated it, and it was the prophet who sang it. What do you say? In Deuteronomy 31 God gave them a song to sing. "Write ye this song for you", he says, "and teach it the children of Israel. Put it in their mouths". The Psalms are songs, and we may think of some of them (Psalm 22, Psalm 40, Psalm 69) as Jesus' songs. The Song of Solomon also has a part for the bridegroom. Is he simply Solomon, and not also the King of kings, and the church's bridegroom? Is he not there singing to her? In Psalm 22, he promised tha the would sing with us, and in Hebrews 2, it seems that he fulfills it. He is not ashamed to call us brethren. He says, "I will declare your name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto you". When we gather in his name, and he is with us, and we are singing praise to God, is he not singing with us? I worry sometimes when we put words into God's mouth in song. ("My life was given for thee ... What hast thou given to me?") But there are so many songs we sing to God. It is good to see that he will also sing to us. |
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156 | Sermon will be taught on thi answer | Matthew | Aixen7z4 | 147902 | ||
Your audience may not have been thrilled if you told them this, but loving God means obeying him. As to doing it with all the heart and soul and mind, you would have needed the Holy Spirit to bring them to that. If it is true that we resent having to obey the Lord, then we are a long way from doing so with everything we have. But the love of Christ constrains us, and we love him because he first loved us. We find that his commandments are not grievous; they are actually good for us. And so, in loving God, we love ourselves, including our neighbors. And we must love our neighbor in order to love God, ‘cause we do not see God, but we see our neighbor. All of this we learn from his word, for he who asked us to love him told us how it is done. They that love me … keep my commandments (Exodus 20:6, Deuteronomy 5:10; 7:9). Therefore you shall love the LORD your God, and keep his charge, and his statutes, and his judgments, and his commandments, always (Deuteronomy 11:1). You shall hearken diligently unto his commandments which he commands you, to love the LORD your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul (Deuteronomy 11:13,22). You shall keep all the commandments to do them, which he commands you, to love the LORD your God, and to walk ever in his ways (Deuteronomy 19:9). He commands you to love the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments (Deuteronomy 30:16). Take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law, to love the LORD your God, and to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and to cleave unto him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul (Joshua 22:5). Those who love him observe his commandments (Nehemiah 1:5). David (as we suppose he wrote this psalm) delighted himself in the Lord, and in his commandments, which he loved (Psalm 119:47, 48). He loved God’s commandments above gold; yea, above fine gold. (v.127). And Daniel (9:4) loved the great and dreadful God who responds in mercy toward those who show love to him by keeping his commandments. Jesus loved him and did always those things that pleased him (John 8:29). In order that the world might know that he loved the Father; and as the Father had given him commandment, including the one that he die for us (John 10:18) even so he did (John 14:31). Jesus said, (John 14:15) “If you love me, keep my commandments”. “He that has my commandments, and keeps them, he it is that loves me ” (John 14:21). He said, “If If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love (John 15:10). John says, “When we love God, (we) keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments (1 John 5:2,3) and again, “This is love, that we walk after his commandments” (2 John 1:6). Again, it seems hard to make all this attractive and appealing, but that is what God says, and for those who understand it, it is good. If we love him, we will do what makes him happy. And he is happy when we obey him. He takes great delight in the fact that we obey the voice of the LORD (1 Samuel 15:22). When we obey God with all our heart, then we have peace like a river, and righteousness as the waves of the sea (Isaiah 48:18). But it is hard to believe that, and so we hesitate. It is like a waiting to jump in. It is only after we have done it, and waited a while, that we find God’s word is true in our experience. It might help to remind ourselves how much he loved us. Greater love has no man than this: He gave himself for us. And again, we love him because he first loved us. |
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157 | Saved from sin? | Matt 1:21 | Aixen7z4 | 104508 | ||
Hi. Can I join in? One reason that I’d like to is that I think this is such an excellent question, and a very important question. It relates to the very nature of the Gospel and whether we are preaching it correctly. The other reason is that I have known Brian McLaren personally. I have worked with him and, if I may say so, I think I know his heart. Brian believes, as I do, that a person once saved is guaranteed a place in heaven. He cannot lose his salvation. The concern is that people may seek this sure salvation and believe that they can get away with practicing sin, subsequent to salvation. It is the issue of Romans 6 again. Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? But this time we face it at the time of the preaching of the Gospel. To make this short, let me say that the issue has already been addressed by Paul, speaking to Christians, people who are already saved. But what if we are presenting the Gospel to people and they perceive of salvation as a fire escape over hell? I think Brian would say that we need to make sure we give the proper message. The motivation should be to get right with God, to have a love relationship with him, and not simply to avoid his wrath. We should repent of sin because we realize that sin offends God. We should want to get sin out of our hearts in order to have a right relationship with God. It is still a problem when people think that they can sin and believe that it will not get them to hell. It is one thing when people are genuinely saved and we can remind them that they are dead to sin. It is another matter when we are calling people to salvation without pointing out the essential problem with sin. What it comes down to is that the people may not really be saved. They would not have repented because they had not seen sin for what it was and they had not actually turned from it. A person who is saved is saved from sin. They are saved from the power of sin. They are saved from the penalty of sin. However, as they come to Christ, it is not the penalty that they should be focused on, but on the effect of sin on a relationship with God. Before we are saved we are dead in sin. We are without God in the world. We must seek the Lord. Since he hates sin, we must turn our backs on sin in order to come to him. Can we then continue in sin? God forbid. As Ray Comfort would say, we should not preach the Gospel without making people aware of sin in their lives and the problem with it. Some people are motivated by fear. Some are motivated by love. But all must know a need for a change of heart. We must cause people to feel godly sorrow for sin. Only then can we be confident that we are leading them to repentance and faith and true salvation. |
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158 | Saved from sin? | Matt 1:21 | Aixen7z4 | 104585 | ||
Hi! I thank God for you because you bring thoughts that have not occurred to me. They cause me to consider new issues. I trust that I can be a benefit to you by addressing them. We have considered the idea that sin must be clearly labeled and described when we present the Gospel. Sinners must recognize sin for what it is, and turn from it in repentance. They must turn to God in faith and look toward a life with him, without sin. They must know that they are entering a relationship with God who is holy and separate from sinners (Hebrews 7:26). Believers must shun sin because it is an offence to God and hinders our fellowship. There are also other fearful consequences to sin. The concept of a "sin of obedience" is a difficult one since the Bible does not use such a term. You say that a "righteousness apart from the Law has been revealed" and yet you suspect that we still persist in the notion that we must live according to the law to be righteous. It is not clear why you think so. Surely we must live righteous lives. But it is because we are righteous. We do not do it in order to become righteous. You speak of “performance Christianity” and call it a trap. Again, I think it is clear that we must live and work and do things for God. But this is our response to him, because we love him. We do not do those things to be accepted of him. If we are saved we are his children and he loves us first, not because we love him first. It is possible that some Christians think God loves them more because of what they do for him. But God’s love is without measure. He loves me more than I can tell, in spite of what I may or may not do. What shall separate us from the love of Christ? Let me say that we should be aware of our own love for the Lord and live in the light of it. Beyond that too much introspection is not good or necessary. From time to time we may find ourselves saying, as Jehu did, (2 Kings 10) “Come and see my zeal for the Lord”. I am not saying we should talk like that, but I believe that story is given to us to suggest that it can happen and that the Lord does not resent or condemn it. We should therefore not condemn ourselves for it. For example, if your service or ministry to others is generated (partly) out of a desire to be thought well of by them, don’t worry about it. You are doing for others because God's word tells you that you should. That is your motivation. If they appreciate it you may find reinforcement in that, but it was not your motivation. You would do it even if it caused you pain instead of pleasure. Do not doubt yourself because your soul responds to pleasure. God asks us to encourage one another. He does not expect us to feel guilty or to doubt our motives when we are encouraged. I guess the point of this one is that too much introspection is not good or necessary. The fact is we do not really know our hearts anyway. It is God who searches the heart. Let him search and find your love for him there. If there is anything else he will show you and you can forsake it then. Without him, I say, do not try too hard to judge your motives. Are you following me? We can pray together. Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Let us go on to serve the lord, and leave the soul searching to him. |
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159 | Saved from sin? | Matt 1:21 | Aixen7z4 | 104586 | ||
I will not search my heart to see if that lapse in capitalization was a Freudian slip. | ||||||
160 | Saved from sin? | Matt 1:21 | Aixen7z4 | 104612 | ||
Hello again, pbs. I do believe the life of the believer is simple and straightforward, if we would keep it that way. We must be devoted to him enough to trust him and obey him. What he asks of us is pretty simple: Love one another. If we keep that in mind, I think we can relax and just do it. Much can be said about the experience. We obey the new commandment to show our love for him (John 15). We love him because he first loved us (1 John 4), etc. These are given to encourage us. But the task is clear and (1 John 5:3) not hard. We should avoid the distractions, keep it simple, and do it. |
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