2 Thessalonians chapter 2, reading verses 1-12, August 31, 201
It doies not seem possible to me that it is September of the year 2011
And we are fast approaching October and we are still here as fall is just around the corner. The signs are beginning to show that fall is near. And just as we see THE changing in the weather and all the other SIGNS THAT ACCOMPANY fall, we can also see the signs of time pointing to the coming of the LORD as we have been looking at in these two epistles that Paul writes to the saints of God who live in Thessolinica.I
If you have ben in Pentecost as long as I have been, you know that things have changed.That is a huge understatement. In these two letters, Paul was addressing a young congregation, one that he by the Holy Spirit had founded not many days or years prior to writing these letters. In fact scholars tell us that these epistles were among the first if not the first that he wrote to any church.
The Truth was new to them and a freshness of spirit and a passionate hunger for God prevailed. Truths were new to them, a freshness of spirit prevailed, the atmosphere was charged and exciting....remember back when church was so exciting that you could hardly wait to get there?...we need to return to that kind of exciting church meetings. We have been so intent on getting out of thr pew and into the street that we have neglected the church service altogether
. And all this in spite of tremendous persecution they faced every day The great apostle to the Gentiles had taught them many truths, but he still found it necessary to remind them and to make sure that they understood all about the end times and the order of the great Day of the Lord and His coming. He had explained it all to them but they had wandered in their teaching and Paul had to set the record straight. Even today someone will come with some new doctrine and upset whole congregations with their theory’s. As I noted in our last study here in the blue room, it seems that this congregation here at Thessalonica had been duped by somebody or some spirit, not the Holy Spirit, but mention is named concerning a letter (alleged to be from Paul saying that the Day of the Lord had already come. That would mean that the rapture HAD ALREADY happened and they were left behind. The great apostle to the Gentiles had taught them many truths but still found it necessary to remind them and make certain that they understood what they had been told earlier. The reason for all of this was because of some erroneous teaching that had spread throughout the body as I explained in the session we had in the blue room and we will read it from the first two verses here in chapter 2 of 2nd, Thessalonians.
“Now brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering to Him, we ask you not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the Day of Christ had already come”. He says, don’t be shaken! Imagine the fear and anxiety that sort of teaching would produce today if we were deluded into that kind of teaching. Right here is a good time to read this chapter 2. 2nd. Thess. 2 (read the entire chapter)
Paul says Dont be shaken and don’t let anyone deceive you. It is our responsibility to watch out for each other.....do not be shaken...how can we be sure that we are not shaken by false teaching...by studying the Word for ourselves, amen! And we will be well equipped if we do that to stand against all deception from man or satan. Can you say amen Paul says, let no man deceive you.....not by any means. Think on that....we are sometimes deceived easily, are we not...and sometimes it is just a simple thing. Sometimes we are deceived by flattery, someone causing us to get puffed up by flattering words and it leaves us vulnerable. Paul in his first letter ch. 5 verses 12 through 22 gives sound advice that will strengthen us when deception comes our way. The third verse of our text chapter is a prophetic word...that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, (pause) and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition. The falling away...look at the church world today and ask yourself...is there a falling away?...look back to when you were first saved and tell me if the fervor and the passion and the deep desire and intense hunger for God is still burning feverishly in your heart and soul....remember when you were first baptized in the Holy Ghost...is that fire still burning?
Paul says to these Thessalonians...”Let no one....no one deceive you...by any means” Bible study is just as important for senior citizens as it is for new Christians. Some folks can get carried away with this senior citizens bit....and some day they will get carried away. Bible study is so necessary as it will equip us to fend off false doctrine when it comes of its own will. We all need to be prepared so we will recognize the signs of the times. Remember his warning in the first epistle to the Thessalonians? Chapter 5 verses 1&2(read them) You see how they needed reminding? Do you think we today are any different from them?
“Let no man deceive you Paul says....by any means. And then this prophetic word: “that Day will not come unless that falling away comes first.” Let me go on record to say that if that occurrence has not already happened...that it is awfully close. I honestly believe that we are already in it. Take; a look around during our best attended service on a Sunday morning. But there is hope...the Psalmist says, Hope thou in God. We have hope tonight, there is hope for the church tonight. Read 2nd. Chronicles 7: 12-15. We are that people and I guarantee if we humble ourselves and pray and seek God with our whole hearts then He will fill us with the Holy Spirit. It depends on you, it depends on me.
The second part of that verse says, “ and the man of sin is revealed”the son of perdition or doom. I submit to you that has not happened yet. However, I believe that he is somewhere in the world tonight. I have no idea who he is. Paul goes on to say how he will conduct himself and how he will be revealed. We know he will be a blasphemer. We know he will claim to be God. As a matter of fact he will sit as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. Blasphemy of the worst order! I found as I was reading this and depending on the Lord for answers like as if the Holy Spirit impressed on my mind this thought Firstly, John says in 1st. John 2: 18 read it..many antichrists have come. Another place talks about the spirit off antichrist. As I contemplated this verse that speaks about Antichrist claiming to be God, the question comes to mind, “Where is the temple of God today? Is it in Jerusalem? Nope...never been built yet. 1ST. Cor. 6::19 GIVES US THE ANSWER.”Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, Whom you have from God and you are not your own? I ask you tonight...could not the Spirit of antichrist enter the hearts of backslidden children, once born again but now become apostate? THE GREAT FALLING AWAY AND ENTER ANTICHRIST?
There is only One who can make that claim tonight...that He is God; only One Who is to be worshipped. Moses declared HIM IN Psalm 90:verses 1&2 “Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever You had formed the earth, and the world, From everlasting to everlasting, You are God.” John 11:1-4&14, John 6:15-21, Matt. 16:15,16 declares Him to be Son of Man, Son of God. Paul declares Him to be God in his description of Him in Col. 1:15-18 He is the image of the invisible God, and we read something the same from Hebrews 1 verses 1-3. Let me read it from the Amplified version...”In many separate revelations, (each of which set forth a portion of the Truth, {But) and in different ways God spoke of old to (our) forefathers in and by the prophets {But} in the last of these days He has spoken to us in the person of His son. Whom He appointed Heir and lawful owner of all things, also by and through Whom He created the worlds and the reaches of space and the ages of time. [He made, produced, built, operated and arranged them in order. The third verse says, He is the sole expression of the glory of God, the light burning, the outlaying or radiance of the divine], and He is the perfect and very image of[God’s nature], upholding and maintaining and propelling the universe by His mighty Word or Power.” There is more but we’ll stop right there. He is more than just an image or replica or a copy as the word image might imply. He is the exact expression of God Himself, the perfect, sole, expression, He is God, Jesus is God. When God came down from heaven to dwell among us that was Jesus! To say that He is not God, or that His not Divine would be a lie. To say He is a man but only a man would constitute a falsehood. When I was preparing this lesson for tonight and meditating, pondering on it, suddenly I felt a great burden come over me as I thought of those around us who are not following the Lord at this time and I cried out to Him...oh Lord! How can I try to explain and convince an individual of this being the truth; that YOU CAME DOWN FROM HEAVEN AND LIVED AMONG US , born of a virgin You walked upon the earth that You had created and You keep it in it’s orbit in perfect timing...that You died for our sins, and rose up from the grave on the third day so that You could raise us up on the resurrection morning. It is too much for me to understand it all by myself.. The Spirit of the Lord impressed upon my heart, don’t even try to explain it ,just proclaim it. It is too much for my reasoning power, too much for my understanding...but, I believe it! You must believe it! If you are going to live with Jesus for eternity. David said in Psalm 131:1, “ Lord, my heart is not haughty nor my eyes lofty neither will I exercise myself in great matters or in things TOO HIGH FOR ME.”In other words don’t try to prove that the Bible is true. Let God prove His Word b y answering prayer.
If there is one thing I say that I would like to be remembered for it is that God came down from heaven, took upon Himself flesh and became a man. He is alive and shall be forevermore. The God Man Jesus Christ. I believe as Peter and Martha both confessed that Jesus Christ is the Son of the Living God. He is Emmanuel, God with us! THE Antichrist will claim to be God, but he will be destroyed at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ with His saints. At the brightness of His coming the Bible says. This antichrist, this false god will oppose everything and everyone connected with God or Godly people and he will proclaim to be God Himself. He will deceive many. The Amplified from verse 4 says, “Who opposes and exalts himself so proudly and insolently against and over all that is called God or that is worshipped, even to his actually taking his seat in , proclaiming that he himself is God. Here are some references: Ezek.28:2, Daniel 11:36&37. Paul asks a question here in 2 Thess. 2:5, He said, “Don’t you remember when I was with you I told you these things?” They had to be reminded...we have to be reminded...when the Holy Spirit is gone after the rapture (that’s when the Holy Spirit is gone when the church us lifted, the antichrist will be revealed. That is his appointed time He has an appointment he has to keep. Read verse 7 The mystery of lawlessness is restrained right now but it will blow wide open when the Spirit is lifted.
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Saturday, October 1, 2011
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Lesson 2 from 2nd. Thessalonians chapter 1
Lesson2 from 2nd. Thessalonians ch.1 Read the chapter again
As we looked into the first four verses we see the apostle Paul
encouraging and exhorting the church that he had founded for their faith…”Your faith growth exceedingly.” Faith that grows…fruit grows doesn’t it? And when you go to the super market to buy fruit you will find it in various stages of growth, some of it is ripe, some not so ripe and some of it is over ripe. And Paul tells the Galatians that faith is also a fruit of the Spirit, besides being a gift of the Spirit, perhaps we will do a study on the fruit of the Spirit after this one (if God permits .)
Verse #5 here in ch.1 says “which is manifest evidence of the righteous judgment of God …..what is this manifest evidence that he refers to? It is their patience and faith as they endure
both persecution and tribulation. Patience is also a fruit of the Spirit. The King James Version calls it long suffering. God does not send persecution or tribulation to His children, we see in 1 Thessalonians ch. 5 verse 9,” for God did not appoint
us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Sometimes He may allow some test or a trial just to give us opportunity to have our faith proven, but remember what the writer to these people said when he was so concerned about their faith coming under attack and the fact that he could not make it….he said in 1st. Thessalonians 2:17, 18…”But we, brethren, having been taken away from you for a short time in presence, not in heart, endeavored more eagerly to see your face with great desire. Therefore we wanted to come to you --- even I, Paul, time and again---but Satan hindered us.”Satan hindered us, Paul says. And then in that same verse that I just read, the next verse…”For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord at His coming?” His hope, his crown of rejoicing, his glorying in the Lord was because of the souls he had led to the Lord, even those he had influenced , had helped to come to Christ because his testimony among them was believed. Remember what he said back in the first epistle, chapter 2, verse 13…”For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the Word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the Word of God, which also works effectively in those who believe… this is the key to success in our witness that what we say is convincing to men and women as it should be, the Word of God! Our words unless they line up with God’s Word, are just empty babblings. How important it is to bring a soul to the Lord.Back in verse 4 of our study chapter 1 of Thessalonians 2the apostle refers to their patience and faith in all their persecutions and tribulations that they were enduring, and further in verse 5, he says that all of this is evidence of the righteous judgment of God that you may be accounted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you also suffer since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you, WHOA! Did you hear what I just read? It is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you. This walk with God is not to be taken lightly either by us or by those who oppose us. Not only are we to walk worthy of our calling but God has taken responsibility over us also. I do not take lightly the harassing of my children and how much more must God feel about His children and their good keeping, divine protection is theirs as long as we walk worthily…
Worthy before God …of our calling. In the 7th. Verse here in chapter 1, God is going to set the record straight….thousands of Christians are suffering much persecution somewhere in other lands tonight. The record probably reads much like the 11th. Chapter of Hebrews, “Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection, still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment.” Hebrews 11, verses 35 to the end of the chapter Turn there and we’ll read it.
Read also verses 37-40. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted,[a] were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented— 38 of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in 39 And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, 40 God deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth. having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.
Back in our study chapter He is going to take vengeance on those who do not know God!....on those who do not obey the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. (read verses 7-9)
It behooves us to watch for our own souls and those of our families. I think we need to focus ijn prayer on our families, whether they are serving the Lord or not, We need to see revival and get ready for a move of God. When you look at the next few verses it should cause us to stop thinking about ourselves and our inability to speak to others about their spiritual condition…look at verses 10-12.
Again verse 10 says, “When He comes (praise God, He is coming )when He comes in that Day, to be glorified in His saints, and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed. When He comes back to this earth my friends, He will not come as an infant….He is coming in power as the old songwriter penned it, “we’ll hail that blessed hour”, He is coming with great glory, It is going to be a glorious appearing. This will be the Second Coming of our Lord back to earth …the rapture has already taken place; and He is coming with His saints, those who have been raptured before the tribulation takes place and when He comes in this appearing , He will set up His 1000 year reign known as the Millennial reign of Christ
And during that reign, there will be peace…real peace for 1000 years. In the meantime we will suffer persecution, in this life…2nd. Tim.3:12 says, “Yea, and all who live Godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” but that is not tribulation ….1st. . Thess.5:9 which says, “For God hath not appointed us to wrath but to obtain salvation through Jesus Christ our lord.
This chapter, to summarize it if you will tells me that Jesus is coming back to this earth to rule and to reign and that you must believe in the Gospel in order to be a part of that company of saints who are going to be with Him when He comes. It tells me that you have to believe the old-time Gospel You cannot make it in unless you believe. It tells me that there is everlasting fire , everlasting destruction for those who have not believed. Verses 11 & 12”
tells it all: “Therefore we pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of His calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work with powerthat the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified
Aren’t you glad for the gospel tonight? Vs. 12, says, “that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. He’s got plenty of grace tonight..That is my desire tonight to have His name glorified in me. Can you say amen? Some people blaspheme that holy name…let us be known as a people who glorify His name. Do you have a testimony tonight that will glorify His name?Read 2 Peter 3:1-18. But grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. That is how we can be sure we will make it in.
As we looked into the first four verses we see the apostle Paul
encouraging and exhorting the church that he had founded for their faith…”Your faith growth exceedingly.” Faith that grows…fruit grows doesn’t it? And when you go to the super market to buy fruit you will find it in various stages of growth, some of it is ripe, some not so ripe and some of it is over ripe. And Paul tells the Galatians that faith is also a fruit of the Spirit, besides being a gift of the Spirit, perhaps we will do a study on the fruit of the Spirit after this one (if God permits .)
Verse #5 here in ch.1 says “which is manifest evidence of the righteous judgment of God …..what is this manifest evidence that he refers to? It is their patience and faith as they endure
both persecution and tribulation. Patience is also a fruit of the Spirit. The King James Version calls it long suffering. God does not send persecution or tribulation to His children, we see in 1 Thessalonians ch. 5 verse 9,” for God did not appoint
us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Sometimes He may allow some test or a trial just to give us opportunity to have our faith proven, but remember what the writer to these people said when he was so concerned about their faith coming under attack and the fact that he could not make it….he said in 1st. Thessalonians 2:17, 18…”But we, brethren, having been taken away from you for a short time in presence, not in heart, endeavored more eagerly to see your face with great desire. Therefore we wanted to come to you --- even I, Paul, time and again---but Satan hindered us.”Satan hindered us, Paul says. And then in that same verse that I just read, the next verse…”For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord at His coming?” His hope, his crown of rejoicing, his glorying in the Lord was because of the souls he had led to the Lord, even those he had influenced , had helped to come to Christ because his testimony among them was believed. Remember what he said back in the first epistle, chapter 2, verse 13…”For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the Word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the Word of God, which also works effectively in those who believe… this is the key to success in our witness that what we say is convincing to men and women as it should be, the Word of God! Our words unless they line up with God’s Word, are just empty babblings. How important it is to bring a soul to the Lord.Back in verse 4 of our study chapter 1 of Thessalonians 2the apostle refers to their patience and faith in all their persecutions and tribulations that they were enduring, and further in verse 5, he says that all of this is evidence of the righteous judgment of God that you may be accounted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you also suffer since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you, WHOA! Did you hear what I just read? It is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you. This walk with God is not to be taken lightly either by us or by those who oppose us. Not only are we to walk worthy of our calling but God has taken responsibility over us also. I do not take lightly the harassing of my children and how much more must God feel about His children and their good keeping, divine protection is theirs as long as we walk worthily…
Worthy before God …of our calling. In the 7th. Verse here in chapter 1, God is going to set the record straight….thousands of Christians are suffering much persecution somewhere in other lands tonight. The record probably reads much like the 11th. Chapter of Hebrews, “Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection, still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment.” Hebrews 11, verses 35 to the end of the chapter Turn there and we’ll read it.
Read also verses 37-40. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted,[a] were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented— 38 of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in 39 And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, 40 God deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth. having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.
Back in our study chapter He is going to take vengeance on those who do not know God!....on those who do not obey the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. (read verses 7-9)
It behooves us to watch for our own souls and those of our families. I think we need to focus ijn prayer on our families, whether they are serving the Lord or not, We need to see revival and get ready for a move of God. When you look at the next few verses it should cause us to stop thinking about ourselves and our inability to speak to others about their spiritual condition…look at verses 10-12.
Again verse 10 says, “When He comes (praise God, He is coming )when He comes in that Day, to be glorified in His saints, and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed. When He comes back to this earth my friends, He will not come as an infant….He is coming in power as the old songwriter penned it, “we’ll hail that blessed hour”, He is coming with great glory, It is going to be a glorious appearing. This will be the Second Coming of our Lord back to earth …the rapture has already taken place; and He is coming with His saints, those who have been raptured before the tribulation takes place and when He comes in this appearing , He will set up His 1000 year reign known as the Millennial reign of Christ
And during that reign, there will be peace…real peace for 1000 years. In the meantime we will suffer persecution, in this life…2nd. Tim.3:12 says, “Yea, and all who live Godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” but that is not tribulation ….1st. . Thess.5:9 which says, “For God hath not appointed us to wrath but to obtain salvation through Jesus Christ our lord.
This chapter, to summarize it if you will tells me that Jesus is coming back to this earth to rule and to reign and that you must believe in the Gospel in order to be a part of that company of saints who are going to be with Him when He comes. It tells me that you have to believe the old-time Gospel You cannot make it in unless you believe. It tells me that there is everlasting fire , everlasting destruction for those who have not believed. Verses 11 & 12”
tells it all: “Therefore we pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of His calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work with powerthat the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified
Aren’t you glad for the gospel tonight? Vs. 12, says, “that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. He’s got plenty of grace tonight..That is my desire tonight to have His name glorified in me. Can you say amen? Some people blaspheme that holy name…let us be known as a people who glorify His name. Do you have a testimony tonight that will glorify His name?Read 2 Peter 3:1-18. But grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. That is how we can be sure we will make it in.
Monday, August 8, 2011
Those near miss accidents or is it the hand of GOD?
II’m not sure whether this is the proper terminology or not: near-miss accidents. However aq couple of weeks ago, my attention turned to a news clip regarding an industrial accident in our neighboring province of Nova Scotia. It seems there were two men working off a scaffold when it gave way beneath them and they fell to the ground or at least the next level. Total falling distance was 1.5 meters, not that far really
Sadly though one man died in hospital that same day. It made me go back in time and recall a similar situation that involved my Dad and myself and three other men working off a wooden scaffold in a pulp and paper mill in what was then the city of Lancaster in New Brunswick Canada. That was in a time when job safety was not much of a priority, the scaffold was not too well built as well we overloaded it, five of us on it at the same time. There was no warning, a sudden snap and down it went two floors down, there being a large hole in the floor where we had been working. Three men went with it as well as the staging. One of these men suffered severe head injuries but he survived. Miraculously, my Dad was standing on a piece of plywood that was a part of the staging/scaffolding, and it caused him to gently slide on it to the surface of the first floor, the one with the hole. He thus landed safely and on his feet. As for myself, upon the hearing of the snap, immediately my hands shot upward over my head to some ¾” conduit piping that we had just previously installed. It was an immediate response and felt as if my hands were lifted by someone other than myself or all those standing around me. I believe now and reflecting back, I know it was the hand of the lord, I could tell of many more near-misses like the time a 600 volt double-ended substation blew up in my fac, a slip of the screwdriver, my fault. But again I survived with minor injuries, suffice it to say that oncagain God intervened and spared my life, not because of any goodness in me but only through His grace and His mercy am I alive today.Several years later., I was reading in the Bible and I was reading from the book of 1st. Chronicles chapter 4 which is heavy into genealogy, not the most exciting book in the Bible, but suddenly, as suddenly as that snap I heard when the scaffold collapsed, I saw these two verses And it was as if they were written just for me. Verses 9&10 : “And Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, which literally means, “he will cause pain”. Now Jabez could have allowed that name to get him down and blame his troubles on his mother or his brothers. Instead he chose to call on the God of Israel and he prayed this prayer, “Oh that you would bless me indeed and enlarge my territory, that your hand would be with me and that you would keep me from evil that it may not grieve me.” The Bible says that God granted him what he requested. It made me to realize that God has had His hand on my life and also that it’s alright to ask God for His blessing. This is not one of those prosperity doctrines that are so prevalent today, it is simply receiving from God’s hand the provision He has made for us. The bible says, “in every thing give thanks.” That is my intention, to thank Him in everything. Another scripture passage that I memorized as a child going to a Baptist Sunday School is found in Proverbs 4:5,6 states it thusly, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path." I am living proof of this advice
II’m not sure whether this is the proper terminology or not: near-miss accidents. However aq couple of weeks ago, my attention turned to a news clip regarding an industrial accident in our neighboring province of Nova Scotia. It seems there were two men working off a scaffold when it gave way beneath them and they fell to the ground or at least the next level. Total falling distance was 1.5 meters, not that far really
Sadly though one man died in hospital that same day. It made me go back in time and recall a similar situation that involved my Dad and myself and three other men working off a wooden scaffold in a pulp and paper mill in what was then the city of Lancaster in New Brunswick Canada. That was in a time when job safety was not much of a priority, the scaffold was not too well built as well we overloaded it, five of us on it at the same time. There was no warning, a sudden snap and down it went two floors down, there being a large hole in the floor where we had been working. Three men went with it as well as the staging. One of these men suffered severe head injuries but he survived. Miraculously, my Dad was standing on a piece of plywood that was a part of the staging/scaffolding, and it caused him to gently slide on it to the surface of the first floor, the one with the hole. He thus landed safely and on his feet. As for myself, upon the hearing of the snap, immediately my hands shot upward over my head to some ¾” conduit piping that we had just previously installed. It was an immediate response and felt as if my hands were lifted by someone other than myself or all those standing around me. I believe now and reflecting back, I know it was the hand of the lord, I could tell of many more near-misses like the time a 600 volt double-ended substation blew up in my fac, a slip of the screwdriver, my fault. But again I survived with minor injuries, suffice it to say that oncagain God intervened and spared my life, not because of any goodness in me but only through His grace and His mercy am I alive today.Several years later., I was reading in the Bible and I was reading from the book of 1st. Chronicles chapter 4 which is heavy into genealogy, not the most exciting book in the Bible, but suddenly, as suddenly as that snap I heard when the scaffold collapsed, I saw these two verses And it was as if they were written just for me. Verses 9&10 : “And Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, which literally means, “he will cause pain”. Now Jabez could have allowed that name to get him down and blame his troubles on his mother or his brothers. Instead he chose to call on the God of Israel and he prayed this prayer, “Oh that you would bless me indeed and enlarge my territory, that your hand would be with me and that you would keep me from evil that it may not grieve me.” The Bible says that God granted him what he requested. It made me to realize that God has had His hand on my life and also that it’s alright to ask God for His blessing. This is not one of those prosperity doctrines that are so prevalent today, it is simply receiving from God’s hand the provision He has made for us. The bible says, “in every thing give thanks.” That is my intention, to thank Him in everything. Another scripture passage that I memorized as a child going to a Baptist Sunday School is found in Proverbs 4:5,6 states it thusly, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path." I am living proof of this advice
Monday, July 18, 2011
lesson 2 from 2 Thess 1
You should go back a couple of blog entries and read it first to keep the context together from 2nd. Thessalonians ch.1 Read the chapter again
As we looked into the first four verses we see the apostle Paul
encouraging and exhorting the church that he had founded for their faith…”Your faith growth exceedingly.” Faith that grows…fruit grows doesn’t it? And when you go to the super market to buy fruit you will find it in various stages of growth, some of it is ripe, some not so ripe and some of it is over ripe. And Paul tells the Galatians that faith is also a fruit of the Spirit, besides being a gift of the Spirit, perhaps we will do a study on the fruit of the Spirit after this one (if God permits .)
Verse #5 here in ch.1 says “which is manifest evidence of the righteous judgment of God …..what is this manifest evidence that he refers to? It is their patience and faith as they endure
both persecution and tribulation. God does not send persecution or tribulation to His children, we see in 1 Thessalonians ch. 5 verse 9, for God did not appoint
us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. Sometimes He may allow some test or a trial just to give us opportunity to have our faith proven, but remember what the writer to these people said when he was so concerned about their faith coming under attack and the fact that he could not make it….he said in 1st. Thessalonians 2:17, 18…”But we, brethren, having been taken away from you for a short time in presence, not in heart, endeavored more eagerly to see your face with great desire. Therefore we wanted to come to you --- even I, Paul, time and again---but Satan hindered us.”Satan hindered us, Paul says. And then in that same verse that I just read, the next verse…For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord at His coming? His hope, his crown of rejoicing, his glorying in the Lord was because of the souls he had led to the Lord, even those he had influenced , had helped to come to Christ because his testimony among them was believed. Remember what he said back in the first epistle, chapter 2, verse 13…”For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the Word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the Word of God, which also works effectively in those who believe… this is the key to success in our witness that what we say is convincing to men and women as it should be, the Word of God! Our words unless they line up with God’s Word, are just empty babblings. How important it is to bring a soul to the Lord.
Back in verse 4 of our study chapter 2 of Thessalonians 2, the apostle refers to their patience and faith in all their persecutions and tribulations that they were enduring, and further in verse 5, he says that all of this is evidence of the righteous judgment of God that you may be accounted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you also suffer since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you, WHOA! Did you hear what I just read? It is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you. This walk with God is not to be taken lightly either by us or by those who oppose us. Not only are we to walk worthy of our calling but God has taken responsibility over us also. I do not take lightly the harassing of my children and how much more must God feel about His children and their good keeping, divine protection is theirs as long as we walk worthily…
Worthy before God …of our calling. In the 7th. Verse here in chapter 1, God is going to set the record straight….thousands of Christians are suffering much persecution somewhere in other lands tonight. The record probably reads much like the 11th. Chapter of Hebrews, “Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection, still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment.” Heb. 11:34,35. Read also verses 37-40.
Back in our study chapter He is going to take vengeance on those who do not know God!....on those who do not obey the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. (read verses 7-9)
It behooves us to watch for our own souls and those of our families. I think we need to focus ijn prayer on our families, whether they are serving the Lord or not, We need to see revival and get ready for a move of God. When you look at the next few verss it should cause us to stop thinking about ourselves and our inability to speak to others about their spiritual condition…look at verses 10-12.
Again verse 10 says, “When He comes (praise God, He is coming )when He comes in that Day, to be glorified in His saints, and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed. When He comes back to this earth my friends, He will not come as an infant….He is coming in power as the old songwriter penned it, “we’ll hail that blessed hour”, He is coming with great glory, It is going to be a glorious appearing. This will be the Second Coming of our Lord back to earth …the rapture has already taken place; and He is coming with His saints, those who have been raptured before the tribulation takes place and when He comes in this appearing , He will set up His 1000 year reign known as the Millennial reign of Christ
And during that reign, there will be peace…real peace for 1000 years. We will suffer persecution…2nd. Tim.3:12 says, “Yea, and all who live Godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution but that is not tribulation ….1st. . Thess.5:9 which says, “For God hath not appointed us to wrath but to obtain salvation through Jesus Christ our lord.
This chapter, to summarize it if you will tells me that Jesus is coming back to this earth to rule and to reign and that you must believe in the Gospel in order to be a part of that company of saints who are going to be with Him when He comes. It tells me that you have to believe the old-time Gospel You cannot make it in unless you believe. It tells me that there is everlasting fire , everlasting destruction for those who have not believed. Verses 11 & 12”
tells it all: “Therefore we pray always for you that our God would count you weary of His calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work with powerthat the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified
Aren’t you glad for the gospel tonight? Vs. 12, says, “that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. That is my desire tonight to have His name glorified in me. Can you say amen? Some people blaspheme that holy name…let us be known as a people who glorify His name. Do you have a testimony tonight that will glorify His name?
As we looked into the first four verses we see the apostle Paul
encouraging and exhorting the church that he had founded for their faith…”Your faith growth exceedingly.” Faith that grows…fruit grows doesn’t it? And when you go to the super market to buy fruit you will find it in various stages of growth, some of it is ripe, some not so ripe and some of it is over ripe. And Paul tells the Galatians that faith is also a fruit of the Spirit, besides being a gift of the Spirit, perhaps we will do a study on the fruit of the Spirit after this one (if God permits .)
Verse #5 here in ch.1 says “which is manifest evidence of the righteous judgment of God …..what is this manifest evidence that he refers to? It is their patience and faith as they endure
both persecution and tribulation. God does not send persecution or tribulation to His children, we see in 1 Thessalonians ch. 5 verse 9, for God did not appoint
us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. Sometimes He may allow some test or a trial just to give us opportunity to have our faith proven, but remember what the writer to these people said when he was so concerned about their faith coming under attack and the fact that he could not make it….he said in 1st. Thessalonians 2:17, 18…”But we, brethren, having been taken away from you for a short time in presence, not in heart, endeavored more eagerly to see your face with great desire. Therefore we wanted to come to you --- even I, Paul, time and again---but Satan hindered us.”Satan hindered us, Paul says. And then in that same verse that I just read, the next verse…For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord at His coming? His hope, his crown of rejoicing, his glorying in the Lord was because of the souls he had led to the Lord, even those he had influenced , had helped to come to Christ because his testimony among them was believed. Remember what he said back in the first epistle, chapter 2, verse 13…”For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the Word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the Word of God, which also works effectively in those who believe… this is the key to success in our witness that what we say is convincing to men and women as it should be, the Word of God! Our words unless they line up with God’s Word, are just empty babblings. How important it is to bring a soul to the Lord.
Back in verse 4 of our study chapter 2 of Thessalonians 2, the apostle refers to their patience and faith in all their persecutions and tribulations that they were enduring, and further in verse 5, he says that all of this is evidence of the righteous judgment of God that you may be accounted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you also suffer since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you, WHOA! Did you hear what I just read? It is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you. This walk with God is not to be taken lightly either by us or by those who oppose us. Not only are we to walk worthy of our calling but God has taken responsibility over us also. I do not take lightly the harassing of my children and how much more must God feel about His children and their good keeping, divine protection is theirs as long as we walk worthily…
Worthy before God …of our calling. In the 7th. Verse here in chapter 1, God is going to set the record straight….thousands of Christians are suffering much persecution somewhere in other lands tonight. The record probably reads much like the 11th. Chapter of Hebrews, “Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection, still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment.” Heb. 11:34,35. Read also verses 37-40.
Back in our study chapter He is going to take vengeance on those who do not know God!....on those who do not obey the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. (read verses 7-9)
It behooves us to watch for our own souls and those of our families. I think we need to focus ijn prayer on our families, whether they are serving the Lord or not, We need to see revival and get ready for a move of God. When you look at the next few verss it should cause us to stop thinking about ourselves and our inability to speak to others about their spiritual condition…look at verses 10-12.
Again verse 10 says, “When He comes (praise God, He is coming )when He comes in that Day, to be glorified in His saints, and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed. When He comes back to this earth my friends, He will not come as an infant….He is coming in power as the old songwriter penned it, “we’ll hail that blessed hour”, He is coming with great glory, It is going to be a glorious appearing. This will be the Second Coming of our Lord back to earth …the rapture has already taken place; and He is coming with His saints, those who have been raptured before the tribulation takes place and when He comes in this appearing , He will set up His 1000 year reign known as the Millennial reign of Christ
And during that reign, there will be peace…real peace for 1000 years. We will suffer persecution…2nd. Tim.3:12 says, “Yea, and all who live Godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution but that is not tribulation ….1st. . Thess.5:9 which says, “For God hath not appointed us to wrath but to obtain salvation through Jesus Christ our lord.
This chapter, to summarize it if you will tells me that Jesus is coming back to this earth to rule and to reign and that you must believe in the Gospel in order to be a part of that company of saints who are going to be with Him when He comes. It tells me that you have to believe the old-time Gospel You cannot make it in unless you believe. It tells me that there is everlasting fire , everlasting destruction for those who have not believed. Verses 11 & 12”
tells it all: “Therefore we pray always for you that our God would count you weary of His calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work with powerthat the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified
Aren’t you glad for the gospel tonight? Vs. 12, says, “that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. That is my desire tonight to have His name glorified in me. Can you say amen? Some people blaspheme that holy name…let us be known as a people who glorify His name. Do you have a testimony tonight that will glorify His name?
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Victory ahead
Victory ahead!
When the host of Israel, led by God
Round the walls of Jericho they did trod
Trusting in the Lord they did not fear or dread
By faith they saw the victory ahead!
The words to that old God inspired and breathed hymn came to mind this morning as I was praying. It was just a few minutes ago WHILE I WAS WALKING AROUND MY DOWNSTAIRS ROOM. I was petitioning God for the city as others are doing this morning also in a concentrated prayer session. I recalled in my mind the days that are now gone and how things have changed and how the Bible says that in the last days just before Jesus returns there will be a great falling away. Well guess what…it has already come, we are in that time. Churches closing their doors permanently, because there are not enough people to support their existence. It doesn’t look great. So why are we, a people who know that there is this great slipping back into a lethargic state praying for revival, renewal, restoration? The answer is found in the words of that old hymn…”by faith they saw the victory ahead.” Remember the chorus? “Victory ahead, victory ahead, through the blood of Jesus, victory ahead Trusting in the Lord, they knew what God had said
By faith they saw the victory ahead!”
Solomon, after the dedication of the temple had a visit from God Himself one night; God actually appeared to him and you can read it in 2ND. Chronicles 7:12-14 it says, “I have heard your prayer, and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice
When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, (and here is the clincher)…if My people, who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land.” God hasn’t changed, we do not have to accept the status quo. Let us humble ourselves and pray. Let us seek the face of Almighty God.
When the host of Israel, led by God
Round the walls of Jericho they did trod
Trusting in the Lord they did not fear or dread
By faith they saw the victory ahead!
The words to that old God inspired and breathed hymn came to mind this morning as I was praying. It was just a few minutes ago WHILE I WAS WALKING AROUND MY DOWNSTAIRS ROOM. I was petitioning God for the city as others are doing this morning also in a concentrated prayer session. I recalled in my mind the days that are now gone and how things have changed and how the Bible says that in the last days just before Jesus returns there will be a great falling away. Well guess what…it has already come, we are in that time. Churches closing their doors permanently, because there are not enough people to support their existence. It doesn’t look great. So why are we, a people who know that there is this great slipping back into a lethargic state praying for revival, renewal, restoration? The answer is found in the words of that old hymn…”by faith they saw the victory ahead.” Remember the chorus? “Victory ahead, victory ahead, through the blood of Jesus, victory ahead Trusting in the Lord, they knew what God had said
By faith they saw the victory ahead!”
Solomon, after the dedication of the temple had a visit from God Himself one night; God actually appeared to him and you can read it in 2ND. Chronicles 7:12-14 it says, “I have heard your prayer, and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice
When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, (and here is the clincher)…if My people, who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land.” God hasn’t changed, we do not have to accept the status quo. Let us humble ourselves and pray. Let us seek the face of Almighty God.
Friday, July 1, 2011
prayer and interceeding before God
Pastor has called for seven days of prayer; prayer for the city and the surrounding communities, the bedroom communities.
He has a strategy. My group is praying specifically for the north end of the city.
A quote from a book written by an author of many years ago reads
like this, “For all ages, the law is laid down at the birth of the Church, THAT THE POWER OF THE Spirit must be prayed down from heaven. The amount of believing , continued prayer will determine the amount of the working of the Spirit in the Church. Direct, definite, determined, prayer is what we need.
In the 4th. Chapter of Acts you can see the confirmation of this kind of prayer that brings these kind of results. Peter and John were arrested and then brought before the council…the Jewish
High priest and his henchman. It’s a story that is a real suspense thriller ….read the 4th. Chapter and you will see for yourself. It’s too long to recount here but it is a fascinating story of real adventure and intrigue. The result was that after they were
threatened , they returned to their brothers , the disciples, and reported what had been done to them, “they lifted up their voices to God with one accord” and when they had prayed, the place was shaken and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and they spoke the Word of God with boldness”…..”and great grace was upon them..” I urge you to read this story. I experienced this outpouring of the infilling many years ago myself. While praying in an upper room in an old hall that substituted for a church house on a Saturday night in February of 1957, I too received this infilling. As we pray this week, let it be direct, definite and determined prayer that we pray as if we were in an upper room praying down the Holy Ghost from heaven and may we be bold in our God.
He has a strategy. My group is praying specifically for the north end of the city.
A quote from a book written by an author of many years ago reads
like this, “For all ages, the law is laid down at the birth of the Church, THAT THE POWER OF THE Spirit must be prayed down from heaven. The amount of believing , continued prayer will determine the amount of the working of the Spirit in the Church. Direct, definite, determined, prayer is what we need.
In the 4th. Chapter of Acts you can see the confirmation of this kind of prayer that brings these kind of results. Peter and John were arrested and then brought before the council…the Jewish
High priest and his henchman. It’s a story that is a real suspense thriller ….read the 4th. Chapter and you will see for yourself. It’s too long to recount here but it is a fascinating story of real adventure and intrigue. The result was that after they were
threatened , they returned to their brothers , the disciples, and reported what had been done to them, “they lifted up their voices to God with one accord” and when they had prayed, the place was shaken and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and they spoke the Word of God with boldness”…..”and great grace was upon them..” I urge you to read this story. I experienced this outpouring of the infilling many years ago myself. While praying in an upper room in an old hall that substituted for a church house on a Saturday night in February of 1957, I too received this infilling. As we pray this week, let it be direct, definite and determined prayer that we pray as if we were in an upper room praying down the Holy Ghost from heaven and may we be bold in our God.
Monday, June 20, 2011
2 Thessalonians chapter 1, lessun 1
Everything we know about God, we find in the Bible. If you think you have a divine revelation of God but you can’t find it in the Bible… don’t buy into it. The greatest event in human history is about to unfold and many are not ready for it. It is what my Dad and his generation lived for…it is the Second Coming of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
2 Thess chapter 1 Read this chapter
We are about to embark or rather re-embark on a
journey into the future starting at the church house in early September, a continuation into the letters of the Apostle Paul that he wrote to the church he had planted in Thessalonica. This is a preview. Please remember this is a layman’s view point.
As you read the first chapter of 2nd. Thessalonians, you are made aware of the fact that the Apostle Paul is directing the attention of the Thessalonians to the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is the theme, this is the subject of this second letter or epistle to this particular church as well as for our attention in the day in which we live. This theme of Christ’s second coming is more relevant today than ever before….that is obvious. Approximately 2000 years have passed since he wrote these epistles and as the old song says, “I’m nearer home than I was yesterday.”
Sometimes in Bible study you have to read between the lines a little bit. While the truth of God’s Word is inerrant and was inspired and directed by the Holy Spirit, it was penned by human beings, men and women just like you and me. And they each have a unique style of their own. And often something may be implied and we do not see it but someone else does see it. That is what study rather than just reading does, it brings things out into the open as you dig into this Word.
I said all of that to say this, there is apparently or so it seems, certain expressions or wording by Paul in his first letter of which the folks at Thessalonica misinterpreted. I am referring to this portion of Paul’s letter found in chapter 2 of the second letter and verse 2 that states “ not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled , either by spirit (small “s”) or by word or letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come.” They had assumed from Paul’s first letter that the rapture had already taken place and it caused them to be shaken in mind and troubled and wouldn’t we be troubled if we were convinced that Jesus had already come and taken His church and we were not included? Paul had told them in his first letter that of the times AND SEASONS there was no need to write them. He explained how the order of the resurrection worked. Somehow in all of this , they assumed that the Day of the Lord had already come Here in ch. 2 he warns against that kind of unrest caused by this kind of teaching. In our day it is date setting even though Jesus told us that no man knows the day or the hour.
So we are at that point we must needs look at ch. 1, Paul’s greetings and his salutation to the saints there in Thessalonica. It is a familiar Pauline greeting, in fact it is a familiar apostolic greeting that was also used by others and I refer to Peter, it is one he uses often as well and it indeed is a blessing invoked upon all who read these epistles, “grace and peace.” “Grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” what better greeting and consequent blessing could you receive than His grace and peace imparted unto you?
In the next verses 3&4, we see the apostle giving thanks for these dear people. That blessing is in God our Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ. It is for the church. It is not this unsettledness that is caused by setting dates.
“ We must always give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters”(RSV)…WE SHOULD ALWAYS BE THANKFUL FOR GOD’S CHILDREN, our brothers and sisters, amen? There is a bond that transcends color and race when we meet a new believer and a blessing comes with it. When I say a “new “ believer I mean someone we have never met before, new to us. Someone of different origin perhaps, different nationality, different culture, perhaps a different color skin. God is a God of variety and we can be thankful for that. And Paul was telling the Thessalonians, he was thankful for their faith. Read verse 3 again. Their faith was growing, their love abounding and that
was the reason for thanksgiving in the apostle’s heart.
He commends them, telling how he is all the time boasting about them among the churches of God and here is where faith works The Bible says “Faith works through love and we see it in action in these opening verses of chapter1. Read verse 4. Their faith showed itself strong in persecutions and afflictions that they were enduring, and that is where we really need faith…we need to have that steadfastness that Paul refers to here. It was so evident in the lives of these Christians in Thessalonica.
The word steadfastness is translated in the Amplified Bible as
“ unflinching endurance and patience.” That is steadfast…unflinching endurance, think about it, if you had been in Thessalonica in Paul’s day and enduring persecution for His name sake, trials… on every hand and you face it unflinchingly. Put yourself in their place.
And you face it and you endure it with patience. Remember these words from the Apostle James ch. 1 verse 2, I believe it is… brethren, count it all joy when you face divers temptations, verse 3, “Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience”
The trying of your faith works…..it works patience and James talks about asking without wavering…reminds you of the words of Jesus when He was praying in the garden and the disciples fell asleep, “could you not stay with Me one hour? He was facing the cross …and He did so unflinchingly….unflinching endurance and patience…can we say that when we are facing our struggles?
If we could grasp what the Word says about faith, it would revolutionize our thinking and our entire outlook on everything we do or say about God. It would change our lives, we would go from a hum drum mediocre existence to a life in the Spirit of God that is full of joy unspeakable and full of glory and I don’t think that any one of us has arrived there yet. Look at what it says in the Amplified bible reading in Hebrews 11:1-3…Now faith is(note present tense verb “is”…NOW FAITH IS (it is now or it is never,) not some time in the distant future…faith is now! “Now faith is…the assurance( the confirmation, the title deed) of the things (we) hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses]. VERSE 2. For by faith----trust and holy fervor born of faith] the men of old had divine testimony borne to them and obtained a good report. Verse 3. By faith we understand that the worlds[ during the successive ages] were framed (fashioned, put in order, and equipped for their intended purpose) by the Word of God, so that what we see was not made out of things that are visible.” Isn’t that powerful? If we could see Faith like that what a difference we would make in our world.
And Paul says . “your faith groweth exceedingly” thank God for growing faith. How can we survive during persecutions and tribulations? Peter says it is a trial of faith. Look at what he says
1st. Peter 1:7… that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, NKJV
The trial or testing of our faith is much more precious than gold
Because gold, precious metal that it is will perish but real faith when it is tried will stand the test. Is there a mountain in your way? Remember God’s word to Zerubbabel? For it is not by might nor by power but by My Spirit says the Lord…this mountain shall come down
Enough for this blog. To be cont’d.
2 Thess chapter 1 Read this chapter
We are about to embark or rather re-embark on a
journey into the future starting at the church house in early September, a continuation into the letters of the Apostle Paul that he wrote to the church he had planted in Thessalonica. This is a preview. Please remember this is a layman’s view point.
As you read the first chapter of 2nd. Thessalonians, you are made aware of the fact that the Apostle Paul is directing the attention of the Thessalonians to the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is the theme, this is the subject of this second letter or epistle to this particular church as well as for our attention in the day in which we live. This theme of Christ’s second coming is more relevant today than ever before….that is obvious. Approximately 2000 years have passed since he wrote these epistles and as the old song says, “I’m nearer home than I was yesterday.”
Sometimes in Bible study you have to read between the lines a little bit. While the truth of God’s Word is inerrant and was inspired and directed by the Holy Spirit, it was penned by human beings, men and women just like you and me. And they each have a unique style of their own. And often something may be implied and we do not see it but someone else does see it. That is what study rather than just reading does, it brings things out into the open as you dig into this Word.
I said all of that to say this, there is apparently or so it seems, certain expressions or wording by Paul in his first letter of which the folks at Thessalonica misinterpreted. I am referring to this portion of Paul’s letter found in chapter 2 of the second letter and verse 2 that states “ not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled , either by spirit (small “s”) or by word or letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come.” They had assumed from Paul’s first letter that the rapture had already taken place and it caused them to be shaken in mind and troubled and wouldn’t we be troubled if we were convinced that Jesus had already come and taken His church and we were not included? Paul had told them in his first letter that of the times AND SEASONS there was no need to write them. He explained how the order of the resurrection worked. Somehow in all of this , they assumed that the Day of the Lord had already come Here in ch. 2 he warns against that kind of unrest caused by this kind of teaching. In our day it is date setting even though Jesus told us that no man knows the day or the hour.
So we are at that point we must needs look at ch. 1, Paul’s greetings and his salutation to the saints there in Thessalonica. It is a familiar Pauline greeting, in fact it is a familiar apostolic greeting that was also used by others and I refer to Peter, it is one he uses often as well and it indeed is a blessing invoked upon all who read these epistles, “grace and peace.” “Grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” what better greeting and consequent blessing could you receive than His grace and peace imparted unto you?
In the next verses 3&4, we see the apostle giving thanks for these dear people. That blessing is in God our Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ. It is for the church. It is not this unsettledness that is caused by setting dates.
“ We must always give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters”(RSV)…WE SHOULD ALWAYS BE THANKFUL FOR GOD’S CHILDREN, our brothers and sisters, amen? There is a bond that transcends color and race when we meet a new believer and a blessing comes with it. When I say a “new “ believer I mean someone we have never met before, new to us. Someone of different origin perhaps, different nationality, different culture, perhaps a different color skin. God is a God of variety and we can be thankful for that. And Paul was telling the Thessalonians, he was thankful for their faith. Read verse 3 again. Their faith was growing, their love abounding and that
was the reason for thanksgiving in the apostle’s heart.
He commends them, telling how he is all the time boasting about them among the churches of God and here is where faith works The Bible says “Faith works through love and we see it in action in these opening verses of chapter1. Read verse 4. Their faith showed itself strong in persecutions and afflictions that they were enduring, and that is where we really need faith…we need to have that steadfastness that Paul refers to here. It was so evident in the lives of these Christians in Thessalonica.
The word steadfastness is translated in the Amplified Bible as
“ unflinching endurance and patience.” That is steadfast…unflinching endurance, think about it, if you had been in Thessalonica in Paul’s day and enduring persecution for His name sake, trials… on every hand and you face it unflinchingly. Put yourself in their place.
And you face it and you endure it with patience. Remember these words from the Apostle James ch. 1 verse 2, I believe it is… brethren, count it all joy when you face divers temptations, verse 3, “Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience”
The trying of your faith works…..it works patience and James talks about asking without wavering…reminds you of the words of Jesus when He was praying in the garden and the disciples fell asleep, “could you not stay with Me one hour? He was facing the cross …and He did so unflinchingly….unflinching endurance and patience…can we say that when we are facing our struggles?
If we could grasp what the Word says about faith, it would revolutionize our thinking and our entire outlook on everything we do or say about God. It would change our lives, we would go from a hum drum mediocre existence to a life in the Spirit of God that is full of joy unspeakable and full of glory and I don’t think that any one of us has arrived there yet. Look at what it says in the Amplified bible reading in Hebrews 11:1-3…Now faith is(note present tense verb “is”…NOW FAITH IS (it is now or it is never,) not some time in the distant future…faith is now! “Now faith is…the assurance( the confirmation, the title deed) of the things (we) hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses]. VERSE 2. For by faith----trust and holy fervor born of faith] the men of old had divine testimony borne to them and obtained a good report. Verse 3. By faith we understand that the worlds[ during the successive ages] were framed (fashioned, put in order, and equipped for their intended purpose) by the Word of God, so that what we see was not made out of things that are visible.” Isn’t that powerful? If we could see Faith like that what a difference we would make in our world.
And Paul says . “your faith groweth exceedingly” thank God for growing faith. How can we survive during persecutions and tribulations? Peter says it is a trial of faith. Look at what he says
1st. Peter 1:7… that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, NKJV
The trial or testing of our faith is much more precious than gold
Because gold, precious metal that it is will perish but real faith when it is tried will stand the test. Is there a mountain in your way? Remember God’s word to Zerubbabel? For it is not by might nor by power but by My Spirit says the Lord…this mountain shall come down
Enough for this blog. To be cont’d.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
The Comforter has come
In these days of overhead projectors taking the place of hymn books, I find it a real blessing to sing the old songs of the cross from memory. One of those old hymns was going off in my mind early on this morning; I was thinking about a lady in Montreal who is going through a period of mourning over the loss of her best friend and husband. The words of that old hymn came clear to me and I sang them over to myself and to the Lord , they say, "The Comforter has come, the Comforter has come, the Holy Ghost from heaven, The Father's promise given. Oh spread the tidings round wherever man is found, The Comforter has come." One of the stanzas says, "The long, long night is past, the morning breaks at last,And hushed the dreadful wail and fury of the blast,As o’er the golden hills the day advances fast!The Comforter has come!
Yes, the Comforter has come! And what a comfort to know that He has come and especially to one so undeserving as I. The next verse rather says it all, "Lo, the great King of kings, with healing in His wings,To ev’ry captive soul a full deliverance brings;And through the vacant cells the song of triumph rings;The Comforter has come! Let me indulge one more verse "O boundless love divine! How shall this tongue of mineTo wond’ring mortals tell the matchless grace divine—That I, a child of hell, should in His image shine!The Comforter has come!"
So to my sister Catherine I say take comfort my dear Sister in knowing that Bro. Lucho is with the Lord and so shall he ever be and you will meet again on that great reunion day. "For we do not mourn as those who have no hope, for if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus."
Yes, the Comforter has come! And what a comfort to know that He has come and especially to one so undeserving as I. The next verse rather says it all, "Lo, the great King of kings, with healing in His wings,To ev’ry captive soul a full deliverance brings;And through the vacant cells the song of triumph rings;The Comforter has come! Let me indulge one more verse "O boundless love divine! How shall this tongue of mineTo wond’ring mortals tell the matchless grace divine—That I, a child of hell, should in His image shine!The Comforter has come!"
So to my sister Catherine I say take comfort my dear Sister in knowing that Bro. Lucho is with the Lord and so shall he ever be and you will meet again on that great reunion day. "For we do not mourn as those who have no hope, for if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus."
Monday, May 9, 2011
A lesson in grace from an oil spill (a blog)
Grace, an early lesson.
I was just a boy and the year I can’t remember,, it was sometime in the late 40’s I would guess My father had recently converted our wood burning kitchen stove to an oil burning one. Some of you may recall those old wick burners that had all those cylinder units that fit on a base with grooves in it tom accept the cylinders or sleeves. They were very inefficient, smelly and required a great deal of maintenance. The latest technology. There was a jug that was placed on a stand that had a piece of tubing which connected the oil jug to the burner. Outside, the oil barrel laid on its side on this wooden stand . It had two bungs just like they still do, a small one which was removed and a spigot screwed into and a larger one which when the barrel was laid on its side was oriented to the top. This was loosely screwed to provide a vent for easy oil flow. We would fill the jug here to carry the oil into the kitchen where the stove was and invert the jug onto it’s stand. On this particular day the barrel was full of oil…but not for long. For some stupid reason, I decided to investigate the setup and inadvertently knocked the drum filled with oil off the stand and onto the ground. Of course when the barrel hit the ground it rolled a bit so that the top bung now was the bottom bung and being loosely screwed to the drum, immediately fell off and the oil poured profusely on the ground. I’m in trouble…deep trouble I tried to stand it back up…not happening, my mind racing with the fact that we probably did not have any money for more. Besides the mess it would make. I ran to the kitchen window and saw Dad and Mom talking, so I rapped on the window with my fist to get Dad’s attention. Lo and behold my fist went through the window…I got his attention!......bigger trouble now. And sin is like that for many of us. we commit a sin, most likely a secret sin and then we commit another one to hide the first one. but God sees them all, just like Dad saw everything I had done that fateful day.
I knew that Dad would not be pleased with me and I ran away sobbing. I was in an attitude of repentance, genuinely sorry for my actions. I expected to get what I deserved. So, you ask, what did your father do and what did he say? My father put the oil barrel back where it belonged, cleaned up the mess that I made, then he took the window and put in a new piece of glass, and Dad never said one word. Never. It was just like it never happened, just as though I had never sinned. Jesus did the same thing for me when I surrendered to His calling. He never reminded me of the sins I had sinned, in fact He buried them in a place that even He can’t remember In Psalm 37 verse 24 speaking of a good man who falls, “Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the LORD upholds him with His hand.” The day I had my own personal oil spill, I learned a powerful lesson on grace, the undeserved, unmerited grace of GOD. I deserved punishment but instead, I got favor.
I was just a boy and the year I can’t remember,, it was sometime in the late 40’s I would guess My father had recently converted our wood burning kitchen stove to an oil burning one. Some of you may recall those old wick burners that had all those cylinder units that fit on a base with grooves in it tom accept the cylinders or sleeves. They were very inefficient, smelly and required a great deal of maintenance. The latest technology. There was a jug that was placed on a stand that had a piece of tubing which connected the oil jug to the burner. Outside, the oil barrel laid on its side on this wooden stand . It had two bungs just like they still do, a small one which was removed and a spigot screwed into and a larger one which when the barrel was laid on its side was oriented to the top. This was loosely screwed to provide a vent for easy oil flow. We would fill the jug here to carry the oil into the kitchen where the stove was and invert the jug onto it’s stand. On this particular day the barrel was full of oil…but not for long. For some stupid reason, I decided to investigate the setup and inadvertently knocked the drum filled with oil off the stand and onto the ground. Of course when the barrel hit the ground it rolled a bit so that the top bung now was the bottom bung and being loosely screwed to the drum, immediately fell off and the oil poured profusely on the ground. I’m in trouble…deep trouble I tried to stand it back up…not happening, my mind racing with the fact that we probably did not have any money for more. Besides the mess it would make. I ran to the kitchen window and saw Dad and Mom talking, so I rapped on the window with my fist to get Dad’s attention. Lo and behold my fist went through the window…I got his attention!......bigger trouble now. And sin is like that for many of us. we commit a sin, most likely a secret sin and then we commit another one to hide the first one. but God sees them all, just like Dad saw everything I had done that fateful day.
I knew that Dad would not be pleased with me and I ran away sobbing. I was in an attitude of repentance, genuinely sorry for my actions. I expected to get what I deserved. So, you ask, what did your father do and what did he say? My father put the oil barrel back where it belonged, cleaned up the mess that I made, then he took the window and put in a new piece of glass, and Dad never said one word. Never. It was just like it never happened, just as though I had never sinned. Jesus did the same thing for me when I surrendered to His calling. He never reminded me of the sins I had sinned, in fact He buried them in a place that even He can’t remember In Psalm 37 verse 24 speaking of a good man who falls, “Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the LORD upholds him with His hand.” The day I had my own personal oil spill, I learned a powerful lesson on grace, the undeserved, unmerited grace of GOD. I deserved punishment but instead, I got favor.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
The following concludes my thoughts on chapter 5, for the sake of reference we’ll call it lesson 13. Starting with verse 12:
“And we beseech you , brethren, to know them that labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you. And esteem them very highly in love for their works sake.. And be at peace among yourselves.
Most people do not consider the things of another world at all, because they are asleep; or they do not consider them as they should, because they are asleep in the spiritual sense. Paul said to the Philippians in ch. 4 verse 5, “Let your moderation be known to all men,
The Lord is at hand.” We need to show our moderation in the light of the facts…Jesus is coming! Wake up! Shall Christians, who have the light of the blessed gospel shining in their faces, be careless about their souls, and unmindful of another world? We need the spiritual armour, or the three Christian graces, faith, love, and hope. Faith; if we believe that the
eye of God is always upon us, that there is another world to prepare for, we shall see reason to watch and be sober. True and fervent love to God, and the things of God, should keep us watchful and sober. If we have hope of salvation, let us take heed of any thing that would shake our trust in the Lord. How important that is. The enemy of our souls is always looking for an opportunity to cause doubts to arise, especially if we go by feelings. But when you don’t feel saved just turn to the written Word of God and lay hold of His promises. Declare it to the devil and to others also that you are saved, and you are God’s child…James said first of all submit unto God and then resist the devil and he will flee from you. We have ground on which to build unshaken hope, when we consider, that salvation is by our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, to atone for our sins and to ransom our souls. We should join in
prayer and praise one with others. We should set a good example for each other, and this is the best means to answer the cynicism of society. They will know that we are Christians by our love. Thus we shall learn how to live before Him, with whom we hope to live for ever. (1Th 5:12-15
The ministers of the gospel are described by the work of their office, which is to serve and honour the Lord. Minister means servant. It is their duty not only to give good counsel, but also to warn the flock of dangers, and reprove when it is needed. Then we should honour and love their ministers, because their business is the welfare of men's souls. And the people should be at peace among themselves, doing all they can to guard against any differences. These differences can lead to church splits and how we need to watch out for this sort of thing. How we need to seek peace with every thing within us. Paul says in another place “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope , through the power of the Holy Ghost.”Ro. 15:13 The God of hope will fill you with joy and peace if you believe in His Word. But love of peace must not make us wink at
sin. The fearful and sorrowful should be encouraged, and a kind word may do much good. We must bear and forbear. We must be long-suffering, and keep down anger, to all men. Whatever man do to us, we must do good to others.
We should rejoice more, in fact the apostle tells us to rejoice evermore. if we prayed more, If we pray without ceasing, we shall not want something for thanksgiving in every thing. We shall see cause to give thanks in everything. This verse 18 tells us that in everything we are to give thanks, in every situation, in every circumstance, no matter what it is and how hard that seems to be to us to understand. We don’t need to understand it but we do need to obey it.
“ Quench not the Spirit.” Christians are said to be baptized with the Holy Ghost and with fire. He worketh as fire, by enlightening, enlivening, and purifying the souls of men. As fire is put out by taking away fuel, and as it is quenched by pouring water, or putting a great deal of earth upon it; so we must be careful not to quench the Holy Spirit, by indulging carnal lusts and affections, minding only earthly things. Believers often hinder their growth in grace, by not giving themselves up to the spiritual affections raised in their hearts by the Holy Spirit. “Despise not prophesyings.” Notice it uses the plural “prophecyings” Not speaking about the gift so much but rather the utterances of prophecies. Do you find yourself judging the person sometimes who is uttering the prophetic word rather than judging the utterance?Also to understand the preaching of the word, the interpreting and applying the Scriptures. We must not despise preaching either, though it is
plain, and we are told no more than what we knew before. We must search the Scriptures. And proving all things must be to hold fast that which is good. We should abstain from sin, and whatever looks like sin, leads to it, and borders upon it. He who is not shy of the appearances of sin, who shuns not the occasions of it, and who avoids not the temptations and approaches to it, will not long keep from doing sin. (1Th 5:23-28)
And encourages them to persevere under all their sufferings for Christ, considering his coming at the great day of account.
The apostle prays that they might be sanctified more perfectly, for the best are sanctified but in part while in this world; therefore we should pray for, and press toward, complete holiness. And as we must fall, if God did not carry on his good work in the soul, we should pray to God to perfect his work, till we are presented faultless before the throne of his glory. We should pray for one another; and brethren should thus express brotherly love. This epistle was to be read to all
the brethren. Not only are the common people allowed to read the Scriptures, but it is their duty, and what they should be persuaded to do. The word of God should not be kept in an unknown tongue, but transplanted, that as all men are concerned to know the Scriptures, so they all may be able to read them. The Scriptures should be read in all public congregations, for the benefit of the unlearned especially. We need no more to make us happy, than to know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is an ever-flowing and an over-flowing fountain of grace to supply all our wants.
“And we beseech you , brethren, to know them that labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you. And esteem them very highly in love for their works sake.. And be at peace among yourselves.
Most people do not consider the things of another world at all, because they are asleep; or they do not consider them as they should, because they are asleep in the spiritual sense. Paul said to the Philippians in ch. 4 verse 5, “Let your moderation be known to all men,
The Lord is at hand.” We need to show our moderation in the light of the facts…Jesus is coming! Wake up! Shall Christians, who have the light of the blessed gospel shining in their faces, be careless about their souls, and unmindful of another world? We need the spiritual armour, or the three Christian graces, faith, love, and hope. Faith; if we believe that the
eye of God is always upon us, that there is another world to prepare for, we shall see reason to watch and be sober. True and fervent love to God, and the things of God, should keep us watchful and sober. If we have hope of salvation, let us take heed of any thing that would shake our trust in the Lord. How important that is. The enemy of our souls is always looking for an opportunity to cause doubts to arise, especially if we go by feelings. But when you don’t feel saved just turn to the written Word of God and lay hold of His promises. Declare it to the devil and to others also that you are saved, and you are God’s child…James said first of all submit unto God and then resist the devil and he will flee from you. We have ground on which to build unshaken hope, when we consider, that salvation is by our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, to atone for our sins and to ransom our souls. We should join in
prayer and praise one with others. We should set a good example for each other, and this is the best means to answer the cynicism of society. They will know that we are Christians by our love. Thus we shall learn how to live before Him, with whom we hope to live for ever. (1Th 5:12-15
The ministers of the gospel are described by the work of their office, which is to serve and honour the Lord. Minister means servant. It is their duty not only to give good counsel, but also to warn the flock of dangers, and reprove when it is needed. Then we should honour and love their ministers, because their business is the welfare of men's souls. And the people should be at peace among themselves, doing all they can to guard against any differences. These differences can lead to church splits and how we need to watch out for this sort of thing. How we need to seek peace with every thing within us. Paul says in another place “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope , through the power of the Holy Ghost.”Ro. 15:13 The God of hope will fill you with joy and peace if you believe in His Word. But love of peace must not make us wink at
sin. The fearful and sorrowful should be encouraged, and a kind word may do much good. We must bear and forbear. We must be long-suffering, and keep down anger, to all men. Whatever man do to us, we must do good to others.
We should rejoice more, in fact the apostle tells us to rejoice evermore. if we prayed more, If we pray without ceasing, we shall not want something for thanksgiving in every thing. We shall see cause to give thanks in everything. This verse 18 tells us that in everything we are to give thanks, in every situation, in every circumstance, no matter what it is and how hard that seems to be to us to understand. We don’t need to understand it but we do need to obey it.
“ Quench not the Spirit.” Christians are said to be baptized with the Holy Ghost and with fire. He worketh as fire, by enlightening, enlivening, and purifying the souls of men. As fire is put out by taking away fuel, and as it is quenched by pouring water, or putting a great deal of earth upon it; so we must be careful not to quench the Holy Spirit, by indulging carnal lusts and affections, minding only earthly things. Believers often hinder their growth in grace, by not giving themselves up to the spiritual affections raised in their hearts by the Holy Spirit. “Despise not prophesyings.” Notice it uses the plural “prophecyings” Not speaking about the gift so much but rather the utterances of prophecies. Do you find yourself judging the person sometimes who is uttering the prophetic word rather than judging the utterance?Also to understand the preaching of the word, the interpreting and applying the Scriptures. We must not despise preaching either, though it is
plain, and we are told no more than what we knew before. We must search the Scriptures. And proving all things must be to hold fast that which is good. We should abstain from sin, and whatever looks like sin, leads to it, and borders upon it. He who is not shy of the appearances of sin, who shuns not the occasions of it, and who avoids not the temptations and approaches to it, will not long keep from doing sin. (1Th 5:23-28)
And encourages them to persevere under all their sufferings for Christ, considering his coming at the great day of account.
The apostle prays that they might be sanctified more perfectly, for the best are sanctified but in part while in this world; therefore we should pray for, and press toward, complete holiness. And as we must fall, if God did not carry on his good work in the soul, we should pray to God to perfect his work, till we are presented faultless before the throne of his glory. We should pray for one another; and brethren should thus express brotherly love. This epistle was to be read to all
the brethren. Not only are the common people allowed to read the Scriptures, but it is their duty, and what they should be persuaded to do. The word of God should not be kept in an unknown tongue, but transplanted, that as all men are concerned to know the Scriptures, so they all may be able to read them. The Scriptures should be read in all public congregations, for the benefit of the unlearned especially. We need no more to make us happy, than to know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is an ever-flowing and an over-flowing fountain of grace to supply all our wants.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
This will be lesson 12 from 1 Thessalonians ch. 4:13-18 and ch. 5:1-11
This will be lesson 12 from 1 Thessalonians ch. 4:13-18 and ch. 5:1-11
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 KJV
13But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
14For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
15For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
16For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
18Wherefore comfort one another with these words
King James Version (KJV)
1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
1But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
2For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
3For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
4But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
5Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
6Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
7For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.
8But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.
9For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
10Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.
11Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.
King James Version (KJV)
What comfort in these two passages and as we read them, they cause us to be drawn closer and closer to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. They also cause an alarm bell as it were to go off inside of me when I think about those who may not be ready should Jesus come tonight. friend or family member who is asleep in the spiritual sense. Paul says, “we are not of the night nor of darkness. Let us examine ourselves…let the Holy Spirit shine His light upon us and look into our hearts and see if there is anything there that would hinder us from being ready when the trumpet of God sounds . The Happy Goodmans sang a song which contained a line that stated that one day the trump would sound so loud it would wake the dead. And that is just what Paul, that great Apostle of the Lamb states here in ch. 4:16…the trump will sound and the dead will rise. This is what Paul preached concerning the rapture. Remember what the angels said in Acts chapter 1”This same Jesus shall come in like manner as ye have seen Him go.” Why stand ye gazing?” Are we as a people just gazing or,like the women at the tomb are we telling His disciples that He is risen? Ca n the world see that we believe? I reflect back to our missions convention last October. One of our Spanish brothers presented a report on missions ministry in North Africa and he illustrated that scripture in Acts 1:11.
Let’s be a people doing, going and ready to do what He would have us do. Let us continue in prayer for the lost, especially our loved ones.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 KJV
13But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
14For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
15For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
16For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
18Wherefore comfort one another with these words
King James Version (KJV)
1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
1But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
2For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
3For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
4But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
5Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
6Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
7For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.
8But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.
9For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
10Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.
11Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.
King James Version (KJV)
What comfort in these two passages and as we read them, they cause us to be drawn closer and closer to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. They also cause an alarm bell as it were to go off inside of me when I think about those who may not be ready should Jesus come tonight. friend or family member who is asleep in the spiritual sense. Paul says, “we are not of the night nor of darkness. Let us examine ourselves…let the Holy Spirit shine His light upon us and look into our hearts and see if there is anything there that would hinder us from being ready when the trumpet of God sounds . The Happy Goodmans sang a song which contained a line that stated that one day the trump would sound so loud it would wake the dead. And that is just what Paul, that great Apostle of the Lamb states here in ch. 4:16…the trump will sound and the dead will rise. This is what Paul preached concerning the rapture. Remember what the angels said in Acts chapter 1”This same Jesus shall come in like manner as ye have seen Him go.” Why stand ye gazing?” Are we as a people just gazing or,like the women at the tomb are we telling His disciples that He is risen? Ca n the world see that we believe? I reflect back to our missions convention last October. One of our Spanish brothers presented a report on missions ministry in North Africa and he illustrated that scripture in Acts 1:11.
Let’s be a people doing, going and ready to do what He would have us do. Let us continue in prayer for the lost, especially our loved ones.
Monday, April 11, 2011
lesson 11 from 1 Thess ch, 4
In the last blog entry I asked this question… was Paul being a bit facetious here and using this inscription as an opening to proclaim the Gospel? Let’s investigate this passage further in Acts 17. beginning with verse 24 “ Acts 17:24-32 (King James Version) 24God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; 25Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; 26And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; 27That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: 28For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. 29Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device. 30And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: 31Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. 32And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked: and others said, We will hear thee again of this matter” Page4 /Whenever Paul preached or mentioned the resurrection he found himself being persecuted. To the Corinthians he says in 1 Cor. 1:17-31, the end of the chapter from the King James Version, here it is “1 Corinthians 1:17-31 (King James Version) 17For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. (it seems that when man tries to bring the Gospel to his or her own private interpretation, it makes the Gospel of no effect) 18For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. 19For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. 20Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? (truly this is the case…it makes about as much sense to argue the case with God as it does to deny the Word) 21For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. 22For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: 23But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness; 24But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. 25Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. 26For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: 27But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; 28And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: 29That no flesh should glory in his presence. 30But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: 31That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. So the answer to my question is Paul being facetious or is he using this inscription TO THE UNKNOWN GOD, HE USES IT as an opportunity to once again preach the Gospel of God I think you can see here in these two passages that I have quoted that if there is one thing that makes the devil mad it is the resurrection….the preaching of the cross. That was what Paul got so much trouble from the enemy for, when he mentioned the resurrection. Satan can tolerate us talking about Jesus as a good man, a good teacher with good morals. Just don’t mention the cross or the resurrection, he hates that truth. This call from 1 Thess ch. 4 is a call , a plea really for purity and holy living. Get ready he is saying and we need to be ready and have our lamps all trimmed in preparations for the rapture commonly known as the “catching away/”…the wedding of the bride united with the groom, we shall see the king when He comes. (Lord, only You can make us ready...we just need to submit ourselves to your will.) Verse 7 tells us that “God did not call us to uncleanness but rather he called us to holiness. Paul says that we have been called to holiness Preparation for the rapture. In the 8th. Verse if we reject his teaching, don’t think it is man that you are rejecting…rather you are rejecting God. And He has given us His Holy!, His Holy!Spirit…The Spirit of God is HOLY…HE IS THE Holy Spirit. And he said, “be ye holy even as I am holy! Verse number 9.If we are going to receive more of God, we need to live a brotherly and orderly life. In order to achieve that level, that standard of holiness, we need to get the truth of this message from Paul down into our hearts and let it become our life. So many times we hear people asking for the will of God, wanting to know what God’s will is for their life. Paul says, “ For this is the will of God (for your life) even your sanctification….sanctification means to be separated, set apart for pure and holy living, it means to be separated from things profane. It means to be consecrated to God. “Consecrate me now to thy service Lord by thy power of grace divine, let my soul look up with a steadfast hope ‘til my will be lost in thine. And that is where God wants us to be, with our will lost in His will. Do I think that I am in that place? No, I’m striving to attain, but so was the Apostle Paul. Look what he says in his letter to the Phillipians reading from ch. 3 verses 12-16: Pressing Toward the Goal 12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you. 16 Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule,[a] let us be of the same mind.” We will be judged I believe by the light that we have, nevertheless we are all to walk by this rule of increasing more and more, in the will of God, sanctified, set apart unto holiness in the LORD. We are to walk circumspectly and not as fools, redeeming the time because the days are evil. We must be ready, we need to have our lamps filled with oil. What a tragic thing it would be to have our lamps go out just at the midnight hour just as the bridegroom shouts? And we are standing there in the darkness? And the cry goes forth GET READY FOR THE BRIDEGROOM COMES! I don’t understand all of that yet but I know that we must be prepared, we need to watch and pray, Jesus said. He said that “men ought always to pray and not faint.” He asks the question, “when the Son of Man comes…….will He find faith in the earth?” Will He find faith in you? Will He find faith in me? Let us resolve, make a resolution in our hearts…..yes Lord, by God’s grace I am resolved to seek your face until You come! I have quoted a lot of scripture in these blog entries for which I make no apology...it is the best thing I can do.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
lesson 10 I think...1 Thess. ch. 4 (read the chapter again before reading my notes
I am sending this n my Toshiba NB100 (a min laptop). My advice...don't buy one unless you are into self-torture. Now to the good stuff. We, my wife and I are in Spain as I write these lines, study notes, and it is March 17, cold and rainy back home, sunny and warm here on the Costa del Sol in Andulicia. We will be home sometime early Apri and hopefully there won't be anymor snow. On with the lesson.(we are home now) If tere is one thig I want to emphasize over and over, and I have made the notation on my home page, it is this: I am a layman and there is no pretence in my heart and soul to be anything more than that. I am not a clergyman. However let me say this...you don't have to be such in order to read and study the hidden riches of God's Word. I have been doing so ever since my Dad's aunt, my great aunt gave me a brand new Bible when I was 8 years old. And so I share with you some of the things that I have been reading and studying for the past 62 or 63 years. By the way I still have tht Bible, a Holman, King James version. Okay, trust you have read chapter 4 and there is something here that we can do by God's help and grace and that is to follow the life of the apostle Paul and his admonishen to walk so as to please God and gratify Him. There is something we can do by God’s help and unmerited grace, His favor and that is to follow the life of the Apostle Paul and his admonishment to walk so as to please God and gratify Him .Will’s Wharf taught me a lot of life’s lessons Growing up on an island that was separated somewhat from the mainland; well life was perhaps more sheltered than most people knew about. But Will’s Wharf was a special; place, sort of a gathering place for the neighbourhood. It was only a few yards from the house we lived in, the house I was born in and when I look back and reflect, our world was pretty small really. The neighbourhood that I speak of consisted primarily of three houses in which there were a total population of 8 adults and 6 of us kids. Three generations. Now if you walked a short way, you would find a few more houses and people. Will was our neighbor and a cousin of our dad, an excellent man with an excellent spirit. And as children we would visit his wharf and “borrow “ a dory or dinghy and go for a row out on the harbour. I thought it was like heaven to me, it was where dad taught me to properly tie up a dory compensating for the Bay of Fundy tides. The wharf only went out from the land maybe forty feet or so and the dory’s would ground out on the beach at low or even half tide, so if you were going to borrow one, you needed to pay attention to the time and tide. So you could get it back where it belonged. As I said, it seemed like heaven to me, but the Bible says that “eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither has it entered the heart of man the things that God Has prepared for those that love Him. This 4th. Chapter of 1 Thessalonians speaks about preparation, preparation for the coming of the Lord. We read in verse 17 “thus shall we ever be with the Lord. I only spent a few short years living near Will’s wharf and if you were to go to Campobello Island today to Thurber’s point near the nubble , you could search there for a long long time but you would not find Will’s wharf. It is gone! It was man made and it was only temporary. Heaven is a place of permanence. Hebrews 11:13-16 says,13/ “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 14/ For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. 15/ And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16/ But now they desire a better, that is a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.” This is our hope tonight, it is our heavenly hope! Jesus said that He was going to prepare a place for us, that where He is we would be there also. And the apostle Paul back here in 1 Thess. 4 is not only proclaiming that Christ is coming but he is telling them how to prepare for His coming, and he alludes to the order of that great event….the dead in Christ, those who died as a born again Christian, knowing and living for Jesus before they died, will rise first, then those who are still living at the time of His return a page2 /Godly life, forgiven of their sins, just like the other crowd who precedes them, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air .And thus we shall always be with the Lord. “ “Therefore comfort one another with these words.” In this Bible study group we read a lot of scripture. I do not apologize for doing so. It was said of Smith Wigglesworth that he too read the scriptures many times instead of sermonizing. Not that I am any Smith Wigglesworth….he was a plumber….I am an electrician. What a comfort to know your name is written in heaven in the Lamb’s book of life. If I weren’t sure of that tonight then I would make sure before I go to bed tonight. There is a song that says “if I were you, I’D GIVE Jesus my heart, If I were you, I’d make a new start, I’d do it today, I wouldn’t delay if I were you…..I’d give Jesus my heart.” This is too important for us to take lightly. And I’m sure when the apostle was concerned for their faith, this is what he had in mind. It should be the most important thing on our minds as well. As we go on in this chapter and then to chapter five and to the second epistle we shall see how he increases his exhortation concerning the coming of the Lord. I said before that if the Apostle thought the Lord was coming soon , even in his day, how much closer is His appearing today? So important an event as the rapture is, requires our utmost and undivided attention, don’t you think? In fact Paul says “we urge you and exhort in the Lord Jesus , that you abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and please God.” This is what these letters are about , how we are to walk and please God. I think since I started or decided to study this particular subject, that the devil has attacked me in my mind more perhaps than any time before and has said to me “do you really believe this? Look around , give your head a shake man…has anything really changed? Or is it all imagination? And that is when I remind him of His unsuccessful attempt to sway Jesus over to his thinking. What did Jesus say and do? He used the scripture to quench the devil’s fire didn’t He? When feelings fail, when doubts arise ….go to this written Word, remember this church Paul is writing to and he reminded them that when they received the Word that he was preaching to them, they did not receive it as the word of men but in truth they accepted it as the Truith, the Word of God .Verse 2 of this the 4th. Chapter of 1Thessalonians sets the tone of Paul’s letter: “for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus..” This is not salvation by works that he is advocating but it is rather working out our salvation, it is faith by works and it is preparing for the coming of the Lord So Paul urges these Thessalonian Christians as well as you and me to abound more and more in our walk with God that we would please Him in all things….That we walk in all holiness, sanctified, set apart. Can the world tell if you are a Christian? Can they see a difference in us, a lifestyle that is what a good example should be? From the Amplified version , verse 3 reads “For this is the will of God, that you should be consecrated (separated and set apart for pure and holy living:) : that you should abstain and shrink from all sexual vice , That each one of you should know how to possess (control, manage)his own body in consecration (purity, separated from things profane) and honor, Page three./ 5 Not to be used in the ;passion of lust like the heathen, who are ignorant of the true God and have no knowledge of His will.” Remember when Paul was in Athens? He saw tan altar with an inscription…TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. And isn’t that true with everyone of us before we were born again by the Spirit of God, before we ever received the mighty baptism of the Holy Ghost ; God was unknown to us? Paul did not just go to Athens to escape persecution, he knew it would follow him anywhere he went and preached Christ, especially the resurrection of the dead. Acts 17:23 “Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim unto you.” Is it possible to worship a God you don]t know? Or was Paul being a bit facetious here and using this inscription as an opening to proclaim the Gospel? Enough for now, we will continue later...RC
Friday, February 11, 2011
Lesson 9 is from chapter 4 and it is a call , a plea really for purity and holy living. Get ready he is saying and we need to be ready and have our lamps all trimmed in preparations for the rapture commonly known as the “catching away/”…the wedding of the bride united with the groom, we shall see the king when He comes.
Verse 7 tells us that “God did not call us to uncleanness but rather he called us to holiness. Paul says that we have been called to holiness Preparation for the rapture. In the 8th. Verse if we reject his teaching, don’t think it is man that you are rejecting…rather you are rejecting God. And He has given us His Holy!, His
Holy!Spirit…The Spirit of God is HOLYhE IS THE Holy Sapirit. And he said, “be ye holy even as I am holy!
Next verse is number 9.If we are going to receive more of God, we need to live a brotherly and orderly life. In order to achieve that level, that standard of holiness, we need to get the truth of this message from Paul down into our hearts and let it become our life. So many times we hear people asking for the will of God, wanting to know what God’s will is for their life. Paul says, “ For this is the will of God (for your life) even your sanctification….sanctification means to be separated, set apart for pure and holy living, it means to be separated from things profane. It means to be consecrated to God. “Consecrate me now to thy service Lord by thy powerof grace divine, let my soul look up with a steadfast hope ‘til my will be lost in thine. And that is where God wants us to be, with our will lost in His will. Do I think that I am in that place? No, I’m striving to attain, but so was the Apostle Paul. Look what he says in his letter to the Phillipians reading from ch. 3 verses 12-16: Pressing Toward the Goal
12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I page6/ press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you. 16 Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule,[a] let us be of the same mind.”
We will be judged I believe by the light that we have, nevertheless we are all to walk by this rule of increasing more and more, in the will of God, sanctified, set apart unto holiness in the LORD. We are to walk circumspectly and not as fools, redeeming the time because the days are evil. We must be ready, we need to have our lamps filled with oil. What a tragic thing it would be to have our lamps go out just at the midnight hour just as the bridegroom shouts? And we are standing there in the darkness? And the cry goes forth GET READY FOR THE BRIDEGROOM COMES! I don’t understand all of that yet but I know that we must be prepared, we need to watch and pray, Jesus said. He said that “men ought always to pray and not faint.” He asks the question, “when the Son of Man comes…….will He find faith in the earth?” Will He find faith in you? Will He find faith in me? Let us resolve, make a resolution in our hearts…..yes Lord, by God’s grace I am resolved to seek your face until You come!
Verse 7 tells us that “God did not call us to uncleanness but rather he called us to holiness. Paul says that we have been called to holiness Preparation for the rapture. In the 8th. Verse if we reject his teaching, don’t think it is man that you are rejecting…rather you are rejecting God. And He has given us His Holy!, His
Holy!Spirit…The Spirit of God is HOLYhE IS THE Holy Sapirit. And he said, “be ye holy even as I am holy!
Next verse is number 9.If we are going to receive more of God, we need to live a brotherly and orderly life. In order to achieve that level, that standard of holiness, we need to get the truth of this message from Paul down into our hearts and let it become our life. So many times we hear people asking for the will of God, wanting to know what God’s will is for their life. Paul says, “ For this is the will of God (for your life) even your sanctification….sanctification means to be separated, set apart for pure and holy living, it means to be separated from things profane. It means to be consecrated to God. “Consecrate me now to thy service Lord by thy powerof grace divine, let my soul look up with a steadfast hope ‘til my will be lost in thine. And that is where God wants us to be, with our will lost in His will. Do I think that I am in that place? No, I’m striving to attain, but so was the Apostle Paul. Look what he says in his letter to the Phillipians reading from ch. 3 verses 12-16: Pressing Toward the Goal
12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I page6/ press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you. 16 Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule,[a] let us be of the same mind.”
We will be judged I believe by the light that we have, nevertheless we are all to walk by this rule of increasing more and more, in the will of God, sanctified, set apart unto holiness in the LORD. We are to walk circumspectly and not as fools, redeeming the time because the days are evil. We must be ready, we need to have our lamps filled with oil. What a tragic thing it would be to have our lamps go out just at the midnight hour just as the bridegroom shouts? And we are standing there in the darkness? And the cry goes forth GET READY FOR THE BRIDEGROOM COMES! I don’t understand all of that yet but I know that we must be prepared, we need to watch and pray, Jesus said. He said that “men ought always to pray and not faint.” He asks the question, “when the Son of Man comes…….will He find faith in the earth?” Will He find faith in you? Will He find faith in me? Let us resolve, make a resolution in our hearts…..yes Lord, by God’s grace I am resolved to seek your face until You come!
Lesson 8. 1 Thessalonians chapter 4…living a pure life of holiness.
Will’s wharf
Read this chapter before proceeding.
Page1/
There is something we can do by God’s help and unmerited grace, His favor and that is to follow the life of the Apostle Paul and his admonishment to walk so as to please God and gratify Him .Will’s Wharf taught me a lot of life’s lessons Growing up on an island that was separated somewhat from the mainland; well life was perhaps more sheltered than most people knew about. But Will’s Wharf was a special; place, sort of a gathering place for the neighbourhood. It was only a few yards from the house we lived in, the house I was born in and when I look back and reflect, our world was pretty small really.
The neighbourhood that I speak of consisted primarily of three houses in which there were a total population of 8 adults and 6 of us kids. Three generations. Now if you walked a short way, you would find a few more houses and people.
Will was our neighbor and a cousin of our dad, an excellent man with an excellent spirit. And as children we would visit his wharf and “borrow “ a dory or dinghy and go for a row out on the harbour. I thought it was like heaven to me, it was where dad taught me to properly tie up a dory compensating for the Bay of Fundy tides. The wharf only went out from the land maybe forty feet or so and the dory’s would ground out on the beach at low or even half tide, so if you were going to borrow one, you needed to pay attention to the time and tide. So you could get it back where it belonged.
As I said, it seemed like heaven to me, but the Bible says that “eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither has it entered the heart of man the things that God
Has prepared for those that love Him.
This 4th. Chapter of 1 Thessalonians speaks about preparation, preparation for the coming of the Lord. We read in verse 17 “thus shall we ever be with the Lord. I only spent a few short years living near Will’s wharf and if you were to go to Campobello Island today to Thurber’s point near the nubble , you could search there for a long long time but you would not find Will’s wharf. It is gone! It was man made and it was only temporary. Heaven is a place of permanence.
Hebrews 11:13-16 says,13/ “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
14/ For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland.
15/ And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16/ But now they desire a better, that is a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.” This is our hope tonight, it is our heavenly hope! Jesus said that He was going to prepare a place for us, that where He is we would be there also. And the apostle Paul back here in 1 Thess. 4 is not only proclaiming that Christ is coming but he is telling them how to prepare for His coming, and he alludes to the order of that great event….the dead in Christ, those who died as a born again Christian, knowing and living for Jesus before they died, will rise first, then those who are still living at the time of His return a page2 /Godly life, forgiven of their sins, just like the other crowd who precedes them, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air .And thus we shall always be with the Lord. “ “Therefore comfort one another with these words.” In this Bible study group we read a lot of scripture. I do not apologize for doing so. It was said of Smith Wigglesworth that he too read the scriptures many times instead of sermonizing. Not that I am any Smith Wigglesworth….he was a plumber….I am an electrician.
What a comfort to know your name is written in heaven in the Lamb’s book of life.
If I weren’t sure of that tonight then I would make sure before I go to bed tonight.
There is a song that says “if I were you, I’D GIVE Jesus my heart, If I were you, I’d make a new start, I’d do it today, I wouldn’t delay if I were you…..I’d give Jesus my heart.” This is too important for us to take lightly. And I’m sure when the apostle was concerned for their faith, this is what he had in mind. It should be the most important thing on our minds as well. As we go on in this chapter and then to chapter five and to the second epistle we shall see how he increases his exhortation concerning the coming of the Lord. I said before that if the Apostle thought the Lord was coming soon , even in his day, how much closer is His appearing today? So important an event as the rapture is, requires our utmost and undivided attention, don’t you think? In fact Paul says “we urge you and exhort in the Lord Jesus , that you abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and please God.” This is what these letters are about , how we are to walk and please God. I think since I started or decided to study this particular subject, that the devil has attacked me in my mind more perhaps than any time before and has said to me “do you really believe this? Look around , give your head a shake man…has anything really changed? Or is it all imagination? And that is when I remind him of His unsuccessful attempt to sway Jesus over to his thinking. What did Jesus say and do? He used the scripture to quench the devil’s fire didn’t He? When feelings fail, when doubts arise ….go to this written Word, remember this church Paul is writing to and he reminded them that when they received the Word that he was preaching to them, they did not receive it as the word of men but in truth they accepted it as the Truith, the Word of God .Verse 2 of this the 4th. Chapter of 1Thessalonians sets the tone of Paul’s letter: “for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus..”
This is not salvation by works that he is advocating but it is rather working out our salvation, it is faith by works and it is preparing for the coming of the Lord So Paul urges these Thessalonian Christians as well as you and me to abound more and more in our walk with God that we would please Him in all things….That we walk in all holiness, sanctified, set apart. Can the world tell if you are a Christian? Can they see a difference in us, a lifestyle that is what a good example should be? From the Amplified version , verse 3 reads “For this is the will of God, that you should be consecrated (separated and set apart for pure and holy living:) : that you should abstain and shrink from all sexual vice , That each one of you should know how to possess (control, manage)his own body in consecration (purity, separated from things profane) and honor,
Page three./ 5 Not to be used in the ;passion of lust like the heathen, who are ignorant of the true God and have no knowledge of His will.”
Remember when Paul was in Athens? He saw tan altar with an inscription…
TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. And isn’t that true with everyone of us before we were born again by the Spirit of God, before we ever received the mighty baptism of the Holy Ghost ; God was unknown to us? Paul did not just go to Athens to escape persecution, he knew it would follow him anywhere he went and preached Christ, especially the resurrection of the dead. Acts 17:23 “Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim unto you.” Is it possible to worship a God you don]t know? Or was Paul being a bit facetious here and using this inscription as an opening to proclaim the Gospel? Let’s investigate this passage further in Acts 17. beginning with verse 24 “
Acts 17:24-32 (King James Version)
24God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;
25Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;
26And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;
27That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:
28For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.
29Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device.
30And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:
31Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.
32And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked: and others said, We will hear thee again of this matter”
Page4 /Whenever Paul preached or mentioned the resurrection he found himself being persecuted. To the Corinthians he says in 1 Cor. 1:17-31, the end of the chapter from the King James Version, here it is
“1 Corinthians 1:17-31 (King James Version)
17For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.
18For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
19For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.
20Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?
21For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.
22For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:
23But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness;
24But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.
25Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
26For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:
27But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; Page5 / 28And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:
29That no flesh should glory in his presence.
30But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:
31That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.
So the answer to my question is Paul being facetious or is he using this inscription TO THE UNKNOWN GOD, HE USES IT as an opportunity to once again preach the Gospel of God
Will’s wharf
Read this chapter before proceeding.
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There is something we can do by God’s help and unmerited grace, His favor and that is to follow the life of the Apostle Paul and his admonishment to walk so as to please God and gratify Him .Will’s Wharf taught me a lot of life’s lessons Growing up on an island that was separated somewhat from the mainland; well life was perhaps more sheltered than most people knew about. But Will’s Wharf was a special; place, sort of a gathering place for the neighbourhood. It was only a few yards from the house we lived in, the house I was born in and when I look back and reflect, our world was pretty small really.
The neighbourhood that I speak of consisted primarily of three houses in which there were a total population of 8 adults and 6 of us kids. Three generations. Now if you walked a short way, you would find a few more houses and people.
Will was our neighbor and a cousin of our dad, an excellent man with an excellent spirit. And as children we would visit his wharf and “borrow “ a dory or dinghy and go for a row out on the harbour. I thought it was like heaven to me, it was where dad taught me to properly tie up a dory compensating for the Bay of Fundy tides. The wharf only went out from the land maybe forty feet or so and the dory’s would ground out on the beach at low or even half tide, so if you were going to borrow one, you needed to pay attention to the time and tide. So you could get it back where it belonged.
As I said, it seemed like heaven to me, but the Bible says that “eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither has it entered the heart of man the things that God
Has prepared for those that love Him.
This 4th. Chapter of 1 Thessalonians speaks about preparation, preparation for the coming of the Lord. We read in verse 17 “thus shall we ever be with the Lord. I only spent a few short years living near Will’s wharf and if you were to go to Campobello Island today to Thurber’s point near the nubble , you could search there for a long long time but you would not find Will’s wharf. It is gone! It was man made and it was only temporary. Heaven is a place of permanence.
Hebrews 11:13-16 says,13/ “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
14/ For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland.
15/ And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16/ But now they desire a better, that is a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.” This is our hope tonight, it is our heavenly hope! Jesus said that He was going to prepare a place for us, that where He is we would be there also. And the apostle Paul back here in 1 Thess. 4 is not only proclaiming that Christ is coming but he is telling them how to prepare for His coming, and he alludes to the order of that great event….the dead in Christ, those who died as a born again Christian, knowing and living for Jesus before they died, will rise first, then those who are still living at the time of His return a page2 /Godly life, forgiven of their sins, just like the other crowd who precedes them, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air .And thus we shall always be with the Lord. “ “Therefore comfort one another with these words.” In this Bible study group we read a lot of scripture. I do not apologize for doing so. It was said of Smith Wigglesworth that he too read the scriptures many times instead of sermonizing. Not that I am any Smith Wigglesworth….he was a plumber….I am an electrician.
What a comfort to know your name is written in heaven in the Lamb’s book of life.
If I weren’t sure of that tonight then I would make sure before I go to bed tonight.
There is a song that says “if I were you, I’D GIVE Jesus my heart, If I were you, I’d make a new start, I’d do it today, I wouldn’t delay if I were you…..I’d give Jesus my heart.” This is too important for us to take lightly. And I’m sure when the apostle was concerned for their faith, this is what he had in mind. It should be the most important thing on our minds as well. As we go on in this chapter and then to chapter five and to the second epistle we shall see how he increases his exhortation concerning the coming of the Lord. I said before that if the Apostle thought the Lord was coming soon , even in his day, how much closer is His appearing today? So important an event as the rapture is, requires our utmost and undivided attention, don’t you think? In fact Paul says “we urge you and exhort in the Lord Jesus , that you abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and please God.” This is what these letters are about , how we are to walk and please God. I think since I started or decided to study this particular subject, that the devil has attacked me in my mind more perhaps than any time before and has said to me “do you really believe this? Look around , give your head a shake man…has anything really changed? Or is it all imagination? And that is when I remind him of His unsuccessful attempt to sway Jesus over to his thinking. What did Jesus say and do? He used the scripture to quench the devil’s fire didn’t He? When feelings fail, when doubts arise ….go to this written Word, remember this church Paul is writing to and he reminded them that when they received the Word that he was preaching to them, they did not receive it as the word of men but in truth they accepted it as the Truith, the Word of God .Verse 2 of this the 4th. Chapter of 1Thessalonians sets the tone of Paul’s letter: “for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus..”
This is not salvation by works that he is advocating but it is rather working out our salvation, it is faith by works and it is preparing for the coming of the Lord So Paul urges these Thessalonian Christians as well as you and me to abound more and more in our walk with God that we would please Him in all things….That we walk in all holiness, sanctified, set apart. Can the world tell if you are a Christian? Can they see a difference in us, a lifestyle that is what a good example should be? From the Amplified version , verse 3 reads “For this is the will of God, that you should be consecrated (separated and set apart for pure and holy living:) : that you should abstain and shrink from all sexual vice , That each one of you should know how to possess (control, manage)his own body in consecration (purity, separated from things profane) and honor,
Page three./ 5 Not to be used in the ;passion of lust like the heathen, who are ignorant of the true God and have no knowledge of His will.”
Remember when Paul was in Athens? He saw tan altar with an inscription…
TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. And isn’t that true with everyone of us before we were born again by the Spirit of God, before we ever received the mighty baptism of the Holy Ghost ; God was unknown to us? Paul did not just go to Athens to escape persecution, he knew it would follow him anywhere he went and preached Christ, especially the resurrection of the dead. Acts 17:23 “Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim unto you.” Is it possible to worship a God you don]t know? Or was Paul being a bit facetious here and using this inscription as an opening to proclaim the Gospel? Let’s investigate this passage further in Acts 17. beginning with verse 24 “
Acts 17:24-32 (King James Version)
24God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;
25Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;
26And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;
27That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:
28For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.
29Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device.
30And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:
31Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.
32And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked: and others said, We will hear thee again of this matter”
Page4 /Whenever Paul preached or mentioned the resurrection he found himself being persecuted. To the Corinthians he says in 1 Cor. 1:17-31, the end of the chapter from the King James Version, here it is
“1 Corinthians 1:17-31 (King James Version)
17For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.
18For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
19For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.
20Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?
21For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.
22For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:
23But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness;
24But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.
25Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
26For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:
27But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; Page5 / 28And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:
29That no flesh should glory in his presence.
30But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:
31That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.
So the answer to my question is Paul being facetious or is he using this inscription TO THE UNKNOWN GOD, HE USES IT as an opportunity to once again preach the Gospel of God
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Lesson 7 in 1 Thess. ch. 3:13-concern leads to prayer
IN CHAPTER 3: Paul says in verse 7, "therefore, brethren, in all our affliction and distress, we were comforted concerning you by your faith." (read verses 8-10) The Amplified Bible says, " for now we really live, if you stand firm in the Lord."One might say, "man this is really living." It's what living is all about. For the apostle to see, through the testimony of Timothy that these dear people were really growing stronger even in the face of such terrible persecution that not only Paul contended with, but they themselves faced, was a great source of joy to him. It appears that persecution makes strong Christians stronger.n Verse 9, "For what thanks can we render to God for you, for all the joy with which we rejoice for your sake before our God."
What a joy and privilege to pray for another person and see God answer that prayer. We get so worked up over the world taking Christ out of Christmas and because the store clerk says "happy holidays" rather than "merry Christmas" So what? They have done it for years, it doesn't change a thing. Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners, that is the message that the world needs to hear, not how many shopping days to Christmas and you haven't maxed your Visa yet. If Christmas was never observed as we know it in our day, it wouldn't change a thing except the bottom line for these giant stores and the exorbitant salaries the CEO gets on the backs of minimum wage employees...the world needs Jesus. Not new toys and Santa Claws. Let's take a look at the prayer that the great Apostle prays for the church.11"Now God himself and our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way unto you.
12And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you:
13To the end he may establish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints." This is the main point that I want to emphasize in this lesson..."so that He may establish your hearts unblameable in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." note these next four words..."with all His saints."
What a joy and privilege to pray for another person and see God answer that prayer. We get so worked up over the world taking Christ out of Christmas and because the store clerk says "happy holidays" rather than "merry Christmas" So what? They have done it for years, it doesn't change a thing. Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners, that is the message that the world needs to hear, not how many shopping days to Christmas and you haven't maxed your Visa yet. If Christmas was never observed as we know it in our day, it wouldn't change a thing except the bottom line for these giant stores and the exorbitant salaries the CEO gets on the backs of minimum wage employees...the world needs Jesus. Not new toys and Santa Claws. Let's take a look at the prayer that the great Apostle prays for the church.11"Now God himself and our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way unto you.
12And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you:
13To the end he may establish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints." This is the main point that I want to emphasize in this lesson..."so that He may establish your hearts unblameable in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." note these next four words..."with all His saints."
Friday, February 4, 2011
Living the life, lesson #6 in 1 Thess. chapter 3. I will be giving portions of our Tuesday night studies in this blog as a complete lesson woukl take too much space, so I will divide each lesson in two or three parts, depending on size and space availability. Read chapter 3. Do you need comfort today? Find another person like minded and read these words to each other...comfort one another with these words. " For now we live, if you stand fast in the Lord. For what thanks can we render to God for you for all the joy with which we rejoice for your sake before our God,
night and day praying exceedingly that we may see your face and perfect what is lacking in your faith?" These words from 1 Thess 3:8-10. It should always cause us to rejoice whenever we hear about missionary projects like the one Naida has joined with, Medical Missions Int. We need to be just as concerned for their ministry as we are for ministry that is backed by our own assembly or our own particular denomination. May God continue to use this organization and give them souls as they minister to those in the third world and other places where the Gospel is not heard or seldom heard. As they minister to the needs of the physical, may it open doors to minister to the spiritual man as well. God bless them today.
night and day praying exceedingly that we may see your face and perfect what is lacking in your faith?" These words from 1 Thess 3:8-10. It should always cause us to rejoice whenever we hear about missionary projects like the one Naida has joined with, Medical Missions Int. We need to be just as concerned for their ministry as we are for ministry that is backed by our own assembly or our own particular denomination. May God continue to use this organization and give them souls as they minister to those in the third world and other places where the Gospel is not heard or seldom heard. As they minister to the needs of the physical, may it open doors to minister to the spiritual man as well. God bless them today.
Friday, January 28, 2011
lesson 5 in 1 Thess. ch.3:1-5 keep the faith
As we see in reading these two verses (1,2) here in ch. 3, Paul was not concerned about his own state of affairs, rather his concern was for their faith. In fact he was so concerned that he sent Timothy to establish and encourage them in their faith. Look at what he says in the first five verses of this third chapter: Therefore, when we could no longer endure it, we thought it good to be left in Athens alone, And sent Timothy, our brother and minister of God, and our fellow labourer in the gospel of Christ, to establish you and encourage you concerning your faith, that no one should be shaken by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we are appointed to this. For in fact we told you before when we were with you that we would suffer tribulation, just as it happened, and you know. For this reason when I could no longer endure it I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the tempter had tempted you and our labour might be in vain."
But Paul is encouraged by the good report brought to him by Timothy. Read 4:8 from the epistle to the Philippians. IT says if there be ...a good report. Timothy brought a good report....look at verse 6 here in 1st. Thess. ch. 3:"But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and brought us good news of your faith and love, and that you always have good remembrance of us, greatly desiring to see us, as we also you" (look at the end result) "therefore, brethren, in all our affliction and distress we were comforted concerning you by your faith." Paul says "we were comforted". A good report brings comfort. It should cause us to rejoice when we hear of others who are faithful in their walk with the Lord, whether it is an individual or another church or a ministry. When we submit a request for prayer for an individual or a congregation that we are not especially familiar with, we should still have that same compassion and take them on our hearts and call upon the Lord on their behalf.Read chapter 3.down to and including verse 10
But Paul is encouraged by the good report brought to him by Timothy. Read 4:8 from the epistle to the Philippians. IT says if there be ...a good report. Timothy brought a good report....look at verse 6 here in 1st. Thess. ch. 3:"But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and brought us good news of your faith and love, and that you always have good remembrance of us, greatly desiring to see us, as we also you" (look at the end result) "therefore, brethren, in all our affliction and distress we were comforted concerning you by your faith." Paul says "we were comforted". A good report brings comfort. It should cause us to rejoice when we hear of others who are faithful in their walk with the Lord, whether it is an individual or another church or a ministry. When we submit a request for prayer for an individual or a congregation that we are not especially familiar with, we should still have that same compassion and take them on our hearts and call upon the Lord on their behalf.Read chapter 3.down to and including verse 10
Thursday, January 27, 2011
lesson 4, 1st. Thess.Established in holiness
1st. Thessalonians 3:1-13. Read these 1st. verses 1-13. Chapter 3 talks about Paul's concern for the church at Thessalonica...he is concerned that they may become discouraged and lose heart because of the tremendous persecution that he faced and because they were separated from the apostle. They longed to see him just as much as he longed to be there with them. Paul had suffered much from the Jews at Phillipi and it seemed that the persecution had followed him to Thessalonica and continued to harass them there. See verse 2 of chapter 2 in this first epistle. In fact let's go back in our Bibles to the book of Acts, chapter 16 and also Acts 17, verses 1-10. Better still read the entire account and understand that this is the persecution he alludes to in his epistle to the Thessalonian church. Whether persecution is a direct personal attack or our faith as a whole, our belief systems in general, it is still persecution. Whether it is the media trying to bring reproach by ridiculing Christians or some so-called comedian it is still persecution.And Paul wrote to Timothy and said to that young preacher"all who live Godly in
Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.Peter about this suffering for Jesus in 1 Peter 4:12-14. James also speaks about the various trials in ch. 1 verses 2-4....count it all joy. Paul lets us know that persecution is the norm for a Christian . Paul let them know that they as well as us today can
expect persecution. See verses 1-5 of chapter 3. But he was concerned about their faith and if they had lost heart, verse 5. We should be thankful tonight for those who come across our pathway those who pastor us and teach us and become mentors Read Ephesians 4:11-13.
In this passage in Eph. we see why He gave us apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers...it was for the perfecting of the saints for the work of ministry...that was number 1.
In one place he describes himself as a nursing mother cherishes her children...verse 7 in chapter 3 and back in chapter2, he is a father charging his children. And that charge was and still is to walk worthy of our calling. It is to walk... walk worthy of God.
The next entry will be Paul's concern for their faith.
Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.Peter about this suffering for Jesus in 1 Peter 4:12-14. James also speaks about the various trials in ch. 1 verses 2-4....count it all joy. Paul lets us know that persecution is the norm for a Christian . Paul let them know that they as well as us today can
expect persecution. See verses 1-5 of chapter 3. But he was concerned about their faith and if they had lost heart, verse 5. We should be thankful tonight for those who come across our pathway those who pastor us and teach us and become mentors Read Ephesians 4:11-13.
In this passage in Eph. we see why He gave us apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers...it was for the perfecting of the saints for the work of ministry...that was number 1.
In one place he describes himself as a nursing mother cherishes her children...verse 7 in chapter 3 and back in chapter2, he is a father charging his children. And that charge was and still is to walk worthy of our calling. It is to walk... walk worthy of God.
The next entry will be Paul's concern for their faith.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
1 Thessalonians ch. 2 verses 8-20 Lesson 3:starts here
Last time we met we referred to this part here in verse #8 where the apostle said, “ we were well pleased not only to impart to you the Gospel of God, but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us.”(read verses 8-20) 1 Thessalonians 2:8-20 (New King James Version)
8 So, affectionately longing for you, we were well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God, but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us. 9 For you remember, brethren, our labor and toil; for laboring night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, we preached to you the gospel of God. 10 You are witnesses, and God also, how devoutly and justly and blamelessly we behaved ourselves among you who believe; 11 as you know how we exhorted, and comforted, and charged[a] every one of you, as a father does his own children, 12 that you would walk worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.
13 For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe. 14 For you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God which are in Judea in Christ Jesus. For you also suffered the same things from your own countrymen, just as they did from the Judeans, 15 who killed both the Lord Jesus and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they do not please God and are contrary to all men, 16 forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they may be saved, so as always to fill up the measure of their sins; but wrath has come upon them to the uttermost.
17 But we, brethren, having been taken away from you for a short time in presence, not in heart, endeavored more eagerly to see your face with great desire. 18 Therefore we wanted to come to you—even I, Paul, time and again—but Satan hindered us. 19 For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming? 20 For you are our glory and joy.
These apostolic messengers, these gospel preachers were ready and willing to give their own lives for these to whom they were preaching to. They loved them that much. That is the love of God. God will give you and I a love for souls and as we give of ourselves to them and to the preaching of the Word, that love will increase, whether we are doing the preaching or supporting those who do. That is why we support missions. The Gospel of God is none other than what Paul preached, amen? It is the preaching of the cross,” Christ and Him crucified” is it not? That is the same message that works today and it is the only gospel message…..there is only one gospel and Paul said in his letter to the Galatians, believers, chapter 1 verse 8, “even if we , or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.” The Jews in Galatia were being called to another gospel. Paul states emphatically that there is only one gospel, and it is the one he preached, the gospel of God. It is “Christ in you the hope of glory” Col. 1:27 1 Tim. Says, “Jesus Christ, our hope. He is our hope tonight. Our hope of eternal salvation, Amen? Our hope is in Him. It is a hope that purifies. As we hope in Him we want to live for Him. It causes us to examine our hearts. And over the next few weeks I pray that we shall do that as we look further into these epistles. These are two great epistles. The writer of these two letters said in verse 4, “we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel.” Haven’t we tonight been entrusted with this same gospel? As the church of the living God, the bulwark and ground of the truth? The pillar and ground of the Truth? That’s what it says in 1 Tim. 3:15 (read it) The church of God is the pillar and ground of the Truth. This church of the living God.
The message of the gospel is not some way to get rich quick, it is not to send your offerings to some televangelist to give you a formula for success. It is the message of the cross…Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners, amen? That is the Gospel of God! He came to die. And we should die tonight, we should die to the desires of this old sinful nature, which we call dying to the flesh. I need to die everyday, Paul said “I die daily”
Die to the lust of the flesh…you can find all kinds of excuses for the lifestyle you choose, but if it is sin, there is no excuse. We have to die to it. Chad preached it a couple of weeks ago from Col. Ch. 3 and those first 3 or 4 verses go like so: If you then be risen with Christ seek those things which are above where Christ sits on the right hand of God.2/ Set your affections on things above not on things on the earth. 3r/ For ye are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God. Then moving down to verse 5, this same gospel writer, entrusted with the gospel says, “mortify (put to death) your members which are on the earth: and he lists some of these things here; fornication(illicit, illegal) sex, to put it bluntly and I am speaking about sex outside of the marriage bonds, equivalent adultery , you can read the rest there from Col. 3.
In 1 Thessalonians verse 9, chapter 2, again Paul refers to it as “the Gospel of God. ”We refer to it most of the time as the Gospel of Jesus Christ, so the reference to the Gospel of God is right because we know that Jesus is God. It is also referred to as the Word of God and he reminds the church there of the manner and the way they behaved in bringing this glorious gospel to them. He tells them here in verses 10 and 11 that they are witnesses, and God is witness also how devout they were, and they acted justly and blamelessly, in other words their behavior in delivering the gospel was above board and they exhorted and comforted and charged them as a father does his own children and the charge was that they walk worthy of GOD. The God who calls you into His own kingdom and His own glory. Hallelujah!
How important it is if we are going to share the gospel with somebody and as a Christian your very walk and talk is already sharing the gospel with them, that you walk worthy of your calling, of your Christian life. And this is the reason that we thank God without ceasing! Because when you heard the Word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men but as it is in truth, the Word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe. My dear missionary evangelist friend Dr. George Kutty looked me straight in the eye and he said, “brother Randall, I am convinced after40 years of preaching and after many years of study, that all of our human efforts, all our degrees, our personalities, our talents are as nothing.” He said I am convinced that the only way that we can change anything is as we preach the pure Word of God.” The pure unadulterated Word of God. What else is there that is different and speaks to the heart. What else can change a heart and set a life on the right course?
There is a point I want you to see concerning the rapture or the catching away of the church and the fact that it is the first part of the second coming of Christ our Lord. In the first chapter of the first epistle of Thessalonians, the tenth verse, it says, “and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus (notice he takes great pains here to identify that it is Jesus),who delivers us from the wrath to come Then when you look ahead to chapter 3 verse 13 it says, “so that He may establish your hearts before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with His saints.” Now if these folks, like us, are told to wait for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ to come from heaven to deliver us from the wrath which is to come, which we believe is the great tribulation period, and over in verse 13, of chapter three it tells that He is coming “with His saints… something has to take place in between! It is the rapture of the church, amen? And we shall be caught away, caught up into heaven. We see the rapture taking place in the book of the Revelation in chapter four just after Jesus has sent the message to the seven churches. Verse 1 “After this I looked, and behold a door standing open in heaven! As I read these verses in Rev. 4, all of them, I realized that I was diverting some from the text of tonight’s lesson, but I could not help myself… it will be a wonderful day! These apostles were willing to give up their very lives for the Gospel and for the Thessalonians’ And it is all because of that wonderful day that lies just ahead. So pray for your loved ones, pray for all men everywhere. We are talking about the Gospel of God and that is what the Gospel is preached for …to prepare sinners for heaven, isn’t it? To offer God’s plan of salvation to all men and women and young people? And verse 13 declares this to be true,” For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the Word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe. The Word of God will work effectively in those of us who believe it today also. I think the problem in standing upon the truths of God’s Word is that there are so many distractions leading us in to various burdens and we get our eyes off the Bible, or if we read it we have all these preconceived notions and ideas that keep us from prayer and that is an unacceptable thing.
The Bible says to abstain from the very appearance of evil. We are preparing for heaven and we want to see others there that maybe you have influenced there too.
And so it is of utmost importance that we walk worthy of God, who calls us into His own kingdom and glory. Verse 12. And so Paul charges them as a father does his own children. Verse 11. You can tell quite quickly, a person’s upbringing can’t you” Even if they are not serving the Lord you know they have been reared properly, amen” Remember your report card when you were in grade school? There was a place or a line called deportment? And it had several spaces in which to grade your deportment.
I always wondered what it meant but never bothered to look it up. So I did the other day and it is the behavior , the conduct of the individual that is graded. By definition it is the conduct or behavior of a child in school as graded by a teacher. H’mm as graded by a teacher…the Holy Spirit, maybe?
Is He grading our conduct, our behavior? Paul says, “as a father charges his children.”….”that you would walk worthy”….
So Paul says in verse 13, “For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it, not as the word of man, but as it is in truth, the word of God…”in other words they were walking worthy of the calling to serve God. We have that same calling, praise God.
This church is a good example of what a church preparing for the rapture should be. He says here in verse 13 how readily they accepted the Word of God and how effectively it worked in them. Verse 14, If only we could realze how effectively the Word will work in us then maybe we would reach a greater level in our walk of faith. In the 15th. Verse the apostie said you have become imitators of the churches of God. Look at what he says to them about the churches of God. Verse 14. “For you brethren became imitators of the churches of God which are in Judea in Christ Jesus” see here he qualifies them by adding “in Christ Jesus”…For you also suffered the same things from your own countrymen, just as they did from the Judeans”. Who can identify with persecuted and suffering people better than those who have suffered in kind? (read verses 15&16)
Then we catch a glimpse of the apostles heart for these dear people. Read verse 17 through the end of the chapter. We were taken away from you for a short time in presence….in other words we had to leave you for awhile (because of the tremendous persecution) in presence, not in heart…but that separation only made him more eager than ever to see them and to see their faces, he says with great desire….with great desire. Have you ever been separated from a loved one, perhaps your family or your husband or wife…I remember being separated from Judy for three days one time …didn’t think I would be able to stand it, so I quit the job I was on and drove home through a blizzard to be with her. What rejoicing there was that night in my heart when I saw her! And it has never changed! (Ithink she thought I was crazy to quit the job and drive all the way from Brookfield, N.S., just outside of Truro in a blinding snowstorm, through the Wentworth valley and got home sometime in the early morning hours long before daylight. Young and in love.)
“Therefore we wanted to come to you(verse 18) even I, Paul, time and again---- but Satan hindered us.” That’s his business…that’s his job. It is his intention to hinder you and to hinder me in our Christian walk Satan hinders us from seeing what God will do and is doing to discourage our spiritual progress, our walk with God.And the onlyway to combat him is by submitting yourself unto God and that means spending time in this Word, I don’t care who you are, you’ve got to spend time in the Word… it is not a secret in the bible that those who live godly lives will experience persecution and Paul alludes to it here in this chapter 2 verses 14&15
Let’s look at the big reason that Satan hinders the people of God…Paul asks the question in verse 19, “For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing” ? This is the reason for every trial and every bit of persecution that Paul faced and the answer I shall read from the Amplified Bible, “For what is our hope or happiness or our victor’s wealth of exultant triumph when we stand in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming? Is it not you?” And verse 20 “ For you are [indeed] our glory and our joy!” There’s going to be great rejoicing when Jesus comes, not only because we are saved but because of others who are there because someone told them how to be saved. Once again the apostle emphasizes the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and that is the reason for Satan hindering the people of God…he does not want you and me to be ready when Jesus comes. He does not want you to go to heaven. And never let us think we are ready just because we were saved 40 or 50 years ago. How is our standing in God right now? Are we still walking in the light as He is in the Light” Are we pleasing Him? What is the state of our soul? Are you living the way He wants you to live, am I living in His light?
These last two verses 19&20, For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming?
Last time we met we referred to this part here in verse #8 where the apostle said, “ we were well pleased not only to impart to you the Gospel of God, but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us.”(read verses 8-20) 1 Thessalonians 2:8-20 (New King James Version)
8 So, affectionately longing for you, we were well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God, but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us. 9 For you remember, brethren, our labor and toil; for laboring night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, we preached to you the gospel of God. 10 You are witnesses, and God also, how devoutly and justly and blamelessly we behaved ourselves among you who believe; 11 as you know how we exhorted, and comforted, and charged[a] every one of you, as a father does his own children, 12 that you would walk worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.
13 For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe. 14 For you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God which are in Judea in Christ Jesus. For you also suffered the same things from your own countrymen, just as they did from the Judeans, 15 who killed both the Lord Jesus and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they do not please God and are contrary to all men, 16 forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they may be saved, so as always to fill up the measure of their sins; but wrath has come upon them to the uttermost.
17 But we, brethren, having been taken away from you for a short time in presence, not in heart, endeavored more eagerly to see your face with great desire. 18 Therefore we wanted to come to you—even I, Paul, time and again—but Satan hindered us. 19 For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming? 20 For you are our glory and joy.
These apostolic messengers, these gospel preachers were ready and willing to give their own lives for these to whom they were preaching to. They loved them that much. That is the love of God. God will give you and I a love for souls and as we give of ourselves to them and to the preaching of the Word, that love will increase, whether we are doing the preaching or supporting those who do. That is why we support missions. The Gospel of God is none other than what Paul preached, amen? It is the preaching of the cross,” Christ and Him crucified” is it not? That is the same message that works today and it is the only gospel message…..there is only one gospel and Paul said in his letter to the Galatians, believers, chapter 1 verse 8, “even if we , or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.” The Jews in Galatia were being called to another gospel. Paul states emphatically that there is only one gospel, and it is the one he preached, the gospel of God. It is “Christ in you the hope of glory” Col. 1:27 1 Tim. Says, “Jesus Christ, our hope. He is our hope tonight. Our hope of eternal salvation, Amen? Our hope is in Him. It is a hope that purifies. As we hope in Him we want to live for Him. It causes us to examine our hearts. And over the next few weeks I pray that we shall do that as we look further into these epistles. These are two great epistles. The writer of these two letters said in verse 4, “we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel.” Haven’t we tonight been entrusted with this same gospel? As the church of the living God, the bulwark and ground of the truth? The pillar and ground of the Truth? That’s what it says in 1 Tim. 3:15 (read it) The church of God is the pillar and ground of the Truth. This church of the living God.
The message of the gospel is not some way to get rich quick, it is not to send your offerings to some televangelist to give you a formula for success. It is the message of the cross…Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners, amen? That is the Gospel of God! He came to die. And we should die tonight, we should die to the desires of this old sinful nature, which we call dying to the flesh. I need to die everyday, Paul said “I die daily”
Die to the lust of the flesh…you can find all kinds of excuses for the lifestyle you choose, but if it is sin, there is no excuse. We have to die to it. Chad preached it a couple of weeks ago from Col. Ch. 3 and those first 3 or 4 verses go like so: If you then be risen with Christ seek those things which are above where Christ sits on the right hand of God.2/ Set your affections on things above not on things on the earth. 3r/ For ye are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God. Then moving down to verse 5, this same gospel writer, entrusted with the gospel says, “mortify (put to death) your members which are on the earth: and he lists some of these things here; fornication(illicit, illegal) sex, to put it bluntly and I am speaking about sex outside of the marriage bonds, equivalent adultery , you can read the rest there from Col. 3.
In 1 Thessalonians verse 9, chapter 2, again Paul refers to it as “the Gospel of God. ”We refer to it most of the time as the Gospel of Jesus Christ, so the reference to the Gospel of God is right because we know that Jesus is God. It is also referred to as the Word of God and he reminds the church there of the manner and the way they behaved in bringing this glorious gospel to them. He tells them here in verses 10 and 11 that they are witnesses, and God is witness also how devout they were, and they acted justly and blamelessly, in other words their behavior in delivering the gospel was above board and they exhorted and comforted and charged them as a father does his own children and the charge was that they walk worthy of GOD. The God who calls you into His own kingdom and His own glory. Hallelujah!
How important it is if we are going to share the gospel with somebody and as a Christian your very walk and talk is already sharing the gospel with them, that you walk worthy of your calling, of your Christian life. And this is the reason that we thank God without ceasing! Because when you heard the Word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men but as it is in truth, the Word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe. My dear missionary evangelist friend Dr. George Kutty looked me straight in the eye and he said, “brother Randall, I am convinced after40 years of preaching and after many years of study, that all of our human efforts, all our degrees, our personalities, our talents are as nothing.” He said I am convinced that the only way that we can change anything is as we preach the pure Word of God.” The pure unadulterated Word of God. What else is there that is different and speaks to the heart. What else can change a heart and set a life on the right course?
There is a point I want you to see concerning the rapture or the catching away of the church and the fact that it is the first part of the second coming of Christ our Lord. In the first chapter of the first epistle of Thessalonians, the tenth verse, it says, “and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus (notice he takes great pains here to identify that it is Jesus),who delivers us from the wrath to come Then when you look ahead to chapter 3 verse 13 it says, “so that He may establish your hearts before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with His saints.” Now if these folks, like us, are told to wait for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ to come from heaven to deliver us from the wrath which is to come, which we believe is the great tribulation period, and over in verse 13, of chapter three it tells that He is coming “with His saints… something has to take place in between! It is the rapture of the church, amen? And we shall be caught away, caught up into heaven. We see the rapture taking place in the book of the Revelation in chapter four just after Jesus has sent the message to the seven churches. Verse 1 “After this I looked, and behold a door standing open in heaven! As I read these verses in Rev. 4, all of them, I realized that I was diverting some from the text of tonight’s lesson, but I could not help myself… it will be a wonderful day! These apostles were willing to give up their very lives for the Gospel and for the Thessalonians’ And it is all because of that wonderful day that lies just ahead. So pray for your loved ones, pray for all men everywhere. We are talking about the Gospel of God and that is what the Gospel is preached for …to prepare sinners for heaven, isn’t it? To offer God’s plan of salvation to all men and women and young people? And verse 13 declares this to be true,” For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the Word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe. The Word of God will work effectively in those of us who believe it today also. I think the problem in standing upon the truths of God’s Word is that there are so many distractions leading us in to various burdens and we get our eyes off the Bible, or if we read it we have all these preconceived notions and ideas that keep us from prayer and that is an unacceptable thing.
The Bible says to abstain from the very appearance of evil. We are preparing for heaven and we want to see others there that maybe you have influenced there too.
And so it is of utmost importance that we walk worthy of God, who calls us into His own kingdom and glory. Verse 12. And so Paul charges them as a father does his own children. Verse 11. You can tell quite quickly, a person’s upbringing can’t you” Even if they are not serving the Lord you know they have been reared properly, amen” Remember your report card when you were in grade school? There was a place or a line called deportment? And it had several spaces in which to grade your deportment.
I always wondered what it meant but never bothered to look it up. So I did the other day and it is the behavior , the conduct of the individual that is graded. By definition it is the conduct or behavior of a child in school as graded by a teacher. H’mm as graded by a teacher…the Holy Spirit, maybe?
Is He grading our conduct, our behavior? Paul says, “as a father charges his children.”….”that you would walk worthy”….
So Paul says in verse 13, “For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it, not as the word of man, but as it is in truth, the word of God…”in other words they were walking worthy of the calling to serve God. We have that same calling, praise God.
This church is a good example of what a church preparing for the rapture should be. He says here in verse 13 how readily they accepted the Word of God and how effectively it worked in them. Verse 14, If only we could realze how effectively the Word will work in us then maybe we would reach a greater level in our walk of faith. In the 15th. Verse the apostie said you have become imitators of the churches of God. Look at what he says to them about the churches of God. Verse 14. “For you brethren became imitators of the churches of God which are in Judea in Christ Jesus” see here he qualifies them by adding “in Christ Jesus”…For you also suffered the same things from your own countrymen, just as they did from the Judeans”. Who can identify with persecuted and suffering people better than those who have suffered in kind? (read verses 15&16)
Then we catch a glimpse of the apostles heart for these dear people. Read verse 17 through the end of the chapter. We were taken away from you for a short time in presence….in other words we had to leave you for awhile (because of the tremendous persecution) in presence, not in heart…but that separation only made him more eager than ever to see them and to see their faces, he says with great desire….with great desire. Have you ever been separated from a loved one, perhaps your family or your husband or wife…I remember being separated from Judy for three days one time …didn’t think I would be able to stand it, so I quit the job I was on and drove home through a blizzard to be with her. What rejoicing there was that night in my heart when I saw her! And it has never changed! (Ithink she thought I was crazy to quit the job and drive all the way from Brookfield, N.S., just outside of Truro in a blinding snowstorm, through the Wentworth valley and got home sometime in the early morning hours long before daylight. Young and in love.)
“Therefore we wanted to come to you(verse 18) even I, Paul, time and again---- but Satan hindered us.” That’s his business…that’s his job. It is his intention to hinder you and to hinder me in our Christian walk Satan hinders us from seeing what God will do and is doing to discourage our spiritual progress, our walk with God.And the onlyway to combat him is by submitting yourself unto God and that means spending time in this Word, I don’t care who you are, you’ve got to spend time in the Word… it is not a secret in the bible that those who live godly lives will experience persecution and Paul alludes to it here in this chapter 2 verses 14&15
Let’s look at the big reason that Satan hinders the people of God…Paul asks the question in verse 19, “For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing” ? This is the reason for every trial and every bit of persecution that Paul faced and the answer I shall read from the Amplified Bible, “For what is our hope or happiness or our victor’s wealth of exultant triumph when we stand in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming? Is it not you?” And verse 20 “ For you are [indeed] our glory and our joy!” There’s going to be great rejoicing when Jesus comes, not only because we are saved but because of others who are there because someone told them how to be saved. Once again the apostle emphasizes the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and that is the reason for Satan hindering the people of God…he does not want you and me to be ready when Jesus comes. He does not want you to go to heaven. And never let us think we are ready just because we were saved 40 or 50 years ago. How is our standing in God right now? Are we still walking in the light as He is in the Light” Are we pleasing Him? What is the state of our soul? Are you living the way He wants you to live, am I living in His light?
These last two verses 19&20, For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming?
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