How Men Act When They Repent

In Matthew 12:41, Jesus said, "The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here." According to Jesus, the men of Nineveh repented at the preaching of Jonah. 

You remember the story, don't you? God had commanded Jonah, "Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me"   (Jonah 1:2). Now Nineveh was not only a city filled with wickedness, it was also the capital of the Assyrians, hated enemies of the Israelites. Jonah didn't want to go.  He fled from God's presence.

 However, after being given some quality time in the belly of a fish to reflect and pray, Jonah decided to obey God.  Jonah walked through the city proclaiming the judgment of the Lord upon these pagan people: "Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!" (Jonah 3:4).

The people of Nineveh repented. They "proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them"   (Jonah 3:5). When word came to the king of Nineveh, "he arose from his throne and laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes." He decreed that "neither man nor beast, herd nor flock" were to eat or drink and that "every one" was to "turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hand"   (Jonah 3:7-8). 

The text says that, "God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them"   (Jonah 3:10). God can read men's hearts. He knows more about what is going on in our heads than we do ourselves. But He did not need to read the minds of the Ninevites to know that they had repented.  He "saw their works, that they turned away from evil". When the men of Nineveh repented, nobody was left to wonder whether or not their repentance was genuine. Nobody was left guessing about their intention to stop committing evil. Nobody would have doubted they had actually repented of their sins.

We really need to learn this lesson from the men of Nineveh. We need to learn how to act when we repent.  Repentance isn't just saying "excuse me," "my bad," or "forgive me," and then going on with our lives as if nothing happened.  Repentance should produce real change in our actions.  We are to "bear fruits worthy of repentance" (Matthew 3:8). I am afraid that too many of us think that our repentance should go unnoticed. We are incognito repenters!  And while God hardly asks us to don sackcloth and ashes today, He does ask us to "do works befitting repentance"   (Acts 26:20).

Let's resolve to turn away from sin in our lives, and make sure that we behave in such a way that folks can tell that's what we've done!

- by Steve Klein

 

Signs to confirm the Word of God

Signs Confirming … Confirming What?

 

In Mark 16:17-20, Jesus speaks of signs such as tongue-speaking and casting out demons, accompanying the believers and confirming the gospel message.

 

If one were following how Jesus' command, in Mark 16:16, is carried out in the book of Acts, one would notice that these signs did indeed accompany those who not only believed but who were also being baptized. Signs accompanying are mentioned in Acts 2, in Acts 10, in Acts 16, and in Acts 19 - all four contexts also showing that believers were baptized. Hebrews 2:3-4 speaks of not neglecting so great a salvation, with signs of the Holy Spirit also confirming the salvation. It's also found in Galatians 3 where we read of receiving the Spirit and working miracles associated with faith and not the Law. And at the end of the chapter faith and baptism are seen together.

 

If I were a betting man, and this is all I knew of the New Testament, I would bet that the signs confirmed that believing and being baptized were what brought salvation through the power of the gospel!!

 

When I shared this thought with my brother, Brad, from Goshen, Indiana, Brad said this:

 

“A teacher once spoke of a Bible verse which allegedly says God foresaw every religious error and refuted it in His Word.  Somehow that verse never made its way into my notes.  I am pretty much persuaded God did do this and He generally did it, as you indicated, in more than one way.  My wife was not convinced about the essentiality of baptism by any of the references presented her until someone pointed to Gal. 3:27.  The multiple ways God has used to teach the same truths is surely one more argument for a divinely inspired book.”

 

Well … if you put together 1 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Thessalonians 2:8-15 and Acts 17:11-13, you get the point, don’t you. Respect for the Bible as the word of God and not the word of men, a love of the truth, and a willingness to check what even the most knowledgeable believers may teach, should always lead you to the truth and away from false teaching, wouldn’t you say? That area around Thessalonica and Beraea  must have been “a pillar and buttress of truth” (1 Timothy 3:15) – don’t you think? The Thessalonians had even found their way out of idolatry and into the truth of God and salvation!! And the Bereans  were even “more noble-minded”! No wonder Satan stirred up the unbelievers there to persecute them!! Nothing like a bit of opposition to solidify God’s people in the truth!!

 

Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.” And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women. But the Jews were jealous, and taking some wicked men of the rabble, they formed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd. And when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also, and Jason has received them, and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.” And the people and the city authorities were disturbed when they heard these things. And when they had taken money as security from Jason and the rest, they let them go. The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. Many of them therefore believed, with not a few Greek women of high standing as well as men. But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that the word of God was proclaimed by Paul at Berea also, they came there too, agitating and stirring up the crowds. Acts 17:1-13

 

For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything. For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 1 Thessalonians 1:4-9

 

For you know how, like a father with his children, we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory. And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers. 1 Thessalonians 2:11-13

 

The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter. 2 Thessalonians 2:9-15

 

David Carr

 

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Judd Lewis (1867-1945)

Forget It

 

Judd Lewis (1867-1945) worked for forty-five years at the Houston Post newspaper.  He wrote a column of humor and poetry under the name, “Uncle Judd.”  He was a man of great compassion who helped find a proper home for two hundred twenty-one homeless children.  No doubt, each of them had issues of forgiveness to work through, so it is not surprising that one of Lewis’s most memorable pieces involved the fine art of forgetting wrongs suffered.  His poem is titled “Forget It.”

 

Forget It

by Judd Mortimer Lewis

If you see a tall fellow ahead of a crowd,

A leader of men, marching fearless and proud,

And you know of a tale whose mere telling aloud

Would cause his proud head in anguish be bowed,

It's a pretty good plan to Forget It.

If you know of a skeleton hidden away

In a closet, and guarded, and kept from the day

In the dark, and whose showing, whose sudden display

Would cause grief and sorrow and pain and dismay

It's a pretty good plan to Forget It.

If you know of a tale that will darken the joy

Of a man or a woman, a girl or a boy,

That will wipe out a smile or the least bit annoy

A fellow, or cause any gladness to cloy,

It's a pretty good plan to Forget It. *

“But you don’t know what I’ve done,” someone objects.  “I am so ashamed of what I’ve done.  I can never forget it.”

 

No, you can’t.

 

But you can be forgiven.  And as a result, you don’t have to continue to carry around the burdens of guilt and shame.

 

The Good News (the Gospel) is that Jesus died on the cross for our sins (see 1 Corinthians 15:1-4).  When we obey the Good News, we can have our sins washed away by the cleansing blood of Jesus.  “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7).

 

God will forgive our sins and give us the gift of eternal life when we place our faith and trust in Him (Acts 16:30-31), turn from our sins in repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confess Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10), and are baptized (immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38).  He will continue to cleanse us from sin as we continue to walk in the light of His Word (1 John 1:7).

 

The writer of Hebrews highlights one of God’s wonderful blessings of the New Covenant: "For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more" (Hebrews 8:12).

 

God will remember our sins no more.  He won’t bring them up again, ever.  He has essentially forgotten them.  Essentially, we can, too.  Thanks be to God.

 

Won’t YOU trust and obey Jesus so that YOUR sins can be washed away?

 

-- David A. Sargent

 

* From “A Good Plan” by Dr. Paul Chappell in www.ministry127.com

To God be glory both now and for ever

And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.--Philippians 4:19

 

As I think about the words of the above passage, the words of a beautiful song begin to echo through my heart:

 

"My Jesus knows when I am lonely, He knows each pain, He sees each tear;

He understands each lonely heartache, He understands because He cares.

My Jesus knows when I am burdened, He knows how much my heart can bear;

He lifts me up when I am sinking, And brings me joy beyond compare.

My Jesus knows just what I need, O yes He know just what I need, He satisfies.

And every need supplies, Yes He knows just what I need"--Mosie Lister

 

Hardly a day now passes in my life in which at some point a loneliness sweeps down over me bringing with it the pain of a lonely heartache. I venture to say that all of us find ourselves groaning under the burdens and cares of this life that are common to each one of us (2 Cor. 5:1-9). Even though emotionally we may feel the stress and heartache of some events in our lives, we do not have to be distressed. The Lord we serve is able to calm all the storms we encounter in this life (Psalm 23; 46:1; Heb. 4:16; 6:18-19). The first verse of the 23rd Psalm is a tremendously powerful affirmation of our faith in God. All of our thoughts, feelings and needs are known by our God (Heb. 4:13). So long as our trust and confidence lies in him, we have not need to fret or worry about what is or is not going to happen to us because we can by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving make our requests known to him in full assurance that he will give to us a peace that passes understanding (Philippians 4:6-7; Hebrews 4:16). Our God even knows what we need before we ask (Matthew 6:8). I am so thankful that he knows when I am lonely, knows when my heart is hurting and knows when I am burdened. I am so grateful that he will lift me up and supply my every need. Aren't you thankful that he will do the same for you? Yes, he does know just what we need!

 

To be glory both now and for ever. Amen (2 Peter 3:18).

 

Charles Hicks

 

Sermon outline on Jacob

Jacob (part 1)

 

1)    Jacob is an interesting character because his name means “deceiver” or “supplanter.”

2)Almost immediately after his name is first mentioned in Gen. 25 we find him committing a sneaky act.

a)     Section 1 is Gen. 25-28 – Jacob is “striving for blessing.”

b)    Section 2 is Gen. 29-31 – Jacob is “striving for prosperity.”

c)     The final section is Gen. 32-50 – Jacob is “striving for godliness.”

3)    Jacob had a kind of “roller coaster life.”

4)    If we have ever felt like was going up and down and back and forth, we can identify with Jacob.

 

GEN. 25 - JACOB HAD PAID FOR ESAU’S BIRTHRIGHT WITH SOME FOOD.

 

1)    Jacob needed a spiritual up call and he got one.

a)     In Gen. 27 the time came for Isaac to confer a blessing on his sons.

b)    Jacob and his mom tricked Isaac and Jacob ended up with the family blessing.

2)    When Esau learned about what had happened he said what we already heard for the Scripture reading

a)     Esau said Jacob had received the right name (Gen. 27:36) --

b)    Esau said he had been “supplanted” (tricked) by Jacob two times.

3)    Esau hated Jacob (Gen. 27:41); he decided decided he would kill his brother once his father had died.

4)    The mother of Esau and Jacob learned about this murderous plot and she sent Jacob away.

5)    Rebekah (Jacob’s mom) convinced her husband Isaac this was a good idea and off Jacob went.

a)     In Gen. 28:11 we read about a pillow.  Jacob went to sleep and he dreamed a dream (Gen. 28:12).

6)    There was a ladder which reached from heaven to earth.  Angels went up and down on this ladder.

7)    God says to him:  I am going to be with you and I am going to help you.

8)    The Bible says God loves all people and wants all people to be saved.

9)    We see God’s love reflected in the life of Jacob.

10) Up to this time it also appears Jacob has been trying to figure things out on his own.

11) Instead of focusing on what he could do, he needed to be looking to God.

12)  Gen. 28:15 says, I am with thee; I will keep you, I will not leave you, I w/do what needs to be done.

13) Would Jacob turn to the divine ladder or would he continue to try and rely on his own strength?

 

SECTION 2 – JACOB WANTS PROSPERITY – GEN. 29-31.

 

1)    Uncle Laban – the man with whom Jacob stayed – outschemed Jacob for a time.

2)    Laban promised Jacob one of his daughters for a wife and gave him a different girl at the last moment.

3)    Laban then said Jacob could have the wife he wanted, but this would require 7 more years of help.

4)    Jacob sought prosperity (Gen. 29-31) and he got it.

5)    Gen. 30:42-43 – READ

6)    NOW - from Gen. 32-50 (the longest section for this man’s life) we find a striving after godliness.

7)    The time came when he made some key changes in his life.

8)    Gen. 31:31 – READ

9)    Things were moving in the right direction for Jacob, but God helped him even more.

10) Towards the end of Gen. 32 we find Jacob wrestling with a divine opponent.

11) Jacob received a hip injury which resulted in a limp (Gen. 32:31).

12) This hip injury and limp are also suggestive of not being dependent on self.

13) Jacob had to learn that coming to God means full submission and not relying on self.

14) These lessons are among the hardest for most of us to also learn.

Jacob (parte 1) –

1) Jacob es un personaje interesante porque su nombre significa "engañador" o "suplantador".
2) Casi inmediatamente después de que su nombre se menciona por primera vez en el Gen. 25 lo encontramos cometiendo un acto furtivo.
a) La sección 1 es Gen. 25-28: Jacob está "luchando por la bendición".
b) La sección 2 es Génesis 29-31: Jacob está "luchando por la prosperidad".
c) La sección final es Génesis 32-50: Jacob está "luchando por la piedad".
3) Jacob tenía una especie de "vida de montaña rusa".
4) Si alguna vez hemos sentido que iba y venía de un lado a otro, podemos identificarnos con Jacob.

GEN. 25 - JACOB HABÍA PAGADO EL DERECHO DE NACIMIENTO DE ESAU CON ALGUNOS ALIMENTOS.

1) Jacob necesitaba un llamado espiritual y él obtuvo uno.
a) En Génesis 27, llegó el momento de que Isaac otorgara una bendición a sus hijos.
b) Jacob y su madre engañaron a Isaac y Jacob terminó con la bendición de la familia.
2) Cuando Esaú se enteró de lo que había sucedido, dijo lo que ya escuchamos para la lectura de las Escrituras
a) Esaú dijo que Jacob había recibido el nombre correcto (Génesis 27:36) -
b) Esaú dijo que había sido "suplantado" (engañado) por Jacob dos veces.
3) Esaú odiaba a Jacob (Génesis 27:41); decidió que decidió matar a su hermano una vez que su padre muriera.
4) La madre de Esaú y Jacob se enteró de este plan asesino y ella envió a Jacob lejos.
5) Rebekah (la madre de Jacob) convenció a su esposo Isaac que esta era una buena idea y que Jacob se fue.
a) En Génesis 28:11 leemos acerca de una almohada. Jacob se fue a dormir y soñó un sueño (Génesis 28:12).
6) Había una escalera que llegaba del cielo a la tierra. Los ángeles subían y bajaban en esta escalera.
7) Dios le dice: Yo estaré contigo y te ayudaré.
8) La Biblia dice que Dios ama a todas las personas y quiere que todas las personas se salven.
9) Vemos el amor de Dios reflejado en la vida de Jacob.
10) Hasta este momento también parece que Jacob ha estado tratando de resolver las cosas por su cuenta.
11) En vez de enfocarse en lo que él podía hacer, necesitaba mirar a Dios.
12) Gen. 28:15 dice: Yo estoy contigo; Te retendré, no te dejaré, haré lo que deba hacerse.
13) ¿Volvería Jacob a la escalera divina o continuaría intentando y confiando en su propia fuerza?

SECCIÓN 2 - JACOB QUIERE PROSPERIDAD - GEN. 29-31.

1) El tío Labán, el hombre con quien Jacob se quedó, dejó atrás a Jacob por un tiempo.
2) Labán le prometió a Jacob una de sus hijas por esposa y le dio una niña diferente en el último momento.
3) Labán luego dijo que Jacob podría tener la esposa que deseaba, pero esto requeriría 7 años más de ayuda.
4) Jacob buscó la prosperidad (Génesis 29-31) y la obtuvo.
5) Génesis 30: 42-43 - LEER
6) AHORA - de Génesis 32-50 (la sección más larga para la vida de este hombre) encontramos un esfuerzo por la piedad.
7) Llegó el momento en que hizo algunos cambios clave en su vida.
8) Génesis 31:31 - LEER
9) Las cosas se movían en la dirección correcta para Jacob, pero Dios lo ayudó aún más.
10) Hacia el final de Gen. 32 encontramos a Jacob luchando con un oponente divino.
11) Jacob recibió una lesión en la cadera que causó cojera (Génesis 32:31).
12) Esta lesión en la cadera y la cojera también son sugestivas de no depender de uno mismo.
13) Jacob tuvo que aprender que venir a Dios significa sumisión total y no confiar en sí mismo.
14) Estas lecciones se encuentran entre las más difíciles de aprender para la mayoría de nosotros.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

        

Are Your Hearts Open or Your Ears Stopped?

 

The last words of the Old Testament prepare us for who and what are coming in the New Testament:

 

Then those who feared the Lord spoke with one another. The Lord paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the Lord and esteemed his name. 17 “They shall be mine, says the Lord of hosts, in the day when I make up my treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him. 18 Then once more you shall see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him. Malachi 3:16-18

 

“For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. 2 But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. 3 And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the Lord of hosts. 4 “Remember the law of my servant Moses, the statutes and rules that I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel. 5 “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. 6 And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.” Malachi 4:1-6

 

When He cometh, when He cometh

To make up His jewels,

All His jewels, precious jewels,

His loved and His own.

Like the stars of the morning,

His brightness adorning,

They shall shine in their beauty,

Bright gems for His crown.

He will gather, He will gather

The gems for His kingdom;

All the pure ones, all the bright ones,

His loved and His own.

Little children, little children,

Who love their Redeemer,

Are the jewels, precious jewels,

His loved and His own.

 

-      William O. Cushing, 1856

 

The idea in the hymn is based on the KJV of Malachi 3:17, “in that day when I make up my jewels.”

 

Are we living as a people prepared for the day Jesus returns to gather the gems for His kingdom, “bright gems for His crown”?

 

 

And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place,   until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts

 

Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, 11 inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. 12 It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look. 1 Peter 1:8-12

 

The prophets had said many things about Christ many hundreds of years beforehand. Prophets like Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Micah, Ezekiel and the Psalmists. Their full understanding of what they were predicting was obscured to some extent, though they knew, in these particular prophecies, that they spoke of things regarding the distant future, and not of their own times.

 

When the New Testament age dawned, the apostles and others were eyewitnesses of the very person – Christ –

that the prophets had been talking about. And so the word of the prophets  was confirmed as true by these

eyewitnesses.

For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For when he received honour and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” 18 we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain.

 

And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, 2 Peter 1:16-19.

 

What was predicted would happen was seen to have happened! Thus was “the prophetic word more fully confirmed”!!

One day, we pray, many will see the light of Old Testament prophecy – shining brightly in its fulfilment in Christ.

 

And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 2 Corinthians 4:3-4

 

To see one exceptional example of this, read Isaiah 53. What a magnificent prophecy of Christ’s atoning death and resurrection, and the salvation of many that resulted. How specific are many of its predictions – as if it were written by an eyewitness of Christ’s very sacrifice, resurrection and many “saved offspring” – the sons of Abraham now children of God.

 

Only one year after Jesus’ death, resurrection and ascension into heaven, the Ethiopian Queen’s Treasurer was reading a portion of this Isaiah 53 prophecy while returning from worshipping in Jerusalem. He did not understand what he was reading; so he sought Philip the evangelist’s explanation. God had sent Philip to find the Ethiopian because He knew he would be searching for the meaning of the Isaiah text. It is likely he would have paid big money for that Isaiah scroll when he was in Jerusalem. It makes you recall Jesus’ parables in Matthew 13:44-46 of the man who sold all he had to buy the field containing the hidden treasure, and the merchant seeking fine pearls, and finding one pearl of great value sells all he had and bought that one pearl of great price. The Ethiopian thus found riches beyond measure – his own eternal salvation in Christ.

 

Philip started from the words of Isaiah that the Ethiopian was reading, and preached Jesus to him. The Ethiopian nobleman’s heart was opened. His lack of understanding had been changed to full understanding. He believed in Jesus, saw water and wished to be baptized to be saved. Philip baptized the Ethiopian, who immediately rejoiced and went on his way back home. You can read the account in the Acts of the Apostles, chapter 8, verses 26-39. This is real history, not fantasy. It is also how true Christianity began in that part of Africa.

 

There are just a couple of examples of people of such nobility coming to faith in Jesus - the record of their faith

being included in the New Testament. The Roman Proconsul of Cyprus in Acts 13 is another. How about that? A

Queen’s Treasurer and an Emperor’s Governor!! I talked on Thursday to the Mayor of Maitland who’s only recently

retired after a lifetime serving the community. Talked to your local dignitary, lately?? They need the gospel, too.

 

The New Testament and the Old Testament fit together like a hand in a glove. The Old Testament was written in the knowledge that its fulfilment would come many hundreds of years in the future in the New Testament and the person of Jesus.

 

Such is the genius of God that He purposed this to happen and then made it happen as purposed:

 

“To whom will you liken me and make me equal, and compare me, that we may be alike?

Those who lavish gold from the purse, and weigh out silver in the scales,

hire a goldsmith, and he makes it into a god; then they fall down and worship!

They lift it to their shoulders, they carry it,  they set it in its place, and it stands there;

    it cannot move from its place. If one cries to it, it does not answer or save him from his trouble.

“Remember this and stand firm, recall it to mind, you transgressors,

remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other;

    I am God, and there is none like me,

declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done,

saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’

calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of my counsel from a far country.

I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it. Isaiah 46:5-11

 

The Bible has very many examples of such prophecies – more than enough to convince an honest and open mind that in the Bible is revealed the will of God pertaining to your eternal salvation. God wants you to one day be free from the sins, worries, trials, disappointments, death and the temporary nature of life in this world, and spend eternity with Him in the divine love of the glory of heaven that will never end.

 

Your salvation is not about fickle feelings, but about God’s facts – objective truth written down in God’s unchangeable Bible. No matter what your feelings or your circumstances or your country or language, God’s objective standard of truth is always available for you to search to find the truth that will set you free from the problems, disappointments and limitations of this world, and set you on the path to eternal bliss. And when you do find that truth, the following words will be true of you, for the day has dawned and the morning star has arisen in your heart!

 

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ

died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die — but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.  Romans 5:1-11

 

O happy day, that fixed my choice

On Thee, my Savior and my God!

Well may this glowing heart rejoice,

And tell its raptures all abroad.

                                             (Words by Philip Doddridge, published in 1755 after his death.)

Refrain:

Happy day, happy day,

When Jesus washed my sins away!

He taught me how to watch and pray,

And live rejoicing every day:

Happy day, happy day,

When Jesus washed my sins away!

                                              (Refrain from Wesleyan Sacred Harp, 1854).

 

Our hope is a sure hope – a living hope that will never disappoint us nor shame us. Jesus, who died because he wanted to save all people, came back to life in the resurrection, and then ascended to heaven where He lives forever, thus substantiating our hope of heaven, when that hope will become sight as we personally see our Saviour.

 

And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. 3 And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. Daniel 12:2-3

 

While Daniel’s words predict the salvation of Israel in the days of Jesus the Messiah, they also foretell that day when

“those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above … like the stars forever and ever,” because, at

some point in many lives, the day dawns and Jesus the morning star arises in your heart. Open your heart to Jesus.

 

school security camera

Sheer Joy!

 

The school security camera caught it all.

 

But it wasn’t a crime or an act of indiscretion.  Rather, it was a scene of pure joy.

 

11-year-old Tannah Butterfield spent the last two years waiting and hoping that a judge would make her foster parents her legal parents, along with her two younger siblings.

 

Butterfield and her foster parents have a dear friend in Jackie Alexander, the office manager at the school where Butterfield and her siblings attend, American Heritage School of South Jordan, Utah.  Jennifer Fisher, Butterfield’s foster mother, called “Ms. Jackie” to inform her of the good news.  She also wanted Alexander to tell Butterfield the news when she came by for her daily visit.

 

The security camera shows Alexander coming out of her office to greet Butterfield.  "I grabbed her shoulders and said, 'Have you heard the news baby? You get your forever family,'" Alexander said.

 

The video shows Butterfield’s jubilant response.  She jumped into Alexander’s arms and clung to her tightly in sheer delight.

 

"My heart was so happy," Butterfield said. "It was like 'Ah!' It was like screaming."

 

"It's the biggest thing that ever happened to me," Butterfield reported with a huge smile on her face.

 

The moment was so touching that Alexander, with permission from Butterfield and her adoptive parents, shared the video.  The video has gone viral.  Watch it here: http://wnep.com/2017/10/11/video-captures-11-year-olds-joy-after-learning-her-adoption-is-final/

 

"I just needed to let people know there's a lot going on in the world and there's a lot of sadness that we see, but you know what? There's joy that happens every day," she said.

 

When you and I were essentially “orphaned” because of our sin, God gave His One and only Son to die on the cross to redeem us from sin and be adopted into His Family (Ephesians 1:7).

 

In order to be cleansed from sin and adopted into God’s Family, we must place our faith and trust in Jesus (Acts 16:30-31), turn from our sins in repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confess Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10), and be baptized (immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of our sins (Acts 2:38).  Then, as we continue to walk in the light of His Word, the blood of Jesus will continue to cleanse us from sin (1 John 1:7).

 

If YOU will only accept His offer on His terms, it will be “the biggest thing” that will ever happen to you.

 

The Apostle Paul describes the blessings of divine adoption with these words: “For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by Him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’ … Now if we are children, then we are heirs – heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.” -- Romans 8:15,17 NIV

 

Won’t YOU accept God’s offer of salvation, eternal life, and adoption?  It’s nothing less than sheer joy to become a child of God!

 

-- David A. Sargent

 

* Information gleaned from “Video captures 11-year-old Utah girl’s joy after learning her adoption is final” by CNN Wire and Tribune Media Wire at www.kdvr.com and www.wnep.com.

 

David A. Sargent

Be ye doers of the word

And the Apostles said unto the Lord, Lord increase our faith (Luke 17:5)

 

The importance of faith can never be overstated (Hebrews 11:6). I believe we all understand the importance of our faith.  We read in God's word about the different kinds of faith. There is a faith that is little (Matthew 6:30); a faith that is weak (Rom. 14:21); a faith that is great (Luke 7:9) and a faith that is strong (Rom. 4:20). The need for a strong faith in God, his word and the church is one of the greatest needs of the hour. We are weak, frail human beings and without a strong faith in God there ever stands the possibility that when confronted with the storms of life we will falter. Luke 17:3-5, Jesus speaks to his disciples concerning unlimited forgiveness. The apostles respond with the request, "Lord, increase our faith". This is a most appropriate petition and it is one that we should be including in our prayers, both public and private. As we do so we must remember that it is not a matter of simply asking and receiving.. There is a three step process involved in a faith that increases and grows stronger as we continue down life's pathway:

 

 One: There must be a burning desire on our part to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and all thing that pertain to him (1 Peter 2:2; 2 Peter 3:18).

 

 Two: We must feed ourselves spiritually on the word of God and learn about  those things that pertain to the Lord (2 Timothy 2:15; Matthew 11:29).

 

 Three: Be ye doers of the word (James 1:21-22).

 

Desire to grow, Study the word (learn it), and Put into practice what is learned. Our faith is only going to grow and become stronger in proportion to our desire to feed ourselves spiritually and do the will of God in all things to the best of our ability. With a strong faith, we can take hold of the never failing hand of God knowing that we will be kept by the power of God for all of our sojourn on this side of eternity.

 

"Living by faith in Jesus above, Trusting confiding in his great love,

From all hard safe in his sheltering arm, I'm living by faith and feel no alarm"

 

 

Charles Hicks

 

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Preaching the "Whole Counsel" of God

Fill a banquet table with all manner of food.  At one end, place a variety of nutritious foods such as fruits, steamed vegetables, lean meats and the like.  At the other end, load it up with candy, cookies, and a tempting selection of sweets and desserts.  Now, to complete the experiment, turn a company of youngsters loose to choose whatever food they like from the table.  Do you have any doubt as to what they will choose?  Of course not!  Repeat the exercise again and again, and the result will always be the same.  The kids will rush to the sugary end of the table every time.  Immature children will not discern what is best for them.  They do not recognize the need for a carefully balanced diet.  They are, after all, only kids!

Try another experiment.  Select an array of Bible subjects.  Be sure to include an ample supply of lessons that are of the positive, 'feel good' variety.  These should speak about the love of God, the blessings He provides, the hope and promise of His Word, etc.  In addition to these, pick a sampling of negative issues.  Include things like denominationalism, moral challenges facing Christians in the modern age, and doctrinal errors prevalent among brethren.  Now, let Christians decide which ones they will prefer to hear on a regular basis.  The result of this test is also obvious.  Folks do not like the unpleasant negative lessons and will repeatedly favor the more positive themes.  In particular, immature Christians will flock to preachers and places that cater to their specific appetites.

If preachers and teachers plan their lessons based exclusively on what the people like to hear, they are guilty of the spiritual equivalent of letting kids choose a constant diet of sugary treats.  Unfortunately, some seem to be doing this.  Certain subjects are purposely avoided from the pulpit.  Others are dealt with so ambiguously that the hearers miss the point entirely. 

Some may defend this approach by saying that no error is being taught.  They console themselves by suggesting that -- while others may prefer to do the negative work -- they choose to emphasize the positive side of things.   Those who go this route will not be able to say with the apostle Paul: "I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you," and, again, "I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God" (Acts 20:20,27).

Paul instructed Timothy to "preach the word," and to "do the work of an evangelist" (2 Timothy 4:2,5).  To do this he would need to "reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine" (vs. 2).  Others have noted that two thirds of that instruction involves what some would call 'negative' preaching ("reprove, rebuke"), and one third 'positive' ("exhort").  While we would not argue that any specific percentage is being set forth here, it is, none-the-less, clear that the work of preaching cannot be satisfied with an exclusive emphasis on the so-called 'positive' themes.

A specific example may help illustrate the important need for balance in our preaching.  Consider the subject of marriage.  It is right and proper that we teach again and again the positive scriptural truths that pertain to husbands and wives.  Let us stress the blessings of this relationship and the great wisdom of God's plan for the home.  Let everyone know how following His wonderful design for our families will enrich our lives.  But, wait, this will not be enough.  No matter how much we wish it were not so, the ugly question of broken homes and divorce is out there.  Brethren must know the truth on this subject, for it will certainly impact someone close to them.  It is not a pleasant thing.  And, it is made worse by the controversy that arises when some teach error on this topic.  Their errors must be exposed before others are carried away.  This is altogether 'negative,' but it is essential.  Do you see it?

It is a serious responsibility to assume the role of teacher, and all who do so are promised an increased accountability (James 3:1).  Be sure to do the full work.  Strive for the important balance between 'negative' and 'positive' subjects.  Realize that your work, when done properly, will not always be popular (2 Timothy 4:2), but it will always be needed.

- by Greg Gwin