Divine Sugar Sticks for October 1999

Matt 28:19, “Go ye therefore and teach all nations baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

Matt 28:20, “Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you, and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.”

“Go ye” ...”I am with you”  - in other words come with me to the work.
God only had one Son and He sent Him on a foreign mission.

Mark 1:22, “And they were astonished at His doctrine for He taught them as one that had authority and not as the scribes.”

There is an awful possibility of being, "astonished" without being convicted, persuaded and saved.
Today is the day of salvation.

Mark 2:1, “And again He entered into Capernaum after some days and it was noised that He was in the house.”

If Christ is in your house, your neighbors will soon know it.

Matt 8:36, “For what shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul?”

He who sins for profit shall never profit by his sins.

Our prayers are always addressed to God the Father.

When Jesus Christ prayed, He always addressed His prayers to the Father.

When He and the Father were alone in prayer, He addressed Him as “Father” or “O Father.”
When He was interceding on behalf of the believers in Jesus Christ, He addressed Him as “Holy Father.”
When He was praying on behalf of the world, He addressed Him as “Righteous Father.”

There is only one time in Scripture where it is mentioned that Jesus Christ said “I will” and that is found in John 17, the Lord's prayer. But in this incident He didn’t say “I pray,” but “I will.”

Do you know what His will is?

John 17:24, “Father, I will that they also whom Thou hast given Me be with Me where I am that they may behold My glory which Thou hast given Me, for Thou lovest Me before the foundation of the world.”
“I will that they may be with Me where I am.”

And this is only something that He has already promised us.

John 14:3, “And I go and prepare a place for you. I will come again and receive you unto Myself, that where I am there ye may be also.”

Have you ever felt out of place where there is a place for you, and the table is set? Come and dine.

Heb 9:24: Three appearances of Jesus Christ.

Present: now to appear in the presence of God for us
Past: He hath appeared to put away sin.
Future: unto them that look for Him, He shall appear the second time.

Psalm 30:5, “For His anger endureth for a moment, in his favour is life.”

Literally it reads this way: “His favor, or Grace, is for a lifetime.”

Psalm 34:8, “O taste and see that the Lord is Good. Blessed is the man that trusteth in Him.”

We must taste of the Grace of God here or we will never taste of His glory hereafter.
We go from Grace to glory.

Psa 40:7, “Then said I, lo, I come, in the volume of the Book it is written of Me.”

What book?  What person?
There is only one Book, the Bible. And there is only one Person, the Lord Jesus Christ.
This is a Christmas message – the birth of Christ.

Heb 10:5, “Wherefore when He cometh into the world.”
Heb 10:7, “Then said, I, lo, I come. In the volume of the Book it is written of Me, to do Thy will, O God.”

Merry Christmas!

Psa 58:2, “Yea in mind ye work wickedness, ye weigh the violence of your hands in the Earth.”

Outward acts are more scandalous among men, but mental attitude sins are more dangerous before the Lord.

“As a man thinketh in his mind so is he.”

The permanence of God's Word

Isa 40:8, “The grass withereth, the flower fadeth, but the Word of our God shall stand forever.”
Mark 13:31, “Heaven and Earth shall pass away but My Words shall never pass away.”

1 Pet 1:25, “But the Word of the Lord endureth forever and this is the Word which by the Gospel is preached unto you.”

Psa 119:89, “For ever O Lord, Thy Word is settled in Heaven.”

Psa 138:2, “I will worship toward Thy holy temple and praise Thy Name for Thy lovingkindness and for Thy Truth. For Thou hast magnified Thy Word above all Thy Name.”

The mercy of God is Grace in action!

Psalm 89:1, “I will sing of the mercies of God.”
Psalm 89:2, “Mercy shall be built up for ever.”
Psalm 89:14, “Mercy shall go before My face.”
Psalm 89:24, “My mercy shall be with him.”
Psalm 89:28, “My mercy will I keep with him for evermore.”

I guess the title of Psalm 89 is the mercy of God. Again the Bible explains the Bible.

Psa 119:67, “Before I was afflicted I went astray; but now have I kept Thy Word.”

Psa 119:71, “It is good for me that I have been afflicted that I might learn Thy statutes.”

2 Sam 11:8, “And David said to Uriah, Go down to thy house and wash thy feet and Uriah departed out of the king's house and there followed him a mess of meat from the king.”

Do you stumble at the lives of some of these Bible characters?

The Bible tells us how salvation comes to the sinner, not to the righteous.

2 Sam 12:14, “Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee, shall surely die.”

Be careful of who you go out to lunch with!

Prov 15:17, “Better is a dinner or herb, where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewithal.”

Herbs would be like some vegetables you don’t enjoy, and a stalled ox would be a juicy steak.

A platform for politicians

Prov 15:27, “He that is greedy of gain troubleth his own house but he that hateth gifts shall live.”
It seems like it would be wise for a woman not to marry a politician.

John 1:46, "And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip said unto him "come and see."

We cannot do better than to say what Jesus Christ said, it is always safe to use over again the words which the Lord has blessed. Notice …
John 1:39, “He saith unto them "come and see.”

At the beginning and at the ending of Christ's ministry there was a feast and wine was served.
Turning the water into wine showed the character of Christ's ministry, joy to the world the Lord has come.

John 2:3, "And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto Him, They have no wine."

It is good to run short that we may be driven to Christ with our necessities.

John 2:9, "Then the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was, but the servants which drew the water knew."

God's servants are always led into His secrets.

Ye must be born again, literally "from above."
His birth is truly low who is not born from above! It would be better to have no being than not to have the "new being."

In creation God gave the production of the Earth for our bodies. In redemption God gave His only begotten Son for our soul, the real you!

Every time you take a drink, water, coffee, tea, etc., we are reminded of this verse:

John 4:13, "Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again."

Each time we take another drink, this becomes true again, a gospel according to drinking.
So therefore "But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst."

Drinking and needing to drink again and again is the Gospel invitation, "I thirst."

We have been told from childhood to "put first things first." Most do not know that that is Divine Viewpoint.

Paul says in speaking of the Gospel, "I declare unto you first of all, that Christ died and rose again according to the Scriptures."
Now that is a first.

Peter said, "Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days, scoffers walking after their own lusts and saying where the promise of His coming," 2 Pet 3:3-4.
These are first in importance.

Christ Himself used the word, "first" twice, and in both of these incidents it is to be the first thing in order of time.

When one brings his gift to the altar and remembers that his brother has something against him, he is to leave his gift, and "first" to be reconciled his brother, Matt 5:23-24.

When the things of life are to be contemplated they are to be subordinated to the kingdom of God.
"Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and all these other things will be added unto you," Matt 6:33.

Put first things first. I declared unto you first of all that Christ died and rose again according to the Scriptures.

Gen 32:24, "And Jacob was left alone … And there wrestled a Man with him until the breaking of the day."

That is the way in which the Lord deals with us – alone – and we come to Him one at a time. We each have to make a decision for ourselves.

John 4:42, "And said unto the woman now we believe, not because of thy saying, for we have heard Him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, The Saviour of the world."

Old Testament Transfiguration

Under the law:

Exodus 24:1-2. "And he said unto Moses, Come up unto the Lord, thou and Aaron and Nadab and Abihu and seventy elders of Israel. And worship ye afar off. And Moses alone shall come near the Lord but they shall not come nigh."

Under Grace:

Heb 4:16, "Come boldly"
Heb 10:22, "Let draw near."

Exodus 38:8, "And he made the laver of brass and the foot of it brass of the looking glasses of the women assembling which assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation."

The laver of brass not only furnished water for the priests to wash in, but its shining, polished surface revealed any spots or pollution in them. The laver made of mirrors:

In which we see ourselves, James 1:23-24
In which we see the Lord, 1 Cor 13:12
Believers are mirrors to reflect His image, 2 Cor 3:18

When they looked into the mirror of the Word, they saw their sins, and cleansed them in the laver   for service. 1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Clean to serve.

If Christ is not risen, look at this pyramid!

Do you believe in the bodily resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ?

Psa 23:4, "Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me. For Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me."

You may talk about the Lord Jesus Christ, but as soon as you get into the valley, you will "talk to Him."

Psa 23:5, "My cup runneth over"

Why does the Lord make your cup run over?
So that others may get a taste of Grace.

The law of triplication in Scripture

The Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

In John 17 Jesus Christ calls God, Father, Holy Father, Righteous Father.

Three words for sin: Sin, iniquity, transgression

Micah 6:8, "What doth the Lord require of thee? Do justly, love mercy and walk humbly before thy God."

Three in one and one in three and the One in the middle died for me.

Every little Word of Scripture is inspired and is important.

Psa 110:1, "The Lord said unto my Lord, sit Thou at My right hand until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool."
"Until" that has lasted almost 2000 years. Buy He has been quite ready all the time.

1 Pet 4:5, "Who shall give account to Him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead."

Prov 13:24, "He that spareth his rod, hateth his son, But he that loveth him, chasteneth him betimes."

Better the child cry than the father sigh.

2 Sam 19:2, "And the victory that day was turned into mourning unto all the people for the people heard say that day how the king was grieved for his son."

Many can mourn over a body from which the soul has departed when they do not sorrow over a soul whom God has deserted.

2 Kings 11:11, "And it came to pass as they still went on and talked that behold there appeared a chariot of fire and horses of fire,  and parted them both asunder, and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into Heaven."

There have been three dispensations. Had each a representative who went directly to Heaven. Enoch, Elijah, and Christ.

Today we look upon on an ascended Christ.

There are many ways in which you can see the instability of our nation as we face the year 2000. But there is a very unique way in which you can see the instability very clearly. And the issue is when it comes to capital punishment. Capital punishment is a Biblical principle.

The Roman means of execution was crucifixion. The Jewish mode was stoning. Stephen was stoned, and Jesus Christ was crucified.

So when prophecy says that Jesus Christ will be crucified, which is not the normal style of execution with the Jews, that is a direct fulfillment of prophecy.

The cross that you see people wearing around their necks and in other places is a symbol of Roman capital punishment, the cross. Maybe the Jews ought to put a stone around their neck, a mill-stone.

Our country's instability has changed many times when it comes to capital punishment. Hanging, electric chair, firing squad, lethal Injection and now they want to do away with it all together.

The USA: the Unstable States of America. But that is also a misnomer. We are no longer sovereign states. We have lost states rights and even have lost the sovereignty of our nation, "the United Notions." And you can go back and blame that on Woodrow Wilson, i.e., the League of
Nations — change the name but the poison is the same.

P.S. The next time you see a person wearing a cross tell them this: I didn't know you were for capital punishment!

Sin is not the issue. Christ is the issue. Christ paid for the sins of the world in full so sin is not the issue. The Son is the issue.

Here is what the Lord did with sin:

Covered it – Rom 4:7
Blotted it out – Isa 43:25, Col 2:14
Removed it – Psa 123:12
Hides it – Jer 50:20
Casts it away – Micah 7:19, Isa 38:1
Cleanses it – Isa 1:18, Psa 51:7
Does not impute it – Rom 4:8
Forgives it – Psa 103:3, Col 1:14, 1 John 1:9

Sin is past, the Son is present. Let's get up to date.

THE LORD JESUS CHRIST DECLARES THE FATHER
"No man has seen God at any time, the only begotten Son, He hath revealed Him."

THE SCRIPTURES DECLARE CHRIST.
"Search the Scriptures for in them they speak of Me."

GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT DECLARES THE TRUTH
"The Holy Spirit will guide you unto all Truth."

If you are living the Christian way of life, the Holy Spirit will focus your attention on the Scriptures and the Scriptures will focus your attention on Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ will focus your attention on God the Father.

1 Sam 5:4, "And when they arose early on the morrow morning behold Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the Lord and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off upon the threshold and only the stump of Dagon was left to him."

There is a tradition that when Christ was brought into Egypt, all the idols fell. The same thing happens when Jesus Christ enters the soul.

1 Sam 10:6, "And the Spirit of the Lord will come upon thee and thou shalt prophesy with them and shall be turned into another man."
Another man.

1 Sam 10:9, "And it was so, that when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave him another heart and all those signs came to pass that day."
Another heart.
Another man, another heart.

1 Sam 12:24-25, "Only fear the Lord and serve Him in Truth with all your heart, for consider how great things He hath done for you. But if ye shall still do wickedly, ye shall be consumed both ye and your king."

How to serve the Lord.
The way to serve the Lord.
The results of serving the Lord.

1 Sam 15:22, "And Samuel said, 'Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.'"

Sacrifice without obedience is sacrilege.

1 Sam 15:24, "And Saul said unto Samuel I have sinned for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord and thy words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice."

Saul feared the people and became cowardly and disobedient. A man who fears the Lord need have no other fear.

1 Sam 15:30, "Then he said I have sinned."

Saul said, "I have sinned." David said, "I have sinned against the Lord." 2 Sam 12:13, All sin is against the Lord.

1 Sam 16:1, "And the Lord said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill thine horn with oil and go where I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite for I have provided me a king among his sons."

I have rejected. I have provided.
The Lord never lacks a man for His work.
Jehovah Jireh, the Lord sees and provides.

Exodus 26:14, "And thou shalt make a covering for the tent of ram's skins, dyed red, and a covering above of badgers skins."

The ram's skin would always remind them of the ram that was caught in the thicket… "The Lord shall supply Himself a ram."

Exodus 29:39, "The one lamb thou shalt offer in the morning and the other lamb that shalt offer at even."

This custom was kept up for 1500 years. "Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world."

Exodus 30:15, "The rich shall not give more and the poor shall not give less than a half shekel when they give an offering unto the Lord to make an atonement for your souls."

One ransom price for all. So there is one Christ for all. Within reach of both rich and poor, who are on the same level as far as redemption is concerned.

"There is salvation in no other, there is no other Name under Heaven given to men whereby we must be saved."

Exodus 32:1, When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together with Aaron and said unto him, "Up make us gods, which shall go before us for as for this Moses the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt we wot not what is become of him."

When Moses was gone, Aaron failed: "Up make us gods," manufactured gods.
The graving tool of unbelief. A prophecy of when Christ went up, the disciples also failed and became apostate.

Exodus 32:33, "And the Lord said unto Moses. whosoever hath sinned against Me, him will I blot out of My book."

Under the law, God speaks of blotting out the sinner. Under Grace, He is seen blotting out the sin.

Lev 11:3, "Whatsoever parteth the hoof, and is clovenfooted and cheweth the cud among the beasts, that shalt ye eat."

Parting the hoof: the outward walk.
Chewing the cud: the inward life.

Matt 15:22, "And behold a woman of Canan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto Him saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, Thou Son of David. My daughter is grievously vexed with a demon."

The woman's faith overcame.

His silence, V 23, He answered her not a word.
His sovereignty, V 24, "I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel."
And severity, V 26, "It is not meet to take the children's bread and to cast it to dogs"
V 27, "And she said truth, Lord, yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters table."
V 28, "Then Jesus answered and said unto her, Woman great is thy faith. Be it unto thee even as thou wilt, and her daughter was made whole from that very hour."

Christianity is the greatest relationship in the world. It is even greater and more intimate that the relationship we have with our wives and husbands and children and parents. Christ said, "He that loveth father and mother sister and brother more than Me is not worthy of Me." We receive this relationship at the point in which we received Christ as our Personal Saviour and it is all of Grace. The Christian way of life
is similar it also is a Grace concept, and we receive the Spirit-filled life in the same manner. "As ye have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him."

We can control our own spirituality by simply exercising the principle found in 1 John 1:9,  "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." So each moment we can have the power of God the Holy Spirit working through us. He is called the Spirit of Grace.  And when we are in fellowship with Christ, we produce the character of Christ, which is LOVE.

How is love manifested in the Christian's life?

Love is patient, suffereth long
Love is kindness and is kind
Love is generous, love envieth not
Love is humility, love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up
Love is courteous, doth not behave itself unseemly
Love is not selfish, seeketh not its own
Love has a good temper, not easily provoked.
Love is genuine, rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth.
1 Cor 13:4-6

There are seven things that are unprofitable without love:

Speaking in tongues, the gift of prophecy, understanding all mysteries, understanding all knowledge, all faith, bestowing all our gifts to feed the poor, and martyrdom.
1 Cor 13:13

If someone asked you this question what would you say? I was asked this question years ago and at that time I failed. But you will probably get it right.

If God said to you "Why should I let you into My Heaven?" what would you say?

Here are some typical answers:

Church membership, not missing a prayer meeting, giving ten percent of your income after taxes, being baptized, living a good clean life, by your good works, living by the 10 Commandments, speaking in tongues, reading your Bible every day, visiting the sick, spending a great deal of time in prayer, lifting up holy hands.

Well, none of them will do it! There is only one qualification for Heaven.

"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved."

Matt 15:28, "Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman great if thy faith be it unto thee even as thou wilt."
Christ capitulates to a conquering faith. He surrenders at discretion, to a soul that vanquishes by believing.

A comforting word
A commending word
A commanded word
A creating word
A complying word
A completing word

Matt 16:13, "When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea, Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying
Whom do men say that I, the son of man am?"

It makes a great deal of difference what you think about the Lord Jesus Christ.

Matt 16:15, "He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?"
It makes less difference to a man what others think of Jesus Christ than what he thinks.

"As a man thinketh in his mind, so is he."

Matt 16:16, "And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God."
A great confession.

Matt 16:23, "But He turned and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan. Thou art an offence unto me, for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men."
A great collapse. Now, is that any way for a pope to act?

Matt 17:5, "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. Hear ye Him."

God the Father here quotes three Old Testament passages:
This is my beloved Son: Psa 2:7
In whom I am well pleased: Isa 42:1
Hear ye Him: Deut 18:15

This was the last time God the Father spoke to men. And he who refuses to hear the voice of Jesus Christ will never see the Father.

Mark 6:20, Herod feared John. And did many things.
If Herod had feared the Lord, he would have done everything.

Mark 10:45, "For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto but to minister and to give His life a ransom for many."

Christ gave Himself for the Church: Eph 5:25
Christ gave Himself for me: Gal 2:20

Christ was foretold:

To Adam as man: Gen 3:15
To Abraham as to His nation: Gen 22:18
To Jacob as to His tribe: Gen 49:10
To Isaiah as to His family: Isa 11:1-5
To Micah as to His town: Micah 5:2
To Daniel as to His time: Dan 9:25
To Mary as to His Person: Luke 1:35
By angels as to His date: Luke 2:11
By a star as to His birthplace: Matt 2:9

You can't miss Him if you are looking!

Luke 1:33, "And He shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of His Kingdom there shall be no end."

Napoleon established a kingdom by force, and it melted away.
Christ established a kingdom by love, and it keeps on spreading.

Luke 1:53, "He hath filled the hungry with good things and the rich He hath sent empty away."

Christ sends none empty away but those who are full of themselves. Are we full of it?

Luke 2:1, "And it came to pass in those days that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed."

When the time came for the prophecy regarding Christ's birth to be fulfilled, God put the whole world in action to bring Mary to Bethlehem.

I wonder if April 15, 2000 A.D. will bring us to Christ?

Luke 2:9, "And Lo the angel of the Lord came upon them and the glory of the Lord shone round about them and they were sore afraid."

When Christ was born, midnight gloom lightened into mid-day brightness.
When Christ died, mid-day darkened into midnight. Luke 23:44

If I asked you to list what you thought was the worst of all sins, I would probably get a list all the way from dancing to drinking to playing baseball on Sunday.

But the worst of all sins is …
"The Holy Spirit will convict you of sin, unbelief in Me." The worst sin in the world is the mental attitude sin of rejecting Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour.

Now, I have sinned, but I have not committed that one.

We are all familiar by now with the religion in India and the principle of the "sacred cow." I have mentioned before that religion is the worst thing in the world and that religion kills.

We get this report for our Agent in Indianapolis from the AP News, Thursday, Oct. 21, 1999

A herd of 15 elephants descended on a village. They broke into thatched huts with their trunks and began drinking rice beer. After drinking the beer, the elephants became intoxicated and trampled to death four members of a family. At least 100 people have been killed in elephant attacks during the past year.

They are too sacred to kill but that are not too sacred to kill. I told you religion kills.

The Pope said tonight that we have to do "penance" for our sins and for the sins of others. But, no where in the Bible does it say we have to do penance for our sins. It says we must confess our sins, name our sins.

Out of the seven worst sins in the Bible, three are mental attitude and three are sins of the tongue. The final one is murder. If I were to confess other peoples' sins, how would I know what kind of mental attitude sin they committed?
As David said, "Against Thee and Thee only have I sinned, Lord." When a person sins, they have to name that sin and when they do they are restored back to fellowship with the Lord. But, we can't to that for one another.

Judas felt sorry for his sin, and made restitution, and went out and hung himself (and did a bad job of it, too).

Religion has certainly blinded the minds of members of the human race.

1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." That is for Believers only.

If you are not a believer, sin is not the issue. The Son (Jesus Christ) is the issue.

"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved."

Growing up, I was taught the succession of Popes. Now they say that Peter was the first Pope. But that is strange because the Bible says that Peter was never in Rome, but Paul was. And when Paul went there, they put him in prison.

The Catholic Church has always hated Jews, but Peter was a Jew. So, then, all the Popes should be Jews, in succession.

And now we have a Polish Pope. If Peter was the first Pope and Jewish, and the Catholic Church hates Jews, did they hate their first Pope? Maybe they didn't know he was Jewish. He never ate bagels in front of them.

Eph 2:8-9, "For by Grace are ye saved, through faith and that not of yourselves; it is a gift of God and not of works, lest any man should boast."

God works alone in creation, redemption, and regeneration.

Rom 4:5, "But to him that worketh not but believe on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness."

Satan wears many "hats:"

Angel of light: 2 Cor 11:14
Roaring lion: 1 Pet 5:8
A beguiling serpent: Gen 3:4

He doesn't appear as he does on a can of devil ham. He is the most beautiful of all of God's creations. Most women would swoon if they saw him. He is not ugly. Rather, he is smart and quite a musician.

The history of Satan is found only in the Bible. There are three falls designed for Satan. And it is the principle of "three falls to a finish."

The first time he fell was in Heaven when he rebelled against the Lord and was no longer the anointed cherub.

The next time he will fall is when he will be cast out of Heaven onto the Earth in the middle of Jacob's Trouble, the Tribulation.

And then he will be loosed after the Millennial reign of Jesus Christ and he again will deceive many and he will be cast out into hell which is prepared for the devil and his angels.

The mystery of Godliness: 1 Tim 3:16, "God was manifest in the flesh." God became man

The mystery of iniquity: 2 Thess 2:7, "Man exalted himself trying to be like God."

Notice how Jesus Christ is the Right Man for the world?

Mark 2:19, "And Jesus said unto them can the children of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them." And in the Old Testament, Isa 54:5, "Thy Maker is thy husband."

It is the marriage of Grace and faith. Grace is the man and faith is the woman.

The joy of our salvation is as of the joy of the Right Man meeting the Right Woman.

In Israel you can tell their present condition and their future condition as depicted in marriage.

Jer 7:34, "Then will I cause to cease from the cities of Judah and from the streets of Jerusalem the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride. For the land shall be desolate."

Israel and the Lord are separated now. But He will repeat His marriage vows to Israel in the future, probably about seven years from now.

Joel 2:16, "Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children and those that suck the breasts, let the Bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet."

I'll bet it is a clothes closet?

Do you know that God is happy? Do you know that there never was a time when God was not happy?

"Blessed be the God who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus our Lord."

The word "blessed" means literally "Happinesses." It is in the plural. God can't bless you. It can only be blesses (plural) you.

And He wants to share His happiness with you. It is not hard to do. This is all you have to do:

Jer 15:16, "Thy Words were found and I did eat them, and Thy Word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine mind, for I am called by Thy Name, O Lord God of hosts."

You know a Colt 45 won the west. It was called a peace maker. Well, here is a 45 that will win the world:
A peace maker:

Rom 4:5, "But to him that worketh not but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness."

Now, if they register your guns like they did in Chile, here is a weapon that you can use: the Sword of the Spirit!

Matt 15:28, "Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith. Be it unto thee even as thou wilt."

Christ capitulates to a conquering faith.

He surrenders, at discretion, to a soul that vanquishes by believing.

A comforting word
A commending word
A commanded word
A creating word
A complying word
A completing word

Joshua 7:10, "And the Lord said unto Joshua, 'Get thee up, wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face?'"

Your prayers will not be heard if you are out of fellowship. Confession of sin by naming them restores you back to fellowship and then your prayers will be answered.

Psa 66:18, "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me."

"Principle is one thing practice is another ...

Principle:
Prov 7:2, "Keep My commandments and live and My law as the apple of thine eye."

Practice:
Psa 17:8, "Keep me as the apple of Thy eye, hide me under the shadow of Thy wings."

If He gives you a promise, claim it and go to Him in prayer about it.

Deut 34:5, "So Moses, the servant of the Lord, died there in the land of Moab, according to the Word of the Lord."

Moses died by the Word, and it lives and abides forever

Psa 138:2, "I will worship toward Thy holy temple, and praise Thy Name for lovingkindness and for truth, for Thou hast magnified Thy Word above Thy Name."

Joshua 1:4, "From the wilderness and this lebanon, even unto the great river, the river of Euphrates, have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses."

The Lord gave them more land than their faith could appropriate. So, at the Second Advent of Jesus Christ, He will have to give it to them — since they didn't appropriate it all.

He always gives us more than we can appropriate! Go in and "possess the land!"

It is a good thing that the prodigal son was not under the law because this is what would have happened to him:
Deut 21:20-21, "And they shall say unto the elders of the city, this our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice, he is a glutton and drunkard. And all the men of his city shall stone him with  stones that he die, so shall they put evil away from among them, and all Israel shall hear and fear."

But the prodigal son under Grace liveth:
Luke 15:20, "And he arose and came to his father but yet when he was a far way off, his father saw him and had compassion and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him."

Luke 15:30, "And as soon as this thy son was come which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf."

Don't you think it is great to live under Grace rather than under the Law. "The letter of the law killeth, but Grace maketh alive."

Seven things that are unprofitable apart from love:

Speaking with tongues, the gift of prophecy, understanding all the ways, undertaking all knowledge, having all faith, bestowing all gifts, and martyrdom - giving my body to be burned.
"And have not love, I am nothing."
Love is Gal 5:22-23, "The fruit of the Spirit is love."
If you are out of fellowship, nothing counts.

Did you know that fig trees have leafs and figs at the same time? And Christ cursed the fig tree and there was nothing but leaves. Which means, when Eve put on her fig leaf gown, figs were on the tree, too. So she took the fruit of the tree and put on a fig leaf gown – an early bikini. And she sewed it together. She was the first needler. I wonder if she made Adam's new suit.

The principle of prosperity and a term for the millennial reign of Christ is that every one will sit under his own fig tree.

Christ on the cross delivers from the penalty of sin.
Christ at the right hand of the Father delivers from the power of sin.
Christ coming again delivers from the presence of sin.

A three-fold view of God's love for us.

One: Rom 5:6-7, "When we were yet without strength."
Two: Rom 5:8, "While we were yet sinners."
Three: Rom 5:10, "When we were yet enemies."

One, without strength — in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
Two, while we were yet sinners — Christ died for us.
Three, when we were enemies — we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son.

Ungodly: Christ died for the ungodly.
Sinners: Christ died for us.
Enemies: Reconciled to God by the death of His Son.

And we have received His Grace heaped upon Grace.

We are told that the problem with marriages today is that we don't know that we are different and that men come from Mars and that women come from Venus. We don't have to know each other. What we have to know is whom the Lord has designed for us in marriage. And the recognition of the person the Lord has for you in marriage comes from a recognition in the soul. Soul love always preceded sex love or it should.

The whole concept in the Bible is, "Whom my soul loveth …  whom my soul loveth."

The real you is the soul, and it is the soul that is saved. The recognition of the right person for you is in the soul. We have to know God's plan in marriage. There are about 100 different ways you can recognize the person the Lord has designed for you in marriage.  There is no need for the big search.

Most marriage counselors don't even know that you have a soul.

We have been infiltrated by religion and not by Christianity. There is a prayer that is constantly heard over the TV and even at football games which explains my point. The prayer that you hear repeated is, "Oh Mary Mother of God blessed are thou among women." If you watch football games, you hear this over and over again. When someone throws a pass — A HAIL MARY — and if the pass is completed it is called "A MIRACULOUS RECEPTION."

Well, Mary is not the mother of God. God doesn't have a mother. Mary is the mother of the humanity of Jesus Christ. God the Holy Spirit is the One who produced the humanity of Jesus Christ in the virgin birth.

We don't pray to Mary. We pray to God the Father. Mary, when she prayed, prayed to God the Father.  There was another woman in the Bible that it is said BLESSED ART THOU AMONG WOMEN. And her name was JAEL, and her claim to fame is that she pinned an enemy of the Jews to the ground with a tent peg that she drove through his temple.

Why don't we hear what Mary really said about the Lord Jesus Christ? Like "HIS MOTHER SAITH UNTO THE SERVANTS WHATSOEVER HE SAITH UNTO YOU DO IT."

MARY SAID, "MY SOUL DOTH MAGNIFY THE LORD AND MY  SPIRIT HATH REJOICED IN GOD MY SAVIOUR."

P.S. In Mark it is said that Mary thought that Jesus Christ was insane. Now, Mother, is that any way to talk about your Son?

Gen 22  Abraham withheld nothing.
              God gave everything!

Gen 22   The father and the son went up together.
At the cross, the Father and the Son went up together.

Gen 18   Abraham ceased asking God before God ceased giving.

This quote is taken from "What is the Christian Church,"  page 35, Catholic Truth Society, Jesuit Priest  E. R. Hull:

"The doctrine of the immaculate conception simply means that our lady, in view of her exalted office, was endowed with God's grace from the first moment of her existence, instead of being conceived and born in original sin."

Rome has this to offer: "Thou art highly favored. The Lord is with thee." They say this contains the hidden meaning "Thou art without original sin." They also imply that Mary, from her birth until her death, was entirely free from sin.

Which would contradict: "We have all sinned and come short of the glory of God. And there is none righteous, no not one."
Mary had a father and she inherited his old sin nature. Rom 5:12, "Wherefore as one man sin entered into the world and death by sin, and so death passed upon all for that all have sinned."

We are being bombarded with religion, which kills, and in the meantime Christianity is sitting on its ... hands.

Christ said, "I am about My Father's business." Not His mother's business.

The first mention principle: The first time "fear not" is recorded in the Bible is in Gen 15:1 in connection with the birth of Isaac.

There are four "fear nots" in connection with the birth of Christ. Luke 1:13, Luke 1:30, Luke 2:10, Matt 1:20.

Fear brings a snare. Trust in the Lord brings confidence. "When I am afraid I will trust in Thee."

"Believe" seems to be a New Testament word. "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved."

But the first time "believe" is used in the Bible is in Gen 15:6, "Abraham believed in God and it was accounted unto him for righteousness."

Abraham got in the plan the same way we do.

Eph 5:16 Walk in the Spirit
Eph 5:18 Be led of the Spirit
Eph 5:25 Live in the Spirit

By faith we take what the Lord will give.
By faithfulness we give whatever the Lord will take.

God's five workers. What works for God.

1 Cor 1:27-28

Foolish, weak, base, things that are not

Things which are despised.

Take your pick, well, let me see, foolish? Weak? Base? Despised? Things which are not?

God can use you.

The first man who said he ever had enough.

Gen 33:9, "And Esau said I have enough. Keep that thou hast unto thyself."

Some of us have a skillful way of concealing our Christianity, but not Joseph.

Gen 39:2-3, "And the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. And his master saw the Lord was with him and that the Lord made all that he did to prosper in his hand."

If we have been with the Lord, it will show.

Exodus 20:25, "And if thou wilt make an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone."

Hewn stone, not of works.

Gen 7:16, "And they that went in went in male and female of all flesh. As God had commanded him."
"And the Lord shut him in."

The Lord shut Noah and his family in. And shut out all others. Shut the door, Lord!

God shut Noah in. Noah couldn't get out. Neither can we!

I was taught that Christians, because they are Christians, are not supposed to have any fun in life. And that it was almost a sin to smile or to go out and play on Sunday. And you always had to wear black clothes like you were in mourning.

But, we are commanded to be happy. Happiness is a command. If you are not happy as a Christian, then you are not living the Christian way of life.

Here is the command for happiness.

Phil 4:4, "Rejoice and again I say rejoice."

God is always happy there was never a time and there will never be a time when He was not or will not be happy. He wants to share His happiness with you, if you will let Him. He is called "the happiness God."

Eph 1:3, "Blessed be God." The word "blessed" means happiness,  so is the happiness God. And He wants to share His happiness with you.

If you are interested tune in next time and I will tell you how you too can be happy.
I said happy, not slap happy.

How can I be happy?

Happiness comes from studying the Word and making application of the Word to your personal experience.

1 John 1:4, "And these things write I unto you that your joy may be full."
John 13:17, "If you know these things happy are ye if you do them."
Jer 15:16, "Thy Words were found and I did eat them, and Thy Word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of my mind for I am called by Thy Name, O Lord God of hosts."
John 17:13, "And now I come to thee and these things I speak in the world that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves."
Phil 4:4, "Rejoice in the Lord and again I say rejoice."

See, you too, can be happy. Tune in for the next subject on happiness.
A man told his friend that he got up with a grouch this morning. And his friend said, "Why don't you get up before her?"

Did you know that the Sermon on the Mount was a description of happiness and how to get it?

It says, "Blessed be, blessed be, blessed be."

"Blessed" means happinesses. If you read that passage it will tell you how to be happy.
Tune in next time and I will explain happiness. Coming from the "blessed are thou" repeated so many times in that passage.
The word "blessed" is a plural word and it means happinesses. You can't get only one happiness. There are happinesses available for all of us.

Did you ever consider the first marriage in history?

God told man that it was not good, grace, for him to be alone. God made this statement when man was in a state of innocence before he sinned against the Lord in going negative to His Word.

Even in perfect environment it is not good for man to be alone. Because he is not really complete without his wife. The first man was formed out of the dust of the ground, but the first woman was formed from man.

God separated something from Adam and therefore man is no longer complete in himself. There is always something missing and that something that is missing is only provided by his wife. The man is never complete without the woman and the purpose of the woman is to complement, complete the man, and to help him and to fit him. The woman fulfills the man and the man is complete having the woman.

The woman is never told to love her husband.

You would think that normally mothers and wives would instinctively know how to love their children and their husbands. But the Scriptures say differently.

We are told that older women are to:
Titus 2:4, "That they may teach the younger women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children."

Evidently this is not as instinctive as we might have thought. This may explain some of the problems that go on in families today.

We hear much today about children being abandoned. And it shocks most of us, and it should, but if we would only raise our children as unto the Lord, some of these problems would not exist.

We are warned by the Lord that women would forget their children. Though it may seem strange to society, it is not strange when it comes to Scripture.

Isa 49:15, "Can a woman forget her suckling child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yes, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee."

Notice it is a suckling child. A baby.

What did Philip and the Lord Jesus Christ have in common?

Acts 8:5, "Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ unto them."

John 4:25, "The woman saith, unto Him I know that Messiah cometh, which is called Christ. When He is come, He will tell us all things."

John 4:26, "Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am He."

Both of them were witnessing in Samaria.

God Gives. What?

John 3:16, "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him shall never perish but have everlasting life."

God gave His Son. This is how God loved the world.

John 3:35, "The father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into His hand."

This is how God loved His Son, gave us all things in His Son.

Rom 8:32, "He that spared not His own Son but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him freely give us all things."

All things in His Son.

And this is when we were lost and enemies of God.

If He did all that when we were aliens, what will He do for us now that we are the sons of God?
Only much more! That is what Grace is all about.

People always want to know why the Lord disciplines us, why He chastens
us? Well, we know …   Whom the Lord loves, He chastens.

But why? Well, if you loved someone and there was something that was hindering you from loving them, what would you do?

God wishes to separate us from that which separates us from Him.

Jesus Christ said, "I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life, and no one cometh unto the Father but by Me."

I am the Way: Which implies distance.

I am the Truth: implies ignorance.

I am the Life: which implies death.

John 6:47, "Verily, verily I say unto you he who believes on Me has everlasting life."

It is an offer, a gift. Just take it!

The Holy Spirit convicts of sin which has been committed.

The Holy Spirit speaks of the convicting of righteousness. Because it is imputed.

The Holy Spirit speaks of judgment, because He has been passed.

Rom 8:1, "There is therefore no judgment to them that are in Christ."

2 Cor 5:21, "He made Him to be sin for us, Who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him."

Let's go for broke!

John 15:2: No fruit
John 15:2: Fruit
John 15:2: More fruit
John 15:5, 8: Much fruit

Just be faithful and you will be fruitful.

The Scripture says:

"There is no temptation that has taken you that is not common to man but God will with the temptation provide a way for you to escape."

Sometimes the provision He makes is a good pair of shoes. Just hit the road.

John 18:30,  "What is Truth?"

Now, if you remember your Latin from school, it looks like this: "Quid est veritas."
The letters can be arranged so as to read, "Est vir qui adest," which means the man who is standing before you.

What is truth? The Man that is standing before you.

Now I know that you learned that when you got your latest "Guideposts" or "How to Win Friends and Influence the Friends You Have Won."

When the Roman Empire was in its prime, they were conquering everything in sight. They would take their prisoners and tie them to their chariot wheels and drag them along the streets so people could see how powerful they were. And while they were dragging their prisoners tied to their chariot wheels, they sang out  in unison:

"Sic transia omni gloria mundae"

Which in Brooklynese means, "The glory of this world is passing away," which is exactly what the Scriptures have to say.

"The world is passing away and the lust thereof, but he that doeth the will of God, abideth forever."

There is a New World Order coming, but George Bush, Sr., or George Bush, Jr. will not bring it in. And
pardon the expression "Clinton" won't bring in either, but Christ will bring it in. And it won't happen before 2007 A.D. So don't put your swords back into your scabbards yet.

Are you feeling your age? Well … Man's age is three score and ten. And when you depart from this Earth, and you arrive in Heaven, you are 33 years old.. No wrinkles, no double chin, no age marks!

"When I awake, I will awake with Thy likeness."

Now cold cream won't do that!

Gen 28:15, "I will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, not only whither I send thee."

With thee ... companionship
Keep thee ... Guardianship
Bring thee ... Guidance

Sounds like Grace to me.

Moses did not know that his face shone.

Faces are often a better witness then the lips.

The Athenians at one time used to have their prisoners tried in the dark, lest their countenance should influence the judges.

Did you ever notice how when prisoners go on trial they always have a new suit and a tie and a hair cut?

Every body has a life verse.

How about this one for a life verse?

Lev 19:27, "Ye shall not round the corners of your heads neither shall thou mar the corners of thy beard."
Now there is a verse to put on your refrigerator, or better yet, in your bathroom.

Baal worshippers rounded their beards and hair to make their faces look like the sun.

Principle of application: Abstain from all appearances of evil.

Abel is a type of Christ, but there is a contrast:

Abel's sheep died for him.
Christ died for His sheep.

The ground was cursed, and it resulted in thorns.

Thorns were a curse for man But thorns were a crown for Christ.

He took the curse on Himself. And the Father crowned Him.

Gen 8:20, "And Noah built an altar unto the Lord."

The Lord told Noah to go forth after the flood, and the first thing he did was to build an altar even before he built a house.

Then thou shalt kill the ram and take of his blood and put it upon the tip of the right ear of Aaron.
The ear so that he can hear: To hear the Word of God.

And then upon the thumb of their right hand: This is the hand, toward man, to working in the Word of God.

And upon the great toe of their right foot: This is the foot, walking in the Word of God.

Gen 29:20

Pentecost was the birthday of God the Holy Spirit. He was present before but never incarnate in the Church — just like Christ was ever present but never incarnate in the Church.

Since we celebrate Christmas as the incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ, shall we set aside a holiday for the birth of the Holy Spirit? This way at least two days out of the year people will exchange gifts.

The land that Israel has ever occupied was from Dan on the north to Judah in the south. That territory is approximately 20, 000 sq. ft.

The land that the Lord has promised them at the Second Advent of Christ is from the Meditterean to the Euphrates River, which is approximately 300,000 sq. miles. The Jews have never had all of that territory. Even today, they are not back in the land. They are living in the sand.

Gen 12:1, "I will bless them that bless Israel and curse them that curse Israel."

God is "spanking" Israel now. So, don't stick your nose in His spanking. You may get it, too.

Pray for the peace of Jersusalem — which is the Prince of Peace, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Every time you listen to the news whether on TV or radio, or in the newspaper, there is one word that is on everybody's lips, "MILLENNIUM."
Even though the word "Millennium" does not appear in the Bible, what it means to me as a Christian, and what it is stated as in the Scriptures
is the 1000-year reign of the Lord Jesus Christ on the Earth.

The talk today is that we are going into the next Millennium in 2000 A.D.

The 1000-year reign of the Lord Jesus Christ cannot occur till at least the year 2007 A.D. When the Millennium occurs, we as Christians will
have a resurrection body, just like the Lord's. And we know that in HIs resurrection body He was able to defy gravity and go vertically and horizontally — even walk through a closed door. When you get up New Year's Day in 2000 A.D. and you think you are in the Millennium, get up on the roof and jump off, and you will end up on the front lawn. And the crash will occur because of the Stock Market.

Isa 64:6, "But we are all as an unclean thing and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. And we all do fade as a leaf and our iniquities like the wind have taken us away."

I hope no wind came up when Eve put on a fig leaf gown. If those fig leaves faded or were blown away, it wouldn't be safe for a Baptist in the Garden.

As you know, when it comes to marriage, the father gives the bride away. God the Father gives us, the bride, to the Lord Jesus Christ.

In John 17, the real Lord's prayer, we have it mentioned seven times that "the father gave the bride away." John 17:2, 6 (2), 9, 11, 12, 24.  "Them that Thou gavest Me."

We are secure!

John 1:16, "And of His fulness have we all received, and Grace for Grace.

The word "for" is literally "heaped upon." So we have received of His fulness Grace heaped upon Grace.
We have all we need. His fulness expressed is Grace heaped upon Grace.

Grace in order to be saved: Eph 2:8-9

Grace to stand: Rom 5:2

Grace in order to grow: 2 Pet 3:18

Saved by Grace, stand in Grace, grow in Grace.

Now that ought to be a message for some preacher.

Acts 15:11, "But we believe that through the Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved even as they."

2 Cor 12:7, "And lest I should be exalted above through measure of the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.

Many times God places a thorn in the flesh to prick the bladder of pride.

God resists the proud and gives Grace to the humble.

What's New?

A new life: 2 Cor 5:15
A new nature:  2 Cor 5:17
A new attitude: 2 Cor 5:18
A new standing: 2 Cor 5:21

There are other things that are new other than New York and New Jersey and New Mexico.
What about walking in newness of life?!

Christ on the cross delivered us from the penalty of sin.

Christ at the right hand of the Father delivered us from the power of sin.

Christ coming again delivers us from the presence of sin.

Penalty, power, presence.

He made Him to be sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him."

Sin is no longer the issue, the Son is the issue.

What think ye of Christ? This breaks the backs of all the cults.

We are instructed by the Lord to study the Word of God day and night, neither turning to the left nor to the right, for our prosperity.

Most Christians are not interested in Bible study, but this is what they are missing as Christians:

The Word of God is a Bestower of Life: 1 Pet 1:23

The Word of God is the Revealer of the Lord Jesus Christ: John 5:39

The Word of God is the Giver of Assurance: 1 John 5:13

The Word of God is the Imparter of Joy: Jer 15:16

The Word of God is the Inspirer for Prayer: John 15:7

The Word of God is the Sword of Victory: Eph 6:17

The Word of God Sets you Apart: John 17:17

The Word of God is the Feeder of Your Soul: 1 Pet 2:2

The Word of God Equips the Servant: Acts 8:4

The Word of God is the Plan for Guidance.

Exodus 40:16, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 32  did as the Lord commanded

Now if you don't want any of these great things in your life …  Well then stay away from Bible class. You-all!

John 1:29, "Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world."

Many lambs were sacrificed in the Old Testament pointing to the Lord Jesus Christ. But with a distinct difference …

The lambs had to be tied down. They didn't want to go. You can understand that. So they tied them down to the four horns on the altar – kicking and screaming – Well, I guess lambs don't scream, but they were baa baa baaing.

When Christ went to the cross, He didn't have to be tied down. He willing went to the cross for you and for me, too. Baa baa

He was a prisoner of love and needed no chains to bind him.

When the Law was given did you ever notice what happened?

Ex 32:28, "And the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses and there fell of the people that day 3000 men."

And what happened with the gospel was given?

Acts 2:41, "Then they that gladly received his word were baptized and the same day there was added unto them about 3000 souls."

The Law kills and Grace makes alive.

They say that the only male species that has babies is a seahorse. Well, in the "Great Tribulation," called "Jacob's Trouble," men are going to have babies! I am glad that I will be raptured out first!

Jer 30:6, "And ask now, and see whether a man doth travail with child?"

I am glad  that I am saved and delivered out before Jacob's Trouble. I am glad my name is not Jacob.

Did you know that the Lord can whistle?

Well, we know He laughs. And He also whistles. Since He is from the tribe of Judah, He will whistle Dixie!

But you will hear Him whistle, and so will all the Jews who are scattered all over the Earth till Christ comes back. And then He will whistle for them and they will come home to Jerusalem, but not until He whistles.

Now, I know you think I am nuts by this time, but here is the verse. You discern it for yourselves.

Isa 5:26, "And he will lift up an ensign to the nations from far, and He will hiss unto them from the end of the Earth, and, behold, they shall come with speed swiftly."

The word "hiss" is the Hebrew word SHARAQ, which means to whistle. They will not return to the land in belief until He whistles for them.

Sounds like Humphrey Bogart. Just pucker up your lips and whistle.

The brazen serpent that was lifted up was like the poisonous serpent, yet without sting.
Christ was lifted up like man, yet without sin.

"He made Him to be sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him."

Six times Jesus Christ said "My hour …"

John 7:30
John 8:20
John 12:23
John 12:27
John 13:1
John 17:1

and each time it was talking about His death on the cross.

There must be a lot of sinning going on. It is a good thing we just have to confess our sins. All we have to do is acknowledge them and we are forgiven.

Look at all these expressions of sin:

Dan 9:5-13, "We have sinned, we have committed iniquity. We have done wickedly, we have been rebellious, we have departed from Thy precepts. We have departed from Thy judgments. We have not hearkened unto Thy servants, and Thy prophets. We have trespassed against Thee, we have been disobedient, we have transgressed Thy law. We have neglected to pray."

We sure keep the Lord busy, that is, if we confess our sins.

Today is Columbus Day but don't believe it. He never discovered America. A guy by the name of Americanus did.

In the disciples prayer in Matthew notice this application:

Our Father: Believers as children
Hallowed be Thy Name: Believers as worshippers
Thy kingdom come: Believers as subjects
Thy will be done: Believers as servants
Give us our needful food: Believers as suppliants
Forgive us our trespasses: Believers as sinners
Deliver us from evil: Believers as weak ones

In 1 Kings 18:21, Elijah says, "How long halt ye between two opinions?"

We know he is referring to a double-minded man, who is unstable in all his ways.

But once again we have the importance of the original language of Scripture.

Now the picturesque word for "halt" in the Hebrew language is very graphic. The Hebrew word is "RACHAH" which means to hobble back and forth on both knees at the same time. Now that is unstable. Try it tonight as a form of exercise before you go to bed.

One of the tribes of Israel is called "unstable as water." Do you know which one it is?

In Ephesians it says that when Jesus Christ ascended, He gave some gifts: evangelists and pastor-teachers.

Dead men need evangelists

And living men need pastor-teachers.

There are too many dead men going to church. But the dead in Christ shall rise first.

Here is an awesome thought for you …

Acts 16:9, "And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. There stood a man of Macedonia and prayed him, saying come over into Macedonia and help us."

Suppose Paul and Silas had been ordered East instead of West. We would be like India and Africa are today.

God bless America!

The Subject is Prophecy

If you have been watching the news you can see the slow formation of prophecy before your eyes.
We are near the time of the Second Advent of Christ to this Earth, which is about seven years from now. Now we see something very interesting happening – the formation of four spheres of influence in the world.

The king of the North, which would be Russia today
The king of the South, which would be the Pan-Arabic block
The king of the East, which is the Oriental block
The king of the West, which is the European alliance, are all forming to come against Israel.

At this time, the USA does not seem to be part of the European eastern alliance or the revival of the Roman Empire. So, we probably won't last as a nation much longer.

When these four spheres of influence converge upon Jerusalem, then the Lord returns and sets up the real Millennial reign of Christ.

Look for me, the prodigal preacher, to come back with the Lord. I hope to see you then, but you probably won't recognize me in my new body … I won't have to flex, I will always be flexed.

Have you ever noticed in your life, if you are honest, that there comes a time when there is a great deal of pressure or problems that hit your life that are overwhelming? And then you read a promise like …

Psa 55:22, "Cast thy burdens on the Lord." But even that is too hard to do, to cast your burdens.

Well you will be happy to know that the Hebrew word for "cast" is not cast. But it is roll. So roll your  burdens on the Lord – because they are too heavy to pick up

So just roll them.

We have to be reminded as Christians when it comes to prophecy and the fulfillment of prophecy that people are very vague when it comes to the nation Israel. They (Israel) are not "back in the land" in belief. The Jews are not believers in the Lord Jesus Christ.

We are warned in Scripture about mixed marriages — that is a believer marrying an unbeliever.

But, we are all involved in a mixed marriage — that is the marriage of the body to the soul. The soul is eternal and the body is temporal.

The soul is longing for its right body – the resurrection body
Our physical body is temporal and won't let the soul go. But the body is springing leaks, our tent is leaking. We will soon be at home with our resurrection body and we will finally have a marriage of right-soul and right-body.

Solomon had many mixed marriage it is said that he had 1000 "cucumbers."

We as believers possess everything in the Lord Jesus Christ. The only thing we don’t possess is ourselves.

1 Cor 6:9, "What, know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, which is in you. Which you have of God." "And ye are not your own."

We have been bought with a price. But what a price!

A Three-Fold View of God's Love and Grace at the Point of Salvation

Rom 5:6, "For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly."

Rom 5:8, "But God commendeth His love towards us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

Rom 5:10, "For if, when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more being reconciled we shall be saved by His life."

Notice the contrast …

Ungodly.... Christ died for the ungodly

Sinners.... Christ died for us

Enemies.… Reconciled to God by the death of His Son

What a deal! You can't beat it with a stick.

I wanted to be honest with you and always tell you the Truth as it is found in The Word of God.

There is one thing that God cannot do! Do you know what it is?
Well, He can't fail!

Lam 3:22-23, "It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning. Great is Thy faithfulness."

See, there is something He can't do!

Four times in the book of Hebrews this phrase is repeated: Living God   Living God   Living God   Living God

Twice in references to believers,
Twice in reference to unbelievers.

Which means, if you are an unbeliever, you are faced with the living God and if you are a believer, you are faced with the living God.

For the unbeliever it is, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved."

And for the believer it is, "Man cannot live by bread alone but by every Word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God."

Heb 3:12, "Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God."
Heb 9:14, "How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?"
Heb 10:31, "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God."
Heb 12:22, "But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels."

Which one pertains to you? I won't tell!

Prov 17:17, "A friend loveth at all times and a brother is born for adversity."

A true friend is like ivy, the greater the rain, the closer he sticks.

Isa 53:2, "For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant and as a root out of a dry ground."

In the eyes of God, a tender plant. In the eyes of the world, as a root out dry ground.

Divine Armor Eph 6:10-20

Be strong: Verse 10, the Lord's empowerment
Take: Verses 13,16, 17, the Lord's equipment
Stand: Verses 11,13, the soldier's endurement
Shod: Verse 15, the foot's protectment
Above all: Verse 16, faith's encasement
Praying: Verse 18, the Spirit's environment
Watching: Verse 18, the patrol's alertness

Don't forget to keep your powder dry!

Redemption

The subject of Redemption: 1 Pet 1:18
The source of Redemption: Rom 3:24
The price of Redemption: Matt 20:28
The substance of Redemption: 1 Cor 1;30
The receivers of Redemption: Luke 2:38
The consummation of Redemption: Rom 8:23

Saints because of being set apart unto Christ.

Believers because of our faith.

Brethren because of our love.

Disciples because of our knowledge.

Christians because of our Head.

Titles for Christ

Matthew: the Son of David: Zech 9:9, "Behold thy King."

Mark: the Servant of the Lord: Isa 42:1, "Behold thy Servant."

Luke: the Son of Man: Zech 7:12, "Behold the Man."

John: the Son of God: Isa 40:9, "Behold your God."

Behold, Behold, Behold, Behold

We have been praying for a friend of ours who has recently been visiting the dentist. I wish she would have gone to the Lord about her situation because you know the Lord is a dentist:

Psa 3:7, "Arise o Lord, save me, o my God, for Thou hast smitten all mine enemies upon the cheek bone. Thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly."

You know there is an old saying that says, "Well I got out by the skin of my teeth." But that was stolen from Job.

Job 19:20, "My bone cleaveth to my skin and to my flesh and I am escaped with the skin of my teeth."

The next to the last letter in the Hebrew alphabet is the letter "shin," which stands for "teeth." You get a dissertation on it in, Psa 119:161-168. Every verse in this passage begins with a "shin," which is a tooth.

In the book of Ephesians the word Grace is mentioned 12 times. It would be a good outline for a study. But don't tell any preachers.

Eph 1:2, the salutation of Grace, blesses us
Eph 1:6, the glory of Grace, adorns us
Eph 1:7, the riches of Grace, endow us
Eph 2:5, the power of Grace, saves us
Eph 2:8, the power of Grace, saves us
Eph 2:7, the exceeding riches of Grace, elevates us
Eph 3:2, the dispensation of Grace, enlightens us
Eph 3:7, the gift of Grace, qualifies us.
Eph 4:7, the Christ of Grace, places us
Eph 4:29, the holiness of Grace, separates us
Eph 6:24, the benediction of Grace, Companions us

He said he poured out his Grace on us. Don't you believe Him? Don't fight it! Relax and enjoy it!

We go from Grace to glory!

The Bible tells us to let our light shine. It is not us that is to shine, but our light.
The moon shines by reflected light. Not moonshine, but moon shine.
A diamond is dull in the dark. The brighter the light, the less people remark about the lamp.
The most necessary condition of a lighthouse is its permanence.

When Christ was born, midnight gloom brightened into midday brightness.

When Christ died, midday brightness darkened into midnight gloom.

Two mistakes we make about Jesus Christ:

Luke 2:44, "But they supposing Him to have been in the company."
Supposing him to be present when He is absent.

John 20:15, "She supposing Him to be the gardener."
Supposing Him absent when He is present.

Christ put this saying on a man's grave stone, "Thou fool."

The world would have said here lies so and so a kind and good man and always gave to the poor.

But Christ said "Thou fool." Why?

Because this man thought he could fill his soul with the food his body enjoyed. But the soul can not eat and drink like the body. The soul needs soul food: The Word of God.

Luke 12:19, "I will say to my soul thou hast much goods laid up for many years, take thine ease, eat drink and be merry." Sounds like a preparation for Y2K.

Now listen to the Lord. Luke 12:20, "But God said unto him, thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee. Then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided."

Matt 4:4, "Man cannot live by bread alone but by every Word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God."

Matt 2:9, "When they had heard the king they departed and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east 'went before them' till it came and stood over where the young child was."

What star are you born under? Well, the star won't stop till it brings you to Christ.

I was born under a Sign, that said NO VACANCY!

Christ never marveled at Earth's so-called wonders as many do. The only thing He marveled over was:

"Oh thou of little faith."

"How it is that ye have no faith."

"Great is thy faith." "So great a faith."

Without faith it is impossible to please Him.

John 2:3, "And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus said unto Him 'they have no wine.'"

It is a good thing to run out of wine in order that you may be driven to Christ for your necessities.

Wisdom from a little old wine maker.

Eve was told not to eat of the tree or she would die but she went negative to the Word of God and she took of the tree and she died.

We are told to take of the tree also. And we go negative to the Word of God and won't take of the tree and we die. Your attitude about the Word of God may kill you.

The curse of doing nothing, the curse of omission.

Judges 5:23, "Curse ye Meroz saith the Lord, Curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof because they came not to the help of the Lord, to the help of the Lord against