Divine Sugar Sticks for November 1999

Tuesday, November 30, 1999

“In the beginning God created the Heavens and the Earth.”

God came down to create and then to save. That is Christ. To create, Christ had only to speak. To redeem, He had to suffer.

He made man by His breath. He saved man by His blood.

God's first recorded message to man: “Thou shall surely die,” Gen 2:17
His last recorded message to man: “Surely I come quickly, Rev 22:20

Man's first utterance to God: “I was afraid and I hid myself,” Gen 3:10
Man's last recorded utterance to God: “Even so come Lord Jesus," Rev 22:20

In Gen 3:5, man lost his life by believing the devil and regains it by believing the Son of God. We must rise at the point where we fell. Believe.

Gen 3:5, “For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof then your eyes shall be opened and ye shall be as Elohim knowing good and evil.”
Tempted to an upward fall!

Isa 40:6-8, Man's insufficiency

V 6, Grass, flower of the field
V 15, A drop, small; dust, a very little thing
V 17, Nothing, less than nothing, vanity.

V 8, The permanence of God's Word.

Found also in the New Testament. Mark 13:31, 1 Pet 1:25, Psa 119:89

Isa 53:2, “For He shall grow up before Me as a Tender Plant and as a Root out of a dry ground. He hath no form nor comliness and when we shall see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him.”

In the sight of God, a tender plant. In the sight of men, a root out of dry ground.

Psa 121:4, “Behold He that keepth Israel shall neither slumbler nor sleep.”

Don’t think that Satan is dead, nor even asleep. He that hateth Israel neither is dead or asleep. His antagonism is always there.

Alexander the Great told his soldiers, “I wake that you may sleep.”

A poor woman in the east was robbed one night and the sultan asked, “Why did you sleep?” “Because I thought you never slept” was the reply.

Psa 121:5, “The Lord is thy keeper; the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand.”

The Lord is thy keeper day and night, in and out for ever.
We are being kept.

Psa 131:1, “Lord, my mind is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty, Neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or in things too high for me.”
Our present condition.

Psa 131:2, “Surely I have behaved and quieted myself as a child that is weaned of his mother, my soul is even as a weaned child.”
Our past condtion.

Psa 131:3, “Let Israel hope in the Lord from henceforth and for ever.”
Our future condition.

Psa 140:5, “The proud have hid a snare for me. And cords, they have spread a net, by the wayside they have set gins for me. Selah.”

Christ said, “I am the Way,” not the wayside. The net and the snare are “by the wayside.”

There is never any danger “in the Way.”
“I am the Way and the Truth and the Life; no one cometh unto the Father but by Me.”
“Being in the way the Lord lead me.”

Psa 143:5, “I remember the days of old, I meditate on all Thy works, I muse on the works of Thy hands.”

Remember, meditation and musing upon the works of God's hands cause eager desire and thirst. If we meditate on the Word of God day and night, neither turning to the left or the right, we will prosper withersoever we go. Just ask Joshua.

Psa 145:14, “The Lord upholdeth all that fall, and raiseeth up all those that be bowed down.”
The lifting up, v 14.

Psa 145:15, “The eyes of all wait upon Thee, and Thou givest them their meat in due season.”
Looking up.

He lifts us up so that we can look up. “Looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith.”

A Description of What the Lord is Like, Where the Lord is, What the Lord Will Do

Psa 145:17-19
What the Lord is: “The Lord is righteous in all His ways and holy in all His works.”

Where the Lord is: “Nigh unto all them that call upon Him, to all that call upon Him in Truth.”

What the Lord will do: “He will fulfill the desire of them that fear Him. He also will hear their cry and save them.”

“Call upon Me in a time of trouble and I will deliver thee.”

Num 6:27, “And they shall put My Name upon the children of Israel and I will bless them.”

All differences disappear, all tribal names pass out of view, and the Name of the Lord is upon all.
“We are the children of God by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.”

A Benedition to End All Benedictions

Num 6:24-26, “The Lord bless thee and keep thee; the Lord make His face to shine upon thee and be gracious unto thee; the Lord lift up His countenance upon thee and give thee peace.”

Here is a benediction that can go all the world over and can give all the time without being impoverished. Every soul may utter it, it is the speech of the Lord. Every letter may conclude with it, every day may begin with it, every night may be sanctified by it.

Here is Blessing, Keeping, Shining, the uplifting upon our poor life of all Heaven's glad morning. It is the Lord Himself who brings this bar of music from Heaven's infinite anthems.

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

Prayer out of fellowship is unavailing. We must confess our sins before we pray otherwise the Lord won’t hear us.

Why Was Christ Born?

Why do we celebrate Christmas?

The answer is in what Jesus Christ told Pilate. We all forget that passage. Here it is, “To this end was I born and to this end am I come into the world, that I should bear witness unto the Truth.”

That is why we are born also.

Don’t take Christ out of Christmas — Like some do: Xmas … X is not the unknown factor. Christ is the factor. And known.
 

Did you know that God has emotions?

The Scripture says that God laughs and God cries. When did God cry? He cried twice in Scripture. He cried over the death of Lazarus and over the fall of Jerusalem.

Oh wait, that is not God, that is Christ. No, that is God. Christ said “he that hath seen Me hath seen the Father.” Christ said “the words that I speak are the Father's and the works that I do, they are the Father's.”

God laughs and God cries. Christ is God who took on flesh. Would you be mad at me if i said that God is my brother?

Psa 25:11, “For Thy Name's sake, O Lord, pardon mine iniquity for it is
great.”

David prayed, “pardon my iniquity.” Pharoah prayed, “take away the frogs.” He prayed to escape the punishment. David prayed because of the cause of it.

Psa 44:1, “We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us what work Thou didst in their days in the times of old.”

The songs of other nations praise the heroism of their kings. The songs of Israel celebrated the King of Kings … The doings of the Lord, not the doings of men.

Psa 45:1, “My heart is inditing a good matter; I speak of the things which I have made touching the king. My tongue is the pen of a ready writer.”

Here we have the cause, the nature, and the measure of God's anointing.

Psa 45:10, “Hearken O daughter and consider and incline thine ear forget also thine own people and thy father’s house.”

Four calls; hearken, consider, incline thine ear, forget.

Psa 49:7-8, “None of them can by any means redeem his brother nor give to God a ransom for him. For the redemption of the soul is precious and it
ceaseth for ever.”

The body might be redeemed from men by money. But God Himself redeems the soul.

Psa 49:15, “But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave, for He shall receive me. Selah.”

For He shall receive me ... in Christ.

Psa 52:5, “God shall likewise destroy thee for ever He shall take thee away
and pluck thee out of thy dwelling place and root thee out of the land of the living, Selah.”

The wicked rooted out of the land of the living.

Psa 52:8, “But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever.”

The righteous are rooted in the house of God.

Psa 55:19, “God shall hear and afflict them. Even he that abideth of old. Selah.” “Because they have no change.” “Therefore they fear not God.”

When all goes well with a man or a nation, it is almost sure to be his and its ruin. We may need a change ... Y2K??? It took a crash the last time.

WHAT IS IT LIKE IN HEAVEN? A DEPARTED LOVED ONE WRITES …

This isn’t death, its glory.
This is not dark, its light.
It isn’t stumbling, groping, or even faith,
It is sight.

This isn’t grief of having
My first tear wiped away,
It’s sunrise, it’s morning
of my eternal day.

It isn’t even praying
It’s speaking face to face
It’s listening and glimpsing
The wonders of His Grace.

For this is the end of all
Pleading for strength to bear my pain,
Not even pain’s dark memory
Will ever live again.

How did I bear this Earth life
Before I came up higher?
Before my soul was granted
Its very deep desire?

Before I knew that rapture of meeting face to face.
The One who sought me. The One who saved me.
The One who kept me,
By His Grace.

How We Believers on Earth are Able to Cope When the Lord Takes a Loved One to be With Him

I'll meet her in glory
I'll talk with her again
I'll walk with her in Heaven
Free from sorrow, care, and pain

She is not dead, she liveth
Not here, but over There.
Where Christ liveth also
Who all her sin did bear.

I cannot bring her back here
However I might try,
But I can plan to meet her
In His Presence by and by.

My robes are washed as her's were
In His precious crimson flow
My future is safe as her's is
In my Saviour's care, I know.

You ask me, Aren't you grieving
No! My heart knows God's own peace.
For like her I have a Saviour whose
Blessings never cease.

And the blessing that is the greatest,
Is that death means gain, not loss,
To the soul that has seen
The value of His death upon the Cross.

And all life takes on new meaning
Which even death can never dim.
So with hope and joy abundant
I will ever walk with Him.

How Did Simeon Celebrate Christmas?
Luke 2:26-30. “And it was revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. And he came by the Spirit into the temple and when the parents brought in the Child Jesus to do for Him after the custom of the day, then took he Him up in his arms and blessed God, and said, Lord now lettest Thy servant depart in peace according to Thy Word, for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation.”
 
How Did Mary Celebrate Christmas?
Luke 1:46-47, “And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.”

How Did Isaiah Celebrate Christmas?

Isa 7:14, “Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a Sign, Behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a Son and shall call His Name Immmanuel,
God with us.”

Isa 9:6, “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the government shall be upon His shoulders. And His Name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.”

How Did the Angels Celebrate Christmas?

Luke 2:10-12, “And the angel said unto them, fear not behold I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour which is Christ the Lord."

How Did the Wise Men Celebrate Christmas?

Matt 2:1, “And when they were come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary his mother, and fell down and worshipped Him and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto Him gifts, gold, and frankincense and myrrh.”

How Did Jesus Christ Celebrate Christmas?

Heb 10:5, “Wherefore when He cometh into the world He saith, Sacrifice and offering Thou wouldest not, but a body Thou hast prepared for Me.“

Now, that is baby talk!

How Christ Spent Thanksgiving

Luke 10:21, “In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the spirit and said, "I thank Thee, O Father, Lord of Heaven and Earth, that Thou hast hid these things from the wise and the prudent and has revealed them unto babes, even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Thy sight.”
Luke 22:19, “And He took bread and "gave thanks"  and said, Take this and divide it among yourselves.”
John 11:41, “Then they took away the stone from the place were the dead were laid and Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, Father, "I thank Thee" that Thou hast heard Me.”
1 Cor 11:24, “And when "He had given thanks," He brake it and said, take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you, this do in remembrance of Me.”

That is how Christ spent Thanksgiving.

How did Christ Spend Christmas?

Heb 10:5, “Wherefore when He cometh into the world He saith, Sacrifice and offering Thou wouldest not, but a body Thou hast prepared for Me.”

Zech 3:4-5, “And he answered and spake unto them that stood before him saying, take away the filthy garments from him and unto him he said behold I have caused thy iniquity to pass from thee and I will clothe thee with change of garment. And I said, let them set a fair mitre upon the head so they set a fair mitre upon his head and clothed him with garments, and the angel of the Lord stood by.”

Cleansed ... Clothed ... Crowned.

A Seven-Fold Description of "Christ the Branch"

Zech 6:12-13, “Speak unto him saying thus speaketh the Lord of hosts,
saying behold the man whose name is "the Branch" and He shall grow up out of His place and He shall build the temple of the Lord.”

Even he shall build the temple of the Lord and He shall bear the glory and shall sit and rule upon His throne and He shall be a priest upon His
throne and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.”

Gen 24: A Model Servant

True, v 2, v 35
Earnest, v 33
Praying, v 12
Single-eyed, v 52

Gen 24:58, “And they called Rebekah and said unto her Will thou go with this man? And she said I will go.”

"I will go." You have to decide for yourself, that’s free will.

Gen 25:33, “And Jacob said swear to me this day and he sware unto him. And he sold his birthright unto Jacob.”

There was never any food, except the forbidden fruit, so dearly bought as this broth.

Gen 35:19, “And Rachel died and was buried in the way to Ephrath which is Bethlehem.” The first mention of Bethlehem in the Old Testament.

In the New Testament, the first mention of Bethlehem is in connection
with the birth of Christ.

Matt 2:1, “Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold there came wise men from the east of Jerusalem.”

How Does Satan Celebrate Christmas?

Gen 3:15, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman and between thy seed and her Seed. It shall bruise thy head and thou shalt bruise His heel.”

Oh no! He is born.

“Christ shall crush Satan under your feet suddenly.”

How Did Anna, the Prophetess, Celebrate Christmas?

Who? Anna?

Luke 2:36-38. “And there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanilel of the tribe of Asher, she was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity. And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of Him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.”

How Did Herod Celebrate Christmas?

Matt 2:13, “And when they were departed, behold the Angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream saying arise and take the young Child and his mother and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word for Herod "will seek the young Child to destroy Him."

Matt 2:16, “Then Herod when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men was exceeding wroth and sent forth and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem and in all the coasts thereof from two years old and under according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men.”

Maybe that is why crime increases during the Christmas holidays …  antagonism to Christ.

We know from Scripture that the worst sins mentioned in the Bible are sins of the tongue, mental attitude sins, and one overt sin, murder.
We know that we all have sinned.

Each time you sin and all the times in which you have sinned and ever will sin, you will find waiting for you the Grace of God.

"Where sin abounded, Grace did much more abound."

Christ died for the sins of the whole world so that sin is not the issue but Christ is the issue.  What think ye of Christ?

How Did Micah Celebrate Christmas?

Micah 5:2, “But thou Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall "He come forth unto Me that is to be Ruler in Israel whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.”

Qualification for Salvation

Weak and heavy laden
Invitation, come unto Me
Result, I will give you rest, the rest of salvation
Qualification of the Christian way of life
 

Weak and heavy laden
Invitation, take my yoke upon you and learn of me
Result, ye shall find rest unto your souls
The rest of spirituality

The object of faith. “I am meek and lowly in mind”

Qualification of our Saviour.

Where did the tradition come from that puts an angel on top of the Christmas tree?

Phil 2:8, “And being found in a fashion as a man, humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the Cross.”

The steep stairs down which Christ trod His lowly way
Christ twice passed the angels by
He sank far below them in His humiliation.
He rose far above them in His exaltation.

Phil 2:12, Paul calls Christians, "beloved," to "work out" their salvation.

Unless the Lord has first worked it into you, you cannot work it out.

Phil 2:14, Do all things without murmurings and disputings

When a horse begins to kick, he stops pulling. It is the same way with members of the body of Christ.

Murmuring and disputing

Murmuring is quarrelling with God.

Disputing is quarrelling with men.

Phil 2:14, “Do all things without murmuring and disputings.”

A murmur means “I could have managed this thing better than the Lord.”

Phil 2:14, “Do all things without murmuring.”

Phil 3:9, “And being found in Him not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith in Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.”

That garment of righteousness which was worn to shreds on Adam's back,
will never make a covering for ours.

Santa Claus is Religious and Legalistic

He says “you have to be good to receive a gift.”

Well, suppose you are not good. Then you don’t get a gift. Well supposing that there is "none good, no not one" there is no sense in carrying a bag.

I like Christ and Christianity better. “It is a gift of God and not of works, lest any man should boast.”

P.S. I wonder what church Santa Claus goes to. I have a good idea ... Ask me in private.

Zech 9:9, Rejoice greatly O daughter of Zion, Shout O daughter of
Jerusalem, Behold thy King cometh unto thee. He is just and having
salvation, lowly and riding upon an ass and upon a colt, the foal of an
ass.”

The coming spoken of here took place 33 years after the coming in.

Micah 5:2, “But thou Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall He come forth unto Me that is to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth have been from of old from
everlasting.”

But both were included in His first coming. In the same way, His second
coming will be divided.

Thought for today

1 Pet 1:8, “Whom having not seen ye love.”

We have never seen the Lord Jesus Christ and yet we love Him. Why? Because He first loved us. And we also realize that the soul automatically is designed to respond to His love. The soul is feminine in gender.

And not only do we know that He first loved us, but that He also gave Himself for us.

So, whom having not seen we love, in whom though we see Him not, yet believing we rejoice with joy unspeakable and fully of glory.

In Psa 116 David said, “Return unto thy rest, O my soul. For the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee.”

David had been in a terrible mental and emotional condition. He was in a miserable state and yet in that condition he thought of this. “Return unto thy rest, O my soul.”

How could his soul find rest in time of distress? “Because the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee.” David recognized a truth that many do not recognize, and it is stated in the next verse.

For Thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling.

We are new creatures in Christ because of believing in Christ, and since He did the most for us at salvation, when we were not even believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, He can only do much more. Deliverance from death, from tears, and failing.

Psa 94:17, “Unless the Lord had been my help, my soul had almost dwelt in silence.”

The Hebrew word for “almost” is the word “quickly.”

Literally, “unless the Lord had been my help, my soul had “quickly” dwelt in silence.”

The Psalmist was in a deep pit of despair. There was no cry from his soul because his soul felt helpless. This is the principle where words fail us.

And the psalmist said if the Lord had not helped him, that would be the condition he would remain in.

Rom 8:31, “What then shall we say to these things, if God is for us, who can be against us.”

We have to learn to depend upon the Lord because He is for us. How do we know He is for us?

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

One of the things He gives us is that He is for us. And, therefore, who can be against us?

The Characteristics of a True Pastor

Malachi 2:5-7

A. Fearing God: His state of mind
B. Proclaiming the Truth: His message
C. Avoiding iniquity: His purpose
D. Walking with God: His habit
E. Turning men to God: His work
F. Teaching the Word of God: His duty
G. Acting as God's messenger: His commission

This is a guideline for when you elect your next pastor.

Mal 3:3, “And He shall sit as a Refiner and Purifier of silver.”

The Refiner sits watching until His own image is  reflected in the metal.

Job 23:10, “But He knoweth the way that I take. When He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.”

Zechariah's Predictions That Came True

Triumphal entry: Zech 9:9
The price paid: Zech 11:2
The use of the money: Zech 11:13
The piercing of His side: Zech 12:10
The wounds in His hands: Zech 13:6

Psa 20:1, “The Lord hear thee in the day of trouble. The Name of the God of Jacob defend thee.”
The defending Name.

Psa 20:5, “We will rejoice in Thy salvation and in the Name of our God. We will set up our banners. The Lord fulfill all Thy petitions.”
The displayed Name.

Psa 20:7, “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses, but we will remember the Name of the Lord our God.”
The Name depended upon.

“There is therefore no other Name given to men under Heaven whereby we must be saved.”

Mark 4:39, Christ overcame the storm
Mark 5:13, Christ overcame the devil
Mari 5:29, Christ overcame disease
Mark 5:42, Christ overcame death

“With God, nothing is impossible.”

Mark 5:12, Demons prayed and Christ answered
Mark 5:17, Gadarenes prayed and Christ answered
Mark 5:18-19, The healed demoniac prayed, but the Lord did not grant  his request. There was love in the denial.
 
 

Mark 6:37, Give ye them to eat.”
Christ uses us and our resources.

Mark 6:41, “Christ gave them to His disciples to set before them .”
Go and distribute.

Mark 8:34, “And when He had called the people unto Him with His disciples also, He said unto them, Whosever will come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.”

You can’t follow after Jesus Christ until you have first come unto Him.

“Come unto Me.”
 
 

Mark 10:17, “And when He was gone forth into the way, there came one running and kneeled to Him, and asked Him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?”

Salvation sought and missed.

Exodus 30:15, “And the rich shall not give more and the poor shall not give less than half a 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. He is within the reach of both rich and poor, who are on the same level in regard to redemption.

Lev 1:4, “He shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt offering …”

This implies confession, substitution, atonement, satisfaction, forgiveness.

Lev 4:4, “And he shall bring the bullock unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the Lord, and shall lay his hand upon the bullock's head  and kill the bullock before the Lord.“

The acceptableness of the offering transferred to the offerer. The sin of the offerer is transferred  to the offering.

Lev 1:9, “But his inwards and his legs shall he wash in water and the priest shall burn all on the altar to be a burnt sacrifice an offering  made by fire of a sweet savour unto the Lord.”

The careful cleansing of the sacrifice before it was placed on the altar teaches of the Lord's holiness and the righteous requirements of the law.

What God accepts, must be clean.

“The Lord is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity.”

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

We have used the expression, “love conquerors all!”

And yet it is a Biblical principle, the foundation of all God's promises and works is His eternal love.

Jer 9:24, I am the Lord which exercises loving kindness
Zeph 3:17, He will rest in His love
John 15:9, I have loved thee
Eph 3:19, The love of Christ
Rom 5:8, God commendeth His love towards us
1 John 4:19, He first loved us
1 John 4:8-9, God is love
Eph 3:19, The love of Christ which passeth knowledge
2 Cor 5:14, The love of Christ constraineth me
John 13:1, Having loved His own, He loved them unto the end

Divine love liberates:
Rom 8:37, Conquerors through Him thatloves us

Rev 1:5, Unto Him that loved us and loosed us from our sins.

“We love because He first loves us...”

One of the characteristics of Deity is Righteousness, and Jesus Christ has that essence.

Jer 23:6, “In his days, Judah shall be saved and Israel shall dwell safely and this is His Name whereby He shall be called "the Lord our Righteousness."

1 John 2:29, “If you know that He is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of Him.”

Jesus Christ also has the essence of Justice, which proves that He is Deity.

John 5:22, “For the Father judgeth no man but hath committed all judgment unto the Son.”
Act 17:31, “Because He hath appointed a day in the which He will judge the world in righteousness by that Man that He hath given assurance unto all men in that He raised Him from the dead.”
Deut 32:4, “He is the Rock, His work is perfect, for all His ways are justice; A God of Truth and without iniquity, just and right is He.”

Christ is also Sovereign.

1 Tim 6:15, “Which in His time He shall show who is the blessed and only potentate, the King of Kings and the Lord of lords.”
Jer 23:5, “Behold the days shall come saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a Righteous Branch and a King shall reign and prosper and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.”

Christ is also eternal life, which qualifies Him as being Deity.

Heb 7:25, “Wherefore He is able to save them completely that come unto God by Him seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them.”
Rev 4:9-11, “And when these beasts give glory and honour and thanks to Him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever. The four and twenty elders fall down before Him that sat on the throne and worship Him that liveth for ever and ever. And cast their crowns before the throne saying, Thou art worthy O Lord to receive glory and honour and power for Thou hast created all things and for Thy pleasure they are and were created.”

Christ is the Creator.

Christ as God has the qualification of Immutability, which means unchangeable.

Heb 1:12, “And as a vesture shall Thou fold them up, and they shall be changed, but Thou art the same and Thy years shall not fail.”
Heb 7:24, “But this man because He continueth ever hath an unchangeable priesthood.”
Heb 13:8, “Jesus Christ, the same yesterday and today and for ever.”

Equal with God, equal with man, the God-man.

Jesus Christ is God because He is all powerful, Omnipotent.

1 Cor 1:14, “But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.”
John 10:18, “No man taketh it from Me, but I lay it down of myself, I have power to lay it down and I have power to take it again, this commandment have I received of My Father.”
John 10:28, “And I give unto them eternal life and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand.”

Jesus Christ has the same quality of Love as God the Father.

John 15:9, “As the Father hath loved Me, so have I loved thee, continue ye in My love.”
Rom 8:39, “Nor height nor depth not any other  creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Christians are saved to be justified by faith in Christ

As Christians, we are live by faith, and not by sight.

In the Old Testament, we have written in Habakkuk that “the just shall live by faith.” There the principle is stated.
In Romans it says “the just shall live by faith.” In Romans the emphasis is on justification.
In Galatians, “the just shall live by faith,” is emphasis on living by faith.
In the book of Hebrews, “the just shall live by faith” which is the emphasis on faith.

The just are saved by faith and the just shall live by faith. 2 Cor 5:7.
“For we walk by faith and not by sight.”
 
 

Just in case you overslept and missed church this morning, here is what you missed:

When Christ arose from the grave, the first words out of His mouth were ...  “Joy and peace,” common words of greetings.

But when Christ greets you with “joy and peace,” this is not just an ordinary way of greeting one another. When He speaks, it is done.  So, when He says “joy and peace,” He is giving you joy and peace. His words are gifts.

Romans says we receive “joy and peace” by believing. By the way, when you read in the King James version where Christ said, "Hail," it wasn’t hail, it was the word "CHAIRO," which means joy.

“My joy, My peace, I give unto you, not as the world gives unto you. My peace shall remain in you.”

Peace on Earth because the Prince of Peace was on Earth. Now you can say you went to church.

There were four soldiers sitting at the foot of the Cross for three hours and what did they see?

Matt 27:36, “And sitting down, they watched Him there.”

Like most people who look at the Cross, they saw nothing.
 

How Christ answered Job's cry

Job 9:33, “Neither it there any Daysman betwixt us, that might lay hands upon us both.”

Yes there is!

1 Tim 2:5, “For there is one God, and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus.”

Christ answers Job's question

Job 14:14, “If a man die, shall he live again? All the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come.”

Answer:
John 11:25, “Jesus said unto her, I am the Resurrection and the Life, he that believeth on Me though he were dead, yet shall he live.”

Job 16:19, “And now behold my witness is in Heaven, and my record is on High.”

And he was right …

Heb 9:24, “For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are a figure of the true, but into Heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us.”

On resurrection morning the first thing that Jesus Christ said was to the women, “Joy,” not as the authorized version has it as "Hail."

And to the disciples He said, “Peace.”

He gave peace and joy to them. “My peace and My joy I give unto you.”

There is omnipotent efficacy in Christ's greetings. His wishes are His gifts. All His words are acts. He speaks and it is done. When He desires for us joy, it is a gift. And in the gift there is invested in it the joy and peace He desires for us.

Joy and peace come by believing. And receiving.

How do we know from Scripture that Jesus Christ is God?

One of the many ways in which we can tell is by Divine actions and characteristics attributed to Him.

For example: Veracity.

Eph 4:21, “If so be that you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the Truth is in Jesus.“
John 14:6, “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life, and no one cometh unto the Father but by Me.”
John 1:14, “And the Word took on flesh and dwelt among us and beheld His glory, the glory of the only begotten of the Father, full of Grace and Truth.”
John 1:17, “For the Law was given by Moses, but Grace and Truth came by Jesus Christ.”

One of the characteristics of Deity is veracity.

Another characteristic which proves that Jesus Christ is God is: Omniscience.

John 6:64, “But there are some of you that believe not for Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not and who should betray Him.”

John 2:24, “But Jesus did not commit Himself unto them because He knew all men.”

John 10:15, “As the Father knoweth Me, even so know I the Father and I lay down My life for the sheep.”

One of the qualifications for Jesus Christ to be God is: Omnipresence.

John 14:2, “Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love Me and he will keep My Words, and My Father will love and We will come unto him and make our abode with him.”

John 3:13, “And no man hath ascended up to Heaven, but He that came down from Heaven, even the Son of man which is in Heaven.“

Matt 18:20, “For where there are two or three gathered in My Name, there am I in the midst of them.”

Deity cannot be confined to one place, like the Cross. So Christ, as man, went to the Cross. That is the God-Man.

From the Divine Viewpoint the principle is: Believing is receiving!

John 1:12, “To as many as believed him,” “To them that believe.”
Acts 8:37, “If thou believest.”
Rom 10:8-10, “If thou shalt believe.”
1 John 5:13, “Believe that ye may not you have eternal life.”
John 3:6, “He that believeth on Him shall have everlasting life.”
John 6:47, “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life.”
John 20:29, “Blessed are they that have not seen but yet have believed.”

The world says seeing is believing.
The Lord says believing is seeing.
 
 

A Christian experience, Psa 116

V 3, Conviction: “I found trouble and sorrow .”
V 4, Prayer: “O Lord, I beseech Thee, deliver my soul.”
V 12, Gratitude: “What shall I render unto the Lord for all His benefits.”
V 16, Assurance: “O Lord, I am Thy servant.”
V 16, Freedom under Christ: “Thou hast loosed my bonds.”

Psa 117:2, “The Truth of the Lord endureth for ever.”

John 14:6, “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life; no one cometh unto the Father but by Me.”
 
 

Psa 119:19, Believer's prayer

“Hide not Thy commandments from me.”

Promise:
Psa 32:8, “I will instruct thee and teach thee.”

Fulfillment:
Luke 24:45, “Then opened He their understanding that they might understand the Scriptures.”

Psa 119:59-60, “I thought on my ways and turned my feet unto Thy
testimonies, I made haste and delayed not to keep Thy commandments.”

The prodigal son’s epitaph:

Thinking for himself
Thinking about himself
Practical and prompt

Psa 119:94, “I am Thine, save me for I have sought Thy precepts.”

Profession: I am thine.
Prayer: Save me.
Plea: For I have sought Thy precepts.

Thine, by purchase, surrender.

Save me from sin, error, enemies, carelessness, self, and temptation.

We have all heard the old expression …

It, she, or he, “is the greatest thing since sliced bread.”
And we probably believe it. But when you start with a false premise, you end up with a false conclusion.

Scripture can be applied to your personal life and you can benefit from it.

Point of view:

Christ always broke bread. He never sliced bread.

There is something special about breaking bread with someone not slicing bread with someone.

Point of view: Just get a loaf of bread unsliced and take it home and break bread with someone and you will see how special it is and how much
better it tastes to break bread than to slice it.

The disciples went from door to door breaking bread.

The Father Gives the Bride Away.

John 17:9, “I pray for them, I pray not for the world but for them whom Thou hast given Me, for they are Thine.”

The Father gives the bride away!

We are called the bride of Christ, and the Father gives the bride away to the Bridegroom. Now, the next time you go to a wedding or attend your own, don’t object to the ceremony when the mother gets up and says “I give the bride away,” or “My husband and I give the bride away.” God does not have a mother.

Judges 7:16, “And he divided the 300 men into three companies, and he put a trumpet in every man's hand with empty pitchers and lamps within the pitchers.”

Empty pitchers with lights shining in them. Trumpets to proclaim. Such should Christians be.

The trumpet and the torch should tell the same story.
The testimony of the lips and of the life should agree.
We have this treasure in earthen vessels.

Ruth 1:6, “Then she arose with her daughters in law that she might return from the country of Moab for she had heard in the country of Moab how that the Lord had visited His people in giving them bread.”

The true child of God never dies in a far country but returns to his Father’s house.

Ruth 1:14, “And they lifted up their voice and wept again and Orpah kissed her mother in law but Ruth clave unto her.”

Orpah means “profession.” Ruth means “possession.”
 
Ruth 1:21, “And I went out full and the Lord had brought me home again empty: why then call ye me Naomi, seeing the Lord hath testified against me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me?"

I went out ... the Lord hath brought me home.

In Scripture it is repeated that when Jesus Christ was being bruised and afflicted and beaten, "He opened up not His mouth."

And He did the same thing with the Jewish rulers, Pilate, and Herod. "He opened up not His mouth."

But He finally did open up His mouth. Why?

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

Crucifixion was Roman style of capital punishment.

Many people were killed through crucifixion and it was mainly through exhaustion.

But the Cross didn’t kill Christ. He laid down His life. He dismissed His Spirit. He commended His Spirit to leave His body and it did.

He died for you and me because He would and He would because He loved. Merry Christmas!

Song of Solomon 2:15, “Take us the foxes the little foxes, that spoil the vines, for our vines have tender grapes.”

Little foxes that spoil the vines.
Selfishness spoils love.
Anxious thoughts spoil peace.
Discontent spoils joy.
Impatience spoils longsuffering.
Bitter words spoil gentleness.
Indolence spoils goodness.
Doubt spoils faith.
Pride spoils meekness.
Love of pleasure spoils temperance.

Song of Solomon 8:5, “Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness leaning upon her beloved? I raised thee up under the apple tree, there thy mother brought thee forth, there she brought thee forth that bare thee.”

Leaning upon her beloved, not leading.

Why Grace? To be saved by.
Why power? To be kept by.
Why providence? To be fed by.
Why the Word? To be ruled by.
Why His care? To be preserved by.
Why His arms? To be safely landed in glory.

Simple Ones, Scorners, Fools

Prov 1:22, "How long ye simple ones will ye love simplicity? And the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge."

Prov 1:25, "And wound none of My reproof."

Prov 1:30, "They would none of My counsel, they despised all My reproof."

Psa 81:11, “But My people would not hearken to My voice and Israel would none of Me.”

Prov 1:32, “For the turning away of the simple shall slay them and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.”

Prosperity discovers vice, but adversity discovers virtue.

Proverbs 3 has seven positives and 12 negatives.

Now there is a message for a pastor.

Matt 26:56, “But all that was done that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled then all the disciples forsook Him and fled.”

Christ's circle gradually narrowed down. First the multitudes left Him, and many so-called disciples and finally “the twelve.”

Matt 27:35, “And they crucified Him and parted His garments casting lots that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, ‘They parted My garments among them and upon My vesture did they cast lots.’”

The soldiers took from Christ His garments.
But He laid aside the robe of flesh of His own will.

Mark 2:5, “When Jesus saw their faith He said unto the sick of the palsy, Son thy sins be forgiven thee.”

Christ saw not their perseverance or their ingenuity, but their faith.

Mark 6:29, “For Herod feared John knowing that he was a just man and an holy and observed him and when he heard him he did many things and heard him gladly.”

Herod feared John and did many things.
Had he feared the Lord, he would have done everything.

Herod was not far from the kingdom of God, but the sin of adultery kept him back. It was the price of his soul.

“He that committeth adultery with a woman destroyeth his own soul,”  Prov 6:32.

God the Father, full of compassion, Psa 114:8, Psa 138:38

God the Son moved with compassion, Luke 7:13, Mark 1:41

Mark 9:8, “And suddenly when they had looked round about they saw no man any more save Jesus only with themselves.”

Jesus Christ alone on the Mount of Transfiguration.
Jesus Christ alone on Mount Calvary, the mount of suffering.

“There is no other name under Heaven given to men whereby we must be saved.”

Mark 9:2: The Christian life on the mountain top.
Spiritual communion, occupied with Jesus Christ.

Mark 9:9: The Christian life in the plain.
Practical conflict, occupied with Christ.

Mark 9:20, “And they brought him unto Him and when He saw him straightway, the spirit tare him and he fell on the ground and wallowed foaming.”

Like a bad tenant, the demon tried to do as much harm as he could when he got notice to quit, being evicted.

Y2K    A Powerful Prayer!

A prayer not for the removal of the calamities of Y2K, but a triumphant prayer nevertheless

Jer 14:1-9: Key principles for deliverance
V 7, Do it for Thy Name's sake
V 8, The hope of Israel
V 8, The Saviour thereof in time of trouble
V 9, Thou art in our midst
V 9, We are called by Thy Name
V 9, Leave us not

But, start off with verse 7, “though our iniquities testify against us, do it for Thy Name’s sake,; for our backslidings are many; we have sinned against Thee.”

Confession first and then hit the Throne of Grace.

Happy Y2K!!!!

If you want to have an interesting conversation, just ask a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ what she or he does when he or she sins.

The answers:
“Well, I don’t sin any more!”
“Well, I go to church”
“Well, I go to prayer meeting”
“Well, I pray”
“Well, I give”
“I hustle around a church
“I get water baptized”
Etc.

What is a believer supposed to do when he or she sins?

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.”

What do you do when you sin? Oh, you don’t sin? Let me ask your wife or your husband.

Matt 15:24, “But He answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
Matt 15:25, “Lord, help me.”
Matt 15:26, “But He answered and said it is not meet to take the children's bread and cast it to dogs.”
Matt 15:27, “Truth, Lord, yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters table.”
Matt 15:28, “O woman, great is thy faith. Be it unto even as thou wilt.”

The Lord was charmed with the diamond of this woman's faith. And He tried it in different lights in order that each facet might flash out.

“A gift is as a precious stone to him that hath it, everywhere it turneth, it prospereth.”

The Church was chosen before the foundation of the world. Eph 1:14, Titus 1:2

The Jew, from the foundation of the world. Matt 25:34, “Come ye blessed of my father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”

Even Demons Go to Church

Mark 1:23, “And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit and he cried out.”

Not only in church, but praying. I wonder how many demons we have in a church service???

Even Satan believes in God, but he also is not saved.

When you are younger you “think” you can make it in your own strength, because you are young and strong. But, you can’t make it in your own strength.

When you get older you can’t make it in your own strength – you don’t have any. So, it is much easier and there is less of a challenge to depend on the Lord's strength.

True or false: We need the Lord's strength, young or old. “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength and mount up with wings of eagles.”

Matt 16:16, “And Simon Peter answered and said, thou are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
A great confession.

Matt 16:22, “Then Peter took Him, began to rebuke Him, saying, Lord, this shall not be unto Thee.”
A great collapse.

Satan is a great counter attacker. After a great victory you are vulnerable for a great fall.

Matt 22:2, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like unto a certain king which made a marriage for his son.”

The feast was spread not for the feeding of the guests, but for the honoring of the king's son.

Matt 23:27, “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you are like unto whited sepulchers, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.”

Whitewashed, not washed white.

Some very good-looking men are deformed on the inside. Men look on the outside, God looks on the inside.

Matt 24:18, “Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.” This is speaking of the Tribulation.

In the ruins of Pompeii, there was found the petrified body of a woman in the act of snatching her jewels.

Matt 24:42, “Watch therefore for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.”

The Lord's exhortation is never based on the fear of death, but on the hope of His return and its unexpectedness.

Matt 24:47, “Verily I say unto you, that He shall make him ruler over all goods.”

The promotion that comes from the Lord is not like earthly possessions where the eminence of one excludes that of another. But rather like the diffusion of love, in which the more one has, the more there is for all.

Matt 24:49, “And shall begin to smite his fellowservants and to eat and drink with the drunken.”

Unkindness toward the Lord's people and fellowship with the ungodly are two great marks of hypocrisy.

Matt 25:15, “And unto one He gave five talents and to another one, to every man according to his several ability and straightway took his journey.”

Many thousands of watch springs can be made out of a pound of iron. We have to improve faithfully the talent that God has given us.

Micah 5:7, “And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many people as a dew from the Lord, as the showers upon the grass, that tarrieth not for man now waiteth for the sons of men.”

O.T.: Influence of the believers in the world.
N.T.: Influence is salt of the Earth and light of the world.

Micah 2:7, “O thou that art named the house of Jacob is the spirit of the Lord straitened?”
Are these His doings? Do not my words do good to him that walketh uprightly?”

There is nothing wrong with the Lord.
There is nothing wrong with His Word.
There is nothing wrong with God the Holy Spirit.

What is wrong? Quenching and grieving the Holy Spirit. Confession of sin is necessary for the believer.
The command is to stop quenching, stop grieving.

Sometimes when something goes wrong in our lives as Christians, either to us personally or to our family, or even our nation – we think sometimes that the Lord has forgotten all about us.

But that is not the problem. We have forgotten Him.

Israel had that same problem, so we are not alone. And they expressed it in a very unusual manner that you may not detect in a quick reading of this passage.

Jer 14:8, “O the hope of Israel, the Saviour thereof in time of trouble. Why shouldest Thou be as a stranger in the land? And as a wayfaring man that turneth aside to tarry for the night. Why shouldest Thou be as a man astonised as a mighty man that cannot save. Yet Thou, O Lord, art in the midst of us and we are called by Thy Name. Leave us not.”

They thought that He was a stranger, foreigner, alien. Or, a warfaring man turning in for one night and leaving in the morning, just passing through.
Mighty and yet could not save.

Well, it wasn’t His fault. It was their fault, they were strangers and hust passing through and spending the night and leaving in the morning.
They thought He was strange, but they were strange!

This is the “Nod-to-God” type that shows up on Sunday.

Y2K

Many are concerned and should be as to the outcome of Y2K and the year 2000 A.D.

But whatever you do, do not pray for the removal of whatever calamity may occur because of Y2K.

I have done a study recently in Jeremiah 14:1-9, which gives us a picture of a calamity. And it is noticeable there that the prayer was not for the removal of the calamity,

If you need further information, I will send you the complete study for the same price … no charge, tape or literature.

It states that He, the Lord, is in their midst
He is the hope of Israel
The Saviour in the time of trouble
Read it, I think you will like it.

Isa 59:1-2, “Behold the Lord's hand is not shortened that it cannot save, neither His ear heavy that it cannot hear. But your sins have separated between you and your God and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear.”

If our water supply runs short, we don’t conclude that the river or the lake has run dry.  But that our pipes are clogged up.

Why prayer is not answered. Not all prayers are answered.

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

If you want your prayers to be answered, be sure that first you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ and secondly that you are in fellowship with Him. This can be accomplished at any time simply by  using

1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

There are times when the Grace of God operates in our lives when it comes to prayer. Even without our praying.

Isa 65:24, “And it shall come to pass that before they call, I will answer, and while they are yet speaking I will hear.”

God sometimes answers before you ask.

Jer 8:7, “Yea the stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times.”

The Persians formed their almanacs by the movements of the storks.

1. Birds mingle music with work
2. They fly high when migrating
3. They know when to start
4. All the family goes together

And you thought that storks brought babies!

Ezek 11:16, “Therefore say, thus saith the Lord God, although I have cast them far off among the heathen and although I scattered them among the countries ... Yet will I be to them as a little sanctuary in the countries where they shall come.”

Though Israel is dispersed, they can find the Lord even among the heathen. And that is Grace.

Ezek 23:35, “Therefore saith the Lord God, because thou hast forgotten Me, and cast Me behind thy back, therefore bear thou also thy lewdness and thy whoredoms.”

“Cast Me behind thy back” compared with
Psa 16:8, “Set the Lord always before me.”

If you turn you back on the Lord, He is still there but you can’t see His face.

Here is a message for your pastor, an outline …

Ezek 34, The I will's of the Lord on behalf of His sheep.

V 11, I will search them and seek them out.
V 12, I will deliver them.
V 13, I will bring them out.
V 13, I will gather them.
V 13, I will bring them in.
V 14, I will feed them.
V 15, I will cause to lie down.
V 16, I will bind up the broken.
V 16, I will strengthen the sick.

“The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.”

Nothing derogatory is recorded of Enoch, Samuel and Daniel. Yet they were not sinless but they confessed their sins.

Dan 1:4, “Children in whom was no blemish.”

Dan 1:6-8, Boy heroes and by reason of their purpose this is what the Lord gave them.

1. Favor and tender love with the prince.
2. Health and comeliness of features.
3. Knowledge and skill in learning and wisdom.
4. Pre-eminence.

Do not eat the king's food. Do not "go with the tide" if it is wrong.

Dan 1:12, “Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days and let them give us pulse to eat and water to drink.”

Do not be afraid to test your faith.

Dan 1:15, “And at the end of ten days, their countenances appeared fairer and fatter in flesh then all the children which did eat the portion of the king's meat.”

Purity pays. He who abstains from drinking and drugs, etc. always has the more comely features, because of sound doctrine. Literally, “healthy doctrine.”

Dan 5:27, “Weighed and found wanting.”

The moralist: morality
The formalist: ritual
The worldly: riches and pleasure

In our day facing the year 2000, with the apostasy that has been predicted and has come true, it is said, “In the latter days they will not endure sound Doctrine."  We are confronted on every stage with miracle workers and so-called healers. I wonder how John the baptist would stack up today as a miracle worker?

Matt 11:1, “Verily I say unto you among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the baptist.”

How great was he?
John 1:29, “Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world.”

But notice this same John was so great that …
John 10:41 "and many resorted unto him and said, 'John did no miracle,' but all things that John spake of this Man were true.”

V 42, “And many believed on Him there.”

 Psa 141:7-8, “Our bones are scattered at the grave's mouth as when one cutteth and cleaveth wood upon the Earth.  But mine eyes are unto Thee, O God the Lord, in Thee is my trust, leave not my soul destitute.”

These texts are inscribed on the cross which marks the site of the well into which the dead bodies were dropped every night during the siege of Cawnpore, in which about one thousand Europeans were murdered.

We are not allowed to put crosses on our graves anymore in this country. It seems a shame that men and women who have died for this country are not allowed to display their faith.
In the last days men will not endure sound Doctrine.

Psa 119:31, “I have stuck unto Thy testimonies O Lord. Put me not in shame.”

The best law for Bible Study is sticking to it.

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

It is a good wave that washes the mariner on to the rock.
 
 

Psa 102:25, “Of old hast Thou laid the foundation of the Earth and the Heavens are the work of Thy hands.”

Creation was the work of God's hands.
Redemption was the work of His heart.

Eph 1:7, “In Whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His Grace.”

Joshua 23,  “Be ye therefore very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, that ye turn not aside therefrom to the right hand or to the left.”

Joshua had tried God for 40 years in the brick kiln, 40 years in the desert, and 30 years in the Promised Land. And this was his dying testimony.

“In the beginning God created the Heavens and the Earth.”

Well there is God the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, which one of Them did the creating?

Christians recite a creed which says, “I believe in God the Father Almighty, the Creator of Heaven and Earth.” But, they start off their worship service with a wrong premise.

Col 1:16, “For by Him were all things created, that are in Heaven and that are in Earth, visible and invisible; whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities or powers, all things were created by Him and for Him.”

Col 1:17, “And He is before all things and by Him all things consist.”

Our Saviour Jesus Christ is our Creator.

John 1:3, “All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made.”

Heb 1:3, “Who being the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His Person, and upholding all things by the Word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;”

“In the beginning God created the Heavens and the Earth.”

The word “create” is the Hebrew word "BARA," which means to create out of nothing.

By what power did Christ create the world?

Heb 1:3, “Who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His Person, and upholding all things by the Word of His power …”

Answer: By the Word of His power

2 Pet 3:5, “For this they willingly are ignorant of that by the Word of God the Heavens were of old and the Earth standing from the beginning of the creation.”
By the Word of His power Christ created the Heavens and the Earth.

Christ created the Heavens and the Earth out of nothing. How did He create man?

He made man. The Hebrew word for “made” is "ASAH," which means He made man out of existing material.
And He formed man. The Hebrew word for “formed” is "YATSAR," which means to form or mold.
And He made woman. Here is another Hebrew verb, and this time it is "BANAH," which means He built a woman for Adam.

Hebrew verbs of the original language are important.

Did you know that Adam was told to dress the ground? So, he was a gardener.
Remember Mary thought Christ was a gardener? She mistook Adam for Christ.

In Genesis it is stated that the last thing that Christ created was man.

Did you ever realize that brussel sprouts were here before us?

When God placed Adam in the Garden of Eden, did Adam just lay around and
watch TV? No, Adam was put in the Garden to dress it and keep it.

I wonder what kind of a dresser he was? He didn’t have good taste when
he selected his first suit.

Who was the first transgressor in the Garden?
It was Eve, and she was deceived.

Adam tried to hide from the Lord.

I guess he never read, Psa 139:7, “Whither shall I go from Thy Spirit? Or whether shall I flee from Thy presence?”

Psa 139:12, “Yes the darkness hideth not from Thee but the night shineth as the day, the darkness and the night are both alike to Thee.”

How did Adam know the ground also was cursed?

By the weeds that it brought forth, and the labor required to till it.
Now Adam really had to go to work by the sweat of his brow.
 

Yes, that she would be the ancestress of Christ. Gen 3:15, “the Seed of the woman.”

Heb 11:4, “By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and by it he being dead yet speaketh.”

2 Sam 3:3, “And his third son, Absalom, the son of Maacah, the daughter of
Talmani king of Geshur.”

David married a princess who was not of Israel in order to strengthen his kingdom, and Absalom was his son.

1 Kings 8:56, “Blessed be the Lord that hath given rest to His people Israel according to all that He promised. There hath not failed one Word of all His good promise which He promised by the hand of Moses, His servant.”

Unclaimed promises are like uncashed checks. They will keep you from bankruptcy, but not from want.

1 Kings 17:16, “And the barrel of meal wasted not neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the Word of the Lord, which He spake by Elijah.”

In Christianity, the more you export, the more you have at home.

2 Kings 6:16, “And he answered, Fear not; for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.”

There are only two classes of people: “with” or “against.”

Christ said, “He who is not for Me is against Me.”
He who does not gather, scatters.

There is no neutrality when it comes to Christ: You are either for or against Him.

If you could pick out one verse that would explain all the difficulties Christians are having in marriage what would it be?

Here is a clue: It never says in the Bible that the wife is supposed to love her husband.
Do you have the answer yet? Well, you don’t have to be from Mars or Venus.

Here is another clue:

Titus 2:4, “That they, aged women, may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children.”

Do you have the answer yet? Well, if you don’t get it soon, I will send it to you.
The most important verse in the Bible when it comes to marriage.

Another Question on Marriage

Where do a man and woman first recognize that they are meant for each other?

Here is a clue: A believer is trichotomos, which means he is made up of three parts: Spirit, soul, and body. Where is the recognition found?

There are four words for love in the Koine Greek of the New Testament. So, that when someone says “I love you” you know whether to run, walk, or stay.

AGAPE, PHILOS, STORGE, ERGOS. ERGOS is not found in the New Testament. AGAPE is mental love. PHILOS is total soul rapport. STORGE is like family and friends love.

Psa 145:17, What the Lord is: Righteous in all His ways and holy in all His works.

Psa 145:18, Where the Lord is: Nigh unto all them that call upon Him, to all that call upon Him in Truth.”

Psa 145:19, What the Lord will do: He will fulfill the desire of them that fear Him. He also shall hear their cry and will save them.

Psa 119:94

Profession: I am Thine.
Prayer: Save me.
Plea: For I have sought Thy precepts.

Thine, by purchase, surrender.

Save me, from sin, error, enemies, carelessness, temptation, and self.

Wherewith shall we praise, whatever is most helpful.

Psa 150:3-5, “Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet. Praise Him with the psaltery and harp. Praise Him with the timbrel and dance. Praise Him with stringed instruments and organs. Praise Him upon the loud  cymbals. Praise Him upon the loud sounding cymbals.”

It sounds like big band to me.

Whom Shall Praise

Psa 150:6, “Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord.”

The Psalms begin with “blessed is the man” and the Psalms end with “Praise ye the Lord.”

Whom shall we praise?
Where shall we praise?
Why shall we praise?

Psa 150:1-2, Praise ye the Lord, Praise God in His sanctuary. Praise Him in the firmament of His power. Praise Him for His mighty acts. Praise Him according to His excellent greatness.”

Psa 103: The mercy of God

V 4, Its quality: Tender
V 8, Its measure: Plenteous
V 11, Its extent: As high as Heaven
V 17, Its duration: From everlasting to everlasting.

Never let us think that the devil is dead or asleep.
As He that keepeth Israel, so he that hateth Israel never slumbereth nor sleeepeth.

Psa 125:1-2, “They that trust in the Lord shall be as Mount Zion which cannot be removed but abideth for ever. As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the Lord is round about His people from henceforth even for ever.”

As the Lord encircles His people like a mountain rampart, He must be removed before they can be removed.

Therefore the command: Phil 4:1, “Stand fast in the Lord.”

Psa 138:6, “Though the Lord be high, yet hath He respect unto the lowly, but the proud He knoweth afar off.”

Pride never prepares a man for Paradise. Pride prepares a man for perdition.

Psa 140:5, “The proud hid a snare for me, and cords they spread a net by “the wayside” they have set gins for me. Selah.”

The net is by the wayside. There is no danger in the Way.

“I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No man cometh unto the Father but by Me.”

Psa 89: The Mercy of God

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

Don’t give me what I deserve, Lord. Give me mercy.

Psa 119:166, Trust and Obedience

Lord, I have “hoped” for Thy salvation and “done” Thy commandments.

Psa 19:7-8, Actions of God's Word

Converting, making wise, rejoicing, and enlightening.

Do you want to be saved? Do you want to be wise?
Do you want to be happy? Do you want to be enlightened? Well …

Meditate in the Word day and night neither turning to the left or the right and thou shalt prosper withersoever thou goest."

Psa 19:7-8, Actions of God's Word

Converting, making wise, rejoicing, and enlightening.

Do you want to be saved? Do you want to be wise?
Do you want to be happy? Do you want to be enlightened? Well …

“Meditate in the Word day and night neither turning to the left or the right and thou shalt prosper withersoever thou goest.”

Psa 22:31, “They shall come and shall declare His righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that He hath done this.”

Literal translation, that “it is finished,” for He hath done this.

Psa 22:26, “The meek shall eat and be satisfied.”

Psa 22:29, “And they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship.”

Satisfied ones must go on eating if they are to worship. Taste and see that the Lord is gracious.
The fat is the Lord's.

Psa 22:1 begins with the atonement cry of Christ, “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?”
Psa 22:31 ends with “It is finished.”