Jerry

Numbers In The Bible Series 29 - Overcoming Day 29 - Overcoming What a blessing it was to open the Word this morning! All praise, honor and glory to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords! I initially was heading down a different path with the word "overcometh" but God took me down another instead. How thankful I am for the Word of God which spiritually feeds our hungry souls! I am struggling through an area in my life which God knows all about. As I strive to overcome this fear, the Lord has taught me that He has overcome all for my benefit! These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. (John 16:33) There is nothing that we need to overcome because Christ has already done it all for us. We simply must trust in Him. Notice how Jesus said that He has spoken to us through the Bible so that we might have peace! There is no peace in worry - there is no peace in the things of this world. However, there is peace knowing that we are born again and that Christ has paid our sin debt. There is nothing we have to do. Also, there is peace knowing that He has been in every situation we have ever been through or will ever experience and He has overcome them. Jesus states that He has overcome the world, my friend. Because we are in Him, we can rest assured that we will overcome because of Him and only Him. This thought process is what led me into the word search for overcometh. This word does not appear in the Old Testament. Could it be because the Messiah had not yet come and the Jews could not overcome the world in their own flesh? They could not claim this promise yet until Jesus came. Don't you find it interesting that this word was not even used once in the Old Testament? There are, however, ten occurrences of the word overcometh in the New Testament. Interestingly enough, the number ten symbolizes "law, government, and restoration"! Oh the joy I have received from God's numbers in the Bible and seeing how He uses them in His Word! Christ is the only One who has overcome the world (John 16:33). Being saved means that our fellowship has been restored with God the Father - only because we had faith and believed in Jesus Christ's virgin birth, His shed blood on the cross was payment for our sin, His resurrection and He now sits at the right hand of God the Father. We are promised that we will overcome this world in the end and reign with Him because we are now His. Ten verses in the New Testament speak of overcoming - when we are born again through the Word of God, our fellowship with God is restored and we will reign with Him for all eternity. What a beautiful portrait indeed! For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. (1 John 5:4) Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? (1 John 5:5) He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God. (Revelation 2:7) He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death. (Revelation 2:11) He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it. (Revelation 2:17) And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: (Revelation 2:26) He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. (Revelation 3:5) Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name. (Revelation 3:12) To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. (Revelation 3:21) He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. (Revelation 21:7) Although today's devotional is quite short in my own words, God's Words are quite powerful and require nothing more be said. I pray you have enjoyed this as much as I have! Able to Deliver Thee Fanny Crosby O troubled heart, be thou not afraid, In the Lord thy God, let thy hope be stayed; He will hear thy cry and will give thee aid, Whate’er thy cross may be. Refrain: He is able still to deliver thee, And His own right hand thy defense shall be: He is able still to deliver thee, Then be thou not afraid. O troubled heart, tho’ thy foes unite, Let thy faith be strong and thy armor bright; Thou shalt overcome thro’ His pow’r and might, And more than conqu’ror be. O troubled heart, when thy way is drear, He will rescue thee and dispel thy fear; In thy greatest need He is always near, To Him all glory be. Devotional by Kate Plourde

Sureword, I did a review of your posts today to make sure I wasn't mixing you up with someone else and you have posted that on these boards in various threads in the months since I have been back on these boards. The only thing I wasn't able to determine today was whether you believe that is part of the gospel for the church or just for other "dispensations". If you believe your understanding of Acts 2:38 is for everyone today (ie. that believers today need to "be baptized in order to have their sins forgiven") then you are trusting in a gospel of works and therefore unsaved. If I have totally misunderstood what you yourself have actually posted on these boards (such as in the thread "Cloven Tongues like as fire"), please clarify what you meant. Please clarify exactly what part baptism plays in salvation for us or for anyone else, according to your beliefs.

Yes, certainly. I wasn't focussed on that - but I agree. Man cannot respond to the Gospel until he has first heard or read the Gospel. Then the Holy Spirit uses the Word of God to convict him of his sins and his need for the Saviour, and the person is left with the choice of what to do with Jesus/the Gospel. When someone responds positively and receives the Lord Jesus Christ, trusting Him alone for salvation, then the Holy Spirit regenerates him and he becomes a born again child of God.

Sorry, what were you saying? I'm so poor, I can't even afford to pay attention,

A friend of mine listens to the messages by Robert Breaker - He and his kind seem to be hyperdispensationalists, adding to the Bible, teaching different gospels of salvation in different time periods (including several different gospels from the time of Christ's birth, to the time of His death, to the early church in Acts 1-2, to later on in the book of Acts - yowza!). That being said, he told me the other day that the 144,000 (according to Breaker) were the babies that Herod killed around the birth of Jesus Christ (brought back to life, and they never defiled themselves sexually because they not on the earth after that point in time). Aside from the fact that these are specifically stated in Revelation to be 12,000 male virgins from each tribe of Israel - there was no way there were thousands and thousands of babies killed in and around Jerusalem during that time (plus, what about all female children being killed - I'm sure the soldiers didn't stop their slaughter just because of the sex of the baby - though I could be wrong on that). It is amazing where someone can go if they loose from the moorings of Scripture! What about Hebrews 9:27? What about the fact that these 1-2 two year olds if resurrected during the tribulation period would still be babies. LIteral Jewish people, 144,000 male virgin Jews, separated and sealed by the Lord and saved during those seven years, protected, and then probably martyred (can't remember everything Revelation says about them right now).

I was referring to you, not some other group. And saying that it is another gospel that will not save. That those who hold to baptism being a part of the gospel are not saved; therefore cannot understand the Word of God because they do not have the Holy Spirit indwelling them or enlightening them to the Scriptures.

Arthur Pink is someone that teaches you must endure to the end to be saved. Macarthur SEEMS to teach it at various points in his books (I am saying seems because I don't have a perfect memory and it is possible I am misremembering or misunderstanding him - however, if he is not teaching this and that is what I am getting out of his Calvinistic teachings, then he needs to be clearer if that is not what he was intending to say). I have appreciated some of his writings lately (especially in defense of the Scriptures as being all we need for our Christian walks and beliefs); however, when he starts presenting his Calvinism in certain chapters, those I do not appreciate or endorse in any way, shape or form. The statements he makes in those parts of his books clearly contradict the rest of the Bible, and at various places seems to be an attempt at forcing this doctrine where the Bible isn't even speaking about the issues he is speaking about.

The following is taken from the Way of Life Encyclopedia (just using or for a basic definition): Total Depravity: Man is totally corrupt and dead in his sin so that he cannot even respond to the gospel unless God sovereignly enables him, which only happens if he is one of the elect. God not only must enable the dead sinner but must sovereignly regenerate him and give him the gift of faith. In the words of the Westminster Confession Total Depravity is defined as follows: “Man, by his fall into a state of sin, hath wholly lost all ability of will to any spiritual good accompanying salvation; so as a natural man being altogether averse from that good, and dead in sin, is not able, by his own strength, to convert himself, or to prepare himself thereunto.” The Calvinist doctrine of Total Depravity does not mean merely that the sinner has no righteousness of his own or that his heart is depraved. It means also that his will is in bondage to sin in such a fashion that he is unable to believe the gospel. Further, it means that he must therefore be born again before he can believe. Arthur Pink states this doctrine as follows: “Faith is not the cause of the new birth, but the consequence of it. This ought not to need arguing. ... Faith is a spiritual grace, the fruit of the spiritual nature, and because the unregenerate are spiritually dead--‘dead in trespasses and sins’--then it follows that faith from them is impossible, for a dead man cannot believe anything” (The Sovereignty of God, p. 73). --------- The Bible itself teaches man can respond to the Gospel - receive it or reject it. Of course, the Holy Spirit is doing His work of convicting and testifying of the Lord Jesus Christ, but never forces anyone to be saved apart from their own will and response to the truth. Acts 7:51-53 Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye. Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers: Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it. Regeneration comes after a person receives the Gospel, after he trusts in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation - and is not the reason for their salvation. That would be putting the cart before the horse, so to speak.

For the sake of the argument, even if those I read or heard (and the same with every other poster here - those they have heard or read) speak about Calvinism do or do not represent mainstream Calvinism or Calvin himself - that doesn't matter. There are so many different views and they all state you can never truly latch on to their exact brand of Calvinism. What matters is Calvinism is a system of false theology, not founded upon the Word of God in any of its primary points. Instead of debating this or that viewpoint, maybe it would be better to show where they differ from the Bible on each primary point. Total Depravity - yes, man is depraved, but God gives us a will, the Holy Spirit convicts us of our sin and need of the Saviour, and we are able to receive or reject the Saviour and His salvation. This is seen in both instances, for example, in the book of Acts. Calvinism teaches man is unable to respond unless the Holy Spirit regenerates them first, then they are born again (however, regenerate means born again! - so they are born again in order to be born again...). Third point: Limited Atonement - that is clearly not according to the Bible. The NT even states Jesus died for the world (John 3:16; 2 Corinthians 5:19), for all (1 Timothy 2:6; Isaiah 53:6), for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2), died for every man (Hebrews 2:9; 1 Timothy 4:10), died for false teachers (2 Peter 2:1), died for the ungodly (Romans 5:6), etc. - whereas Calvinism teaches Jesus only died for the elect. All five points of Calvinism can be clearly refuted from the Bible, taking every verse in context, without twisting anything. And part of Calvinism is the teaching that God elected some for salvation and some for damnation. The Bible does not teach either. It teaches that those who trust Christ for salvation are predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ, given an inheritance in Christ, given a home in Heaven, given eternal life - not predestined to Heaven or Hell regardless of their personal choice in the matter.

No offense, but why would I want to read a book by a heretic, whose doctrines came straight from Augustine? I can deal with modern day Calvinists - but I have no desire to read a book written by someone who literally supposedly just got saved the within two years of writing his "great" Institutes and coming out of the Catholic church. If he truly did get saved, there is no way he would have any solid understanding of the Bible within his first year or so of being saved. God would have opened his understanding the year before and then he would start building a foundation - instead he wrote these huge theological works, mostly founded on Augustine (who is a father of the Catholic church). And you're doing the same thing you think I am doing - picking a few people to represent the mainstream of Calvinism. Calvinist doctrine is based on the "five points" of Calvinism. I think it is fair to say that those who don't hold to all five points of Calvinism are only Calvinists in name or do not represent mainstream Calvinism. They may have a brand of Calvinism and may call themselves Calvinists. Spurgeon called himself a Calvinist, but the longer he preached the Bible the more he realized that limited atonement that Calvin taught was not true. I'm sure there are many that only hold to parts of Calvinism but want to be considered Calvinists (and therefore those who refute ANY of them really never know what they are talking about, according to those they debate with). Calvinism is heresy/false teaching pure and simple. So is Arminianism (not sure if I spelled that right). The truth lies somewhere in the middle and was not taught by either of them or their systems of theology.

Actually, Danny, what you call hyperCalvinism above is mainstream Calvinism - those who believe in all five points of Calvinism. Some choose not to believe in all five points and still call themselves Calvinism - but they represent those outside mainstream Calvinism, not mainstream Calvinism itself. They teach that you have no choice in your salvation - not only is the gift of salvation of God (which I agree is a free gift offered to mankind because of what Jesus has done for us on the cross), but that your will was basically overridden by God, your faith was given by God, therefore your response itself was dictated or moved by God (ie. you were not given the ability to respond, but that God Himself caused you to respond). Also, Calvinism teaches a form of works - ie. that you must endure to the end to be saved. Your enduring to the end ensures your salvation. If you don't endure to the end, ultimately you are not saved even if you thought you were for all those years. Whereas the Bible teaches God's preservation of the saints, not the perseverance of the saints (ie. for salvation). (Yes, true believers will cling to Christ - but if they struggle, doubt, or backslide, the Lord is still keeping them in His hand and will still bring them home to Heaven when they die - they are still His children. I am not referring to those who reject the Lord and His Word somewhere down the road after professing to be saved for so long. 1 John 2:19 indicates that those "professors" of salvation were never really saved in the first place - ie. they didn't lose their salvation; they never had it).

Numbers In The Bible Series 28 - Eight Things God Requires Of Man Day 28 - Eight Things God Requires Of Man Deuteronomy 10:12-13 And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, To keep the commandments of the LORD, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good? Micah 6:6-8 Wherewith shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old? Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? Ecclesiastes 12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. The numbers two and three in the Bible are indicative of witness, testimony (see Deuteronomy 19:15). When God repeats Himself in the Scriptures, it is important to pay attention to what is being emphasized. Here we have the testimony of two passages that have a very similar message: What does God require of us? The conclusion of Ecclesiastes also contains an exhortation that fits in line with the testimony of the first two passages. What does God require of man? 1) To fear the LORD thy God... Fear God. The fear of the Lord is a reverence for God. Webster's 1828 Dictionary defines reverence as "Fear mingled with respect and esteem; veneration... The fear acceptable to God, is a filial fear, an awful reverence of the divine nature, proceeding from a just esteem of his perfections, which produces in us an inclination to his service and an unwillingness to offend him. Reverence is nearly equivalent to veneration, but expresses something less of the same emotion. It differs from awe, which is an emotion compounded of fear, dread or terror, with admiration of something great, but not necessarily implying love or affection." Reverence therefore implies love and affection - it is not just a holy fear of God, but love mingled with admiration. Webster also defines revere as "To regard with fear mingled with respect and affection; to venerate; to reverence; to honor in estimation." We can only fear the Lord our God in this manner if we are saved, if we have trusted the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, and now have God as our Heavenly Father. This fear will prompt us to do what is right in His sight, and prompt us to make it right when we have done wrong. There is a saying, "We should always keep short accounts with God," stating that we should never continue on in sin, but when we are convicted we should always repent and confess that sin to quickly restore our fellowship with God. I believe the more reverence we have for our Saviour, the less desire we will have to backslide or take our eyes off of Him, and the greater our desire will be to turn from those sins that we have allowed to temporarily come back into our lives. 2) To walk in all his ways. Ways here means "a road (as trodden); figuratively, a course of life or mode of action." We are to walk in the road that the Lord has already trodden out for us - our way of life is to walk according to the paths we see laid down for us in the Word of God. We are not merely to walk in some of His ways - picking and choosing what we want to follow - but to walk in all His ways. Of course, we can only do that in the strength and wisdom that the Lord provides. Are you walking in His ways, or in your own? 3) To love him. Is your heart set upon the Lord? Are your affections set upon the things of God? Do you delight in doing the will of God? We honestly can't say we love the Lord when we don't cleave to Him in faith and obedience! We can't truly say we love the Lord when we do not hate evil! Deuteronomy 30:19-20 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them. Psalm 97:10 Ye that love the LORD, hate evil: he preserveth the souls of his saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked. Deuteronomy 6:4-5 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. The greatest commandment in the Bible is to love the Lord our God with all that we are and all that we have. Mark 12:28-30 And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all? And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. Joshua 23:11 Take good heed therefore unto yourselves, that ye love the LORD your God. Psalm 31:23 O love the LORD, all ye his saints: for the LORD preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer. 4) To serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul. How many professing Christians today are going through the motions in their service to the Lord? Too many! The Lord wants us to serve Him with all our heart and with all our soul - that means with everything that is in us, with all our being. A hypocrite is someone that puts on a show outwardly when there is something different going on in the inside. The Lord wants our outsides to match up with our insides - for our walk to line up with our talk (ie. our living to line up with our profession of faith). We need to be honest and sincere with God, and make sure our sincerity is in line with the truth. It is no good to have a sincerity and zeal that is based on falsehood! Psalm 51:6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. Joshua 24:14 Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD. 1 Corinthians 5:8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. John 4:23-24 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. John 9:31 Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth. Too many in Christendom today are claiming to worship God, but they are not doing His will! Philippians 3:3 For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. 2 Corinthians 1:12 For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward. Ephesians 6:24 Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen. Philippians 1:9-11 And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ; Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God. May we never go through the motions! Here is a statement that I coined several years ago about our profession lining up with our walk: "The Final Proof of our Love is in the Faithful Pattern of our Living." Do your walk and your talk line up together? 5) To keep the commandments of the LORD, and his statutes... Keep his commandments. Love and obedience go hand in hand. We do not keep the commandments to go to Heaven - salvation is a free gift, and must be all of grace, because none of us have ever kept all of God's commandments without failing. Sin is the transgression of the Law (1 John 3:4), and the only sinless person who ever lived was the Lord Jesus Christ, God manifest in the flesh. But once we turn to Him for salvation, we receive His righteousness credited to our account, and are given a desire to obey Him. Now we obey the Lord out of love for Him, and our obedience shows our love to Him! John 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments. 1 John 5:2-3 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. Our love is perfected (made complete) when we keep His Word and obey His commandments: 1 John 2:3-6 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked. 6) To do justly. According to Webster's, this phrase means in part: "In conformity to law, justice or propriety; by right... Honestly; fairly; with integrity." Webster also defines integrity as "The entire, unimpaired state of any thing, particularly of the mind; moral soundness or purity; incorruptness; uprightness; honesty. Integrity comprehends the whole moral character, but has a special reference to uprightness in mutual dealings, transfers of property, and agencies for others." Doing right to all, not showing favoritism, but treating all with equity. "In practice, equity is the impartial distribution of justice, or the doing that to another which the laws of God and man, and of reason, give him a right to claim. It is the treating of a person according to justice and reason." How many people in our day and age favour those who are rich, those who are part of their inner circle or clique, those who love them in return? The three moral duties required by God in Micah 6:8 are summed up by our Lord Jesus Christ in the New Testament: Matthew 23:23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. In the context, judgment means "justice and equity." Faith (and the love of God - see Luke 11:42) being the equivalent of the phrase, to walk humbly with thy God. James 2:1-4 My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts? James 3:17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. Leviticus 19:15 Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty: but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour. Proverbs 24:23 These things also belong to the wise. It is not good to have respect of persons in judgment. 1 Timothy 5:21 I charge thee before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels, that thou observe these things without preferring one before another, doing nothing by partiality. It is interesting that when we are impartial, we are doing what God Himself does; however, when we are partial, then we are walking in the steps of the wicked! 2 Chronicles 19:7 Wherefore now let the fear of the LORD be upon you; take heed and do it: for there is no iniquity with the LORD our God, nor respect of persons, nor taking of gifts. Matthew 22:16 And they sent out unto him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not the person of men. Matthew 5:43-48 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. Jude 16 These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men's persons in admiration because of advantage. 7) To love mercy. Webster's gives this powerful definition of mercy: "That benevolence, mildness or tenderness of heart which disposes a person to overlook injuries, or to treat an offender better than he deserves; the disposition that tempers justice, and induces an injured person to forgive trespasses and injuries, and to forbear punishment, or inflict less than law or justice will warrant. In this sense, there is perhaps no word in our language precisely synonymous with mercy. That which comes nearest to it is grace. It implies benevolence, tenderness, mildness, pity or compassion, and clemency, but exercised only towards offenders. Mercy is a distinguishing attribute of the Supreme Being." Not much more I can add to that! We are to love mercy. In order to do so, I truly believe we must experience and know God's mercy towards ourselves. The more I see God's mercies at work in my own life, the more I want to pass that mercy on to others! As the story of the woman in Luke 7:36-50 illustrates forgiveness and love reciprocated, even so I think there is a definite parallel between our receiving mercy by the Lord and our showing of it to others. Luke 7:47 Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. Matthew 5:7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Matthew 9:13 But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Luke 6:32-36 For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them. And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same. And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. Romans 12:6-10,14-17 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching; Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness. Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another... Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not. Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits. Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. We are saved and forgiven by God's mercy (and grace); therefore we should likewise be showing this same mercy, grace, and forgiveness to others. Titus 3:4-6 But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; Ephesians 4:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. Colossians 3:12-14 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. James 2:13 For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment. 8 ) To walk humbly with thy God. We can't walk with God unless we are humble before Him! As the saying goes, "Sheep follow; Goats butt." If you are reading the Word of God or hearing it being spoken by others, and your reaction is, "Yes, but...", then you are not walking humbly before God! In your response, you are acting more like a goat, and less like a sheep! The Lord wants humble servants, servants who will walk in faith before Him, walk in simple love and trust toward Him - like a little child (with childlike faith), who simply accepts the Word because it is God who has spoken, who simply obeys because it is his Lord and King that commands him, who simply trusts God fully in all things because, after all, it is his Heavenly Father at work in his life! The simplest illustration I can think of regarding faith and trusting is that of a little child standing on a table and the father telling him to jump into his arms. The child says, "I love you, Daddy, and I trust you." But if the child never takes that jump into their father's arms, do they really trust? If you hold back from committing yourself to those everlasting arms that are underneath you, are you really walking in faith, are you really trusting in your Heavenly Father? I think the answer is obvious. The solution is to get into the Word of God and build your faith (see Romans 10:17), then act upon that faith - take and apply! Matthew 18:4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. There is a simplicity that is in Christ (see 2 Corinthians 11:3). It is man that complicates things! Colossians 2:6-10 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power: James 4:6-10 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up. 1 Peter 5:5-7 Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. It is interesting to note that this last passage quoted above links humbling ourselves with casting our cares upon the Lord! Pride says, "I can do it all on my own." Humility says, "I will place all I am, all I have, and all that I plan to do in the hands of my Heavenly Father, and trust Him with it." Humility is walking according to the will of God, not our own way. It takes humility to acknowledge that God owns you, that He has bought you with a price (the precious blood of Christ), and therefore He has the complete right and authority to tell you how to live. We also know that God loves us and is working out His perfect will in our lives, according to His wisdom and sovereign power - humility can live with that, and prefers it (yea, even wholly desires it) above any of our own plans! Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Proverbs 23:26 My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways. Proverbs 16:3 Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established. Proverbs 16:9 A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps. Proverbs 19:21 There are many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand. Jeremiah 10:23 O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps. I believe that if we follow these eight things that the Lord requires of us, our walk with him will be fruitful and our faith greatly strengthened. These are not presented as some kind of ultimate formula, or as some list indicating that this is all we are accountable for - but are merely an attempt to dig into and apply some basic requirements of a walk with the Lord that He is pleased with and will bless. Do you fear God? Are you walking in His ways? Do you love Him and are you serving Him with all your heart and soul? Are you obeying His Word? Are you treating others justly? Do you love mercy? And lastly, are you walking humbly with your God? May the Lord richly bless you as you apply these passages of Scripture to your life. July 4th, 2007 Jerry Bouey

May the Lord bless you in your endeavour to share the truth with others.

Yes, it is not your denominational affiliation that saves you - but what you believe about the Lord Jesus Christ and His finished work on Calvary, what you have done with Jesus (ie. received His gift of eternal life, trusted Him by faith alone, etc.). Of course, some groups are going to be clearer and more aligned in their doctrine and practices than others - which will affect your day to day walk with the Lord, but not your eternal destiny (unless they preached heresy, especially about the person and work of Christ, about how to be saved, and you chose to believe the false doctrine about salvation). My other comments in my prior post was specifically addressing the poster who believed water baptism was necessary for salvation. Of course, he overall will not agree with most of the other members here on certain Bible doctrines because he is spiritually unable to understand them. That would be a case of someone wearing the wrong wedding garment for sure.

It's not bad. I would find a different word than "magic" in the first stanza though. If you want to be Biblical, that is a word you should definitely not use to refer to Jesus Christ (in the Bible, magic is evil and is strongly condemned). Perhaps something like "mighty." Also, I would capitalize Father in reference to God the Father. Other than that it is pretty good and fitting for the purpose you state.

Seals are finding the water too hot? I thought Navy seals were tough!!

The Gospels teach that God prevented them from understanding some things until the events had passed. I can guess all sorts of reasons for that - but that is an entirely different thing from them being unsaved. But a better question is: What are you, Sureword, trusting in for salvation? Now that we have the finished Bible and you are not one of the twelve apostles, what do YOU personally believe about salvation? What is the gospel YOU are personally trusting in for salvation?

Cool story? Why would God destroy a PHYSICAL EARTH because of the actions of some FALLEN SPIRITUAL BEINGS? Doesn't make sense - especially since those beings are still alive and some of them (the ones not yet in Hell) are still wandering around on the earth. I'm sorry, other than general comments to show how ridiculous some replies are, I will not debate Scripture with a lost man. That is like trying to debate colour with a blind man. He may be convinced black is red in his own mind, but that doesn't make it so. Again, this is what the Bible says about those who have the indwelling Holy Spirit (ie. those who are trusting Christ and His finished work of redemption alone for salvation): 1 John 2:20 But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things. 1 John 2:27 But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him. The Holy Spirit opens up the Word of God and teaches those He is indwelling. However, someone who is unsaved will not have the Holy Spirit indwelling them or teaching them. Lord willing, the Holy Spirit will be doing this to them until they respond to the true Gospel of salvation: John 16:7-8 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:

Yes, I totally agree it is referring to the lost. Someone trusting in a different gospel of salvation, trusting in their own wedding garment rather than the righteousness of Christ, would certainly fit the person described in the passage.

Yes, I agree, Brother Jim. We need faith to believe the true Gospel, faith to believe in the literal 6 day creation out of nothing - and without faith... Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. 1 Corinthians 2:11-16 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ. Without faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ alone we cannot be saved - therefore cannot have the Holy Spirit dwelling within. Without the Holy Spirit opening up the Word of God to God's children, it is impossible to understand the Word of God. Therefore if someone is trusting another gospel than that of the finished work of Christ on Calvary, they will not have the faith to please God or to believe what God has commanded us to believe in His Word. It is interesting to not that the word "impossible" in Hebrews 11:6 is the negative form of one of the words for "power" in the New Testament. It is impossible to please God without faith - because we literally will not have the power to please Him, we will be powerless without Biblical saving and living faith.

No, but you will be rejected by the Lord Jesus Christ by wearing a garment (of your own which is filthy rags) other than the righteousness of Christ - because of trusting in another gospel of salvation (such as believing water baptism is necessary for salvation) other than the true Gospel found in the Word of God. Matthew 22:11-13 And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Galatians 1:8-9 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.

Why would God destroy the earth because of Satan, but then not destroy it because of man's rebellion. Sounding cool is not a good gauge of Bible doctrine or whether something is true/Biblical or not. Also, the same passages that speak about creation week (not just in Genesis 1-2) also teach that everything, including the sun, moon, and stars was made during that literal 6 day week. And Genesis 1 teaches the landmasses, oceans, atmosphere, etc. were all created during those six days. No reason to have a lifeless lump of rock floating in space for untold millennia just waiting for God to finally start the rest of His creation. BUT this verse says even the earth was created in those six days (ie. at the start of them), not prior to them. In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. Then the chapter goes on to say what He did with this earth He created (ie. added atmosphere, separated continents from the oceans, created life and vegetation, etc.).

Numbers In The Bible Series 27 - The Three In One Blessing Day 27 - The Three In One Blessing Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand. (Revelation 1:3) The Book of Revelation is the only book in the Word of God which promises a blessing if we read it. In my opinion, if a Book promises a blessing then we should be quick to read it. I do believe that the Book of Revelation is the one book that produces the most controversy. Many scholars state that it should be taken symbolically and others say it is prophetic and we should heed its warnings. There are three things we must do to receive this blessing which is promised in this verse. We must first read it, then we must hear it, and lastly we must keep what we have heard. The number three is symbolic for the Godhead. How complete a blessing is when it is surrounded around the Lord Himself! I believe that if the Book of Revelation were symbolic, we would not be promised a blessing if we read it, hear it and keep it. How can you keep a reading which is symbolic? So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (Romans 10:17) When we read the Word of God, our faith in Him is built and we become more like Him, therefore able to keep that which we have been taught. It's not rocket science when you rightly divide the Word of God. Here is what you must do to receive the blessing of Revelation 1:3: (1) You must first read the Word to receive the blessing. You cannot understand what you read without first being born again, my friend. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (John 1:1) Jesus is the Word of God - there is no salvation outside of Him. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. (Acts 4:12) Anyone can read - but not all can understand what they are reading. Before I was saved, reading the Bible was like drinking dirt - dry at best. After salvation, the Word of God was opened up. It gave new meaning to: "I once was blind, but now I see" from the beautiful hymn, Amazing Grace. The born-again believer, then, must first read the Word to receive the blessing promised in this verse. You cannot merely listen to the preaching in church, although that is good. You must read for yourself. This is where God will shower you with blessings from above! (2) You must hear the words of the prophecy. So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (Romans 10:17) Our faith is built when we understand what we have read and it is confirmed through the preaching of the Word. Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word. (John 8:43) These people heard Christ speaking but they didn't hear Him - meaning, they did not understand what He was saying. Their hearts and minds were hard. Before you get pious and think highly of yourself, how many times have you ignored what the Word told you to do and gone down your own path? We willfully disobey. The unbeliever is serving their father the devil and do not know any better. But when the heart is ready to receive what it has heard, the understanding comes with it. The born-again believer has the Holy Spirit of God dwelling within. He opens our hearts and gives us the understanding of the Scriptures if we but ask. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. (James 1:5) God promises to give us this wisdom liberally - not just a little. (3) You must keep those things which were written. Five times, Jesus used the words "keep my": Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death. (John 8:51) Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death. (John 8:52) If ye love me, keep my commandments. (John 14:15) Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. (John 14:23) If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. (John 15:10) It's not sufficient to read and hear - anyone can do that. However, those who strive to keep God's commandments will receive this blessing. What blessing are we speaking of here? It is the understanding of the words of the prophecy! Jesus promises that we will receive a blessing when we read, hear and keep the Word because we will be able to interpret the prophecies which were written. The believers today are living proof of the blessings we are receiving from this wonderful Book of Revelation! We see prophecy being fulfilled before our very eyes. Our eyes are looking up and we are longing to witness for ourselves the wonderful return of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. He is our Blessed Hope and He will keep us from that hour of testing which will come before all of the earth. Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; (Titus 2:13) I long for the day that the Rapture will happen! It could be today! Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. (Revelation 3:10) What a Day That Will Be Words and Music by Jim Hill There is coming a day when no heartaches shall come No more clouds in the sky, no more tears to dim the eye. All is peace forevermore on that happy golden shore, What a day, glorious day that will be. Chorus: What a day that will be when my Jesus I shall see, And I look upon His face, The One who saved me by His grace; When He takes me by the hand And leads me through the Promised Land, What a day, glorious day that will be. There'll be no sorrow there, no more burdens to bear, No more sickness, no pain, no more parting over there; And forever I will be with the One who died for me, What a day, glorious day that will be. Devotional by Kate Plourde

Funny, that the cows were mentioned. I see New Age/Vegan world getting on to some countries for our diet of beef - yet don't see them knocking Hindu countries which don't even attempt to control the cows in any way at all because they worship cows. Speaking about taxing for climate change, there are always people that want to control us for the environment. When Charles Spurgeon was really young, there was a Light (ie. sunlight) tax on Europe - so the more windows you had that let in sunlight, the more you were taxed. Many people either filled in their windows or blacked them out to try to minimize this tax. The merchants who sold lamps and oil must have been delighted though (can't read a book or perform any duties in your house by natural light).

Of course, we should do our best not to pollute our environment - however, much if not most of the climate change stuff is just bogus information, an attempt by many leaders/people of the world to control the rest of us (ie. by saying what type of technologies we should or should not be part of, by limiting our access or use of fuel and resources, etc.). If we all walked everywhere and hugged trees and killed off a good chunk of the population, they would be happier (this last part has actually been stated by various world leaders and the UN - wanting to reduce the population by a certain percentage because of the strain on our planet). The Bible teaches God will judge the world by fire during the tribulation - and if you read the book of Revelation, much of the world does get destroyed by God Himself through His judgements (all water into blood, all trees and vegetation burned up, earthquakes levelling all mountains, sinking all islands). Anything man does really pales in comparison AND there is nothing we can do to prevent God's coming judgements (ie. we can be part of saving the lost, but the world will still be destroyed regardless of how careful and protective of the environment man really is).