Podcast appearances and mentions of christ rom

     By promoting the gospel and biblical teaching, the church disrupts Satan's domain of darkness by calling out of it a people for God. By learning God's Word, Christians can identify worldly conversations and activities and either avoid them or seek to redirect them by interjecting biblical truth, which should never be done in hostility. When sharing God's Word with others it's proper to know that not everyone wants to hear God's truth, and even though we may not agree with them, their personal choices should be respected (Matt 10:14; Acts 13:50-51). We should never try to force the gospel or Bible teaching on anyone, but be willing to share when opportunity presents itself. At times this will bring peace, and other times cause disruption and may even offend. In this interaction, the growing Christian must be careful not to fall into the exclusion trap, in which the worldly person (whether saved or lost) controls the content of every conversation, demanding the Christian only talk about worldly issues, as Scripture threatens his pagan presuppositions. Having the biblical worldview, the Christian should insert himself into daily conversations with others, and in so doing, be a light in a dark place. He should always be respectful, conversational, and never have a fist-in-your-face attitude, as arrogance never helps advance biblical truth (2 Tim 2:24-26). The worldly-minded person may not want to hear what the Christian has to say, but he should never be under the false impression that he has the right to quiet the Christian and thereby exclude him from the conversation.      As we grow spiritually and walk with God, learning and living His Word (2 Tim 2:15; 3:16-17), we stand in opposition to Satan's world-system and sow the seeds of spiritual insurrection in the lives of those who live and walk in his kingdom of darkness. We disrupt Satan's kingdom when we share the gospel, “that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Cor 15:3-4). When anyone places their faith in Christ, trusting solely in Him as Savior, they are forgiven all their sins (Acts 10:43; Eph 1:7), gifted with eternal life (John 3:16; 10:28), and the righteousness of God (Rom 4:1-5; 5:17; 2 Cor 5:21; Phil 3:9). They are rescued from Satan's enslaving power, as God liberates them from the “domain of darkness” and transfers them into “the kingdom of His beloved Son” (Col 1:13). The gospel is the only way a person can be delivered from spiritual slavery; “for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” (Rom 1:16). Once saved, we seek to influence the thoughts and lives of other Christians through fellowship (Heb 10:23-25), prayer (Jam 5:16), edification (Eph 4:29), encouragement (1 Th 5:11), love (1 Th 4:9; cf. Eph 4:14-15), and words of grace (Col 4:6). The Sin Nature Within Us      If the devil were a broadcaster sending out his signal through the world, the sin nature in every person is that internal receiver that is always tuned to welcome his message. The sin nature, sometimes called “the flesh” (Gal 5:17, 19) or “old self” (Rom 6:6; Col 3:9), has a natural affinity for Satan's values and his world-system. More so, the sin nature is not eradicated from the believer during his time on earth, nor is it ever reformed, as though it can be made to love God.       Everyone knows what it's like to walk in the flesh, according to the sin nature, but only the Christian knows what it's like to walk in the Spirit, assuming he's growing in his walk with the Lord. Paul wrote, “For the flesh [sin nature] sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you [the Christian] may not do the things that you please”  (Gal 5:17). Concerning Galatians 5:17, MacDonald writes: "The Spirit and the flesh are in constant conflict. God could have removed the fleshly nature from believers at the time of their conversion, but He did not choose to do so. Why? He wanted to keep them continually reminded of their own weakness; to keep them continually dependent on Christ, their Priest and Advocate; and to cause them to praise unceasingly the One who saved such worms. Instead of removing the old nature, God gave us His own Holy Spirit to indwell us. God's Spirit and our flesh are perpetually at war, and will continue to be at war until we are taken home to heaven. The believer's part in the conflict is to yield to the Spirit."[1]      The sin nature is resident in every person; both saved and unsaved, and is the source of internal temptation. According to Wiersbe, “The flesh refers to that fallen nature that we were born with, that wants to control the body and the mind and make us disobey God.”[2] Since the fall of Adam, every person is born with a sin nature, and it is this nature that internally motivates men to rebel against all legitimate forms of authority, both human and divine. At the moment of salvation, God the Holy Spirit indwells us and gives us a new nature that, for the first time in our lives, has the capacity and desire to obey God. Because the sin nature is not removed from the believer after salvation, the believer begins to experience conflict within (Gal 5:17; Rom 7:14-23). Chafer states, “The presence of two opposing natures (not two personalities) in one individual results in conflict.”[3] Wiersbe adds: "The old nature (which has its origin in our physical birth) fights against the new nature which we receive when we are born again (Gal 5:16–26). No amount of self-discipline, no set of man-made rules and regulations, can control this old nature. Only the Holy Spirit of God can enable us to “put to death” the old nature (Rom 8:12–13) and produce the Spirit's fruit (Gal 5:22–23) in us through the new nature."[4] Lightner states: "Torn inside with desires to do that which we know is evil and new desires to please God, we experience the rage of the battle. The internal conflict manifests itself in everyday life as the believer is tempted to sin. The source of this conflict is the old sin nature, which is the root cause of the deeds of sin. In the conflict the believer is not passive. He has a vital role in determining to whom he will give allegiance—the old nature or the new nature. From the moment a sinner trusts Christ, there is a conflict in his very being between the powers of darkness and those of light. The one who has become a member of the family of God now faces conflicts and problems that he did not have before."[5]      As Christians, we are directed to “lay aside the old self…and put on the new self which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth” (Eph 4:22, 24). Since we have been “born again” and given new life (1 Pet 1:3, 23), the sin nature no longer has domineering power over us, and we can choose a life of righteousness (Rom 6:5-13). As we grow spiritually, we will be transformed from the inside out and gradually become more and more righteous as we walk with God. Sinless perfection will not be attained until we leave this world, by death or by Rapture, and are “conformed to the image of His Son” (Rom 8:29), who will “transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory” (Phil 3:21). Until then, we are commanded to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts” (Rom 13:14). We do this by choosing to live according to the Spirit's guiding, and starving the monster that is our sin nature. To “make no provision for the flesh” means we stop exposing ourselves to the things of the world that excite the flesh and lead to sinful behavior. The positive action is to grow spiritually with biblical teaching (2 Tim 2:15; 3:16-17; 1 Pet 2:2; 2 Pet 3:18), Christian fellowship (Heb 10:23-25), selfless living (Phil 2:3-4), prayer (1 Th 5:17), worship (Heb 13:15), and doing good (Gal 6:10; Heb 13:16). It is only by spiritual growth and drawing closer to God that we learn to glorify the Lord and live in righteousness.      Though the Christian will struggle all his life with his two natures, he also knows the victory is already won. The sin nature has been defeated and its strength diminished because of the believer's union with Christ (Rom 6:6, 11). At his resurrection, the Christian is guaranteed a new body in heaven that is free from the sin nature as it will be just the like body of our Lord Jesus (Phil 3:20-21), for “We know that when He appears, we will be like Him” (1 John 3:2), and “in Him there is no sin” (1 John 3:5).      The believer's focus must be on daily—moment-by-moment—spiritual growth, allowing the Holy Spirit to produce His fruit in their life (Gal 5:22-23) while resisting the flesh by making no provision for it (Rom 13:14). This includes guarding against worldly influences that stimulate the sin nature and choosing instead to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord (2 Pet 3:18). While sinless perfection will not be attained until the believer is glorified, we are called to continually pursue righteousness (2 Tim 3:16-17; Tit 2:11-14), relying on the Holy Spirit (Eph 5:18; Gal 5:16), who supplies the power to overcome the flesh. Ultimately, the Christian's victory is secured through ongoing dependence on the Holy Spirit, a willing heart, and a steady focus on spiritual growth.      In conclusion, though the battle with the flesh rages on, we do not fight alone or without hope. God has equipped us with everything necessary for life and godliness (2 Pet 1:3). We have His indwelling Spirit (Eph 1:13), His inspired Word (2 Tim 2:16-17), the intercession of Christ (1 John 2:1), and the support of fellow believers to help us stand firm. Our sin nature, though still present, no longer reigns; we are no longer its slaves (Rom 6:6, 14). Each step of faith, each moment of obedience, each act of love, reflects the power of God at work within us. The war may be lifelong, but the outcome is certain. So we press on—not in fear or defeat—but in confident expectation of the day when the struggle will end and we shall see our Savior face to face, fully conformed to His image (1 John 3:2). Until then, let us walk by the Spirit (Eph 5:18; Gal 5:16), live by faith (2 Cor 5:7; Heb 10:38), and abound in the good works prepared for us by our gracious God (Gal 6:10; Eph 2:10). Dr. Steven R. Cook   [1] William MacDonald, Believer's Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments, ed. Arthur Farstad (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1995), 1893. [2] Warren Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary: New Testament, Vol. 2 (Colorado Springs, Col., Victor Publishing, 2001), 18. [3] Lewis S. Chafer, He that is Spiritual (Grand Rapids, Mich. Zondervan Publishing, 1967), 112. [4] Warren Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, New Testament, Vol. 2, 480. [5] Robert P. Lightner, Handbook of Evangelical Theology (Grand Rapids, Mich., Kregel Publications, 1995), 206.

Texts:  Genesis 5:1-32; Romans 5:12-21   The Generations of Adam (Gen. 5:1-32) God made man and woman after His likeness for His glory. The refrain of each generation ends in universal death: “And he died.” Enoch walked with God by faith and did not face death due to God's grace (Hebrews 11:5-6).   The Regeneration in Christ (Rom. 5:12-21)  Through Adam's sin, death came to all generations. Through Christ's death and resurrection, we can be made alive and justified by His grace to live with Him forever.

Romans 6:1-14 (ESV) You are Dead to Sin and Alive in Christ 1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been […] The post Dead to Sin, Alive in Christ (Rom 6:1-14) first appeared on Hope of Christ Church.

It may surprise us to read that holiness starts with a negative action: ‘Therefore put to death …' (v. 5); later we have the positive side: ‘Therefore … put on' (vv. 12–17). These appeals are undoubtedly of a high moral and spiritual standard and they will challenge and search the soul; but they must not be rebelled against nor neglected. It is the Christian's calling to seek God's grace so as to walk in a holy manner. Paul exhorts them to refuse to yield to the appeal of sin: ‘Put to death your members'. We possess a fallen human nature, but the call is to subdue the passion and power of the flesh (cf. 1 Thes. 4:3, 7). Holiness negatively considered (vv. 5–11) Sinful self-indulgence (vv. 5–7) Col 3:5 Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. The word mortify means “put to death.” Because we have died with Christ (Col. 3:3), we have the spiritual power to slay the earthly, fleshly desires that want to control us. Paul called this “reckoning” ourselves to be dead to sin but alive in Christ (Rom. 6:11). Our Lord used the same idea when He said, “And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out” (Matt. 5:29–30).[i] John Owen's said The choicest believers, who are assuredly freed from the condemning power of sin, ought yet to make their business all their days to mortify the indwelling power of sin.[ii] The reliance on the Holy Spirit to help us overcome sin is the only way that works. All other ways of mortification are vain, all helps leave us helpless; it must be done by the Spirit…Mortification from self strength, carried on by ways of self-invention, unto the end of a self righteousness, is the soul and substance of all false religion in the world.[iii] 1Sa 15:32 Then Samuel said, "Bring Agag king of the Amalekites here to me." So Agag came to him cautiously. And Agag said, "Surely the bitterness of death is past." 33 But Samuel said, "As your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women." And Samuel hacked Agag in pieces before the LORD in Gilgal. Not only was Paul negative in this paragraph, but he also named sins; and some people do not like that. These sins belong to the old life and have no place in our new life in Christ. Furthermore, God's judgment falls on those who practice these sins; and God is no respecter of persons. God's wrath fell on the Gentile world because of these sins (Rom. 1:18ff), and His wrath will fall again. “Because of these, the wrath of God is coming,” Paul warned (Col. 3:6,). Five self-indulgent sins of the flesh, mind and heart are listed here. Christians must put them all to death. ‘Fornication' is sexual immorality in general and includes sex outside of marriage which is contrary to God's law. ‘Uncleanness' is moral impurity of all kinds and has an inward reference here to the mind and thoughts including “lustful impurity that is connected with luxury and loose living.”.                                 ‘Passion' is lust that uses others for self-gratification. It describes a state of mind that excites sexual impurity. The person who cultivates this kind of appetite can always find opportunity to satisfy it[iv] ‘Evil [wicked] desire' is a craving for evil things. desires lead to deeds, appetites lead to actions. If we would purify our actions, then we must first purify our minds and hearts. What we desire usually determines what we do[v] If I create in my children an appetite for candy, then I must satisfy that appetite. If they become overweight and unhealthy, then I must change their appetites, and I must teach them how to enjoy foods other than sweets. “Create in me a clean heart, O God” (Ps. 51:10) should be our prayer; for it is out of the heart that these evil desires come (Mark 7:21–23).[vi]  ‘Covetousness which is idolatry' is not a reference to stone or silver gods or goddesses, but to a greedy heart. Greed is idolatry. Literally, it is ‘to have more'—thus adultery is idolatry, as it wants more.         Covetousness is the sin of always wanting more, whether it be more things or more pleasures. The covetous person is never satisfied with what he has, and he is usually envious of what other people have. This is idolatry, for covetousness puts things in the place of God. “Thou shalt not covet” is the last of the Ten Commandments (Ex. 20:17). Yet this sin can make us break all of the other nine! A covetous person will dishonor God, take God's name in vain, lie, steal, and commit every other sin in order to satisfy his sinful desires.[vii] Col 3:6 Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, 7 in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them. Do believers in local churches commit such sins? Unfortunately, they sometimes do. Each of the New Testament epistles sent to local churches makes mention of these sins and warns against them. I am reminded of a pastor who preached a series of sermons against the sins of the saints. A member of his congregation challenged him one day and said that it would be better if the pastor preached those messages to the lost. “After all,” said the church member, “sin in the life of a Christian is different from sin in the lives of other people.” “Yes” replied the pastor, “it's worse!”           God hates these sins. They are against his moral law (Exod. 20), and those who do them are called ‘sons of disobedience' (v. 6); unrepentant sinners will feel the just wrath of God (Matt. 10:28; 25:19–30; 2 Thes. 1:8–9).        Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?              John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.               “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32             Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.              hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en His Love Ministries on Itunes Don't go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F             The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions   [i] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 134). Victor Books. [ii] VI:7. [iii] VI:7. [iv] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 135). Victor Books. [v] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 135). Victor Books. [vi] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 135). Victor Books. [vii] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 135). Victor Books.

The Passion Prayers of Jesus“Our technologies permit us to manipulate time and space. They leave distance annihilated, cause things to grow and improve productivity.” - Michael KratsiosIf you are a born again believer, there are two ways that you have already experienced spiritual time travel.The first way is that the Bible teaches that if you are a believer, you were crucified with Christ (Gal. 2:20), died with Christ (Rom. 6:8), buried with Christ (Col. 2:12), raised with Christ (Col. 2:12), made alive together with Christ (Eph. 2:5), raised up with Christ to heavenly places (Eph. 2:6), fellow heirs with Christ (Rom. 8:17), are one spirit with Christ (1 Cor. 6:17), will be with Christ after death (Phil. 1:21, 23), will return with Christ when He returns to earth (Rev. 17:14, 2 Tim. 2:12).The second way is that in the last 72 hours of Jesus' passion week, He prayed many specific prayer requests that still get answered today 2,000 years after He prayed them!The prayer of restoration for believers.“Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” - Luke 22:31-32The prayer of thanks despite an impending ordeal (Matthew 26:26-29; Mark 14:22-25; Luke 22:17-20; 1 Cor. 11:23-26)The prayer for basic discipleship commitments of followers (Jn. 17:1-26). -That Christians will grow in their relationship with God (v. 3, 5)-That Christians will be good stewards of God's words (v. 8) -That Christians will know their eternal security in Christ. (v. 9-10)_-That Christians will experience unity (v. 11, 22-23)-That Christians will experience the fulfilling joy of Jesus (v. 13)-That as Christians live in the world they will be protected from the Evil one (v. 15)-That Christians will ‘bathe' regularly by obeying the Bible's truths (v. 17)-That Christians will reproduce as they go out into the world (v. 18, 20).-That Christians will be with Jesus and behold His Heavenly glory (v. 24)-That Christians will be known for having the love of Jesus within (v. 26)The prayer of surrender despite personal anguish (Mark 14:36)He was pierced for our transgressions. - Isa. 53:5aWhen they look on Me, on Him whom they pierced. - Zech. 9:10bIt was the most unusual trial outcome ever – Jesus was proclaimed innocent, yet executed as if He was guilty.The prayer of forgiveness (Luke 23:34)The prayer that our sin caused (Matthew 27:46)The prayer of completion (Luke 23:46; John 19:30)The prayer of blessing over a meal (Luke 24:30-31, 35)The prayer of blessing (Luke 24:50-52)Consequently, He is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. - Heb. 7:25

Salvation of the Chosen (audio) David Eells, 2/16/25 I have declared the former things from old; yea, they went forth out of my mouth, and I showed them: suddenly I did them, and they came to pass (Isa.48:3). Predict means to tell the future in advance. What the world calls predictions rarely come to pass. It seems they have a warped idea of what a prediction is. When God predicts the future, He declares it and then does it. Not only does God's Word show the future but also it brings it to pass. The worlds (Greek: “ages”) have been framed by the word of God (Heb.11:3). The word “framed” in this verse means “to make complete.” The history (or His-story) of all ages was completed before the beginning. (Isa.48:4) Because I knew that thou art obstinate, and thy neck is an iron sinew, and thy brow brass; (5) therefore I have declared it to thee from of old; before it came to pass I showed it thee; lest thou shouldest say, Mine idol hath done them, and my graven image, and my molten image, hath commanded them. He is a jealous God (Exo.20:5). He will not share His glory with the idol of self or an idol of man's creation (Isa.42:8). God receives glory from telling of His works hundreds or thousands of years beforehand. His works were finished from the foundation of the world (Heb.4:3). Because His works were finished from the foundation of the world, no one can say, “My might, my power, my god has done this.” It is important to God that we know He is sovereign. Our God has done something that no other “god” has done; He accurately tells the future long before it comes to pass. It is hard to live the Christian life without knowing that God is sovereign. Without this knowledge, we will not have the peace, rest, and the fear of God that we need in the midst of trials. We will always be wrestling with people and circumstances and trusting in our own strength, instead of seeing God's hand and trusting in His strength. (Hos.4:6) My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge… (Isa.46:8) Remember this, and show yourselves men; bring it again to mind, O ye transgressors. (9) Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I [am] God, and there is none like me; (10) declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not [yet] done; saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure. God does all of His pleasure so that only His counsel comes to pass. The proof, that God is the only God, is that He declares the end from the beginning. All the prognosticators, psychics, seers, and stargazers of the devil have only come up with slightly better than random accuracy on the future because their lord is not sovereign. The devil does have an edge. He knows the prophetic Word better than we do, and he predicts what he plans to do, but God is sovereign and often overrules him. (Isa.46:11)… I have spoken, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed, I will also do it. God is very self-willed. He has a right to be. His self is not corrupt, but ours is. He brings to pass what He desires because it is right. In the text, God is speaking of Cyrus, the pagan king of the Media-Persian Empire. God raised up Cyrus to destroy Babylon in order to set His people free from bondage. At that time, Cyrus had no idea that the Lord had put the desire in him to do exactly what He wanted. (Isa.44:28) That saith of Cyrus, [He is] my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure, even saying of Jerusalem, She shall be built; and of the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid. How can God be so sure that a man who has been a pagan all his life will do everything that will please Him? We see here that nothing or no one can resist God's good purpose for His people. God is sovereign over the future of the great empires of the world in order to deliver and prepare His people. (Isa.45:1) Thus saith the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him, and I will loose the loins of kings; to open the doors before him, and the gates shall not be shut: (2) I will go before thee, and make the rough places smooth; I will break in pieces the doors of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron; (3) and I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that it is I, the Lord, who call thee by thy name, even the God of Israel. (4) For Jacob my servant's sake, and Israel my chosen, I have called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me. The Euphrates River passed through the city of Babylon. One of the gates spoken of here crossed in the Euphrates River to keep the enemy out. Cyrus by the help of God performed a monumental feat in diverting the Euphrates so that his army could enter the city beneath this gate. After they had entered the city, they discovered that the gates on either bank leading into the city had been left unlocked (by God, verses 1 and 2), which was strange, considering that the Babylonians were at war. After Cyrus conquered Babylon, the high priest showed him these prophecies and more that were written about him hundreds of years before he was born. The Jews say Cyrus was very impressed to see his name and works written in prophecy before the fact and became a believer in the God of Israel. God stated clearly that He was going to open those gates for Cyrus to do His Will. After hearing these revelations, Cyrus knew that God had empowered, planned, and made his way. Christian leaders have turned God into a mere prophet, claiming God sees into the future and then reveals it. Every type and shadow in the Old Testament is fulfilled in the New Testament to prove that God sits on the throne and One Mind rules over time and the future. One loose canon, would change everything. According to the law of geometric progression, one change at the beginning makes an immense change at the end. Chance or more than one in control could not possibly bring to pass what we see. The Armenian thinkers teach that God predestines and predicts by seeing into the future then tells us how the dice rolled. “Predestine” means “to determine destiny before it happens.” “Foreordain,” which is the same Greek word, means “to ordain an event before it takes place.” (Eph.1:4) Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blemish before him in love: (5) having foreordained us unto adoption as sons through Jesus Christ unto himself, according to the good pleasure of his will. You who are manifesting sonship by bearing fruit have been chosen and are being drawn by God. (Rom.8:29) For whom he foreknew, he also foreordained (predestined) [to be] conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. God foreknew and decreed all who come to the likeness of Jesus, but not the apostate. “Foreknew” here does not mean He looked into the future and saw what would be. “Foreknew” here means, “to know before” and is not connected with actions or events, but persons. God knew these people before the foundation of the world because He does not dwell in time. God knows what He creates before He speaks it into existence just as we conceive and design something first in our mind before we make it. “Knew” speaks of intimate knowledge, for instance, Adam knew Eve. Jesus will say to those who called Him Lord but do not do the Will of the Father, (Mat.7:23) And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you (meaning, from the foundation of the world): depart from me, ye that work iniquity. To the foolish virgins without the oil of the Spirit, Jesus said, “I know you not.” The ones that God intimately knew He “foreordained” before the creation to be conformed to the image of Jesus. God creates us through His gift of faith and the Word in us; His people who are on the narrow road. This is grace. (Rom.8:30) And whom he foreordained, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. This says all who are foreordained will be called, justified, and glorified. They will not fall away but will bear the fruit of Christ. Are there others who are called but not foreordained? (2Ti.1:9) Who saved us, and called us with a holy calling… Notice that only the saved are called. Called is from the Greek word kaleo, which means, “to invite.” Called is an invitation given only to God's people (more proof: Heb.3:1; Hos.11:1; 1Ti.6:11-12; Mat.25:14; Rom.1:6-7) to partake of his heavenly benefits in Christ in order to bear fruit. Those who bear fruit 30, 60, or 100-fold will be proven to be the chosen or picked. If at harvest time you have no fruit, rotten fruit, or unripe fruit, you will not be picked. The called are the vineyard of God (Isa.5:7). The chosen are the smaller percentage who bear fruit (Isa.5:10). (Mat.22:14) For many are called, but few chosen (Greek: eklektos, “elect”). The called can fall, but the elect or chosen will not. (Hos.11:1) When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt. (2) The more [the prophets] called them, the more they went from them…The Lord saved those that ate the lamb and were baptized in the Red Sea. He then tried them in the wilderness to see who would be a believer in the midst of trials, and only those entered the Promised Land. Jude warned the called of this very thing. (Jud.1:1) Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are called… (5) Now I desire to put you in remembrance, though ye know all things once for all, that the Lord, having saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not. Notice that the called were saved, but some did not continue in faith and were destroyed. Friends, God is not looking for what we loosely call “Christians,” but believers or disciples, as they were called. Jesus gave us very clear examples of His servants who are called but do not come and partake in order to bear fruit. Jesus shared a parable in which a king made a marriage feast for His son. (Mat.22:3) And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden (Greek: “called”) to the marriage feast: and they would not come. They were full of excuses (a farm, merchandise, etc.). (Mat.22:8) Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they that were bidden were not worthy. Even one who appeared to come did not have on a wedding garment which implies putting on Christ (Rom.13:14) or putting on righteousness (Rev.19:8). (Mat.22:13) Then the king said to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and cast him out into the outer darkness; there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth. (14) For many are called, but few chosen. A few of the called are chosen or elect because they bear fruit. (Mat.25:14) For [it is] as [when] a man, going into another country, called his own servants (Greek: “bondservants”), and delivered unto them his goods. (15) And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one; to each according to his several ability; and he went on his journey. Obviously, the man who went away was the Lord, and His bondservants are His people. Two of these example servants brought forth fruit of the talent given them (Mat.25:20-22), but one buried his in the earth (used his talent for the earthly, Mat.25:24-25). When our Lord returns, He will say, And cast ye out the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness: there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth (Mat.25:30). The apostle Paul, who said of himself that he was called in Galatians 1:15, also said, But I buffet my body, and bring it into bondage: lest by any means, after that I have preached to others, I myself should be rejected (Greek: “reprobated”) (1Co.9:27). There is much more proof that the saved and the called can fall (2Pe.1:9-11; 1Ti.6:11-12; Heb.3:1,6,12,14; Rom.11:1-7,19-23). Friend, you probably know if you are called, but are you chosen? You must be diligent in your walk of faith to prove this. (2Pe.1:10) Wherefore, brethren, give the more diligence to make your calling and election (choosing) sure: for if ye do these things (the attributes of Christ, verses 5-7), ye shall never stumble: (11) for thus shall be richly supplied unto you the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. God at the cross has already given us everything that we need to bear fruit through faith. (2Pe.1:3) seeing that his divine power hath granted unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that called us by his own glory and virtue. Faith in the promises in the midst of trials will give us the fruit. (2Pe.1:4) Whereby he hath granted unto us his precious and exceeding great promises; that through these ye may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world by lust. The called have the power and the opportunity. The called and the chosen, or foreordained, use the power by faith and take the opportunity. The only ones who will ultimately be with the Lord are identified in this verse. (Rev.17:14) These shall war against the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them, for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings; and they [also shall overcome] that arewith him, called and chosen and faithful. Notice that the called that are chosen will be faithful. I did not make these verses up; they are the Word of God. Those who have eyes and ears will see and understand, but the rest will justify their religion and ignore the Scriptures. Before time and the future, God sovereignly spoke the end from the beginning, bringing these things into existence in time. Some would argue, “How could God make a promise to all of His called and then not keep it for those who do not bear fruit?” Every promise in the Bible is useless until someone walks by faith in it. Our part of the covenant is faith; God's part is power and salvation. We can break the covenant through unbelief. (Num.14:11) And the Lord said unto Moses, How long will this people despise me? and how long will they not believe in me, for all the signs which I have wrought among them? (12) I will smite them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make of thee a nation greater and mightier than they. Notice that God is saying to His own people who did not believe that He would disinherit them. Lest any believe that God cannot make a promise and then take it back when they do not walk in faith, pay attention to this: (Num.14:23) Surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that despised me see it. (30) surely ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware that I would make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun. (34)… and ye shall know my alienation (Hebrew: “revoking of my promise”). Unless we mix faith with God's promises, they are void. (Heb.4:2) For indeed we have had good tidings preached unto us, even as also they (God's people): but the word of hearing did not profit them, because it was not united by faith with them that heard. The Israelites who walked in sin were disinherited and blotted out of God's book. (Exo.32:33) And the Lord said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book. The same is true of the Christians who do not overcome sin. Notice what the Lord said to the Church. (Rev.3:5) He that overcometh shall thus be arrayed in white garments; and I will in no wise blot his name out of the book of life…Those who do not overcome will be rejected from the body of Christ. (Rev.3:16) So because thou art lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spew thee out of my mouth. God's people Israel were broken off because of unbelief, and Christians who were grafted in but do not walk by faith will be, too. (Rom.11:20) Well; by their unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by thy faith. Be not highminded, but fear: (21) for if God spared not the natural branches, neither will he spare thee. (22) Behold then the goodness and severity of God: toward them that fell, severity; but toward thee, God's goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. Those who are still grafted in at the end are called “all Israel.” (Rom.11:26) and so all Israel shall be saved… Those who are still in the book of life, still grafted in, are the elect (Greek: “chosen”). (Rom.11:2) God did not cast off his people which he foreknew… (5) Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election (chosen) of grace. A remnant is those who are left. Notice they are foreknown and chosen. Sovereign God will have those who are truly His. Abiding in Christ is where salvation is. Some say God gave us the gift of eternal life so He cannot take it back. In Galatians 3:16, we are told, To Abraham were the promises spoken, and to his seed. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. So the promises were given to Christ, not to us individually. The only way the promises are ours is if we abide in Christ. Abiding in Christ is bearing fruit (Joh.15:1-6), walking as He walked (1Jn.2:3-6), believing the same teachings given by Jesus and the apostles (1Jn.2:24; Jud.1:3; Mat.28:20), not adding to or subtracting from the Word (Rev.22:18-19), not walking in sin (1Jn.3:5-6), and keeping His commandments (1Jn.3:24). In Christ is the only place we can claim the gift of eternal life. (1Jn.5:11)… God gave unto us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. God does not have to take His gift back; His people walk out of it. (1Co.6:18)… Every sin that a man doeth is without the body…When you walk in willful sin, you are not abiding in His body for in him is no sin. Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: (1Jn.3:5-6). For instance, fornication, spiritual or physical, takes away the members of Christ and makes them members of a harlot (1Co.6:15,18). Only Christ and those abiding in Him are chosen. (Eph. 1:4) Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world… Only Christ and those abiding in Him are going to heaven. (Joh.3:13) And no one hath ascended into heaven, but he that descended out of heaven…The manna from heaven, the Word Jesus Christ, who takes up residence in those who love Him, is the fruit that God is coming to choose. By this time, I am sure some are thinking that they do not measure up. We must first abide in Christ by faith accepting the Gospel report that I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I that live, but Christ living in me: and that [life] which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, [the faith] which is in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself up for me (Gal.2:20). Those who walk by faith that they are dead to sin and Christ now lives in them are accounted as righteous until God uses that faith to manifest righteousness in them. (Gal. 3:6) Even as Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned unto him for righteousness. God does not dwell in time, but eternity. He sees the beginning and the end at the same time, therefore, He can answer a prayer before we pray. We do not have to worry that we have waited too late to pray because He can have the answer coming long before we ask. (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. I had a friend, who went to the local trade school, offer to take my broken washer for the students to work on. It was only going to cost me for parts. By faith, I told him to go ahead. He called back in a couple of days to say that he would be bringing it back and the cost was $90. My wife and I accounted that we only had $40. In a moment of inspiration, I pointed my finger at the mailbox and said, “$50 is coming in that box today.” In the mail that day was a letter from a brother in Maryland. (I had absolutely no foreknowledge of this incident.) He wrote, “It is after midnight, and I just cannot get to sleep until I obey God and write this check for $50.” I looked at the post date on the letter and discovered it had been lost in the mail for a whole month! Obviously, God had it found at just the right moment. He had it coming a month before I spoke those words of faith. He merely used me to bring to pass what He had already planned. I asked God to do something that I believe He may have changed time to accomplish. Many years ago, this very young girl made a mistake and tested pregnant. As I prayed about her situation, a thought came into my head and right out of my mouth. I asked the Lord to make this girl as though she were never pregnant. I believe that this did not come from my mind, but God's Spirit. Because of the way this prayer came, I received it as a confirmation from the Lord that it was the Will of God. Later, tests proved that she was not pregnant. I do not know what God did with the baby, but I am sure He is taking better care of it than that girl would have. Nothing is beyond God's ability to help us, unless it is beyond our faith. How can God change His mind when He knows and speaks the end in the beginning? Then changing your mind makes you a liar. (Isa.46:10) Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not [yet] done; saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure. If He sees all from the beginning, why would He ever need to change His mind? God will not change what is written in His Word. (Psa.119:89) For ever, O Lord, Thy word is settled in heaven. His Word is likened unto a rock, immovable and unchangeable. However, God can change or delay what He speaks to you personally as a warning through prophets, dreams, visions, or His Spirit. When the Word ultimately comes to pass, it will be fulfilled as the Bible says it will. God gave us an example of this in the book of Jonah. Jonah cried and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown (Jon.3:4). God told Jonah to preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee (Jon.3:2), so he did. He was not a false prophet. God spared Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, because they repented. This angered Jonah because Assyria was the mortal enemy of Israel and the prophets had already been prophesying that Assyria would conquer rebellious Israel. He wanted them to be destroyed for what he perceived was Israel's sake. Jonah knew that if he preached to Nineveh and they repented, God would not destroy them, so he fled. (Jon.4:1) But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry. (2) And he prayed unto the Lord, and said, I pray thee, O Lord, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I hasted to flee unto Tarshish; for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness, and repentest thee of the evil. God spared Nineveh around 752 B.C. so that Assyria could conquer the northern ten tribes of Israel around 720 B.C. and then Judah around 701 B.C. Nineveh ultimately did fall around 612 B.C. God knew before He threatened Nineveh that He was going to spare them for the purpose of using them to chasten Israel. From Nineveh's perspective, they changed God's mind by repenting, but from God's perspective, He changed Nineveh's mind and fulfilled His plan from the beginning for them, which was to chasten Israel! Jonah's Hebrew word for “repentest” here is nacham meaning “to sigh” and by implication “to be sorry.” In itself, nacham does not admit evil doing, or even a change of mind, only sorrow. As Father, God must do many things that He sorrows over. When the Scriptures speak of God repenting, it is for our perspective because it appears to us that He changed His mind and did not do what He threatened. As a parent five times over, I have done this many times. The difference between God and us is, He plans and sees the delays and repentances from the beginning. (Num.23:19) God is not a man, that he should lie, Neither the son of man, that he should repent. (1Sa.15:29) And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent; for he is not a man, that he should repent. Here is another thing that proves the sovereignty of God in time and the future, and that God plans delays or “repentances” beforehand. Israel and the United States share a unique identity. Each was entrusted with the Gospel in their respective time. From 887 B.C., Israel was at war every seventeen years for a period of fifteen cycles until 631 B.C. The United States also has been in a war every seventeen years for a period of fifteen cycles from the forming of the thirteen original states to Grenada in l983-l984. For both nations, in the sixth and tenth cycle there was no war. The only possible exceptions to the parallel are that Israel appears to have had a devastating famine in the forth cycle instead of a war and there seems to be no record for a war in their thirteenth cycle. The cycles could be more exact than our knowledge, but no sane person could think that this is chance. The repetitions of history clearly show that one mind is in control of past and future. Stay with me because I would like to encourage you about your family and loved ones who may be running after worldly desires and not yet saved. No man can come to me, except the Father that sent me draw him: and I will raise him up in the last day (Joh.6:44). Some parents feel very guilty that, though they did the best they could, their children seem to be going the wrong way. The following teaching is not against those who have faithfully served the Lord from their youth but rather for those who feel that the Lord has passed them or their children by. Walk by faith for those wayward children, not sight. Believe in your prayers, expect miracles, but be patient. God has a plan that starts for them long before their salvation. Give some deep thought to this. It will free you from worry, strife, condemnation and self-effort to bring about God's will in them. They will have to be saved after tribulation and failure of their worldly expectations, as we were. Children who are raised knowing about the Lord are sometimes very self-righteous. They think they deserve what they have and do not understand grace. They will also have to see themselves as sinners in order to be the dirt that can receive the Word and bear the fruit of Jesus. God only saves sinners. We have all been one. This is a necessary revelation in order to appreciate the great value of salvation and to be saved by unmerited favor. I remember my oldest daughter when she was three years old going around our lost friends and relatives saying, “God does not like that.” She was quickly deflecting what we had taught her. We thought, “You little Pharisee.” Our heavenly Father has had many prodigal sons just as Jesus' parable shows, but that does not make Him a bad Father (Luk.15:11-32). In this parable, the “good” son who never left home was self-righteous, judgmental, and merciless. On the other hand, the younger son, who spent his inheritance on riotous living, realized his low estate and came to his father very humbly saying, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight: I am no more worthy to be called thy son. (Luk.15:21). The once rebellious son now understood mercy and grace and was a much better man for it. Prophetically, the firstborn son who never left the Father was the righteous among Israel, but they did not understand grace. The younger, second son of the Father who fell away through the dark ages for 2,000 years is the Church, who is returning in these days to understand the grace of God. The Father said to these, Bring forth quickly the best robe (the robe of righteousness [Isa.61:10]), and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand (symbol of authority and of the Bride), and shoes on his feet (the walk of separation from the world) (Luk.15:22). The prodigal son will have more of everything than the first son. Those who have been sinners know their need of God, but many times, those who are raised as God's people do not. (Mat.21:28) But what think ye? A man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to-day in the vineyard. (29) And he answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented himself, and went. (30) And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I [go], sir: and went not. (31) Which of the two did the will of his father? They say, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, that the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. (32) For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not; but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye saw it, did not even repent yourselves afterward, that ye might believe him. Many times, it is not the son who says he will go to work in the Father's vineyard who actually goes, but the son whose first inclination is to rebel. This rebel who comes to see himself as a sinner goes while the other son who feigns righteousness does not. Many career Christians are bored with the work of God and are distracted by the allure of the world. The publicans and harlots are so appreciative of a place in the kingdom that they throw their whole heart into it, willing to be servants rather than be served. They understand the great value of the gift of grace that is given them and their own unworthiness. In the last days of the Gentiles, it will be the same as it was in the last days of the Jews. There are many self-righteous “Christians” today who are not the creation that the Father desires. Those who have been raised in the church should humble themselves to the Word of God and not religion so that no man takes their crown (Rev.3:11). It appears Jesus had this in mind when He shared this parable. (Luk.18:9) And he spake also this parable unto certain who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and set all others at nought: (10) Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. (11) The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as the rest of men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. (12) I fast twice in the week; I give tithes of all that I get. (13) But the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote his breast, saying, God, be thou merciful to me a sinner. (14) I say unto you, This man went down to his house justified (Greek: “accounted righteous”) rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be humbled; but he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. The self-righteous child who kept all the religious traditions was not accounted righteous while the poor sinner who was repenting of his unworthiness was. Jesus told the Pharisees that He had not come to call the righteous but the sinners. He was after those who knew they had been sinners to be His children. Look at the following verse carefully. (Rom.11:32) For God hath shut up all unto disobedience, that he might have mercy upon all. God has designed that forgiven sinners become His sons. Those who have been disobedient have a great appreciation for mercy and grace and do not offend God quickly. God has subjected us to this fallen creation for the purpose of a higher creation. (Rom.8:20) For the creation was subjected to vanity (the fall and corruption), not of its own will, but by reason of him (God) who subjected it, in hope (Greek: “firm expectation”) (21) that the creation itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the liberty of the glory of the children of God. He wants those who have been corrupt, as good soil is, to be delivered to appreciate Him. The children of God can only be created from the fallen creation, and God is the one who subjected them to it to humble them. The Scriptures show us our unfaithfulness and unworthiness so that we might have a reason to truly repent. (Gal.3:22) But the scriptures shut up all things under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. God chose us to be saved in Christ before Adam even fell. (Eph.1:4) Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blemish before him in love. He knew we would need a savior before the world was made and Adam fell. He knew the fall would happen, and He went ahead with the creation anyway. From this you can see that the fall was in His plan. Children who are raised with Christ many times take Him for granted and do not really understand grace as unmerited favor. God has a plan for them that may involve the temporary lifting of His grace that has been taken for granted. Do not fear this, or walk by sight, but continue to believe God for them. Peter was Jesus' little one whom He raised up to be a disciple. He self-confidently declared to the Lord that he would never be offended and deny Him but would go with Him to death in (Mat.26:33-35). God hates self-confidence but loves God-confidence. So how does God deal with this sin? (1Co.10:12) Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. Failure is the best treatment for self-confidence. (Luk.22:31) Simon, Simon, behold, Satan asked to have you, that he might sift you as wheat: (32) but I made supplication for thee, that thy faith fail not; and do thou, when once thou hast turned again, establish thy brethren. (33) And he said unto him, Lord, with thee I am ready to go both to prison and to death. (34) And he said, I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, until thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me. Jesus prophesied failure for this proud man. Jesus, who had authority over Satan, did not forbid him from sifting Peter. Satan sifts to get what belongs to him. In this case, it was Peter's pride, self-righteousness, and self-confidence. What fell through the sieve was what God wanted, the humbled Peter. The sifted Peter who had “turned again” or been converted, could now establish the brethren. Before this failure, he would have been a good Pharisee. (Luk.7:40) And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon (the Pharisee, not Peter), I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Teacher, say on. (41) A certain lender had two debtors: the one owed five hundred shillings, and the other fifty. (42) When they had not [wherewith] to pay, he forgave them both. Which of them therefore will love him most? (43) Simon answered and said, He, I suppose, to whom he forgave the most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged. (44) And turning to the woman, he said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thy house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath wetted my feet with her tears, and wiped them with her hair. (45) Thou gavest me no kiss: but she, since the time I came in, hath not ceased to kiss my feet. (46) My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but she hath anointed my feet with ointment. (47) Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, [the same] loveth little. Big sinners make big saints, for they know the value of grace. According to the previous verses, God wants people who are forgiven of their many sins and saved by grace so that they love and appreciate Him much. This is the creation that He wants, not Adam before the fall. The creation that springs from the last Adam, Jesus Christ, is the ones who have fallen and then are saved by grace through faith. We need not worry about our children or loved ones becoming sinners, just “hold fast the confession of our hope that it waver not; for he is faithful that promised.” We must gracefully sow seeds of truth, as we can, without frustrating them. They cannot be convinced without grace. God “worketh all things after the counsel of His will” and “a man can receive nothing, except it have been given him from heaven,” and “no one comes unto the Son except the Father draw him.” God will do it when the time is right, and He will use our faith because “faith is the substance of things hoped for” (KJV). We can see why sometimes God does not save people until they are a little older and have tried the world and found it wanting. However, if you have faithfully served the Lord from your youth, you have a great reward. God can save anyone anytime He desires. It is important that we not try with our own works to save the lost but first honor God's sovereignty with our faith for Him to do it. (Joh.6:37) All that which the Father giveth me shall come unto me… (44) No man can come to me, except the Father that sent me draw him… Father will draw everyone that He chooses to Christ. God chooses us and gives us a desire to come to Him and only then do we choose Him. (Psa.65:4) Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach [unto thee], That he may dwell in thy courts… God sometimes chooses the worst in our estimation. If God can save Paul or Mary Magdalene, who had seven demons, he can save those we believe for. Do you remember the conversion of Saul who persecuted the saints with a vengeance? (Act.9:3)… And suddenly there shone round about him a light out of heaven: (4) and he fell upon the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? (5) And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And he [said], I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. A monkey would get saved with such an experience, which was totally at the discretion of God. This same omnipotent God says, All things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive (Mat.21:22). God uses His gift of faith in us to manifest the salvation of those He has chosen from the foundation of the world. Pray and thank God for those salvations. I can hear someone say, “Goody, we will believe God to save the devil; that will solve a lot of problems.” I do not think such faith would endure to the end since faith is a gift from God (Eph.2:8), to give or to take, and there is no precedent in the Scriptures for such a request. Besides that, the devil is needed in his job for which he would be totally unfit if he got saved. There is precedent for household salvation though (Act.11:14; 18:8). Paul and Silas offered this to the jailer. (Act.16:31) And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus, and thou shalt be saved, thou and thy house. They believed and were saved. (34)… with all his house, having believed in God. Peter preached this, too. (Act.2:39) For to you is the promise, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, [even] as many as the Lord our God shall call unto him. In Exodus 12:3, the lamb was slain for a household. Unbelieving family members are sanctified by our faith. (1Co.7:14) For the unbelieving husband is sanctified in the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified in the brother: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy. Some object that God would be unrighteous to choose some and not others. We are too late for He has done just that. (Psa.147:19) He showeth his word unto Jacob, His statutes and his ordinances unto Israel. (20) He hath not dealt so with any nation; And as for his ordinances, they have not known them. Praise ye the Lord. God did not attempt to share His first covenant with any of the world but Israel. The New Testament He shares only with spiritual Israel. (Deu.7:6) For thou art a holy people unto the Lord thy God: The Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a people for his own possession, above all peoples that are upon the face of the earth. (7) The Lord did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all peoples. God is not worried about multitudes, for He has chosen the least. He still only chooses little spiritual Israel on the narrow road. Abraham is the father of spiritual Israel, the Church: those who walk in the same gift of faith that Abraham walked in. (Gal.3:7) Know therefore that they that are of faith, the same are sons of Abraham. Paul told the Gentile church at Rome that the people of all nations who believe the promise were Abraham's children in (Rom.4:16) For this cause [it is] of faith, that [it may be] according to grace; to the end that the promise may be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law (natural Israel), but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all (17) (as it is written, A father of many nations [the Gentiles] have I made thee)… True, spiritual Israel believes the promises even now. (Rom.9:6)… For they are not all Israel, that are of Israel: (7) neither, because they are Abraham's seed (naturally or physically), are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. (8) That is, it is not the children of the flesh (natural Israel) that are children of God; but the children of the promise are reckoned for a seed. Those who believe the promises are born again children of the promises. These are Abraham's seed. A New Testament spiritual Jew is circumcised in heart, not flesh. (Rom.2:28) For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly (physical); neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh: (29) but he is a Jew who is one inwardly (spiritual); and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit not in the letter… Notice that a Jew now is not a physical Jew. A Jew now has the flesh cut off from his heart through the new birth. (Gal.6:15) For neither is circumcision (in the flesh) anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. (16) And as many as shall walk by this rule, peace [be] upon them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God. The Israel of God are they who walk as new creatures. The unregenerate physical Jews who worship in synagogues are not Jews until they are born again through the New Testament. (Rev.2:9) I know thy tribulation, and thy poverty (but thou art rich), and the blasphemy of them that say they are Jews, and they art not, but are a synagogue of Satan (the same in Rev.3:9). We were not Jews but now are in Spirit. (Rom.9:25) As he saith also in Hosea, I will call that my people, which was not my people; And her beloved, that was not beloved. (26) And it shall be, [that] in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, There shall they be called sons of the living God. We were not His people but are now beloved sons of God. (Rom.9:27) And Isaiah crieth concerning Israel (natural or physical), If the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, it is the remnant that shall be saved. A remnant of natural Israel will be born again mostly after the elect Gentiles have been saved. (Rom.11:25)… A hardening in part hath befallen Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. “In part” here means that the line between Gentiles and Jews is not a sharp demarcation. Neither was it in the book of Acts. Jews are even now being saved more than ever. This is a sign that we are nearing the end of the times of the Gentiles. Most of the physical Jews will come in after the Gentiles. We who sought not after God were given the gift of faith to be spiritual New Testament Israel when natural Israel turned her back on God. (Rom.10:20) And Isaiah is very bold, and saith, I was found of them that sought me not; I became manifest unto them that asked not of me. God revealed himself to the Church who on their own neither knew nor sought Him. (21) But as to Israel he saith, All the day long did I spread out my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people. (Rom.11:7)…That which Israel (physical) seeketh for, that he obtained not; but the election (chosen) obtained it, and the rest were hardened: (We see here that only the few chosen among the many called of Israel accepted Christ and the New Testament. The rest were reprobated.) (8) according as it is written, God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear, unto this very day. In that day and in this, those who walk by faith are chosen from among the called to be the eternal people of the living God. Paul said “all Israel” is the physical Jews and Gentiles who are part of the olive tree by faith, not those who are broken off by unbelief (Rom.11:19-25). All have sinned and deserve destruction. Is God wrong for giving some mercy and grace and others justice? All deserve justice instead of unmerited favor.   Letter to a Prodigal Son Anonymous My Son, The Lord has chosen you as part of 3% of this world's population to be His own. I saw this in a vision I would like to tell you about. You are probably wondering, how could this be since I have been through hell? Hell is the best place to learn that you really want to live in heaven. I've loved you since you were a baby and I've known the Lord has too. Even your stubborn rebellion didn't change my mind or His. He has known you from before the foundation of the world. He has a special plan for your life that I would like to tell you about. You think, why would God love me since I have been so sinful? Jesus said, "Who loves much, he that has been forgiven of much or he that has been forgiven of little? Simon said, 'He that has been forgiven of much'". Jesus said that this answer is correct. Since you will be forgiven of much you are now capable now of loving Him the way He wants you to. You might ask, "If He loves me then why has he been so hard on me?" It is the devil who has been hard on you. He hates you and when he is through with you then you are like him, destroyed. God said, "His servants you are whom you obey". It's a simple matter to change Masters and Fathers. It happened to me when I was younger than you. I guess I wasn't quite as stubborn as you. :o) Once when you were younger you asked God to save you. You think He ignored you or forgot about that but He didn't. He was very glad and He took you very seriously but He also knew you were stubborn and would have to know the consequences of serving the devil before you would fear Him as your Father and serve Him. You are almost there. When you get there understand this about Him. He is seeking you and listening to you and if you make one step towards Him, He will be very happy to make ten towards you. You have His Word for that. Luke 15:1 Now all the publicans and sinners were drawing near unto him to hear him. 2 And both the Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. (Jesus is now seeking you out where you are.) 3 And he spake unto them this parable, saying, 4 What man of you, having a hundred sheep, and having lost one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? (He is after you to save you.) 5 And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. (He will be very happy to receive you.) 6 And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and his neighbors, saying unto them, Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost. 7 I say unto you, that even so there shall be joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, [more] than over ninety and nine righteous persons, who need no repentance. (Your heavenly Father and all of heaven will be happy at your turning to Him.) 8 Or what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a lamp, and sweep the house, and seek diligently until she find it? 9 And when she hath found it, she calleth together her friends and neighbors, saying, Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I had lost. 10 Even so, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth. 11 And he said, A certain man had two sons: 12 and the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of [thy] substance that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. 13 And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together and took his journey into a far country; and there he wasted his substance with riotous living. (What God gave you as a child you have now wasted.) 14 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that country; and he began to be in want. 15 And he went and joined himself to one of the citizens of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. (Now you are just feeding the flesh and the children of the god of this world, Satan.) 16 And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. (Its a hard road and you are near total death.) 17 But when he came to himself he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish here with hunger! (You are starving for the bread of His kingdom, the Word of God.) 18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight: (Just tell Him that you have sinned and you are sorry) 19 I am no more worthy to be called your son: make me as one of thy hired servants. (Tell Him that you know you are not worthy of Him but you will serve Him with His help.) 20 And he arose, and came to his father. But while he was yet afar off, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. (You are far from Him but He sees you when you make a step towards Him and He will run to you in love.) 21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight: I am no more worthy to be called thy son. 22 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth quickly the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: (He will meet your needs for righteousness and authority.) 23 and bring the fatted calf, [and] kill it, and let us eat, and make merry: (He will feed you with the best.) 24 for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. (He will give you His life.) And they began to be merry. (...And He will be very happy; more so than over those who are serving him now.) 25 Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 And he called to him one of the servants, and inquired what these things might be. 27 And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound. 28 But he was angry, and would not go in: and his father came out, and entreated him. 29 But he answered and said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, and I never transgressed a commandment of thine; and [yet] thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends: 30 but when this thy son came, who hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou killedst for him the fatted calf. 31 And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that is mine is thine. 32 But it was meet to make merry and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive [again]; and [was] lost, and is found. Please think about this, son. Love, Dad

Preacher: Sam Powers Romans 4:13–15 Romans 4:13–15 | Heir of the World from CrossPointe Coast on Vimeo. The Promise to Abraham And His Offspring That's you, believer! Heir of the world Co Heirs with Christ (Rom. 8:16-17 ; Gal. 3:29 ; Gal. 4:7 ; Eph. 3:6 ; Titus 3:7 ; 2 Tim. 2:12 ; Matt. 13:43) John MacArthur In the end, you will be a joint heir with Christ, and you will inherit everything that is Christ's. You, Christian, have a great eternal inheritance that is more glorious than you realize. * Not through the Law * But through the righteousness of faith * This is the Gospel You, Christian you have a great savior who is more glorious than you realize. Let us not be satisfied with a great inheritance, but let us be captivated with the one who purchased it on our behalf. Special Guest: Sam Powers.

In this parable that Jesus told in Luke 8, He makes it very clear that the proof of salvation is fruit and not merely hearing the Word or making a profession of faith in Christ. There might be many roads that “lead to Rome” but there is only one road that leads to heaven. Jesus claimed to be the only way. In John 14:6 He said, “I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No man comes to the Father but by me”. We are either saved, or we are lost. We are on our way to heaven, or we are on our way to hell. That is pretty blunt, but it is the truth. Jesus also instructs us in Matthew 7:13, "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.”   That is why this parable is so important! We should make sure that we have experienced a genuine salvation and not a false emotional experience that made us feel good at that time. Jesus tells us that the “seed in the Word of God”. In every case this “seed” was sowed or scattered on these four different conditions of soil that of course represent the four types of hearts that “hear” the Word. There can be no salvation experience without the “Word of God”.   Jesus said in John 3:5, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”  The “water” is the Word of God, and the “Spirit” is the Holy Spirit. The seed is planted in our hearts by someone as they share God's Word with us. Peter put it this way in 1 Peter 1:23, “Having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever.” Then the Holy Spirit germinates that seed to bring conviction of sin and open our eyes to who Jesus really is and we see Him taking our place on the cross and dying for us!  The first soil or heart that Jesus describes is the hard soil or the hard heart (vv. 5, 12). This soil represents the person who hears the Word but immediately allows the devil to snatch the seed away. The second soil or heart He describes is the “rock” or “shallow ground” (vv. 6, 13). These people hear the Word and receive it mentally or intellectually and emotionally with joy. But that is as far as it goes. These people appear to be saved for a short while, but because they have no spiritual root, as soon as a trial or temptation comes they fall away. Remember Judas!   The third soil that Jesus describes is the in the midst of thorns but never produces fruit or grows to maturity (vv. 7, 14). These people are hard to figure out. I think that they probably are the ones who truly or genuinely get saved but no one disciples them and they remain baby, carnal Christians. (1 Corinthians 3:1-3). The “cares of life” which are legitimate things like food, clothing, shelter and a job, “choke the Word” (Matthew 8:22) and they never bear any fruit. They never experience the abundant life available to them in Christ. They are too busy trying to “make a living”, or get caught up making “more” money and having “more” things, and enjoying the pleasures of this world instead of the one to come!   The fourth soil is the “good ground” that bears fruit. It illustrates the individual who hears the Word, understands it, receives it within, is truly saved, and proves it by patiently producing fruit (see 1 Thes. 2:13; 1 Peter 1:22-25). Not everybody produces the same amount of fruit (Matt. 13:8), but all true believers will produce some fruit as evidence of spiritual life. That fruit may include winning others to Christ (Rom. 1:13), money given to God's work (Rom. 15:25-28), good works (Col. 1:10), Christian character (Gal. 5:22-23), and praise to the Lord (Heb. 13:15).   Today, how does your life match up to this parable? Are you sure you are saved?

November 3, 2024 - Navigating Differences in the Body of Christ | Rom 14 by Trinity Hinsdale

God's law exposes our sin and explains our death, but Jesus has taken our death for us​ We have died to the law so that we might belong to Christ (Rom. 7:1-6)​ The law is good to expose our sin and explain our death (Rom. 7:7-20)​ We will need grace until our final resurrection (v. 21-25)​

Big Idea: Worshiping Christ is an all-of-life endeavor Worship... 1. Begins with visualization (12:1a) 2. Leads to presentation (12:1b) 3. Results in transformation (12:2)

In this episode, Cliff looks at Paul's practical exhortation for what the Christian life looks like as a healthy, functioning member of the body of Christ (Rom. 12:9-21).

Color: Green Old Testament: Isaiah 29:17–24 Psalm: Psalm 146; antiphon: v. 8 Epistle: 2 Corinthians 3:4–11 Epistle: Romans 10:9–17 Gospel: Mark 7:31–37 Introit: Psalm 70:2b, 4a, 5b; antiphon: vv. 1–2a Gradual: Psalm 34:1–2 Verse: Psalm 81:1 Faith Comes from Hearing   A man who was deaf and therefore also had an impediment in his speech was brought to Jesus (Mark 7:31–37). In the same way, all are by nature deaf toward God and therefore also unable to confess the faith rightly. For “faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Rom. 10:9–17). Jesus put His fingers into the man's ears, and He spat and touched His tongue. Even so in Holy Baptism, water sanctified by the words of Jesus' mouth is applied to us; and the finger of God, that is, the life–giving Holy Spirit (2 Cor. 3:4–11) is put into our ears in the hearing of the baptismal Gospel. Jesus' sighing “Ephphatha” opened the man's ears, and his tongue was loosed to speak plainly as Isaiah prophesied of the Messiah, “In that day the deaf shall hear the words of a book” (Is. 29:18–24) So also, He who sighed and breathed His last on the cross for us has given us to hear and believe in Him and has opened our lips that our mouths may declare His praise.

     For Christians, dedication to God is the starting point for the spiritual life and the advance to Christian maturity. Dedication is a synonym for commitment, devotion, loyalty, and positive volition. According to Charles Ryrie, “There is perhaps no more important matter in relation to the spiritual life than dedication.”[1] In another place he states, “Dedication concerns the subjection of my life to Jesus Christ as long as I live.”[2] For the Christian, dedication starts at a moment in time, and continues, ideally, for the rest of one's life, as the child of God walks in ongoing obedience to the Lord.[3] After being born again, some believers quickly dedicate themselves to the Lord and begin their journey of spiritual growth. For other Christians, this dedication may come later, perhaps even years later (as it did with me).      Dedication is not a requirement for salvation. That would add works to the gospel message (1 Cor 15:3-4), and that's wrong. Salvation is a free gift (Rom 6:23), given by God as an act of grace (Eph 2:8-9). Initial salvation is about justification, which is a one-and-done event that occurs at the moment of faith in Christ (Rom 3: 28; 4:4-5; 5:1; 8:33). Paul said we are “justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus” (Rom 3:24). Justification is a single act that occurs at salvation and is not to be confused with our experiential sanctification, which occurs over time. According to Norman Geisler, “Justification is an instantaneous, past act of God by which one is saved from the guilt of sin—his record is cleared and he is guiltless before the Judge (Rom 8:1).”[4] As Christians, we are justified in God's sight because Christ  has born all our sin upon the cross and paid our sin debt in full (John 19:30; Col 2:14), and after we trust in Christ as our Savior, God freely gives His righteousness to us (Rom 5:17; 2 Cor 5:21; Phil 3:9). After we are saved eternally, God calls us into a lifelong walk with Him. Dedication happens after we are saved, when we present ourselves to God for service (Rom 6:13; 12:1-2; Jam 4:7), and walk in obedience to His will (1 Pet 1:14-15). This relates to our sanctification, which is ongoing, as long as we live. In the sanctification process, the Christian is constantly recalibrating his/her thinking, values, words and actions to conform to the character and will of God. Dedication is a requirement for spiritual growth, as the believer with positive volition is yielded to God the Holy Spirit and is willing to learn and live God's Word. Spirituality is unhindered as long as there is positive volition to God.      God has provided everything we need to live the spiritual life. He has redeemed us by the blood of Christ (1 Pet 1:18-19; 1 Cor 6:20), forgiven our sins (Acts 10:43; Eph 1:7), caused us to be born again (John 1:12-13; 1 Pet 1:3, 23), given us eternal life (John 3:16; 10:28), adopted us as His children (Gal 4:5; Eph 1:5), made us saints in Christ (Rom 1:7; 1 Cor 1:2), given the Holy Spirit to indwell us (1 Cor 3:16), brought us into “the kingdom of His beloved Son” (Col 1:13), given us a new spiritual nature (Rom 7:22; Eph 4:22-24; Col 3:9-10), provided a spiritual gift (Rom 12:6; 1 Pet 4:10), blessed us “with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” (Eph 1:3), and provided divine revelation in the Bible to educate us on how to live righteously (2 Tim 3:16-17; cf. Psa 1:1-3). Dr. Steven R. Cook   [1] Charles C. Ryrie, Balancing the Christian life (Chicago Ill., Moody Press, 1994), 77. [2] Ibid., 80. [3] I say “ideally” because some believers, like Solomon, deviate in their walk with the Lord. Some will return to their walk of faith. Others will not. Whatever the final outcome of one's life, any spiritual advancement must begin with a moment of dedication. [4] Norman L. Geisler, Systematic Theology, Volume Three: Sin, Salvation, 235.

Election      Election derives from the Greek verb eklegō (ἐκλέγω) which, according to BDAG, means “to make a choice in accordance with significant preference, select someone or something for oneself.”[1] According to Norman Geisler, “The word election (or elect) occurs fourteen times in the New Testament. An elect person is a chosen one; election (or elect) is used of Israel (Rom 9:11; 11:28), of angels (1 Tim 5:21), and of believers. In relation to believers, election is the decision of God from all eternity whereby He chose those who would be saved.”[2] Geisler further states, “The words chosen and chose are used numerous times. The terms are employed of Christ (Luke 23:35; 1 Pet 1:20; 2:4, 6), of a disciple (Acts 1:2, 24; 10:41; 22:14; John 15:10), and even of Judas (John 6:70; 13:18), who was chosen to be an apostle. Soteriologically, a chosen one is a person elected to salvation by God.”[3]      Election is that free choice of God from eternity past in which He chose to save and bless some (Eph 1:4-5). The elect are the ones chosen. God elects groups (Luke 6:13-16; John 6:70) and individuals (1 Ch 28:5; Acts 9:15). Election is to salvation (Acts 13:48; Eph 1:4-6; 2 Th 2:13), spiritual blessing (Eph 1:3), holy and righteous living (Col 3:12; 1 Pet 2:9), and service for the Lord (Jer 1:4-5; Gal 1:15-16; cf. Acts 9:15). In election, God is sovereign and people are free. Both are true. This is why Jesus said, “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out” (John 6:37). Here we observe the coalescence of God's sovereignty and positive human volition as the Father gives and people come of their own choice.[4] We observe something similar in Acts where Luke wrote, “When the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord; and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed” (Acts 13:48). Here we observe Gentiles who were appointed to eternal life, and that they personally exercised their volition and believed in the Lord for salvation.[5] Robert B. Thieme Jr., states: "[Election is] the recognition by God, before the foundation of the world, of those who would believe in Christ; the sovereign act of God in eternity past to choose, to set apart, certain members of the human race for privilege, based on His knowledge of every person's freewill decisions in time. While God is sovereign, having the right to do with His creatures as He pleases, never has He hindered or tampered with human free will. He did not choose some to be saved and others to be condemned. Instead, in eternity past, God first chose to accomplish the work of man's salvation through the Son. Then, He looked down the corridors of time and elected for salvation everyone He knew would believe in Jesus Christ (Eph 1:4). God elected believers in the sense that He knew ahead of time that their free will would choose for Christ….Moreover, God did not elect anyone to hell: unbelievers are condemned to eternally reside in hell only because they have used their volition toward unbelief (John 3:18)."[6] Predestined by God      When writing to the Christians at Ephesus, Paul said, “He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will” (Eph 1:4-5). The word predestined translates the Greek word proorizō (προορίζω), which means, to “decide upon beforehand,  predetermine.”[7] Harold Hoehner defines the word similarly as, “to determine beforehand, mark out beforehand, predestine.”[8] Geisler notes, “Just as God predetermined from all eternity that Christ would die for our sins (Acts 2:23), He also predestined who would be saved. As Paul says, ‘Those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son' (Rom 8:29).”[9] According to Paul Enns, “Even though election and predestination are clearly taught in Scripture, man is still held accountable for his choices. Scripture never suggests that man is lost because he is not elect or has not been predestined; the emphasis of Scripture is that man is lost because he refuses to believe the gospel.”[10]      Predestination refers to what God purposes for us. The Bible reveals that God has predestined us to adoption as His children (Eph 1:5), to our ultimate conformity to Christ (Rom 8:29–30), and to the blessings of our future inheritance (Eph 1:11). Warren Wiersbe states, “This word, as it is used in the Bible, refers primarily to what God does for saved people. Nowhere in the Bible are we taught that people are predestined to hell, because this word refers only to God's people. Election seems to refer to people, while predestination refers to purposes.”[11] According to Robert B. Thieme Jr., predestination refers to “God's predetermined, sovereign provisioning of every believer for the purpose of executing His plan, purpose, and will in time (Eph 1:4-6, 11).”[12] Thieme further states: "In eternity past God decreed, or established with certainty, the believer's destiny for time and eternity. However, the divine act of predestination is never to be confused with the ideas of kismet [the idea of fate] or any other human-viewpoint system of fatalism. God did not negate free will or force anyone into a course of action. Rather, He only decreed and provisioned what He knew would actually happen. He predestined believers based on His eternal knowledge that they would, by their own free will, accept Jesus Christ as Savior. Long before human history began, sovereign God determined that every Church Age believer would be united with the resurrected Jesus Christ, the King of kings. Those who believe are predestined as heirs of God and joint heirs with the Son of God—sharing the eternal destiny of Jesus Christ Himself (Eph 1:5). Furthermore, God predestined believers with everything necessary to fulfill His plan in time. No Christian is dependent upon human energy, personality, or human effort, because God established a grace way of life and furnished the divine means of execution (2 Tim 1:9). Every believer in this age has equal opportunity to either accept or reject God's predestined provision. Regardless of personal failure or success in time, all believers are predestined to be completely “conformed to the image of His Son” in resurrection bodies in heaven (Rom 8:29)."[13] Foreknowledge      Peter wrote of God's elect as those “who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father” (1 Pet 1:1-2). Here, the word foreknowledge translates the Greek noun prognōsis (πρόγνωσις), which means “to know beforehand, know in advance”[14] Foreknowledge simply means that omniscient God, from eternity past, knew in advance all that would happen in time and space, and He knew the actions of every person and whether they would be saved or not. Jesus communicated His foreknowledge when He said to His disciples, ‘“There are some of you who do not believe.' For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who it was that would betray Him” (John 6:64). God also knew His own actions in time and space, either to direct, permit, or overrule human or angelic decisions, and to judge everyone fairly for their actions. According to Norman Geisler: "Being omniscient, God also eternally foreknew those who would be saved: “Those God foreknew he also predestined” (Rom 8:29). Indeed, they were “elect according to the foreknowledge of God” (1 Pet 1:2). Since His foreknowledge is infallible (He is omniscient), whatever God foreknows will indeed come to pass. Hence, His foreknowledge of who would be saved assures that they will be."[15]      In his letter to the Romans, Paul wrote, “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son” (Rom 8:29). The word “foreknew” translates the Greek verb proginōskō (προγινώσκω) which, according to BDAG, means “to know beforehand or in advance, have foreknowledge.”[16] Here, the word connotes God's knowing people in an intimate sense and not merely what they will do. This speaks to the richness of the relationship God has with each individual. Though we exist in time and space and live our lives in a chronological manner with one experience sequentially following the next, God exists in the eternal realm, beyond time and space, in the eternal now. This means that God is present at all times and places in human history simultaneously. Scripture speaks of what God foreknew from eternity past as it relates to the choices of His elect, but His foreknowledge is not detached or impersonal; rather, it is intimately connected to the formation of His family and the execution of His purposes in the world (see Jer 1:4-5). Prevenient Grace      Prevenient grace refers to the grace of God that precedes and prepares a person's heart and will for salvation. The term “prevenient” means “preceding” or “coming before.” According to Geisler, “Prevenient means ‘before,' and prevenient grace refers to God's unmerited work in the human heart prior to salvation, which directs people to this end through Christ…This grace is also seen in the fact that ‘the goodness of God leads you to repentance' (Rom 2:4). Thus, prevenient grace is God's grace exerted on our behalf even before He bestows salvation on us.”[17]      Because God “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim 2:4), and is “not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance” (2 Pet 3:9), He works in a preparatory manner to convince the fallen human heart to welcome Christ (2 Tim 1:9). Jesus spoke of the role of the Holy Spirit in the dispensation of the church age, saying, “And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me” (John 16:8-9). According to Geisler, “The act of convicting, then, is that by which God persuades a person that he is a sinner and, thus, is in need of the Savior.”[18] This prevenient work of God is necessary because of the sinfulness of mankind. It is not considered to be salvific in itself but rather a preparatory grace that allows individuals to cooperate with God's saving work in Christ. In this perspective, salvation is seen as a cooperative process where individuals have the ability to accept or reject God's offer of grace. Christians are Elect in Christ      From eternity past, God intended for His grand plan of salvation for all humanity to be achieved through His Son. Scripture reveals “the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world” (1 John 4:14), and “the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10), and He is “the Lamb who has been slain” from the foundation of the world (Rev 13:8). Jesus is the Father's Chosen One. God said, “Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen One in whom My soul delights” (Isa 42:1). And He said of Jesus, “This is My Son, My Chosen One” (Luke 9:35). And Peter describes Jesus as “chosen and precious in the sight of God” (1 Pet 2:4). Jesus was chosen by God before the foundation of the world to be the Savior of all mankind, and Christians are elect because we are in Christ. Geisler states: "Christ is eternal, and the universal church was chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world (Eph 1:4); hence, in the mind of God, the church of God is eternal. Further, Christ is the elect of God (Matt 3:16–17), and we are elect in Him; not only is Christ the elect One, but in the New Testament those “in Christ,” the church, the members of His body, were elect in Him before time began."[19]      Scripture reveals that Christians “are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father” (1 Pet 1:1-2), that Christ “was foreknown before the foundation of the world” (1 Pet 1:20), was “chosen and precious” in His sight (1 Pet 2:4), and that God “chose us in Him before the foundation of the world” (Eph 1:4). The prepositional phrase “in Him” (ἐν αὐτῷ) speaks to our election and union with Christ (Eph 1:4). According to L. B. Smedes, “This strongly suggests that God elects people for salvation in the same decision that He elected Christ as their Savior.”[20] Because Jesus is God's Chosen One, it is asserted that we, God's elect, were chosen at the same time as Christ, and He “saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity” (2 Tim 1:9). When we believed in Jesus as our Savior, God placed us into union with Christ, for “by His doing you are in Christ Jesus” (1 Cor 1:30). Paul wrote, “I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen [eklektos], so that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory” (2 Tim 2:10).      The prepositional phrase, “in Christ” (ἐν Χριστῷ), emphasizes the idea of believers being in union with Christ. This union is not merely a metaphorical expression but signifies a profound spiritual reality. The Apostle Paul frequently uses this expression to convey the intimate and transformative relationship that believers have with Christ (Rom 8:1; 12:5; 1 Cor 1:2, 30; Gal 3:28; Eph 1:3-4; Phil 1:1; Col 1:2; 2 Tim 1:9; 2:10). Being “in Christ” signifies that believers are, in a real spiritual sense, united with Him. This identification includes sharing in His death, burial, and resurrection, for we have been “crucified with Christ” (Gal 2:20), and “we died with Christ” (Rom 6:8), were “buried with Him” (Rom 6:4), and “have been raised up with Christ” (Col 3:1). In a real way, we were with Him on the cross, in the grave, and at His resurrection. In the eyes of God, His experience has become our experience. This identification with Jesus is real, even though we were not physically alive at the time of His crucifixion, burial, resurrection, or ascension into heaven. Furthermore, “In Him we have…forgiveness of our trespasses” (Eph 1:7), “have been sanctified in Christ Jesus” (1 Cor 1:2), have “eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 6:23), and are told there is “no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom 8:1). This kind of identification in and with another is true in other instances. For example, it was said of Rebekah, “Two nations are in your womb” (Gen 25:23), even before Israel was called into being as a nation. Similarly, the writer of Hebrews speaks of Levi who “paid tithes” (Heb 7:9), and this while “he was still in the loins of his father” Abraham (Heb 7:10). This means that Levi paid tithes to Melchizedek, even before he existed, as he was in the loins of his father, Abraham.[21]      Furthermore, being “in Christ” reflects a believer's new position before God. It signifies that, through faith in Christ, believers are accepted and justified before God. Their sins are forgiven (Acts 10:43; Eph 1:7), and they are seen through the righteousness of Christ (2 Cor 5:21; Phil 3:9). The phrase also emphasizes that believers participate in the benefits of Christ's redemptive work. This includes reconciliation with God (Rom 5:10), adoption as children (Gal 4:5; Eph 1:5), the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 3:16), and the status of being a new creation in Christ (2 Cor 5:17). Believers are seen as co-heirs with Christ, sharing in the inheritance of eternal life (Eph 1:3-14; Rom 8:17). This positional truth is foundational to the concept of salvation by grace through faith. While being “in Christ” has personal implications, it also has a corporate dimension. It speaks to the collective identity of the Church as the body of Christ, with believers being interconnected and sharing a common life “in Christ.” Robert B. Thieme Jr., states: "Through the baptism of the Spirit at salvation, every believer of this age is removed from his position in Adam and secured in his position “in Christ” (1 Cor 15:22; Eph 2:5–6; cf. Gal 3:27). The believer, no longer spiritually dead, is made a “new creature” with a totally unprecedented relationship with God (2 Cor 5:17a). The “old things” that once kept him alienated from God have passed away; phenomenal “new things” have come by virtue of his position in Christ (2 Cor 5:17b). The believer shares Christ's eternal life (1 John 5:11–12), His righteousness (2 Cor 5:21), His election (Eph 1:3–4), His destiny (Eph 1:5), His sonship (John 1:12; Gal 3:26; 1 John 3:1–2), His heirship (Rom 8:16–17), His sanctification (1 Cor 1:2, 30), His kingdom (2 Pet 1:11), His priesthood (Heb 10:10–14), and His royalty (2 Tim 2:11–12). This new position can never be forfeited."[22]      In summary, the prepositional phrase “in Christ” encapsulates profound theological truths about the believer's union with Christ, identification with His redemptive work, a new positional standing before God, and the communal identity of the Church as the body of Christ. It serves as a key concept in understanding the richness of Christian salvation and the transformative impact of faith in Jesus Christ. Dr. Steven R. Cook   [1] William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 305. [2] Norman L. Geisler, Systematic Theology, Volume Three: Sin, Salvation (Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House Publishers, 2004), 220–221. [3] Ibid., 221. [4] Other passages that emphasize God's sovereign choice: “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:44), and “no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father” (John 6:65). Paul wrote, “He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will” (Eph 1:4-5). And to Christians living in Thessalonica, Paul wrote, “We should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth” (2 Th 2:13). [5] Romans 9:1-18 is often cited when discussing election to salvation; however, when one looks at the context of Roman 9, it does not pertain to salvation, but to God's selection of the progenitors of the nation of Israel. In a similar way, God sovereignly selected Nebuchadnezzar to be the king over Babylon (Dan 2:37-38; 5:18), and Cyrus as king over Persia (Ezra 1:2). In fact, God's sovereignty is supreme when it comes to selecting all human rulers, for “It is He who changes the times and the epochs; He removes kings and establishes kings” (Dan 2:21), and “the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind, and bestows it on whom He wishes and sets over it the lowliest of men” (Dan 4:17). At times, He even raises up young foolish kings to discipline His people, as He told Isaiah the prophet, “I will make mere lads their princes, and capricious children will rule over them” (Isa 3:4). [6] Robert B. Thieme, Jr. “Election”, Thieme's Bible Doctrine Dictionary, (Houston, TX., R. B. Thieme, Jr., Bible Ministries, 2022), 81. [7] William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 873. [8] Harold W. Hoehner, Ephesians: An Exegetical Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2002), 193. [9] Norman L. Geisler, Systematic Theology, Volume Three: Sin, Salvation, 221. [10] Paul P. Enns, The Moody Handbook of Theology (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1989), 329. [11] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 11. [12] Robert B. Thieme, Jr. “Predestination”, Thieme's Bible Doctrine Dictionary, 203. [13] Ibid., 203-204 [14] Moisés Silva, ed., New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology and Exegesis (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2014), 138. [15] Norman L. Geisler, Systematic Theology, Volume Three: Sin, Salvation, 221. [16] William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 866. [17] Norman L. Geisler, Systematic Theology, Volume Three: Sin, Salvation, 222. [18] Ibid., 222. [19] Norman L. Geisler, Systematic Theology, Volume Four: Church, Last Things, 50–51. [20] L. B. Smedes, “Grace,” ed. Geoffrey W Bromiley, The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1979–1988), 551. [21] These two analogies with Rebekah and Levi help convey the idea of a connection or representation that transcends mere physical existence. In the case of Rebekah, the passage refers to the statement, “Two nations are in your womb” (Gen 25:23), highlighting that this declaration occurred before Israel was called into being as a nation. This serves as an example of a connection that existed before the actual historical formation of the nation. Likewise, the reference to Levi paying tithes while still in the loins of his father, Abraham (Heb 7:9-10), is another analogy used to illustrate a connection that goes beyond the immediate physical existence of the individual. It suggests a representation or identification that precedes the individual's own existence. [22] Robert B. Thieme, Jr. “Position in Christ”, Thieme's Bible Doctrine Dictionary, 200.

In this episode, Cliff explains how God will freely give us all the things that He has done for us in Christ (Rom. 8:31-32).

     As a Christian, it is possible to have correct thinking (orthodoxy) and not live by it. James wrote, “To one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin” (Jam 4:17). There are times when believers know God's Word, but because of negative volition, do not apply it. Solomon, a true believer, is a good example of this. God called Solomon “My son” (2 Sam 7:14), heard his prayer (2 Ch 1:8-10), made him king over Israel (2 Ch 1:11), granted him “wisdom and knowledge” (2 Ch 1:12), used him to write three books of the Bible (Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon), directed him to build the temple in Jerusalem over a period of seven years (1 Ki 6:38), made him ruler of Israel for forty years (1 Ki 11:42), and we are told that “Solomon loved the LORD and walked in the statutes of his father David” (1 Ki 3:3a). These are all signs of a true believer. However, according to Scripture, Solomon disobeyed God's command for the king of Israel, which stated, “He shall not multiply wives for himself” (Deut 17:17a). Despite this directive, Solomon practiced polygamy, having “seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines, and his wives turned his heart away” (1 Ki 11:3).[1] Solomon's disobedience was not a singular event but extended over many years, persisting until the end of his days. By the conclusion of his life, Solomon had forsaken his wisdom, as “his wives turned his heart away after other gods” (1 Kings 11:4a). Because Solomon consented to their corrupting pagan influence, he was “not wholly devoted to the LORD his God” (1 Ki 11:4b). Because he had negative volition, “Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the LORD” (1 Ki 11:6). Idolatry is evil business. It is the sin of substitution in which people devote themselves to worship something or someone in the place of God. It is foremost a sin of a covetous heart that leads people to desire more than what God provides, and to trust something or someone lesser than God to satisfy their wants and needs. Solomon's evil practices demonstrate that a true believer—who cannot forfeit his salvation—can completely turn away from the Lord and commit himself to a life of sin. After Solomon turned away from the Lord and worshipped idols, Scripture reveals God severely disciplined him for his sin (1 Ki 11:11-43). As Christians, we should not be like our brother Solomon, who corrupted his ways and pursued idolatry, knowing that God will discipline us severely if we commit egregious sin (Heb 12:6).      Biblically speaking, it is possible for believers to commit any sin an unbeliever can commit. For example, Aaron led the Israelites to worship an idol (Ex 32:1-6). Gideon made an ephod which became an object of worship in Israel (Judg 8:27). Samson slept with prostitutes (Jud 16:1-4). David had an affair with Bathsheba and had Uriah, her husband, murdered (2 Sam 11:1-21). Peter tried to prevent Jesus from going to the cross (Matt 16:21-23), and later denied the Lord three times (Matt 26:34-35; 69-75). Christians at Corinth engaged in quarrels (1 Cor 1:11), jealousy and strife (1 Cor 3:1-3), fornication (1 Cor 5:1-2), disputing in public courts (1 Cor 6:1-8), behaved selfishly (1 Cor 11:17-20), got drunk in church (1 Cor 11:21), and misused their spiritual gifts (1 Cor 14:1-40). The church at Ephesus is said to have left its first love, Christ (Rev 2:1-7). The church at Pergamum tolerated false teaching and engaged in immorality (Rev 2:12-17). The church at Thyatira was led by a wicked woman named Jezebel who enticed them into sexual immorality (Rev 2:18-29). The church at Sardis was rebuked for lacking good works (Rev 3:1-6). The church at Laodicea was rebuked for being lukewarm and spiritually impoverished (Rev 3:14-22). The apostle John twice bowed down and worshipped an angel (Rev 19:10; 22:8-9).      Beyond these particular instances of sin, Christians are instructed, “do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness” (Rom 6:12-13a), “flee sexual immorality” (1 Cor 6:18), “he who steals must steal no longer” (Eph 4:28), “let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth” (Eph 4:29), “do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God” (Eph 4:30), “Do not quench the Spirit” (1 Th 5:19), put aside “anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth” (Col 3:8), “abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul” (1 Pet 2:11), “make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler” (1 Pet 4:15), “do not love the world nor the things in the world” (1 John 2:15), and “little children, guard yourselves from idols” (1 John 5:21). These commands would be pointless if it were not possible for Christians to commit all these sins. It is never the will of God that we sin (1 John 2:1), but if we sin, and “there is no man who does not sin” (1 Ki 8:46), it is God's will that we confess our sins (1 John 1:9), accept responsibility for our actions, and get back to learning God's Word (2 Tim 2:15; 1 Pet 2:2; 2 Pet 3:18), living by faith (2 Cor 5:7; Heb 10:38), and pursuing holiness (1 Pet 1:15-16), and righteousness (1 Tim 6:11; 2 Tim 2:22). Consequences for Sin      It is difficult for some to understand, but when Christians sin, we are not in danger of condemnation (Rom 8:1; 35-39), we do not forfeit the free gift of eternal life (John 10:28; Rom 3:24; 6:23), and we do not cease to possess the righteousness of God that was given to us at the moment of faith in Christ (Rom 5:17; Phil 3:9). When Christians sin, we are walking in darkness and have broken fellowship with God (1 John 1:5-6), and stifled the work of the Holy Spirit who dwells within us (Eph 4:30; 1 Th 5:19). If we continue in sin, or leave our sin unconfessed, we are in real danger of divine discipline from God (Psa 32:3-4; Heb 12:6; 1 John 5:16-17; cf. Dan 4:37). Even though David was forgiven for his sin with Bathsheba (2 Sam 12:13), he still faced earthly consequences that impacted him and his family (2 Sam 12:10-14). Serious sin, and ongoing sin, can eventuate in divine discipline to the point of physical death (1 John 5:16; cf., Lev 10:1-2; Acts 5:3-5; 1 Cor 11:30), as well as the loss of eternal rewards (1 Cor 3:10-15; 2 John 1:8). These are serious punishments by the Lord which impact a  believer in time and eternity; however, the sinning saint is not in danger of losing salvation.[2] A Better Way      As Christians, God calls us to “pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart” (2 Tim 2:22; cf. 1 Tim 6:11), to “present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God” (Rom 6:13b), and to “present your members as slaves to righteousness” (Rom 6:19a). Addressing the Christians at Ephesus, Paul wrote, “you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light, for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth, trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord” (Eph 5:8-10). Peter also wrote, “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness” (1 Pet 2:24a). Righteous living—that's what God desires from us. He wants our thoughts, words, and actions to align with His righteous character and written Word as it applies to us as Christians. But this requires positive volition and a commitment to the Lord (Rom 12:1-2), to learn His Word (2 Tim 3:16-17; 1 Peter 2:2) and live His Word by faith (2 Cor 5:7; Heb 10:38).      For us as Christians, God has done everything for us to live spiritually successful lives (i.e., giving a new nature, the Holy Spirit, and divine revelation). But God does not force us to live spiritually, as we must choose to live out the new life. And, like Solomon, we are always in danger of being corrupted by others (1 Cor 15:33), by Satan's world-system (1 John 2:15-16), and our fleshly natures within (Rom 13:14; Col 3:9; Gal 5:16-17; 1 John 1:8). To be faithful to the Lord to the end of our days (as God directs), one needs thinking that is properly calibrated according to Scripture (Rom 12:1-2). God has already blessed us with everything we need to live spiritually (Eph 1:3), but it's up to us to lay hold of what He's provided and to advance to spiritual maturity.      The successful Christian life starts with positive volition. Jesus said, “If anyone is willing to do His will, he will know of the teaching, whether it is of God or whether I speak from Myself” (John 7:17). The word “willing” translates the Greek verb thelō (θέλω), which means “to desire to have or experience something.”[3]To be “willing” to know and do God's will is the starting place for our advance to spiritual maturity. Our next step is to dig into God's Word and learn it. Jeremiah expressed positive volition when he said, “Your words were found and I ate them, and Your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart” (Jer 15:16a). A psalmist wrote, “How sweet are Your words to my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” (Psa 119:103), and “The law of Your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces” (Psa 119:72). Peter wrote, “like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation” (1 Pet 2:2). Learning God's Word serves as the basis for right living (Rom 12:1-2). But once we learn it, we must walk in it, which means applying it to our life, and this by faith (2 Cor 5:7; Heb 10:38; 11:6). Ezra is a good example of a believer who learned and lived God's Word, as it is written, “Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the LORD and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel” (Ezra 7:10). This is the proper order. When a Christian has a right will (orthothely), and operates with right thinking (orthodoxy), it establishes the basis for right behavior (orthopraxy). Positive volition, divine viewpoint thinking, and the walk of faith is what the Lord wants.      As God's people, let us constantly learn His Word (Psa 1:2-3; Ezra 7:10; 2 Tim 2:15; 1 Pet 2:2), recalibrate our thinking to align with Scripture (Rom 12:1-2), discipline our minds (2 Cor 10:5), live by faith (2 Cor 5:7; Heb 10:38; 11:6), confess our sins as needed (1 John 1:9), be filled with the Spirit (Eph 5:18), walk in the Spirit (Gal 5:16), submit ourselves to the Lord (Jam 4:7), do good (Gal 6:10), serve others (Phil 2:3-4), rejoice always (1 Th 5:16), pray without ceasing (1 Th 5:17), be thankful in everything (1 Th 5:18), maintain fellowship with other Christians (Heb 10:25), share our wealth to promote Christian ministry (1 Tim 6:17-19), and advance to spiritual maturity (Heb 6:1). If we do this, we'll glorify the Lord, bless others, and live righteously as God's expects.      Lordship Salvation proponents typically emphasize that genuine faith naturally leads to good works and obedience to God. They argue that while believers are capable of sinning, a pattern of unrepentant sin and disobedience raises doubts about the authenticity of one's faith. Therefore, although believers may struggle with sin, true believers are expected to ultimately repent and return to God, rather than persisting in a lifestyle of sin. This means that all true believers will persevere in good works until the very end to ensure their entrance into heaven. The biblical examples provided in this article illustrate how severely a true believer can sin. Additionally, the example of Solomon demonstrates that a genuine believer can commit egregious sins, such as polygamy and idolatry, and continue in that sin until the end of his days. Though sinning saints should fear God's discipline, such believers should not fear the dangers of hell, as they are truly saved and that is never a threat to them. Dr. Steven R. Cook     [1] Scripture also reveals King David had eight wives: Michal (1 Sam 18:27), Abigail (1 Sam 25:39-42), Ahinoam (1 Sam 25:43), Bathsheba (2 Sam 12:24), Maacah, Haggith, Abital and Eglah (2 Sam 3:2-5), and “David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem” (2 Sam 5:13). As far as I can tell, David married only women within the Israelite community, and these did not tempt him into idolatry. [2] Even when the prodigal son lived in the world (Luke 15:11-13), and though he lived like an unbeliever, he never ceased to be a son (Luke 15:14-16), and when he came to his senses and returned home (Luke 15:17-19), his father recognized him as his son and welcomed him back (Luke 15:20-24). A child of God is always a child of God, even if we fall into worldly living. [3] Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), 287.

In this episode, Cliff talks about how we are heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ (Rom. 8:17).

On October 3, 2004, I preached my first sermon as a candidate for Northwest Baptist Churchs next Senior Pastor. Northwest was considered one of the most dysfunctional churches within the Rocky Mountain district, and although I knew this about the church, there was no way I could fully appreciate just how dysfunctional it really was. So, a very green and 30-year-old version of the pastor that stands before you today preached a sermon on boasting in the Cross of Christ before a congregation with a median age of somewhere in the 60s; my sermon text was from Galatians 6:11-18 and the title of my sermon was, Boasting in the Cross. On October 17th the congregation of Northwest Baptist Church voted to call me as their Senior Pastor. Because I was unsure about moving our family from Pennsylvania to Colorado, I needed more time to pray about it before agreeing to serve as the Senior Pastor of that little church in Denver. Earlier that day, just after the church service at Calvary Baptist Church where I was presently served on the pastoral staff, Bob and Shirley White had given me a gift for Clergy Appreciation Month. I only opened the wrapping paper so that I could thank Bob and Shirley; the gift was a book, and the title of that book was, God as He Longs for You to See Him, by Chip Ingram. I left the book in my office, which was only across the parking lot from where we lived at the time (a house we affectionately nicknamed: Little House on the Parking Lot). Because I needed time to pray, I walked across the parking lot and into my office at Calvary Baptist Church to be alone with the Lord. As I sat down, the book that Bob and Shirley White had given was there in front of my face. As I began to pray, I asked God to give me some indication as to what He wanted me to do; as I was praying, I opened Chip Ingrams book and noticed that Bob and Shirley had written a note on the inside cover: To our dear Christian brother, Keith, who has inspired us through his messages to see and know God as He really is. We love you and may God bless you, Roi Maw, and Nathan. Bob and Shirley White; October 16, 2004. Bob and Shirleys little note also served as Gods way to encourage me to say yes to Northwest Baptist Church; but also served to encourage me to say yes to Meadowbrookes call to become your pastor oddly enough, on the first week of October nearly 14 years to the day that I read Bob and Shirleys note for the first time. I am still convinced as I was twenty years ago, that the best that I can give you is the God of the Bible. I could try to cater to felt needs, but all that really ends up being is a guessing game, and besides, what would that do anyway? I am not going to look at Ephesians 2:19-22 in sequential order like I normally do with a scripture passage but will look at these verses in the order a builder would build a building. We are a Jesus Called Community When it came to the structure of a building, before anything could be built, the cornerstone had to be laid. It was the first stone laid because the dimensions and shape of the rest of the building were dependent upon the shape and size of the cornerstone. If the cornerstone was off, so the rest of the building would be off! If there was anything wrong with the cornerstone such as its dimensions, the way it was cut, or its integrity as the toughest and strongest of the stones used in the building, the structure would be compromised. In the ancient East, the cornerstone was the most expensive of all the stones used in a building because it was the most important part of the building. When it comes to the nature of the Church, Paul says that Jesus Christ is the cornerstone (v. 20b). Against the backdrop of the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, stood another temple. Only the temple Paul referred to was living, organic, and holy. Today, it is still being built and it will continue to be built with Jesus as the cornerstone until He is finished building and beatifying His Church. We, the Church, are the great wonder of all of heaven and it is concerning our salvation that we are told: angels long to look (1 Pet. 1:12). Think about who you are Church! In Jesus, we are blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places (1:3). In Jesus, we were chosen before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless (v. 4). Through Jesus, we have been adopted as sons and daughters (v. 5). In Jesus, we have redemption through His blood (vv. 7-8). In Jesus, we have obtained an inheritance from God that no one can destroy (v. 11). In Jesus, we are sealed by the Holy Spirit that no one can break (v. 13). We were chosen, redeemed, and sealed all to the praise of the glory of God (vv. 6, 12, 14); which means that the Ephesian Church displayed a glory even greater than the power of 300 billion suns! The prophets and the apostles, through the Scriptures, pointed to Jesus: The prophets point towards Jesus and the apostles point back to Jesus. Long before the birth of Jesus, the prophet Isaiah declared: Therefore this is what the Lord Godsays: Behold, I am laying a stone in Zion, a tested stone, A precious cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed. The one who believes in it will not be disturbed (Isa. 28:16). Concerning Jesus, the apostle Peter wrote, And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by people, but is choice and precious in the sight of God, you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ (1 Pet. 2:4-5). As the cornerstone, Jesus is Gods final and most perfect revelation of Himself: God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom He also made the world (Heb. 1:1-2). As we have learned in the previous verses, it is because of Christ and through Christ that both Jew and Gentile can become one new people group through faith in Him alone. It is through Jesus that we now have access to God the Father (2:18). If you are a Christian, then Jesus is your cornerstone! Think for a moment of what that means. Jesus is the cornerstone because He is the Christ (Isa. 9:6-7). Jesus is the Christ because He is the Great I AM who is the Bread of Life (John 6:35-51), the Light of the World (8:12; 9:5), the Door for His Sheep (10:7-9), the Good Shepherd (10:11-14), the Resurrection and the Life (11:25), and the True Vine (15:1). Jesus is the cornerstone because only He could claim to be, the Way, the Truth, and the Life (14:6). If you are a Christian, then Jesus is your cornerstone by which the entirety of your life is being shaped by Him, and as He is shaping you, so too He is shaping all who truly belong to Him. We are a Word Formed Community The prophets and the apostles represent the Word of God, from Genesis to Revelation, that we as the temple of God (household) are being built upon. From Genesis to Revelation the Bible claims at least 3,000 times to be The Word of the Lord. And, in all its 66 books and the hundreds of years and many different contributors who were guided by the Holy Spirit, it is without error. In a very real sense, we are a people of the Book, but not just any old book! Consider some of the things that the Bible claims about itself: The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb. By them your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward (Ps. 19:7-11). All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Tim. 3:16-17). The Old Testament and the New Testament are not two separate books nor are they two separate volumes. The Old Testament and New Testament are one book, one story, with one theme: Jesus! This is why Jesus said of Himself, Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them (Matt. 5:17); Jesus is Gods Yes to all Gods promises (2 Cor. 1:20). Jesus commanded His disciples after His resurrection and before His ascension: Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age (Matt. 28:19-20). Do not miss that He commanded us to teach all that He has commanded. The foundation on which Gods people must stand has always been on the Word of God. Our greatest need is to know God and to be known by Him. The way to know God is through His word, for it is the primary means by which He has revealed Himself. Every time you open your Bible and read the words contained in it, you hear the same voice that was powerful enough to create billions of suns like ours or greater; God has given us a book with His words in it to move and shape us as His people. The words of that Book bear the authority of the Living God and have the supernatural ability through the power of Gods Spirit to speak into your real needs, or as Hebrews 4:12 testifies: For the word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, even penetrating as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. You, my dear Christian, must allow your heart to be saturated by it, and the only way to do that is to open your Bible and allow God to speak into your life through His Holy Word, for that is the principle means by which He speaks to His people. Now, permit me to briefly say a word about the preaching of Gods Word as it relates to Gods people: On this side of eternity, God has ordained the preaching of His word as the primary agent for supernatural transformation. This is why we read in the Bible: How then are they to call on Him in whom they have not believed? How are they to believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how are they to hear without a preacher. So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ (Rom. 10:14, 17). If Romans 10 is not enough for you, consider 1 Corinthians 1:23-24, But we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength. God has ordained the preaching of His Word to be one of the principle means to equip and strengthen His people for service in His name to the nations. When the proclamation of Gods Word is done responsibly by those who honestly labored over His Word through careful study and prayer then I believe what John Calvin once said is true every time we gather on a Sunday morning: God has so chosen to anoint the lips and tongues of His speakers that when they speak the voice of Jesus comes out (Calvin, Institutes, Book Four). This is why the apostle Paul instructed Timothy who was called to the Ephesian Church as their pastor: In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encouragewith great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. (2 Tim. 4:1-4) When we gather under the preaching of Gods Word, there is a God-ordained and supernatural work that Gods people subject themselves to. There are things that happen under the preaching of Gods word during corporate worship that cannot be explained but it is the work only God is able to perform through the authority of His Word proclaimed by the power of His Holy Spirit performed that will often blow your felt needs to ashes so that Gods word is able to address your real needs. We are a In-it-together Community Paul will address what it is that God is doing with His people in the verses and chapters to follow, so I will keep this brief. All I want you to see in verses 19 and 21-22 is this: God has always had a plan for your holiness and blamelessness in Christ, Christian. Through Jesus, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of Gods household (v. 19). God is committed to the very thing He has purposed to do in and through you when He set His affection upon you and chose you before the foundation of the world; His purpose in choosing you is that you would be, holy and blameless before Him (Eph. 1:4). When you were dead in your offenses and sins, God made you alive and every other Christian, alive together with Christ. Why did He do it? Paul tells us in Ephesians 2:10, For we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. You were dead! You were an enemy of God! Now you are Gods child! Now you are, of Gods household in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit (vv. 20-21). What does this mean? It means that because you are in Christ, God is for you and not against you! It means, that He who began a good work among you will complete it by the day of Christ Jesus (Phil. 1:6)! It means that no matter how used up you were, no matter how damaged you were, no matter how ugly your sins were He is making you more and more holy and more and more blameless! Listen. And the way that God is doing it is with Jesus as your cornerstone being built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets. In Ephesus there was a more glorious and more beautiful temple that made the great temple of Artemis look like a dung heap! It is a temple that continues to be built today and it is the place where the demonic fear because it is a living temple where the Spirit of God dwells; those who are far and near make up that temple. Meadowbrooke Church, we are also a part of that temple. It is because the preeminent Jesus is our cornerstone, and the foundation of His Church is the inspired teaching of the apostles and the prophets, the best and lasting gift I can give you is not a feeble attempt to cater to your felt needs, but the God of the Bible through the faithful preaching and teaching of His Word. So, on that note, I leave you with the words of a beautiful Hymn about a beautifying Bride: The church's one foundationIs Jesus Christ her Lord;She is his new creationBy water and the Word.From heaven he came and sought herTo be his holy bride;With his own blood he bought her,And for her life he died. Elect from every nation,Yet one o'er all the earth;Her charter of salvation,One Lord, one faith, one birth;One holy name she blesses,Partakes one holy food,And to one hope she presses,With every grace endued. The church shall never perish!Her dear Lord to defend,to guide, sustain, and cherish,is with her to the end;though there be those that hate her,and false sons in her pale,against the foe or traitorshe ever shall prevail. Mid toil and tribulation,And tumult of her war,She waits the consummationOf peace forevermore;Till, with the vision glorious,Her longing eyes are blest,And the great church victoriousShall be the church at rest. Yet she on earth hath unionWith God the Three in One,And mystic sweet communionWith those whose rest is won.O happy ones and holy!Lord, give us grace that weLike them, the meek and lowly,On high may dwell with thee.

On October 3, 2004, I preached my first sermon as a candidate for Northwest Baptist Churchs next Senior Pastor. Northwest was considered one of the most dysfunctional churches within the Rocky Mountain district, and although I knew this about the church, there was no way I could fully appreciate just how dysfunctional it really was. So, a very green and 30-year-old version of the pastor that stands before you today preached a sermon on boasting in the Cross of Christ before a congregation with a median age of somewhere in the 60s; my sermon text was from Galatians 6:11-18 and the title of my sermon was, Boasting in the Cross. On October 17th the congregation of Northwest Baptist Church voted to call me as their Senior Pastor. Because I was unsure about moving our family from Pennsylvania to Colorado, I needed more time to pray about it before agreeing to serve as the Senior Pastor of that little church in Denver. Earlier that day, just after the church service at Calvary Baptist Church where I was presently served on the pastoral staff, Bob and Shirley White had given me a gift for Clergy Appreciation Month. I only opened the wrapping paper so that I could thank Bob and Shirley; the gift was a book, and the title of that book was, God as He Longs for You to See Him, by Chip Ingram. I left the book in my office, which was only across the parking lot from where we lived at the time (a house we affectionately nicknamed: Little House on the Parking Lot). Because I needed time to pray, I walked across the parking lot and into my office at Calvary Baptist Church to be alone with the Lord. As I sat down, the book that Bob and Shirley White had given was there in front of my face. As I began to pray, I asked God to give me some indication as to what He wanted me to do; as I was praying, I opened Chip Ingrams book and noticed that Bob and Shirley had written a note on the inside cover: To our dear Christian brother, Keith, who has inspired us through his messages to see and know God as He really is. We love you and may God bless you, Roi Maw, and Nathan. Bob and Shirley White; October 16, 2004. Bob and Shirleys little note also served as Gods way to encourage me to say yes to Northwest Baptist Church; but also served to encourage me to say yes to Meadowbrookes call to become your pastor oddly enough, on the first week of October nearly 14 years to the day that I read Bob and Shirleys note for the first time. I am still convinced as I was twenty years ago, that the best that I can give you is the God of the Bible. I could try to cater to felt needs, but all that really ends up being is a guessing game, and besides, what would that do anyway? I am not going to look at Ephesians 2:19-22 in sequential order like I normally do with a scripture passage but will look at these verses in the order a builder would build a building. We are a Jesus Called Community When it came to the structure of a building, before anything could be built, the cornerstone had to be laid. It was the first stone laid because the dimensions and shape of the rest of the building were dependent upon the shape and size of the cornerstone. If the cornerstone was off, so the rest of the building would be off! If there was anything wrong with the cornerstone such as its dimensions, the way it was cut, or its integrity as the toughest and strongest of the stones used in the building, the structure would be compromised. In the ancient East, the cornerstone was the most expensive of all the stones used in a building because it was the most important part of the building. When it comes to the nature of the Church, Paul says that Jesus Christ is the cornerstone (v. 20b). Against the backdrop of the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, stood another temple. Only the temple Paul referred to was living, organic, and holy. Today, it is still being built and it will continue to be built with Jesus as the cornerstone until He is finished building and beatifying His Church. We, the Church, are the great wonder of all of heaven and it is concerning our salvation that we are told: angels long to look (1 Pet. 1:12). Think about who you are Church! In Jesus, we are blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places (1:3). In Jesus, we were chosen before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless (v. 4). Through Jesus, we have been adopted as sons and daughters (v. 5). In Jesus, we have redemption through His blood (vv. 7-8). In Jesus, we have obtained an inheritance from God that no one can destroy (v. 11). In Jesus, we are sealed by the Holy Spirit that no one can break (v. 13). We were chosen, redeemed, and sealed all to the praise of the glory of God (vv. 6, 12, 14); which means that the Ephesian Church displayed a glory even greater than the power of 300 billion suns! The prophets and the apostles, through the Scriptures, pointed to Jesus: The prophets point towards Jesus and the apostles point back to Jesus. Long before the birth of Jesus, the prophet Isaiah declared: Therefore this is what the Lord Godsays: Behold, I am laying a stone in Zion, a tested stone, A precious cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed. The one who believes in it will not be disturbed (Isa. 28:16). Concerning Jesus, the apostle Peter wrote, And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by people, but is choice and precious in the sight of God, you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ (1 Pet. 2:4-5). As the cornerstone, Jesus is Gods final and most perfect revelation of Himself: God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom He also made the world (Heb. 1:1-2). As we have learned in the previous verses, it is because of Christ and through Christ that both Jew and Gentile can become one new people group through faith in Him alone. It is through Jesus that we now have access to God the Father (2:18). If you are a Christian, then Jesus is your cornerstone! Think for a moment of what that means. Jesus is the cornerstone because He is the Christ (Isa. 9:6-7). Jesus is the Christ because He is the Great I AM who is the Bread of Life (John 6:35-51), the Light of the World (8:12; 9:5), the Door for His Sheep (10:7-9), the Good Shepherd (10:11-14), the Resurrection and the Life (11:25), and the True Vine (15:1). Jesus is the cornerstone because only He could claim to be, the Way, the Truth, and the Life (14:6). If you are a Christian, then Jesus is your cornerstone by which the entirety of your life is being shaped by Him, and as He is shaping you, so too He is shaping all who truly belong to Him. We are a Word Formed Community The prophets and the apostles represent the Word of God, from Genesis to Revelation, that we as the temple of God (household) are being built upon. From Genesis to Revelation the Bible claims at least 3,000 times to be The Word of the Lord. And, in all its 66 books and the hundreds of years and many different contributors who were guided by the Holy Spirit, it is without error. In a very real sense, we are a people of the Book, but not just any old book! Consider some of the things that the Bible claims about itself: The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb. By them your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward (Ps. 19:7-11). All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Tim. 3:16-17). The Old Testament and the New Testament are not two separate books nor are they two separate volumes. The Old Testament and New Testament are one book, one story, with one theme: Jesus! This is why Jesus said of Himself, Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them (Matt. 5:17); Jesus is Gods Yes to all Gods promises (2 Cor. 1:20). Jesus commanded His disciples after His resurrection and before His ascension: Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age (Matt. 28:19-20). Do not miss that He commanded us to teach all that He has commanded. The foundation on which Gods people must stand has always been on the Word of God. Our greatest need is to know God and to be known by Him. The way to know God is through His word, for it is the primary means by which He has revealed Himself. Every time you open your Bible and read the words contained in it, you hear the same voice that was powerful enough to create billions of suns like ours or greater; God has given us a book with His words in it to move and shape us as His people. The words of that Book bear the authority of the Living God and have the supernatural ability through the power of Gods Spirit to speak into your real needs, or as Hebrews 4:12 testifies: For the word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, even penetrating as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. You, my dear Christian, must allow your heart to be saturated by it, and the only way to do that is to open your Bible and allow God to speak into your life through His Holy Word, for that is the principle means by which He speaks to His people. Now, permit me to briefly say a word about the preaching of Gods Word as it relates to Gods people: On this side of eternity, God has ordained the preaching of His word as the primary agent for supernatural transformation. This is why we read in the Bible: How then are they to call on Him in whom they have not believed? How are they to believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how are they to hear without a preacher. So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ (Rom. 10:14, 17). If Romans 10 is not enough for you, consider 1 Corinthians 1:23-24, But we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength. God has ordained the preaching of His Word to be one of the principle means to equip and strengthen His people for service in His name to the nations. When the proclamation of Gods Word is done responsibly by those who honestly labored over His Word through careful study and prayer then I believe what John Calvin once said is true every time we gather on a Sunday morning: God has so chosen to anoint the lips and tongues of His speakers that when they speak the voice of Jesus comes out (Calvin, Institutes, Book Four). This is why the apostle Paul instructed Timothy who was called to the Ephesian Church as their pastor: In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encouragewith great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. (2 Tim. 4:1-4) When we gather under the preaching of Gods Word, there is a God-ordained and supernatural work that Gods people subject themselves to. There are things that happen under the preaching of Gods word during corporate worship that cannot be explained but it is the work only God is able to perform through the authority of His Word proclaimed by the power of His Holy Spirit performed that will often blow your felt needs to ashes so that Gods word is able to address your real needs. We are a In-it-together Community Paul will address what it is that God is doing with His people in the verses and chapters to follow, so I will keep this brief. All I want you to see in verses 19 and 21-22 is this: God has always had a plan for your holiness and blamelessness in Christ, Christian. Through Jesus, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of Gods household (v. 19). God is committed to the very thing He has purposed to do in and through you when He set His affection upon you and chose you before the foundation of the world; His purpose in choosing you is that you would be, holy and blameless before Him (Eph. 1:4). When you were dead in your offenses and sins, God made you alive and every other Christian, alive together with Christ. Why did He do it? Paul tells us in Ephesians 2:10, For we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. You were dead! You were an enemy of God! Now you are Gods child! Now you are, of Gods household in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit (vv. 20-21). What does this mean? It means that because you are in Christ, God is for you and not against you! It means, that He who began a good work among you will complete it by the day of Christ Jesus (Phil. 1:6)! It means that no matter how used up you were, no matter how damaged you were, no matter how ugly your sins were He is making you more and more holy and more and more blameless! Listen. And the way that God is doing it is with Jesus as your cornerstone being built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets. In Ephesus there was a more glorious and more beautiful temple that made the great temple of Artemis look like a dung heap! It is a temple that continues to be built today and it is the place where the demonic fear because it is a living temple where the Spirit of God dwells; those who are far and near make up that temple. Meadowbrooke Church, we are also a part of that temple. It is because the preeminent Jesus is our cornerstone, and the foundation of His Church is the inspired teaching of the apostles and the prophets, the best and lasting gift I can give you is not a feeble attempt to cater to your felt needs, but the God of the Bible through the faithful preaching and teaching of His Word. So, on that note, I leave you with the words of a beautiful Hymn about a beautifying Bride: The church's one foundationIs Jesus Christ her Lord;She is his new creationBy water and the Word.From heaven he came and sought herTo be his holy bride;With his own blood he bought her,And for her life he died. Elect from every nation,Yet one o'er all the earth;Her charter of salvation,One Lord, one faith, one birth;One holy name she blesses,Partakes one holy food,And to one hope she presses,With every grace endued. The church shall never perish!Her dear Lord to defend,to guide, sustain, and cherish,is with her to the end;though there be those that hate her,and false sons in her pale,against the foe or traitorshe ever shall prevail. Mid toil and tribulation,And tumult of her war,She waits the consummationOf peace forevermore;Till, with the vision glorious,Her longing eyes are blest,And the great church victoriousShall be the church at rest. Yet she on earth hath unionWith God the Three in One,And mystic sweet communionWith those whose rest is won.O happy ones and holy!Lord, give us grace that weLike them, the meek and lowly,On high may dwell with thee.

April 7, 2024 - Our Hope in Christ | Rom 5 by Trinity Hinsdale

Signs and Wonders.     Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.  - John 4:48   Supernatural Signs: The Bible narrative also includes supernatural events following Jesus's death: Earthquakes: The ground shook, breaking open tombs (Matthew 27:51). Torn Veil: The veil in the temple tore from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51), signifying access to God through Jesus. Resurrection of Saints: Dead saints briefly returned to life, testifying further to Jesus's divine identity3. Presence of false christs and false prophets (Matt. 24:5, 11) War, (Matt. 24:6-7; Luke 21:10) Persecution of the faithful, (Matt. 24:9) Apostasy, (Matt. 24:10; 1 Tim. 4:1) Lawlessness increases and love grows cold, (Matt. 24:12) Earthquakes, famine, and plague, (Luke 21:11) Increase in selfishness, (2 Tim. 2:2) Lovers of self, money, and pleasure.  Arrogant, disobedient, ungrateful, and unholy. They will be haters of good, conceited, appearing godly but are not, (2 Tim. 3:2-5) Mocking of Jesus, (2 Peter 3:3-4; Jude 17-19) Increase in knowledge, (Daniel 12:4) Rise of spiritism, (1 Tim. 4:1) Decay of marriage, (1 Tim. 4:1) False teaching, (2 Tim. 4:3–4) The gospel will be preached to the whole world, (Matt. 24:14) Signs in the heavens, (Luke 21:11) Sun and Moon will be darkened, (Matt. 24:29) The sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, (Matt. 24:30) Abuse and destruction of the earth and its resources, (Rev. 11:18) All the nations of the earth will gather against Israel, (Zech. 12:3) Rebuilding of the Temple, (2 Thess. 2:3–4) Arrival of the Antichrist, (2 Thess. 2:3–4; Rev. 13:14–17) Enforcement of the mark of the beast, (Rev. 13:17) Repentance of Israel and the Jews coming to faith in Christ (Rom. 11:25-26)   Thank you for listening.   Kenn   

Reconciliation      Atonement for sins is the basis for reconciliation, because God has judged our sins in the Person of Christ who died on the cross in our place. The death of Christ has forever satisfied God's righteous demands for our sin and it is on this basis that He can accept sinners before His throne of grace. Paul wrote, “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation” (Rom 5:10-11). And, “Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation” (2 Cor 5:18-19). In both of these passages on reconciliation, Paul employs the Greek verb katallassō (καταλλάσσω), and the noun katallage (καταλλαγή) which, according to Louw-Nida, means “to reconcile, to make things right with one another, reconciliation.”[1] But this reconciliation does not bring Him down to us, as though God is reconciled to the world. Rather, it means God has changed us, so that we are reconciled to Him, and this through the death of His Son, Jesus, Who bore our sin on the cross (Rom 5:8; 1 Cor 15:3-4) and gives us His righteousness as a gift at the moment we trust in Christ as our Savior (Rom 5:17; 2 Cor 5:21; Phil 3:9). According to G.W. Bromiley: "God is neither reconciled to the world, nor does He reconcile Himself to it. He reconciles the world to Himself (2 Cor 5:19). He loves us even while we are sinners, offering His Son so that we might be forgiven and saved from His wrath (Rom 5:8-10). But God Himself does not change. While He remains implacably opposed to sin, nevertheless, He does not abandon His love for sinners. Instead, He acts to bring about their reconciliation according to an eternal purpose."[2] Paul Enns adds: "God is the one who initiated this change or reconciliation; He moved to reconcile sinful man to Himself (2 Cor 5:18, 19). On the other hand, man is the object of reconciliation. It was man who had moved out of fellowship with God; therefore, man needed to be restored. This reconciliation has been provided for the whole world, but it is effective only when it is received by personal faith."[3]      Because Jesus' death satisfies God's righteousness demands for sin, sinners can approach God who welcomes them in love. God has cleared the way for sinners to come to Him for a new relationship, and this is based completely on the substitutionary work of Christ. God has done everything to reconcile us to Himself. The sin debt that we owed to God has been paid in full by the blood of Christ. Paul Enns states: "The emphasis of reconciliation is that of making peace with God. Man who was estranged from God is brought into communion with God. Sin had created a barrier between man and God and rendered man hostile toward God (Isa 59:1-2; Col 1:21, 22; Jam 4:4). Through Christ that enmity and the wrath of God was removed (Rom 5:10). Reconciliation may thus be defined as “God removing the barrier of sin, producing peace and enabling man to be saved.”[4]      There are two aspects of God's reconciliation. The first is objective and is referred to as provisional reconciliation in which God, through the work of Jesus on the cross, makes humanity savable by means of His judgment of sin in Christ. This means God has removed the barrier that alienated us from Him. The second is subjective and is referred to as experimental reconciliation in which lost sinners are brought into a relationship with God when they believe in Christ as their Savior. They are, at that moment, reconciled to God. According to Robert Lightner, “Because of sin in Adam the entire human race is out of balance, at odds with God. Christ reconciled the world to himself, but each individual must appropriate that work before it benefits him (2 Cor 5:18).”[5] Merrill F. Unger states: "By the death of Christ the world is changed in its relationship to God. Man is reconciled to God, but God is not said to be reconciled to man. By this change lost humanity is rendered savable. As a result of the changed position of the world through the death of Christ the divine attitude toward the human family can no longer be the same. God is enabled to deal with lost souls in the light of what Christ has accomplished…When an individual sees and trusts in the value of Christ's atoning death, he becomes reconciled to God, hostility is removed, friendship and fellowship eventuate."[6]      For those of us who have trusted Christ as our Savior, we have the privilege of sharing the gospel of grace with others, that they too might trust in Jesus as their Savior and be reconciled to God. Paul wrote that God “has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God” (2 Cor 5:19b-20). When we come by faith alone in Christ alone, we are fully reconciled to God.   Redemption      Redemption means a price has been paid by one person to liberate another. The Greek words lutroō (λυτρόω), lutron (λύτρον), antilutron (ἀντίλυτρον), and apolutrōsis (ἀπολύτρωσις) are used by NT writers to communicate the truth that Jesus purchased our freedom from the slave-market of sin by means of His sacrificial death on the cross. In the NT, this word group occurs 21 times and apolutrōsis (ἀπολύτρωσις) accounts for roughly half of those uses. Jesus said, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom [lutron] for many” (Mark 10:45). Here, the Greek word lutron refers to “price of release, ransom.”[7]Prior to faith in Christ, we were held captive in Satan's slave-market of sin, but Christ released us by His shed blood. Paul states, “For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption [apolutrōsis], the forgiveness of sins” (Col 1:13-14). And, “For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom [antilutron] for all, the testimony given at the proper time” (1 Tim 2:5-6). Paul wrote, “In Him we have redemption [apolutrōsis] through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace” (Eph 1:7). According to BDAG, the Greek word apolutrosis (ἀπολύτρωσις) originally referred to “buying back a slave or captive, i.e. making free by payment of a ransom.”[8] Hoehner notes, “The NT usage of ἀπολύτρωσις refers to one set free on the basis of a ransom paid to God by Christ's death.”[9] According to Paul Enns, “The word is used to describe the believer being purchased out of the slave market of sin and set free from sin's bondage. The purchase price for the believer's freedom and release from sin was the death of Jesus Christ (1 Cor 6:20; 7:23; Rev 5:9; 14:3, 4).”[10] The whole idea of redemption implies antecedent slavery. A slave could obtain freedom if redeemed by a free person. All humanity is enslaved to sin, Jesus being the sole exception, as He was sinless (2 Cor 5:21; Heb 4:15; 1 Pet 2:22; 1 John 3:5). Since Jesus was free from sin, He was able to purchase our freedom and liberate us from our bondage to Satan and sin (Acts 26:18; Col 1:13-14). Merrill Unger states: "Redemption from this bondage is represented in the Scriptures as both universal and limited. It is universal in the sense that its advantages are freely offered to all. It is limited in the sense that it is effectual only with respect to those who meet the conditions of salvation announced in the gospel. For such it is effectual in that they receive forgiveness of sins and the power to lead a new and holy life. Satan is no longer their captor, and death has lost its sting and terror. They look forward to the redemption of the body (see Heb 2:9; Acts 3:19; Eph 1:7; Acts 26:18; 2 Tim 2:26; 1 Cor 15:55–57; Rom 8:15–23)."[11]      Biblically, we observe that God's forgiveness is not arbitrary, as though He simply releases someone from their sin-debt without any payment for the offenses that were committed. Nor was the payment for sin made by us, as though we had something of worth to give to God. Peter states, “you were not redeemed [lutroō] with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ” (1 Pet 1:18-19). God's forgiveness was made possible by the blood of Christ, which refers to His sacrificial atoning death on the cross where He died in our place, where “Christ died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God” (1 Pet 3:18). And the blood of Christ is the only coin of the heavenly realm that the Father accepts as payment for our sin debt. Lightner states, “The means of redemption from sin in Scripture is always through the shed blood of Christ, and is therefore related to his death (Gal 3:13; Eph 1:7; Col 1:14; Heb 9:12, 15; 1 Pet 1:18–19; Rev 5:9). His sinless life demonstrated his qualification to be the sin-bearer. One flaw in his character would have disqualified him.”[12] Harold Hoehner notes: "The OT writings very carefully indicated that the shedding of blood was involved in sacrifice. Sacrificial animals were not killed by strangulation. The shedding of blood is necessary (Lev 17:11; Eph 2:13; 1 Pet 1:19) for without it there is no forgiveness of sins (Heb 9:22), and Paul makes it clear that God has been propitiated in Christ's redemption, which was in connection with his blood (Rom 3:24–25), and that one is justified by means of Christ's blood (Rom 5:9). Therefore, the ransom price in connection with deliverance was the sacrificial death of Christ."[13]      Jesus paid our sin debt while He was on the cross dying in our place. But in some mysterious way, we who have believed in Christ as our Savior, are said to have been “crucified with Him” (Rom 6:6) and “died with Christ” (Rom 6:8; cf., 2 Tim 2:11). From the divine perspective (which encompasses all time and space), God the Father sees us dying with Christ while He was on the cross. Dr. Steven R. Cook   ___ [1] Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, 501. [2] G. W. Bromiley, “Reconcile; Reconciliation,” The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised, 55. [3] Paul P. Enns, The Moody Handbook of Theology, 324. [4] Ibid., 324. [5] Robert P. Lightner, Handbook of Evangelical Theology, 195. [6] Merrill F. Unger, “Reconciliation,” The New Unger's Bible Dictionary, 1067. [7] William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 605. [8] Ibid., 117. [9] Harold W. Hoehner, Ephesians: An Exegetical Commentary, 206. [10] Paul P. Enns, The Moody Handbook of Theology, 323. [11] E. McChesney, “Redemption,” The New Unger's Bible Dictionary, 1069. [12] Robert P. Lightner, Handbook of Evangelical Theology, 195. [13] Harold W. Hoehner, Ephesians: An Exegetical Commentary, 207.

In this episode, Cliff discusses the "body of sin" that has been done away with through the death and resurrection of Christ (Rom. 6:6).

     At the moment of faith in Christ, God's righteousness is gifted to the believer (Rom 5:17; cf. 2 Cor 5:21; Phil 3:9), and he is at once made right with God and declared just in His sight. Divine justification is not by human works at all, “for there is none righteous, not even one” (Rom 3:10), “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23). Rather, Paul reveals we are “justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus” (Rom 3:24). Like our spiritual birth, justification is a one-and-done event, perfect in itself, not to be confused with our experiential sanctification, which occurs over time. According to Norman Geisler, “Justification is an instantaneous, past act of God by which one is saved from the guilt of sin—his record is cleared and he is guiltless before the Judge” (Rom 8:1).”[1] And Charles Bing states, “Justification is the act of God that declares a sinner righteous in God's sight. It is a legal term that speaks of one's right standing in God's court of justice.”[2]      Being justified in God's sight is by faith alone and not by any human works, for “by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight” (Rom 3:20a). Rather, “to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness” (Rom 4:5), for “a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified” (Gal 2:16).[3] J. I. Packer states: "Justification is a judicial act of God pardoning sinners (wicked and ungodly persons, Rom 3:9–24; 4:5), accepting them as just, and so putting permanently right their previously estranged relationship with himself. This justifying sentence is God's gift of righteousness (Rom 5:15–17), his bestowal of a status of acceptance for Jesus' sake (2 Cor 5:21)."[4] Louis Berkhof agrees, stating: "Justification is a judicial act of God, in which He declares, on the basis of the righteousness of Jesus Christ, that all the claims of the law are satisfied with respect to the sinner. It is unique in the application of the work of redemption in that it is a judicial act of God, a declaration respecting the sinner, and not an act or process of renewal, such as regeneration, conversion, and sanctification. While it has respect to the sinner, it does not change his inner life. It does not affect his condition, but his state."[5] Merrill F. Unger adds: "Justification is a divine act whereby an infinitely Holy God judicially declares a believing sinner to be righteous and acceptable before Him because Christ has borne the sinner's sin on the cross and has become “to us … righteousness” (1 Cor 1:30; Rom 3:24). A justified believer emerges from God's great courtroom with a consciousness that another, his Substitute, has borne his guilt and that he stands without accusation before God (Rom 8:1, 33–34)."[6] Paul Enns states: Whereas forgiveness is the negative side of salvation, justification is the positive side. To justify is to declare righteous the one who has faith in Jesus Christ. It is a forensic (legal) act of God whereby He declares the believing sinner righteous on the basis of the blood of Christ. The major emphasis of justification is positive and involves two main aspects. It involves the pardon and removal of all sins and the end of separation from God (Acts 13:39; Rom 4:6–7; 5:9–11; 2 Cor 5:19). It also involves the bestowal of righteousness upon the believing person and a title to all the blessings promised to the just. Justification is a gift given through the grace of God (Rom 3:24) and takes place the moment the individual has faith in Christ (Rom 4:2; 5:1). The ground of justification is the death of Christ (Rom 5:9), apart from any works (Rom 4:5). The means of justification is faith (Rom 5:1). Through justification God maintains His integrity and His standard, yet is able to enter into fellowship with sinners because they have the very righteousness of Christ imputed to them.[7]      The process is faith in Christ (John 3:16; Acts 4:12; 16:31), imputed righteousness (Rom 5:17; cf. 2 Cor 5:21; Phil 3:9), and the declaration by God that the believer is now justified in God's sight (Rom 3:24; 4:5; Gal 2:16). Robert B. Thieme Jr., states: "Anyone who expresses faith alone in Christ alone is instantly justified before the bench of God's justice. The mechanics of justification follow three logical steps, though they all occur simultaneously. First, the person believes in Christ; second, God the Father credits, or imputes, His righteousness to that person; and third, God recognizes His righteousness in the believer and pronounces him “justified”— vindicated, righteous (Rom 5)."[8]      The imputation of God's righteousness to believers means we are declared righteous, but not made righteous in conduct. To be righteous in conduct is the lifelong process of sanctification whereby the believer advances to spiritual maturity and lives in conformity with the character and will of God as revealed in His Word. This is the walk of faith. But though we are righteous in God's sight because of the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, at the same time we continue to possess a sin nature that continually causes internal temptation and conflict (Rom 6:6; 7:14-25; 13:14; Col 3:9; Gal 5:16-17, 19-22; 1 John 1:8), and we commit personal acts of sin (1 Ki 8:46; Eccl 7:20; 1 John 1:10; 2:1). Though the power of the sin nature is broken (Rom 6:11-14), the presence of the sin nature is never removed from us until God takes us from this world and gives us a new body like the body of Jesus (Phil 3:20-21; 1 John 3:2, 5). Martin Luther understood this duality and coined the Latin phrase simul iustus et peccator, which translates as, “simultaneously righteous and a sinner.” Though Christians are declared righteous in God's sight, sin will constantly be present (Eccl 7:20; 1 John 1:8, 10), to varying degrees, depending on the status of the believer's spiritual walk with the Lord. Timothy George states: "The believer is not only both righteous and sinful at the same time but is also always or completely both righteous and sinful at the same time. What does this mean? With respect to our fallen human condition, we are, and always will be in this life, sinners. However, for believers, life in this world is no longer a period of doubtful candidacy for God's acceptance. In a sense we have already been before God's judgment seat and have been acquitted on account of Christ. Hence we are also always righteous."[9]      I agree with the phrase simul iustus et peccator, that a Christian is “simultaneously righteous and a sinner.” I think a better phrase is semper iustus et peccator, that we are “always righteous and a sinner.” Both are true. Always. As a Christian, I am righteous because I have received God's “gift of righteousness” (Rom 5:17). This is “the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith” in Christ (Phil 3:9). God gave me His righteousness at the moment I trusted Christ as my Savior, and like all of God's gifts, it can't be given back, “for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable” (Rom 11:29). As one who possesses God's righteousness, I am forever justified in His sight. The matter is settled in heaven. God has made it so. After being saved, the issue for every Christian is to advance to spiritual maturity (Heb 6:1), which glorifies God and edifies others. Dr. Steven R. Cook ------- [1] Norman L. Geisler, Systematic Theology, Volume Three: Sin, Salvation, 235. [2] Charles C. Bing, Grace, Salvation, and Discipleship: How to Understand Some Difficult Bible Passages (Brenham, TX: Lucid Books, 2015). [3] Some in the early church thought righteousness came through adherence to the Mosaic Law. The apostle Paul dealt with this, saying, “if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly” (Gal 2:21), for “if a law had been given which was able to impart life, then righteousness would indeed have been based on law” (Gal 3:21).    Salvation comes to the one who simply trusts in Christ as Savior and receives it as a free gift, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Eph 2:8-9). [4] J. I. Packer, Concise Theology: A Guide to Historic Christian Beliefs, 164. [5] Louis Berkhof, Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans publishing co., 1938), 513. [6] E. McChesney and Merrill F. Unger, “Justification,” The New Unger's Bible Dictionary, 729. [7] Paul P. Enns, The Moody Handbook of Theology, 326. [8] Robert B. Thieme, Jr. “Justification”, Thieme's Bible Doctrine Dictionary, 153. [9] Timothy George, Theology of the Reformers (Nashville, Tenn., Broadman and Holman publishers, 2013), 72.

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On January 16, 1994, sometime after I read the verses we are going to explore this morning, I reflected on the tension I felt over how a loving God could choose and predestine a person before the foundation of the world for salvation. I wasnt angry over what I read in these verses, but I was disturbed; I was disturbed to the point of a near crisis of faith even though I had only been a Christian for just over two years. While I read over Ephesians 1:3-6; I also read similar passages such as Romans 8:28-30; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; John 6:44, and the entire chapter of Romans 9. I read these passages without the aid of books or commentaries, for it was only me and my Bible. I knew nothing of John Calvin or Jacobus Arminius, nor was I aware of their teachings by which we get Calvinism and Arminianism. I share this with you because I want you to know; that if some of you currently struggle with what you see in Ephesians 1:3-6, I also struggled with these same verses, and it took a lot of time for me to work through it, with just me and my Bible. What is clear, however, is that Gods love for you is older than dirt. There are three words that are linked to what it means to be blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ (v. 3) that I want to focus our time on that I believe will help you work through what it is Paul is saying in these verses, and those words are: chose (v. 4), predestined (v. 5), and favored (v. 6). God Chose the Christian to be Holy and Blameless (v. 4) What was so hard about my struggle with verses 3-6 is that this verse could not have been any clearer: God chose us in Jesus before the foundation of the world; the Greek word used for world is kosmos, and it refers to creation. When did God do it? Before He invented dirt. How did God do it? Through His Son, Jesus. Why did He do it? That those who were chosen, would be holy and blameless before Him. Before we can get to why God chose, we need to understand what it means for Him to choose. To choose is to pick or select someone or something. Every November we vote and when we vote, we choose certain candidates that we hope receive enough votes to be elected to whatever office it is that they are running for. In the case of verse 4, to choose is to elect. From verses like the ones before us this morning and others like it, we get the doctrine of elections (aka the doctrine of predestination). No person or theologian who believes the Bible to be the word of God denies what Paul is saying here, but where theologians, pastors, and Christians throughout the ages have disagreed is how it was that God chose the Christian before the foundation of the world. Let me summarize the most popular ways people have explained how it was that God chose. God chose you for salvation because you freely chose Him. You were drawn to him, but it wasnt until you chose Him that He chose you. God chose not only you but the body of Christ that is the Church to be the group of people who receive salvation freely by faith in Jesus. So, God does not choose individuals for salvation, but he has chosen before the foundation of the world that it would be through Christ that people would be saved. God chose you for salvation because he sees all things eternally, and because He can see peoples and events both present and future, He sovereignly chose you because he already knew you would freely choose Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins. Of the three views I mentioned, the third is the one I gravitated towards and believed was the best of the three options; I even stated in my journal on January 20, 1994, Due to the Scriptures and that all scripture is inspired by God, my conclusion on predestination is made: God is all-knowing therefore He predestined us for salvation, but allowed us to choose him for salvation. At the time, my conclusion seemed to reconcile Ephesians 1:3-6 and others like it with passages like 2 Peter 3:9, The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not willing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance. There is a fourth view that I have come to appreciate due to two realities I never considered back in 1994, the first concerns the fact that God stands outside of time because time is a part of creation, therefore He is not bound to time and does not make choices based on what He can see down the corridors of time because He stands outside of time. The other reality I did not consider back in 1994 was Ephesians 1:1-4, which states: And you were dead in your offenses and sins, in which you previously walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all previously lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the rest (Eph. 2:1-3). In light of Ephesians 1:3-6, how can a person respond to God in faith when that person is spiritually dead? Can the spiritually dead do anything spiritual? Can the spiritually dead will themselves alive just enough to believe in God? What does Paul mean by dead in Ephesians 2:1? The Greek word could not be any clearer, it is nekros. Do you want to know what nekros means? It means this: no longer having life. So how dead is dead? So, the question I had to answer is a question you must answer as well, and that question is simply this: How can the spiritual dead do anything apart from God doing something? Paul gives us the answer in Ephesians 2:4-5, But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our wrongdoings, made us alive together with Christ (Eph. 2:45). The point of verse 4 is simply this: You, who were once spiritually dead. You who once, lived in the lusts of your flesh, indulged the desires of your flesh, you who followed the prince of this world, and you who were once a child of wrathHe chose you before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in Christ. Whatever you are doing with verse 4, whatever you want to do with verse 4, and whatever you plan to do with verse 4, one thing is very clear: God acted first. When you had no ability or desire to find Him, He found you. John Stott was right when he wrote The doctrine of election is a divine revelation, not a human speculation.[1] God Predestined the Christian for Love (v. 5) What does it mean to be chosen? It means that God predestined you to something. What does predestination mean? It means, to determine something ahead of time before its occurrence.[2] So, according to verse 5, before God invented dirt, He planned for your adoption as a son or daughter through all that Jesus would do on your account for your sin on a cross that we all deserved. We know we deserved the cross because of what Paul tells us in Ephesians 2:3, which is that all of us at one point in our lives were, by nature children of wrath, just as the rest. In Romans 3:10-11, we are told just how bad our spiritual deadness is: as it is written: There is no righteous person, not even one; there is no one who understands, there is no one who seeks out God (Rom. 3:1011). Since when have I been spiritually dead? According to Psalm 51:5, Behold, I was brought forth in guilt, and in sin my mother conceived me. Just in case you are not sure what to make of Psalm 51:5, consider Ecclesiastes 9:2, Furthermore, the hearts of the sons of mankind are full of evil, and insanity is in their hearts throughout their lives. So, with Ephesians 2:1-3 and a whole bunch of other verses about our spiritual problem as our backdrop, lets read again Ephesians 1:5 more closely and thoughtfully: In Love He predestined us to adoption as sons and daughters through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will. In other words, among the mass of spiritually dead humanity that has postured themselves against God as, sons of disobedience who walk according to the course of this world, God chose you, Christian, in Jesus, before He created dirt, to be holy and blameless. God chose you because you were dead, dead, dead, and because you were dead, He did the thing that no one else could have done! God raised your spiritually dead and helpless self. Why did He do it? Well, we are told that He did it In love and if that is not enough for you, Paul elaborates and tells us that He did it, according to the good pleasure of His will. And if that is not enough for you, he further elaborates on that point in the next chapter: being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead made us alive together with Christ (2:4-5). It is because of Gods love, His will, and His good pleasure that you who were once dead, now stand before Him as a son or as a daughter solely because of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ! Dear Christian, the point of Ephesians 1:3-6 is this: you are only a Christian because of a merciful God who set His affection upon you by sending His son to endure a wrath you deserved for the purpose of adopting you to be His child out of an infinite love no one deserves. God Favored the Christian in Christ (v. 6) So, lets walk through these verses now that we have observed the scenery of Gods word that surrounds Ephesians 1:3-6. If you are a Christian, you were once dead in your sins, you were hostile towards God, and there was no real motive in you to seek the true God, and in spite of all of that, God the Father chose to make you alive in His Son, Jesus, before Genesis 1:1 ever happened, and He did it so that you, would be holy and blameless before Him. The point of verse 4 is that God did something you were powerless to do. Not only did God the Father choose you to be holy and blameless by making you alive in His Son, but He predestined us to be His adopted child with all the rights and privileges that come with being a son or a daughter, and He did it by putting His Son, who kept the Law, on a cross to atone for your guilt from breaking His cosmic Law just as the Bible declares: Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for usfor it is written: Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree (Gal. 3:13). If that is not clear enough for you, we also are told in Colossians 2:13-14, And when you were dead in your wrongdoings and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our wrongdoings, having canceled the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross (Col. 2:1314). You were not only dead in your sins before Christ, but the Bible informs us that we are now redeemed by Jesus who were once enemies of God: For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life (Rom. 5:10). What this means dear friends, is this: You were once dead in your sins, are now alive in Christ, and are now reconciled to God. You who are reconciled to God, are now a friend of God (John 15:14-15). If you are still confused as to why He did it, look no further than verse 6. Not only did He save your sorry soul because He simply loved you, and not only did He redeem you as his child out of His good pleasure of His will alone, but He did it, to the praise of the glory of His grace, with which He favored you in His Beloved Son (v. 6). By the way, the word favored literally means, to become the recipient of Gods freely bestowed, beneficent goodwill. What this means is that you were saved from your sins, and it was not due to anything in you, but solely because of the love of the Father who sent His Son who willingly became sin for us (2 Cor. 5:21). In his book, Friendship with God, Mike McKinley wrote what I think is a good way to end this sermon: Your status before God doesnt depend on your performance, or work, or obedience; it depends on Jesus, and he did everything perfectly to make you Gods friend. Nothing can ever separate you from Gods love in Christ (Rom. 8:38-39). Once He has made you His friend through faith in Jesus, you can never be his enemy again.[3] In closing, permit me to give you some pointers that will help you listen, understand, and submit to the authority of the Bible: Do not try to bend what you read in the Bible to your will. If you want to grow as a Christian, you must submit your will to the authority of the Bible as Gods Word. The Bible is one book, therefore read every verse in the Bible within the context of its surrounding verses, chapters, and books. When you study your Bible, pray to God to help you understand and apply His Word to your life. Read every verse in the Bible with the understanding that God does not need to get better. So, if you read a story, chapter, or verse in the Bible that you do not like, understand you are the one who needs to improve at being good, not God. Just because you do not understand or do not like something you have read in the Bible, does not mean that it is untrue. At the end of the day, what matters is what Gods Word says, not what you think the Bible says, what your pastor says the Bible says, what your family says the Bible says, what your friends say the Bible says, or anyone else says that the Bible says. What matters is what Gods Word says about who He is, who we are, and what we are called to do in this short life we have been gifted. If you have heard anything this morning, I hope you have heard this: Ephesians 1:3-6 teaches us that you are a Christian not because of what you have done, but because of everything God has done, and because of Jesus, you are now a child and a friend of God Almighty! [1] John R. W. Stott, Gods New Society (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1979), p. 37. [2] From Lexham Research Lexham Research Lexicon of the Greek New Testament. [3] Mike McKinley, Friendship with God (Wheaton, IL: Crossway; 2023), p. 11

On January 16, 1994, sometime after I read the verses we are going to explore this morning, I reflected on the tension I felt over how a loving God could choose and predestine a person before the foundation of the world for salvation. I wasnt angry over what I read in these verses, but I was disturbed; I was disturbed to the point of a near crisis of faith even though I had only been a Christian for just over two years. While I read over Ephesians 1:3-6; I also read similar passages such as Romans 8:28-30; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; John 6:44, and the entire chapter of Romans 9. I read these passages without the aid of books or commentaries, for it was only me and my Bible. I knew nothing of John Calvin or Jacobus Arminius, nor was I aware of their teachings by which we get Calvinism and Arminianism. I share this with you because I want you to know; that if some of you currently struggle with what you see in Ephesians 1:3-6, I also struggled with these same verses, and it took a lot of time for me to work through it, with just me and my Bible. What is clear, however, is that Gods love for you is older than dirt. There are three words that are linked to what it means to be blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ (v. 3) that I want to focus our time on that I believe will help you work through what it is Paul is saying in these verses, and those words are: chose (v. 4), predestined (v. 5), and favored (v. 6). God Chose the Christian to be Holy and Blameless (v. 4) What was so hard about my struggle with verses 3-6 is that this verse could not have been any clearer: God chose us in Jesus before the foundation of the world; the Greek word used for world is kosmos, and it refers to creation. When did God do it? Before He invented dirt. How did God do it? Through His Son, Jesus. Why did He do it? That those who were chosen, would be holy and blameless before Him. Before we can get to why God chose, we need to understand what it means for Him to choose. To choose is to pick or select someone or something. Every November we vote and when we vote, we choose certain candidates that we hope receive enough votes to be elected to whatever office it is that they are running for. In the case of verse 4, to choose is to elect. From verses like the ones before us this morning and others like it, we get the doctrine of elections (aka the doctrine of predestination). No person or theologian who believes the Bible to be the word of God denies what Paul is saying here, but where theologians, pastors, and Christians throughout the ages have disagreed is how it was that God chose the Christian before the foundation of the world. Let me summarize the most popular ways people have explained how it was that God chose. God chose you for salvation because you freely chose Him. You were drawn to him, but it wasnt until you chose Him that He chose you. God chose not only you but the body of Christ that is the Church to be the group of people who receive salvation freely by faith in Jesus. So, God does not choose individuals for salvation, but he has chosen before the foundation of the world that it would be through Christ that people would be saved. God chose you for salvation because he sees all things eternally, and because He can see peoples and events both present and future, He sovereignly chose you because he already knew you would freely choose Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins. Of the three views I mentioned, the third is the one I gravitated towards and believed was the best of the three options; I even stated in my journal on January 20, 1994, Due to the Scriptures and that all scripture is inspired by God, my conclusion on predestination is made: God is all-knowing therefore He predestined us for salvation, but allowed us to choose him for salvation. At the time, my conclusion seemed to reconcile Ephesians 1:3-6 and others like it with passages like 2 Peter 3:9, The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not willing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance. There is a fourth view that I have come to appreciate due to two realities I never considered back in 1994, the first concerns the fact that God stands outside of time because time is a part of creation, therefore He is not bound to time and does not make choices based on what He can see down the corridors of time because He stands outside of time. The other reality I did not consider back in 1994 was Ephesians 1:1-4, which states: And you were dead in your offenses and sins, in which you previously walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all previously lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the rest (Eph. 2:1-3). In light of Ephesians 1:3-6, how can a person respond to God in faith when that person is spiritually dead? Can the spiritually dead do anything spiritual? Can the spiritually dead will themselves alive just enough to believe in God? What does Paul mean by dead in Ephesians 2:1? The Greek word could not be any clearer, it is nekros. Do you want to know what nekros means? It means this: no longer having life. So how dead is dead? So, the question I had to answer is a question you must answer as well, and that question is simply this: How can the spiritual dead do anything apart from God doing something? Paul gives us the answer in Ephesians 2:4-5, But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our wrongdoings, made us alive together with Christ (Eph. 2:45). The point of verse 4 is simply this: You, who were once spiritually dead. You who once, lived in the lusts of your flesh, indulged the desires of your flesh, you who followed the prince of this world, and you who were once a child of wrathHe chose you before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in Christ. Whatever you are doing with verse 4, whatever you want to do with verse 4, and whatever you plan to do with verse 4, one thing is very clear: God acted first. When you had no ability or desire to find Him, He found you. John Stott was right when he wrote The doctrine of election is a divine revelation, not a human speculation.[1] God Predestined the Christian for Love (v. 5) What does it mean to be chosen? It means that God predestined you to something. What does predestination mean? It means, to determine something ahead of time before its occurrence.[2] So, according to verse 5, before God invented dirt, He planned for your adoption as a son or daughter through all that Jesus would do on your account for your sin on a cross that we all deserved. We know we deserved the cross because of what Paul tells us in Ephesians 2:3, which is that all of us at one point in our lives were, by nature children of wrath, just as the rest. In Romans 3:10-11, we are told just how bad our spiritual deadness is: as it is written: There is no righteous person, not even one; there is no one who understands, there is no one who seeks out God (Rom. 3:1011). Since when have I been spiritually dead? According to Psalm 51:5, Behold, I was brought forth in guilt, and in sin my mother conceived me. Just in case you are not sure what to make of Psalm 51:5, consider Ecclesiastes 9:2, Furthermore, the hearts of the sons of mankind are full of evil, and insanity is in their hearts throughout their lives. So, with Ephesians 2:1-3 and a whole bunch of other verses about our spiritual problem as our backdrop, lets read again Ephesians 1:5 more closely and thoughtfully: In Love He predestined us to adoption as sons and daughters through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will. In other words, among the mass of spiritually dead humanity that has postured themselves against God as, sons of disobedience who walk according to the course of this world, God chose you, Christian, in Jesus, before He created dirt, to be holy and blameless. God chose you because you were dead, dead, dead, and because you were dead, He did the thing that no one else could have done! God raised your spiritually dead and helpless self. Why did He do it? Well, we are told that He did it In love and if that is not enough for you, Paul elaborates and tells us that He did it, according to the good pleasure of His will. And if that is not enough for you, he further elaborates on that point in the next chapter: being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead made us alive together with Christ (2:4-5). It is because of Gods love, His will, and His good pleasure that you who were once dead, now stand before Him as a son or as a daughter solely because of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ! Dear Christian, the point of Ephesians 1:3-6 is this: you are only a Christian because of a merciful God who set His affection upon you by sending His son to endure a wrath you deserved for the purpose of adopting you to be His child out of an infinite love no one deserves. God Favored the Christian in Christ (v. 6) So, lets walk through these verses now that we have observed the scenery of Gods word that surrounds Ephesians 1:3-6. If you are a Christian, you were once dead in your sins, you were hostile towards God, and there was no real motive in you to seek the true God, and in spite of all of that, God the Father chose to make you alive in His Son, Jesus, before Genesis 1:1 ever happened, and He did it so that you, would be holy and blameless before Him. The point of verse 4 is that God did something you were powerless to do. Not only did God the Father choose you to be holy and blameless by making you alive in His Son, but He predestined us to be His adopted child with all the rights and privileges that come with being a son or a daughter, and He did it by putting His Son, who kept the Law, on a cross to atone for your guilt from breaking His cosmic Law just as the Bible declares: Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for usfor it is written: Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree (Gal. 3:13). If that is not clear enough for you, we also are told in Colossians 2:13-14, And when you were dead in your wrongdoings and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our wrongdoings, having canceled the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross (Col. 2:1314). You were not only dead in your sins before Christ, but the Bible informs us that we are now redeemed by Jesus who were once enemies of God: For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life (Rom. 5:10). What this means dear friends, is this: You were once dead in your sins, are now alive in Christ, and are now reconciled to God. You who are reconciled to God, are now a friend of God (John 15:14-15). If you are still confused as to why He did it, look no further than verse 6. Not only did He save your sorry soul because He simply loved you, and not only did He redeem you as his child out of His good pleasure of His will alone, but He did it, to the praise of the glory of His grace, with which He favored you in His Beloved Son (v. 6). By the way, the word favored literally means, to become the recipient of Gods freely bestowed, beneficent goodwill. What this means is that you were saved from your sins, and it was not due to anything in you, but solely because of the love of the Father who sent His Son who willingly became sin for us (2 Cor. 5:21). In his book, Friendship with God, Mike McKinley wrote what I think is a good way to end this sermon: Your status before God doesnt depend on your performance, or work, or obedience; it depends on Jesus, and he did everything perfectly to make you Gods friend. Nothing can ever separate you from Gods love in Christ (Rom. 8:38-39). Once He has made you His friend through faith in Jesus, you can never be his enemy again.[3] In closing, permit me to give you some pointers that will help you listen, understand, and submit to the authority of the Bible: Do not try to bend what you read in the Bible to your will. If you want to grow as a Christian, you must submit your will to the authority of the Bible as Gods Word. The Bible is one book, therefore read every verse in the Bible within the context of its surrounding verses, chapters, and books. When you study your Bible, pray to God to help you understand and apply His Word to your life. Read every verse in the Bible with the understanding that God does not need to get better. So, if you read a story, chapter, or verse in the Bible that you do not like, understand you are the one who needs to improve at being good, not God. Just because you do not understand or do not like something you have read in the Bible, does not mean that it is untrue. At the end of the day, what matters is what Gods Word says, not what you think the Bible says, what your pastor says the Bible says, what your family says the Bible says, what your friends say the Bible says, or anyone else says that the Bible says. What matters is what Gods Word says about who He is, who we are, and what we are called to do in this short life we have been gifted. If you have heard anything this morning, I hope you have heard this: Ephesians 1:3-6 teaches us that you are a Christian not because of what you have done, but because of everything God has done, and because of Jesus, you are now a child and a friend of God Almighty! [1] John R. W. Stott, Gods New Society (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1979), p. 37. [2] From Lexham Research Lexham Research Lexicon of the Greek New Testament. [3] Mike McKinley, Friendship with God (Wheaton, IL: Crossway; 2023), p. 11

The word faith is used three ways in Scripture: Faith as a noun (pistis πίστις), often refers to “that which evokes trust and faith.”[1] The word is used with reference to God who is trustworthy (Rom 3:3; 4:19-21), and of people who possess faith (Matt 9:2, 22; 21:21), which can be great (Matt 15:28; cf. Acts 6:5; 11:23-24), small (Matt 17:19-20), or absent (Mark 4:39-40; cf. Luke 8:25). It is also used of Scripture itself as a body of reliable teaching (i.e. Acts 14:22; 16:5; Rom 14:22; Gal 1:23; 2 Tim 4:7). Paul was said to preach “the faith which he once tried to destroy” (Gal 1:23). Richard Longenecker notes that Paul “uses πίστις in Galatians in an absolute sense…to mean the content of the Christian gospel.”[2] Faith as a verb (pisteuō πιστεύω), which means “to consider something to be true and therefore worthy of one's trust, believe…to entrust oneself to an entity in complete confidence, believe (in), trust.”[3]The word is used of trust in God (Gen 15:6; Heb 11:6; cf. Rom 4:3), trust in Jesus (Acts 16:31; 1 Pet 1:8), and trust in Scripture (John 2:22). According to J. Carl Laney Jr., “Believing in Christ means we acknowledge Him as God's Son and Messiah and trust His person and work in securing our personal salvation. Believing in Christ means that we rely on Jesus alone to bring us safely through life to heaven.”[4] Faith as an adjective (pistos πιστός), which describes someone “being worthy of belief or trust, trustworthy, faithful, dependable, inspiring trust/faith.”[5] The word is used of God (1 Cor 1:9; 10:13; 2 Tim 2:13; Heb 10:23; Rev 1:5), and of people (Matt 25:23; 1 Cor 4:17; Col 1:7; 1 Tim 1:12; 2 Tim 2:2; Heb 3:5).      Faith demands an object as it must have something or someone upon which to rest. To receive salvation, the unbeliever is told to “believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31a). For the unbeliever, faith in Christ is exercised with a view to receiving a benefit, and that benefit is eternal life (John 3:16). Faith does not save. God saves. Faith is merely the means by which the unsaved person receives salvation, as God alone does the saving. Though we may exercise faith and receive a benefit, the object always gets the credit, and in the case of our salvation, God alone gets the glory. And faith is never blind, but is an intelligent act of the will by the believer who hears and understands God's Word. Paul tells us “faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ” (Rom 10:17; cf. 14:23; Heb 4:2; Jam 1:22). According to Charles Swindoll: "To believe in Christ is, first, to accept what He says as truth. Second, and more importantly, pisteuō means “to trust,” “to rely upon,” or “to derive confidence in” something or someone. When I say I believe in Jesus Christ, I declare that I trust Him, I rely upon Him, I have placed my complete confidence in Him; everything I know about this life and whatever occurs after death depends upon His claims about Himself and my positive response to His offer of grace."[6] John Walvoord adds: "[Faith] is illustrated by the use of an elevator. A person may believe that the elevator is in good working order and would take him to the top floor of the building if he chose to get on board; but as long as he is outside the elevator, his belief that the elevator would take him to the top floor does not do him any good. Faith would mean that he stepped in the elevator and put his weight into it and committed himself to its mechanical perfections. Likewise, there is more than mere assent in the matter of believing in Christ."[7]      As Christians enter into phase two of their salvation, they learn to live by faith (Heb 10:38), submit to God (Rom 12:1), claim promises (Rom 8:28; 1 Cor 10:13; 1 John 1:9), give their cares to God (1 Pet 5:6-7), overcome fear (Deut 31:6-8; Isa 41:10-13), love others (1 Th 4:9), learn to rejoice (1 Th 5:16), pray continually (1 Th 5:17), be thankful (1 Th 5:18), and live with a relaxed mental attitude (Isa 26:3; Phil 4:11). Biblically, we know faith will be tested (1 Pet 1:6-7), is the only thing that pleases God (Heb 11:6), and should be exercised daily as we learn to “walk by faith” (2 Cor 5:7). Dr. Steven R. Cook     [1] William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 818. [2] Richard N. Longenecker, Galatians, vol. 41, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 1990), 42. [3] William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 817. [4] J. Carl Laney Jr., et al, “Soteriology”, Understanding Christian Theology, 240. [5] William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 820. [6] Charles R. Swindoll, Acts, Swindoll's Living Insights New Testament Commentary (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 2016), 147. [7] John F. Walvoord, What We Believe (Galaxie Software, 2007), 87.

1.True Disciples of Christ Bestow Gifts of Grace By Grace 2.True Disciples of Christ are Sent by Grace, Redeeming Grace 3.True Disciples of Christ Disciple Obedience by Grace 4.True Disciples of Christ Glorify God by Grace

Separation anxiety is when someone fears being apart from or losing a person or other attachment figure, a place, or even an animal. Adults can experience separation anxiety, although it is more common in children. Learning necessary, healthy detachment from parents, relatives, friends, and trauma bonds provokes "separation anxiety," does it not? Severe SA can manifest in physical symptoms, such as nausea and headaches. But separation anxiety is a normal part of both childhood development and adult relationship development. Although it can be unsettling, Jesus teaches separation is necessary for Christians - at least temporarily - in order to bring about the repentance and reconciliation of an offender. If the offender continues without repentance (changing direction), we must detach from ungodly "Christian" relationships, or else we fall into sin ourselves as enablers. Jesus shows us how.  Thank you with all my heart to my newest Friends of the Show, Jaylen M; Rose G; and Monica M, for loving and lifting me! Friends of the Show get all Premium Content!  Our Monthly Meetup Bible study in John is epic! You coming? LOVE the Word® is a Bible study method based on Mary's own practice: lectio without the Latin. Get the book based on Sonja's method in the right margin, How to Pray Like Mary.   L | Listen (Receive the Word via audio or video.)   O | Observe (Connect the passage to your life and recent events.) Tolerance is not patience, it is enabling sin, according to Jesus and interpreted by the Church Fathers. Has the Holy Spirit alerted you through this episode of a relationship with a fellow (professed) Christian in which you need to speak up and erect some boundaries? What do you want to say to Him about that?   V | Verbalize (Pray about your thoughts and emotions.) Remembering that He loves you and that you are in His presence, talk to God about the particulars of your O – Observe step. You may want to write your reflections in your LOVE the Word® journal. Or, get a free journal page and guide in the right-hand margin. E | Entrust (Rest in the Word.) Dearest Jesus, my love, in the words of little Therese, "For me to become great is impossible." Help me bear with myself and my many imperfections as I seek to follow her means of getting to heaven by a little way--very short and very straight, the little way. Amen + Love Heals. Learn More. Connect Join me (click here) in the Sacred Healing community for our Masterclass and Consultation Group coaching calls, healing prayer livestreams, monthly Bible studies, LOVE the Word® takeaways, a healing masterclass and other courses, a dynamic phone app, and a flourishing community to help you find help, support, and experience deeper healing.  What We Discussed | Show Notes Overview: Minutes 00:00-12:00 – the purification of our hearts has to do with paternal and maternal images (CCC 2779); Thérèse of Lisieux's trauma; mother wounds and female physical issues Minutes 12:01-24:00 – self- and interior-abuse; aggressive vs passive temperament; synopsis of Matthew 18; childlikeness, according to Jesus, means boundaries;  the difference between boundaries for Christians and non-Christians; Law as gift; guilt and shame; shame vs contrition; no condemnation for those in Christ (Rom 8:1 and Jn 3) Minutes 24:01-36:00 – the forehead as the seat of shame; Ex 28 HOLINESS TO THE LORD; 3 stages of boundaries; Holy Spirit is our wisdom and discernment as we "wrestle" with boundaries; overview of Matt 18; the Fathers on offenses against children and ourselves Minutes 36:01-48:00 – "cutting them off" or no-contact; eyes, hands, and feet; Jesus seeks out the one who has been separated or "lost" Transcript Click here for a transcript of the show. 

Paul wraps up Romans 5-8 with the strongest language possible to convince us that we are totally secure in Christ. We're secure because God is for us, because God justifies us, and because God loves us. These life-changing truths are not only for us to believe in, but to revel in and rest in.

     Just prior to crucifixion, a person was scourged with a whip which had thongs that were braided with sharp objects such as nails. As an act of public humiliation, criminals carried their own cross to the place of execution, and once there, were stripped naked before being fastened to the cross, either with rope or nails. Being tied to a cross with ropes was less painful in the beginning, but would leave the victim to hang for a longer period of time, even days, which would make the experience more painful in the end. Some who were tied to the cross are recorded to have lasted for nine days. Nailing a person to a cross was more painful from the beginning and would have led to a quicker death. The body would hang between three to four feet from the ground. Sometimes a soporific was given to the victim to help numb the senses. In Jesus case, it was “wine mixed with myrrh” (Mark 15:23), which our Lord rejected because it would have clouded His thinking (Matt 27:34). In some situations the Romans would break the victim's legs which would hasten death, but according to Scripture, Jesus was already dead by the time the soldiers considered doing this (John 19:32-34). Unger notes, “In most cases the body was allowed to rot on the cross by the action of the sun and rain or to be devoured by birds and beasts.”[1] We know that Joseph of Arimathea, a disciple of Jesus, came to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body, that he might bury it, and Pilate granted his request (Matt 27:57-60). It's most likely that Jesus was crucified in April, AD 33.[2]      The cross of Christ became central to the message of the gospel. The apostle Paul was sent by the Lord Jesus “to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, so that the cross of Christ would not be made void” (1 Cor 1:17). Paul was not concerned with human sophistry, winning arguments, or impressing his audience by means of rhetorical prowess, but merely with presenting the simple message of the cross of Christ, which brings eternal salvation to those who trust in Jesus as their Savior. Paul continued his line of reasoning, saying, “For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God...[and] we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Cor 1:18; 23-24). Paul summarized his message when he said, “I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified” (1 Cor 2:2). The image of a crucified Savior seems entirely foolish to a world that creates its saviors out of strong heroes; strong in the human sense of one who can save himself and others. Jesus is certainly strong; after all, He's God! And He does save forever those who come to Him in faith. However, the humility of the cross, with all its offense and shame, leaves no place for human wisdom or pride; for one must admit it was his sin that placed Messiah on the cross to be judged and die. To come to Jesus as a crucified Messiah requires humility, for one must honestly look at oneself from the divine perspective and admit he is a lost sinner in need of a Savior. A Savior who was willing to lay down His life and bear the punishment of the guilty. This requires truth, to see oneself from the divine perspective as utterly sinful and lost. And it requires humility, to admit one it powerless and cannot save himself from a damnable future to which he is certainly headed. It is the work of Messiah that saves. Nothing more is required. Jesus paid it all. W. E. Vine notes, ‘“The Cross of Christ' does far more than express the fact of the infinite love of God to man in the death of His Son; it exposes the enmity of the human heart against God, reveals the true nature of sin as in the sight of God, and makes known the impossibility of bridging, by any human effort, the chasm that separates unregenerate man from God.”[3]Wendell Johnston adds: "The cross stands at the center of Paul's theology (1 Cor 1:23). He saw this humiliating and cruel instrument in a new light—as the extraordinary opportunity to boast in his Savior (Gal 6:14). The shameful cross stood for everything the world despised and thus His allegiance to Christ separated him from the world. Jesus' death was like a magnet drawing the outcasts of the world to Christ (John 12:32). It makes human wisdom foolish (1 Cor 1:27) and weak people strong (1 Cor 1:25), and it breaks the spirit of the proud and lifts up the meek and humble (1 Cor 1:28). Because of His death Jesus breaks the shackles of those in bondage who believe in Him. The Cross brings peace to those in fear (Heb 2:14–15), and it unites Jews and Gentiles into one body (Eph 2:16). The Cross brought complete fulfillment to the system of the Mosaic Law and did away with all the regulations standing against humanity (Col 2:14–18). Because of the Cross, God gives eternal life to those who believe (Rom 5:18). The Cross, which to the world seemed proof of defeat, became the means of triumph (Col 2:15)."[4]      The cross represents the love of the Father, as “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom 5:8). And it represents the love of Jesus for us, as Paul wrote of “the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me” (Gal 2:20b).      Paul saw himself as crucified with Jesus, as he wrote, “I have been crucified with Christ” (Gal 2:20a). The words “crucified with” translates the Greek verb sustauroō (συσταυρόω), which means one is crucified with another. This is used in a literal sense of persons crucified in physical proximity to each other, such as “The robbers who had been crucified with Him”, that is, Jesus (Matt 27:44; cf., Mark 15:32; John 19:32). But Paul uses the word in Galatians 2:20 in a spiritual sense, in which he is identified with Christ on the cross. This same spiritual identification truth is for all who have trusted in Christ as our Savior, for to be “crucified with Christ” means that we are identified with our Lord in His death, burial, and resurrection. God sees us there are the cross, with Christ, dying with Him. Paul states, “our old self was crucified with Him” (Rom 6:6), and “we have died with Christ” (Rom 6:8). Furthermore, we partook of His burial, resurrection, and ascension, for “we have been buried with Him” (Rom 6:4), and “raised up with Christ” (Col 3:1; cf., Eph 2:6a), and even now are seen to be seated “with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Eph 2:6b). Concerning Galatians 2:20, William MacDonald states: "The believer is identified with Christ in His death. Not only was He crucified on Calvary, I was crucified there as well—in Him. This means the end of me as a sinner in God's sight. It means the end of me as a person seeking to merit or earn salvation by my own efforts. It means the end of me as a child of Adam, as a man under the condemnation of the law, as my old, unregenerate self. The old, evil “I” has been crucified; it has no more claims on my daily life."[5] Who Crucified Jesus?      The question is sometimes raised as to who crucified Jesus? According to Chafer, “Closely related to the contrast between the divine and human sides of Christ's death, is the question: Who put Christ to death? As already indicated, the Scriptures assign both a human and a divine responsibility for Christ's death.”[6] According to the testimony of Scripture, Jesus' death on the cross was the result of: 1) God the Father who sent Him, 2) Jesus who willingly went to the cross, 3), Satan who worked through others to help crucify Him, 4) unbelieving Jews, and 5) unbelieving Gentiles. The Bible verses that address the various persons involved in the crucifixion of Jesus are intermixed. That is, a passage might address God the Father and Jesus, or Jews and Gentiles, or Satan and Jews, etc. It is from these Scripture passages that the following categories as recognized. God the Father Sent Christ to Die      Who crucified Jesus? The ultimate answer is God the Father. The Father was motivated by His love for us to save us; therefore, His plan of salvation involved sending His Son into the world to die in our place. The record of Scripture is, “But the LORD was pleased To crush Him, putting Him to grief” (Isa 53:10a), and “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son” (John 3:16a), and “this Man [Jesus], was delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God” (Acts 2:23a), and Peter, praying to the Father, said, “For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur” (Acts 4:27-28), and “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all” (Rom 8:32). Chafer notes, “Human hands might inflict physical suffering and death as any victim would die, but only the hand of God could make Christ a sin offering, or could lay on Him the iniquity of others (2 Cor 5:21; Isa 53:6).”[7] Jesus Willingly Went to the Cross      Though the Father sent Jesus into the world to be an atoning sacrifice for sin, He did not force Him onto the cross. Jesus consented to come into the world and go to the cross and die for us. He voluntarily laid down His life. The writer of Hebrews states, “Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says, ‘Sacrifice and offering You have not desired, but a body You have prepared for Me'” (Heb 10:5). Jesus, in hypostatic union, speaking from His humanity, said, “Behold, I have come (in the scroll of the book it is written of Me) to do Your will, O God” (Heb 10:7). Constable notes, “Jesus was not some dumb animal that offered its life without knowing what it was doing. He consciously, voluntarily, and deliberately offered His life in obedience to God's will.”[8] Jesus' voluntary death on the cross is found in several passages. Jesus said, “I lay down My life for the sheep” (John 10:15), and “no one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative” (John 10:18). Paul wrote, “Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma” (Eph 5:2), and “Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her” (Eph 5:25), and “the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me” (Gal 2:20), and “who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed” (Tit 2:14). The writer to the Hebrews tells us that Christ “offered up Himself” (Heb 7:27; cf., Heb 9:14). Satan Was Instrumental in Jesus' Crucifixion      The very first prophesy related to the cross is found in Genesis, when God told Satan, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel” (Gen 3:15). Concerning Genesis 3:15, Chafer notes, “it is implied that Satan did what he could in the exercise of his power—directly, or indirectly, through human agents—against the Savior.”[9] Satan's seed refers to all those who reject God and Christ and are part of Satan's kingdom of darkness.[10] Jesus said to unbelieving Jews, “You are of your father the devil” (John 8:44), and all unbelievers are “the sons of the evil one” (Matt 13:38). These were used by Satan to help in the crucifixion of Christ. On the night before Jesus' crucifixion, John records, “During supper, the devil had already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray Him” (John 13:2). During the meal, Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly, truly, I say to you, that one of you will betray Me” (John 13:21), and “After the morsel, Satan then entered into him. Therefore Jesus said to him, ‘What you do, do quickly'” (John 13:27). Here we observe a coalescence of Satanic and human activity to betray Jesus to those who would crucify Him. In this regard, Satan was the motivating force behind Judas, his willing instrument, to bring about the death of Jesus.[11]      In the Garden of Gethsemane, the chief priests, officers of the temple, and Jewish elders came to arrest Jesus (Luke 22:52a), and He said to them, “While I was with you daily in the temple, you did not lay hands on Me; but this hour and the power of darkness are yours” (Luke 22:53). Those who came physically to “lay hands” on Jesus were the Jewish authorities who conspired to kill Him. God, in His sovereignty, permitted this to happen, because it served His greater purposes to bring about salvation through the cross. But even though it was their hour to act, these men were not acting alone, as Luke's reference to “the power of darkness” demonstrates that Satan was behind them, driving them on as his agents of lies and destruction. Later, Luke would use the term darkness as a symbol of the sphere of Satan's authority (Acts 26:18), as would Paul (Col 1:13). Unbelieving Jews Crucified Jesus      Though it was the Romans who actually placed Jesus on the cross and drove the nails, it was, according to Scripture, unbelieving Jews who conspired and lied about Jesus to have Him crucified (Matt 26:3-4; John 11:53). At the time of Jesus' trial before Pilate, the Jews who were present all shouted, “Crucify Him” (Matt 27:22). God permitted Jesus' crucifixion, both by the Jews and Romans, because it served His greater purpose. Luke recorded Peter, who said, “Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know—this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death” (Acts 2:22-23). Clearly this address was to the “Men of Israel,” who rejected Jesus and “nailed [Him] to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death” (Acts 2:23; cf. Acts 4:10; 5:30; 10:39). In Acts 4:27, Luke recorded that there were “gathered together against Your holy servant Jesus…the peoples of Israel” (Acts 4:27), to crucify Him. Paul wrote about “the Jews, who both killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets” (1 Th 2:14b-15a). Unbelieving Gentiles Crucified Jesus      Though many unbelieving Jews were directly responsible for collaborating in the crucifixion of Jesus, it was Gentiles who actually did the work of placing Him on the cross. That's what Jesus foretold His disciples, saying, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn Him to death, and will hand Him over to the Gentiles to mock and scourge and crucify Him, and on the third day He will be raised up” (Matt 20:18-19). It was said of the Roman soldiers, “After they had mocked Him, they took the scarlet robe off Him and put His own garments back on Him, and led Him away to crucify Him” (Matt 27:31). Luke records in Acts, “truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel” (Acts 4:27).      As Christians, we must not see Christ dying at a distant time or place. We should see our own hands driving the nails that put Him there and then lifting the cross. The crucifixion was not only for us, but by us. It was our sin that necessitated His death and judgment. We must see Jesus bearing all our sin and paying the penalty of the Father's wrath that rightfully belongs to us. In May 2006, I wrote the following poem as I thought about the role I played in placing Jesus on the cross. Christ to the Cross (by Dr. Steven R. Cook) I and the Father led Christ to the cross, Together we placed Him there; I pushed Him forward, no care for the cost, His Father's wrath to bear. Christ in the middle not wanting to die, Knelt in the garden and prayed; Great tears of blood the Savior did cry, Yet His Father He humbly obeyed. So He carried His cross down a dusty trail, No words on His lips were found; No cry was uttered as I drove the nails, His arms to the cross were bound. I lifted my Savior with arms spread wide, He hung between heaven and earth; I raised my spear and pierced His side, What flowed was of infinite worth. Like a Lamb to the altar Christ did go, A sacrifice without blemish or spot; A knife was raised, and life did flow, In a basin the blood was caught. Past the incense table and the dark black veil, To that holy of holy places; The blood of Christ was made to avail, And all my sins it erases. Now this Lamb on a cross was a demonstration Of the Father's love for me; For the Savior's death brought satisfaction, Redeemed, and set me free. Now I come to the Savior by faith alone, Not trusting in works at all; Jesus my substitute for sin did atone, Salvation in answer to His call.   Dr. Steven R. Cook   [1] Merrill Frederick Unger et al., “Cross”, The New Unger's Bible Dictionary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1988), 264. [2] See Harold Hoehner's book, Chronological Aspects of the Life of Christ, pages 95-114. [3] W. E. Vine and C. F. Hogg, Vine's Topical Commentary: Christ (Nashville, TN; Dallas; Mexico City; Rio de Janeiro: Thomas Nelson, 2010), 108-109. [4] Wendell G. Johnston, “Cross,” ed. Charles R. Swindoll and Roy B. Zuck, The Theological Wordbook, Swindoll Leadership Library (Nashville, TN: Word Publishing, Inc., 2000), 77–78. [5] William MacDonald, Believer's Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments, ed. Arthur Farstad (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1995), 1880. [6] Lewis Sperry Chafer, Systematic Theology, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1993), 49. [7] Ibid., 51. [8] Tom Constable, Tom Constable's Expository Notes on the Bible (Galaxie Software, 2003), Heb 10:5. [9] Lewis Sperry Chafer, Systematic Theology, vol. 3, 49. [10] The seed of Satan ultimately relates to the coming Antichrist, who will, during the time of the Tribulation, seek to destroy Israel and prevent the coming of Jesus to rule over the earth. See Arnold Fruchtenbaum's comments on Genesis 3:15 in his book, The Book of Genesis, Ariel's Bible Commentary. [11] On a separate occasion, after Jesus was born, Satan wanted to kill the baby Jesus. The apostle John—operating from divine viewpoint—records that Satan, “stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth, he might devour her child” (Rev 12:4). But Satan's attack was not direct; rather, King Herod was his tool to accomplish the nefarious deed. Matthew records the account in his Gospel (Matt 2:1-23). Herod was the human agent who wanted to kill Jesus, but Satan was the motivating force behind the attack.

Content Nations in, Israel out Christ the stumbling stone Israel wouldn't submit Support our ministry and gain access to hours of seminary videos: https://crosstocrown.org/partners/ Song credit: “Beautiful Day” by Gabe Goodin — https://open.spotify.com/artist/654rVNYWPK6wKQjdJyX3BO My books: Exalted: Putting Jesus in His Place — https://www.amazon.com/Exalted-Putting-Jesus-His-Place/dp/0985118709/ref=tmm_pap_title_0 God's Design for Marriage (Married Edition) — https://www.amazon.com/Gods-Design-Marriage-Married-Amazing/dp/0998786306/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1493422125&sr=1-4&keywords=god%27s+design+for+marriage God's Design for Marriage (Pre-married Edition) — https://www.amazon.com/Gods-Design-Marriage-What-Before/dp/0985118725/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top crosstocrown.org @DougGoodin @CrossToCrown

Additonal study text for the end of times. Presence of false christs and false prophets (Matt. 24:5, 11) War, (Matt. 24:6-7; Luke 21:10) Persecution of the faithful, (Matt. 24:9) Apostasy, (Matt. 24:10; 1 Tim. 4:1) Lawlessness increases and love grows cold, (Matt. 24:12) Earthquakes, famine, and plague, (Luke 21:11) Increase in selfishness, (2 Tim. 2:2) Lovers of self, money, and pleasure.  Arrogant, disobedient, ungrateful, and unholy. They will be haters of good, conceited, appearing godly but are not, (2 Tim. 3:2-5) Mocking of Jesus, (2 Peter 3:3-4; Jude 17-19) Increase in knowledge, (Daniel 12:4) Rise of spiritism, (1 Tim. 4:1) Decay of marriage, (1 Tim. 4:1) False teaching, (2 Tim. 4:3–4) The gospel will be preached to the whole world, (Matt. 24:14) Signs in the heavens, (Luke 21:11) Sun and Moon will be darkened, (Matt. 24:29) The sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, (Matt. 24:30) Abuse and destruction of the earth and its resources, (Rev. 11:18) All the nations of the earth will gather against Israel, (Zech. 12:3) Rebuilding of the Temple, (2 Thess. 2:3–4) Arrival of the Antichrist, (2 Thess. 2:3–4; Rev. 13:14–17) Enforcement of the mark of the beast, (Rev. 13:17) Repentance of Israel and the Jews coming to faith in Christ (Rom. 11:25-26)     let me know if you want a copy of the new book when it drops! kenn.blanchard@gmail.com  Giving Links  https://giv.li/p2nj61Zelle  - pastor@SpeakLifeChurch.net You can support the ministry by check or money order by sending it to Speak Life Church, 14713 Kent Drive, Upper Marlboro, MD 20772   Rev. Kenn Blanchard 

In this episode, Dr. Fredrick J. Long dives deep into Rom 8:1-7. Tune in! #romans #greek #biblicalgreek #biblestudy #koine Romans, Greek, Biblical Greek, Bible Study, Koine, --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/glossahouse/message

Protection And Provision For Man-Child And Bride  (audio) David Eells - 10/8/23  Word To The David Man-Childs  Deborah Fenske – 9/21/23  “My son, you have fought the good fight. You have run well. And you are about to win the race. Keep fighting. Keep running. For you, and for mine who have learned well, and are running well, the prize is just a head. It won't be long now for what you have been waiting for while exhorting, and encouraging everyone in faith to believe, and by faith to receive. It won't be long. Only take courage. You have fought well, learned well, lived well, and taught well the sum of My words, the truth. All that you have endured coming against you, and against UBM, and all lives I have touched through you, have come against Me. We have been in this together. I will not leave you or forsake you now. What I raise up, and who I lift up, no one can take down. Stay strong. Remember well My faithfulness.”    Provision For The Man-Child And Bride  Tianna Fire - 4/28/23 (David's notes in red)  I dreamt we were driving around Australia, but instead of hot desert it was like Canada with snow and very cold.  (Winter represents Tribulation) At one point while traveling Samuel and I were flying a mini plane about 40/50 meters above the road. (Being moved and powered from heaven.)  We followed the road, and the plane was pulling our car. It started getting too windy so we couldn't fly the plane anymore, so we landed the plane and we drove to the nearest town to stay the night, we had no accommodation booked and no money to pay for a motel, but I heard the Lord say to me to walk into this specific hotel lobby.   So, we went into the lobby and noticed many people waiting. A man who worked there to quicken things, was reading out the names of people who had already prepaid in full for their accommodations; when their name was called, they would go to him and get their room key in an envelope. Samuel and I stood close to the man, and he read out a few names and then he said the name, “Samuel Fire” and we were shocked as we had never been here before and we had not made a reservation or anything, we hadn't even planned to be here. (The Lord has all our days planned for us if we trust and follow Him. 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.)   Samuel went up to the man and he was handed an envelope with a room key, and we went to the elevator to go up to our fully paid hotel room. I opened the envelope and there was also a receipt and it said that there were 3 nights fully paid for. (The receipt is our redemption paid for by blood of Christ Jesus and the 3 nights represents how long He was dead in the tomb before His resurrection. Rom 3:24-25 being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 25 whom God set forth to be a propitiation, through faith, in his blood…) It included all meals, and there were all these free vouchers and free tickets to see places around the town. (The blood of Jesus has paid in full for every need we may have, and our Father's grace and desire is to bless us in everything. Php 4:19 And my God shall supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Eph 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ:)  One of the free things included was doing a tour on a houseboat and there was an abundance of free food and other items there.   Samuel prayed for the meaning of this dream, and he heard, “In the belly of the earth for 3 nights and to be freed and paid for. Your journey will go beyond the earthly areas and reach past the spiritual. You will have complete access to Me and the Kingdom. There will be blessings, and your duty will have Heavenly results for eternity.”     Bride Gets Rich Before The Storm  Eve Brast - 2018 (David's notes in red)    (I Believe Eve is representing the Bride in the dream below because Eve was the Bride of the first Adam and the corporate Bride, represented by Eve will be the Bride of the last Adam, Jesus.)  I dreamed that I was in a large, covered ocean bay for cruise liners and mega yachts. There was a special party room for the wealthy elites where the offices were located that managed the port docks in this bay enclosure.  I walked inside the party room and there were many very wealthy people standing around and socializing. The men all wore tuxes, and the women were dressed in evening gowns and formal wear. They were all decked out in very expensive fine jewelry.  They all behaved towards me as if I were one of them even though I wasn't dressed like them. At one point an old woman with silver grey hair came up to me. She reminded me of my great grandmother who had been a very wealthy woman in real life. She had a necklace of large pearls around her neck. She handed me a check for 8 billion dollars. (8 is the number of Jesus, and new beginnings and billion represents all needs supplied. Psa 45:9-12 Kings' daughters are among thy honorable women: At thy right hand doth stand the queen in gold of Ophir.  10  Hearken, O daughter, and consider, and incline thine ear; Forget also thine own people, and thy father's house:  11  So will the king desire thy beauty; For he is thy lord; and reverence thou him.  12  And the daughter of Tyre shall be there with a gift; The rich among the people shall entreat thy favor.) After this I went out of the party room and down to the docks where there was a large white boat like a yacht. I and several others went down into the belly of the boat where there were many rows of wooden benches with an isle down the center like an old one room church from the 1800's.  There was a row of circular window ports on each side of the boat corresponding to each row of benches. After we were seated, the boat embarked on its journey. The waters were fairly calm at first but then the storm came, and the waves were tossing the boat around violently. There were times when I thought the boat would sink because the ocean waters were covering the port windows almost constantly. This is all I can remember. (The Storm is almost here and the Bride shall endure in faith.)   Obedience In Provision  Anonymous 3/30/23 (David's Notes in Red)  I had a vision of an average man. He was suddenly blessed with a very large abundance of money and a driven calling from God. (There are many prophecies of the Man-child being abundantly blessed to build the Kingdom of God.)  The man was then led to buy all these businesses and houses that were for sale, and he owned almost a whole city. (Many people represented by the houses will be coming into the Kingdom in Spirit and Truth.)  In so doing and led by God, to change a country and giving hope and faith by his example in servitude. Every one of the businesses and houses were for those in need. Housing the poor and the faithful in Christ; businesses were used for His Glory according to the Word and Christ and gave spiritual truth and provision for all their needs to be met.   In return, all those he helped then participated with their gifting or their profession and many helped in genuine love as one community for God, and it grew. The changes even convinced many non-believers not to change it back to what it had been.  (I felt this is our deepest desire to have His Kingdom be established here and now in the physical, not for our own selves but to fulfil the needs of others.)    The Bride's Supernatural Provision And Work  Eve Brast - 09/13/2008 (David's notes in red)  I had a dream. It was midnight and my grandmother had died and I had received a large inheritance from her estate. All of a sudden, a golden car appeared in front of me. (Eve here represents the Bride, the true child of the ancient Church, who gave us a large and valuable inheritance: the way of Christ.) I had been walking along a city street heading north. Hurricane Ike was tearing up the south portion of Texas. (Ike is short for Isaac, the promised Man-child, who will bring judgment on the world as Moses did and the white horse rider will in hopes of repentance from the people of God. The Man-child is also the head of the Bride like Mordecai [meaning little boy] brought Esther into the provision and protection of the King's house.)   It was starting to mist in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area but I wasn't getting wet. (Wet here would represent the curse of the "water of the Word", which, according to our inheritance, the Bride is not under – Gal 3:13) The car did not have legal tags on the license plate. It was brand new. I got into the golden car and started driving it. A small white sticker appeared in my hand and I placed it on the rear license plate. (God will make the Bride legal in many supernatural ways so that they will not have to worry about any provision.). This is not the way of those under the natural laws of the world but the way of the sons of God who will begin to walk in the Spirit.)  I felt desperation and an urgency to go and check on all the brethren! I supernaturally drove all over South and East Texas, checking on my brethren and ministering comfort to them. (As in Esther, the Bride ministered from the ability and safety of the King's house; she will care for the people of God who are in the world.) The golden car never got wet and neither did I. (As the water from the storm, Ike, destroyed many as the curse, but not any who have appropriated the inheritance.)  As I drove around, I was being watched everywhere I went and there were very few people in stores or on the streets. It was very dark. (As the Bride moves about freely, she will see no electricity and the stores empty, with Martial Law, which are a sign of things to come.)  I had started in the south and headed north. Then, as I had finished ministering in east Texas, and was headed west to my new home that used to be my grandmother's, (The house of holiness and power that the early Church Fathers had -- the house of the King) four men had spotted my illegally placed tags on the license plate and had alerted Michael Chertoff (Secretary of Homeland Security), who then ordered a massive search for me. ("Michael" means "who is like God" in Hebrew. "Chertoff" means "of the devil" in Russian. "Homeland" reminds everyone of the Nazi era. Anyway, the beast in whom the devil lives will be looking for the Bride, just like Haman did in Esther.)   I passed a police officer with a radar gun standing outside his squad car. I drove past him, unconcerned, and he acted like he didn't even notice me. (The Bride will travel in the Spirit, breaking the laws of nature, even during Martial Law, and will escape detection when it serves God's purpose.)  I pulled into the driveway of my grandmother's home that she had left to me. It was still raining outside but I and the car were still dry. I felt like I was walking in another dimension (in the Spirit of the Kingdom there is no curse.) because I could feel great desperation and devastation all over Texas but my world was calm and dry and peaceful. I saw darkness and misty rain and law enforcement everywhere, but I knew that most others were experiencing heavy rains and winds and floods and great loss! (The curse from Ike is a sign of things to come that will be even more terrible but it will bring revival.)   I was not married in this dream, nor did I have any children at this point. (Eve is the Bride-to-be of the last Adam, Jesus.) I went inside the house; it was elegantly furnished and immaculate. (The Bride at the beginning of the seven day Marriage Feast has all the benefits of a Queen.) There was a double stainless steel refrigerator packed with food and full pantries stocked with all kinds of provisions.   I had never owned any of these types or qualities or car or home or food before in my whole life. Nor had I ever experienced such peace and comfort. (There will be perfect peace and provision for God's Bride. PTL!) I had lived "hand-to-mouth", on the edge of destitution, up until this point in my dream, always just trusting God. I had owned nothing. (The great trials of faith are coming to an end for the Bride. God's provision in times of the curse is complete, as we believe. Phl.4:19 And my God shall supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. The Bride will distribute the benefits of the King's house to the queens, concubines and virgins, as in Song of Solomon.)   I had pulled the tag sticker off the rear license plate and wadded it up and stuck it in my right front pocket when I had gotten out in the driveway. (She no more has to appease the world; she is now fully walking in the Spirit.) After I had checked out the kitchen, I went out into the garage. There was a large, full moon-shaped grave dug on the right-hand side. I thought, "That was a strange shape for a grave!" (The full moon represents death to self since it is dead.) In the grave was a Texas State Highway 60 MPH speed limit sign. (The full moon-shaped grave with the 60-mph sign means 60 fold moon glory that the Bride begins the tribulation as.)   As I looked at it, I was a little sad but relieved at the same time and, at the same time, disgusted! I reached into my pocket and threw the wadded tag sticker into the grave. Then the car license plates appeared in my hand and I threw them in the grave, also. (The law of the sticker, plate and speed limit were on the old man who has now died. She will be dead to the law of the harlot church which the beast will persecute her for, as in Jesus' day. The heavenly spirit man who can move at the speed of thought is exempt. I once was translated halfway around the world, breaking all the natural laws of man. I broke every speed limit, didn't even buy a plane ticket and bypassed customs. I have prayed for gas and didn't have to pay for it; prayed for money and didn't have to borrow it. I was, according to the law, medically neglect because only God healed me.) I walked back into the house and changed my clothes. (Put on the new life and walk of Christ – Rom 13:14.)  Suddenly, my son Elijah appeared in front of me, holding a bowl of ice cream and he thanked me for it. I just looked at him and smiled. I didn't say anything to him because I knew I couldn't take any credit for the provision! (Elijah was the spiritual man who was translated, breaking the speed limit, and couldn't be killed or arrested by the 50 soldiers who sought for him – 2Ki 1:8-10. He had every supply by the ravens, brook and angels. And it was all grace from God. As Jesus raised up two corporate witnesses among the Bride who followed Him, so Moses and Elijah will be raised up with the Bride's provision.)   I walked into the living room and looked at the front page of the newspaper on the coffee table. There was a picture of the four men who witnessed me driving with illegal tags. Two of the men looked like Brad Pitt and the other two looked like John Travolta. The picture on the newspaper started moving and I could hear their false accusations of me to the reporter and to the FEMA people. (Just as actors were found by the Pharisees to falsely accuse Jesus, so there are the factious who falsely accuse the Bride. Haman falsely accused the body and the Bride was one of them but she escaped the beast and went to the King.)  At that point my cell phone rang and my friend Cindy said, "Eve! Do you realize that you are being sought by 70,000 people right now?!" I said, "No, I had no idea". This didn't bother me. I was happy because I knew they would find me and learn what the Truth was. (The Bride's gift to be preserved and above the laws of nature will cause many to seek her out. In 2Sa 24:15, 70,000 Israelites died of the plague but Jerusalem, the Bride, was not affected.)   After this, I looked out the front door and there was a police truck parked on the street facing left in front of the house. It was dark inside the truck and I couldn't see the officers, but I knew they were watching the house, but I also knew they were forbidden to harass me or arrest me. Then I woke up. (Jesus delivered us from the curse of the Law, having already become our curse – Gal 3:13. God is sovereign. "When a man's ways please the Lord, He maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him".)    The Light Attracts  Anonymous 5/14/23 (David's notes in red)  I dreamed that the UBM brethren and I lived in a community on a mountain, and it was surrounded by forests and could only be accessed by walking. (Psa 91:1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. This was only accessible by walking with the Lord. The mountain represents Mount Zion, who is the Bride, where only those that partake of the unleavened bread of the Word dwell together in unity as a Body. The promises of the Word can only be accessed by walking in His Word. Jas 1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only. Those who are only hearers are soon gone.)  A few of us had to travel to a faraway city, I forgot why, but we didn't have any money or any means to get to the city. We went on foot and it would take too long to get there on foot alone. (Luk 10:4 Carry no purse, no wallet, no shoes; and salute no one on the way.)  The Lord told us to go check inside a Bible. (The Bible has the promise to all provision.) Inside it had many $100 notes, and we knew that the Lord had put money there for us. We heard from God that it was to be used to travel to the city, and the Lord will provide the rest of the money we need along the way. (Php 4:19 And my God shall supply your every need according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Our Father's promises are in the Word. Everything we need is provided for in Christ.)  So, we ventured out on foot until we got down the mountain, and out of the forest, to a road where we caught a bus and then a train into the city. The city was next to the ocean, and it was gigantic. The city felt like it was a different world and it was so unfamiliar to us. (We are not of this world and it is foreign to us. Joh 17:16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.)  We got off the train and were led to a specific motel where we stayed. It was a shared room with four beds, a kitchen, bathroom and open plan lounge room. It was bigger and better than we needed, and we paid for three nights to stay there. (Our Lord Jesus stayed in a ‘tomb' that couldn't hold him for three nights.)   Our first night there, I had a dream that we walked past this specific building, and it had a red brick lodge that was surrounded by a spikey black fence, and next to it was a black shut-up building that was entirely black, and all the windows were blacked out and it was very dark. But there was a small light attached to the building that was on, and the light shined onto the street next to the building. And on the road was this giant white occultic symbol on the road. (2Co 11:14 And no marvel; for even Satan fashioneth himself into an angel of light.) (As we have seen, Satanists seek to entrap God's people with their witchcraft and Voo-doo but they cannot keep the elect.)   I woke up and told the brethren about the dream I just had. Later that day we walked throughout the city praying in tongues, and we went past areas that had buildings with occultic symbolism and dark strongholds; and we did spiritual warfare against it all. (Eph 6:12 For our wrestling is not against blood and flesh, but against the principalities, against the authorities, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spirituals of the wickedness in the heavenlies. 18 with all prayer and supplication praying at all seasons in the Spirit, and watching thereunto in all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.)  We got to the other side of the city and went into a shop, where we bought the things we needed to take back to the brethren. Everyone was watching us as if we clearly stood out and were from somewhere else. (We are the light and representation of Christ. Mat 5:14-16 Ye are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. 15 Neither do men light a lamp, and put it under the bushel, but upon the lampstand and it shineth unto all those in the house. 16 Thus let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in the heavens.)  Together in unity, we all decided on the things we needed and the things we didn't. There was no argument or disagreement, but complete unity as if we were one of mind, and everyone there witnessed it. (God is removing those who are disobedient to the Word which makes us one. thorns in the side. The true Body is in one accord. Rom 15:5-6 Now the God of patience and of comfort grant you to be of the same mind one with another according to Christ Jesus: 6 that with one accord ye may with one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Php 2:2-4 make full my joy, that ye be of the same mind, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind; 3 doing nothing through faction or through vainglory, but in lowliness of mind each counting other better than himself; 4 not looking each of you to his own things, but each of you also to the things of others.)  There was a man in there that kept following us around the store. He stood watching us from afar, but always kept us in his sight. He seemed intrigued and curious about who we are and what we are doing.  When we got to the checkout the cashier totaled the cost to $300, and then a random man stepped up and said he would pay for it, and we praised God for His provision. We kept walking around the city praying aloud and in spirit, breaking strongholds. The man from the shop kept following us all day but from afar. It didn't bother us because we knew God was in control and we felt to only talk with him if he spoke to us first. At one point I turned around and smiled at him and he was shocked because he was trying to appear as if he wasn't following us. (Mat 26:58 But Peter followed him afar off, unto the court of the high priest, and entered in, and sat with the officers, to see the end)  It was nighttime now, so we started walking back to the motel, still praying. I looked to my left and saw the exact same building from my dream. I told the brethren that it was the building from the dream, all the details were the exact same. So, we stopped and prayed specifically for this place for a while, and I felt there were a few people inside the building that were Satanists and they could feel something changing in the spiritual. (Dreams are often given as warnings and prompt us to pray down enemies and fight in the spirit.)  As we were heading back to the motel, it was made known to us that the man from the shop was still following us and there were two other Satanists that were in that red brick building that were also following us.   We got back to the motel and stayed the night. The three men that followed us stayed outside of our room watching and waiting for us, but we felt no fear, only peace and rest in God, knowing that He is in control and will not let us be harmed. (Isa 26:3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee; because he trusteth in thee.)  The next day we felt God wanted us to go back home so we called a taxi to come pick us up to take us to a bus station. The taxi arrived and we went out of the motel room straight into the taxi which took us to the bus station. It was made known to us that the three men had arranged to follow us in a black car, they followed us the whole way in the taxi and on the bus until we got off the bus at the edge of the forest.  (The satanists love to stalk us this way looking for any way they can accuse us.) We walked through the forest, back to the community where we lived, the exact same way we had left. It was a long time of walking, and the three satanist men were still following us on foot from a distance. As we got closer and closer to the UBM brethren, the presence of the Lord grew stronger and stronger and more intense; with an abundance of pure love, peace, joy, beyond words.   We arrived at the village and there was a giant playground with swings and climbing structures and slides, where all the children were playing while several adults were there watching. Some were praying, and others were reading. There were about 50-100 people in the community. The elders were in a separate area together in deep prayer seeking the Lord. Joe Britts who was an elder in the dream, came out and said that he heard from God that, “The enemy keeps trying to distract us all from seeking God and we all need to spend more alone time in God's presence.” Everyone there listened and their spirits bore witness to this Word from the Lord and in complete agreement.  As the three men got closer and closer to the village, it was as if evil and darkness was shedding off from them and they were becoming cleaner and cleaner as they came to the village. They all fell face down in complete fear and reverence to God as they could feel His presence, and they could see His Love and Jesus in all of us. (The elect among the satanists will eventually be converted. We are near this point now. Php 2:10-11 that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to God the Father's glory.)   They could see there was no error in following Jesus' ways, and that it was the Truth and their eyes were opened. They were given a new heart so quickly, that from just being in God's presence which was manifesting through us, they had complete repentance without even yet understanding the Gospel, but it was because of Jesus' presence. They so quickly let go of everything evil and cried out to God in front of everyone, and they were changed and became completely new spiritually and it felt as if they were babies that had just been born. (Joh 3:5-8 Jesus answered, Amen, Amen, I say unto thee, Except one be born of water and Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6 What is born of the flesh is flesh; and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Marvel not that I said to thee, Ye must be born from above. 8 The Spirit breatheth where he willeth, and thou hearest his voice, but knowest not whence he cometh, and whither he goeth: so is every one born of the Spirit.)   Everyone prayed for them and shared the Gospel and Truth of the Word and had Holy Love and forgiveness towards them. They came into complete unity with us, and the Word and they grew very quickly in Jesus and had much zeal and passion for the Lord. They eagerly wanted to go share Jesus with everyone back in the city but were waiting for the right time to go back. It was as if when in the city they could see Jesus and the light without knowing it was Jesus, and their conscious bore witness that Jesus' way is truth and they wanted Jesus, that's why they followed us. (Joh 14:6-7 Jesus saith to him, I am the way, and the truth, and the life: no one cometh unto the Father, but through me. 7 If ye had known me, ye would have known my Father also: henceforth ye know and have seen him.)      MAN-CHILD AND BRIDE TYPES  David Eells  The first thing we discover from the types of the Man-child is that he has a history before being anointed. Many are claiming this office without any such history. For instance Moses, Abraham, David, Joseph, etc., faithfully kept the flocks that represent God's people before coming to rule with the greater anointing of their first throne experience. With this knowledge of the following types of this experience will be in right perspective.  Jesus was born of the Woman, Israel, and was first to receive the former rain anointing of the Holy Spirit as His first throne experience. He was tried in His own wilderness experience for forty days and anointed to lead Israel (Luk.4:18). Kings received this anointing in the Old Testament as a type for the Man-child ministry (1Sam.2:10; 10:1,10;16:13). In 1 Samuel 16:13 David was anointed with the Holy Spirit to sit in the throne as King over Israel as a type for Jesus and the Man-child. (Luk.1:32) He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David.   Jesus' work was to rule true Israel, bringing the disciples through the wilderness that He had been tried in. The word “wilderness” is translated “desert” in the Gospels. This is where Jesus taught, fed, and delivered the people from the curse. In type, He was then crucified to Self, glorified, and caught up to the second throne experience. He then returned to minister to the disciples for forty days, representing the forty years between His resurrection and when the harlot, Israel, was destroyed in 70 A.D. At this time the disciples, who were alive and remained, fled to the mountains, representing the Promised Land or heaven. In type, this is when Jesus, Who promised to be with them to the end of the age, was caught up to the third throne experience, which we will explain more carefully later.  Joseph was born of the Woman, Israel, and was tried in his own wilderness experience. As a type of the First-fruits he was favored more than all of his brethren by his father, Jacob, whose regenerate name was Israel. Israel represented God to Joseph because, according to Strong's Concordance, his name means, “He will rule as God” and he was also the father of all corporate Israel, just as Christ is the head of all corporate true Christianity.  At this time, Joseph received two revelations that all of Israel bowed down to him as ruler in a type of the first throne experience (Gen.37:1-10). Joseph also brought the bad report of his brethren's evil doings before his father, like Elijah did at his throne experience on the mountain. Joseph was rejected by his own people (Gen.37:2-4,11,18,23,28) and the Egyptians. Like Jesus, he was falsely accused by the harlot, Potiphar's wife, and cast into prison where he “preached unto the spirits in prison” (1Pet.3:19) as a type of the dead. In type, by Joseph's word, the butler was resurrected and the baker condemned. Also, like Jesus, he was then caught up to the throne of Egypt, as a type of the world, in a second throne experience (Gen.41:40-44).   Joseph preserved the people of God through the seven years of famine, which was their own wilderness tribulation experience (54-57). In type, he then went to the Promised Land with Israel in the totally dead-to-self state, for they carried his remains with them after four hundred years of bondage as a type of the Tribulation (Gen.15:13; 50:24-25). This was a type of going to the heavenly Promised Land in a third throne experience.  Abraham was born from Babylon and, having left Lot in the sin cities of the plain, went through his wilderness to the heavenly Promised Land, which the Lord gave him as an inheritance and type of the first throne experience (Gen.13:11-15). He then returned from the Promised Land to deliver Lot, a citizen of Sodom who had been taken captive by the kings, which is a type of the Man-child delivering the saints in the world, who will have been taken captive by the ten-king beast of Revelation (Gen.14).   After delivering Lot, he went to the heavenly Promised Land and saw Melchizedek in the King's Vale (Gen.14:17-18). (Heb.7:1) For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of God Most High, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, (2) to whom also Abraham divided a tenth part of all (being first, by interpretation, King of righteousness, and then also King of Salem, which is, King of peace; (3) without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like unto the Son of God), abideth a priest continually. This clearly makes Melchizedek a type of Jesus, Who after receiving His new body, is totally born from above and has no earthy genealogy. In type, Abraham as the Man-child went to see the Lord in this third throne experience.  Elijah went through the wilderness and was caught up to the mount of God as his first throne experience (1Ki.19:4,8). He then returned to the wilderness to teach Elisha, who represents the Woman in Revelation 12:6 (16-17). Also in 2 Kings 2:6-14 Elijah makes a special trip to the wilderness to pass on his mantle to Elisha. Then Elijah was caught up in a whirlwind second throne experience. Elisha, as the Woman Church, then faces forty-two lads or youths from “Beth-el,” meaning “the house of God,” who persecute him in verses 23-24. This is a type of the persecution of the witnesses by immature apostates from the Church in the last forty-two months or 3½ years of the Tribulation (Rev.13:5-7). These forty-two lads, representing the harlot, were torn by the bears or beast exactly as in Revelation 17:16-17.  John, on the Isle of Patmos, was a type of the Man-child. He told the Church that he was a “partaker with you in the tribulation” (Rev.1:9). As we saw in the last chapter, he was caught up to the throne of God and given a revelation of the Tribulation wilderness (4:1-2). He was also given a revelation of the apostasy in the Church and told to share his revelation with seven angels, who were to give it to the seven churches (Rev.1:11, 2:1,8,12,18, 3:1,7,14). “Angel” in these cases is the Greek word angelos meaning “messenger” and is also used of ministers in the New Testament (Luk.7:24,27, 9:52). The equivalent Hebrew word in the Old Testament is translated “messenger” when speaking of ministers (Mal.2:7), John the Baptist and Jesus (3:1). Since it doesn't make sense that John sent the revelation to the churches by angels, he must have sent it by seven minister messengers who in turn shared it with the seven churches (Rev.1:11). This is exactly what Jesus the Man-child did. He shared His revelation with minister messengers, who shared it with the seven churches in Acts and in the Word.  Ezekiel was consistently called “son of man” as a type of Jesus the Man-child. He was also caught up to the throne (Eze.1:26) and anointed with the Spirit of God for ministry (2:2). Like John, the Man-child in Revelation, Ezekiel was given a vision of the four living creatures (1:10), and revelations of the seven-year tribulation and captivity (3:15), image of the beast, abomination of desolation, mark of God (5-9), the corporate false prophet (13), the beast kingdom's attack on the people of God and their destruction (38-39), the wars between the nations, the restoration of God's people to the kingdom (36-37), the measurements of the restored spiritual temple of God (40-43), the coming of the Lord as the Prince and His inheritance given to the saints (46), etc. What are the chances of John and Ezekiel receiving the same revelation to bring to the Church?   Moses was born of the Woman, Israel, and was tried in his own wilderness experience for forty years just as Jesus was for forty days. Then he ascended the mountain of God where he was given authority and anointing to bring Israel through the wilderness to the same mountain, again like Jesus. This was a type of his first throne experience (Exo.3:2-5,12). Moses then brought Israel half-way through their wilderness, by distance, which is a type of 3½ years of the Tribulation, and again ascended the mountain in a second throne experience, again like Jesus. Here he was glorified in soul because his “face shone” (Exo.34:29-35). (Both Moses and Jesus were in this second throne experience for forty days, the number of tribulation.) Moses then continued to bring Israel through the wilderness for forty years to the Promised Land, which, as we have seen, Jesus also did in type. Here Moses ascended the mountain where spiritually his old man died as he was caught up to the heavenly Promised Land, as Israel also entered the Promised Land (Deu.34:5-6; Jos.1:2). This was a type of his third throne experience.   As we have seen, even though there are different stages and levels of walking in the presence of God, all fully enter the kingdom in their new body at the same time. (1Cor.15:51)…We all shall not sleep, but we shall all be changed, (52) in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. Moses and Aaron, when seen together, are a clear type of the first and second Man-child, on opposite ends of the New Testament.   As we have seen, Moses typified the first Man-child, Jesus. Moses, like Jesus on the cross, put to death the Egyptian, typifying the old man, and left Egypt as a type of the world, to marry a Gentile bride who was one of seven daughters, like the favored Philadelphia Church (Exo.2:12,21). Jesus, as the first New Testament Man-child, will be met, many years later, in the kingdom by the second Man-child of the end time. In the same way Moses, as the first Man-child, was met many years later on the mountain of God by Aaron (Exo.4:27), which represents the first throne experience of the second Man-child in the end time.   Clearly, Moses typified God who spoke through Aaron, just as Jesus is God and will speak through the second end time Man-child. (Exo.4:16) And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people; and it shall come to pass, that he shall be to thee a mouth, and thou shalt be to him as God. (7:1) And the Lord said unto Moses, See, I have made thee as God to Pharaoh; and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet. Aaron, as the second Man-child, received his authority and instructions from Moses on that mountain and returned to save the Woman in Egypt (Exo.4:28). In the same way the second end time Man-child will receive his authority and instructions from Jesus and return to save the Woman in the world. (Rev.14:1) And I saw, and behold, the Lamb standing on the mount Zion, and with him a hundred and forty and four thousand, having his name, and the name of his Father, written on their foreheads.   Notice that Aaron, as the second Man-child, actually does the speaking and the signs in Egypt but behind him is Moses, as Jesus, giving authority. (Exo.4:30) And Aaron spake all the words which the Lord had spoken unto Moses, and did the signs in the sight of the people. The chain of authority, to bring the Woman out of the world and through the wilderness, is from the Father to Jesus to the end time Man-child of Revelation 12.  We need to lay a little foundation before sharing the types of the Bride being caught up to the throne. The Bride, although a different parable than the Man-child, includes the Man-child. David represented the Man-child as he sat on the throne. David's throne was called “the throne of the kingdom” (1Ki.1:46-47). The son of David was told that his throne was God's throne on earth. (2Chr.9:8) Blessed be the Lord thy God, who delighted in thee, to set thee on his throne, to be king for the Lord thy God…. Since the Man-child is the First-fruits of “Christ in you, the hope of glory,” then the Bridegroom lives in the Man-child. This is the spiritual throne to which the Man-child is caught up. This makes him the earthly head of the body of the Bride, for he will rule in the capital city of spiritual Jerusalem, which represents the Bride. (Rev.21:9) …Come hither, I will show thee the bride, the wife of the Lamb. (10) And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem…. (I will point out later how this whole spiritual kingdom is growing in the earth at this time.)   Notice that the Man-child, as head, is always typed as a man in the Scripture, and the commands of the New Testament agree. (1Cor.11:3) But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man…. (1Tim.2:12) But I permit not a woman to teach, nor to have dominion over a man, but to be in quietness. This was obeyed in that neither Jesus nor His disciples ordained women as elders. The Greek in “a son, a man-child” in Revelation 12:5 is literally, “a son, a male.” The word “Man” rarely comes from the actual word for male in Scripture, but here it does. It is true that there is only one body. (Gal.3:28) There … can be no male and female; for ye all are one [man] in Christ Jesus. It is also true that different members of that one body; whether men, women, servants, children, etc. have distinct rules in the New Testament, which must be obeyed to be in the Bride or Man-child. Anyone who would like to look further into this can read extensive Biblical proof in our article, “The Word, Women and Authority” on our site https://www.ubm1.org/  Jezebel spirits generally hate us for holding to the truth. On the other hand, Jerusalem, which we see is the Bride, was made up of both men and women. David, who ruled IN Jerusalem, was also a member of the larger Bride body. This capital city and its people, which represented the greater bridal throne, will enter into the nature, character, and authority of Jesus to a greater degree than the rest of the Church, represented by the twelve tribes outside of Jerusalem. (Jer.3:17) At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the Lord; and all the nations (Hebrew: “Gentiles”) shall be gathered unto it, to the name (meaning nature, character, and authority) of the Lord, to Jerusalem: neither shall they walk any more after the stubbornness of their evil heart. Notice that this end time throne is for the Bride, who is being gathered out of all nations through her submission to the throne of David. This gives greater meaning to the statement of Jesus, “He that overcometh, I will give to him to sit down with me in my throne” (Rev.3:21).   Jesus, as the Bridegroom, came in a body of the son of David (Rom.1:3) and was anointed to rule on the spiritual throne of David. Those separating from the apostate people of God, and learning to submit to His headship, were typed as the Bride by John. (Joh.3:29) He that hath the bride is the bridegroom…. The Man-child Jesus quickly taught the Bride to come into her kingdom authority under Him. The end time Man-child is also a spiritual body of the son of David, in whom Jesus the Bridegroom lives, and will raise up the Bride into the kingdom authority of her throne. This also shows us how the Groom will celebrate the marriage feast of seven days, with the Bride on earth for the last seven years. What is considered by many a strange verse points this out. Speaking of Jerusalem (the Bride) the Lord said, “For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee; and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee” (Isa.62:5).   Notice that the sons of God are not only born of the Church but of the more faithful Bride body within her, and they, as the earthly body of the Bridegroom from heaven, are used by the Lord to fellowship with His Bride during the marriage feast on earth. The Man-child is comprised of the first-born sons of God, in whom Jesus lives, who are the head of the Bride's body. Just as Jesus is the spiritual head of the Bride, so the Man-child is His earthly body head in whom He dwells. The Hebrew custom of the marriage feast is a spiritual picture that shows the Bride in royal apparel sitting on her throne for seven day/years, next to the King on his throne, before going to the King's house in heaven. Once again I reference The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, Page 97 under “Marriage.” My notes are in parentheses.   The bridegroom was the king for a week (seven-year wedding feast). During the whole week their majesties wore their festal clothes (as they sat on their thrones), did not work, and merely looked on at the games – except that now and then the queen joined in a dance.  Accompanied by his friends (John the Baptist was a friend of the bridegroom – Joh.3:29) with tambourines and a band they went to the bride's house (which is obviously on earth) where the wedding ceremonies were to start. The bride richly dressed, adorned with jewels, usually wore a veil (symbolizing submission – 1Cor.11:5-13), which she took off only in the bridal chamber. Escorted by her companions (the virgins), the bride was led to the home of the bridegroom (in heaven).   This shows that the Bride is already chosen before she sits on the throne at the beginning of the seven days, through which time she is being perfected. Notice that, after sitting on the throne with her Lord for the seven days/years of the feast, representing the Tribulation, on the eighth day, the day of circumcision when the flesh is cut off, they all go to the Bridegroom's home in heaven. Also notice that neither the virgins nor the friends of the Bridegroom are on the throne during these last seven days/years, only the Bride. Even though we all have been given that position through the promises of God, not all will walk by faith and obedience to manifest it. The whole Church is fond of calling itself the Bride but far fewer will overcome to sit on the throne. As we have already seen, the one who sits on the throne is betrothed to the King and has all the rights and inheritance as though she were married.   Let us look again at the relationship of the Man-child head and the body of the Bride. The story of Esther is a prophecy of the end time Bride being caught up to the authority of the throne under the authority and training of the Man-child. Throughout this story Mordecai represents the head and Man-child. The Talmud lists him as a prophet (Megilla 15). Mordecai means “little man” in Hebrew and “little boy” in Persian, both of which mean “man-child.” Mordecai was in the place of the throne before Esther was. (Est.2:5) There was a certain Jew in Shushan the palace, whose name was Mordecai…. Not only was his place in the palace but he is mentioned nine times in various ways as “sitting at the king's gate” or said to be one of “the king's servants, that were in the king's gate.” The King, of course, represents Jesus and the king's gate was the place of the government, the place of judges and counselors. It is likely that all of the subjugate nations under Ahasuerus or Xerxes had representatives to the king there, just as the “seven princes of Persia and Media” (1:14) were there. Mordecai was probably the head of God's people since the Jews were twice called “the people of Mordecai” (3:6).                This governmental head over God's people represents the Man-child. It is he that nourishes the Bride with the beauty and wisdom that comes from the Word until she comes to the throne, as Esther did. (2:7) And he brought up (Hebrew: “nourished”) Hadassah, that is, Esther…. Even when Esther came to the throne she was under the headship of Mordecai. (2:20) Esther had not yet made known her kindred nor her people; as Mordecai had charged her: for Esther did the commandment of Mordecai, like as when she was brought up with him. It was Mordecai who sent “to charge her that she should go in unto the king, to make supplication unto him, and to make request before him, for her people” (4:8). This intercession of the Bride was to save the people, who represent the larger Church body, from Haman, who represents the beast. For some, this battle represents the saving of the inner spiritual man from the beastly carnal man who will seek to kill him. For others, whose carnal man is already dead, this will represent their deliverance from the world beast.   The time came when the king took from the beast his symbol of authority to persecute God's wayward people and gave it, instead, to Mordecai to save them. (8:2) And the king took off his ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it unto Mordecai. And even though Esther had been given the house of Haman, she willingly gave Mordecai the authority over it. And Esther set Mordecai over the house of Haman. At this time the king said, (8) Write ye also to the Jews, as it pleaseth you, in the king's name, and seal it with the king's ring; for the writing which is written in the king's name, and sealed with the king's ring, may no man reverse. Mordecai, the Man-child, passed on the authority of the king to God's people to stand on the Word and save their lives just as Jesus did to His disciples.   (9)…And it was written according to all that Mordecai commanded unto the Jews…. (11) Wherein the king granted the Jews that were in every city to gather themselves together, and to stand for their life, to destroy, to slay, and to cause to perish, all the power of the people and province that would assault them…. God's people will learn that they are not under the curse of sin or death and that the Word is their sword to defend them. The Man-child and the Church under him will walk in greater and greater authority of King Jesus to destroy the kingdom of the beast with the power of the Word. (9:4) For Mordecai was great in the king's house, and his fame went forth throughout all the provinces; for the man Mordecai waxed greater and greater.   (5) And the Jews smote all their enemies with the stroke of the sword, and with slaughter and destruction, and did what they would unto them that hated them. (10:2) And all the acts of his power and of his might, and the full account of the greatness of Mordecai, whereunto the king advanced him, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia? (3) For Mordecai the Jew was next unto king Ahasuerus, and great among the Jews, and accepted of the multitude of his brethren, seeking the good of his people, and speaking peace to all his seed.   Now that we see the relationship of the Man-child to the Bride, let's look at an outline of bride types that coordinates with the man-child types above. Remember that we will explain the spiritual nature of the throne experiences later. Esther, along with all the fair virgins of the kingdom, were gathered into the house of the women to see whom Ahasuerus, the King, would choose as his bride (2:2-3). For taking advantage of everything the King's chamberlain, as a type of the Holy Spirit, provided, she was loved above all the virgins and made Queen in her first throne experience (13-17). After this time the King promoted Haman, as a type of the dragon/beast (3:1), over the people of God, as another type of the beginning of the Tribulation.   The beast then decided to crucify all of the people of God (3:6) and with the permission of the King, set a date to begin this. In one parable, This date represents the middle of the Tribulation. It is here that Esther appeared before the King in a second throne experience to intercede for her people (5:1-3). She received authority with Mordecai to speak for the King and gave authority to the people to stand for their lives and slay the beast kingdom (8:8,11). This will happen from the middle of the Tribulation until the Day of the Lord, when the Bride has fully entered the kingdom in a third throne experience. Then the destruction of the beast will continue as it destroys itself in civil war.   The Shulamite bride was born of the Woman, Israel (Sol.3:4; 8:5), tried in her own wilderness experience of being rejected by her own people and was caught up in a first throne experience (6:12). From there she returned (13) to care for God's vineyard: the virgins, concubines, and queens (7:10-13), who represent the rest of the Church or the Woman. These are also typed as her little sister who come to maturity through her ministry (8:8-12). Within the Bride is the new leadership for God's people, which will be used by God to bring them to maturity (Mat.21:41). She then was caught up to the third throne experience when she married Solomon. We also see the bride in Psalm 45, who fulfills this same type.   As we have seen, the Church goes through seven years of tribulation called the wilderness (Rev.12:6; 17:3). Joseph, as the Man-child type, fed Israel through seven years of famine, foreshadowing the Tribulation. Moses, as the Man-child, fed Israel half-way through the wilderness by distance, representing the first 3½ years. Here he faced God on His mountain in a second throne experience and was glorified when his “face shone” with the glory (Exo.34:29- 35). He then took them the rest of the way to the Promised Land, representing the second 3½ years. Only then did the manna from heaven cease, for then, in type, they entered fully into the kingdom of heaven and no longer needed it (Josh.5:12). Jesus, as the Manchild, took born again Israel 3½ years into their wilderness before also being glorified. This also represents half-way through the Tribulation.   In order to fulfill the same type as Joseph and Moses, who went all the way through the Tribulation, Jesus would have had to continue His ministry after His glorification, which He did. He was caught up to the throne of God in a type of the second throne experience and stayed there only a few hours before returning (Joh.20:17,19-20,26). He then passed on His Spirit and authority to the disciples (21-23) for a space of forty days (Act.1:3), which is the number of tribulation. This forty-days' ministry represented the forty years between Jesus' glorification and the destruction of the harlot of apostate Israel in 70 A.D., when the disciples escaped to the mountains, representing heaven. In perfect parallel, after Moses' face shone, he also took Israel forty years through the wilderness to the Promised Land. With Jesus' forty-day type, that was “for every day a year,” as God said. (Num.14:34) After the number of the days in which ye spied out the land, even forty days, for every day a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years. That forty years represented the last 3½ years of the Tribulation.   Now we see that, in type, Jesus also took them all the way through their tribulation to the Promised Land. He also appeared to the disciples to guide them in the book of Acts, which represented the second 3½ years to show this type. (Act.16:7) And when they were come over against Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia; and the Spirit of Jesus suffered them not. As further proof of this, after His glorification He told them, I am with you always (Greek: “all the days”), even unto the end of the world (Greek: “consummation of the age”) (Mat.28:20). He said He would be with them all the days until the consummation of their age, which was 70 A.D. when the harlot of apostate Israel was destroyed as the saints fled to the mountains at the end of their tribulation. In parallel, we can see the end of the seven-year tribulation is “all the days” “unto the consummation of the age” of the Church, when the modern day harlot will also be destroyed as the saints flee to the kingdom.   From these types we can see that the Man-child will be with the Woman Church, in various stages of Sonship, through the seven years of tribulation. In the last 3½ years the Man-child will be in the form that Jesus was during His forty-day ministry after the first 3½ years of His ministry. In this form Jesus walked through walls. (Joh.20:26) …Jesus cometh, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst. However, Mary thought He was the gardener (20:15). The two disciples on the road to Emmaus walked with Him, carried on a lengthy conversation, ate with Him and yet thought Him merely human (Luk.24:13-35). He was the manifested Son of God in spirit and soul but not yet body. In type, at this end of the first 3½ years He still had flesh and bones. (Luk.24:39) See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye behold me having.   This is the same state symbolized by Moses' glowing face as he carried Israel through the last half of their wilderness, by distance symbolizing the last 3½ years of our tribulation. That glowing face represented a glorified spirit and soul under a veil, which the Lord said was the flesh in Hebrews 10:20. The body glorification comes at the end of the seven years when we shall all be changed to enter the Promised Land together. (1Cor.15:51) Behold, I tell you a mystery: We all shall not sleep, but we shall all be changed, (52) in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump.   Briefly, there are three throne experiences in order to manifest Jesus or complete Sonship in the Man-child First-fruits, who will then lead the Bride in these experiences. The first one is after the Man-child's personal wilderness experience at the beginning of the Tribulation and involves the full manifestation of Jesus in the spirit. The second one is after bringing the people half-way through the Tribulation and involves the full manifestation of Jesus in the soul. The third one is after the Tribulation and involves the full manifestation of Jesus in the body, meaning the sons will have a born again, heavenly body. The bride had a seven day/year wedding feast before going to the groom's home. The Bride has the position of sitting with the Bridegroom/Man-child in betrothal for the seven days of the two throne experiences, but the marriage is not fulfilled until after the seven days, when she sits with her husband in the third throne experience.   After the seven years of tribulation, we are told in Revelation 19:7 “the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.” This is the time when the whole bridal procession goes to the Bridegroom's home joined by the resurrected saints of old. It is here that some of those saints may have entered bridal glory to join in that company while others may be virgins or friends of the Bridegroom. In that case, the saying of John the Baptist would not be just a type. (Joh.3:29) He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, that standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is made full. On the other hand, these are the days when the greatest revelation of the testimony of the Word will manifest the Lord in the greatest body of believers the world has ever seen. (2Th.1:10) When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be marvelled at in all them that believed (because our testimony unto you was believed) in that day.      Printer-friendly version  

Content Constituted sinners Adam's sin was our sin Jesus' obedience is ours Support our ministry and gain access to hours of seminary videos: https://crosstocrown.org/partners/ Song credit: “Beautiful Day” by Gabe Goodin — https://open.spotify.com/artist/654rVNYWPK6wKQjdJyX3BO My books: Exalted: Putting Jesus in His Place — https://www.amazon.com/Exalted-Putting-Jesus-His-Place/dp/0985118709/ref=tmm_pap_title_0 God's Design for Marriage (Married Edition) — https://www.amazon.com/Gods-Design-Marriage-Married-Amazing/dp/0998786306/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1493422125&sr=1-4&keywords=god%27s+design+for+marriage God's Design for Marriage (Pre-married Edition) — https://www.amazon.com/Gods-Design-Marriage-What-Before/dp/0985118725/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top crosstocrown.org @DougGoodin @CrossToCrown

Introit: Ps. 70:2b, 4a, 5b; antiphon: Ps. 70:1-2a Gradual: Ps. 34:1-2 Old Testament: Is. 29:17-24 Psalm 146 (antiphon: v. 8) Epistle: 2 Cor. 3:4-11       or Rom. 10:9-16 ProperVerse: Ps. 81:1 Gospel: Mark 7:31-37 Faith Comes from Hearing A man who was deaf and therefore also had an impediment in his speech was brought to Jesus (Mark 7:31-37). In the same way, all are by nature deaf toward God and therefore also unable to confess the faith rightly. For "faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ" (Rom. 10:9-17). Jesus put His fingers into the man's ears, and He spat and touched His tongue. Even so in Holy Baptism, water sanctified by the words of Jesus' mouth is applied to us; and the finger of God, that is, the life-giving Holy Spirit (2 Cor. 3:4-11) is put into our ears in the hearing of the baptismal Gospel. Jesus' sighing "Ephphatha" opened the man's ears, and his tongue was loosed to speak plainly as Isaiah prophesied of the Messiah, "In that day the deaf shall hear the words of a book" (Is. 29:18-24) So also, He who sighed and breathed His last on the cross for us has given us to hear and believe in Him and has opened our lips that our mouths may declare His praise.

Faction Cannot Prevail (11)  (audio)  David Eells – 9/3/23  Don't Let Them Bite You  Missy Pollock 7/3/23 (David's notes in red)    There was a brother in the woods and there was a copperhead snake at his feet. (Copperheads are known for their reddish colored head.) He was demonstrating and telling how to get a hold of the snake by snatching it behind its head, so it doesn't bite you. As he demonstrated this, he did grab it just behind its head and it didn't bite him.  (There are a lot of copperheads here. In the natural, If you must pick one up hold its head down with something and then grab it or you might be sorry.) Then the scene changed to me, and I knew there was a copperhead snake behind me, and I didn't know if it bit me or not. I asked my brother a couple of times to look and see if it had bitten me on my lower back, but he didn't look.  I reached behind me without looking behind me and got a hold of it just behind the head like the brother demonstrated. (We act in faith.) It really was trying to bite me, but it couldn't because I kept a good hold on it. End of dream.  (The copperhead snake represents the factious who are full of poison and desire to infect others with their evil words of slander and speaking against the righteous, always “behind their backs.” We cannot let them bite us by receiving their attempts to backbite us or our brethren through words or thoughts.)   Missy gave these verses:    Luk 10:19 Lo, I have given you the authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall in any wise hurt you. Ecc 10:11 If the serpent bite before it is charmed, then is there no advantage in the charmer.   Psa 58:3-5 The wicked are estranged from the womb: They go astray as soon as they are born, speaking lies. 4 Their poison is like the poison of a serpent: They are like the deaf adder that stoppeth her ear, 5 Which hearkeneth not to the voice of charmers, Charming never so wisely.   Psa 140:1-3 For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. Deliver me, O Jehovah, from the evil man; Preserve me from the violent man: 2 Who devise mischiefs in their heart; Continually do they gather themselves together for war. 3 They have sharpened their tongue like a serpent; Adders' poison is under their lips. Selah.   Isa 54:17 No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of Jehovah, and their righteousness which is of me, saith Jehovah.   (Rom 1:28-32 And even as they refused to have God in their knowledge, God gave them up unto a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not fitting; 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 30 backbiters, hateful to God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 without understanding, covenant-breakers, without natural affection, unmerciful: 32 who, knowing the ordinance of God, that they that practice such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but also consent with them that practice them.)   (Rom 3:13-14 Their throat is an open sepulchre; With their tongues they have used deceit: The poison of asps is under their lips: 14 Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:)  (Mar 16:18 they shall take up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall in no wise hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.)     Reversal of Authority From God David Eells – 9/2/23 I asked what about the satanist faction and their evil works?  My finger was on Est 8: 4 The Bride sought the King to reverse the crucifixion on her people and put the judgment on Haman and his people. This is coming now. Est 8:1-17 On that day did the king Ahasuerus give the house of Haman the Jews' enemy unto Esther the queen. (Clearly a reversal of Authority.) And Mordecai came before the king; for Esther had told what he was unto her.  2  And the king took off his ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it unto Mordecai. (This is the ring of authority from the King taken from Haman the hater of God's people and given to Mordecai, the Man-child type.) And Esther set Mordecai over the house of Haman.  (Look out people of the faction) 3  And Esther spake yet again before the king, and fell down at his feet, and besought him with tears to put away the mischief of Haman the Agagite, and his device that he had devised against the Jews.  4  Then the king held out to Esther the golden scepter. So Esther arose, and stood before the king.  5  And she said, If it please the king, and if I have found favor in his sight, and the thing seem right before the king, and I be pleasing in his eyes, let it be written to reverse the letters devised by Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to destroy the Jews that are in all the king's provinces:  6  for how can I endure to see the evil that shall come unto my people? or how can I endure to see the destruction of my kindred?  7  Then the king Ahasuerus said unto Esther the queen and to Mordecai the Jew, Behold, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and him they have hanged upon the (his own) gallows, because he laid his hand upon the Jews. (Like Judas, the son of perdition and Absalom hung themselves.)  8  Write ye also to the Jews, as it pleaseth you, in the king's name, and seal it with the king's ring; for the writing which is written in the king's name, and sealed with the king's ring, may no man reverse.  9  Then were the king's scribes called at that time, in the third month Sivan, on the three and twentieth day thereof; and it was written according to all that Mordecai commanded unto the Jews, and to the satraps, and the governors and princes of the provinces which are from India unto Ethiopia, a hundred twenty and seven provinces, unto every province according to the writing thereof, and unto every people after their language, and to the Jews according to their writing, and according to their language.  10  And he wrote in the name of king Ahasuerus, and sealed it with the king's ring, and sent letters by post on horseback, riding on swift steeds that were used in the king's service, bred of the stud:  11  wherein the king granted the Jews that were in every city to gather themselves together, and to stand for their life, to destroy, to slay, and to cause to perish, all the power of the people and province that would assault them, their little ones and women, and to take the spoil of them for a prey, (Notice they were given authority to stand for their own lives as were we. And to remove the power from the people who would assault their women as the satanist faction has.) 12  upon one day in all the provinces of king Ahasuerus, namely, upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar.  13  A copy of the writing, that the decree should be given out in every province, was published unto all the peoples, and that the Jews should be ready against that day to avenge themselves on their enemies. (On that coming day all authority is reversed.) 14  So the posts that rode upon swift steeds that were used in the king's service went out, being hastened and pressed on by the king's commandment; and the decree was given out in Shushan the palace.  15  And Mordecai went forth from the presence of the king in royal apparel of blue and white, and with a great crown of gold, and with a robe of fine linen and purple: and the city of Shushan shouted and was glad. (The Man-child ruled as with Joseph and David) 16  The Jews had light and gladness, and joy and honor.  17  And in every province, and in every city, whithersoever the king's commandment and his decree came, the Jews had gladness and joy, a feast and a good day. And many from among the peoples of the land became Jews; for the fear of the Jews was fallen upon them. 9:1-5 Now in the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, on the thirteenth day of the same, when the king's commandment and his decree drew near to be put in execution, on the day that the enemies of the Jews hoped to have rule over them (whereas it was turned to the contrary, that the Jews had rule over them that hated them,)  2  the Jews gathered themselves together in their cities throughout all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus, to lay hand on such as sought their hurt: and no man could withstand them; for the fear of them was fallen upon all the peoples.  3  And all the princes of the provinces, and the satraps, and the governors, and they that did the king's business, helped the Jews; because the fear of Mordecai was fallen upon them.  4  For Mordecai was great in the king's house, and his fame went forth throughout all the provinces; for the man Mordecai waxed greater and greater.  5  And the Jews smote all their enemies with the stroke of the sword (The Word of God), and with slaughter and destruction, and did what they would unto them that hated them. 6-10  And in Shushan the palace the Jews slew and destroyed five hundred men.  7  And *Parshandatha, and Dalphon, and Aspatha,  8  and Poratha, and Adalia, and Aridatha,  9  and Parmashta, and Arisai, and Aridai, and Vaizatha,  10  the ten sons of Haman the son of Hammedatha, the Jew's enemy, slew they; but on the spoil they laid not their hand.* (Note: These names in Hebrew had 3 letters were scribed smaller than the rest – T-Sh-Z . This is the numbers 1946 on the Hebrew Callendar when 10 satanist Nazi Jew killers were hanged at Nuremburg on Purim. There were 11 to be hanged but 1 – Goering, committed suicide the night before bringing the number to 10 who were hanged like Haman's sons. They hung themselves buy their own works like, Judas, Absalom, Haman, and our factious satanist leaders sitting in the vision behind Kevin.) 13-14 Then said Esther, If it please the king, let it be granted to the Jews that are in Shushan to do to-morrow also according unto this day's decree, and let Haman's ten sons be hanged upon the gallows.  14  And the king commanded it so to be done: and a decree was given out in Shushan; and they hanged Haman's ten sons. Est 9:25  but when the matter came before the king, he commanded by letters that his wicked device, which he had devised against the Jews, should return upon his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows. What about Eve? Eve was sent on ahead like Joseph the Egyptian to save many alive. She has to experience it all to be an advocate for the women and others taken advantage of by the satanists. We tried to save her from this but God said No.  :0)  Now I know why?   Prophecy And Trump Dream  Dr. Patricia Green 8/8/23  https://youtu.be/5lVudZVAB9c?si=xcKTlFUklGQZEEpq  This video that I'm putting out today is a message that I received from the Lord on August 8, and also a dream of President Donald Trump in the early morning of August 10.   So, on August 8, the Holy Spirit instructed me to pray in my prayer language for 30 minutes and then returned to him for a message. I was outside and it was a beautiful, breezy day, and I was just pacing back and forth in front of my outside altar, praying in tongues.  And then I sat down with my journal, and this is what the Holy Spirit said to me. He said, “Let me speak to you through the wind. My spirit is like the wind. It blows, and you know not from where it comes, but you feel the breeze.” And we see that in John 3:8; it says, “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”  And then the Lord continued. He said, “O My child, there is much that I want to say, and do listen to the wind, for it is I, the Lord your God, speaking. This is what I say, as My breath is stirring the atmosphere.” He said, “Behold, I Am coming quickly with a visitation to My footstool, the earth. Isaiah 66:1 says, “Thus says the Lord, heaven is My throne and earth is My footstool.”  Then the Lord continued. He said, “Things are stirring, stirring, stirring, swirling, swirling, swirling. These are unusual times, unusual days, says the Lord. They are unusual because thrones are being established and thrones are being torn down. (Another reversal of fortunes) These ancient thrones have had control over the airways, over territories, over regions, over countries and nations. This is a great showdown, says the Lord.”   The Lord said, “I have let them roll until their fullness of time has come. And now that that time has come, I Am putting a stop to it, says the Lord.” And when He said that, that particular sentence, there was, like, this huge great gust of wind that just, like, went whirling by.   Then the Lord said this, “I Am visiting my earth with My great power to destroy these strongholds.” And when He said that, again, another gust of wind just swirled. I mean, it was just really a mighty gust of wind.   The Lord said, “I have set My armies of angelic hosts before Me to round up the enemy and destroy those who are marked for death. People may think that this is not biblical but go to Ezekiel and you will see that I marked people to be saved and to be killed by My angels.” So, I want to read that to you.  Ezekiel 9:1-8 Then he called out in my hearing with a loud voice saying, let those who have charged over the city, draw near, each with a deadly weapon in his hand. And suddenly six men came from the direction of the upper gate, which faces north, each with a battle axe in his hand. One man among them was clothed with linen and had a writer's inkhorn at his side. They went in and stood beside the bronze altar. Now the glory of the God of Israel had gone up from the cherub where it had been to the threshold of the temple. And he called to the man clothed with linen who had the writer's inkhorn at his side.   And the Lord said to him, go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark (In the hand and forehead representing the mind and works of Christ.) on the foreheads of men who sigh and cry over the abominations that are done with it. To the others, he said in my hearing, go after him through the city and kill. Do not let your eyes spare, nor have pity. Utterly slay old and young men, maidens and little children and women, but do not come near anyone who has the (good) mark and begin at my sanctuary. So they began with the elders who were before the temple. Then he said to them, defile the temple and fill the courts with the slain. Go out. And they went out and killed in the city. And so it was that while they were killing them, I was left alone. And I fell on my face and cried out, o Lord God, will you destroy all the remnant of Israel and pouring out your fury on Jerusalem? (This represents the death of apostate Jerusalem and rebirth of the sanctified Jerusalem, the leadership of God's people.) That was the scripture He said to read and these people that Ezekiel was seeing there, they were actually angels that he saw being dispatched. And these angels were to mark those who were crying out against the wickedness and those that were not. And then the angels killed those that were a part of the wickedness. The Lord said this, “The marks have gone out already. Those marked for death because of their wickedness, My mighty angels have been dispatched. They are waiting on My word to raise up their battle axe against the wicked.”   So, this is a future event that the Lord, that Father God is going to do. He's going to send His mighty angels to kill the wicked that have been marked, that have refused to repent of their wickedness, and they have had plenty of time to repent. Then the Lord said this, “It is I, the Lord of Host, Who have the power of life and death in my hands. No one will have done this except Me, says the Lord of Host. So, when there is sudden death all over the world, it is Me, says the Lord. My mighty angels are also bringing down demonic principalities and powers who have ruled a long time. They will be stripped of their power and influence over these regions and countries and nations. (Like satan and his fallen angels are cast down in Revelation 12.) That is why there is so much stirring and swirling in the spiritual realm. These are unusual days and unusual times.” And then the Lord said, “I want to give you some examples of what's going to occur as markers for these events to happen.”  He said, “In one day, there will be unusual shooting stars across many skies, all at one time.  (We also received this as a sign in another dream.) It will look like fireworks streaking through the skies.” And then the Lord said, “If you will believe, these are the principalities and powers being dethroned by my angelic army. This will be a sign that I Am doing exactly what I have said regarding dethroning these demonic principalities and powers.” (And the sick satanists who are ruled by them.) (1Sa 2:34 And this shall be the sign unto thee, that shall come upon thy two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas: in one day they shall die both of them. (Like the satanists they were molesting the women! Many wicked will die to set those captives free.)  (Isa 9:14 Therefore Jehovah will cut off from Israel head and tail, palm-branch and rush, in one day. Meaning many leaders and false prophets will die for deceiving God's people and hindering them from entering the Kingdom.)  (Rev 18:8 Therefore in one day shall her plagues come, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire; for strong is the Lord God who judged her. Representing plagues upon the harlot church of satanists and apostates.)  Then He said this, “Another sign will be that the sky will have an unusual glow during the day. There will be unusual colorful glows of iridescent colors. There will be many photos taken of this phenomenon.” And He said, “Just know that when this happens, My visitation is near.” So, the Lord's giving us a sign in the skies right before His visitation.  (Luk 21:11 and there shall be great earthquakes, and in divers places famines and pestilences; and there shall be terrors and great signs from heaven.)  And then He said, “A third sign that there will be unusual lightning occurrences. Lightning will go from the ground up instead of from the sky down.” He said, “Nothing is impossible with Me, says the Lord of Host, for I Am the creator of lightning, and if I command it to come up from the ground and return to the sky, then it will, says the Lord.”   (I thought of this verse: Mat 24:27-28 For as the lightning cometh forth from the east, and is seen even unto the west; so shall be the coming of the Son of man. 28 Wheresoever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together. This is the beginning of the Man-Child ministry.)  The Lord says, “So, my children, get ready for My visitation. Get ready to rise up and take your place as My remnant Bride with abundant oil in your lamps and extra oil for the journey.” And then He said, “I love you, My children.”   Then on August 10 of 2023, at 04:00 a.m., I had this dream about President Donald Trump. In this dream, I walked into a room, and it was early, early morning. I saw President Trump in a sitting position on a reclining chair... I walked over to him and I addressed him as Mr. President out of respect. And I began to talk to him, and I said this. “Mr. President, I need to tell you a few things.” I said, “You have been given information from reliable sources, and now is the time to release this information.” (This is probably info declassing the DS Satanists)  I also told him that the Lord is sending death angels that will kill many wicked people all over the world. Then, in the dream, Donald Trump was now in a laid-back position, like in a reclining position in the chair. And I noticed how weary he looked. His face looked really weary.   And I asked him in the dream, I said, “Can I pray for you?” And he said, “Yes, please pray for strength for me.” So, I laid my hand on his shoulder, and I began to pray in tongues. And it was this very powerful prayer in tongues as I remember in the dream. And after the prayer, I noticed that President Trump's countenance had changed. He looked strengthened now and full of vigor. And then after the prayer also, I said to him, “President Trump, the Lord has told me that you will be the president and win the presidential elections in 2024.”   And then right after I said that President Trump received a phone call while he was sitting there. And as I was standing there with him talking on the phone, I heard him say these words. And he said it with such authority. He said, “You are speaking to the President of the United States of America.”  And I knew that when he spoke these words that he was referring to now, that he was [is] the acting President of the United States of America. (President Trump is still and has been the acting President even though he officially handed over leadership to the military.)  Please pray for President Trump. Pray for strength. Pray for protection. Pray in your prayer language for President Trump. Amen.  (Pray he be delivered from all occultic influences and religion being pushed at him.) So, let's get ready. Let's get ready. Let's get ready for this great visitation of the Lord, and let's start looking to see what the Lord's going to do! Amen. Hallelujah!    NO Weapon Formed Against Eve Will Prosper   Vanessa Weeks 8/23/23 (David's notes in red)  Yesterday, while I was thinking about Eve and how the Lord sets His people free. I heard the Lord say, “I do all things, and I accomplish all things and no weapon formed against Eve will prosper.” ( I believe this is also true of the other elect women that are being used by the satanists for their own lusts.) Then today I was reading where I am, going along in Luke and I read the parable of the widow who cried to be avenged of her adversary and the verses the Lord has been saying to us. NENT Luk 18:7 And shall not God avenge his elect, that cry to him day and night, and he is longsuffering over them? 8 I say unto you, that he will avenge them speedily.   Thank you Father for protecting Eve and hearing our cries to You for her and the others that are captured. We loose the Angels to release your elect speedily in Jesus name, Amen.     Eve Across The Street   Vanessa Weeks 8/13/23 (David's notes in red)  In a dream, I was talking to one of the ladies in this fellowship. I saw Eve standing and waiting to talk to me, and she was standing across the street.  I knew in the dream that Eve did not want to interrupt us from talking. She looked humbled, and was wearing a long skirt. I also knew Eve wanted to apologize to me for what she had done, when this lady was done talking to me. I had a good feeling about Eve in the dream.   I asked the Lord what He wanted to say about these dreams and received by faith at random, Acts 27:22 In context, Act 27:22-25 And now I exhort you to be of good cheer; for there shall be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. 23 For there stood by me this night an angel of the God whose I am, whom also I serve, 24 saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must stand before Caesar: and lo, God hath granted thee all them that sail with thee. 25 Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even so as it hath been spoken unto me.  Father, help us to be of good cheer concerning Eve because it will be as You have spoken to us. Thank you, in Jesus name, amen!   (This is one of many confirmations of Eve's return. Faction WILL NOT prevail against our sister, Eve, and our other elect sisters.)    The Man-Child is Born When Faction is Cleansed   Alenna Timoshchuk - 10/19/21 (David's notes in red)   I dreamt that I was looking at my phone, scrolling through a transcription of one of David Eells Bible studies. I saw a revelation on there from Sandy Shaw and there were certain sentences highlighted in a bold burgundy color. (Like blood resembling the blood of Christ.) I was distracted and didn't really have time to read it all but I noticed that it was a warning saying that things are going to change drastically fast and to be ready because it will all happen before this year is over. (This was a personal warning to me to repent and get rid of all of my distractions and get into the Word to prepare for all the things that are coming.) (It is also a corporate warning for the church. The enemy is doing everything to try to distract us and weaken us spiritually so that we won't have a passover when the judgments begin to fall.)   Then my phone went black and the power went out in my house. I went to my husband and told him that the ten days of darkness must've started already. (We are hearing that the ten days of darkness planned by the “white hats” are upon us. IF SO: there will likely be different interruptions of services and you should act accordingly and quickly. We are told that trucking and airlines are to cease. Airlines are already going down; many pilots who took the clot shot are sick and the rest are dangerous. The trucking interruption means food will quickly begin to disappear from the store shelves. During this time, they are starting up the new StarLink satellites and taking out DS satellites along with the Main Stream Media. They are planning to bring up a new internet that is much safer and much faster. Trump has announced his new social media platform on Truth Social. This may be intended to replace the influence of the Big Tech giants.    They are going to bring down nuclear power plants and bring online free energy. Since all of these things are connected, they will try to do all of this together. How long this will actually string out we don't know. Trump is “officially” coming back and the Nesara Gesara and blockchain voting on our phones and computers for the rulers of the new republic. The dominoes are falling, the states where the votes are contested are falling to Trump. It came down to 46 of 50 states clearly showing a huge win for Trump last I knew. The military will remove the fake Biden. Trump will quickly bring the economy back with the money the DS stole from the people over many years that was collected by executive order. Be in prayer and listen to the Lord. Pray down the DEW weapons.)  My husband, David, (Representing the Lord, our heavenly Husband) went to our living room, and lit a fire in the fireplace. (The fireplace represents the fiery wilderness trials that burn up the wood, hay and stubble of our fleshly sinful lives.) I was surprised and asked him where he got the firewood. He told me he picked it up at Michael's and David's house. (This wood represents the true Word of God and all that we'd been learning since becoming a part of the UBM ministry.)  I asked how much firewood we had and then realized that all we had was already burning in the fireplace. I asked my husband, “Shouldn't we have saved that for the night when it's a lot colder? Would it be possible for us to go to their house and get some more?” (I thought maybe this means my husband, David, and I have had our spirit fired up but we need more of the Word of God to sustain us for the dark days ahead.) (John 9:4 We must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.)   Then the scene changed and we were with local UBM and I was in a house with a bunch of women. (Representing Esther when she was in the house of the women before she was chosen to be the Queen or Bride by the King of kings.) It seemed like a baby shower party. (As we will see, the Bride is getting ready to birth the Man-child.)   Everyone brought food and one lady brought two beautiful dishes of food that looked exactly the same. She put one dish in the living room and another dish right outside the living room. Another lady, who was factious, saw this and she started saying a lot of mean things to everyone about the woman who brought the two identical dishes of food and was trying to bring her down. She was trying to make her feel bad for bringing such a fancy dish and saying that she was just trying to show off and that she also had no creativity because she brought two of the same thing. (The two identical dishes of food represent an unchangeable gospel. Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever and His Word or food is to do the will of His Father and it does not change either. If we speak as oracles of God then we bring the same food to the people all the time. I have been criticized by the faction that I never change my doctrine.  I told them that if we get it all out of the sum of the Word we do not ever need to change it. The Israelites complained in the wilderness of the same Manna that fell every morning and they brought a curse on themselves for hating the Manna. The factious apostates also hate the Word of God and criticize the ministers who stick strictly to it. The apostates like to add to it and take away from it bringing curses upon themselves.)   Then the factious woman left the baby shower party and everyone else simply carried on as if nothing had happened. (The factious always leave the true fellowship around the Word of God that brings forth the birth of the Man-child, Jesus, in the hearts of those who love His Word and truth. Their demons are never missed when they are separated from us.)  Then the scene changed and I was in a room laying on the bed. I was in labor and ready to give birth to a baby boy. (Once the Lord cleanses all the factious from among us then the Man-child is birthed.) My mom was at my head and two women were at my feet waiting for the baby to come out. My mom was worried about me but I assured her that I felt fine and didn't have any pain. I felt the baby was ready, so I pushed 3 times and felt his head and shoulders come out. I told the women that he was ready to be pulled out and so they pulled him out and laid him in my arms. Then I woke up. (This is a sign of the Man-child being born.)    Son of Perdition  David Eells In 2001 a prophet from east Florida was sitting at his computer and the Lord gave him a website to type in. It was my site. This was a miracle considering that in those days my address was more complex than it is today. When he found my number he called me and told me that the Lord had told him that he would see the son of perdition in another month. I told him I didn't think that was possible because the falling away had to come first according to 2 Thessalonians 2. However, when I got off the phone, the Lord pointed out to me that I was writing an article on the son of perdition according to what He had shown me and it would be finished the next month. I realized that this was where he would see, meaning get the revelation of, the son of perdition. The next month when I sent him the article, he saw it as a fulfillment of what the Lord had spoken to him. He saw the son of perdition.     A LARGE BODY WHICH FALLS AWAY  I recommend that the very short chapter 4, Second Key to Hidden Manna, be fresh in your mind before reading this chapter. As we saw there, Jesus and His disciples were for signs of those who were to follow in their steps in the end time. Judas, the son of perdition, was one of those signs. He was a type and shadow of a corporate body of people hidden in the body of Christ that is going to be revealed in these days. This is our Judas, the “son of perdition,” and the “man of sin.” Again, as we saw in the Second Key, Judas is a spiritual father of a vast body of people today that will walk as he walked in the falling away and betrayal of the body of Christ. Judas walked in the steps of his spiritual father, Dan, who was called a serpent, and was also one of the twelve patriarchs who fell away (Gen.49:6,17). Therefore, if we study Judas, we will see who his spiritual counterparts are in our day.   (1Cor.10:11) Now these things happened unto them (Israel) by way of example (Greek: “figure” or “type”); and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages are come. Let's look at our type so we can see what will happen in the “end of the ages” to the Church. The children of Israel ate the lamb as a type of Jesus and they were delivered from the curse as the death angel passed over them (Gal.3:13). They crossed the Red Sea as a type of baptism (1Cor.10:2) where the Egyptian (the old man) were buried and the Israelite (the born again man) came up out of the water and went into the wilderness of the Tribulation (Rev.12:6; 17:3). A “mixed multitude went up also with them” (Ex.12:38). The mixed multitude was part Egyptian (the old man) and part Israelite (the born again man).   (Num.11:4) And the mixed multitude that was among them lusted exceedingly: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat? (6) But now our soul is dried away; there is nothing at all save this manna to look upon. This is a type of the half-Christians who lust after the flesh and will even tempt the true Christians. They hated the manna. The word “manna,” in Hebrew, is literally “man” in Exodus 16:31. The Man that they hated to eat was Jesus who is the bread of heaven, the Word of God that we must eat to have life (Joh.6:51)!   This angered God, Who said He would give them more flesh than they could stomach. (20)…Until it come out at your nostrils, and it be loathsome unto you; because that ye have rejected the Lord (manna) who is among you, and have wept before him, saying, Why came we forth out of Egypt? Paraphrased, this says, “Why did we ever get saved?” In type they were rejecting the self-crucifying Word of God to live after their own lusts and God was giving them what they wanted until it made them sick. This is kind of like the boy who gets caught smoking by his dad, who, in an attempt to make him repent, makes him smoke the whole pack until he turns green.   In this case, however, the boy never repented and died of cancer. Romans 8:13 says, “if ye live after the flesh, ye must die.” (Num.11:33) While the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the anger of the Lord was kindled against the people, and the Lord smote the people with a very great plague. (34) And the name of that place was called Kibroth-hattaavah, because there they buried the people that lusted. The wilderness tribulation that was meant to give life brought death to those who followed after the flesh and so it will in the coming days. Those who according to the type fell away and spiritually died as sons of perdition, came out of their midst. We have these lukewarm people among us now but they will be spewed out of the body (Rev.3:16) just like Judas, who came out of the early body of the twelve disciples, and Dan, who is no longer listed among the twelve tribes (Rev.7:4-8). Those that were left were sanctified from the man of sin that was in their midst and ready to go to the Promised Land.   Jesus, as a type of the end time Man-child's ministry, taught for 3½ years and was betrayed by Judas, who fell away as the son of perdition. As a prophecy of the end, that 3½ years would bring us to the middle of the Tribulation when the mark is given as an “abomination that maketh desolate” to those sons of perdition who receive it. (2Th.2:1) Now we beseech you, brethren, touching the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together unto him; (2) to the end that ye be not quickly shaken from your mind, nor yet be troubled, either by spirit, or by word, or by epistle as from us, as that the day of the Lord is just at hand; (3) let no man beguile you in any wise: for [it will not be], except the falling away come first, and the man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition.  In a few words, God is saying do not be deceived. The Lord will not come for us until after the falling away reveals the son of perdition in our midst. The words “falling away” are from the Greek word, apostasia (apostasy). Apostasy here means falling away from Christ and a lost person cannot fall away. The son of perdition is among the Christians as he was in Jesus' day. In the falling away, the “man of sin,” the “son of perdition,” will be revealed. God is going to purge His Church of the rebels and get the rest ready to meet the Lord. People who have been acting like Christians will not be able to act anymore, because of great tribulation. Years ago I prayed over my three sons and asked God to give them a dream or vision concerning our future. God did this to all three and Justin, my youngest son, received an open vision.   He saw a great ship on the ocean, filled with people. Some were dressed in white and were on the right side of the ship. Others in black were on the left side. A jet plane suddenly appeared, swooped down, and shot a rocket which blew the ship to pieces. Those dressed in black were not able to swim and sank. The people dressed in white swam around and built a new smaller ship from the pieces. They searched out a smaller motor and installed it on the new ship.   The Lord showed me this was the proverbial Gospel ship. Those in white on the right are the sheep and those in black on the left are the goats as Jesus separated them in Matthew 25:33. The white garments are the works of the Spirit and the black garments are the works of the flesh. (Rom.13:12)…Cast off the works of darkness (black garments)… (14)...put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ (white garments), and make not provision for the flesh, to [fulfil] the lusts [thereof]. (Rev.19:8) And it was given unto her that she should array herself in fine linen, bright [and] pure: for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. (Rev.3:5) He that overcometh shall thus be arrayed in white garments; and I will in no wise blot his name out of the book of life…. The water represents the curses written in the Word (Dt.11:26-28). Those in black sank under the curses of this world. The true identity of these will be revealed through tribulation because they will fall away and ultimately be destroyed in the Day of the Lord. Noah was saved by the flood that destroyed the wicked. The flood of destruction proved who was a son of perdition (Greek: “destruction”). The new smaller motor is the new Church government that will be raised up.   (Joh.17:12) While I was with them, I kept them in thy name which thou hast given me: and I guarded them, and not one of them perished, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled. Among the people of God in the coming days, not one will perish, but the son of perdition. What happened in Judas' day is going to happen in this day. Look at the signs in the Gospels, because they are going to be fulfilled again. (Eccl.1:9) That which hath been is that which shall be; and that which hath been done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. If what you see of your revelation of the end times doesn't fit into history, it is wrong; throw it out. Those who fall away in this day are revealed to be the son of perdition.     HIDDEN IN THE BODY   (Joh.13:17) If ye know these things, blessed are ye if ye do them. (18) I speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen…. In other words, Judas was not chosen because he would not do the things Jesus spoke. The lawless can be called but will not be chosen. “For many are called, but few chosen.” The word “chosen” is the word eklektos, where we get the word “elect.” Judas was called to partake of Christ but chose to follow his flesh. (Joh.13:18)…But that the scripture may be fulfilled, He that eateth my bread lifted up his heel against me. Judas ate Jesus' bread with the disciples and then betrayed Him. This also identifies the mixed multitude. In our day, the body of Judas will eat Jesus' bread and then betray the body of Christ. (21) When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in the spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. (22) The disciples looked one on another, doubting of whom he spake. (Mat.26:22) And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began to say unto him every one, Is it I, Lord?  Obviously the son of perdition, the man of sin, was as well hidden to the others as he is today. When Jesus sent out the twelve to do the miracles, don't you think they would have suspected Judas if he hadn't done any? This is why the son of perdition has to be revealed in our day. He does the religious works, and for a time, he can hide his lack of fruit. Tribulation is necessary to reveal and separate him from the body. He is a cancer in the body of Christ.   Judas' hidden lusts overcame him when he was tribulated. For silver (personal gain) he sold out the body of Christ. He was secretly a thief who stole from the common purse (Joh.12:6). He had no concern for the brethren's needs, only his own. The son of perdition still takes what belongs to Jesus and His disciples for himself. Jesus and the disciples had all things common, a practice that continued in Act.2:44, 4:32. (Lk.14:33) So therefore whosoever he be of you that renounceth not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple. We must renounce ownership of our possessions, rights, and will, to be a disciple. We are merely stewards of these things for Jesus and the brethren. True disciples steward common possessions, rights, and will, to see that all needs are met. Every member of a body (eyes, ears, arms, etc.) serves the body. (1Cor.6:19)… And ye are not your own; (20) for ye were bought with a price: glorify God therefore in your body.   (Joh.13:26) Jesus therefore answereth, He it is, for whom I shall dip the sop, and give it him. So when he had dipped the sop, he taketh and giveth it to Judas, [the son] of Simon Iscariot. (27) And after the sop, then entered Satan into him. Jesus therefore saith unto him, What thou doest, do quickly. When Judas ate the sop and Satan entered into him, he manifestly became the son of perdition. The Lord spoke to me plainly years ago and said, “SOP, S-O-P, son - of - perdition.” The sop was a morsel of bread that was used to soak up liquid food. We must eat the bread of Christ, the Word, to bear fruit, but it also makes us responsible. (Joh.15:22) If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no excuse for their sin. Judas was reprobated because he knew too much of the Word to get away with what he did. Many are being hardened today because, when they hear the Word, they do not repent. (Psa.41:9) Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, Who did eat of my bread, Hath lifted up his heel against me.   The word “Judas” is Hebrew meaning, “to use the hand.” God definitely used the hand of Judas, for Jesus told him, “What thou doest, do quickly.” (Act.2:23) Him, being delivered up by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye by the hand of lawless men did crucify and slay. “Lawless” here is the same Greek word as in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 where the son of perdition is called “the man of sin” or lawlessness. God used the hand of a man of lawlessness to crucify the body of Christ and in these days it will be the same. Our greatest enemy is the man of lawlessness that is among the people of God. From the beginning, Jesus knew Judas would fall away. Jesus said, “Did not I choose you the twelve, and one of you is a devil?” (Joh.6:70). Remember, the son of perdition must fall away and be a Judas to the body before the Lord can come. (Act.1:25) To take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas fell away, that he might go to his own place.   “Iscariot” is made up of two words. Is, which is Hebrew for “man,” and cariot, which is Babylonish or Chaldean for “city.” So, Judas Iscariot means, “To use the hand of a man city.” This shows us that the son of perdition is a corporate body of people in our day who are a part of the city of Babylon. As far as Christians are concerned, he is a part of the great Babylonish religious city in these days. Judas represented the city of the falling away that is guilty of the blood of the saints (Rev.17:6,18:24). He was in league with the Sanhedrin, the corporate false prophet over the apostate people of God.   Jesus said of His true followers, “Ye are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid” (Mat.5:14). True Christianity is a worldwide city, or congregation of people. However, there is a Babylonish city within our city. There are two cities inhabiting the same territory. God's plan is to separate these two by using the son of perdition to crucify the flesh of the body of Christ, as with Judas and Jesus. (Mat.24:9) Then shall they deliver you up unto tribulation, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all the nations for my name's sake. (10) And then shall many stumble (fall away), and shall deliver up one another, and shall hate one another. (11) And many false prophets shall arise, and shall lead many astray. You see here that the end time corporate Judas Iscariot will betray and deceive his own brethren worldwide.   (Joh.13:30) He then having received the sop went out straightway: and it was night. When Judas, the son of perdition went out from among the body to betray Christ, it was night. He, now being filled with Satan, walked in total darkness. (Joh.9:4) We must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. (5) When I am in the world, I am the light of the world. Another aspect of this darkness was that the son of perdition put out the Light of the world, Christ. This time he will put out the Light of the world, the body of Christ, for Jesus said, “Ye are the light of the world” (Mat.5:14). The night, of course, is when there is no light to see by. In Jesus' day, the Jews were coming to the end of their dispensation of light. God was about to revoke the light from the Jews and give it to the Gentiles. They had a night. Now, the Gentiles are coming to the night. (Rom.11:25)…A hardening in part hath befallen Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. We must work “while it is day,” for “the night cometh, when no man can work.” Our work to convert Gentiles is going to be totally useless when God turns away from them and back to the Jews. (Rev.9:20-21) And the rest of mankind…repented not ….   (Joh.13:31) When therefore he (son of perdition) was gone out, Jesus saith, Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him. The Son of man is glorified at the time when the son of perdition goes out. We are also the body of Christ, the son of man. The Church is going to be glorified, or purified, because the son of perdition is going to come out of the midst. Then the Lord will come for a sanctified people. (2Thes.1:10) When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be marvelled at in all them that believed (because our testimony unto you was believed) in that day. (11) To which end we also pray always for you, that our God may count you worthy of your calling, and fulfil every desire of goodness and [every] work of faith, with power; (12) that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. Notice that Christ will be glorified in His body before He comes to glorify His body. The body is not glorified here, but Christ in the body. (2Cor.4:11) For we who live are always delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh.   (2Thes.2:3) Let no man beguile you in any wise: for [it (the coming of the Lord) will not be], except the falling away come first, and the man of sin (lawlessness) be revealed, the son of perdition, (4) he that opposeth and exalteth himself against all that is called God or that is worshipped; so that he sitteth in the temple of God, setting himself forth as God. The Greek word for temple here is naos and is used nine times by Paul in the New Testament. In every case he uses it as the spiritual temple of God's people. Hieron is the Greek word for the literal temple or building, used seventy-one times in the New Testament, but never figuratively. Just as Judas was among the disciples, the latter day son of perdition is sitting in the temple of God's people. (1Cor.3:16) Know ye not that ye are a temple of God, and [that] the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? (Act.17:24) The God that made the world…dwelleth not in temples made with hands. This truth will destroy much tradition.    GOD OF SELF   The son of perdition “exalteth himself”“setting himself forth as God.” What happens when you rule your individual temple? You are making yourself God! If you walk after your own flesh, you are your own god. God was meant to sit on the throne of this temple and rule it through your spirit. But if you walk after the flesh, the devil is ruling your temple through your flesh. Self is sitting upon the throne. Continuing his revelation, Paul said, “Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things (2Thes.2:5)?” Paul told us in Philippians 3:18, “For many walk, of whom I told you often, and now tell you even weeping, [that they are] the enemies of the cross (just as Judas) of Christ: (19) whose end is perdition (son of perdition), whose god is the belly (selfish lusts), and [whose] glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.” (Rom.16:17)… Mark them that are causing the divisions and occasions of stumbling…. (18) For they that are such serve not our Lord Christ, but their own belly (self); and by their smooth and fair speech they beguile the hearts of the innocent. God will “mark” those in the New Testament temple whose god is self.  Judas was not only a disciple who ruled in his individual temple but he was also an apostle. He was a leader in the corporate temple. In other words, the sons of perdition are a vast number of individuals ruling their own life and temple, making up a Babylonish corporate temple. Also, they are the apostate leadership ruling in the corporate temple. The apostate leadership is profiled in Second Peter 2 as “false prophets…false teachers…denying even the Master,” “make merchandise of you,” who “loved the hire of wrong-doing,” “and their destruction (perdition) slumbereth not.” Jude profiles them as “shepherds that without fear feed themselves,” “denying our only Master,” “rail at whatsoever things they know not: and what they understand naturally” (the letter), “clouds without water” (no depth in the word), “wandering stars” (not keeping their position of being seated with Christ in the heavens), “who make separations” (denominations). That is a good description of Judas and the end time son of perdition.   In our type, ten of the twelve tribes worshiped the image of the beast, the golden calf. (1Ki.12:28) Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold; and he said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods (Hebrew: “Elohim”), O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. (29) And he set the one in Beth-el (Hebrew: “house of God”), and the other put he in Dan (son of perdition). Notice that we are speaking of a false system of worship upon which Israel put the name of Elohim, the true God. Also, we see that it was in the house of God and in the son of perdition. Much of the house of God falls away as the son of perdition because they have a false image of the true God. The apostate churches have a God of their own making but they use the name of Jesus. Paul warned in 2 Corinthians 11:4, “For if he who cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we did not preach, or if ye receive a different spirit, which ye did not receive, or a different gospel, which ye did not accept, ye bear well with [him]” (according to the Greek and the numeric pattern). (Rev.3:1)…I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest (Christian), and thou art dead.   In the middle of the Tribulation these sons of perdition will give up presenting their bodies as living sacrifices to Christ (Rom.12:1) and take the mark of the beast. This is a fulfillment of Daniel 9:27, “in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease.” These who have worshiped the image of the beast will take the mark of the beast and go back to their Christian assemblies as an “abomination of desolation, which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (Mat.24:15).   The Man-child ministry will say of this apostate temple, “Your house is left unto you desolate” (Mat.23:38), just as Jesus did. These sons of perdition, now identified as members of the body of the beast, are an abomination standing in the midst of God's holy people. When the righteous see this sign, they are to flee to the mountains (Mat.24:16) as the elect did when this happened as a physical sign in 70 A.D. This falling away will reveal the sons of perdition for who they are and cause their desolation, which is reprobation, and then destruction by the beast.  

“I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven…” (Mt. 16). Exodus 1:8-2:10 Psalm 124 Romans 12:1-8 Matthew 16:13-20 1. Who is Jesus and what are the keys of the kingdom? Yesterday on Market Street a man wearing worn clothes and just socks on his feet walked along pushing people at random as they waited in a security line to enter Ross' clothing store. Another man crouched in the corner of a bus stop bent over with his head at knee height repeatedly wailing from the heart as a police officer stood five feet away with a loudly barking German shepherd on tight leash. Another man was lying on the ground at Eddy and Mason his hair full of litter. Drugs and mental illness touch nearly every person you encounter just down the hill from here. Most of the stores have left and the world seems like it is ending. This kind of feeling pervades the beginning of J.T. Alexander's book I Am Sophia. His science fiction novel describes a not so distant future as climate change makes the planet uninhabitable. The center of gravity for human culture seems to have shifted into outer space as investors in places like Mars support companies here in the Bay Area doing gene engineering and carbon sequestration. San Francisco has been renamed Sanef and is one of several independent nations formed after the collapse of America. Like narcotics in our time, many people of the future have become addicted to Stims (this acronym which stands for “Sensory-Targetted Immersive Mindtech”). It is a kind of virtual reality that destroys souls. Horrifying and dehumanizing levels of inequality have become commonplace. Poor people are shunned and called lowcontributors. Sometimes they will have their minds effectively erased by the government. Nihilistic terrorists frequently kill ordinary people with bombs. There is almost no religion of any kind. People call it metaphysics (or metafiz) and respond to it with a mixture of disdain, suspicion and fear (as many do around us today). In this anti-religious world of the future there is only one remaining Christian church in the universe. It has ten worshipers and a doubting twenty-nine year old bishop named Peter Halabi. That church is in the ruins of Grace Cathedral. In that future time this very building has holes in the ceiling and the stained glass windows have long been boarded up. But the eleven worship faithfully every Sunday in the Chapel of Nativity. Peter worries that he will have to shepherd the church to extinction. He looks up to that same mural and the image of Mary and says, “I'm not asking… for a big miracle… Just something to let me know [God's] still up there.” [i] Soon a tent appears in front of the Ghiberti Doors. The homeless woman sheltered there enters the church just as Peter is about to read the lesson. She takes the book from him to read and her first words are “I am.” This seems to refer to God's self-description at the burning bush. It is the way the gospels often describe Jesus. It is the meaning of the letters in the corners of icons. This young woman with a scar on her face walks like a dancer. She calls herself Sophia (a biblical word for the divine feminine) and for most of the book we wonder about her. Is she God, the second coming of Jesus Christ? Or is she sick, unstable and deranged. Or is she just a fraud manipulating the gullible Christians for the sake of her own agenda? 2. This feels like the Gospel of Matthew. When Jesus walks on water and then rescues faltering Peter the disciples say, “what sort of man is this” (Mt. 8:27)? The crowds seem to be wondering the same thing when Jesus asks his friends, “Who do people say the Son of Man is” (Mt. 16)? Although we have to answer this question in our lives, as readers of this gospel we stand outside the experience of those depicted in Matthew. We see what they do not. The Gospel begins with these words, “An account of the genealogy of Jesus, the Messiah…” (Mt. 1:1). As we read we wonder when, and which one of them, will realize who Jesus is. This exchange between Jesus and Peter happens in Caesarea Philippi, the capital of the Tetrarchy of Philip son of Herod the Great. Herod dedicated the famous Temple there to Rome and to Emperor Augustus, whose statue stood there. He was the first emperor to add to his title: “Divi Filius” or “Son of the Divine.” Jesus asks his friends who they say he is and Peter says, “You are the Son of the living God” (Mt. 16). Soon we see that Peter does not yet really understand what he is saying. All of us have trouble with this. We think of Jesus as simply a more powerful version of Emperor Augustus when Jesus is really overthrowing that whole way of being. Jesus shows that the way of domination and self-aggrandizement although it seems stable and powerful on the surface is like sand. In contrast we have the path of Peter with his imperfections, his courage and fear, his insight and foolishness, but above all his faith. This improbable foundation is the rock upon which our lives can be founded. This is faith which is a kind of pursuit rather than an accomplishment. Going on Jesus says, “I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven” (Mt. 16). Through history this sentence has been used to justify the church in those moments when we have been more like the Emperor Augustus than like Jesus, as if some institutional authority in Rome or Canterbury could have power over whether a person can be saved. This could not be further from the truth. The Biblical scholar Herman Waetjen points out several other ancient examples that clarify what Matthew means. The power of the keys has to do more with things and policies than people. For instance, the historian Josephus writes about Queen Alexandra who ruled the Hasmonean Kingdom from 78-69 BCE. She deputized Pharisees as the administrators of the state and gave them the power, “to loose and to bind.” For Herman this power is about determining what practices are permitted or forbidden. [ii] We all have a role in this. We all in our way preach the gospel through what we say and how we live. We contribute to the picture of what is acceptable. And we have a responsibility for creating the kind of society which is humane in its care for the people I saw on the streets yesterday. The puritan theologian John Calvin (1509-1564) writes that the reason for this passage about the keys is that over history it has been dangerous to speak Jesus' truth and it is important for us to know both that we are doing God's work and that God stands beside us as we do. [iii] The twentieth century theologian Karl Barth (1886-1968) writes that the thought of God will always disturb the world. Our relations with each other, will never be perfectly clear. We will never adequately understand our situation in the world. That is the reason we need to orient ourselves toward the Eternal, to God. Barth says, “For the vast ambiguity of our life is at once its deepest truth… We know that our thinking of the thought of eternity is never a thing completed in time...” [iv] Our attention to Jesus, our prayer, is how we avoid being conformed to the world. It is how, instead, we are transformed by the renewing of our minds in Christ (Rom. 12). About half of I Am Sophia takes place at Grace Cathedral and half on Mars. In the book, Sophia was terribly abused as a child but she found nourishment in the Bible and other Christian books. This made her a kind of theologian. Was Sophia the Christ? I do not want to spoil the book for you. As he finds himself falling in love with her, Sophia has a great deal to teach the young bishop, and perhaps us also. She says, “You are the guardian of a great treasure. It is your tradition, and it has an incredible spiritual value, an almost miraculous capacity to change lives for the better. But you misplaced the keys to the treasure chest… when scripture and religion became primarily about trying to determine who was right and who was wrong.” [v] Later she gives a kind of invocation, “May your soul have deep roots and strong wings.” [vi] This means that followers of Jesus need to have a foundation, a stable identity, but we also need room to evolve. Changes in technology and society leave modern people less rooted and more focused on wings. You see this in their emphasis on individual freedom, innovation and progress. In contrast, many Christians regard the secular world as destructive and offtrack. This leads them to become so backward looking that they are all roots and no wings. The living, loving God of the gospel became to them static and oppressive. What does not evolve dies. This summer's survey and our town hall meeting this morning address consider this issue. The idea lies at the heart of our mission statement to “reimagine church with courage, joy and wisdom.” For generations Grace Cathedral has been known for this. But it is up to us if we will continue to have roots and wings. Near the end of the novel, Sophia says to Peter, “You think strength means being untouched by the suffering we are approaching. You still do not know me…” [vii] Will San Francisco as we know it die as people self-centeredly and obsessively seek to save themselves? Will the future Grace Cathedral lie in ruins? Will the world know who Jesus is? At the center of Grace Cathedral is not a statue of the emperor or a belief in domination and self-assertion. At the heart of our being is a living person, the living child of God. He calls us by name and offers the keys to a deeper, more humane and faithful life. Come let us follow Jesus. [viii] [i] J.F. Alexander, I am Sophia: A Novel (Eugene, OR: Resource Publications, Wipf and Stock, 2021) 7. [ii] Herman Waetjen, Matthew's Theology of Fulfillment, Its Universality and Its Ethnicity: God's New Israel as the Pioneer of God's New Humanity (NY: Bloomsbury, 2017) 185-7. [iii] “It was important for the apostles to have constant and perfect assurance in their preaching, which they were not only to carry out in infinite labors, cares, troubles, and dangers, but at last to seal with their own blood. In order that they might know, I say, that this assurance was not vain or empty, but full of power and strength, it was important for them to be convinced that in such anxiety, difficulty and danger they were doing God's work; also for them to recognize that God stood beside them while the whole world opposed and attached them; for them, not having Christ, the Author of their doctrine before their eyes on earth, to know that he, in heaven, confirms the truth of the doctrine which he had delivered to them…” John Calvin, The Institutes of the Christian Religion ed. John T. McNeill, Tr. Ford Lewis Battles (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1960) 1213 (4.11.1). [iv] “There is – and this is what we mean – a thinking of the thought of grace, of resurrection, of forgiveness, and of eternity. Such thinking is congruous with our affirmation of the full ambiguity of our temporal existence. When once we realize that the final meaning of our temporal existence lies in our questioning as to its meaning, then it is that we think of eternity – in our most utter collapse. For the vast ambiguity of our life is at once its deepest truth. And moreover, when we think this thought, our thinking is renewed; for such rethinking is repentance. We know too that our thinking of the thought of eternity is never a thing completed in time, for it is full of promise. As an act of thinking it dissolves itself; it participates in the pure thought of God, and is there an accepted sacrifice, living, holy, acceptable to God.” Karl Barth, The Epistle to the Romans, 6th Edition tr. Edwyn C. Hoskyns (NY: Oxford University Press, 1975) 437. [v] J.F. Alexander, I am Sophia: A Novel (Eugene, OR: Resource Publications, Wipf and Stock, 2021) 60. [vi] Ibid., 95. [vii] Ibid., 168. [viii] Matthew Boulton, “Who do you say that I am…”, SALT, 21 August 2023. https://www.saltproject.org/progressive-christian-blog/2020/8/18/who-do-you-say-that-i-am-salts-lectionary-commentary-for-twelfth-week-after-pentecost

The Lord who “laid the foundation of the earth” (Job 38:4) is the Author and Giver of life who governs all things by His Word. His wisdom and power are beyond our understanding, except as He reveals Himself in the incarnate Word, Christ Jesus. He has “entered into the springs of the sea” and “walked in the recesses of the deep” (Job 38:16), and He draws near to us in mercy. We have been “a long way from the land, beaten by the waves” and tossed about by hostile winds (Matt. 14:24). In our mortality and sinful unbelief, we do not always recognize the Lord Jesus. But as we cry out in fear, He speaks tenderly to us, “Do not be afraid,” and He reaches out His hand to save us (Matt. 14:27, 31). “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Rom. 10:13), and now we call upon Him in faith, because we have heard “through the word of Christ” (Rom. 10:17). “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (Rom. 10:8). ----- Trinity Lutheran Church, School and Child Care have been "Making Known the Love of Christ" in Sheboygan, Wisconsin and throughout the world since 1853 as a congregation gathering around God's Word and Sacraments to receive forgiveness and life everlasting. Trinity is located in downtown Sheboygan, only one block from the Mead Public Library and the Weill Center for the Performing Arts. We invite you to visit us in person! Trinity Lutheran Sheboygan is a proud member of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Visit their website: https://www.lcms.org/​​​​ Music for this production was obtained through a licensing agreement with One License, LLC. The copyright permission to reprint, podcast, and record hymns and songs is acquired through ID Number: 730195-A #LCMS #Lutheran #DivineService

Romans 7:1-6

Romans 7:1-6

The Doctrine of Salvation—Sanctification: Controversies and Partnership Chris Hefner The Reformed/Baptist view – one event with a process of growth following. Wesleyan view – a two stage view, crisis is necessary for sanctification. Some hold that perfection is possible. Pentecostal view – roots in the Wesleyan tradition. Three common positions: The Classical Holiness stream: baptism in the Spirit as Wesley's entire sanctification (perfection). The Holiness-Pentecostal Movement: sanctification as a second work of the Spirit preparing the Christian for the third work of Spirit baptism. Pentecostalism: tied sanctification to salvation followed by baptism in the Spirit as a necessity. Keswick view – two stages, crisis likely but the crisis is for empowerment. Biblical Observations: Sanctification is a Person: Jesus. (Matt. 5-7; Heb. 12:2). Sanctification as a Position: “Such were some of you” (1 Cor. 6:9-11). Sanctification as Partnership: Sanctification is something only God can do, and it is something we must participate in. (Eph. 2:10; Phil. 2:12-13). Sanctification as a Process (journey): The goal of sanctification is to make us like Christ (Rom. 8:29). This is an infinite journey (Lev. 19:2; 1 Peter 2:14-16). Sanctification as a Place (heaven) (Is. 6; Rev. 4-5; 1 John 3:2). Theological Takeaway: We must partner with God in the process of sanctification because Jesus is the goal, and God has made us holy. Worship Takeaway: Through corporate and private worship we participate in our sanctification. Evangelistic Takeaway: Our mission is to make disciples, not merely converts —following Jesus is partnering with God in sanctification. Relational Takeaway: We need each other in this process. Reach out to us via email at: info@wilkesborobaptist.org

May 7, 2023 - Sunday PM Sermon   Slides: Three Habits for Growing Closer to God How can I draw closer to God? Engage in right thinking Think true thoughts Think honorable thoughts Think right thoughts Think pure thoughts Think lovely thoughts Think respectable thoughts Practice right behaviors Present your bodies a living sacrifice Do not be conformed to this world Be transformed Develop right feelings Put on Christ - (Rom. 13:14) Develop honesty - (James 5:16) Love the right things the right way Discover your purpose and meaning Practice sacrificial generosity Duration 41:30

For both the Jewish and Christian faith, the whole of the Hebrew scripture is divinely inspired. However, rabbinic Judaism has long favored studying Torah over the prophets, while Christianity from the earliest days “attached itself more to the prophets than the law.”[1] Jews sought teaching and instruction on the Torah and Christians sought teachings that illuminated the gospel. My Jewish friends most often refer to the “law” as a designation for the entire Bible and my Christian friends often designate the Old Testament as “the prophets.”[2]While the New Testament writers often point to both the law and prophets as the initial revelations that testified to Christ (John 5:39), the New Testament writers turn to the prophets more than anything else in the Hebrew scriptures. Paul, in Romans, opens and closes his book emphasizing the foundational importance of the prophets as witness to the ultimate revelation in Christ (Rom. 1:2; 16:26). Peter describes the prophets as the preincarnation conduit for Christ, the special few allowed to glimpse God's salvation plan (1 Pet. 1:10-12). Perhaps more than the law could have, the prophets helped the early church process the confusing death and miraculous resurrection of Jesus as well as the workings of the Holy Spirit. [1] Ferguson, Backgrounds of Early Christianity, 543.[2] Ferguson, Backgrounds of Early Christianity, 543.

 II.  NOTICE THE SERMONS DAVID DELIVEREDA.  V. 3-4  David Preached About His Reliance Upon God - David spoke to himself about his trust in the Lord. He vowed to praise the Lord in his troubles and trust the Lord regardless of what others could do to him. By the way, don't miss the contrast between the word “God” and the word “flesh.”  He knew God was eternal, while the flesh was mortal.In verse 1, David says, “man would swallow me up.” The word “man” refers to “a mortal man.” It speaks of one who is temporary, passing, dying. In contrast to mortal flesh, David talks about “God.” This is the word “Elohim.” It speaks of “the supreme God.” It refers to One Who is “eternal, undying, and in supreme control.” God's name in verse 2 pictures God as the lofty, exalted, transcendent God. He is the God Who is in complete control!B.  V. 7  David Preached About The Righteousness Of God - David preached about the ultimate justice awaiting his enemies. He knew that one day, all the people who attacked, oppressed, and harmed him would answer to the Lord. C.  V. 8  David Preached About The Regard Of God - David preaches about the omniscience of God.  God sees all our sorrows and keeps a record of our troubles. He records our steps. He bottles our tears. He keeps perfect records of our lives.“tellest” means to “inscribe, tally, record.”D.  V. 9  David Preached About The Reliability Of God - David preached to himself this great truth: God had his back. He wasn't as alone as the flesh said he was. The Lord was there, and the Lord was faithful. He told himself the day would come when God would scatter his enemies because God was on David's side.E.  V. 10-12  David Preached About His Rest In God - Despite all he faces, David preaches a message of hope to himself. He reminds himself of Who God is. God is true, faithful, and worthy of praise, regardless of his circumstances. David reminds himself about his vow to serve the Lord. He will rest in his commitment and praise God despite all his trials and enemies.F.  V. 13  David Preached About His Relationship With God - David preaches to himself the Lord's saving grace. He is in a saving relationship with God, and God will not forsake him during his trouble. David knew he might be stumbling along, but eventually, the Lord would deliver him from sorrow, suffering, and risk.Conc: There is a great truth here that many Christians forget. We need the Gospel to be saved, but we need the same Gospel after we are saved. Here are a few truths we need to preach to ourselves every day. We need to preach to ourselves about the following:Our positional standing in Christ - Rom 5:1His love for us - Rom 5:8; Jer 31:3Our sins Ashley T Lee PodcastAshley T. Lee Podcast will cover many life issues such as overcoming stress, anxiety...Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify The Gospel and JusticeAs believers, how do we talk about justice well?Listen on: Apple Podcasts SpotifySupport the showBe sure to subscribe to this podcast. Please leave us a review, and point your friends to this podcast. You can contact me, Alan Carr, at alancarr@gmail.com. Our website is: https://preachingmatters.buzzsprout.com/The podcast is a ministry of Dr. Alan Carr and The Sermon Notebook (http://www.sermonnotebook.org)

What's GoodFill Your Heart With All the Best ThingsRead or WatchI looked out my window this fall morning, expecting to see brown. But instead, everything I saw outside my window was covered in snow. Untouched by footprints or car tracks, it seemed to have baptized the world I knew — parked cars, trees, mailboxes — under a blanket of white. When you see how clean it looks, sparkling in the sunlight, you understand the Lord's invitation: "Come now, let us reason together ... though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow." He says, "Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes.” And he wants his people to “learn to do good” and “seek justice” for the oppressed (Isa. 1:16-18). So let's complete our study with one final praiseworthy virtue, filling our hearts with "whatever is pure" (Phil. 4:8).The Big IdeaFilling our hearts and minds with goodness leaves no room for the filth of sin. After David's sin, he prayed for God to wash him "whiter than snow" (Ps. 51:7). But he didn't stop at a prayer for forgiveness. Instead, he asked God to create something new in him. "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me" (Ps. 51:10)Rather than impure, fleshly thoughts, "those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit" (Rom. 8:5). The old you died. In baptism, you rose with Christ (Rom. 6:1-5), who reigns above. So set your mind on what's above and put to death "what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry" (Col. 3:2, 5).What do supermarket labels mean when they say, "100% Pure"? Purity is about completeness. It's "100% pure Canadian maple syrup" only if the entire product is Canadian maple. And we're "pure in heart" (Matt. 5:8) when we devote ourselves entirely to the Lord, with single-minded sincerity.Big QuestionWhat sin is it easy for you to overlook, and how can you give it more attention?Support the Show