|
|
Rank: Advanced Member  Joined: 10/7/2008 Posts: 2,847 Location: Caldwell Tex
|
The manifold grace of God.
What great words.
brbruce
|
|
|
Rank: Advanced Member Joined: 10/7/2008 Posts: 2,847 Location: Caldwell Tex
|
THE POWER
As Jesus spent his last hours with his disciples, he said to them, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you” (John 16:23). Then he told them, “Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full” (16:24).
What an incredible statement. As this scene took place, Christ was warning his followers that he was going away, and he wouldn’t see them for a short time. Yet, in the very same breath, he assured them they had access to every blessing of heaven. All they had to do was ask in his name.
The disciples had been personally taught by Jesus to knock, seek, and ask for the things of God. They were taught firsthand that all of the blessings of the Father—all grace, power and strength—were found in Christ. And they’d heard Jesus declare to the multitudes: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask anything in my name, I will do it” (John 14:12–14).
Christ’s words to his disciples convict me: “Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name” (John 16:24). As I read this, I hear the Lord whispering to me, "you haven’t claimed the power I’ve made available to you. You simply need to ask in my name.”
Here is what I believe grieves God’s heart more than all the sins of the flesh combined. Our Lord is grieved by the ever-growing lack of faith in his promises…by ever-increasing doubts that he answers prayer…and by a people who claim less and less of the power that is in Christ.
No matter how much you have asked of the likeness of Christ, it is nothing compared to the resources of spiritual wisdom still awaiting in his storehouse. Ask largely! Ask for wisdom, ask for guidance, ask for revelation. But it must be asked in faith, nothing doubting.
|
|
|
Rank: Advanced Member Joined: 10/7/2008 Posts: 2,847 Location: Caldwell Tex
|
In the throne room.
According to Paul, we who believe in Jesus have been raised up from spiritual death and are seated with him in a heavenly realm. “Even when we were dead in sins, [God] hath quickened us together with Christ…and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:5-6).
Where is this heavenly place where we’re seated with Jesus? It is none other than God’s own throne room—the throne of grace, the dwelling place of the Almighty. Two verses later we read how we were brought to this wonderful place: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God” (2:8).
This throne room is the seat of all power and dominion. It’s the place where God rules over all principalities and powers, and reigns over the affairs of men. Here in the throne room, he monitors every move of Satan and examines every thought of man.
And Christ is seated at the Father’s right hand. Scripture tells us, “All things were made by him” (John 1:3). And, “In him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily” (Colossians 2:9). In Jesus resides all wisdom and peace, all power and strength, everything needed to live a victorious, fruitful life. And we’re given access to all those riches that are in Christ.
Paul is telling us, “As surely as Christ was raised from the dead, we’ve been raised up with him by the Father. And, as surely as Jesus was taken to the throne of glory, we’ve been taken with him to the same glorious place. Because we are in him, we are also where he is. That’s the privilege of all believers. It means we are seated with him in the same heavenly place where he dwells.”
Paul says that all spiritual blessings are bestowed in the throne room. All the riches of Christ are available to us there: steadfastness, strength, rest, ever-increasing peace. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3).
|
|
|
Rank: Advanced Member Joined: 10/7/2008 Posts: 2,847 Location: Caldwell Tex
|
It involves the heart.
You can’t weep your way into this heavenly place. You can’t study or work or will your way in. No, the only way to the throne-life is by way of a living sacrifice: “Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service” (Romans 12:1).
Paul is speaking from experience. Here is a man who was rejected, tempted, persecuted, beaten, jailed, shipwrecked, stoned. Paul also had all the cares of the church laid on him. Yet he testified, “In every condition, I have been content.”
Now he’s saying to us, “So, you want to know how I came into the knowledge of this heavenly walk? Do you want to know how I came to be content in whatever condition I was placed, how I came to find true rest in Christ? Here is the path, the secret to appropriating your heavenly position: Present your body as a living sacrifice to the Lord. I come into contentment only by the sacrifice of my own will.”
The Greek root for “living” here suggests “lifelong.” Paul is talking about a binding commitment, a sacrifice that’s made once in a lifetime. Yet, don’t misunderstand; this isn’t a sacrifice that has to do with propitiation for sin. Christ’s sacrifice on the cross is the only worthy propitiation: “Now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself” (Hebrews 9:26).
No, Paul is talking about a different kind of sacrifice. Yet, make no mistake; God has no pleasure in the manmade sacrifices of the Old Testament. Hebrews tells us, “In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast no pleasure” (10:6). Why weren’t these sacrifices pleasing to the Lord? Simply put, they didn’t require the heart.
The sacrifice Paul describes is one that God takes great pleasure in, precisely because it involves the heart. What is this sacrifice? It is one of death to our will, of laying aside our self-sufficiency and abandoning our ambitions.
When Paul exhorts, “Present you body,” he’s saying, “Draw near to the Lord.” Yet, what does this mean, exactly? It means drawing near to God for the purpose of offering our entire selves to him. It means coming to him not in our own sufficiency, but as a resurrected child, as holy in Jesus’ righteousness, as being accepted by the Father through our position in Christ. The moment you resign your will to him, the sacrifice has been made. It happens when you give up the struggle of trying to please God on your own. This act of faith is the “reasonable service” Paul refers to. It’s all about trusting him with our will, believing he’ll provide all the blessings we need
|
|
|
Rank: Advanced Member Joined: 10/7/2008 Posts: 2,847 Location: Caldwell Tex
|
Confessing Christ means more than believing in his divinity.
It’s about more than stating he’s the Son of God,
crucified, buried, resurrected and seated at the father’s right hand.
The Bible says even demons believe this, and tremble at the knowledge.
So, what does Jesus mean when he says we are to confess him before men?
“Whosoever therefore shall confess me…” (10:32, italics mine). By using
the word therefore, Jesus is saying, in essence, “In light of what I’ve
just said…,” or, “Because of what I’ve just told you…” What had
Christ just told his listeners? He had said, “Are not two sparrows sold for a
farthing? And one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father”
(10:29). Jesus was telling them, “Think of the millions of birds throughout
the earth. Now think of all the birds that have existed since Creation. To this
day, not one bird has died or been snared without your heavenly Father knowing
it.
Then he pointed out, “But the very hairs of your head are all numbered”
(10:30). Christ was emphasizing, “God is so great, he’s beyond your ability
to comprehend. You’ll never be able to grasp how detailed his care for you
is.”
Jesus concluded by saying, “Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than
many sparrows” 10:31). He sums everything up by saying, “Whoever therefore
shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is
in heaven” (10:32). He is saying, “Think about what I’ve just revealed to
you about the Father’s all-seeing, all-knowing care. You’re to confess this
truth to the whole world. You’re to live, breathe and testify, ‘God cares
for me.’”
Believe in the Father’s love for you and accept his intimate care for you.
And lay down all your fears and doubts. Live before men with the faith that God
hasn’t overlooked you. Confess to everyone,
“His eye is on the sparrow, and I know he watches over me.”
|
|
|
Rank: Advanced Member Joined: 10/7/2008 Posts: 2,847 Location: Caldwell Tex
|
"God is a God of compassion...his compassions for me cannot fail.... They are
new every morning...great is his faithfulness..." (Lamentations 3:22-23).
When I am at the very lowest point; when troubles flow over my heart like
water, and I say, "I am cut off," God draws near and whispers, "Do not fear!"
(Lamentations 3:54-57).
|
|
|
Rank: Advanced Member Joined: 10/7/2008 Posts: 2,847 Location: Caldwell Tex
|
What foundation is your faith built upon? Scripture tells us faith comes by hearing, and that God’s Word gives us “spiritual ears,” enabling us to hear (see Romans 10:17). Well, here’s what the Bible says about the wilderness experiences in our lives:
· “Let not the waterflood overflow me, neither let the deep swallow me up…Hear me, O Lord; for thy lovingkindness is good…hide not thy face from thy servant; for I am in trouble” (Psalm 69:15-17). Clearly waters of affliction flood the lives of the godly.
· “For thou, O God, has proved us: thou hast tried us, as silver is tried. Thou broughtest us into the net; thou laidst affliction upon our loins…we went through fire and through water” (66:10-12). Who brings us into a net of afflictions? God himself does.
· “Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word…It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes” (119:67, 71). These verses make it perfectly clear. It’s good for us—it even blesses us—to be afflicted.
Consider the Psalmist’s testimony: “I love the Lord, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications…. The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon me; I found trouble and sorrow. Then called I upon the name of the Lord; O Lord, I beseech thee, deliver my soul” (Psalm 116:1-4). Here was a faithful servant who loved God and had great faith. Yet he faced the sorrows of pain, trouble and death.
We find this theme throughout the Bible. God’s Word loudly declares that the path to faith is through the floods and fires: “Thy way is in the sea, and thy path in the great waters” (Psalm 77:19). “Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth…. I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert” (Isaiah 43:19). “When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee; when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee” (Isaiah 43:2). “For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee” (Isaiah 41:13).
This last verse holds an important key: In every wilderness we face, our Father is holding our hand. Yet only those who go through the wilderness get this hand of comfort. He outstretches it to those who are caught in raging rivers of trouble.
|
|
|
Rank: Advanced Member Joined: 10/7/2008 Posts: 2,847 Location: Caldwell Tex
|
This is about homeless children.
While on a visit to a children's home (orphanage) in central Texas.
I spent some time with a group of children 5 to 9 years old.
A house father shared this story.
When the children come here I spend extra time with them and when we look at what they bring with them its usually in a trash bag.
I asked one little girl what she had and she stated all she had was trash.
Every time that she was to pack up her things they would say go get a trash bag.
I pray that this small word has touched you as it did me.
I will never say trash bag when I speak about the bag that someone carries there worldly possessions in.
This is a true story and I pray that you share it with others.
Jesus spoken Hear.
brbruce
|
|
|
Rank: Advanced Member Joined: 10/7/2008 Posts: 2,847 Location: Caldwell Tex
|
We know that all through the Bible, the number seven is equated with God’s eternal purpose. Therefore, I believe the number of 7000 that God quoted to Elijah in 1 Kings 19:18 simply denoted everyone who made up his remnant. The people he sets aside for himself could number 70 or 7 million. What matters is that they are wholly given to him.
So, what are the characteristics of the remnant? Here are three defining marks:
1. An unchangeable commitment to cling to the Lord. Every remnant believer has made a single-minded choice to swim against the tide of evil. At some point, you have to make a commitment, declaring, “I don’t care what others say or do. I am the Lord’s. And I won’t give in to the wicked spirit of this age.”
2. A willingness to identify with the poor. While society’s trend is to associate with the rich and successful, you align yourself with the suffering class. Obadiah was a godly man serving in Jezebel’s house. He was determined to fear God and no one else and he proved that his heart was right and was with the poor by taking care of 100 ragged, suffering prophets (1 Kings 18:4).
3. A reliance on hope. The 7000 in Elijah’s time endured because of their hope in a coming day of deliverance. Likewise today, the church’s blessed hope is the soon return of Jesus. With one trumpet blast, all wickedness will end. Our Lord will do away with all killing of babies, all blatant perversions, all ethnic genocide.
Do these three marks characterize you as a part of God’s holy remnant? If so, God boasts of you, “This one has given his heart to me. He’s focused on me. And he is wholly mine!”
We are to evangelize, minister and work while it is still day. We are also to live in the hope that King Jesus is coming. And he’s bringing a new world with him, where he’ll rule from his eternal throne.
|
|
|
Rank: Advanced Member Joined: 10/7/2008 Posts: 2,847 Location: Caldwell Tex
|
God has not shut his ear.
God has not forgotten you!
He knows exactly where you are, what you are going
through right now, and he is monitoring every step along your path. But we are
just like the children of Israel who doubted God’s daily care for them, even
though prophets were sent to deliver wonderful promises from heaven. We forget
in our hour of need that God has us in the palm of his hand. Instead, like the
children of Israel, we are afraid we are going to blow it all and be destroyed
by the enemy.
Can it be that we continue in our hurting—continue living in defeat and
failure—simply because we really do not believe God answers our prayers
anymore?
Are we as guilty as the children of Israel in thinking God has forsaken us and
given us over to our own devices to figure things out for ourselves? Do we
really believe our Lord meant it when he said God will act just in time, in
answer to our prayer of faith? Jesus implies that most of us, even though
called and chosen, will not be trusting in him when he returns. Some of God’s
people have already lost their confidence in him. They do not believe, in the
deepest of their souls, that their prayers make any difference. They act as if
they are all on their own.
Be honest now! Has your faith been weak lately? Have you almost given up on
certain things you have prayed so much about? Have you grown weary with
waiting? Maybe you have thrown up your hands in resignation as if to say, “I
just can’t seem to break through. I don’t know what is wrong and why my
prayer is not answered. Evidently God has said no to me.”
God has not forsaken me or you!
A thousand times no!
He is right now wanting us to believe he is working
all things out for our good (Romans 8:28).
So stop trying to figure it out; stop worrying;
stop doubting your Lord!
The answer is coming.
God has not shut his ear and you will reap in due season if you faint not!
“And let us not grow weary while doing good,
for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart”
(Galatians 6:9 NKJV).
|
|
|
|
Rank: Advanced Member
Joined: 7/1/2008
Posts: 637
|
John 15:5
"I can do nothing without God."
I'm posting this verse from my memeory so if it isn't the exact words, I am sorry.
The key word for me is "nothing". I can't even take my next breath without him. We have to KNOW that and really understand what He is saying in this scripture. Think about it. I can do NOTHING without Him.
|
|
|
Rank: Advanced Member Joined: 10/7/2008 Posts: 2,847 Location: Caldwell Tex
|
We know that all through the Bible, the number seven is equated with God’s eternal purpose. Therefore, I believe the number of 7000 that God quoted to Elijah in 1 Kings 19:18 simply denoted everyone who made up his remnant. The people he sets aside for himself could number 70 or 7 million. What matters is that they are wholly given to him.
So, what are the characteristics of the remnant? Here are three defining marks:
1. An unchangeable commitment to cling to the Lord. Every remnant believer has made a single-minded choice to swim against the tide of evil. At some point, you have to make a commitment, declaring, “I don’t care what others say or do. I am the Lord’s. And I won’t give in to the wicked spirit of this age.”
2. A willingness to identify with the poor. While society’s trend is to associate with the rich and successful, you align yourself with the suffering class. Obadiah was a godly man serving in Jezebel’s house. He was determined to fear God and no one else and he proved that his heart was right and was with the poor by taking care of 100 ragged, suffering prophets (1 Kings 18:4).
3. A reliance on hope. The 7000 in Elijah’s time endured because of their hope in a coming day of deliverance. Likewise today, the church’s blessed hope is the soon return of Jesus. With one trumpet blast, all wickedness will end. Our Lord will do away with all killing of babies, all blatant perversions, all ethnic genocide.
Do these three marks characterize you as a part of God’s holy remnant? If so, God boasts of you, “This one has given his heart to me. He’s focused on me. And he is wholly mine!”
We are to evangelize, minister and work while it is still day. We are also to live in the hope that King Jesus is coming. And he’s bringing a new world with him, where he’ll rule from his eternal throne.
|
|
|
Rank: Advanced Member Joined: 10/7/2008 Posts: 2,847 Location: Caldwell Tex
|
Heavenly Places.
According to Paul, we who believe in Jesus have been raised up from spiritual death and are seated with him in a heavenly realm. “Even when we were dead in sins, [God] hath quickened us together with Christ…and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:5-6).
Where is this heavenly place where we’re seated with Jesus? It is none other than God’s own throne room—the throne of grace, the dwelling place of the Almighty. Two verses later we read how we were brought to this wonderful place: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God” (2:8).
This throne room is the seat of all power and dominion. It’s the place where God rules over all principalities and powers, and reigns over the affairs of men. Here in the throne room, he monitors every move of Satan and examines every thought of man.
And Christ is seated at the Father’s right hand. Scripture tells us, “All things were made by him” (John 1:3). And, “In him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily” (Colossians 2:9). In Jesus resides all wisdom and peace, all power and strength, everything needed to live a victorious, fruitful life. And we’re given access to all those riches that are in Christ.
Paul is telling us, “As surely as Christ was raised from the dead, we’ve been raised up with him by the Father. And, as surely as Jesus was taken to the throne of glory, we’ve been taken with him to the same glorious place. Because we are in him, we are also where he is. That’s the privilege of all believers. It means we are seated with him in the same heavenly place where he dwells.”
Paul says that all spiritual blessings are bestowed in the throne room. All the riches of Christ are available to us there: steadfastness, strength, rest, ever-increasing peace. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3).
|
|
|
Rank: Advanced Member Joined: 10/7/2008 Posts: 2,847 Location: Caldwell Tex
|
No Religious Terms
The Word of God says, "He shall deliver...the poor also,
and him that hath no helper.
He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of the needy.
He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence: and precious shall
their blood be in his sight" (Psalm 72:12-14).
God says, "All you who are poor, all you who are needy,
who seem helpless—the enemy has been attacking.
Don't you know your very blood is precious to me?
All you have to do is cry out,
and I will deliver you from the wiles of Satan!"
David said, "This poor man cried,
and the Lord heard him,
and saved him..."
(Psalm 34:6).
You don't have to know a lot of religious terms.
The one thing you must know is that no matter what
you've done, how wicked you may have been,
his repentant ones will always be precious in his eyes.
Christ said, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock:
if any man hear my voice,
and open the door,
I will come in..."
(Revelation 3:20).
Why is he knocking?
Because your life is precious and he won't let you go.
He doesn't come to push you around,
but time and time again he'll come and speak to your heart:
“Call on me now in your need,” he whispers. You may have
been in churches where people condemned you and put you down.
But all they did was judge you by what you look like
on the outside and God doesn't do that.
He sees your potential.
He'll give you joy and beauty
in place of the dirt and filth and ashes.
He'll set you free!
|
|
|
Rank: Advanced Member Joined: 10/7/2008 Posts: 2,847 Location: Caldwell Tex
|
“Slavery is a dead issue.”Abraham Lincoln is said to have "freed the slaves" with the Emancipation
Proclamation. This legal document declared that slavery was dead and all the
slaves were set free.
When this news first spread through southern plantations, many of the slaves
would not believe it. They continued slaving for their masters, convinced their
promise of freedom was a hoax. Numbers of unscrupulous landowners told their
slaves it was just a rumor and kept them under bondage. But little by little,
the truth dawned on them as they saw former slaves walking about, happy in
their newfound freedom. One by one, they threw down their loads, turned their
backs on slavery, and walked away to begin a new life.
Maybe you haven't heard yet, or maybe it sounds too good to be true, but Christ
emancipated all the slaves to sin at Calvary. You can now "walk out" on the
devil! You can throw down your load of sin, walk away from Satan's dominion,
and enter into a new life of freedom.
Let me show you what the Bible means when it talks about dying to sin. When
Lincoln emancipated the slaves, the "issue" of slavery died. Not the slave
master—not the slave. The slave could walk away free, saying to himself,
“Slavery is a dead issue.”
Now the slave could slip back into the field and pick a few more rows of
cotton—perhaps through fear or instinct—but that in no way made him a slave
again. He was free, but he had to exercise his freedom. The proclamation
couldn't force compliance, and neither could the slave master force him to
return. It was a matter of the will of the slave.
The Bible says, "...he that is dead is freed from sin. Now if we be dead with
Christ, we believe we shall also live with him" (Romans 6:7 ).
What that means is simply this: Since the matter of your slavery to sin is a
dead issue, seeing that Christ has already declared you emancipated, you are
now free to live as a new person in Christ by thinking of yourself as
unchained.
Christ can't make you do right, and Satan can't make you do wrong. Christ
declares you are free by faith, but you must act as a free person.
|
|
|
Rank: Advanced Member Joined: 10/7/2008 Posts: 2,847 Location: Caldwell Tex
|
Heart
You can’t weep your way into this heavenly place.
You can’t study or work or will your way in.
No, the only way to the throne-life is by way of a living sacrifice:
“Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God,
which is your reasonable service” (Romans 12:1).
Paul is speaking from experience.
Here is a man who was rejected, tempted, persecuted,
beaten, jailed, shipwrecked, stoned.
Paul also had all the cares of the church laid on him.
Yet he testified, “In every condition, I have been content.”
Now he’s saying to us,
“So, you want to know how I came into the knowledge of this heavenly walk?
Do you want to know how I came to be content in whatever condition I was placed,
how I came to find true rest in Christ?
Here is the path, the secret to appropriating your heavenly position:
Present your body as a living sacrifice to the Lord.
I come into contentment only by the sacrifice of my own will.”
The Greek root for “living” here suggests “lifelong.”
Paul is talking about a binding commitment,
a sacrifice that’s made once in a lifetime.
Yet, don’t misunderstand; this isn’t a sacrifice that has to do with propitiation for sin.
Christ’s sacrifice on the cross is the only worthy propitiation:
“Now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin
by the sacrifice of himself” (Hebrews 9:26).
No, Paul is talking about a different kind of sacrifice.
Yet, make no mistake; God has no pleasure in the manmade sacrifices of the Old Testament.
Hebrews tells us, “In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast no pleasure” (10:6).
Why weren’t these sacrifices pleasing to the Lord?
Simply put, they didn’t require the heart.
The sacrifice Paul describes is one that God takes great pleasure in
precisely because it involves the heart.
What is this sacrifice?
It is one of death to our will,
of laying aside our self-sufficiency and abandoning our ambitions.
When Paul exhorts, “Present you body,” he’s saying,
“Draw near to the Lord.” Yet, what does this mean, exactly?
It means drawing near to God for the purpose of offering our entire selves to him.
It means coming to him not in our own sufficiency,
but as a resurrected child, as holy in Jesus’ righteousness,
as being accepted by the Father through our position in Christ.
The moment you resign your will to him, the sacrifice has been made.
It happens when you give up the struggle of trying to please God on your own.
This act of faith is the “reasonable service” Paul refers to.
It’s all about trusting him with our will,
believing he’ll provide all the blessings we need.
|
|
|