Podcasts about either god

Following our 3-part "parenthetical" on idolatry, we return to our primary series on the Hebrew word, malaki (in distinction from the book that bears this name). In episode 1 we encountered the very first instance of Malaki, My Angel, in the Bible. It was on Mount Sinai after God had delivered the law, proclaimed and ratified the covenant with Israel. He then promised to send His Angel with them to the promised land, where He would drive out the inhabitants before them if they would simply listen to His voice and obey. It was clear that this angel is the preincarnate Lord Jesus, and that this was his formal introduction to the people. In episode 2 we approached the second appearance of Malaki in scripture, and in this episode we confront it. Like so much of the history of God's chosen people, it is a tragic story of failure with hope attached to it. The failure to listen to and obey the Word of God has the inevitable consequences of separation from God. We explore that theme in this episode. The Bible is every Christian's primary source material. Like the Bereans, we must make it our priority, our authority, our delight in learning from God directly from His own voice. And this includes podcasts, like ours. If we can help you know God and His word, fantastic! It is our job to work ourselves out of a job! "Return to ME and I will return to you, says the LORD of hosts." Malachi 3:7. We really want YOU to study God's word, to listen to His voice and obey. Either God is God, or ... He is not With our Transcendent GOD – Being, Truth and Value – there can be NO COMPROMISE We are the "neo-Fundies," unashamed and proudly proclaiming God's Word as Truth, Life and Light! 'For we are not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes' If you enjoy our content, consider donating through PayPal via https://ko-fi.com/thechristianatheist   Take a moment to enjoy our weekly Photos of the Day videos here - short slideshows with relaxing music ...https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6dyPLOr6Zb6x0KfOBmd22ntBsnSgqwzL&si=g21wNaUM5EAoeZco   https://www.youtube.com/c/TheChristianAtheist/featured https://www.facebook.com/JnJWiseWords https://wisewordsforyouroccasion.wordpress.com   #thechristianatheist #drjohndwise #drjohnwise #johnwise #christian #atheist #christianity #atheism #jesus #jesuschrist #god #bible #oldtestament #newtestament #nocompromise #rationality #faith #philosophy #philosopher #culture #society #hegelism #hegelianism #hegel #reason #incarnation #history#psychology #theology #literature #humanities #hardquestions #postmodernism #woke #wisdom #ethics #science #poetry #paradox #oxymoron #williamlanecraig #seanmcdowell #adam #adamandeve #eve #genesis

MY 1,000TH EPISODE!!!Good Morning! Today's Witness is about me and my journey with this podcast. Today is my 1,000th episode. I can hardly believe it! Back in 2019, I decided I wanted to change my career. I had my undergraduate degree in psychology and my Master's degree in Special Education. I was a teacher at a DoD school in Turkey for 2 years when our son Sam was born. Tony and I had both decided before having kids that I would stay home with them when we did have them. So, from Turkey we moved to New Jersey, where we stayed for 5 years, and we had two more boys, Noah & Ryan. I stayed home with the boys through our stay in New Jersey, our move to Germany, and our move to England. When we moved back to Massachusetts, our boys were in 6th grade, 4th grade, and 2nd grade. I decided to try to go back to work.I was a licensed teacher in NJ, but needed to take the tests in MA to get my license. While I studied for the tests, I decided to substitute teach. Once I got my license, I applied for a few jobs, but all of my teaching experience was now at least 10 years old. I also realized that although our boys were in school they were struggling with things and I couldn't really get a traditional teaching job because I never knew when I would have to go to school to pick our son up from school, or when one of our kids would refuse to go to school and I would need to stay home to watch him.I started trying to figure out what I wanted to do. I had done a lot of personal development stuff in the years from 2015, when we moved back to the states, to 2019, when I decided what I wanted to do besides being a wife and mother. I had been talking to a lot of people who were unhappy with some aspects of their lives, and yet they felt stuck. They felt like there was nothing they could do about it. I knew this wasn't true. I knew there was always something you could do to either change the situation you are in or change who you are in the situation. I decided to become a life coach so I could help people get unstuck. I wanted to help them overcome their challenges so they could live a happy and fulfilling life.I looked through several programs. One day, I found the Life Purpose Institute. They had a program where you could become a life coach and a spiritual coach. This was perfect for me as my heart really lies in the spiritual coaching, but I also still wanted to help people who were stuck with life issues as well. The program consisted of 60 hours of training. I took the 5-day intensive with four follow-up classes. After doing peer coaching, practice coaching, and taking a final exam, I was finally certified in December of 2019. I made my marketing plan and I was all set to go out and do workshops at local churches and local libraries. I was all set to build this business, and then three months later Covid happened and we were all stuck inside. No workshops, not speaking engagements, my marketing plan went out the window.It was also difficult because as I was learning how to have my own business and work from home, I also had my husband and three kids at home with me. I figured it out, I got some clients, and I was on my way. In June of 2020, I started a blog. Each week, I would write an article, sometimes about life coaching, but they mostly turned out to be Spiritual in content. I found out that writing about Jesus and my faith came pretty easily to me, much to my surprise. I say I was surprised because just a few years earlier, I was asking the Lord why I was the only person in my family who couldn't write. My siblings are all great writers. I have two siblings who have published books. My younger siblings are all really good at writing poems. It was just me who felt like I couldn't write. Either God changed that, or I just hadn't found what I liked to write about yet.In 2020, in the month of May, I decided to go on Facebook Live every day. I thought if I can't go out and get the word out about my business, maybe I could do it on Facebook. At this time, my brother Danny reached out to me and said if I wanted to speak in Public, I should join the Toastmasters Club, which teaches people how to do public speaking and also gives you lots of opportunities to practice. I was nervous, but I decided to give it a try and found out I really liked it. I even won awards in their annual speech contest three years in a row.For Christmas in 2020, my brother Danny and his wife Jess gave me a Blue Snowball iCE microphone so that I could have it if I wanted to go online or if I wanted to do a podcast. I was so excited. I spent the next few months trying to figure out what to call my podcast, what type of podcast it would be, and so on. My friend Kim helped me come up with the logo for it. I was so excited to see that it was actually happening. At this point, I have been listening to the Big Life Podcast with Pamela Crim for over 3 years now. She does a daily devotional podcast, and it is amazing. You should definitely check it out. I decided that I wanted to do this too. I decided each day  I would take a scripture verse and relate it to real life somehow. I was all set to go.Except for the fact that I had no idea how to start a podcast. I didn't know what website to use, what program to use to record it or edit it, how to upload it, or get it out to all the podcasting websites. Luckily, my brother John and his wife Rebecca had been doing a League of Legends podcast for about a year at this point. They actually had another podcast about movie reviews. So, I asked if they could get on a Zoom call with me and teach me. They were happy to help. So, after some help from them, I was able to find some free music on the internet to use to begin and end my podcasts. I wrote my intro and outro, and I was ready to go.My first episode was released on June 16, 2021. That was a Wednesday. It is funny looking back because I remember thinking I should start on a Monday, but at the same time, I didn't want to wait any longer. I just wanted to start. Now, almost four years later, I have reached my 1,000th episode. It has been such a fun journey. The podcast has evolved over time. During February 2022, my prayer group decided to do an online Life in the Spirit Seminar. The people who attended said that what they liked best about the seminar was listening to everyone's experiences about certain topics.This is when I decided to add “Witness Wednesdays” to the podcast lineup. Every Wednesday, I was hoping to get a different person who would talk about how God was working in their lives. At the beginning, I got a lot of different people. I have also given a lot of the witnesses myself, which was great because it helped me to look at the various events in my life and see how God was working in all of them! Then I discovered the PopWe website from Matthew West and his Father, along with the Global Awakening website and the Encounter Ministry's website. God is definitely still working powerfully in this world, and so there is no shortage of testimonies out there talking about it.The next change came when I felt the Holy Spirit prompting me to add the words of prophecy that we receive in my prayer group to the end of each episode. I felt like the Lord wanted me to get His word out to more than just those in our prayer group. I also hope that if we get used to hearing what the Lord's voice sounds like and the types of things he usually says, we can better discern when it is not the Lord's voice speaking to us. We will hopefully be able to block out or ignore the enemy's voice more easily. If you want to receive a daily email with these Words from the Lord, email me at Catherine@findingtruenorthcoaching.com. They really are amazing. It really helps us to get to know the Lord in a different way. It helps us to see him in another light. It also usually happens to be just what you needed to hear that day.I want to take this time to thank every single person who has listened to even just one of my episodes. It means the world to me that you would take the time out of your day to listen. Thank you to those who have reached out over the years to share your testimony for Witness Wednesday or have just reached out to encourage me and let me know you like the podcast. I am so grateful to God for each and every one of you. Sometimes I will write a podcast, and I think it doesn't even make any sense, and then someone will reach out and say that the podcast really spoke to them. The Holy Spirit is good like that. He knows what people need to hear and speaks through me. I am well aware that it is not I writing these podcasts alone. I am aware that the Holy Spirit is working through me, and I am so grateful that God is willing to use me.My goal when starting this podcast was that I could help those who listen walk more boldly in their faith. My goal is to help everyone learn more about what it means to have the Holy Spirit living inside of you. I want everyone to discover the power they have living inside of them. The devil doesn't want you to know. He wants you to feel alone and weak. This is not the case. You are never alone as God never leaves your side and you are not weak. You have the same Holy Spirit that Jesus had living inside of you. The same one that empowered Jesus to do all of the miracles. The same one that raised Jesus from the dead.Did you know that Jesus didn't do any miracles before He was baptized? That is because He chose to only use the human part of himself, along with the Holy Spirit to do miracles. That means that you have that same power living inside of you! What are you doing with it? How are you using it? How could you be using it? John 14:12-14, “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.  And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”Did you hear that? “Whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.” Think of the most amazing thing that Jesus did. That thing that you just can't believe He could do. Then reread that verse. Do you believe in Jesus? Yes, then you can do the things he did and even greater things. This is the whole point of this podcast. I hope that if you have been with me for a while now, you are starting to realize this to be true. I hope you are starting to understand how powerful you really are. The enemy doesn't want you to know this, and I am hoping that enough of us start using the power the Lord has given us, and then others see us and they join in, and before we know it, we are all living in the power of the Holy Spirit. Can you imagine how different this world would be if we were all aware and living in the power that the Lord gave us?I love each and every one of you. I am beyond grateful for your support. If you are listening and I don't know you, I would love to get to know you. Please reach out to me through email at catherine@findingtruenorthcoaching.com. If you would like to give your testimony, send me an email. It really doesn't take a lot of time and could really help someone else out. If you would like prayers, send me an email. It would be my pleasure to pray with you over the phone or add your prayers to my list of prayer requests. Thank you again for listening and for celebrating this momentous occasion with me!! www.findingtruenorthcoaching.comCLICK HERE TO DONATECLICK HERE to sign up for Mentoring CLICK HERE to sign up for Daily "Word from the Lord" emailsCLICK HERE to sign up for my newsletter & receive a free audio training about inviting Jesus into your daily lifeCLICK HERE to buy my book Total Trust in God's Safe Embrace

We pause our series on "malaki" to present the important context of Israel's idolatry at the foot of Sinai in the incident of the golden calf. As Jenny and I studied this issue over the past several months we began to understand something important that has ramifications for both the Old and New Testament scripture, and all of Christian history and practice ever since. While in this episode we point to a form of human idolatry in its grosser aspects, we fear that the same sort of idolatry pervades today's evangelical churches in a more subtle manner. It seems to Jenny and I that instead of studying the Bible ourselves, many evangelicals become involved in religious fads that promote evangelical "superstars," teachers whose books become all the rage. Then, instead of studying the Bible, we study their books on the Bible. As an academic, this is the distinguishing between primary material - the Bible, and secondary material - books about the Bible. We should be doing much less of the latter, and much more of the former. The Bible is every Christian's primary source material. Like the Bereans, we must make it our priority, our authority, our delight in learning from God directly from His own voice. And this includes podcasts, like ours. If we can help you know God and His word, fantastic! It is our job to work ourselves out of a job! "Return to ME and I will return to you, says the LORD of hosts." Malachi 3:7. We really want YOU to study God's word, to listen to His voice and obey. This week we end our parenthetical study on idolatry, looking at idolatry of objects, places and processes. I can't wait to get back to God's messenger! Either God is God, or ... He is not With our Transcendent GOD – Being, Truth and Value – there can be NO COMPROMISE We are the "neo-Fundies," unashamed and proudly proclaiming God's Word as Truth, Life and Light! 'For we are not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes' If you enjoy our content, consider donating through PayPal via https://ko-fi.com/thechristianatheist   Take a moment to enjoy our weekly Photos of the Day videos here - short slideshows with relaxing music ...https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6dyPLOr6Zb6x0KfOBmd22ntBsnSgqwzL&si=g21wNaUM5EAoeZco   https://www.youtube.com/c/TheChristianAtheist/featured https://www.facebook.com/JnJWiseWords https://wisewordsforyouroccasion.wordpress.com   #thechristianatheist #drjohndwise #drjohnwise #johnwise #christian #atheist #christianity #atheism #jesus #jesuschrist #god #bible #oldtestament #newtestament #nocompromise #rationality #faith #philosophy #philosopher #culture #society #hegelism #hegelianism #hegel #reason #incarnation #history#psychology #theology #literature #humanities #hardquestions #postmodernism #woke #wisdom #ethics #science #poetry #paradox #oxymoron #williamlanecraig #seanmcdowell #adam #adamandeve #eve #genesis

Be sure to follow 614 Church online:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/614_church/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/614church/Website: https://www.614church.orgTo support our ministry, https://614church.org/give/To fill out a contact card so we can stay in touch, click the link below!https://614.churchcenter.com/people/forms/283193Until Everyone Knows Jesus#614church #jesus #davidswart #2025

Be sure to follow 614 Church online:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/614_church/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/614church/Website: https://www.614church.orgTo support our ministry, https://614church.org/give/To fill out a contact card so we can stay in touch, click the link below!https://614.churchcenter.com/people/forms/283193Until Everyone Knows Jesus#614church #jesus #davidswart #2025

We pause our series on "malaki" to present the important context of Israel's idolatry at the foot of Sinai in the incident of the golden calf. As Jenny and I studied this issue over the past several months we began to understand something important that has ramifications for both the Old and New Testament scripture, and all of Christian history and practice ever since. While in this episode we point to a form of human idolatry in its grosser aspects, we fear that the same sort of idolatry pervades today's evangelical churches in a more subtle manner. It seems to Jenny and I that instead of studying the Bible ourselves, many evangelicals become involved in religious fads that promote evangelical "superstars," teachers whose books become all the rage. Then, instead of studying the Bible, we study their books on the Bible. As an academic, this is the distinguishing between primary material - the Bible, and secondary material - books about the Bible. We should be doing much less of the latter, and much more of the former. The Bible is every Christian's primary source material. Like the Bereans, we must make it our priority, our authority, our delight in learning from God directly from His own voice. Either God is God, or ... He is not With our Transcendent GOD – Being, Truth and Value – there can be NO COMPROMISE We are the "neo-Fundies," unashamed and proudly proclaiming God's Word as Truth, Life and Light! 'For we are not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes' If you enjoy our content, consider donating through PayPal via https://ko-fi.com/thechristianatheist   Take a moment to enjoy our weekly Photos of the Day videos here - short slideshows with relaxing music ...https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6dyPLOr6Zb6x0KfOBmd22ntBsnSgqwzL&si=g21wNaUM5EAoeZco   https://www.youtube.com/c/TheChristianAtheist/featured https://www.facebook.com/JnJWiseWords https://wisewordsforyouroccasion.wordpress.com   #thechristianatheist #drjohndwise #drjohnwise #johnwise #christian #atheist #christianity #atheism #jesus #jesuschrist #god #bible #oldtestament #newtestament #nocompromise #rationality #faith #philosophy #philosopher #culture #society #hegelism #hegelianism #hegel #reason #incarnation #history#psychology #theology #literature #humanities #hardquestions #postmodernism #woke #wisdom #ethics #science #poetry #paradox #oxymoron #williamlanecraig #seanmcdowell #adam #adamandeve #eve #genesis

We pause our series on "malaki" to present the important context of Israel's idolatry at the foot of Sinai in the incident of the golden calf. As Jenny and I studied this issue over the past several months we began to understand something important that has ramifications for both the Old and New Testament scripture, and all of Christian history and practice ever since. Either God is God, or ... He is not With our Transcendent GOD – Being, Truth and Value – there can be NO COMPROMISE We are the "neo-Fundies," unashamed and proudly proclaiming God's Word as Truth, Life and Light! 'For we are not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes' If you enjoy our content, consider donating through PayPal via https://ko-fi.com/thechristianatheist   Take a moment to enjoy our weekly Photos of the Day videos here - short slideshows with relaxing music ...https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6dyPLOr6Zb6x0KfOBmd22ntBsnSgqwzL&si=g21wNaUM5EAoeZco   https://www.youtube.com/c/TheChristianAtheist/featured https://www.facebook.com/JnJWiseWords https://wisewordsforyouroccasion.wordpress.com   #thechristianatheist #drjohndwise #drjohnwise #johnwise #christian #atheist #christianity #atheism #jesus #jesuschrist #god #bible #oldtestament #newtestament #nocompromise #rationality #faith #philosophy #philosopher #culture #society #hegelism #hegelianism #hegel #reason #incarnation #history#psychology #theology #literature #humanities #hardquestions #postmodernism #woke #wisdom #ethics #science #poetry #paradox #oxymoron #williamlanecraig #seanmcdowell #adam #adamandeve #eve #genesis

Join us for a new season of the Christian Atheist, with a continued focus on God's word as the authority for doctrine and practice. Either God is God, or ... He is not With our Transcendent GOD – Being, Truth and Value – there can be NO COMPROMISE We are the "neo-Fundies," unashamed and proudly proclaiming God's Word as Truth, Life and Light! 'For we are not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes' If you enjoy our content, consider donating through PayPal via https://ko-fi.com/thechristianatheist   Take a moment to enjoy our weekly Photos of the Day videos here - short slideshows with relaxing music ...https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6dyPLOr6Zb6x0KfOBmd22ntBsnSgqwzL&si=g21wNaUM5EAoeZco   https://www.youtube.com/c/TheChristianAtheist/featured https://www.facebook.com/JnJWiseWords https://wisewordsforyouroccasion.wordpress.com   #thechristianatheist #drjohndwise #drjohnwise #johnwise #christian #atheist #christianity #atheism #jesus #jesuschrist #god #bible #oldtestament #newtestament #nocompromise #rationality #faith #philosophy #philosopher #culture #society #hegelism #hegelianism #hegel #reason #incarnation #history#psychology #theology #literature #humanities #hardquestions #postmodernism #woke #wisdom #ethics #science #poetry #paradox #oxymoron #williamlanecraig #seanmcdowell #adam #adamandeve #eve #genesis

There are many things to love in the world, but God should have our hearts. #theloriclineshow Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org! ~~~ LOVE is in the air! Your response to that may be, ‘oh no it's not'! OK, you may not be IN love at the moment, BUT we all have objects of affection in our life. So then the question is, what or WHO is the object of your affection? My forever valentine is my husband, so his cute face comes to my mind. I adore my two miracle girls. I pour my love, care and attention on them daily. You may really LOVE your car or truck, so maybe that's what comes to your mind. Those strong feelings of affection and adoration for whatever we love, are powerful. We love so much we will spend billions of dollars showing it over the next few weeks, and I know many of you will spend a good bit of that on your pets! We love our family. We love our friends. I love my dogs, Roxy and Ruby. My husband loves his 1959 Gibson acoustic guitar.  The objects of our affection and love direct our attention, care, time, passion and often our life. This CAN get out of hand. Remember ‘The Lord Of The Rings'? Tolkien, the English author and scholar, imagined a world where the story revolved around one object, a very powerful ring. It became ‘the precious' object of affection for anyone who possessed it, but its power was so strong it could NOT be controlled, so it had to be destroyed.  The story of that ring is a good reminder as we consider where our hearts attention may be. Is it healthy? Is it out of balance? Are the objects of our affection honoring to God? What about God? Where is He in the mix? Here's what I have come to learn over and over in my life. When God is NOT the primary object of my affection and focus of my heart, I AM out of balance. I'm going to repeat that for me one more time. When God is NOT the primary object of my affection and focus of my heart, I AM out of balance. Life becomes more and more about ME. All the things, all the desires of my heart, all the objects of my affection, end up serving ME, not God.  God knows our hearts are prone to wander. That's why Jesus in Mark 12 boils all the commandments down to the greatest with the first and foremost one being to, ‘love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' He's reminding us to keep God as the primary object of our affection! God first. His way and have no OTHER gods before Him.  Yet our hearts wander. Our eyes and desires shift from God to self. WE become the object of our affection, so much so that we are blind to what is true.  Paul wrote very clearly to this LOVE of SELF and the fruit that is produced as a result.  2 Timothy 3:2-5 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people. Look around and you see that kind of behavior everywhere. What happens is when we love ourselves and our pleasures MORE than we love God, we naturally live out of a narcissistic worldview. We filter God's word and truth in a ‘narcigesis' way, in which we bend it to our selfish, self pleasing, boastful and proud liking. SELF becomes the center of the story and God is further and further removed from it or put in His place according to our liking. This is the danger of making SELF the object of our affection. Paul warns against it and calls it like he sees it. Either God is first or I am.  What has our heart? Where is our devotion? What matters most? Take an honest look at the characteristics and fruit of your life. Do they resemble what Paul described in 2 Timothy 3? Only when our heart is set first on loving God, is everything else in our life set into its proper place.  That's the truth.  I pray we seek God first today. Take SELF out of the picture. As we do the desires of our heart actually come more and more into view.  I'm Lori Cline.

Either God is sovereign or God is not. Over the next 3 weeks we will see how God is in charge! In this message, we discover that all are accountable to God, including leaders.

Sermon in a sentence: "Either God's wisdom leads, or the world's foolishness will mislead."Also verse: Proverbs 18:17

Sermon in a sentence: "Either God's wisdom leads, or the world's foolishness will mislead."Also verse: Proverbs 18:17

God's Plan And Purpose For Evil (1) (Audio)  David Eells – 10/13/24  Many of God's people are having a problem forgiving their enemies in these days when we have seen so much evil. It is God's place to judge and recompense evil. Have you not read? Rom 9:21 Or hath not the potter a right over the clay, from the same lump to make one part a vessel unto honor, and another unto dishonor? We've all been sinners from the same lump of clay But we got unmerited favor and they did not. The old saying is true: “There but for the grace of God go I.” So we got grace but they got justice. We must forgive to be forgiven. God is sovereign over all things; even those He draws unto Himself. Some think this not so, but let's see. Let's begin with a little foundation of God's sovereignty. We are shown in Rom.8:28 And we know that to them that love God all things work together for good, [even] to them that are called according to [his] purpose.  Do we really believe that “all things” work together to bring to pass the good purpose of God for His called? Our reactions to life's circumstances are a good gauge of this. Knowing God's purpose in all things gives great peace. What purpose is Paul speaking of in the above verse? In the next verse we can see that he is talking about the purpose of bringing many sons into the image of Jesus Christ. (Rom.8:29) For whom he foreknew, he also foreordained [to be] conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. God foreordained or pre-determined to bring His true children into the image of Jesus. This has been God's purpose since the creation of the world, even before man was created and fell.   All things serve God in order to manifest His sons. That is why God created this world. Some people who do not understand may see failure in God's plan. But when we study the sovereignty of God, we see there is no failure in God's system. Sovereignty means to exercise supreme and independent authority. Even sin, evil, and the fall will serve God's purpose. He is going to have sons to fellowship with throughout eternity. Toward this purpose, He is going to make all things work together for good. All things are not good, but all things work together for good. As I have said many times, “What does ‘all' leave out?” Applying this truth to our life takes thought.  God must be omnipotent (all-powerful) over all things to make this statement. He must also be omniscient (all-knowing) in order to make such all-encompassing statements in His Word. The Scriptures proclaim that God has sovereign control over all things that have anything to do with your life. He never falls off the throne and He never shares the throne with the devil. The authority that the devil has is according to God's design and laws. Everything serves God in the ongoing creation of sons and daughters. (Psa.119:91) They abide this day according to thine ordinances; For all things are thy servants. All things serve Him in this process, good and bad, to bring to pass His plan.   God never created anything that could thwart His plan, because God never makes mistakes. God even makes the evil to bring to pass His plan. Some will argue with that. Hopefully, you will change your mind as we examine the Scriptures. Evil is a tool of God's sovereignty to bring us to purity and maturity. Without the evil, there is no one to put us on the cross, to persecute us, and to cause temptations to rise up so that we might reject them and be cleansed. God has made everything, even the wicked for the day when His people will need chastening. (Pro.16:4) The Lord hath made everything for its own end (Some manuscripts say: for His own purpose.); Yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.   The apostle Paul learned contentment. He understood that none could thwart God's good plan for him. Anxiety, fear, or impatience only comes because of our own nearsighted, immature understanding of God's master plan for us. You can imagine how valuable a great apostle and evangelist such as Paul was to the saints in his day. But, in this case, Paul was put in prison. (Php.1:12) Now I would have you know, brethren, that the things [which happened] unto me have fallen out rather unto the progress of the Gospel; (13) so that my bonds became manifest in Christ throughout the whole praetorian guard, and to all the rest; (14) and that most of the brethren in the Lord, being confident through my bonds, are more abundantly bold to speak the Word of God without fear.   Paul had an understanding that the devil was not the author of his imprisonment because of its value to God's kingdom. Everything is going to work together for the good, individually and corporately. Individually it was for Paul's good, and corporately it was for the brethren's good. The Gospel went out because Paul was in prison. It was from prison that Paul wrote much of the New Testament. The Word of God went more places and was spread much faster because Paul was in prison. People became bold to go out and preach the Gospel because he was in prison.   Sometimes we look at circumstances instead of the Word and think that the devil has been able to stop God's plan. God would have never made the devil if he had been someone who could stop His plan. Some may think that God did not make the devil, but rather a good angel that fell. Since God is all-knowing as the Scriptures say He is, He knew His angel would become the devil. He is also all-powerful to stop what He knew would happen, therefore, at least by omission, He is the creator of the devil. God says in (Isa.45:7) I form the light, and create darkness; I make peace, and create evil. I am the Lord, that doeth all these things. (Isa.54:16)… I have created the waster to destroy. (17) No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper…   Since God created the evil waster, then obviously, He has authority to say that he cannot prosper against us. Evil cannot prosper for its own purpose, only God's good purpose. Do you suppose the three Hebrews wondered why the God to whom they had been so faithful had ordained the wicked to cast them into a fiery furnace? Those Hebrews found out this trial was to impress a heathen king with the power and saving grace of the God of Israel. He was impressed when God appeared to be walking with them through the fire and there was no harm to their bodies or clothes, only their ropes or bondage was burned off (Dan.3:25-27). God's purpose was to impress the heathen and to deliver them from bondage. This is a type or shadow of His purpose in our lives, too.  Everything that God is doing, He is doing according to the counsel of His own Will. There is not another completely free will in all of creation. If there were, this would be a dangerous place. A free will is a will that is able to do what it wants. Thank God that it is only His good free will, which “worketh all things after the counsel of his will,” that is in control.  I want to encourage you and show you how God is using the wicked and their evil works and His purposes for it. As we saw, He said in (Isa.45:7) I form the light, and create darkness; I make peace, and create evil. I am the Lord, that doeth all these things. What good reason could God possibly have in creating darkness and evil? Be patient, believe the Scriptures and receive a wonderful understanding of this. Let's examine how God exercises His Will over evil and to what extent.   In (Isa.10:5) Ho Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, the staff in whose hand is mine indignation! In this verse, God calls the enemy of Israel His rod and staff to correct them. In Psalm 23, the Good Shepherd uses His rod and staff to comfort David. The rod and staff were tools of the shepherd. The Lord, our Shepherd, uses our enemies as tools to correct us and keep us in line. (Isa.10:6) I will send him against a profane nation (Israel or the Church), and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets. (7) Howbeit he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so; but it is in his heart to destroy, and to cut off nations not a few.   Notice that the Assyrians did not know they were sent by God to fulfill His plan. It was in their heart to take a spoil and a prey. Whenever God uses vessels of dishonor, they are just fulfilling their lusts. God worked in the Assyrians to will and to do of His good pleasure. We will see that God does this with all of His vessels of dishonor. He has purpose for the wicked in the earth, otherwise, He would have removed them long ago. After God fulfills that purpose, He will do away with them.   (Isa.10:12) Wherefore it shall come to pass, that, when the Lord hath performed his whole work upon mount Zion and on Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his high looks. (13) For he hath said, By the strength of my hand I have done it… Notice that the king of Assyria thought that he had done this by his own strength. As history and this verse prove, when God is finished using the wicked for His people, He will destroy them. From the beginning, God did not intend to immediately do away with the wicked but to use them to perfect His people.  He commanded the angels to let the tares grow together with the wheat until the end (Mat.13:30), and only then will He separate and destroy the wicked (Mat.13:41-42). He explained that if you gather up the tares, ye root up the wheat with them (Mat.13:29). If God took away the tares, the wheat would die for lack of chastening and object lessons.   (Isa.10:13) For he hath said, By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom…The Assyrians believed that this victory was by their wisdom and strength, but God claimed to be using them as a tool. (15) Shall the axe boast itself against him that heweth therewith? shall the saw magnify itself against him that wieldeth it? as if a rod should wield them that lift it up, [or] as if a staff should lift up [him that is] not wood. That is the way God sees this army, like a dumb tool. God wielded the axe, saw, rod, and staff and lifted it up to work on His creation. How ludicrous for men to take any credit. God is sovereign, and everything else is a tool to be used by Him in the chastening and perfecting of His saints.   We should know that God sends these tools to us to carve us into a vessel for His use and that we need to submit for our own sake. These tools are necessary until the saints are God's finished creation and then He will put them away. Meanwhile, we need not fear that the purpose of evil is prospering. (Isa.54:16)… I have created the waster to destroy. (17) No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper… How comforting it is to know that only God's purpose is prospering!   Even Satan is not put in his place until the end when the tempting and crucifying of the saints is over. (Rev.20:1) And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. (2) And he laid hold on the dragon, the old serpent, which is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, (3) and cast him into the abyss, and shut [it], and sealed [it] over him, that he should deceive the nations no more, until the thousand years should be finished: after this he must be loosed for a little time.  One angel had no trouble chaining Satan and casting him into the pit. That was so easy that God could have done it a long time ago if He wanted to. According to the theology of most, God would have had to send an army of angels to get that “heavyweight.” After all, has he not been resisting God for over 6,000 years? Wrong! Notice that after 1,000 years God looses him again! Does that give you any idea about who loosed him the first time in the Garden of Eden? Does God loose Satan to do His Will, or to thwart His Will?   (Rev.20:7) And when the thousand years are finished, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, (8) and shall come forth to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to the war: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. (9) And they went up over the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down out of heaven, and devoured them. (10) And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire…   (11) And I saw a great white throne… God loosed the devil to deceive all the evil nations, to make war on the saints. He did this so that He could rain down fire on the nations to destroy them, just in time for the great white throne judgment of the wicked. God did not even need the angels to destroy the devil and all of his children. He could have done this in the garden and saved us the trial, but it was not His plan!   Who cast the devil and his angels down to the earth to deceive the nations and to make war on the saints during the Tribulation period? (Rev.12:7) And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels [going forth] to war with the dragon; and the dragon warred and his angels; (8) And they prevailed not, neither was their place found any more in heaven. (9) And the great dragon was cast down, the old serpent, he that is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world; he was cast down to the earth, and his angels were cast down with him. Then the devil in the beast made war with the saints.   (Rev.13:7) And it was given unto him (the beast) to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and there was given to him authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation. If God was going to cast the devil and his angels down, why not cast them into the lake of fire? Instead, God restrained them to the earth where we are! God needed the hoards of evil to separate the tares from the wheat and to mature the saints. Notice, there “was given unto him” (the beast), both authority over the nations and authority to make war on the saints. God gave authority to the devil, who dwelt in the beast and gave authority to the beast, to try the saints and to crucify their flesh.   Back to (Isa.10:20) And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and they that are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again lean upon him that smote them, but shall lean upon the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. People lean on the flesh and the world. We trust in America to defend and make us socially secure. The world has our love, respect, honor, and fear, all of which belongs only to God. God has a remedy for that. God brought the illicit lovers of Israel against her so that she would learn who the true enemies of her soul were. In this case, the Lord is showing us the same thing.   One of His remedies for us loving the things, people, and thinking of the world is that He is going to bring all that against us. (Mat.24:9) Ye shall be hated of all the nations for my name's sake. It is necessary that we be hated of all nations so that God's name is manifest in us. It is necessary that the world hate us to turn our heart away from the love of the world. God's people were too comfortable in Egypt so He turned the Egyptians' heart to hate His people (Psa.105:25). Then He saved them from the hand of him that hated them (Psa.106:10). First, God turned their heart against Israel, then, God delivered Israel out of their hand, and they were so grateful.   In (2Sa.7:14) I will be his father, and he shall be my son: if he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men. God's purpose in creating sons is going to be fulfilled by using vessels of dishonor to chasten His sons for their sins. The rod is physical men, armies, and nations. God uses spiritual principalities and powers to motivate these vessels of dishonor. If I were to pick up a stick and hit my neighbor with it, you would accuse me of evil. On the other hand, if I take the same stick and go chasten my child because of willful disobedience, you should think that good (Pro.23:13-14). What is the difference? The same stick was used, but the purpose was opposite. To attribute evil to God for using evil shows a lack of understanding of His purpose or motive.   God is going to use evil to do good. God is good and all things that God does are good. We cannot limit God with self-righteous thinking. God is going to do a good work with evil. In fact, without evil, God cannot do this work. (1Ti.1:20) of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I delivered unto Satan, that they might be taught not to blaspheme. The word “blaspheme” here means “to speak evil against.” These men were speaking evil against either someone or the truth, and Paul, for God, turned them over to Satan so that they might be taught not to blaspheme. Satan teaches us much. In most cases, it is Satan and his demons that execute the curse on those that sin.   The curse was spoken and ordained by God in Deuteronomy 28 to motivate sinners to repent. Satan tempts us with lusts, but when we give in, he legally may administer the curse until we repent. When we get out from under the blood, Satan is waiting. It is not in Satan's mind to teach us anything or chasten us. That is God's purpose. Satan is full of lust, and hates mankind and wants to do evil against mankind. Satan does not wish to teach us, mature us, or bring us to an understanding of God but he still brings that to pass.   Jesus said, If a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand (Mar.3:24). Satan's kingdom is divided against itself because what he does to the people of God causes them to repent and mature. It is not just Satan, but everything around us that God is going to use to bring us to maturity. Satan, the leader over the vessels of dishonor, is very important to this process. Satan is in command over the wicked spirits and thus, wicked people. God is in command over Satan. The Scripture says, “All things work together for good.” According to this, what Satan does to us is for our good. Does Satan understand what he is doing? No, he does not understand.   According to the law of sowing and reaping, he has sown deceit, therefore he is deceived. He is out to take man's position of authority by tempting him to sin. Satan is also a created being. God did not create any being that was going to be able to thwart His Will. He created everything for the purpose of bringing His chosen into the image of Jesus Christ. There are several methods that God uses to move the wicked, Satan, and the demons. One is by the power of suggestion. He works in them to will and to do of His good pleasure. He also commands or gives permission to them.   We read in (1Co.5:5) to deliver such a one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. This man had his father's wife, probably what we would call a stepmother. Paul spoke to the elders in Corinth and determined to agree with them to turn this man over to Satan. Do you think that Satan is thinking about destroying people's fleshly nature to save their spirit? The flesh is Satan's ally and a manifestation of his very nature.  Paul is taking authority over the power of the enemy and using that power to chasten rebellious children of God. (Luk.10:19) Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy… (20) Nevertheless in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you… Jesus delegated authority over the power of enemy spirits to His disciples.   Disciples have a right by the Spirit of God to use their power or to forbid their power. (Mat.18:18) Verily I say unto you, what things soever ye shall bind (forbid) on earth shall be bound (forbidden) in heaven; and what things soever ye shall loose (permit) on earth shall be loosed (permitted) in heaven. Disciples have authority to forbid or permit. With the guidance of God's Spirit, mature disciples can permit the devil's power for a good purpose, “that the spirit may be saved.” In this way, God exercises His sovereignty through His disciples.   When Jesus sent out His disciples to make disciples, He commanded them to pass on the same authority and commands that He had given them. (Mat.28:20) Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. If we are disciples (Greek: methetes, “learners and followers”) of Christ, we have the same commands. Jesus said that He would be with them to do this “even unto the end of the world.” Obviously, the original disciples did not live that long, therefore He is speaking to all disciples.   Today, ministries go from one extreme to the other. Either God's ministers are totally powerless in the face of rebellion or they exercise carnal dominion like the Pharisees. Just as a father and mother have authority in a family to chasten their children physically, the leadership in the Church has authority, because of the love of Jesus, over His children. This authority is not for the purpose of personal animosity, anger, or vengeance. It is because we do not want to see God's people come to the end of their lives having never repented of their sins and fall off into the pit. God's purpose has to be continually working in a person's life to bring them to maturity, to get them ready to face Him. In the above reference, Paul turned this man over to Satan in obedience to the Spirit, out of love. Some worry about the possibility of abuse here, but the curse that is causeless alighteth not (Pro.26:2).  We read in (Rom.8:7) Because the mind of the flesh is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can it be. It is God's plan for Satan to administer chastening. It is Satan's lust to do what he is permitted, to destroy man. Satan has been given power over the flesh. Do you remember the serpent in the garden? He was cursed to crawl on his belly and to eat the dust of the earth. What is the dust of the earth? It is what our flesh was made from. Satan has been given authority to come against flesh. I am speaking not only of this body but also of the carnal desires and appetites that gratify self. Satan's job is to devour the old man, and he is very good at it. The benefit is the saving of the spiritual man.   God commonly turns us over to Satan for chastening when we walk in willful disobedience. In Matthew 18, we have a case of unforgiveness. (Mat.18:34) And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors (demons), till he should pay all that was due. (35) So shall also my heavenly Father do unto you, if ye forgive not every one his brother from your hearts. This is a common thing. When we see ourselves delivered over to the curse, we should examine our conscience to see if there is cause to repent. I say “if,” because sometimes Satan is permitted to come against us to build our faith and to prove our authority over him. God uses a very bad devil to do a very good work in more ways than one.   It says in (2Pe.2:9) The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment unto the day of judgment; (10) but chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of defilement, and despise dominion… God takes credit for keeping the rebellious under judgment. Some live under judgment all their life because they “walk after the flesh.” If we do not understand the sovereignty of God, many times we are going to go through a lot more judgment. We need to recognize God's purpose in everything. He uses Satan, his demons, or the wicked people around us to chasten and bring us to repentance or to build our faith through trials.   Many only see the vessel; they do not see God behind the vessel whose purpose is being fulfilled. Satan would have us believe that the reason he comes against us is because we are good children of God. However, God would have us believe that when Satan comes against us it is because He loves us and chastens our corrupt nature and acts, or to give our faith a spiritual workout. If you only see Satan coming against you and not God, then you do not have any motivation to change. But, if you see God sending Satan against you, then you are motivated to change. (Joh.3:27) … A man can receive nothing, except it have been given him from heaven.   (Heb.2:2)… Every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward. All you have to do is look at the recompense, and you can tell when something is a transgression. When we look at the recompense we can see if it is wrong. Is it wrong to recreationally indulge in hard liquor? Look at the recompense, deterioration of the body and spirit. Is it wrong to smoke? Look at the recompense, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cancer, and other physical complications. People who are bitter, angry, and unforgiving are delivered over to cancer, arthritis, and other immune deficiencies.   Many with cancer or arthritis have kept up anger and bitterness in their lives. Anxiety and worry gives way to ulcers. You do not have to ask if it is sin; look at what it does to people. Even if you do not know a verse that tells you it is a sin, look at the fruit of it. Look at what comes against you because of it. God has ordained the entire curse system to come against those who transgress. Whether God is using the devil, his demons, wicked people around you, sickness, or any other part of the curse, He is doing it to bring us to repentance and fruit.   God will use evil spirits to humble us and bring about good fruit in us. Paul is a good example. He was caught up to the third heaven and received wonderful revelations that tempted him to be proud. (2Co.12:7) And by reason of the exceeding greatness of the revelations, that I should not be exalted overmuch, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger (Greek: angelos, “angel”) of Satan to buffet me, that I should not be exalted overmuch. Paul says the thorn was an angel of Satan to buffet him. The word “buffet” means “to hit over and over.” You can see that this evil spirit was given to Paul to fulfill God's purpose of humbling him.   (2Co.12:8) Concerning this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. (9) And he hath said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for [my] power is made perfect in weakness… This angel of Satan was bringing about a humbling in Paul's life that God called grace. When Paul was in a position of personal weakness or inability to save himself, he got to see God's power to save. It should be the same with us. Earlier in the text, Paul lists what he calls weaknesses. He lists things such as shipwrecks, prisons, persecutions from enemies, and stripes. Not once does Paul mention sickness in the list. The point is that God uses evil angels to come against our lusts, to humble us, to chasten us, and to cause us to repent.   (2Co.12:8) Concerning this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it (the angel of Satan or demon) might depart from me. (9) And he hath said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee… God was saying that He would deliver Paul from the individual buffetings, but not from the angel of Satan. Paul said as much to Timothy. (2Ti.3:11) Persecutions, sufferings. What things befell me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured. And out of them all the Lord delivered me. (2Tim.4:18) The Lord will deliver me from every evil work… In this, we see the sovereignty of God in both bringing the chastening and supplying the deliverance.   We read in (2Th.1:4) So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions which ye endure. God never does anything just for one purpose. (2Th.1:5) [Which is] a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God; to the end that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer.   Sometimes God's method is to use an angel of Satan to bring us into persecution and affliction, which Paul said was a token of the judgment of God to get us ready for His kingdom. Most often, the demons are administering the curse to do that. All things, curses and blessings, are working together for our good. We have a covenant right to deliverance from the curse. (Gal. 3:13) Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us…   Now let's go to (Psa.78:43) How he set his signs in Egypt, And his wonders in the field of Zoan, (44) And turned their rivers into blood, And their streams, so that they could not drink. (45) He sent among them swarms of flies, which devoured them; And frogs, which destroyed them. (46) He gave also their increase unto the caterpillar, And their labor unto the locust. (47) He destroyed their vines with hail, And their sycomore-trees with frost. (48) He gave over their cattle also to the hail, And their flocks to hot thunderbolts. (49) He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, Wrath, and indignation, and trouble, A band of angels of evil.   (50) He made a path for his anger; He spared not their soul from death, But gave their life over to the pestilence (51) And smote all the first-born in Egypt. Here we have God sending judgments, which He called “a band of angels of evil,” to chasten His people and destroy their enemies. When God sent all these judgments through “angels of evil,” they came against both the Egyptians and the Israelites in the beginning until His people were willing to come out of Egypt. Then God made a separation between Goshen and Egypt. The judgments then fell only on the Egyptians so that God's people would be set free. When we repent of living in Egypt, we do not have to live under the judgments. And (Exo.12:23) For the Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side-posts, the Lord will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you. Notice that the Lord passed over the Israelites' door with the destroyer and smote the Egyptians. The king angel of the abyss in Revelation 9:11 was Apollyon (in the Greek) or Abaddon (in the Hebrew), and both of these names mean “destroyer.”   These are just two of the many names for the devil. He was the king demon over death, but God had authority over him. The destroyer came through at midnight, exactly when God said he would. God's purpose was for him to destroy God's enemies and anyone who did not partake of the lamb. God told them to eat the lamb, and the destroyer would not smite them. That is how we come out from under the curse of sin and death. We must eat the lamb, Jesus Christ, the Word. By consuming and digesting the Word of God, we are delivered from the curse and manifest our sonship.   Sennacherib, king of the Assyrian Empire, had sent his vast army against Judah, but God promised them victory through Isaiah. (Isa.37:7) Behold, I will put a spirit in him, and he shall hear tidings, and shall return unto his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land. God put a demon spirit in Sennacherib, who, hearing voices, was then afraid of being away from home. Many demon-possessed people hear voices. The demons want to destroy God's people. Sometimes they have no choice in what they do. God used this demon to take the king home where he fell by the sword of two of his sons (Isa.37:38).   Some ministers, who have not lived righteous lives and yet retain authority over God's people, have been demon-possessed. King Saul was just such a man. God called him and anointed him, but he rebelled. (1Sa.16:14) Now the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him. If most people did not know this was in the Word, they would accuse me of heresy. We read here an evil spirit from the Lord troubling Saul because he would not obey. (15) And Saul's servants said unto him, Behold now, an evil spirit from God troubleth thee. (16) Let our lord now command thy servants, that are before thee, to seek out a man who is a skilful player on the harp: and it shall come to pass, when the evil spirit from God is upon thee, that he shall play with his hand, and thou shalt be well. Of course, they found David with his harp to comfort the king. Isn't that something? God sent an evil spirit to trouble Saul and then sent David with his harp to give him some relief from the torment. He works on us from both sides.   I ministered in an assembly once where I discerned that the pastor had demons. He was having problems with women, money, and honesty. He told me three times that God had spoken to him that he was Saul and I was David. I shared with him truths that would help him to overcome, but he was self-willed. I asked the Lord what to do about him because he was causing believers to stumble. God said, “Let the Philistines take him out.” The Philistines were the enemies of God's people who took Saul out. The enemies of God's people did take this man out, too. I ended up taking over the ministering there for a short time. It was Saul and David all over again. God worked on this man from both sides. In Deuteronomy 28, God says over and over that He would send the curse to the rebellious, and now we know that He sent Jesus to deliver from that curse.   We are constantly faced with a choice. God has put us here for our soul to make a decision between our flesh and our spirit. We are the highest creation of God and the lowest creation of God. We are between heaven and hell, between demons and the angels, between God and the devil. Every way we turn, there is a decision to be made. God planned it that way. He is saying to rebellious people, “The curse is in front of you; do not go. But if you do, it is your own fault, and you will pay a penalty.” At the same time He offers grace to make the right decision.   God raised up Gideon to conquer Israel's enemies. After this, Gideon would not accept a position of authority over Israel. In fact, he would not let his sons take a position of authority over Israel while he was alive (Jdg.8:23). Gideon had seventy-one sons, one of these by a concubine in Shechem. This son lusted after authority and wanted to be the next king over Israel. So he conspired with the men of Shechem to kill Gideon's seventy sons. All but Jotham were murdered. Jotham prophesied the following to the men of Shechem after they had executed the dastardly deed: (Jdg.9:20)… Let fire come out from Abimelech, and devour the men of Shechem, and the house of Millo; and let fire come out from the men of Shechem, and from the house of Millo, and devour Abimelech.   God was pronouncing through Jotham a curse of division upon the guilty parties. (Jdg.9:22) And Abimelech was prince over Israel three years. (23) And God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech: (24) that the violence done to the threescore and ten sons of Jerubbaal might come, and that their blood might be laid upon Abimelech their brother, who slew them, and upon the men of Shechem, who strengthened his hands to slay his brethren. God wanted to judge and destroy this evil alliance so He sent an evil spirit between them to divide and conquer. Both Abimelech and the men of Shechem were destroyed because of this one evil spirit. God used evil to judge the guilty and to deliver His people from their hand.   Once I was ministering in an assembly along with two other ministers. These two ministers were grieving me because they were continually patting each other on the back, even while they were agreeing to disagree with God's Word. When I went home one evening after witnessing them confirm one another's errors in front of the congregation, I felt that the Lord put in my heart to pray that He would send an evil spirit between these two ministers to break up this evil alliance. I was shocked. The next day, I found out that on the very evening of my prayer, those two had fallen out with one another to the degree that they had separated. God used that to separate this evil alliance between these two people.   God uses this method all through the Scriptures. Let me share another example. (Rev.16:14) For they are spirits of demons, working signs; which go forth unto the kings of the whole world, to gather them together unto the war of the great day of God, the Almighty. Here demons gather the whole world to fight the battle of Armageddon. The same account in Zechariah says that God gathered the whole world to that battle. (Zec.14:2) For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle… (3) Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. So now we see that God will use the demons to gather the enemy army against His people just so that He can destroy them and save His people. Friend, can you see that if God [is] for us, who [is] against us? (Rom.8:31) On the other hand, if God is against us then who can be for us?   After gathering the nations to the battle, the Lord said that He would “fight against those nations, as when He fought in the day of battle.” In 2 Chronicles 20:17, the Lord told Jehoshaphat, “Ye shall not need to fight in this [battle]: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord.” He was going to fight this battle. His method of warfare is described in the following verses: (2Ch.20:22) And when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set liers-in-wait against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, that were come against Judah; and they were smitten. (23) For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of mount Seir, utterly to slay and destroy them: and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, every one helped to destroy another.  I used to think that they waited in ambush for one another. But as I looked at the Scripture more carefully, I discovered that God set liers-in-wait for the whole army so that they fell out with one another. The demon spirits who brought them there were waiting to assemble them so that they could ambush them with suspicion, greed, anger, fear, etc., and cause them to destroy one another. He divided three armies that came as one into three, and they killed off one another. Since God is paralleling this to the battle of Armageddon, He will cause a civil war in the midst of the end time beast kingdom, and they will divide into kings of the north, kings of the south (Dan.11:40), and kings of the East (Rev.16:12) to destroy one another and save God's people. God is in control of demons, therefore, He is also in control of their obedient servants, men. All this is for the purpose of bringing us to repentance and glorifying Himself in our eyes and the world's. This should be a word of encouragement to anyone.   Though God uses evil spirits to divide, He also uses us to forbid them when appropriate. God wants us to resist the devil, to not permit his lies or his accusing of the brethren. God expects us to be vigilant and to test the spirits at all times. The ability to test with discernment comes from the practice of seeking to be a vessel of honor and having our spiritual senses exercised by the Word to discern good and evil (Heb.5:13-14). It is a pity more of God's people do not hear from the Lord today.   Many falsely believe that the division of an assembly of Christians could not possibly be the Will of God. The assembly at Jerusalem was scattered by persecution in order to spread the Gospel. Israel rebelled from under the house of David leaving only Judah and Benjamin. King Rehoboam gathered his army to bring the rebels back into the fold, but the Lord through the prophet spoke to them. (1Ki.12:24) Thus saith the Lord, Ye shall not go up, nor fight against your brethren the children of Israel: return every man to his house; for this thing is of me… Other reasons for division could be because the assembly is too large to meet the needs of the individual or because the assembly is apostate and ruled by men, in which case, the people would not grow up in Christ.   God divided Babel because their unity was for the purpose of evil. Notice it was the tongue that divided them just as the denominations are divided now. God's purpose in division is always good but man's purpose is generally evil. Denominationalism is the tendency to divide into sects and is a work of the flesh according to the Word (Gal.5:20; 1Co.1:10-13; 1Co.3:1-8; 1Co.11:17-19; and so on.). Jesus prayed that His disciples would be one even as He and the Father are one (Joh.17:21-22). This can only happen when in the Tribulation the righteous give up their sects to be one flock with one Shepherd (Joh.10:16).   Now let's go to (Rom.9:17) For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, For this very purpose did I raise thee up, that I might show in thee my power, and that my name might be published abroad in all the earth. (18) So then he hath mercy on whom he will, and whom he will he hardeneth. Here it is hard to escape the fact that God made Pharaoh stubborn in order to make Himself famous and powerful in the eyes of men. God knows that we need to perceive a great God and Savior. Those who ignorantly think they are defending God's reputation usually say that Pharaoh hardened his own heart first. (Exo.4:21) And the Lord said unto Moses, When thou goest back into Egypt, see that thou do before Pharaoh all the wonders which I have put in thy hand: but I will harden his heart and he will not let the people go. (Exo.7:3) And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt.   Five times in Exodus, God says that He hardened Pharaoh's heart before we are told that Pharaoh… hardened his heart (Exo.8:15). God sent Moses to tell Pharaoh to set His people free. He then hardened Pharaoh's heart to refuse to set them free. To Israel this made their freedom naturally impossible. God gave to them what they perceived as hopeless in order to glorify Himself in their eyes. They needed to know that He could save them from anything in their coming wilderness trial. God and you are a majority in any situation.   If that was not enough, God hardened Pharaoh's heart again to cause him to follow the Israelites into the Red Sea to the Egyptians' destruction. (Exo.14:4) And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and he shall follow after them; and I will get me honor upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host… Unlike the movies, this is the only Pharaoh that they have found that died of drowning. All this was just to impress Israel with God's power to set free. They were going to need this in the trials to come.   Have you ever had some hardened heart in a position of power over you? Go to God, not Pharaoh. All Moses ever got from him was insolence. Have you considered your flesh? Does it seem more powerful than your ability to obey God? That was God's plan. He wants to show us His power to save from sin. (2Co.4:7) But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the exceeding greatness of the power may be of God, and not from ourselves. God wants no competition from our own ability. He wants to prove the power of His grace through our faith in Him.  It says in (Pro.26:2) As the sparrow in her wandering, as the swallow in her flying, So the curse that is causeless alighteth not. No curse can alight upon us unless there is a cause. Sin and corruption are the most likely cause. Only God's purpose is fulfilled in a curse. It says in (Num.23:8) How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? And how shall I defy, whom the Lord hath not defied? We are really wise if we are looking for the cause, and not looking at the curse, or looking at the devil. If we deal with the cause, we do not have to live with the curse.   The problem is people will not deal with the cause. They just live with the curse and try by man's methods to be delivered from it. If man, by his own methods, could deliver us from the curse that God sent to cause us to repent, man would be detrimental. What if we examine our conscience and do not see the cause? Then it is very possible that the cause is so that we renew our mind with the Word and fight the good fight of faith. Sometimes the Lord sends Satan against us so that we can whip him. Yes, God does that to prove to us that His Word is true and that we have authority over all the power of the enemy. God's ultimate purpose is to manifest His sovereignty through us.   God wants us to learn to fight a spiritual warfare. God gives us practice sometimes. When Satan comes against us through demons, wicked people, or circumstances, we should examine our conscience. If we do not find guilt because of willful disobedience, then we should exercise the authority that Jesus gave us against Satan, because we are going to win. In coming against Satan, we are also crucifying our old man because our old man is created in the image of Satan. When we fight with Satan, we fight with “self”. When we win against Satan, we win against “self”. That is another part of God's plan that is so perfect and so beautiful. Amen.   Let's go to (Lam.3:37) Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not? Can evil command something and it come to pass if the Lord has not commanded it? No! God is sovereign. Jesus said His words were not His but the Father's. We know this was true because they came to pass. By the grace of God, I have commanded healings, miracles, provisions and deliverances that have come to pass. Religious people have told me that my faith was presumptuous because we cannot know the Will of God. I have thought, “How ludicrous! Do I have power to do these things? God did them. I merely agreed with His Word.” The proof that I was in agreement with God is that they came to pass. If the devil commands something and it comes to pass, is it because he is more powerful than God? Not according to this verse. It is because God commanded it whether the devil knew it or not. (Lam.3:38) Out of the mouth of the Most High cometh there not evil and good?   Where does evil and good come from? God says that it comes out of the mouth of the Most High. Does that mean God is evil? No, it means we deserve or need the ministry of evil. (Lam.3:39) Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins? We have been brainwashed to believe that man is basically good and deserving of good, so we are shocked when bad things happen to “good” people. (Mar.10:18) And Jesus said unto him… None is good save one, [even] God.  From God's mouth comes blessing and curse, good and evil. The evil here represents the hard things that happen to “good” people in order to turn them toward good and to stop them from continuing in sin. Any evil that comes against the life of those who “are called according to His purpose” is for good. We should always examine our conscience and the Word to find out if God is sending Satan against us because of the sin in us or the actions of sin that we do.   Arminianism is the erroneous belief that everyone has a free will. God is the only one who has a free will. We have a limited free will, limited by our ability, thinking, nature, body, and circumstances. If you have a free will, let's see if you can stop sinning. We cannot do just anything we would like to do. The only one the Bible credits with the ability to do everything He wishes is God (Eph.1:11) In whom also we were made a heritage, having been foreordained (predestined) according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his will.  Like this verse, Calvinism teaches the sovereignty of God over election, predestination, evil, and everything. The only way that we can do what we want to do is to get God's Will in us. (Php.2:13) For it is God who worketh in you both to will and to work, for his good pleasure. Then we can do what we want to do because we want what He wants, and what He wants He gets.   That is how the Son sets us free, by giving us a will to do His Will. While we have our own will, we will be at war with ourselves. (Gal.5:17) For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are contrary the one to the other; that ye may not do the things that ye would. We have God's Will in us, and we have our will in us. They are tugging away at each other. That is not freedom or a free will. This means that “ye may not do the things that ye would.”   We did not even have the freedom of will to come to God. (Joh.6:44) No man can come to me, except the Father that sent me draw him: and I will raise him up in the last day. That is not a free will. We choose not to come to God, unless He draws us. You may choose to sin, most do, but God will choose the time, place, and extent. (Pro.16:9) A man's heart deviseth his way; But the Lord directeth his steps. God directs the steps of His vessels of honor or dishonor. The only reason we make the choice in God's direction is because of grace. (Joh.15:16) Ye did not choose me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that ye should go and bear fruit… Jesus first chose us and gave us the will to choose Him because of His unmerited favor. We bear fruit because of a gift of His Will in us.  The Lord brings spirits against us to chasten us and to cause us to repent, then after we overcome, He has total ability to make our enemies to be at peace with us. (Pro.16:7) When a man's ways please the Lord, He maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him. We see here that God has total control over our enemies and He can put peace in their heart toward us when we overcome. We should remember this when we are tempted to take care of our enemies ourselves. So we see, God uses our enemies when our ways do not please the Lord.   God created our enemies just for that purpose. (Pro.16:4) The Lord hath made everything for its own end (Some manuscripts say: for His own purpose.): Yea, even the wicked for the day of evil. Need I say that we should not argue with God? We see God's hand as sovereign in all of this. God can send the wicked to us, for a day of evil, because our ways do not please the Lord. When we overcome, God can give us total peace in the midst of our enemies. Whether they are wicked men or demon spirits, it does not make any difference.   Should we reason with our puny understanding that God would be wrong to make the wicked? He has an answer in (Rom.9:21) Or hath not the potter a right over the clay, from the same lump to make one part a vessel unto honor, and another unto dishonor? (22) What if God, willing to show his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering vessels of wrath fitted (Greek: “to complete thoroughly”) unto destruction. Notice that they are vessels of dishonor and wrath, made to be destroyed. (2Pe.2:12) But these, as creatures without reason, born mere animals to be taken and destroyed…   In instances like this, we must repent and conform our reasoning to God's if we want truth. In God's opinion, and His is the only one that counts, the wicked are animals, made to be destroyed when they have served their purpose. (Pro.21:18) The wicked is a ransom for the righteous; And the treacherous [cometh] in the stead of the upright. A ransom is a price that must be paid for someone's freedom. The wicked are a price that God pays to create sons who are free from the bondage of corruption, so let us not waste their sacrifice.   When Joseph was revealed unto his brethren who came out of Canaan's land into Egypt, they were repenting to him because of the way that they had treated him. Joseph understood the cause for all the tribulation he had been through. (Gen.50:20) And as for you, ye meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. Joseph credited God for using evil to bring him into Egypt “to save much people alive.” The Israelites who came out of Canaan's land were starving to death. When they came to Egypt, Joseph, who was sent on ahead because of his ‘Judas' brothers, fed them. God used them to crucify Joseph and prepare him as a vessel of honor.   I remember once when I bought a used car from a heathen. We had agreed on a price and were to close the deal the next day. I had asked God for a better price. The next day, when I went to close the deal, he said he would sell it for the better price that I had only spoken about to the Lord. Only God could put in the heart of a lost used car salesman to suggest selling for a cheaper price after we had already agreed. I realized that God had put this in his heart even though it did not come naturally to him. God works in us to will and to do of His good pleasure, so also them.   The Lord said to Peter in (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. Satan asked to sift Peter, but why would God give any heed to what he asks unless it is for our good? If Peter had been like most people, he would ask, “Lord, why did you give Satan permission to have me? Just say, ‘No, Satan, you cannot have him.'” But Jesus knew that was not God's Will.   God's purpose is for Satan to get what belongs to him in our lives. The purpose of sifting is to separate and remove what you want. He keeps what is his. The Lord said, “The evil one cometh but he hath nothing in me.” Jesus was pure; there was nothing in Him that belonged to Satan. Satan is sifting to get what belongs to him. God only wants what is left. God could have destroyed him back at the beginning of the world but God ordained Satan for His good purpose. When God is through doing His whole work upon the people of God, guess what He is going to do with Satan, the demons, the wicked, the false prophet and the beast, too? That is right, the lake of fire.   Jesus set the sheep on His right hand and the goats on His left (Mat.25:33). That is exactly how God uses the righteous and the wicked, as His right hand and His left. His right hand is the vessels of honor, and His left hand is the vessels of dishonor. Satan is, in effect, one of God's hands to create His sons. Let me share a dream from a close spiritual brother. He saw a line of the saints coming before Jesus in heaven. At Jesus' left hand was Satan with an old-style cannon in front of him pointed at the first person in line. Satan with a lighter in his hand eagerly wanted to light the fuse on the cannon and blow them away. Jesus' left hand was in front of Satan stopping him. From that dream, you can see that when the Lord moves His left hand, Satan moves.   Here is a clear case of that. (Job.1:8) And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job? for there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and upright man, one that feareth God, and turneth away from evil. God brought Job to Satan's attention and bragged about him. That is just like waving a red flag in a bull's face. Satan did not want to hear that. In fact, Satan is trying to prove just the opposite to God. He is the accuser of the brethren. God inflicted Satan on Job by the power of suggestion. (9) Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? (10) Hast not thou made a hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath, on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.   Satan is admitting he did not have the power to get at Job because of God's hedge. The same is true of us. (11) But put forth thy hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will renounce thee to thy face. (12) And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thy hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord. Satan suggests to God that He drop the hedge and put forth “His hand” against Job to try him. So why drop the hedge? It was not keeping God's hand out unless you see that the left hand of the Lord was Satan! God confirms this by using the terms “in thy power” and “thy hand.”   Satan was the one who brought the Sabeans, the fire of God, the Chaldeans and the great wind from the wilderness against Job and his family to try him. Look at what Job said about it in verse (21) And he said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. (22) In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly. God says plainly here that Job was not sinning by attributing all this to Him. The Lord gave on the right hand, and the Lord took away on the left.   Some people would say that the Sabeans, Chaldeans, and the fire took everything away from Job. Some would look behind those and say that Satan did it. Then some would look a little further back and say that God did it. That is what Job did. That is what we have to do if we are to have the purpose of God fulfilled in our lives. We have to look all the way back and see God's purpose in our lives. Job did not stumble because he understood that. Anyone who sees only the vessel will stumble. If we see only an evil vessel, we will end up fighting and wrestling with flesh and blood. Even though Job was hurting, in his spirit he had rest because he saw God's purpose.   He goes on in (Job.2:3) And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job? for there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and turneth away from evil: and he still holdeth fast his integrity (God was rubbing Satan's nose in it.), although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause. God appears to be using reverse psychology on Satan, letting him believe that he was moving God when it was the other way around. God was moved against Job, but Satan was the instrument.   It was God who pointed Job out to Satan in the first place in order to fulfill His own purpose. (4) And Satan answered the Lord, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life. (5) But put forth thy hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will renounce thee to thy face. (6) And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thy hand; only spare his life. God always laid down the conditions of Satan's involvement even as he does today. (9) Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still hold fast thine integrity? renounce God, and die. (10) But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.  God wanted to make it plain to us, using two witnesses, that what Job was saying was correct. Shall we receive good at the hand of God and not evil? Job never gave credit to Satan. He never even gave credit to the Sabeans, Chaldeans, or the wind from the wilderness. Job only looked at the primary purpose of God.  Jesus, in teaching us to cooperate with God's purpose of crucifixion in our lives, said, “Resist not him that is evil,” speaking of men. However, we are commanded to, “Resist the devil,” speaking of evil spirits. We should never get caught up and wrestle with flesh and blood. Jesus would not. (Isa.53:7) He was oppressed, yet when he was afflicted he opened not his mouth; as a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and as a sheep that before its shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth. We are to wrestle with principalities and powers.   God wants us to see evil people as victims of Satan and the curse, vessels to be pitied. (Luk.23:34) And Jesus said, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do… God wants us to see through those vessels of evil and see Him. Jesus had peace because He knew all power comes from our sovereign God. (Joh.19:10) Pilate therefore saith unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? Knowest thou not that I have power to release thee, and have power to crucify thee? (11) Jesus answered him, Thou wouldest have no power against me, except it were given thee from above…  Eli rebuked his sons for their apostasy in (1Sa.2:24) Nay, my sons; for it is no good report that I hear: ye make the Lord's people to transgress. (25)… Notwithstanding, they hearkened not unto the voice of their father, because the Lord was minded to slay them. The purpose of the Lord is ultimate. Many will not repent because it is in the mind of the Lord to slay them for their evil. We could justly receive the same treatment, but God gave us grace. (Eph.2:8) For by grace have ye been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, [it is] the gift of God. Only God gives the gift of faith to believe and repent. We have to go to God; He grants faith and repentance. True understanding of salvation by unmerited grace causes us to fear God.   Some do not value the gift of God only to have it taken away and given to ones who do value it. The Jews lost out to the Gentiles. Let no one take thy crown (Rev.3:11). The self-righteous flirt with catastrophe. (1Co.4:7) For who maketh thee to differ? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? but if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory as if thou hadst not received it? If we have anything more than our neighbor, it is a gift of God, not cause for pride. 

One of the great rallying cries of the Protestant Reformation was “Scripture Alone,” or if you prefer the Latin, “Sola Scriptura.” The chief opponent for the trust of men at the time wasn't public institutions, academics and scientists, or even directly the state. They fought against the tyranny of Roman Catholicism which claimed ultimate authority to declare truth and speak for God. In the Reformation everyone understood that control over the voice of God was at stake. Either God's Word would be allowed to stand for itself, and correct every other voice, or the Pope would reserve the right to yield God's voice and decree and interpret as he willed. We no longer find ourselves in a society where everyone acknowledges the true God. The dominant god of this society against which we war is the god of the state, with its promises of elevating humanity and solving our every problem. Politicians, academic elites, and experts of every variety all labor to yield the power of whatever god they serve. This episode, Part 7 on God's Word as our ultimate authority, is a part of an ongoing series on ⁠⁠Building a Thoroughly Christian Worldview⁠⁠. Everyone has a worldview whether they realize it or not, and more than likely their worldview is not consistent with itself. The Bible is our only standard for all of life and truth. We are called to be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2). We can only do this by knowing God's Word. Listen in to this multipart series as Caleb and Lindsey discuss what a worldview is, how to evaluate your worldview for inconsistencies, and also ways to apply God's Word and mission to every area of your life. As disciples we are meant to have a "Kingdom Mindset." Many Christians today have more of a defeatist mindset and live defensively instead of offensively. The Christian's worldview directly applies to how Christians engage the culture, and this is what we will be discussing in future episodes during this series. **THIS MONTH'S SPONSOR:** Christian Light Education Read Lindsey's Personal Review of CLE's Horticulture Today High School Elective: ⁠https://reformedfaithandfamily.com/teach-valuable-life-skills/⁠ Read Lindsey's Personal Review of CLE's Learning to Read Program: ⁠⁠⁠https://reformedfaithandfamily.com/learning-to-read-cle-review/⁠⁠⁠ Visit Christian Light Education's Website: ⁠⁠⁠https://christianlight.org/shop-curriculum⁠⁠⁠ >> **FREE** Christian Worldview Family Field Guide >> ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Download Your Copy Now!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Keep Up with Reformed Faith and Family in the Following Ways: Never miss an episode, article, or a new FREEBIE by joining our weekly newsletter here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://reformedfaithandfamily.com/subscribe/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Build your library with our recommended resources: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://reformedfaithandfamily.com/recommended-resources/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Read the latest articles: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://reformedfaithandfamily.com/blog/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Download your FREEBIES in our store: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://reformedfaithandfamily.com/store/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Check out the Swag Shop: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://reformedfaithandfamily.com/swag-shop/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ WE HAVE A FAVOR TO ASK! If you are excited about our mission at Reformed Faith and Family to guide men and women as they seek to learn more about Reformed theology and equip families as they disciple their children, then please leave our podcast a 5-star review and share it with a friend. We appreciate each one of our faithful listeners, but we also depend on you to help us get the word out. Thank you for your continued support!

www.longviewbaptistchurch.org 2 Samuel 6:1-8 Sunday, August 11, 2024 1. Good intentions are just intentions! 2. Either God's way or stay away! 3. Don't allow your blessings to be stolen by inviting compromise in!

God Will Exceed Your Wildest Imagination!Ephesians 3:20 “Never doubt God's mighty power to work in you and accomplish all this. He will achieve infinitely more than your greatest request, your most unbelievable dream, and exceed your wildest imagination! He will outdo them all, for his miraculous power constantly energizes you.”Wow, I think this is something we should all put on a sticky note and put it on our bathroom mirror. Actually, put it on several sticky notes and place them all around your house. It is such good advice. “Never doubt God's mighty power to work in you and accomplish all this.” This is something we do often, or at least I do often. I doubt God can work in me. I don't doubt it because I doubt God's mighty power. I doubt it because I know I am broken. I know I sin. I know I am not worthy. I know I am not enough, and all the other things we tell ourselves when we hear that God wants to use us.What just came to me is that when we think like this, our focus is on ourselves. Listen to what I said above again and try to count how many times I say I. “I doubt God can work in me. I don't doubt it because I doubt God's mighty power. I doubt it because I know I am broken. I know I sin. I know I am not worthy. I know I am not enough, and all the other things we tell ourselves when we hear that God wants to use us.” I used the word “I” 12 times within those six sentences. Yes, when our focus is on us, or when our focus is on the task we are being asked to do, we will always fall short in our minds. We won't believe it can be done because we know our limitations.However, if we focus on God and how powerful He is, it is easier to believe He can use us because He is God, and He can do anything. There was a woman at the Encounter Summer Intensive yesterday and she had a problem with her leg. She hurt it in a skiing accident when she was younger, and the doctors glued it all back together. However, it started hurting again. She is now 83 years old. The doctor told her the fix they did when she was younger was all disintegrating, and there was nothing they could do. I reminded her that although there might not be anything that the doctors could do, there is always something God can do.This verse is a great verse for anyone who has a great ambition to do something great someday. Maybe you want to be an extraordinary painter, or maybe you want to start a non-prophet to help people. Maybe you want to climb mountains all over the world. Maybe you want to be the best mom, dad, grandma, or grandpa you can be. Whatever it is that you would like to do, it is important to know that God can work in you and through you. It is important we don't doubt this because God is powerful, and He can do anything!The next line in the verse is just amazing. It says, “He will achieve infinitely more than your greatest request, your most unbelievable dream, and exceed your wildest imagination!” Can you believe that? This gives us permission to dream big, to ask for big things from God, and to let Him help us accomplish our dreams. This verse shows us what a good, good father God is. He doesn't just give you the bare minimum. He doesn't just give you what you need to survive. He is not stingy with His mercy and His blessings. He lavishes them upon His children.The last sentence is great, too. It says, “He will outdo them all, for his miraculous power constantly energizes you.” This is definitely something we forget, or maybe we never knew it in the first place. God's miraculous power constantly energizes you. Did you know that? Did you also know you can pray for supernatural energy when you don't feel like you have any? I prayed this with my friend of mine, and she said she felt so much more energized for the rest of the day.We need to stop putting God into a little box. We need to stop telling Him what He can and can't do. We tell Him He can't use us because of this reason or that. We tell Him we can't do this or that because we lack energy. We give up on our dreams because we figure they are not going to come true. We don't doubt God's power, but we doubt our ability to be a part of His plan; however, by doubting that, we are also doubting God's power. We are putting a limitation on that power. We say, “Yes, you are all-powerful, and you can do all things, but you can't use me.” Do you see how that is a contradiction? Either God is all-powerful, or He is not. Either He can do everything, including using you, or He can't do any of it. We don't get to pick and choose what God can and can't do.God tells us so often in my Charismatic Prayer Group that we have to stop doubting Him. He constantly says, “If I tell you that you can do something, believe that you can do it.” If he says this each week, then you would think we would listen. However, our pull to not believe in ourselves is great. If we want to change this, we must shift our focus away from us. We need to focus more on the power of God and less on our own feelings of unworthiness. God is more than enough!Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless everyone listening to this episode today. Lord I ask that you help us to turn our focus on you. Please help us to believe everything in this verse. Please help us believe that you will achieve infinitely more than our greatest request, our most unbelievable dream, and exceed our wildest imagination! Thank you that your miraculous power constantly energizes you.” Thank you for being so amazing. Thank you for constantly energizing us. We love you so much and we ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus's holy name, Amen!Thank you so much for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus. I hope you have an amazing weekend and I look forward to meeting you here again on Monday. Remember Jesus loves you, just as you are, and so do I! May the grace and favor of our Lord Jesus Christ be upon you!Today's Word from the Lord was received in February 2024 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group, these words, or how to join us for a meeting, please email CatholicCharismaticPrayerGroup@gmail.com. Today's Word from the Lord is, “My little children, come and sit with me awhile. And I will teach you all you need to know. Give me all your fears. Give me all your burdens. Give me all that bothers you. I am the Lord. I will take care of it all. You only need to sit with me. I am the Lord. I will bless you each in my will. It is as easy as that. Sit with me. I'll give you each the treasures you need for yourselves. Just come.” www.findingtruenorthcoaching.comCLICK HERE TO DONATECLICK HERE to sign up for Mentoring CLICK HERE to sign up for Daily "Word from the Lord" emailsCLICK HERE to sign up for free audio training about inviting Jesus into your daily lifeCLICK HERE to buy my book Total Trust in God's Safe Embrace

Today I have the privilege of sitting down with a very special guest, my mom, Julie Brenton. For those of you who know my mom, she has a devoted faith in the Lord, she loves his Word, and because of this, she overflows with wisdom. What led me to reach out to her was that I had been thinking recently about how many people in my world have dealt with the loss of a parent, including my husband. And truly as we grow up, we realize it's one of those sobering things we will likely see happen in our lifetime. One of the things I like to do with this podcast is to offer encouraging, practical, biblical wisdom as people are dealing with the hard, the painful, the nitty gritty details of life. So today, my mom and I talk about the death of both of her parents in different moments of her life story and in ways that have profoundly shaped her. She lost her dad unexpectedly and tragically at a young age almost 40 years ago, and she lost her mom, my dear grandma Cuie, just a little over a year ago before recording this, and her decline and her death happened slowly over several years. But before we talk about her dad's passing, we talk about who he was and who she remembers him to be. Memorable Quotes: “Don't you ever forget, boys are a dime a dozen. Wait for a good one.” “I was processing the reality of how much I loved my dad and the truth that someone you can love with what feels like all your heart and soul can actually make a decision to not be in your life any longer.” “A lot of times things that are manifesting themselves in our children, especially very young children, really is…how they are breathing and reading and sensing what's going on in the home.” “I think God wants to give us His Word to meet us in those places.” “When my dad took his life, fear entered into a lot of the ways I processed things.” “I think I was learning to think rightly about the sovereignty of God.” “I feel like God is wanting us to think true and right things about Him at all times, so He values getting us to those right places if we let Him.” “I spent a lot of time looking for someone who could answer my why that would have happened to my dad, and it wasn't until I realized that's the wrong question. I need to lay that down. My answer is going to come in my who. Who am I trusting. That's going to come in the sovereignty of God.” “It was so much of an out of body experience to take this woman who has always meant strength, courage, wisdom, intelligence, beauty, who is nothing but a shell of that now and place her there…It was daunting to think how our lives get reduced from enormous quantities of stuff to just a room, and eventually nothing. Quite a visual reminder of how to live.” “How pointless and utterly dark and depressing this life is without the indescribable hope of eternity with Jesus.” “I feel like saying yes to caring for my mom was also saying no to my children and my grandchildren, for a season, and I didn't know how long that season was going to be. Looking back, it was this profound opportunity that God gave me to honor my mother.” “My mom died just the way she lived…mom was kind all the way to the bitter end.” “Either God is sovereign in all, or He is not sovereign at all. And I have learned the truth of that through the loss of both of my parents.” “God's timing is His kindness.”  “I never heard my mother tell another person about something she had heard from someone else. I learned it is incredibly valued to be a trustworthy person.” “There's such joy in knowing in a mom that she'll listen to you no matter what. And she wants to hear.” Show Notes/References:  Psalm 56:3-4, “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise—in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me? Psalm 3:4-5, “I call out to the Lord, and he answers me from his holy mountain. I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me.

The Morning Worship Service at Plainfield Christian Church in Comstock Park, MI Preacher: Bruce Wilson Youth Minister: Josh Antonopulos Children's Minister: Wade Harrier Worship Leader: Katie Winstanley Learn more at https://www.pccmi.org/ Songs: CCLI #2228009 Sermon: Heading For Home #3 Never Forget Scripture: Matthew 26:17-20; 26-27 Notes: The primary purpose of this meal was not to eat food, but to establish a memorial. This meal was not primarily for the body It was primarily for the memory. 2,000 years ago, Jesus was saying 2 words "never forget." 1. Never forget the love God has for us. Either God will remove your sin from you or your sin will remove you from God. 2. Never forget the life Christ gave for us. This "last supper" would now become the "Lord's supper", because the Passover had now been passed-over.

How do you understand God and His interaction with our world? How has your view of God and his involvement in our lives influenced your faith journey? Join us to explore the depth of God's workings and discover a fresh perspective that might transform how we perceive and interact with Him. Let's dive into this eye-opening journey together! IT'S EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ). Get the fill in the blank bulletins my.harmonychurch.cc/bulletins. ------------- OPENING ILLUSTRATION: I have one gift in life. Just one, maybe two actually, my wife says I'm dashingly good looking. But other than that, I have this gift where I can hyper focus on something I want to learn until I become good at it. The moment I'm good at it. I'm done with it… Lol. I wanted to become good at training dogs. I literally studied dog psychology and learned all kinds of interesting things. I worked with our Black Lab Quincy and trained her, she's literally the perfect dog. And then… I was done… Lol. We got another little dog named Rosie, she's a terror - she's not that bad, but I didn't work with her. Why? Cause I figured it out… I've done this with cycling on a bike. Making knives. I even got this close to doing comedy at a comedy club… it was actually a huge fear I had when I came to Jesus that I would “figure it out” and end up walking away… If I've learned anything, it's that God is infinitely big and I will never reach the end of learning Him… But there is good news about me being like this… It means I've asked lots of questions and have figured somethings out… Last week we talked about how God specifically wants to partner with Humans in this world. b This week we are going to talk about how God works in general… A couple of ground rules: I do NOT know everything - I'm doing my best to honor God and how He works, but go and study and double-check me I'm going to give you a framework for how to think about God - this CAN NOT and will not be a complete framework, keep studying This is going to push your paradigm of how you think of God, keep studying and learning about Him ILLUSTRATION: Most people do not give much thought to God or how He works and it causes HUGE problems. They've heard words that start with “Omni” omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent. They see God as this all-powerful being who can do anything any time and they end up with some HUGE problems. Like, “if God is all powerful, why didn't He stop the pain I went through?” The answers are grim, right? Either God doesn't care or doesn't know - it's no wonder so many people have run from God. So many see God almost like a Genie in a bottle - when you rub the lamp through prayer He comes - and as long as you've still got enough wishes - you can get what you want. b That may not be exactly how you perceive Him, but it's probably somewhere in that vein - there are probably parts of that idea that pervade your thinking… But that is not how God operates, and is NOT who He is. You must address this thinking to find movement in your relationship with God. Let's look at how God works, the predicament of the world, and God's solution. How God works: I want to reach a peculiar passage: Zechariah 2:1-5 Then I looked up, and there before me was a man with a measuring line in his hand. 2 I asked, “Where are you going?” He answered me, “To measure Jerusalem, to find out how wide and how long it is.” 3 While the angel who was speaking to me was leaving, another angel came to meet him 4 and said to him: “Run, tell that young man, ‘Jerusalem will be a city without walls because of the great number of people and animals in it. 5 And I myself will be a wall of fire around it,' declares the Lord, ‘and I will be its glory within.' b Why does God need anyone to measure Jerusalem for Him? Why does appear like God added to His order (run and tell him)? Doesn't God already know the measurements of Jerusalem? Did He not think it all through beforehand? What is going on here? This is just one place we could ask this question. Have you ever wondered, why does God need Moses to go to Pharaoh, couldn't He have just told him to let the people go? Shoot, couldn't he have just set the people free, or not let them become slaves in the first place? Or what about when the first non-Jewish people became Christians, why did God have to involve Peter and angels in it? God can clearly speak to people - so why does He need to involve people? What is going on? this is where understanding how God works will aid you hugely… I want to share How God Works: God seems to prefer working in community (He almost always chooses to involve humans or spiritual beings in the work He undertakes) b Because God created a physical & spiritual world, He necessarily limits Himself in order to work in unison with that created world - He typically interacts within the laws He placed to govern those worlds. b -God does not need to wait for things - but He does -God does not need messengers - but He uses them -God does not need to listen - and yet He enjoys the prayers of His people There is a way things work with God - a physics to the Kingdom of God and the Spiritual Realm The predicament of the world: Next week we are going to dial into this story even more. But one of the most telling passages I can show you to illustrate this is the temptation of Jesus Matthew Matthew 4:8-10 8 Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.' ” What is going on here? I want you to notice something. Jesus doesn't say, “The kingdoms of the world are not yours to offer…” He says, “You shall only worship God.” b Jesus seems to think the enemy is offering something He really has the ability to deliver on. b Not only is there a way God works, but there is also an enemy in this world who has real authority in the world. b Here's what you need to know about the enemy: -The enemy is not the equal opposite of God -Jesus calls Satan the God of this world- He has authority because mankind has given it to Him -By giving Him allegiance, humanity disrupted our relationship with God and all creation - sin entered the world -Humanity became subject to law & death God's solution: Romans 3:25-26 25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26 he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. Paul is saying that through Jesus' blood, we are made whole. ILLUSTRATION: If you ever seen someone in a movie kill a dog you better know this, that person is going to die a merciless death, and when they do - every person in the theater is going to be excited about it. Why? Why do we all want people to get what's coming to them? b The Bible calls this “Justice” It's the idea that if I've done something wrong - that me getting away with that is actually unloving to the person I did the wrong thing to… Paul says that through Jesus dying on the cross, He both justified us and was able to still be “Just” He's saying, that Jesus, in Himself satisfied the debt we owed - a death for our sinfulness. But He was also able to free us from under the law and death code of the enemy. Jesus' death destroyed the hold of the law and death. Paul says it this way: 1 Corinthians 15:56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. Jesus destroyed death, and when He did, He destroyed the power of sin - which came from the law (knowing good and evil). -He freed us from the grip of the enemy - whose power over us was our own arrogance to try and live life apart from God. b Jesus' resurrection from the dead was the nail in the coffin for the enemy and the start of a new life for Humanity Because God's spiritual physics ride on authority. When we accept Christ- place our Faith in Him, we transfer our authority - the allegiance of our heart from Satan to God -It's why we still continue at times to struggle, because allegiance can shift -we gain access to the Holy Spirit - God takes up residence in us to provide freedom for us and to lead and walk with us. -we now are learning how to live a new life that is no longer tainted by the corruption of the evil one, but is the way of the King What does this mean for us? -God will sometimes take His time or not work in ways that you would imagine he would if you think he's just a great Genie in the sky -It means God is waring in the spiritual realm for your soul and there is a battle going on around us that is more than just the physical -It means salvation is free and not earned, but you still have a VITAL role to play in the Kingdom of God (God works in community) -It means, you ARE not done knowing God CLOSING ILLUSTRATION: The other day, I was sitting at a stop sign and a school bus pulled up next to me. I couldn't see past the bus, it was on my left side. I had seen right before it pulled up that the road was clear. So, I pulled out a little more to try and look and almost just went for it. Right at that moment, another school bus came barreling down the road right in front of me. I had just stopped short. I realized in that moment, I could have been a goner. Why? Because I couldn't see past the bus that was next to me… Some of you have been sideswiped in this life and the big reason for it is you have had this huge block in the way you see God. You're mad at Him cause of something that happened to you or didn't happen. You gave up on Him because whatever you thought was supposed to happen didn't happen. I get it. I'm not blaming you. But I am asking you to realize now, that sometimes the problem was, there was something in your way of seeing reality for what it really was. If I expect someone to be something they are not, that's on me, not them.

Life is an experiment with only two possible outcomes. Either God is a superfluous idea or intrinsic to life. But how do we determine scientifically, which it is? The Experiment explains the process. But it does more, it proves that if we wish to solve social issues we need the experiment to have a positive outcome.

If you appreciate this work, consider supporting it - https://www.patreon.com/seekgodtogether Today we will read Genesis 3:3-5 which says, “But about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, God said, ‘You must not eat it or touch it, or you will die.'” “No! You will not die” the serpent said to the woman. “In fact, God knows that when you eat it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Whatever you believe about the first several chapters of Genesis, this is the narrative of the fall of humanity. It's an epic showdown between God's image-bearers and the cunning serpent. It's fascinating! Let's take a look. The serpent asks Eve if God really said she couldn't eat from any tree in the garden in a clear obfuscation of God's command. Eve corrects him saying they must not eat from the tree in the middle of the garden. Of course she adds just a tad herself by saying they can't even touch it. What's interesting at this point is that the serpent doesn't question her recall. He questions God's intentions. “You will not die. He knows your eyes will be opened and you'll be like God.” The accusation against God is that He isn't honest, has ulterior motives, and is holding out on His creation. This is a strange accusation for a creature to make, but it happens everyday, even by you and me. Incredibly, the serpent was technically, and cunningly, right. They did not physically die, at least not immediately. Of course they were doomed. Cut off from God's method of life-giving-energy - the “Tree of Life”, humans became spiritual zombies. But the real kicker is that they did in fact become like God, knowing good and evil. God Himself says so in verse 22. We will not plumb the depths here. This story has served humanity for thousands of years and so will continue. But there is a point to be made that's often overlooked. Often I've heard this passage used as a weapon to enforce a particular view of scripture or of theology. To doubt a particular interpretation is to doubt God speaking. But that wasn't Eve's problem. She knew what God said. She got an A on her systematic theology. She knew the answer. She paid attention. So where did she go wrong? It was her belief in the character of God. You can question God's existence, the precision of His communication, His methods, you can hurl all your complaints, doubts, cussing and cursing directly to His face, but there is no cure for doubting His motives. This can turn the most beautiful cherub into a satan and it can do the same in you and me. Either God created us for beautiful relationship or He's holding out on us. Every creature must decide for themselves. “God once again I am rocked by Your methods. But I do believe Your intentions are far better than I could ever imagine.”

No one else prayed that the cup would pass from him (that he would not have to die for the sins of the world), and have that request denied. Either God is a cruel, evil and sadistic God if there was another way than Jesus' death, or there was no other way than Jesus' death for our redemption and salvation. Jesus prayed that God would glorify him with the glory he had before the world was created (John 17:5). There is no other way, no other God, no other hope than Jesus. I hope I can learn what that means each day of my life here, and I look forward to experiencing it with God in the life of the world to come.

It was a cold November night. The weather wasn't the greatest in Colorado. But Dick Ebersol's pilot felt they were good to take off. As head of NBC Sports at the time, Dick Ebersol was known as one of the most powerful men in the sporting world. But that night, he was just a dad who lost his son. The plane crashed on takeoff. Dick's older son literally pulled him from the wreckage. But his 14-year-old son Teddy didn't make it out. A few days later, Dick's wife and Teddy's mom, retired actress Susan St. James, were interviewed on NBC's "Today" show. She spoke with amazing poise. At one point, she talked about trying to help the surviving kids know how to handle some of the feelings that might come up - including what she referred to as "resentment." Out of her pain, she made a statement filled with so much insight I hope I'll never forget it. She said, "I've always told my kids, having resentment is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die." I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "How Bitterness Backfires." Poison. It's a strong word to describe bitterness and resentment in your heart. But experience proves, as the Bible clearly confirms, that poison is the right word. And it's a poison that affects the person who's hurt you only a little, if at all. But for you, it's a poison in your soul that eats at you from the inside out most of the time. One of the Bible's warnings about bitterness begins with this sobering possibility: "See to it that no one misses the grace of God." Wow! That's in Hebrews 12:15, and that's our word for today from the Word of God. If you're wounded and if you're hurt, that's no time to be missing the grace of God - not when you need it the most. So how do you miss God's grace? Well, read on. "See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many." God's grace and our bitterness apparently cannot coexist in the same heart. Either God's grace will push out your bitterness, or your bitterness will push out God's grace. In reality, you don't hold a grudge - a grudge holds you. It's like you can't stop thinking about the very person you wish you could forget. But a grudge shackles you to that person emotionally. The poison in your soul isn't hurting them, but it's killing you inside. It's a huge, heavy backpack you carry with you everywhere you go. And hard or bitter feelings toward someone don't just hurt you. That negativity spills out on other people - people who don't deserve it. A darkness emanates from your personality, and it poisons other close relationships - sometimes ruining friendships, marriages, children, churches. There's only one antidote for the poison - forgiving. Ephesians 4 says "get rid of all bitterness...be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other..." Now comes the zinger. "...just as in Christ God forgave you." The person who hurt you may not deserve to be forgiven, but then we didn't deserve God's forgiveness. To forgive them is not to pretend there was nothing wrong with what they did, but it's releasing them completely to God for Him to deal with them. With God's strength, base your treatment of them, not on how they treated you, but on how Jesus treated you! And, by the way, if you've never been to the cross of Jesus in your heart, to have the sins of your life erased from God's book, that's why He died. And this may be your best opportunity in your life to go from dirty inside to clean. And from the death penalty that sin carries to the eternal life that Jesus gives. You tell Him, "Jesus, I know I've sinned. You died for that sin. You love me and I am pinning all my hopes on you today." You want to know more about this? Go to our website. It's ANewStory.com. And then you've been the forgivee - and you can become the forgiver. Or you store poison in your soul that will cripple or destroy. It's time for the antidote. It's time to be free. It's time to forgive.

5️⃣ Five Shifts of True Revival + Reformation: Shift 3.75: A New Relationship With PowerNot so with you! - Jesus (Matthew 20:20-28)“The way you think and feel and act about money, sex, and power, puts your heart's treasure on display. Either God, or something he made. (MSP, J. Piper, 20).” We ask: With everyone clamoring to get their way at the expense of others, what would it look like for the church to model a radically different and altogether beautiful kind of power, and in the process, pointing people to a radically different and altogether beautiful God?

A call to set our hope fully on the future Kingdom of Christ, desiring deeply the honors and rewards He will give at that time. - SERMON TRANSCRIPT - I. “What’s In It For Me?” Turn in your Bibles to Mark 10: 280-31. You might also want to refer over to Matthew 19: 27-30, the parallel passage. This is a very unusual week for me. Yesterday as I was thinking about the sermon, I felt that I had swung and missed the text, so I did what a lot of pastors do, but I never want to do, which is write Sunday’s sermon on Saturday. I know that that's a common thing, but it's just not... So I don't work well under that kind of stress, but I wanted to go a different direction, but some of the points would be similar. A week ago, my daughter Jenny sent me a text. She asked if I'd be willing to bring a pack and play to church. That's a portable crib so that they could use it this week. So I texted her and said, "What's in it for me?” Now, my kids know I do this kind of thing from time to time, my wife will ask me a favor and I'll say that, "What's in it for me?" I just like playing with that a little bit. She texted back something like this, "Not much. I'll owe you a small favor within reason." So she gave me a kind of a coupon I can turn in, but nothing big. That's how that went. If you look at Matthew's version of Peter's question, you can hear a kind of an echo there. In Matthew 19:27, Peter answered Jesus, "We have left everything to follow you. What then will there be for us?" Or putting it more personally, “what's in it for me?” That's the name of my new sermon, “What's in it for me?” It is a little bit shocking because it seems so selfish, so worldly, so mercenary. We feel like we should be at a higher moral level doing everything we do for Jesus without any thought whatsoever of personal benefit, without any thoughts of rewards. Soldiers who fight ardently for love of country are patriots, but soldiers who fight for money are mercenaries. We feel like we're called to a higher level in terms of virtue in our service to Christ, a more perfect standard. As I was reflecting on this, it brought me strongly back into one of the most significant insights of the Christian life I've ever had, that I've ever received from another teacher, another pastor in the word of God or a book that I've ever read. The kind of insight that has the power to change your entire ethic, your entire approach to life. It has been for me that insight has to do with the combination of my desire, my relentless desire for personal blessedness, personal happiness, something to come to me to make me happy and, as clearly revealed in the scripture, God's relentless desire to be glorified, to be central, to be above all things. The author of this insight, of course, is John Piper book, Desiring God. Peter's desire for reward and Jesus' response in Mark 10 and in Matthew 19 for me was, I don't mean to be facetious, but kind of a portal into Piper. It kind of went through a warm hole as I was riding my bike yesterday back into those themes and what Piper calls Christian hedonism. Let me walk through the calculus of Christian hedonism. “What's in it for me” reminds me of things I've said often about the flesh, the essence of the flesh, which begins from infancy. Some of you have newborns. I've heard how it's going for you and you are well aware of what I've called that fanatical commitment to self-interest that we see at 3:00 in the morning in an infant that isn't really used to being alive yet and isn't enjoying it. It’s a fanatical commitment to self-interest, and that seems directly contrasted with the call of Christian discipleship. Christianity seems at least at one level to be all about self-denial. We follow a savior who left the comforts of heaven to come to a cursed planet, to live a life of poverty and sorrow. Who lived every moment to bless other people, then willingly lay down his life even on a cross, even with that exquisite physical suffering and the infinite eternal spiritual suffering of being our substitute, continually saying no to himself. Did He ever ask in any sense “what's in it for me?”? No. In fact, He called on his disciples, as we've already seen in Mark's gospel, to a life of self denial. Mark 8:34, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross. Follow me for whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life from me and the gospel will save it." At the end of this same chapter, Mark 10, Jesus says, "Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant. Whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the son of man came not to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many." That doesn't seem like a life of “what's in it for me”, but Jesus gives a rather perplexing answer. It is perplexing at a lot of levels, but right away just the fact that He doesn't rebuke Peter at all. I mean, you think it'd be an opportunity to say “you're thinking all wrong here. What kind of question is that? You shouldn't be thinking about rewards. You should be willing to serve. Leave everything for me and not worry about what's in it for you.” Actually He goes into detail about what the apostles will get having left everything both in this age and in the age to come. Mark 10: 29-30, “'I tell you the truth,’ Jesus replied, ‘no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields from me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age, homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children in fields, with them persecutions and in the age to come eternal, life.’" It's even more developed in Matthew's account. Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on 12 thrones judging the 12 tribes of Israel and everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or mother or father, children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life." How do we harmonize this? How can we understand this yearning for rewards? What's in it for me? What do I get? A desire, a strong desire for personal blessedness, something to come back to us in the Christian life. John Piper has sought to harmonize these things in Desiring God, indeed in his whole ministry. He puts it this way. There are two irrepressible forces in the universe as we study scripture. First, God's desire for his own glory in all of his creation and in all of his creatures. Second, our desire to be happy. The standard evangelical appeal pits the one against the other as if only one of those two can be fulfilled. It's either we're going to live for the glory of God or we will live for our own happiness, our own blessedness, and we have to make a choice., and pray God, it's the right choice. Either God gets the glory or I get the joy. Not both. The normal evangelical appeal is will you surrender to God's will for your life? Are you going to keep pursuing your own personal happiness? Then there are subthemes in the same kind of approach like Christian worship, like we should all come here on Sunday and say, “Lord, we want you to know this is all about you today. We're here for you. We want to make you central. We want to put you first. It's not about us. We want you to be glorified in my worship today, I don't want anything out of this.” It seems so holy and then also Christian service. When you serve other people, don't ever think what's in it for you. The point is their happiness not yours. You are not the point. Their needs are the point. Our selfish joy and service should never be our goal. Rather, it's an accidental byproduct of a life well lived for Christ. Kind of bump into happiness along the way as you're serving others. Piper exposed the fundamental flaw in this. It's deeply flawed actually, and he drew out quotes to help establish it. First of all, on the second desire, the repressible force that we all have to be happy. It's just a fact. We're wired this way. Blase Pascal put it this way, "All men see seek happiness. This is without exception. Whatever different means they employ, they all tend toward this end. The cause of some going to war and of others avoiding it is the same desire in both attended with different views. The will never takes the least step, but to this object. This is the motive of every action of every man, even those who hang themselves." He's not saying it’s good or bad, he's just saying it is. It just is what is. CS Lewis in his powerful sermon, “The Weight of Glory” said, "If you asked 20 good men today what they thought the highest of the virtues, 19 of them would reply unselfishness. But if you ask almost any of the great Christians of old, well, he would've replied love." You see what's happened, a negative term has been substituted for a positive. The negative ideal of unselfishness carries with it the suggestion not primarily of securing good things for others, but of going without them ourselves as if our abstinence and not their happiness is the important point. If there lurks in most modern minds the notion that to desire our own good and earnestly to hope for the enjoyment of it is a bad thing, I submit this notion has crept in from Kant in the stoics which is no part of the Christian religion. In other words, it's like true virtue is making sure you personally derive no pleasure whatsoever from an act. An action is moral only if it's done from effectively sheer duty, disinterested benevolence, disinterest meaning I don't get anything out of it. Benevolence is something good done not for you, but he other person. If you seek, if you desire, or if you should happen to receive any blessing from it, it's actually morally ruined to some degree. Rubbish says John Piper, that's complete rubbish. It's not Christianity. Yes, it is true that God has a relentless desire to be glorified in all his creation and by all his creatures. God created all things for the praise of his glory, and when redemption is finished, the entire universe, the new heaven, new earth, the new Jerusalem are going to be radiating with the glory of God. But our desire for personal delight and happiness is not an enemy to that. Not at all. Actually God created it for that. He created that drive for personal fulfillment and pleasure and happiness and satisfaction to find its residence in God. So Piper adjusted the Westminster Shorter Catechism in “What is the chief end of man?” The chief end of man is to glorify God by enjoying him forever. God is most glorified in us when we're most satisfied in him. That's his well-known slogan. The more we say to God, I want you, I want as much of you as I can get. I'm hungry for you. The more God's glorified, especially in worship, the better. I know that sounds all holy and all that, but imagine coming to God and saying, “God, I want you to know I don't really personally have any needs today, but you apparently are kind of needy. You need my worship, so I'm here to give you my worship. Hope you're satisfied with it.” I can see God saying, “Can I just tell you something about what's going on up here in heaven? First of all, before anything was made, I was fine, perfectly blessed within the Trinity. Secondly, I'm made out of fullness, not out of emptiness. I don't need any of my angels or people that praise me, but I just want you to know I got 100 million angels up here who doing a phenomenal job. You guys are pathetic. I don't need you to worship me. You need me and you need to worship me, so come hungry and I'll feed you.” That's what true worship is. It's seeking our pleasure vertically in worship is what it's all about. It's saying to God, “You are what I want. You're what I need.” Then horizontally the same thing. It's like, can you imagine serving another person and saying, “I want you to know I get nothing out of this exchange. Hope you're blessed by it.” Piper likens it to an anniversary, like giving your wife flowers and saying that to her, “I want you to know I'm not enjoying this moment at all. I'm not getting anything out of this horizontally. I hope you enjoy the flowers I bought you.” What he calls dutiful roses. That's corrupt. Love is where I find my blessedness in your blessedness, right? I find my happiness in making you happy. It makes me happy to make you happy. It makes me blessed to bless you. That's why I'm a cheerful giver, because I'm excited about blessing you. Vertical and horizontal. That's what we're talking about here. Rather than being shocked by Peter's question- “We've left everything to follow you. What then will there be for us?” - we should delight in Christ's stunning promises or rewards, both in this life and in eternity. We should yearn for him. We should be yearning for him. We should want as much as He wants to give us in that next world. C.S. Lewis put it this way, “the New Testament does have lots to say about self-denial but not self-denial as an end to itself. We are told to deny ourselves and take up our crosses in order that we may follow Christ and find our lives in him.” It says it right there in that passage and nearly every description of what we shall ultimately find if we do so contains an appeal to desire for us. Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the gospels, it would seem that our Lord finds our desires not too strong but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered to us like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We're far too easily pleased with what? What are we far too easily pleased with? The answer in the Bible is always the same, idols, creatures, created things going after them as our ultimate purpose in life. That does not satisfy. That's what the rich young ruler was doing. So that's the context. II. Peter’s Question In Context Let's look at Peter’s question in context. Remember last week, the rich young ruler, seemingly the perfect seeker coming, but he was fundamentally a flawed man. “As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him, fell on his knees before him and said, good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life? "Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good except God alone." Then Jesus uses the law of God to expose his need for a savior. “You know the commandments. Do not murder. Do not commit adultery. Do not steal. Do not give false testimony. Do not defraud. Honor your father mother.”Unfortunately, the man thinks he passed all that test. He's basically a good person just needing a little bit more to get him over the hump. "Teacher," he declared, "All these I have kept since I was a boy." Then Jesus probes his soul, searches him. “Jesus looked at him and loved him. ‘One things you lacked, he said. ’Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.’" Based on my introduction of the sermon, that's an appeal to what Piper called Christian hedonism. Give up what cannot satisfy you. Give up what you cannot hold onto to gain something that will bring you eternal happiness. That's the invitation here, but the man can't take it. He's shattered. He leaves. “His face fell. He went away sad because he had great wealth.” Jesus then seizes the opportunity to teach about the eternal dangers of wealth. Jesus looked around, said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God.” The disciples are amazed at his words, but Jesus said again, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God. It is easier for camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." The disciples are doubly stunned by this. They're wiped out by this. It goes against their theology of wealth and blessedness. They wonder about salvation. The disciples were even more amazed and said to each other, “Who then can be saved? Jesus looked at them and said with man, this is impossible, but not with God. All things are possible with God.” Now Peter steps up and connects the dots. I think he's picking up on the treasure in heaven phrase, the treasure in heaven. He says, "Well, what about us? We've left everything to follow you." Mark just has that simple statement, he doesn't have the rest. “We have left everything to follow,” but there's an implied question, “are we in on that treasure in heaven thing?” Matthew's version is broader. He openly says it. "We have left everything to follow you. What then will there be for us?" Let's remember how the apostles had in fact left everything for Jesus. He doesn't deny that at all and how significant it was. Remember back in Mark chapter 1, “As Jesus walked beside the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake for their fishermen. ‘Come follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘And I'll make you fishers of men.’ At once they left their nets and followed him. When He had gone a little farther, He saw James, son of Zebedee, and his brother John in a boat preparing their nets. Without delay, he called them and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him." It's a big deal walking away from your livelihood, stepping out in faith to follow Jesus like that. And Matthew, the tax collector in Matthew 9:9, "As Jesus just went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector's booth. 'Follow me,' he told him. And Matthew got up and followed him.” Matthew walked away from his lucrative tax booth. That took courage and sacrifice. Matthew 8, "A teacher of the law came up to him and said, ‘Teacher, I'll follow you wherever you go.’ Jesus said, ‘Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nest. The Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” “I don't know where I'm going to sleep tonight. I don't know how we're going to eat." Remember how his disciples were walking through the grain fields on the Sabbath and picking heads of grain and rubbing them together in their hands to eat them? Why? Because they were poor. It was a big deal what they did. III. Jesus’ Promise of Earthly Rewards . . and Earthly Suffering All right, so we've left everything to follow you. What then will there be for us? Jesus promises earthly rewards first, and He asserts this with a solemn oath. "Truly, truly. I say to you." He says this a lot, but whenever he says this, it's serious. It's a very serious statement. I'm making a vow to you. Or you can take this to the bank, heaven and earth will pass away, but this promise will never pass away. You can take this to the heavenly bank promising this to you. Think of an illustration. Imagine the royal prince during a war. He's captured, but he manages to escape and he's being chased. He's a fugitive, making his way through a territory. He comes to a farmhouse where there's a simple peasant who lives with his family. He reveals who he is and asks if he can borrow the family's one horse to ride on and get away from his pursuers. Then he writes the man a note and he signs it and he seals it with his signet ring using wax from the candle on the man's table. He promises not only the return of the family horse, but 20 gold pieces, a change of clothing for everyone in the family, and the permanent status as friend to the royal household. All of that written out, signed with a signet. Jesus also in his humiliation is speaking of a future time when He will sit on a throne of glory. “I won't look then what like I look now and I'm promising you, and you can take it to the bank.” Mark focuses on earthly rewards initially. "I tell you the truth, no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields from me in the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age." In this present age, homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and fields. Why does He list that? He’s telling them that what they give up, they’re going to get back and 100 fold. This is a promise made to the apostles who have left their home base and have ventured out in faith to serve Jesus and the gospel. And not just them, but 20 centuries of missionaries, of traveling evangelists and servants of the gospel who have physically left places to go. There's a spiritual leaving that I want to talk about at the end of the sermon, but they physically left. I read years ago about John Patton, the missionary from Scotland to the New Hebrides Islands in the South Pacific. In my opinion, he traveled oversea farther than any missionaries ever traveled from his home to his mission site, 13,000 nautical miles. It was a long journey. The parting scene between him and his father is just gut wrenching. His father was an incredibly godly man who deeply loved his children, and his children deeply loved him, and his father walked with him to a point where they had to part and say goodbye. This is the account. It says, "My dear father walked with me the first six miles of the way. His counsels and tears and heavenly conversation on that parting journey are still fresh in my heart as if they had been but yesterday. But tears are on my cheeks as freely now as they were then. Whenever memory steals me away to that scene. For the last half mile or so, we walked together in almost unbroken silence. My father as often was his custom as carrying his hat in his hand while his long flowing yellow hair was yellow then, but later years white as snow streamed like a girl's down his shoulders. His lips kept moving in silent prayers for me and his tears fell fast, when our eyes met each other in looks for which all speech was vain. We halted on reaching the appointed parting place. He grasped my hand firmly for a minute in silence and then solemnly and affectionately said, 'God bless you, my son, your father's God prosper you and keep you from all evil.' Unable to say anymore, his lips kept moving in silent prayer, as tears flowing. We embraced and parted. I ran off as fast as I could and when about to turn a corner in the road where he would lose sight of me, I looked back and saw him still standing with head uncovered where I had left him gazing after me, waving my hat in a due. I was around the corner and out of sight in an instant, but my heart was too full and too sore to carry me further. So I darted to the side of the road and wept for a time. Then rising up cautiously, I climbed the to dike if he yet stood where I'd left him. Just at that moment, I caught a glimpse of him climbing the dike looking out for me, but he did not see me. And after he had gazed eagerly in my direction for a while, he got down and then set his face toward home and began to return there. His head's still uncovered and his heart I felt sure still rising in prayers for me. I watched through blinding tears till his form faded from my gaze, then hastening on my way, vowed deeply and offed by the help of my God to live and act, so I was never to grieve or dishonor such a father and mother as he had given me.” I mean, how do you say goodbye like that to go to a mission site? He never saw his father again. That was like a funeral. So what then will there be for us if we do that? If we leave, what will there be for us? If you look at Jesus's promise for the earthly part, it's you will get what you need to do your mission. I think that's what He's saying. You'll get what you need. This is not prosperity gospel stuff. This is not health and wealth, this is not Joel Osteen's Your Best Life Now. We're not going that direction. He's not saying you'll permanently own other people's homes. Instead, it's Hudson Taylor's spiritual secret. God's work done in God's way will never lack God's supply. That's what it is. God's going to give you what you need and He's going to give you encouragement along the way that you're part of a vast family of God and that family is going to take you in and care for you and meet your needs and you will not be at a loss. That's what He's promising. No one who has left homes or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age, homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, fields, He says. This relates I think to the practical promises and preparations made in Matthew 10 when Jesus first sent the apostles out on the first missionary journey. Remember how He said, “Don't take any bag for your journey. Take no tunic or extra sandals or a staff or any bag of gold or silver because the worker's worth is keep. And whenever you go to someplace, find some home there and stay there at that home until you leave. And then at the end of that, he promises rewards for the host family. “Anyone who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a profit's reward. Anyone who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man's reward. And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones, because he is my disciple, he'll never lose his reward.” So any help given to the traveling missionary and the traveling servant of God gets eternally rewarded. We have clear examples of this in the Book of Acts. Think about Peter. Remember how Peter had that vision of a sheet let down with all kinds of animals when the messengers were going from Cornelius's house and that was the beginning of the ministry to the Gentiles. Well, he was staying at somebody else's house. Simon the Tanner at Joppa, that wasn't his home. He was up on the roof and he got hungry and they were making him lunch. That was really nice of Simon, the Tanner's wife, to make Peter lunch. That's an example of the very thing we're talking about here, isn't it? Or about Paul? How many times has it happened with Paul, the resources for the ongoing mission are in the mission field itself. Paul goes over to Philippi and there's a rich woman there named Lydia. She hears the gospel. The Lord opens her heart, she comes to faith, and then she invites Paul and his missionary team to stay with her at her estate. Acts 16:15, "When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. If you consider me a believer in the Lord, please come and stay at my home. And she persuaded us, stay there." That's one of the hundred homes or more, right? It's provision for those that are traveling out doing the gospel work. Or again, Paul in Romans 16:23 says, “Gaius, whose hospitality I and the whole church here enjoy sends, you his greetings." Who's Gaius? I don't know, a host person. It also extends to family relationship. You leave your mother, you'll get a hundred mothers. You're like, I don't know if I want a hundred mothers or a hundred fathers or a hundred brothers. It doesn't matter. You're going to get them. He says here, Romans 16:13, "Greet Rufus chosen in the Lord and his mother, who's been a mother to me too." So Rufus' mother, Paul's adopted mother. I just picture her making him chicken soup. Rufus' mother, Jesus said, "You'll get a hundred times as much in this present age." I've seen this in my life. My wife and I sold almost everything we owned and went to Japan. And when we got there, we were greeted by Japanese Christians and host people who cared for us. I've seen it in China, I've seen it in Kenya, South Africa, Germany, Poland, Macedonia, Greece, England. That's my story. I've been in so many host families. They've fed me. They've given me their guest room. They've let me use their car. I've seen the promises. In India I stayed at the home of dear Christian family there. Now this is general benefit for all Christians. We're part of a universal church, aren't we? We're part of a big family of God. We've got brothers and sisters all over the world. You haven't even met them yet. As soon as you meet them, you're going to find out that they love the same Jesus you do. They read the same Bible you do. You're part of a vast family of God. That's what he's talking about here. Now he also added, and with them persecutions, let's be honest, it's not going to be easy for you as you travel around. With them persecutions, you're going to suffer. You're going to go through very, very difficult times. IV. Jesus’ Promise of Eternal Rewards In Matthew’s Gospel, He promises more clearly eternal rewards. In Mark’s gospel He says, “and in the age to come, eternal life.” Let's not minimize that. How could we? What is eternal life? “This is eternal life,” said Jesus, “that they may know you the only true God in Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” You're going to be lavishly blessed in your relationship with God for all eternity. That's what you get. But what else? Stop right there. That's enough. That's God. Remember what God said to Abraham in Genesis 15:1, "Fear not Abraham. I am your shield and your very great reward.” What do I get, God? You get me." Oh, that's enough. And I'll give you some other things too. But the other things aren't the point. You get me in the age to come, eternal life.” He does get specific in Matthew's Gospel, in some interesting ways. He says there will be the renewal of all things when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne. The renewal of all things, it's an interesting Greek word, only used twice. A new genesis, a new creation, a new heaven, a new earth. He talks about it in terms of the soul. He washed us with the rebirth and regeneration by the Holy Spirit. That's the conversion [Titus 3]. But here we've got this. "And at the renewal of all things, when the new heaven and new earth comes in and I sit on my glorious throne, then you who have followed me, the twelve apostles will sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel." What does that mean? I don't know. I'm not preaching on Matthew; I'm just alluding to Matthew today. But I don't know, it's just some kind of... Some people think it's millennial kingdom, some people, it's just positions of honor, positions of authority, positions of glory. That's what you get far beyond anything you ever gave up. This is part of Jesus's regular pattern of promising rewards. He doesn't just do it once or twice. He does it again and again and again. "Blessed are you, when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad." Why? "Because great is your reward in heaven." Wow. I mean, He goes down to our personal disciplines and our benevolence. When you give to the needy, don't let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Don't announce it with trumpets. Don't seek horizontal acknowledgement in this world. Don't go after that. But your father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. And when you pray, don't announce it and make everyone see how holy you are. Go into your room, close the door and pray to your father's unseen, and your father sees what is done in secret. What does He say? He'll reward you. The same thing with fasting. He'll reward you. He talks about rewards all the time. He says at the end of the Bible, Revelation 22:12, "Behold, I'm coming soon. My reward is with me and I will give to everyone according to what he has done." If we're not supposed to think about rewards, why does He talk about them so much? He talks about them a lot. He says, "I am coming soon and I'm bringing a huge bag of eternal rewards and I'm going to reward each of you according to how you've lived your life according to your service to me." V. Earnestly Desire All Rewards I think we should earnestly desire them. You should say, well, I don't know. Should I be saying what's in it for me? I'm not recommending that you say that, except as a joke, but there's nothing wrong with thinking I am interested, Jesus, in what you have to give me for my life of service. I'm interested in it. Actually, I don't just think it's not like some guilty pleasure. I think it's actually imperative to the way we think about God. Hebrews 11:6 says so. "Without faith, it is impossible to please God because anyone who comes to him must believe that He exists, and that He rewards those who diligently seek him or earnestly seek him.” So you have to believe in a rewarding God. But look at the verse in Hebrews 11:6. "He rewards those who seek him." He doesn't reward them with something other than himself. He rewards them with himself. We must believe that. Therefore, desiring rewards is only mercenary if it's somehow disconnected from the thing itself. C.S. Lewis put it this way, "A woman who marries for money is mercenary because money is not the natural reward of love. But a woman who marries because she expects that the man who will become her husband will make her happy and bring her lasting joy in multiple experiences of love is not mercenary. That's the essence of why you get married." In fact, it is actually wrong to serve Christ and say, “I don't care what you give me" when He has made these promises of lavish reward, that's actually wrong. Just as it is wrong for a person about to get married to say to their prospective spouse, I want you to know I don't care if you make me happy in our future marriage. That doesn't matter to me. Even if I knew that our marriage would make me miserable for the rest of my life, I would go ahead and marry you. I'd be like, what's wrong with you? That's twisted. I'm not going to say that to Jesus. “I don't care, Jesus, if you make me happy, if I follow you, I don't care if I'm eternally unhappy. I'm still going to follow you.” That doesn't make any sense. It's not the way the New Testament's written. Not at all. So we therefore should want the reward. We should actually store up as much of the reward as we possibly can. “Do not store up treasure on earth where moth and rust destroy and thieve break in and steal, but store up treasure in heaven where moth and rust do not destroy and thieves do not break in steal. Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” You're supposed to store up treasure and you're supposed to have your heart there and think about it. What are the rewards? There are three Cs - crowns, commendation, and capacity. I’m just going to go over this quickly. First of all, crowns. It's like you’re getting a crown? Maybe, I don't know. I don't know about each of you individually. If any of you individually comes to me and says, “Do you think I'm getting a crown?” I will say, I don't know. But there are crowns and what are they? Emblems of honor for faithful and courageous service to Christ. Like in Revelation 4:4, "Surrounding the throne were 24 other thrones and seated on them were 24 elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their head." So there they are, crowns, emblems of honor, connected in some way to them, to their person. Or again, Paul in First Thessalonians 2 said, "For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you? You are my crown,” he said to the Thessalonians. He led them to Christ. He planted that church. "You are my glory and my joy." He said the same thing to the Philippians. "Therefore my brothers, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown." That is how you should stand firm in the Lord, dear friends. The people you lead to Christ, they are your crown. The people you serve. You help plant a church, that's a crown. Pastors, elders. Peter says, who've served faithfully as under shepherds, under the good shepherd, the chief shepherd. It says, when the chief shepherd appears, First Peter 5:4, "You'll receive a crown of glory that will never fade away." "What are the rewards? There are three Cs, crowns, commendation, and capacity." Peter wrote that to motivate elders and pastors to serve faithfully because they're going to get a crown of glory that'll never fade away if they do. I know that those 24 elders were casting their crowns down constantly before the throne of God and of Christ. That's their way of saying, everything I have received and achieved came ultimately from you and by your grace for your glory. All of my crowns are a subset of your glory. That's how it's married together. It's not a separate thing, but crowns. And then commendation. What's that? Praise from God that God would speak well of what you did in your life. Most famously, in Matthew 25, his master replied, "Well done, good and faithful servant. You've been faithful with a few things. I'll put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master. Well done, good and faithful servant." That's commendation from almighty God. Or 1 Corinthians 4:5, says, "Judge nothing before the appointed time. Wait till the Lord comes. At that time, the secret motives of men's hearts. All of that will be revealed and at that time, each will receive his praise from God." Those three words, “praise from God.” I know heaven's all about praise for God. And well it should be. We're going to praise God, but there is praise from God should you want that. I'm asking brothers and sisters, should you want God to praise you? You actually should. You should want him to say, well done, good and faithful servant. You should want him to honor you. You should want him to praise you because He won't do it amiss. He won't do it lightly. It will be so meaningful to you to have your Father express pleasure in how you lived your life. Praise from God. That's commendation. "Should you want God to praise you? You actually should. You should want him to say, well done, good and faithful servant." Then finally, capacity. This is the hardest to understand, but I think it's true. God is infinitely glorious. No creature can fully take him in. But the more faithful you serve in this life, the more of his heavenly glory you will be able to understand and take in. How do I think this way? I think of God's glory as an infinite ocean. All of us are like vessels or various volumes, like a thimble, a cup, a bowl, a bucket, a vat, a super oil tanker, different volumes, but the ocean's infinitely greater than any of them. All of them 100% full, But they just have different capacities. So when He says, “Well done, good and faithful servant, you've been faithful with a few things. Now I'm going to put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master.” What He's saying is, “share my joy together. I want you to feel my joy of the service you've rendered. I want you to come into me and experience my joy and my delight." In Luke 6:38 it says, "Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, press down, shaken together, running overly poured into your lap. With the measure you use, it will be measured to you."That's where I get the different volumes. What's poured into our lap? What is the reward? It's God. You get more of God and He always has more to give you. So how much of God do you want in heaven? That's the question. There's going to be some judgment day surprises. Look at verse 31, "Many who are first will be last and last, first." People we thought were great, maybe weren't as great as we thought they were, and some obscure brothers and sisters are going to be elevated like the widow that gave the copper coins. Jesus said what? She put in more than anyone. Many who are first will be last and last, first. Therefore, Paul says in First Corinthians 4:5, "Judge nothing until the appointed time.” Wait till the day, and at that point, we'll find out. George Whitfield, one of the greatest preachers of all time, wanted this to be his epitaph on his tomb. He said, "Here lies George Whitfield. What sort of man he was the great day will discover." That's pretty simple. In other words, here lies George Whitfield, what he was like you'll find out on Judgment Day. That's the point, the final day will reveal how we actually serve the Lord. VI. Lessons First and foremost, if you're an unbeliever, you walked in here as an unbeliever, it's not for you to be storing up treasure. The Bible actually reveals if you're not yet a Christian, you're storing up wrath every day, so come to Christ, trust in him. Trust in his precious blood. This is what He says to you in John 6. When you come and ask him, what must we do to work the works of God? This is the work of God: to believe in the One He has sent. Believe in Jesus. Then you can start storing up treasure in heaven. For you Christians, I would just say in your own way, say “what's in it for me? Help me to understand heavenly rewards and store them up. Help me to store up as many as possibly can.” I want to speak specifically about the dynamic here of leaving things for Jesus. Some of you will be called, and you don't even know it right now, to leave your home, your country, your family, your friends, and go somewhere overseas, some other place to serve Christ. You're going to be called to do something you never thought you could do. Drink in the promises here. God will take care of you. He will meet your needs. Do not be afraid, but step out in faith to go do great things for God. He will provide for you. God's work done in God's way will never lack God's supply. He will take care of you. Most of us are not going to be called on to leave our familiar surroundings, but we are to live lives of aliens and strangers in this world, to venture out by faith in serving him. Some of us, some in this church are going to leave this church in the next year to go church-plant. You're going to join our church-planting effort. You're going to stop coming here on Sunday mornings and go to another place. It's not because I hope you don't like us, it's because God's calling you to do a work, to venture out. Be willing to do hard things, be willing to venture out, be willing to risk things in your service to Christ. Close with me in prayer. Father, thank you for the time we've had to walk through this deep, powerful, complex topic. I thank you for the truth of the word of God. Help us, Lord, to seek your glory, to seek you as hungry and thirsty. You are our God. Earnestly, we seek you. We desire you as in a dry and weary land. You are all we need, all we want, and that we would go after you. Fill us, oh Lord, with a yearning to store up treasure in heaven. Treasure being intimacy and closeness with God and with Christ. Help us to be willing to risk things or be willing to go places we never thought we could go and do things we never thought we could do to serve you. In Jesus name. Amen.

- 1 Peter 3:7 ESV 7 Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered. HONORING THE WIFE Women during the Roman Empire were oppressed, discounted, and often treated badly. Women having been subjugated by their husbands would have been common. Rome did not regard women as equal to men before the law. They received only a basic education, if any at all, and were subject to the authority of a man. But, Christian men should honor and respect their wives. This could be a radical idea in Peter's era certainly. Specifically, men are instructed to give honor to their wives "as the weaker vessel." Notice carefully that this does not say wives are actually weaker in any specific way. Although generally, women are weaker than men morphologically. Instead, husbands must honor their wives "as" they would honor or care for something more fragile than themselves. The point is purely about how husbands are to treat their wives, that is, as protectors. They should not allow their wives to be hurt as much as possible. Finally, husbands are commanded to live with their wives "with knowledge." This may mean a growing understanding of who their wives are. Or, it may mean the knowledge that God has given them a responsibility to give honor to their wives. In either case, the responsibility of the husband is very much the same. Failure to honor the wives will affect his prayer life. Either God won't receive those prayers in full or the husband will find it difficult to pray. An abusive and disrespectful husband, or otherwise belittling to his wife is defying the will of God, plain and simple. He needs to repent and change his behavior before that fellowship with God in prayer will be re-established. ------------------------- Visit and FOLLOW Gospel Light Filipino on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram

Thursday, 2 March 2023   And certain men came down from Judea and taught the brethren, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” Acts 15:1   Acts 14 ended with a note that Paul and Barnabas stayed in Antioch with the disciples for a long time. What becomes certain now at the start of Chapter 15 is that their doctrine was noticed by the Judaizers and spoken against. Gentiles had begun to enter the church and yet remained uncircumcised. That is evident by noting Luke's opening words of the chapter which begin with, “And certain men.”   The word “men” is inserted. They are identified by an indefinite masculine pronoun. It could rightly be translated, “And some.” Inserting men is fine because the pronoun is masculine, but Luke is certainly being imprecise, demonstrating that these were people with no standing or authority to do what they will do. He does not identify them as “brethren,” nor does he describe any ranking or authority as he did in Acts 6:7 (for example) when he said –   “Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.”   What is meant by this is that these priests, the stewards of the Law of Moses, had placed themselves under a new authority. They had gone from Moses to Christ. As for these men now being mentioned by Luke, no names are given, implying that they are just a group of men with obviously no authority to direct matters. This is in contrast to Paul and Barnabas who are called apostles in Acts 14:14, even if Barnabas' apostleship was temporary and under the authority of the church at Antioch. Of these unnamed men, Luke says that they “came down from Judea.”   Rather, the verb is an aorist participle, “having come down from Judea.” Because of the use of the participle, one thought will lead to the next. For now, it is noticeable that it doesn't say that they were from Jerusalem, of the Levites, of the priests, or sent by the apostles. There is no hint of any authority at all, whether in the church or of the leadership of Israel. Instead, these men – seemingly converted to Christianity – were merely from Judea without any recognizable qualifications. And even if they once had standing, such as the priest mentioned above from Acts 6, they have no recognizable standing with the church. All that is given is that they have come from Judea. And yet Luke next says, “and taught the brethren.”   Imagine someone coming from Washington DC, a nobody with no authority at all, who knocks on your door and says, “I am here from Washington DC to explain to you why you cannot possess a gun.” Will you listen to him? What authority does he actually possess? This is what Luke is trying to get his audience to think about by the way he has structured his words.   Some people, who obviously have no authority at all, have been introduced into the narrative. Luke has not even called them “brothers” as is so often the case in Acts. The only thing that identifies them is that they are from Judea. And yet, they are now teaching a congregation without recognizable authority. And what do they say? Luke next records their words as, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.”   Rather, the Greek more poignantly states the matter using negatives – “If you are not circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you are not able to be saved.” There is a mark of total exclusion in their words. And more, they don't simply say, “If you are not circumcised, you cannot be saved.” Rather, they say, “According to the custom of Moses.”   This is not an identifier with Abraham as the father of the Hebrew people as recorded in Genesis 17. Rather, it is an identifier with the Law of Moses received at Mount Sinai. In other words, these few words spoken by these anti-Christian Judaizers, heaps the entire Law of Moses, with all of its many rules and regulations, directly on the shoulders of the Gentile believers.   With no standing other than where they were from, these unnamed have thrown the congregation into an uproar. It is true that Moses was told by the Lord before the introduction of the law that those who participated in the Passover were to be circumcised, as is recorded in Exodus 12:44-48. However, that was later codified into the law itself in Leviticus 12:3 for all born under the law. Thus, this supposed teaching of these unidentified men has set aside the grace of Christ and brought the Law of Moses back to the main center of attention.   Life application: In the example above concerning someone coming from Washington DC, it is obvious that the place where he came from does not give him any authority at all. He is a nobody that has no power. And yet, because of where he is from, you might say to yourself, “I'd better listen to this guy. He is from D.C. and so he must know what he is talking about.”   Now transfer that exact same thought to your life in Christ and see if you, or someone you know, are guilty of making the same error in the past. Have you ever turned on the TV or the internet and seen someone who is from Israel (or simply some Jew) tell you that you shouldn't be eating pork or that you must support Israel in order to be saved? If not, this may sound ridiculous to you, but both of these teachings are heard among the Judaizers of today.   Maybe you heard from someone who is in the Seventh Day Adventists say that unless you observe the Sabbath you cannot be saved. Have you been told by someone in the Church of Christ that you must be baptized in the Church of Christ in order to be saved? Have you ever heard that unless you are under the authority of the Roman Catholic Church, you can't be saved? Each of these is a claim made by people today.   The list goes on and on of people claiming what saves and that if you don't do what they tell you then you cannot be saved. Who are these people? What authority do they possess? The only source we have for such matters today is the Bible. It is the authority by which God has spoken out these matters and there is no other. This is because it is the word of the Lord through His chosen prophets, apostles, and authors.   If the word does not agree with what they say, then they are false teachers. And this goes directly to the heart of whether extra-biblical revelation is still given today. Because if it is, then the Bible is not the final source for such matters, and we are left in a sea of absolute chaos.   The Seventh Day Adventists believe that Ellen G White, their founder, received extra-biblical revelation. Likewise, Mormonism makes the same claim concerning Joseph Smith. The Roman Catholic Church believes it has authority over the word and it accepts extra-biblical revelation is valid. People believe Jesus speaks to them in dreams and visions. If we accept one word of extra-biblical revelation, then we must accept them all because there is no standard to determine which is true and which isn't because the authority of the Bible is not absolute.   Think these things through. Either God has spoken and that is it, or we have no sure word by which to guide our lives in Christ. Be grounded in the word, reject anyone who teaches contrary to what the word says, and ignore anyone who claims a dream or vision from God. People like that have been around since the very beginning of the church and they are still out there today. The challenge of Acts 15:1 is the first main internal challenge the church faced, and the church is still facing it to this day.   Lord God, how evident it is that we need to know what the word says. Without that, we are possibly placing ourselves under the whims of anyone who claims some type of authority that is not granted by You alone. Your word is truly to be our guide, and so may we be competent in our pursuit of knowing it more from day to day. To Your glory, we pray. Amen.

In "It's Getting Warm In Here", Pastor Harv continues his sermon series "Desire The Fire". A fire always starts somewhere and it gathers and draws together. If you are going to burn for God you must have a conduit that increases the brightness of your flame. Pastor Harv encourages us to make up our minds to burn for God and acknowledge who He is. In 1 Kings 18: 37-39, Elijah calls out the prophets of Baal and things are getting warm inside the palace. Either God is your God or idols are your god. Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal and shows them the true fire of God and made them fall to their faces and worship the one true God! The fire of God has not failed us yet! He is still coming! God wants to know if you will stand with Him even when no one else will.

Subject:      ANTI-SEMITISM It's back!  And it's back with a vengeance. Especially so on college campuses. Vial, hateful, immoral, and un-American stuff, don't you think? At least the bible does. You do wrong, says the great God Jehovah, the great I AM to my people, my chosen people and you will surely pay:             I WILL CURSE YOU Genesis clearly states. Provide Jewish blessing and I will bless you, says this very same God. So, we have a choice. Either God's blessing as we bless Jews and Israeli's. Or THE CURSE OF GOD if we do His Chosen People wrong! I choose blessing. But why, why really is there so much hatred for the Jews, why? I never understood that, and I passionately disagree with that. The Jewish state of Israel and consequently Jews themselves are subject in so many ways worldwide to the movement BDS:             BOYCOTT            DIVESTMENT            SANCTIONS Economically, culturally, politically, and now with vengeance and irrationality:             In the world of education COLLEGE CAMPUSES! Anti – Semitism flourishes in THE IVY LEAGUE! That led one Jewish person to say it should be renamed:             THE POISON IVY LEAGUE! Jew hatred surely exists in many ways on college campuses. It is not only directed at the nation of Israel, the Jewish State but such hatred is directed against all Jews. Said one:             JUST BEING A JEW IS ALL IT TAKES! Why, one asks is there such a lack of public outrage and why do political and university leaders allow this hatred with its hate speech, supposedly unacceptable, to continue, why? If, said one, this hatred were directed toward Muslims or Catholics, or Blacks, or Italians, it would be condemned by the world of education and by all politicians. But no one seems to care if this vitriol is directed against Jews. Sort of reminiscent of Adolph Hitler and Nazi Germany some eighty years ago, don't you think? But universities and so much of education allows this anti – semitic rhetoric and even conduct (violence) to continue against the Jews. And that is wrong, so very wrong.  One Jewish person believes that one of the root causes is the hiring and promotion of Left – wing teachers and professors who offer WOKE ideas that condemn merit and any traditional view of history as evil. That is right. Jew hatred, anti – Semitism begins at the top of these universities, in the professorial class, elitists, irresponsible and unaccountable. These anti – semi professors are leaders in the stamping out of free speech on campus. Such speech complies with WOKE VALUES or it is disallowed. You can condemn Jews on the one hand but says another Jewish person:    “Do not criticize Palestinian student organizations. Otherwise, you are       ISLAMOPHOBIC.” Said another Jew:             “I am so sick and tired of reading about an occasionally dealing with the rise of anti – Semitism.” If black, gay, or Asian people or any other group for that matter were treated the same way, it would not be tolerated.  What a tragedy. It is even more tragic, in my view, because Christians do not stand up, do not rise to the defense of the Jews, GOD'S CHOSEN PEOPLE and a powerful voice, a strong political and educational voice is never heard as it should be. Christians have no problem speaking out against abortion. They – we confront biblical apostasy, and the infection of WOKE thinking and values into Christian theology. There is little acceptance of the gay lifestyle (LGBTQ) and again, the Christian voice and opposition is heard.  BUT, when it comes to the Jews, or the Jewish State of Israel, and the hatred, the hate speech, and the irrational opposition to all things Jewish occurs, Christians as a whole seem silent. No matter the promise of the curse of the living God for those who do not RIGHT by his people, voices remain silent. Boycott them, divest all monies economically which benefit anything Jewish, and sanction them. The world cries out for inclusion, that is inclusion of all except:             THE JEWS AND ISRAEL  That is wrong, dead wrong. Fortunately, Arch Enemies, members of the Abraham Accords are burying old hatreds and animosities and finding ways to cooperate economically, in the world of technology, culturally and politically. They begin to realize that Arab and Jew must cooperate, must get along. They realize the old hatreds were nothing more than irrationality, unjustified and a new era of cooperation and working together must occur for the good of all.  But not so on college campuses. Anything Jewish remains anathema, subject to criticism, verbal attack and even physical and this vicious, satanic prejudice spreads. No one within university circles steps up to stem the tide. If they do, they are more than likely to be fired, themselves ostracized. So many of these anti – free speech and prejudiced universities are funded by federal and state monies. Those governments, those legislatures often turn a blind eye to what is happening. We can, we the Jews as one Jew has so well stated, really only depend upon ourselves in this day and age.  Well, that's partially true. God's chosen people can depend upon me to combat anti – Semitism with all my might. And you, especially if you are Christian, will you defend the same? I sure would prefer the blessing of God rather than an awful divine curse, wouldn't you? Anti – Semitism is wrong, satanic and must be stopped. I hope you will do what you can to put IT to rest once and for all. 

The Great Shaking & Purification Of The Bride: You drink water and you create urine. You eat food and you create feces. You breathe air and exhale the waste gases your body does not need. Taking good things and releasing bad things. Yet, the heart is a different thing entirely. The heart is a replicator, a duplicator- what you put into it is what you get out of it. We become what we behold and value. What we allow into our hearts and minds grows and magnifies itself. Either God will find it to be gold and silver, or gross waste products to burn out of us. Beware the refiner's fire. #Purification #Greatshaking #BibleWatch The Videohttps://youtu.be/Fnz1y-cQZjM(BrotherLance.com) Free Music, Bible Studies, Videos & More!(Weshallbelikehim.com) Download Our Free 45 Day Devotional Book Today!

John 3:30 "He must increase, but I must decrease.  31 "He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all. 32 "And what He has seen and heard, that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony. 33 "He who has received His testimony has certified that God is true. 34 "For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure. 35 "The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand. 36 "He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him." In this message we will understand why John says he must decrease, but Jesus must increase.  Jesus is superior to John and he is superior to everyone else also.  Jesus is shown to be the Messiah here because John gives us six ways Jesus is superior and no one but God could be and do all that John says about Jesus in these few verses.  If anyone ever asks you was Jesus God, you point them to this passage and show them that He is. Here, John the Baptist sets out to show the supremacy of Jesus Christ and to show how vastly superior Christ is to him. John hangs his whole argument on several key premises. First, John informs us that He is superior to John because of where He has come from. Jesus has come “from above,” “from heaven.”  Jesus is “from above”; John is “from the earth.” 31 "He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all. Mt 28:18; Joh 1:15, 27; 3:13; 6:33; 8:23; Ro 9:5; 1Co 15:47; Eph 1:21; Php 2:9 Some forty times in the Gospel through John, Christ is spoken of as being sent from heaven or going back to heaven. V31 Divine origin - Jesus if from Heaven (From God) – The one from above, 3:3, 3:7 Rules as God v31 and 35 Since Jesus is “from above,” He speaks of the “heavenly things” which He has seen and heard in heaven. John is “from the earth,” and thus he speaks about “earthly things.”[i]It sounds irreverent, but there is an idiom that says: “I got this right from the horse's mouth.” That is what John is saying about Jesus and His words. In spite of this, John also calls attention to the amazing truth that even though Jesus speaks divine truth, “no one accepts his testimony” But Jesus is of a completely different nature because He's of a completely different origin. He had no human father, He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and that's how a divine person passed into a human body. He has a heavenly origin. He is from above. And by the way, that is the same language of John 3, you must be born from above in the spiritual sense, regenerated by God to be a part of His Kingdom. Heavenly origin then becomes a very important part of Jesus' testimony, and I want to show this to you.   John 6:33, Jesus had just fed the massive crowd the loaves and the fish and was teaching the great sermon on Himself as the bread of life. But notice a few of the things that he says. In verse 33, John 6, “For the bread of God…meaning Himself…is that which comes down out of heaven and gives life to the world.” Verse 38, “For I have come down from heaven.” Verse 50, “This is the bread which comes down out of heaven.” Verse 51, “I am the living bread that came down out of heaven.” Verse 58, “This is the bread which came down out of heaven.” That doesn't leave any room for doubt about the origin of the Lord Jesus Christ. He came down from heaven. Clearly distinguishing Him from earth-born people, which constitutes the entire human race. 32 "And what He has seen and heard, that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony. Joh 3:11; 8:26; 15:15 He has a heavenly origin. And by the way, chapter 8, you're going to find this as we go all through John's gospel, but chapter 8 verse 42, Jesus said, “If God were your father…He's talking to the Jewish leaders…if God were your father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and have come from God.” I proceeded forth and have come from God. In chapter 17 He prays a prayer and says, “Restore to Me the glory I had with You before the world began.” And speaks there of His preincarnate existence. In 17:8, “The words You gave Me I have given to them and they received them and truly understood that I came forth from You.” This is foundational to understanding Jesus Christ is not merely human. This establishes the deity of Christ   v32 Divine Testimony - Has a firsthand knowledge of the truth because He is God – Speaks and witnesses as God has a better testimony than John Now we know He knows everything because in chapter 2 verses 23 to 25 it said He knows everything. He even knows the thoughts of every human being, this is omniscience. Jesus is the only man who never needed to take any information from anyone else. He didn't need to be educated by other people. There was no need for that. Yes, He grew in wisdom, stature, favor with God, favor with man…there was an awakening to His divine knowledge as He grew legitimately as a baby and a child. He wasn't a one-year-old able to spout profound eternal theology. He was conformed to the development of a human being. By the time He's twelve, obviously it's crystal-clear that He…He has reached the point with a full adult sense of His mission which means that His knowledge was then complete. Did He choose to use all that knowledge? No, He restricted the independent use of His own omniscience in His humiliation. That's why He could say things like “I don't know the day or the hour when I return to establish the Kingdom.” He put self-imposed limits on His omniscience. But He could limit His omniscience, no one could add to His knowledge. He could limit His development and that in the plan of God, but no information as outside that full omniscience.   This sets Him apart from us. Everything we know, somebody has to teach us. We need information from heaven given to us from someone from heaven. So Jesus comes, God spoke in time past by the Holy Spirit through the prophets and then He spoke, Hebrews 1, by His Son. Either God speaks to us through the prophets and through the writers of Scripture or He speaks to us through His Son, but He has to speak to us because we have no knowledge of heavenly things.   Back in chapter 3 verse 11, “Truly, truly…Jesus says…I say to You, we speak of what we know and testify of what we have seen.” This is firsthand knowledge. And he calls these things in verse 12 heavenly things. So in referring to Jesus Christ, everything begins with an understanding of His heavenly origin and then moves to an understanding that He has knowledge of all things, He has complete omniscience, He knows everything that can be known and He knows it by first-hand experience, not because He acquired that knowledge or was taught that knowledge. There is a reference in the gospel of John to being taught of God, Jesus speaking of being taught of God meaning only in the sense that He was with God in eternity past, they shared a common understanding of truth. For example, Jesus reiterates this a number of times. Maybe it would be good to look at chapter 5 verse 30, “I can do nothing on my own initiative, as I hear I judge, My judgment is just. I don't seek My own will but the will of Him who sent Me. If I alone testify about Myself, My testimony is not deemed true. There is another who testifies of Me and I know that the testimony which He gives about Me is true. You have sent to John and he has testified to the truth, but the testimony which I receive is not from man but I say these things so that you may be saved.” John is a lamp but I'm the light. In other words, Jesus says John gave you a testimony that he had received from God. I give you a testimony that comes from heaven itself. There's a sense in which it all originates with God. The difference is John had to be taught this, Jesus knew it eternally. He is the omniscient one.              In the eighth chapter of John's gospel, just a couple of other verses, verse 26, “I have many things to speak and judge concerning you, but He who sent Me is true and the things which I heard from Him, these I speak to the world.” Jesus says My knowledge is the knowledge that belongs to God, it is knowledge which we share. Verse 38, “I speak the things which I've seen with My Father.” In other words, the common identification of these two members of the Trinity, eternally, which encompasses their omniscience.                 Because He is of heavenly origin then, He has all heavenly knowledge. There is no preacher who can claim that by any means. We struggle at best to grasp the heavenly things, to understand the heavenly things, to articulate the heavenly things, and we're only scratching the edge of the surface. By the way, at the end of that verse, a statement is made, “No one receives his testimony.” Back in verse 11 he said the same things, Jesus said it there. “You do not accept our testimony.” He said that to Israel and now John says no one receives his testimony. John the Baptist is affirming that what Jesus is saying, people are rejecting. It's not consistent with what they're used to. It's not earthly. It's not consistent with the system that they've developed. It's too heavenly. And Jesus said that, how are you going to understand heavenly things when you don't even grasp earthly things? 33 "He who has received His testimony has certified that God is true. Ro 3:4; 1Jo 5:10 The truthfulness of God is bound up in the affirmation of Christ. Look at verse 33. “He who has received His testimony,” there are some, “no one received His testimony,” is a general statement, not an exclusive one, but there are some. “He who has received His testimony, that is the testimony concerning Christ, has set His seal to this, that God is true.” That is such an economy of words to say something so profound. Does God speak truth? Is God true? You heard Kory sing what essentially says that, you are truthful. God is true, a God who cannot lie. He is truth personified. God is true. If that is so, then you must believe in Christ. Why? Because God sent an angel and said this child is Immanuel. This is Jesus who will save His people from their sins. Because God sent an angel, this is the Son of God, because God spoke at His baptism, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.” Because God spoke at the Transfiguration, “This is My beloved Son, listen to Him.”   If you don't believe that Jesus is the Son of God, then God lied. Understand? So don't come with some kind of patronizing statement about, “Well I believe in God, I believe in the true God, I just reject Christ.” No, if you reject Christ, then you affirm that God is a liar. he Jewish people think they affirm the God of the Old Testament. They talk about the God of Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, the God of the Old Testament Scripture, they affirm that that's their God and that's the true God. But their God is a liar…their God is a liar because it is the God of the Old Testament who revealed every single prophecy directed and fulfilled in Jesus Christ's first coming. It is the God of the Old Testament who talk about the seed of a woman in Genesis 3, it's the God of the Old Testament who talked about one who would be crucified, pierced, wounded for the transgressions of His people, Isaiah 53. Every single prophecy in the Old Testament fulfilled in Jesus Christ is a point at which you either validate God as speaking the truth, or lying. You cannot reject Christ and say God speaks the truth. It was God who said this is My beloved Son. If that's not His Son, God's a liar. v33 His Testimony agrees with God and proves that God is true In 1 John chapter 5, John affirms this very important declaration with this statement, 1 John 5:10. This time he's writing in his epistle. “The one who believes in the Son of God,” John is constantly going back to this theme, this is who He is and you must believe to have eternal life. “The one who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in Himself. The one who does not believe God has made Him a liar.” Whoa-whoa, I would never make God a liar. You just made Him a liar if you reject what He said about Christ because you have not believed in the testimony that God has given concerning His Son. It's inescapable. You don't have the right to say I believe in God and that I believe God is true, and then reject Christ. If Christ is not who God said He is, we are really in serious trouble because the biggest promise that God ever made, the clearest identification that He ever spoke of was a lie. And if God is by nature a liar, throw your Bible away, throw your Old Testament away, run from it. You cannot reject Christ and affirm that God is true. If God is true, then everything He said about Christ is true and Christ is who He said He is and provides the eternal life that He declared He would give.                 This becomes another of John's themes. Chapter 7, verse 16, “So Jesus answered them and said, very basic statement, My teaching is not Mine, but His who sent Me.” Reject Me, you're rejecting God. Call Me a liar, you're calling God a liar. We are connected. If I'm a liar, God's a liar because what I'm telling you comes from God.             Back in chapter 5 is maybe the most potent statement, chapter 5, you could pick it up say maybe at verse 19. Jesus is talking about His relationship to the Father, His Son can do nothing of Himself unless the something He sees the Father doing, common knowledge, common life, common action, common works, common words, whatever the Father does, these are the things the Son does. And He goes on to speak about this. And then He sums it up in verse 23, “So that all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father.” And then this, “He who doesn't honor the Son, doesn't honor the Father who sent Him.” Reject the Son, and you've rejected the Father. That is why the writers of the epistles of the New Testament refer to God as the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, meaning that the God that we believe is the God who is one with the Lord Jesus Christ. You can't separate the two, and end up with anything other than blasphemy. It's blasphemy to call God a liar. And if Jesus is not who God said He is, then God is a liar and there is nothing more horrendous or horrific than that kind of blasphemy.                 In the fourteenth chapter of John, the tenth verse, “Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works. My works, My words all come from the Father. Believe Me, I am in the Father, the Father's in Me.” This is essential to any grasp of the identity of Jesus Christ. 34 "For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure. Joh 1:16; 7:16   V34 Jesus has the full measure of God's words since He is God and full of the Holy Spirit Eph 4:7 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift. Eph 4:8 Therefore He says: "When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men." it speaks again to His Trinitarian relationships. This comes in verse 34. In verse 34, and it is this, “He possessed full Holy Spirit presence…full Holy Spirit presence.” Why do we exalt Christ? He has a heavenly origin. We have an earthly one. He knows what He knows from eternal omniscience. We have to be taught and are limited in our comprehension. Why do we exalt Him? Because He is the one whom the Father promised and whom the Father affirmed and to agree with God the Father we must embrace Christ. And then this, “He possesses the Holy Spirit in full presence.” Great statement in verse 34. “For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God…that's the same point He was making in verse 33, probably should be added to verse 33, and then verse 34 should say…”For He gives the Spirit without measure.”   One of the ministries of the Spirit, of course, was to bring the words of the Father through the Son. Everything Jesus did in His ministry was the work of the Holy Spirit, that's why in Matthew 12 when they called Him satanic, they said You do what You do by the power of Satan, He didn't say you blasphemed Me, He said you blaspheme the Holy Spirit.               Why? Because part of His incarnation was to become human, part of His incarnation was to restrict the independent use of His attributes. Part of His incarnation was to yield over His will to the operation of the Holy Spirit in His humiliation. it speaks again to His Trinitarian relationships. This comes in verse 34. In verse 34, and it is this, “He possessed full Holy Spirit presence…full Holy Spirit presence.” Why do we exalt Christ? He has a heavenly origin. We have an earthly one. He knows what He knows from eternal omniscience. We have to be taught and are limited in our comprehension. Why do we exalt Him? Because He is the one whom the Father promised and whom the Father affirmed and to agree with God the Father we must embrace Christ. And then this, “He possesses the Holy Spirit in full presence.” Great statement in verse 34. “For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God…that's the same point He was making in verse 33, probably should be added to verse 33, and then verse 34 should say…”For He gives the Spirit without measure.”   One of the ministries of the Spirit, of course, was to bring the words of the Father through the Son. Everything Jesus did in His ministry was the work of the Holy Spirit, that's why in Matthew 12 when they called Him satanic, they said You do what You do by the power of Satan, He didn't say you blasphemed Me, He said you blaspheme the Holy Spirit. Back in chapter 1 verse 32, John testified saying, “I've seen the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven and He remained on Him and I didn't recognize Him, but He who sent Me to baptize in water said to Me, ‘He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him is the one who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.'” So there symbolically is this coming of the Holy Spirit resting on Him. That's only an external demonstration of what was an internal, eternal permanent union in the Trinity. In fact, in Colossians 2:9, it's stated this way, “That in Him dwells the fullness of the Godhead bodily. He is Son and Father and Holy Spirit all in one.”   Why would you exalt the minister? John has a measure of the Holy Spirit. John has information given to him but John is an earthly man, not to be compared at all with the one who comes from heaven who knows everything from eternal omniscience, who gives perfect testimony establishing the truthfulness of God, and who has the spirit in infinite fullness.             35 "The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand. Mt 11:27; 28:18; Lu 10:22; Joh 5:20,22; 13:3; 17:2; Heb 2:8            V35 Divine Authority - Everything belongs to Jesus because He is God and only by Him can you be saved – He has Ultimate Power Power and Grace Mt 28:18 John understands that the whole of redemption and the whole of creation, the creation of the material world, the immaterial world, the plan of redemption, all of it is about the Father loving the Son and creating a universe in which He can redeem humanity and give a bride to His Son, a love gift to His Son. John has a full understanding of the plan of God to create and then regenerate, to regenerate the heavens and regenerate the earth and regenerate fallen sinners and gather all that together and give it as an expression of His love to His Son. That's staggering truth to grasp.   In Ephesians, the Apostle Paul tries to capture some of this with amazing language. Ephesians chapter 1, one of my favorite passages anywhere in Scripture, starting in verse 20, talks about Christ whom He raised from the dead. And then says about Him, “He is far above all rule and authority, and power, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. He's put all things in subjection under His feet, given Him as head over all things, He's head over all things, He's given the One who is head over all things to the church which is His body. He is the fullness of Him who fills…the church is the fullness of Him who fills all in all. The language is full, full, full, full, full.                God's eternal love relationship with His Son results in God giving to His Son all of His creation in its final form, the new heavens, the new earth, the redeemed humanity, love gifts to the Son. John understands this. 36 "He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him." Hab 2:4; Joh 1:12; 3:15-16; 6:47; Ro 1:17; 1Jo 5:10 (NKJV) Jesus is the key to our destiny. The answer to one question determines where we will spend eternity: “Who is Jesus Christ, and what have you done about His claim to be God's only means for your salvation?” The one who accepts His testimony has declared that “God is true” (verse 33). To reject the words of our Lord, who speaks for the Father, is to call God a liar. To believe in the Son is to have eternal life. The one who rejects the Son will not see life; indeed, God's wrath abides on him (verse 36). V36 Those that believe His testimony are saved, don't they are not Old wine of Judaism doesn't work, new wine of Jesus works Purification Water pots no longer necessary, only Jesus purifies Eph 5:25 -27 Holy Spirit, Jesus gives us new life as we are born from above Full Christology and so he closes with an invitation in verse 36, “He who believes in the Son has eternal life. He who doesn't obey the Son will not see life.” By the way, why does it go from believing to obeying? Because to believe on the Son is a command. The gospel is a command, not a suggestion. It's a command. He who believes in the Son has obeyed the command. He who does not believe in the Son has disobeyed the command. And he who doesn't obey the Son will not see life but the wrath of God abides on him. You have a choice. Eternal life, eternal wrath. Eternal heaven, eternal hell. John ends up a gospel preacher. Those are the last words to fall from the lips of John the Baptist recorded in Scripture and he's a gospel preacher. Believe and have eternal life, it sounds like the words of John 3:16, believe and have eternal life. Fail to believe in disobedience, you will not see life but you will see eternal wrath, a preacher of the gospel, the last message and the voice of one crying in the wilderness goes silent…goes silent.   Not long after this John's sad ending came. Let me read it to you. Matthew 14. Herod had arrested John. Herod arrested him because John publicly preached against Herod's immorality and illicit marriage. So Herod arrested John, bound him, put him in prison because of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip. That was the immorality. He had literally seduced his brother's wife and married her. And John had been saying to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.” Although Herod wanted to put him to death, he feared the crowd because they regarded John as a prophet. But when Herod's birthday came which was a good excuse for debauchery, drunken orgy, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod in a very seductive way. Pleased him so much that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked. Having been prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.”                “Although he was grieved, the king commanded it to be given because of his oaths and because of his dinner guests. He sent and had John beheaded in the prison and his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl and she brought it to her mother. His disciples came and took away the body and buried it and they went and reported to Jesus. And the shining star was out and the voice went silent.” It's really sad, isn't it? Pathetic, ugly, horrible way for the greatest man who ever lived to end. His disciples buried his body and went and told Jesus. But this is how it is for the preacher. John died a satisfied man. His joy was made full, why? Because he had decreased and Christ had increased. And John's followers had no one else to turn to, so they went to Christ. He was a faithful preacher of Christ, faithful preacher of the gospel and a model of the first law of ministry, the law of humility.   The most important question anyone can ask and answer is, “Who is Jesus Christ?” The answer is the key to everything. It is the key to one's eternal destiny. It is the key to one's ministry and service. It is the key to the gospel itself. Is it any wonder that the truths John the Baptist affirms here are the same truths the Apostle John emphasizes in this Gospel? Is it any wonder that these same truths are those most under attack by unbelieving “scholars”? The claims Jesus makes, which John the Baptist declares here, and which the Gospel of John was written to proclaim, are found everywhere one looks in the New Testament. But perhaps nowhere is the thrust of our text more clearly stated elsewhere in the Bible than in the Book of Hebrews: (Hebrews 1:1-2:4). In contrast to John and his joy, we see the jealousy and frustration of his disciples. How can this be explained? What went wrong here? I would begin by saying that this same “sourness” seems to characterize many Christians and their service to the Lord. How quickly and easily we lose sight of Christ's preeminence, and start to think of our position and our pleasure. Is this not what characterizes the disciples of our Lord? Are they not interested in promoting Christ so that they can prosper with Him? Is this not why they react so strongly to His words about His own rejection, suffering, and death? They are serving God for self-serving reasons. Too often I hear Christians in ministry talking in terms of success, and this is problematic. But I also hear too much talk about “personal fulfillment.” Is this what motivates our service? Is this perhaps the reason why your joy and mine is not that of John the Baptist? Are we serving our Lord selfishly? Jesus calls us to “take up our cross.” Serving God is in our own best interest, but when we begrudge the glorification of Christ because it seems to come at our sacrifice and our expense, then we have become like John's disciples. If this is the case, we should repent of our sin, asking God to restore to us the joy of our salvation. Philippians 1:12-26 [i] In John 3:12, Jesus claimed the ability to speak both “earthly things” and “heavenly things.” John claims to be able to speak only “earthly things.” 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

Sunday 25th December 2022   Exploring topological typologies of Christ's Incarnation at Christmas!   Rivers of Tears Flow from My Eyes Because They Will Not Keep Your Word    Psalm 119:136   The Doctrine (or teaching) of Salvation is revealed clearly within the Bible but it is also legitimate to find revelation of it through the Creation, confirmed by the opening chapter of Romans verse 16 to 21:   16 I am not ashamed of the Good News. It is the power God uses to save everyone who believes—to save the Jews first, and then to save the non-Jews. 17 The Good News shows how God makes people right with himself. God's way of making people right with him begins and ends with faith. As the Scripture says, “The person who is made right with God by faith will live forever.”   Faith means believing in something unseen, in the Bible it has the same word meaning as believe or trust.   18 God's anger is shown from heaven against all the evil and wrong things that people do. By their own evil lives they hide the truth. 19 God shows his anger because everything that may be known about God has been made clear. Yes, God has clearly shown them everything that may be known about him. 20 There are things about God that people cannot see—his eternal power and all the things that make him God. But since the beginning of the world those things have been easy to understand. They are made clear by what God has made. So people have no excuse for the bad things they do. 21    Thus the Word of God tells us that God has clearly shown us everything that may be known about him within the Word and without.   There are things about God that people cannot see,  but since the beginning of the world those things have been easy to understand.  They are made clear by what God has made.   The Bible teaches that God has made the world and everything in it, in such a way as to reveal things about Him.  God has created the world and done so like an artist or sculpture would do, leaving his signature or fingerprints on it for us to clearly see.     In this episode, we will look at how the mountains, rivers and seas in the Jordan Valley provide some fascinating pictures which glorify God and support teachings found throughout His Word.    Many thanks to Charlie Garrett whose analysis was the spark to light this work and further insight provided by other contributors to the body of Christ at the Superior Word church whilst studying the book of Joshua.  Thanks to Nikki Higgins for her fellowship and love including thoughtful discussion on the apologetic aspects of this presentation.  Thanks to Elsa Higgins for her observation about the Pre Tribulation rapture pictured by clouds that form before falling as rain on the Mount of Olives.   Thanks to Samuel Higgins for finding the Jordan River in Job 40.    Thanks to Joel Higgins for drawing my attention to the brother who was dead but now is alive.   Thanks to Grace Higgins for her love of the Rivers of Tears song we made up to soothe her when she was crying.   Thanks most of all to the Lord Jesus for guiding me through this study and comforting me with the two passages from 2nd Kings on the 8th Dec 22 when I found out the news of my brother's passing.   2 Kings 5:14 Elisha sent a messenger to Naaman. The messenger said, “Go and wash in the Jordan River seven times. Then your skin will be healed, and you will be clean.” The Doctrine of the Incarnation of Jesus our Saviour      The Christmas story.  The virgin born Saviour who took on flesh in order to live a perfect life which qualified as sacrificial atonement to be made as payment for the sins of all mankind.      “For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son. God gave his Son so that whoever believes in him may not be lost, but have eternal life. 17 God did not send his Son into the world to judge the world guilty, but to save the world through him. 18 He who believes in God's Son is not judged guilty. He who does not believe has already been judged guilty, because he has not believed in God's only Son.    (John 3:16-19)   It is marvellous that this is illustrated through the Jordan River!   From the origination at Mount Hermon to the termination at the Dead Sea, God has provided a stunning picture to support the Bible narrative of Jesus coming down from Heaven, setting aside his divine attribute to Earth, Dying on the Cross for our sins, being buried and Rising again according to the Scriptures (1 Cor 15:3-4).   Please seek to glorify the Lord in your heart as you follow these ten steps and praise our Lord, the Creator God !   “One that descends”.    The name "Jordan" means "descender."   Its name comes from the root ‘YARAD,' to descend.      Paul writes in Philippians 2:   “Christ himself was like God in everything. He was equal with God. But he did not think that being equal with God was something to be held on to. He gave up his place with God and made himself nothing. He was born as a man and became like a servant. And when he was living as a man, he humbled himself and was fully obedient to God. He obeyed even when that caused his death—death on a cross. So God raised Christ to the highest place. God made the name of Christ greater than every other name. God wants every knee to bow to Jesus— everyone in heaven, on earth, and under the earth. Everyone will say, “Jesus Christ is Lord” and bring glory to God the Father.    (Philippians 2:5-11)   The name of the majestic mountain which is the source for the Jordan River is Mount Hermon .  in the (Hebrew it is Chermon Phonetic Spelling: (kher-mone')  "sacred (mountain)"     In one place it is called Chermonim (Psalm 42:6) using the Hebrew plural ending as seen in the word Elohim which means God but has a plurality distinct from El.     Mount Hermon has three roughly equal sized summits, situated like the angles of a triangle, and equidistant about a quarter of a mile from each other. Hopefully you can imagine how this symbolises the Holy Trinity - three equal persons of God sharing one essence.   God The Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.      It is on this mountain that the scholars at Bible.org believe the transfiguration event occurred.  The transfiguration is a biblical event that appears in each of the Gospel books as an important moment in the life of Jesus and evidence of his divinity. After Jesus performs a series of miracles and foretells His own death, Jesus leads exactly three of his disciples, to Hermon and his appearance was radiantly transformed.     In Mark Chapter 9 we read: While these followers watched, Jesus was changed. 3 His clothes became shining white, whiter than any person could make them. 4 Then two men appeared, talking with Jesus. The men were Moses and Elijah  (Mark 9:3-4)    Then a cloud came and covered them. A voice came from the cloud. The voice said, “This is my Son, and I love him. Obey him!”    (Mark 9:7)    Jesus revealed his divine being.   Some rivers begin in mountains or hills, where rain water or snowmelt collects and forms small channels.   Some rivers begin where a natural spring releases water from underground. The Jordan River has three principal sources, all of which rise at the foot of Mount Hermon.  As the water springs up having descended from the holy place,  a picture of the virgin birth of Christ can be imagined. Isaiah 12:3 “With joy you will draw water from the springs of salvation.” As the river flows into Galilee the river path is quite ordinary picturing the humble early life of Jesus - Can anything good come from Nazareth?  This changes once the river reaches the sea of Galilee - picturing the extraordinary life which is revealed during his ministry which begins with miracles and teaching around this very place.     The change to a zigzag pattern after the Jordan leaves Galilee pictures Jesus' teaching and miracles across Israel.     The Jordan river zigzags at least 153 miles, although if one is precise one can measure a river bed distance up to infinity - picturing the divine essence of Jesus.   Jesus is God and  Jesus is man.   The God/Man Jesus Died for Our Sins - this is pictured by water entering the Salt Sea or Dead Sea which cannot support life -     Fish carried in by the Jordan die quickly  - the salt content is way too high for life, being ten times more than the average level of salt in the sea. Salt has a cleansing property.  The sins of the believers are washed away by the shedding of Jesus' blood.   Without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins. Jesus was Buried (The lowest point on Earth in terms of dry land is the shore of the Dead Sea)   The days between Jesus death and resurrection where the lowest point in the lives of his friends. 39 Nicodemus went with Joseph. Nicodemus was the man who earlier had come to Jesus at night. He brought about 75 pounds of spices. This was a mixture of myrrh and aloes. 40 These two men took Jesus' body and wrapped it with the spices in pieces of linen cloth. (This is how the Jews bury people.)     John 19:39-42   International Children's Bible   Just as Jesus' body was encased in valuable minerals as it was buried so too the water arriving in the dead sea is sitting above a treasure trove of minerals.   Most Valuable Piece of Land on Earth ( approx 5 trillion dollar ($5,000,000,000,000) chemical and mineral wealth is deposited at  Dead Sea ).   This vast value in some small way pictures the infinite price paid for the sins of potentially all people in the world.      Interesting fact!  The Dead Sea is known for its unique climate and the area has approx 330, (or 33 times 10) sunny days a year and Jesus' earthly life was 33 years!      Jesus Rose again  -  Water in the Salt Sea evaporates and this pictures the resurrection.  Evaporation is the process by which a liquid turns into a gas. It is also one of the three main steps in the water cycle.    It can be easily visualised when rain puddles “disappear” on a hot day or when wet clothes dry in the sun. In these examples, the liquid water is not actually vanishing—it is evaporating into a gas, called water vapour. A river crosses two lands, picturing Heaven and Hell.  The Children of Israel had to cross the Jordan River to enter the promised land (amazingly Charlie deduced that this was on the very same day of the first Passover (which in itself pictures Jesus' innocent personal sacrifice on the cross to pay for our sins and overcome death).   This pictures our need to exercise faith in the Lord Jesus Christ's Sacrifice to escape the wilderness / Hell and enter The Promised Land / Heaven  The very stones and rivers bear testimony, to that invisible yet wonderful reality. The water descends so profoundly, picturing an all encompassing sanctity.   The Jordan River springs up at the foot of Hermon, continuing plainly until it reaches the Galilee.     Until His teaching ministry has yet begun, Jesus' life appears to be quite ordinary.    Now the river leaves Galilee,  its journey zigzags much more. Spreading across Israel teaching about the Door, The Father is revealed for everyone to see!   The Jordan River is where Jesus was baptised.  A voice from Heaven cried out “this is my beloved!” Yes the Father spoke! “this is My Son in whom I am well pleased” The Holy Spirit descended on Jesus, His ministry was started.       Now when he was at the age of thirty, Miracles abound around the Sea of Galilee. The lame walk, the blind see and the dead are no longer affected Jesus's offer to Israel of the Kingdom is rejected.   Jesus's first advent and the Jordan River end unexpectedly. Instead of the river making its way to the ocean  The water meanders into the Salt or Dead Sea. God has produced an amazing topography!    Water in the sea evaporates under the 330 days of annual sun. Leaving behind the minerals and salt, which make swimming in it such fun! Salt has a cleansing property - a metaphor for the believers sins,  washed away by the shedding of Jesus' blood, for the remission of our sins.   Jesus left the Jordan River filled with the Holy Spirit.    All believers now benefit from the full dwelling of His Holy Spirit.    The water in the river symbolises the Spirit work which glorifies the Saviour,  For the Spirit of God named this typological river, the Descender.   Joshua and the Israelites had to cross the Descender  In doing so the Promised Land they would enter, We must simply believe in the cross work of Jesus  In doing so the Promised Land of Heaven we will surely enter!   We face a choice, which is free and freely offered. Please make a one time profession  Change your eternal destination!  faith in the Lord Jesus!   Change from death to life and be saved!  Yes, just call upon Him and you WILL be saved! Overcome death Just as He did! Simply by faith in just what He did!   Choose wisely.  Choose life!  Choose God's offer of forgiveness, Found in Christ! 2) How wonderful is the Word of God!   Humanly speaking, the Bible was written by approximately 40 men and women of diverse backgrounds over the course of 1500 years. Isaiah was a prophet, Ezra was a priest, Matthew was a tax-collector, John was a fisherman, Paul was a tentmaker, Moses was a shepherd, Luke was a physician. Despite being penned by different authors over 15 centuries, the Bible does not contradict itself and does not contain any errors.   The doctrine of the incarnation is referenced explicitly or implicitly by type or picture by all these writers.   God declares that His Creation will also reveal his invisible attributes which are clearly seen.   The metaphor of the Jordan River is astonishing yet is not alluded to by the writers, some of whom may not have even made the allegorical link.     As well as the Incarnation the following doctrines are pictured in and around the Jordan River: The Doctrine of the Sealing of the Holy Spirit The Dead Sea is the only place on earth where you can sunbathe for long periods with little or no sunburn because harmful ultraviolet rays are filtered through an extra thick atmospheric layer which contains evaporated water particles from the Dead Sea. The Doctrine of Eternal Salvation - in Joshua 3, the Children of Israel cross the river on dry land, the waters then resume to their natural level and there is no way to cross back in the same way. The Doctrine of the Trinity  - Hermon means Sacred - three equal height, equidistant mountain caps arranged in a triangle formation.   The Doctrine of the Ministry of the Holy Spirit  - in the way the water level falls at a place called Adam and is restored when the Ark picturing Christ's priestly work is pictured. The Doctrine of the 2nd Coming of Christ after the Rapture -  God has provided a living breathing Bible Eschatological Map!   Water enters dead sea 15.3 miles due East of Mount of Olives.   Some water evaporates and forms clouds (picturing the saints rescued in the pre tribulation rapture), some water is left behind and remains in the Dead Sea signifying those heading into the tribulation period.      The doctrine of the Kingdom Inauguration - The dead sea comes alive, signifying all Israel being saved Zech 12-14; Rom 11 (Israelogy - helps refutes Replacement Theology?) The doctrine of the first week of Creation - The river visits a place called Adam, and ends in death when Adam disobeys God leading to the Curse  (Fish dying as they reach the Dead Sea) The Sovereignty of God over His Creation (implied from all the above).  God created the water cycle in such a way that it serves as a continuous model which at the Jordan River pictures the death burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Either God has created the Geography of Israel to support key doctrines of the Bible or the writers of the Bible studied the geography and water cycle in and around the Jordan Valley in order to weave a story which was inspired by the Jordan River, yet did so without seeking barely any credit for their ingenuity!   The only verse hinting at the powerful significance of the Jordan River compared to all over rivers was found by Samuel Higgins in Job 40.   If the river floods, he will not be afraid.     He is not afraid even if the Jordan River rushes to his mouth.     Job 40:23   It is interesting that this is in the oldest book of the Bible, yet no other Bible authors make such a reference to the Jordan as far as I can find.   The pictures found in the Jordan river are not lying on the surface but have been left just under it for us to discover..   It is incredible that we are being blessed to know this now!   So the non believer has a choice to make. If the Bible was written without God the authors took this innocuous reference in the first book and then proceeded to weave the Jesus story ever more complex, without contradiction and yet consistent to the geography of the Jordan River  OR the almighty God made this to glorify Himself OR the connection is just a coincidence.   God graciously leaves the philosophical possibility of a coincidence open to us since it is not an understanding of evidence which pleases God it is faith alone. We all need to simply have faith or trust or belief in the Lord Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sins.  Have you put your trust in Christ for the forgiveness of sins? Nothing can compare to the water that Christ offers us.   Let us close now by understanding how we can receive the forgiveness of God by believing the Gospel.  Salvation by Grace alone through Faith alone.   Grace is undeserved love. Faith or Belief is the act of trusting in something without seeing.    Ephesians 2 8-9  8 … you have been saved by grace because you believe. You did not save yourselves. It was a gift from God. 9 You cannot brag that you are saved by the work you have done.   We are saved only by believing in what Jesus did for us!   Any person regardless of swimming ability can exercise faith that they would not drown in the Salt Sea and they would float without any effort.   Undeserved floating instead of drowning as would occur in any other body of water on the planet.   The Doctrine of Salvation by Grace through Believing is pictured at the Dead Sea where the Descender dies.   The default position of man is one under condemnation (because of Adam's sin).   We all deserve to die because of participation in a world of sin, but there is only one place we can be to avoid this penalty.      The message of the Gospel is exclusive and non negotiable.  Jesus is the way the truth, the life, no one comes to the Father except through Him.  “. . . for whatsoever is not of faith is sin” (Romans 14:23) Closing Verse:   2 Kings 5:14 14 So Naaman went down and dipped in the Jordan seven times. He did just as Elisha had said. Then Naaman's skin became new again. It was like the skin of a little boy. And Naaman was clean! Thank you Uncle Charlie's for your excellent sermons at SuperiorWord.org.  We learned that the water flow in and out of the Jordan river can be examined alongside the Bible record to highlight many important features of the Incarnation of the Second person of the Trinity, the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, the God/Man.      RIVERS OF TEARS FLOW THROUGH MY EYES BECAUSE THEY WILL NOT KEEP YOU WORD!    Ps 119  --     Praise the Lord for he has provided us with a teaching model within the very place in His created world in which the Bible story unfolds.  This wonderfully reaffirms His Salvation plan through the Person of Jesus Christ.    Hallelujah and Amen  

If you appreciate this work, consider supporting it - https://www.patreon.com/seekgodtogether Today we will read Genesis 3:3-5 which says, “But about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, God said, ‘You must not eat it or touch it, or you will die.'” “No! You will not die” the serpent said to the woman. “In fact, God knows that when you eat it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Whatever you believe about the first several chapters of Genesis, this is the narrative of the fall of humanity. It's an epic showdown between God's image-bearers and the cunning serpent. It's fascinating! Let's take a look. The serpent asks Eve if God really said she couldn't eat from any tree in the garden in a clear obfuscation of God's command. Eve corrects him saying they must not eat from the tree in the middle of the garden. Of course she adds just a tad herself by saying they can't even touch it. What's interesting at this point is that the serpent doesn't question her recall. He questions God's intentions. “You will not die. He knows your eyes will be opened and you'll be like God.” The accusation against God is that He isn't honest, has ulterior motives, and is holding out on His creation. This is a strange accusation for a creature to make, but it happens everyday, even by you and me. Incredibly, the serpent was technically, and cunningly, right. They did not physically die, at least not immediately. Of course they were doomed. Cut off from God's method of life-giving-energy - the “Tree of Life”, humans became spiritual zombies. But the real kicker is that they did in fact become like God, knowing good and evil. God Himself says so in verse 22. We will not plumb the depths here. This story has served humanity for thousands of years and so will continue. But there is a point to be made that's often overlooked. Often I've heard this passage used as a weapon to enforce a particular view of scripture or of theology. To doubt a particular interpretation is to doubt God speaking. But that wasn't Eve's problem. She knew what God said. She got an A on her systematic theology. She knew the answer. She paid attention. So where did she go wrong? It was her belief in the character of God. You can question God's existence, the precision of His communication, His methods, you can hurl all your complaints, doubts, cussing and cursing directly to His face, but there is no cure for doubting His motives. This can turn the most beautiful cherub into a satan and it can do the same in you and me. Either God created us for beautiful relationship or He's holding out on us. Every creature must decide for themselves. “God once again I am rocked by Your methods. But I do believe Your intentions are far better than I could ever imagine.”

It's Either God or The WorldRepent & Turn To Jesus Today - He Loves YouPlan of Salvation - IG @ministryminuteRomans 10:9: That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be savedSurrender your life to Jesus by saying this prayer:Dear God, I admit that I am a sinner and I need You to please forgive me and save me. I repent of my sins. I confess that Jesus, You are Lord and I believe You died and rose again. I put my faith in Your finished works on the cross and I believe because of Your blood that was shed, my sins can be forgiven. I want You to be the Head of my life. Please help me to live for You. Amen.Salvation Can Be Acheived Today: Repent, Confess Jesus Is Lord, Believe In Your Heart God Rose Him From The Dead, Be Baptized In Jesus Name, Be Filled With The Holy Ghost, And Live Holy!! It's That Simple!!Jesus Is Soon To Come!!thefaithandfaithchurch.org/Ministry-Minute

 Audio recordingSermon manuscript:Paul says in our Epistle reading: “From infancy, Timothy, you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, and for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, well equipped for every good work.” This statement about the Scriptures is especially important and relevant to us in our time. At other times in history this statement wasn't controversial among Christians. In our time, though, the question of whether the Scriptures are God-breathed, that is, divinely inspired, as Paul says, is not accepted by all Christians or all Christian churches. Those who hold to this passage, that the Scriptures are inspired, will go about being Christians one way. Those who do not believe this will do what they do in a very different way. If the Scriptures are inspired and truthful, then the Scriptures will determine your beliefs and actions. If they are uninspired or untruthful or unuseful, then there's no reason to feel bound by what they say. Of all the controversies that divide churches, the inspiration and truthfulness of the Scriptures has to be one of the most important. So today let us first deal with how we should think about the Scriptures being inspired. Whether the Scriptures are inspired and truthful is an article of faith. It is not something that can be tested with experiments or proved with rational or mathematical formulas. As an article of faith, either what the Scriptures say is from God and truthful or it is not. Let's consider a few examples from the Scriptures: Either God sent the flood to destroy the earth or he did not. Either God commanded Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac or he did not. Either God caused the iron ax-head to float in the Jordan River or he did not. We could, of course, go on. Anything and everything that the Scriptures say could be doubted. I've purposely picked these because lots of people have problems believing them. Physicists and meteorologists might have big problems with a world-wide flood. Ethicists, philosophers, and theologians might have a big problem with God demanding that Abraham sacrifice his son. And God causing an ax-head to float in the water so that the worker who lost it could keep working just seems silly—a waste of a miracle. So what we can see from these few examples is that doubting what the Bible says is not unusual. You do not have to be super sophisticated to doubt what the Bible says. In fact, what is unusual is when people simply believe the Bible says. Doubt and unbelief, in fact, are the default and normal conditions for mankind after the fall into sin. The Bible itself says this. Jesus says that no one can believe in him unless he or she is drawn by the Father. Believing in Jesus as the Christ cannot be naturally known. God the Father must cause a person to believe it. Paul says that the natural man is hostile to God and his revelation. The only way anyone can truly believe is by the power of the Holy Spirit. Our Catechism sums up these passages nicely when it says concerning the third article of the Creed: “I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ my Lord or come to him, but the Holy Spirit [works and causes me to believe.]” So if the Bible says stuff that you find hard to believe you shouldn't be surprised. And you certainly shouldn't regard your doubt or unbelief as a sign of greater intelligence or sophistication. Doubting is about the easiest thing in the world. We've been doing it almost from the very beginning. The serpent asked Eve: “Did God really say? Isn't it possible that you human beings have misunderstood that?” Believing that God's Word is uninspired and untruthful and unuseful is an old accomplishment. It was done way back then. Ever since then there has been no shortage of unbelievers. The majority, in fact, has always been unbelievers instead of believers. Thus you should not believe that you are doing anything cool or unusual when you doubt what the Scriptures say. Nor should you believe that you are on the right side of history. This, also, is very commonly believed by those who think the Scriptures are uninspired and untruthful. We are given the impression by the way history is taught that folks used to believe in all kinds of childish, ridiculous things. Now, thank our lucky stars, we've gotten much wiser. Science and technology are used as a kind of proof for our superiority. Hundreds of years ago people didn't burn nearly as much fuel as we burn, and they didn't accumulate nearly as much stuff as we have, so we must be much smarter today. There is an assumption, then, that whatever the old Bible might say has been disproven. This is not true. None of the words or actions or events of the Scriptures have been disproven. How could they be? How can anyone prove or disprove anything that has happened in the past? That will always remain an article of faith. Either what has happened can be believed or it can be disbelieved, but there is no incontrovertible proof one way or the other. To claim otherwise is dishonest. Even the very idea that we are superior to the people of the past is vastly overstated. If you read the Bible you will find that we're not that different from Adam and Eve. We're not that different from the people at the time of Moses. At all times in history there have been people who have believed in what God revealed and people who have disbelieved. The Bible itself reports, for example, how the people with Moses simply couldn't believe that God would take care of them. When Christians or Christian churches do that today, when they quit believing in the inspiration and truthfulness of the Scriptures, they are basically doing the same thing. People not believing should never be surprising. What should be surprising is when those who claim to be God's people allow this unbelief to go unchallenged, or even to allow this unbelief to be promoted. This is the strange thing about our times. There are groups of people who want to be known as Christians, but who do not want the Scriptures to be determinative. They believe that other sources of knowledge are more reliable and can trump whatever the Scriptures might say. Even though these folks believe in other things besides the God who has spoken in the Scriptures, they are allowed to remain in their churches and have even taken them over. These churches that allow unbelief in the Scriptures to be taught and defended end up being very different than those churches that still believe in the Scriptures. Our church body, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, requires its pastors and teachers and members to believe in the Scriptures. We had something of a civil war over this issue in the 1970s called “Seminex.” Our St. Louis seminary was split in two. This was a difficult and painful fight. It divided congregations, schools, and families, but it ended up being a great blessing. Professors, pastors, and teachers who no longer believed in the Scriptures were, by and large, forced out. Then they went and got together with some other Lutherans. They formed in 1988 the ELCA, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The ELCA does not require belief in the Scriptures. It shares our name of being “Lutheran,” but we are very different from one another. They cannot give any firm answer to the question of whether the Scriptures are inspired and inerrant. I do not believe that they even require a firm answer to whether Jesus rose from the dead. Since the Scriptures do not need to be believed or regarded as a reliable guide, you can be sure that they will never fight for those things in Scripture that contradict our modern sensibilities. What the Bible says about men being pastors and leaders in the church and heads of their families is an abomination to them. They will not allow themselves to be bound by anything in the Scriptures, but will go whichever way the cultural winds blow. In fact at their 2019 church-wide assembly they passed a resolution by over 97% that faith in Jesus Christ is no longer required. They rejected and shamed a delegate who offered an amendment that stated Jesus's own words—that he is the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father except through him. What the tragic history of the ELCA shows is that unbelievers are not content just to deny the flood or the making of iron float in water. Previous generations in the ELCA would probably be horrified by the actions of the 2019 church-wide assembly. But, as Paul says, a little leaven leavens the whole lump. Once the principle that the Scriptures are inspired and truthful, as Paul says, is given up, then any and every statement of Scripture is open to doubt. Paul speaks rather directly to all of this in our Epistle reading this morning. First of all, he answers the question about whether salvation is through faith in Jesus Christ. He says to Timothy: “From infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” Paul says that Scripture is what taught Timothy. Those Holy Scriptures say that salvation is through faith in Jesus Christ and not in any other religions. We must not despise what Paul says next either: “All Scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, and for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, well equipped for every good work.” Scripture is breathed out by God. It is inspired. It is breathed into by God. That means that it is the communication of God's will to us. Furthermore, it is useful. It works. It rebukes, corrects, and trains us in righteousness. The Holy Spirit in that Word creates faith in Jesus the Savior. Unbelief in Jesus, unbelief in the Scriptures, has always been common, ever since the very beginning. Don't be taken in by story that the Bible has been somehow disproved. All that has happened is what has always been happening from the beginning. God's enemies sow doubt with the question, “Did God really say? If you were God, would you do it that way?” It is always wisdom that is promised. Alienation from the only true God of the Scriptures is what ends up getting delivered. Don't buy it. The Scriptures testify of Jesus, the one who overcame the serpent. He is the Savior of sinners. This you will see, as Paul also says in our reading, “when Christ comes to judge the living and the dead.” Then you will know that Jesus's rising from the dead is your salvation.

We live in a time where the ideology of religious pluralism is becoming more and more dominant in our culture. A religious pluralist is one who believes that all religions are different paths that lead to the divine, and therefore, all religions are valid. In other words, it's like there's this one God out there but He just wears many faces when you look at the landscape of all the world's religions. You see, all religions make certain true claims about spirituality, but the question is, "Are their claims true?" C.S. Lewis said that modern people don't seem to care about whether it's truthful or not. They're only interested in how it appeals to you and how it makes you feel - how it fits into your life. A couple years ago I was sitting at a table with a guy who wanted to talk about the existence of God. We'll say his name was John. I suggested a good starting point is, that God either exists or He doesn't. One of those statements is true and one of those statements is false. His response to me was, no, both of them can be true. Well, there was another guy sitting at the table and he was an accountant. The great thing about accountants is that they are very objective. He just spoke up and said, “No, John, Richard's right. Either God exists or He does not exist. They both cannot be true. They both cannot be true statements.

August 28, 2022 / Josh Galgan

 Audio recordingSermon manuscript:There are a couple places in the Bible where there is so much you can learn that they almost seem inexhaustible. One of those places is the Garden of Eden with the fall into sin and the promise. You know how I bring that up all the time in my preaching and teaching. The other place is what we'll look at especially today—the example of the Israelites when they leave Egypt and are in wilderness with Moses. The main thing going on with the Israelites is that God is at work with them. Everything that happened was God's idea. Sometimes we might think that the stuff that happened was Moses's ideas, but that is very much not the case. From the beginning at the burning bush to the end at Mt. Nebo God was making the plans and doing the actions. God did the plagues. God manifested himself as a sign to be followed with the pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night. God opened up the Red Sea and dried it out so that the people could walk through it as on dry ground. God brought the manna at dawn and the quail at evening. God made the water flow from the rock. God did it all. But, as you know, the Israelites had a very hard time with everything God did. They didn't enjoy how God was doing things. God wasn't doing things the way that they would have done things. So, for example, they didn't like it when Pharaoh got mad at Moses and punished the Israelites by making their work harder. They didn't like being led helplessly to the shores of the Red Sea, looking like they were going to be slaughtered by the Egyptian army. They didn't like running out of the food and water that they had brought with them from Egypt, and then looking around and seeing nothing but a barren desert. If it were up to them, they would have done all these things very differently than the way God did things. If it were up to them, they probably would have liked it best if they would have been the masters and the Egyptians were their slaves. They would have liked riding across the desert in air-conditioned limousines. They would have liked to have enough provisions in their convoy to last forever and a day. They would have liked all the circumstances and conditions to be pointing to their awesomeness and successfulness so that they would always be soothed and never ever have a negative thought. What I've said might sound silly, a little over the top, but we can be serious about what the Israelites were thinking and wishing. If there were a physicist at the shores of the Red Sea that physicist would be very serious about his objections to what was about to take place. If there were an economist in the wilderness, that economist would be very worried about limited resources and how they could ever be properly allocated among so many people. One of the rules for properly engaging in economics is that God is not going to intervene. How could an economist properly predict the price of bread if bread just shows up out of nowhere with the dew? There's no way for a physicist to describe the physical characteristics of water if all of a sudden it stands up in a heap and removes itself from the mucky sea floor. That's not how things normally work. We all understand how things normally work. We all understand how we normally get bread. We all understand how water normally acts. Moses, the writer of Exodus, would have us believe that a bread-like substance came to them every morning. The water of the Red Sea didn't act like water normally acts. The reason why these things acted the way they did is because God made it so. Either God made it so or Moses is lying about what he saw and experienced. What happened with Moses, however, is not something that is applicable only to him. Jesus, our teacher, says similar things to us. For example, Jesus tells us not to worry about our life, what we will eat, what we will drink, or what we will put on. Why? Because your heavenly Father knows that you need them. Jesus does not tell us that we should not worry only if we have tons and tons of provisions. He evidently means that we will be fine no matter what the economist might say. Or, for example, Jesus says that he is the resurrection and the life. Even if we should die, yet shall we live. Whoever lives and believes in him will never die. Here we have a problem for the physicist or the medical doctor. From dust we are and to dust we shall return. How can these bones live? They shall live by the life-giving sacrifice of the Son of God, no matter what the physicist might say. So when we think of the Israelites and Moses we should understand that we have the same struggles of faith as they had. We are cut from the same cloth. We know how things normally work. God has promised them and us that we will be blessed. But then how things normally work comes along and it doesn't look at all like we will be blessed. Then they figured that there's no way that they could be blessed because that's not how things normally work. God's promises were thrown out the window because how could God's promises come true when that's not how things normally work? So we need encouragement to believe. It can be hard to be at peace and thankful if our net worth is decreasing rather than increasing. It can be hard to be at peace and thankful when death draws near. What about when our sins be like scarlet? It can be hard to believe that God will make them white as snow. But such are the promises of God. We can't know exactly how God will be faithful to his promises to the very last detail. There's no way that the Israelites could have known that they would be walking on a dried out seabed or have water sweetened by a chunk of wood. But regardless of not being able to see how everything was going to work, God was faithful to his promise of being their God and they being his people, even when they were not faithful to him. The people's faithfulness was quite awful actually. And we need to talk about that. As Psalm 95 says, and as our reading from Hebrews says, the Israelites hardened their hearts. Their unfaithfulness was made permanent. It is not as though God can be tested and tested and tested and that's okay. God eventually slammed the door on these people, and once it was closed, no one could open it. No amount of crying or gnashing of teeth made God relent once God hardened their hearts. They could not believe, even if they had wanted to. There is nothing worse than God hardening hearts. Other curses and calamities have to do with the body and the mind. The hardening of heart is God's punishment of finality upon the soul. The way that it happens is as it was with Pharaoh and the Israelites. Moses tells us how Pharaoh hardened his own heart. He heard God's Word, knew that it was God Word, but he didn't want to do it. He hardened his own heart. Eventually Moses tells us that not only did Pharaoh harden his own heart, but God hardened it. So it was also with the Israelites. They revolted over and over and over again. They rejected God. They rejected Moses who spoke God's Word. It is amazing how long-suffering God is with them. But eventually enough was enough. They no longer could be anything but unbelieving, which is what they and we naturally are in the first place. God gave them what they wanted; he withdrew his Holy Spirit from them. When this happens, it happens quietly. The hardening of hearts goes unnoticed. The Israelites carry on. There is no scene in the books of Moses after their hearts are hardened where they tear their clothes and say, “My God! What have I done!” Such a reaction is impossible with a hardened heart. Their hardened heart is what kept them plodding alone, still going to church, assuming that they were fine when they were not fine. This, also, just like everything else we can learn from the Israelites, is very instructive for us. Where are the torn clothes, the “My God! What have we done?” among us? Instead we plod along. The younger generations just don't care it seems for God's Word, and we shrug our shoulders. I guess we're just old fashioned. These whipper-snappers just don't do things the way we do. Oh well, times change I guess. We can't be bothered to care or to change or to act. We'll just keep plodding along. How did this happen? We have been hypocrites. We, like Pharaoh, have known God's Word, but not wanted to do it. We, like the Israelites, have had God's promises, but have not been thankful or believing. Instead we've been just like the rest of the unbelieving world. We know how to get ahead. We know how to have a good time. Screw whatever God has to say. We've done what we wanted to do and not let God's will have his way with us. If God rejected these Israelites, why can't he also reject us? That is the bracing thought that the writer of the Hebrews puts before us today. It says in our reading: “Watch out, brothers, so that there is not an evil, unbelieving heart in any of you that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another each and every day, as long as it is called “today,” so that none of you are hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” Note how it says that an evil, unbelieving heart can come upon any one of us. None of us is immune. I am not immune. How does this happen? It's by being hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. Sin is deceitful. It deceives. It tricks. It lures. It rewards. It hardens. How can we be helped? First, we must not be deceived. Sin always wants to masquerade as the thing that is “normal.” It's what everybody else is doing. It's what is inevitable anyway. So we might as well just embrace it and act accordingly. We must not allow such deceitful thinking to go unchallenged. But that's only the beginning. The main thing, and really the only way that we can be helped, is the only way that the Israelites could have been helped. We must take in hand firmly and ever more firmly and always and forever the promises of God. The strength of the Israelites was always and only in their God who promised and acted. They were strong when they believed that God was for them despite what they saw, despite what the worldly-wise might tell them. Economists and physicists still think that it's nuts to believe that such things could ever happen. Our reading says: “Encourage one another each and every day, as long as it is called “today,” … Encourage with what? This: “For we have become people who share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firmly until the end. As Psalm 95 says: Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.” We are to encourage one another each and every day. What is to be our encouragement? It is that we are people who share in Christ. The Israelites were baptized in the Red Sea. You've been baptized into Christ's death. The Israelites inherited the Promised Land. Your inheritance is eternal in the heavens. Don't be deceived by the passing pleasures of sin. The deceitfulness of sin says that you need your pleasure now. You can't wait for heaven. You can't wait for God to feed you what you need. You need to take it in hand and take it for yourself now. Against this deceit we must fight with faith and thankfulness. Christ's promises will come true, no matter how you feel, how sinful you are, or how things look. Thus you can be thankful. That's your strength. God is for you, come what may. And in the meantime he gives you wonderful and beautiful things if you will only just open your eyes to see them. Don't be deceived by longing for God to do things the way you want him to do things—air-conditioned limousines and such. Embrace what God has given—even if that doesn't look very impressive to others. God's voice, against which you should not harden yourself, is his promises to you. Therefore, if you hear his voice today, harden not your heart. Believe his promises and it will be so.

Just about everyone wants peace. That has certainly always been so. Yet, we do not have peace, and that, too, has probably always been so. We have never been able to build peace, and it is likely that we never will be. Either God will do it, or it shall not be done. Yet, we can and must join in God's work through prayer and action. Father William Grimm, who lives in Japan  shares some thoughts on this.Produced by Binu AlexFor news in and about the Church in Asia, visit www.ucanews.com

Today, we watch a couple of apologists struggle with the problem of evil.Join me at The Watering Hole: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAhtLWZIbOZTl4LIZ9Uby4A/Sources:The Accuser is Not Satan: https://bit.ly/3798eluPointing Fingers At Mother Teresa's Heirs: https://bit.ly/3JbXG2uA Critic's Lonely Quest: Revealing the Whole Truth About Mother Teresa: https://nyti.ms/3K713cgReligiosity Highest in World's Poorest Nations: http://bit.ly/3u3pAcKThe world's happiest countries for 2022: http://cnn.it/3Ka0miwOriginal Video: https://bit.ly/3tRxZjfAll my various links can be found here:http://links.vicedrhino.com

Thank you for listening. Check out more at www.seekGodtogether.com Today we will read Genesis 3:3-5 which says, “But about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, God said, ‘You must not eat it or touch it, or you will die.'” “No! You will not die” the serpent said to the woman. “In fact, God knows that when you eat it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Whatever you believe about the first several chapters of Genesis, this is the narrative of the fall of humanity. It's an epic showdown between God's image-bearers and the cunning serpent. It's fascinating! Let's take a look. The serpent asks Eve if God really said she couldn't eat from any tree in the garden in a clear obfuscation of God's command. Eve corrects him saying they must not eat from the tree in the middle of the garden. Of course she adds just a tad herself by saying they can't even touch it. What's interesting at this point is that the serpent doesn't question her recall. He questions God's intentions. “You will not die. He knows your eyes will be opened and you'll be like God.” The accusation against God is that He isn't honest, has ulterior motives, and is holding out on His creation. This is a strange accusation for a creature to make, but it happens everyday, even by you and me. Incredibly, the serpent was technically, and cunningly, right. They did not physically die, at least not immediately. Of course they were doomed. Cut off from God's method of life-giving-energy - the “Tree of Life”, humans became spiritual zombies. But the real kicker is that they did in fact become like God, knowing good and evil. God Himself says so in verse 22. We will not plumb the depths here. This story has served humanity for thousands of years and so will continue. But there is a point to be made that's often overlooked. Often I've heard this passage used as a weapon to enforce a particular view of scripture or of theology. To doubt a particular interpretation is to doubt God speaking. But that wasn't Eve's problem. She knew what God said. She got an A on her systematic theology. She knew the answer. She paid attention. So where did she go wrong? It was her belief in the character of God. You can question God's existence, the precision of His communication, His methods, you can hurl all your complaints, doubts, cussing and cursing directly to His face, but there is no cure for doubting His motives. This can turn the most beautiful cherub into a satan and it can do the same in you and me. Either God created us for beautiful relationship or He's holding out on us. Every creature must decide for themselves. “God once again I am rocked by Your methods. But I do believe Your intentions are far better than I could ever imagine.” --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Unfortunately bad things happen. I look at difficult times as a sign. Either God is trying to get my attention. He's trying to show me something. He's trying to move me in a certain direction. I discuss all of this on this episode. Stories to Inspire are stories I share about my own personal life. I use my stories to find the lessons, solutions, to move forward, and to live the best life I possibly can. I hope to inspire you to look at the stories in your own life. Website Affordable Coaching Free Blank Page Journal Challenge workbook Find me on Instagram Blank Page Girl Etsy Shop Gift card

Today's Reading: Luke 2:33-40Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 58:1-59:3, 14-21; Luke 1:26-38And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him. (Luke 2:40)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Can God make a rock so heavy that He can't lift it? If God can do anything, He can certainly make a rock that is exceedingly heavy. But if God can do anything He could lift it. We're stuck. Either God can't make the rock or He can't lift it--and then God can no longer do anything.But questions like this are from the devil. "You shall not put the Lord your God to the test" (Matthew 4:7). It is not our place to tell God what He can or can't do. It's not our place to put God into a paradox from which He cannot escape.God does the paradox His way.Luke 2:40 reports one of the most paradoxical events the world has ever seen: "And the child grew and became strong." This Child, who was also God, grew and became strong. This Child, the Lord of heaven and earth, who can move planets with His voice, grew and became strong. Presumably at some point before He became strong, He encountered a rock that He could not lift."Kenosis" is the term that describes how Jesus set aside His divine power in the Incarnation. It comes from the Greek word that means "to empty," as it says in Philippians 2:6–7: "Though he was in the form of God, [He] did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men." The irony is that by making Himself unable to lift the rock, the Son of God shows that He can indeed do anything--including suffering and dying for humanity's sins. The Child Jesus grew and became strong, but His strength is measured in weakness. Likewise, the Child was filled with wisdom, but His wisdom is measured in foolishness. "For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men" (1 Corinthians 1:25). God could do anything (including making a rock so heavy that Jesus couldn't lift it when He was a boy). But God chooses to do the Cross. The Cross is strength in weakness and wisdom in folly. But He does it. He does it for you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.Abide with richest blessings Among us, bounteous Lord; Let us in grace and wisdom Grow daily through Your Word. ("Abide, O Dearest Jesus" LSB 919, st.4)-Rev. Jacob Ehrhard is pastor of St. John's Lutheran Church and School in Chicago, IL.Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Duane Bamsch

All of us serve someone or something and we cannot serve two masters. Either God will be our master or someone or something else will be. With the parable of the shrewd or dishonest manager Jesus tells his followers not to waste what God has entrusted to them but to be faithful stewards for God their master. We cannot, fool God, the Lord knows our hearts, and we will give an account for how we use what God has given to us. Who do you serve? Who is your master?

Live and let Live, they tell me. Let go and Let God! They tell me. Live 24 hrs at a time, a hour , a minute! Your not God they tell me, first things first they tell me. Easy does it! They tell me. And I'm glad I listened like the dying would, alcohol was killing me , my judgment was eating my strategies. I need a new format, a new underlying operating system that did not fly off the handle, when highs and lows in success or failures came along. Enough is enough! Either God is or He's not? I said uncle, and it worked! Thank God I'm a big time misfit and had the inclination to admit it. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/fernando-montes-de-oca/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/fernando-montes-de-oca/support

In this message Chris Tortorici looks at why Moses felt disqualified and why God would create a part of us that would need to be cut away. "Either God doesn't know who Moses is or Moses doesn't know who Moses is” - Chris Tortorici Today we read from:Ex 6:10-131 Cor 7:12-19Duet 30:6Prov 23:7 

Everyone knows they need money and physical health, so all you Happy Warriors pay attention to the F-Finance and the F-Fitness. But not all of us know we also need F-Faith. The fabulous 40 years from 1903 to 1943. And the failed 40 years from 1981 to 2021. Secular totalitarianism versus Bible-based civilization. Kindergarten theology: If God is good and all-powerful, how can there be suffering in the world? Either God is not good, or else He is not all powerful. Your rabbi presents you with the ribbon-wrapped-response to this decidedly un-profound question. Find your Happy Warrior community in order to connect, communicate, collaborate, cooperate and create at https://www.wehappywarriors.com/happy-warriors-basic Why did the 6.6-magnitude earthquake in December 2003 in Iran kill 34,000 people while, 4 days earlier, a California earthquake of identical magnitude killed only two people? Why do floods kill 5,000 Bangladeshis every year but similar weather in the North Sea kills almost nobody? Why are there still no tsunami sirens in Thailand after the devastating 2004 tidal wave? How to talk to God. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Everyone knows they need money and physical health so all you Happy Warriors pay attention to the F-Finance and the F-Fitness. But not all of us know we also need F-Faith. The fabulous 40 years from 1903 to 1943. And the failed 40 years from 1981 to 2021. Secular totalitarianism versus Bible-based civilization. Kindergarten theology: If God is good and all-powerful how can there be suffering in the world? Either God is not good or else He is not all powerful. Your rabbi presents you with the ribbon-wrapped-response to this decidedly unprofound question. Find your Happy Warrior community in order to connect, communicate, collaborate, cooperate and create https://www.wehappywarriors.com/happy-warriors-basic. Why did the December 2003 Iranian 6.6 earthquake kill 34,000 while 4 days earlier a California earthquake of identical magnitude killed only two people? Why do floods kill 5,000 Bangladeshis every year but similar weather in the North Sea kills almost nobody? Why are there still no tsunami sirens in Thailand after the devastating 2004 tidal wave? How to talk to God.    Rabbi Daniel Lapin's Recommended Bible: https://rabbidaniellapin.com/product/rabbi-daniel-lapins-recommended-hebrew-english-bible-compact-edition/

Finally, God descends to earth and speaks to Job with awesome power... out of a whirlwind. - Sermon Transcript - Well if you could, and you can't, but if you could be transported back in time by the Spirit of God to any moment in redemptive history, what would you like to go back and see? Where would you like to go? So many options. Love to be there when God created the universe and see it all unfolding step by step. To see the beautiful garden of Eden, to see the beauty of that pristine and perfect world. What would it be like just to be there? Or when Noah got off the arc after the flood, and he offered up the sacrifice, that pleasing aroma to God, and then that rainbow came in the skies and that sense of the beauty, the freshness of a world cleansed from wickedness and sin, a fresh start. Maybe when Abraham was about to sacrifice his son, Isaac, and the Angel of the Lord stopped him and a voice from heaven, from the Angel of the Lord said, “Now I know that you fear God.” There's so many options, but for me this morning, at least, I would love to be there when God spoke to Job out of the whirlwind. To just stand there and hear the voice of God. Because I have a feeling that in the end, that's the message of the book of Job. That if God would be with us in our suffering, if he would talk to us, if he would speak to us, if he would walk with us through the water and through the fire, we could make it through anything. If God would be with us and would be for us, we could endure any of the afflictions he would choose to bring into our lives. I know that this is the lesson. And so I want to hear from God this morning, we've come in Job 38 to the climax of the book of Job, four chapter climax. We're not going to get through all of the dimensions, the beauty of God speaking to Job, but we're going to begin. Job 38 begins one of the most dramatic conversations there's ever been in human history. Job, one of the godliest men in history has been yearning for a face to face with God. This is as close as any man could come, for almighty God descends to earth and speaks to Job with awesome power. The glorious God speaks to Job out of a whirlwind. At last, the seemingly silent God, the invisible God, the omnipotent God speaks, at last. Job assaulted by his sufferings which came upon him wave upon wave has been yearning for the chance to confront God and to interrogate him. Job seems convinced that God has made the same mistake in some ways that his friends did. Essentially Job seems to be operating at least from time to time out of the same faulty theology that they had. The only explanation for human suffering is punishment by a wise God for specific sins that that person has committed, the law of retribution. And he knows that he hasn't committed any great sins. So it must mean that God has, in some sense, made a big mistake. And all that needs to happen, Job thinks, is to have somewhat of a court trial in which he gets a face to face with God. And the evidence can be presented at last of his basic righteousness, his blamelessness, and God would agree, consent to it. And Job would emerge triumphant in some sense against God, himself, as his unjust adversary. He expected to grill God like a prosecuting attorney and have God answer all of his questions. But this conversation doesn't go anything like Job expected that it would, not at all. Because God being God seizes the initiative here, right from the start. And he asks Job all the questions and demands that he answer God. And as he does all of this, he brings deep repentance to Job and he brings final spiritual healing to Job. And through Job, as we read, by the ministry of the Holy Spirit to us, to us. So that's what we're getting as we look at Job 38. I. God’s Voice in the Whirlwind Humbles Us This is God's voice; God's voice in the whirlwind and it humbles us. Look at verses 1-2, “Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said: ‘Who is this that darkens my counsel with words without knowledge?’” the overwhelming majesty of God. Now earlier in the book of Job we saw in Job 13:11 this statement, “Would not his splendor terrify you? Would not the dread of him fall upon you?” Yes, it would. It's always the case with these theophanies, these appearances of God in the Bible, whenever it happens, human beings are on their face before him; they're leveled by him. So God determines to appear in majesty with the trappings of power and glory, and to overwhelm Job with his infinite greatness as he did with the Israelites at Mount Sinai. When God spoke to Israel that day, he descended from heaven to earth in clouds and fire, and he made the ground shake under their feet. And his voice was so terrifying that the people begged Moses that God not speak to them anymore less they should die. And God did all this to fill the people with fear. That was his motive, clearly. There's no doubt that God has this capability. He can show up with this level of power. He can cause his glory to shine brilliantly. He can cause the ground beneath our feet to shake and he can speak to us with a voice that sounds like thunder and that fills the whole world with terror. God can do that. He has a dimmer switch on this. He can ramp it up, the display of his glory and his omnipotence, and his majesty to such levels we can scarcely begin to imagine. If he dial it up to 1% maybe, I feel that we would immediately die. “No one can see me and live,” God said to Moses. He has that power and God can choose any level of display he wants with any person at any time. Then why does he use a whirlwind to speak to Job? He didn't have to use a whirlwind. Why did he do it? He uses the wind, but in overpowering magnitude. I mean, wind can be gentle, like a zephyr, like a fragrant spring breeze, barely causing leaves to flutter. Making a few strands of your hair to dance around your face, making the tall grass sway just a little bit here and there. That's all. That's what the wind can do at that level. That was the choice it seems that God made when he spoke to Elijah on Mount Horeb. God said, “Go out and stand in the presence of the Lord.” So Elijah went out and the Lord passed by Elijah and an overpowering wind at that time, tore the mountains apart. But God was not in that hurricane. And after that mighty wind, there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake, there came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And then after that came the sound of a gentle blowing, like a gentle breeze, like a faint whisper, but the KJV calls it a still small voice. And when Elijah heard that still small voice, that gentle whisper, he covered his face and went out into the presence of the Lord and God spoke to him. So why did God use the gentle whisper with Elijah and this terrifying whirlwind with Job? God seeks to humble Job in order to heal him I believe. God is the perfect counselor and he is also Job's greatest friend. He's the lover of Job's soul. These three counselors failed in their ministry to Job. Their motive initially may have been to help their friend in his suffering, but their theology, their theology was flawed. Theology is the ground beneath your feet as you reach out to help a falling friend. But if your theology is flawed, you're standing on wet rotten wood in a collapsing derelict house. So you cannot catch a falling friend with faulty theology. You cannot lift a falling friend with faulty theology. You have no ground under your feet. You really are falling yourself. So it was with Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. In the end their truth system was flawed and their pride kicked in and they doubled down, and they doubled down again on their flawed theology, and they became destructive to their supposed friend. But, this is by the way the greatest understatement of my entire sermon, you ready? God's theology is good. God's theology is actually perfect. God knows what he's talking about. Everything God says is true, and along with that, God is perfectly wise. He is the wonderful counselor and he knows precisely what approach to take to heal Job. He knows what truths to speak to transform Job's anguished heart, and to restore his soul to health. Now, admittedly, I would have to say, it's not what we would've thought a man in Job's situation would've needed. Isn't that true? We would've thought, “God, if you're going to show up in a wind, why don't you choose that little still small voice thing again, that gentle whisper. I mean, don't you think this man's been through enough?” I mean, I would've thought a gentle whisper would've been just a thing for a man like Job in that circumstance. But Isaiah 55 makes it plain. God says this, “My thoughts are not your thoughts. Neither are your ways my ways, says the Lord, as the heavens are higher than the earth so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” It seems like one of the basic lessons of the book of Job is don't question anything God does ever. So that includes this whirlwind strategy. Don't question it, it was the right thing for the moment. He knew what to do. God knew exactly what Job needed here. And none of the things that God said to job were for God's own benefit, but always for Job's spiritual healing and through Job, all of us. Apparently that's what Job needed the most. "Everything God says is true, and along with that, God is perfectly wise. He is the wonderful counselor and he knows precisely what approach to take to heal Job." He needed to be humbled and put in his place. He needed to be brought to repentance for the hard things he was thinking, the hard things he had said about almighty God. He needed to be brought down a number of pegs to be made to realize that he cannot possibly think to stand toe to toe with God as an equal and debate with him. None of us can. And more than that, Job needs to be brought to a point of absolute trust in almighty God. So what is God's approach going to be? What are we going to talk about over these four climactic chapters? Well, he's going to use something that we have learned to call natural theology, natural theology, to prove his wisdom and power. God's going to speak natural theology. He's going to engage Job in the process so Job is deeply thoroughly humbled. So it's going to be a bit of a conversation, but not really. He's going to bring Job in at some key moments, but just to humble him and he's going to use natural theology. What is that? Natural theology is what nature teaches us about God. What you can learn about God by looking at nature, at creation, that's natural theology. So God builds on Job's experience in the world and stands as the creator, the sustainer, the ruler of everything in the universe. God made it without man's aid. He sustains it every moment without man's aid. And he rules over every moment without man's aid. Excuse me. God will effectively be saying, “Since I have done and am doing all of these things and you have done none of them, you should trust how I'm dealing specifically with your life right now. You should trust me. You are absolutely in no position whatsoever to question me. Just trust me, I know what I'm doing.” That seems to be the lesson. So that's what we're going to get in these four chapters and more, a lot of details. So he is directly humbling Job and through Job he's humbling all of us. So God sees his control as I said of this encounter. Remember that Job wanted to ask him questions, but it's not going to go that way. It's God who's going to ask him, look at verse three, “Brace yourself like a man. I will question you and you shall answer me.” “Brace yourself like a man.” What an expression. “Get yourself ready Job. Get dressed for battle. Okay, are you ready? Let's go.” There's that sense, “Let's go. You wanted to talk to me, here I am.” And then fundamentally it's, “Who are you to question me?” That's the tone here. Do you see that? Almost all of the roads lead to that. “Who are you to question me?” Verse two, “Who is this?” Who are you? “Who is this that darkens my counsel with words without knowledge?” Remember the two basic issues always in life are the same, fundamental aspects of our wisdom. Number one, the knowledge of God and number two, knowledge of ourselves. That's what we're learning. And so God wants Job to see himself properly in light of the infinite majesty of God. That's how that works. “So who are you to question me?” And so he is going to expose three basic limitations of Job and through Job, all of us, we have the same limitations. First of all, knowledge: “Job you know almost nothing. I am omniscient.” Secondly, time: “Job, your lifespan is very brief. You haven't been around very long. I am eternal.” And then thirdly, power: “Job, you have very little power. Actually, you're very weak. I am omnipotent.” So these basic limitations he's going to expose and then through Job, us. Also along the way God is going to use irony and perhaps some sarcasm. And people don't like that word sarcasm, but I don't know what else to do with some of the statements. We'll see it very plainly at one point. But he says, “Tell me, since you know. You were there, weren't you? At that point, remember when I made everything. Teach me Job, I'd really like to know. Have you done this? Have you done that? Can you do the other?” That's just sarcastic or ironic to some degree. God is using this as a technique. All right. So let's look at those limitations. We need to be humbled in this way. Fundamental aspect of our salvation is our humbling. When we get to heaven, we will be leveled when it comes to pride, leveled. We will be so perfectly humble in heaven. The more humble we can be now on earth, the better. So let's look at these limitations. First of all, knowledge, “Who is this that darkens my counsel with words without knowledge?” So when a wise man speaks, his words bring light, right? They bring enlightenment that represents insight, wisdom. “But Job when you speak, it just gets darker. It's like what comes out of your mouth are thick, dark clouds of ignorance that cover over light. You're darkening my counsel and you're speaking words without knowledge. That's ignorant words. Job, you are actually shockingly ignorant. There is so much you don't know.” Now, the human mouth displays the arrogance of the human heart. Jesus said, “Out of the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks.” So what's in your heart out it comes out the mouth. And it says in James 3, “The tongue makes great boasts.” That's who we are. We're very arrogant. We need to be humbled. Secondly, the issue of time, “You haven't been around very long, Job.” Look at verse four, “Where were you when I laid the Earth's foundation?” And then later in verse 21, “Surely you know, since you were already born! You have lived so many years!” That's an example of that sarcasm that I was talking about, verse 21. So, “You're limited in time. You haven't been around very long.” Thirdly, power. You're limited in power. You are very weak. Verse 12, “Have you given orders to the morning or shown the dawn its place?” So it's not just power, you're limited in authority, “Go ahead, speak to the dawn and let it obey you.” Or again, verse 34-35, “Can you raise your voice to the clouds and cover yourself with a flood of water? Do you send the lightning bolts on their way? Do the lightning bolts report to you and say, here we are, what do you want us to do?” So anyway, this is the counseling strategy that God takes with Job and through Job to every generation of his suffering people since then. God vigorously puts us in our place so that we will suffer well and we will not question his wisdom, his power or his love. God’s Power in Creation Educates Us Secondly, God's power in creation educates us. So let's just drink in this natural theology. Let's just learn what God talks about. God's three great works when it comes to the physical creation, the physical universe. First of all, God originally created it out of nothing by the word of his power. Secondly, God sustains it every moment by the word of his power. Thirdly, God rules over it actively, every moment, by the word of his power. These are the displays of God's power in the physical universe, his great works. Creation, sustaining, and governance. And he begins with the earth's foundations. Look at verses 4-7, “Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? Tell me if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know. Who stretched a measuring line across it? On what were its footing set or who laid its cornerstone, while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?” So he begins with the planet, the earth, the ground under our feet. The earth is solidly set. It cannot be moved, another scripture said. God laid the foundations of the earth permanently. This is the stage, the physical stage on which the drama of human history and redemptive history has been unfolding. He marked off the dimensions of the earth, knowing how large to make it. He laid the foundations of the earth, and he says, verse 7, “While the angels watched him in sang for joy.” Most of your translations say, sons of God, one translation just tells us what that is, angels. We know that there's no humans at that point. There's no physical earth out of which they were made yet. So the angels are the audience and they're enjoying it. God does these things for an audience. Everything's a theater. We are the knowledgeable beings, angels and humans, who watch what God does and praise him for it. Animals don't do that. Rocks and rivers, and trees don't do that, we do. And so before, in verse 7, before this adoring audience of angels, he laid the foundations of the earth. They were his first audience and they applauded him. Then he discusses ocean's boundaries, verses 8-11, “Who shut up the sea behind doors when it burst forth from the womb, when I made the clouds, its garment and wrapped it in thick darkness, when I fixed limits for it and set its doors and bars in place, when I said, ‘This far you may come and no farther; here is where your proud waves halt?’” Well, that's awesome. I mentioned last week in Japan, seeing the after effects of a tsunami, a hurricane, and just the thrashing of the ocean, the raging power of the ocean is terrifying. Think of the might of the billowing waves. Think how destructive they are on cities who are built on the coast, when the tsunami hits and tidal waves come crashing down. Nothing created by man can restrain the oceans. And there's certainly more than enough water to 100% inundate planet earth, Noah's flood proved that. But God restrains the oceans. He sets boundaries for the oceans, limits. And they are, apparently very fragile. The sand dunes with the little wispy grass and you're not allowed to walk on them. Have you ever been there with all those warning signs about walking on the fragile dunes? They're very fragile. It's like, “That's it God? That's the limit? That's the boundary?” Yep. It's enough. It'll stop. The proud waves halting right here. This is the limit. Here your proud waves must halt. The limits of God. God limits all of his creation. Every created thing has boundaries and borders, and limits, and he upholds them. God says to Job, “I'm the one who did this.” He openly tells him. And then he gets to day and night, verses 12-15, “Have you ever given orders to the morning, [Job], have you ever shown the dawn its place that it might take the earth by the edges and shake the wicked out of it? The earth takes shape like clay under a seal, its features stand out like those of a garment, the wicked are denied their light and their upraised arm is broken.” So God set up from the beginning, the rhythms of evening and morning. As you read in Genesis, there was evening and there was morning, the first day. There was evening and there was morning, the second day. There's this rhythm of days, of sunrise and sunset. On the fourth day of creation, God created the sun to govern the day and the moon to govern the night. He also created the stars. And God gave orders to the sun and the moon in terms of their boundaries, in terms of what their task would be. He controlled the rotation of the earth as we understand it, to make each day as long as it should be. God figured all that out, and in the language here, God claims to give orders to the morning, to command when it should be morning. This is not the machine, the mindless machine of the Deists. You know how they said, it's like a clock that God made all the gears and the springs and wound it up and just lets it run. The mindless creation, the machine of the Deists, that's not it. God gives orders to the dawn when it's time for the dawn to come. He's in charge of it. And as the sun rises, the contours of the earth become increasingly visible to the naked eye. As the light kind of shines more and more over the terrain, you can see the high places and the low places, it takes shape like a seal. So this could go back to the original creation, but it seems to be more what it looks like when the sun rises. “Did you, Job, command this, the morning, would it obey your voice?” And he notes with the rising of the sun, the wicked crawl back into their dark caves, no longer able to do their deeds of darkness. This is a picture of God's sovereign control even over the rebellious of the earth. So God is ruling over even the wicked of the earth. He doesn't talk about it much, but he does that. Then in verse 16 he talks about the sources of the sea. Verse 16, “Have you journeyed to the springs of the sea or walked in the recesses of the deep?” He speaks, it seems, of the sources of ocean water from the bottom of the ocean floor. He uses language asking if Job has ever walked there or walked on the ocean itself. When Noah's flood broke on the earth, it wasn't just 40 days of rain, but in Genesis 7:11 it says, “all the springs of the great deep broke forth.” So from down below, there was this pressured water and it just roared up. God's in charge of all that, as though there's hidden sources of ocean water deep within the earth's crust that God unleashed; God's in control of that. And then verse 17-18, the vast dimensions of the earth: “Have the gates of death been shown to you, [Job]? Have you seen the gates of the shadow of death? Have you comprehended the vast expanses of the earth?” The vast expanses, the dimensions of the earth, “Tell me if you know all this.” This speaks of the dimensions in details of planet earth, including the subterranean regions, the deep regions of the earth, where the dead are buried. The actual dimensions of caves and deep crevices and sinkholes, even down to the core of the earth itself. “Job, have you ever seen these? Do you have any sense of the vastness of the earth's size and dimensions?” And then again, light and darkness, verse 19-20: “What is the way to the abode of light? And where does darkness reside? Can you take them to their places? Do you know the paths to their dwellings?” So he goes back to the sun and moon perhaps, but even more to light and darkness itself. The nature of light, how it works, what it is physically, and then darkness as well. God's in charge of all of this, the light of the world, how it shines and where. I wonder if at this point Job doesn't have any idea what God is talking about. I mean, that's the point, isn't it? You don't know how to do all this. Like Jesus said to Nicodemus about being born again, “I've spoken to you in earthly language and you don't understand what then if I speak in heavenly language? There's whole levels of communication I could be using here and you wouldn't have any idea what I'm talking about.” And so he takes a little bit of a break for sarcastic mockery, as I mentioned, verse 21, “Surely you know, [Job], for you were already born! You have lived so many years!” I just find that interesting. People say often God has a sense of humor. There's not a lot of evidence that he does, but we have a sense of humor and we have a sense of that. It's like, “All right Job, I'm ready, ready to listen since you're so old and you've learned so many things.” So again, he is humbling him. And then he deals in verses 22-30 with weather patterns of every kind, snow, hail, lightning, wind rain, thunderstorm, dew, ice, frost, freezing water, and the effects of the rain watering the earth. Look at these verses. Verse 22, “Have you entered the storehouses of the snow or seen the storehouses of the hail, which I reserve for times of trouble, for days of war and battle? What is the way to the place where the lightning is dispersed or the place where the east winds are scattered over the earth? Who cuts a channel for the torrents of rain and a path for the thunderstorm, to water a land where no man lives, a desert with no one in it, to satisfy a desolate wasteland and make it sprout with grass? Does the rain have a father? Who fathers the drops of dew? From whose womb comes the ice? Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens, when the waters become hard as stone, when the surface of the deep is frozen?” Honestly weather patterns are beyond most ability of human beings to comprehend. Certainly beyond anyone to control. We can barely comprehend what has happened. The rhythms of meteorology and some of the best among us who have spent a life studying this can give us a five day forecast. And sometimes four out of those five days are right. Maybe even all five. Those are good days. I wouldn't want to be a meteorologist. I don't know how they do what they do, but God's going beyond this. God actually controls staggeringly huge movements of air, massively huge. And he controls temperatures, cold fronts, warm fronts, thermals rising, does all of this. And he knows how much rain to give each region of the earth to produce the exact outcome he desires. He waters, the text says, the desert regions with just the right amount, as well as the grasslands, the tropical rain forest, the wheat fields for us in Kansas, the corn fields in Iowa. He's controlling all of that. And his power is beyond comprehension. God doesn't just know the weather patterns or predict them. He's controlling them. He's controlling the movements of air. And then he goes to the stars in verses 31-33, the constellations and the laws of physics, “Can you bind the beautiful Pleiades? Can you loose the chords of Orion? Can you bring forth the constellations in their seasons or lead out the Bear with its cubs? Do you know the laws of the heavens? Can you set up God's dominions over the earth?” So at this point, God raises Job's eyes up to the heavens like he did with Abraham. Look up at the stars, look at the staggering dimensions of outer space, clearly beyond man's control. No doubt about that. We have no control over that. Most of it is beyond man's even observations. We don't even know how big it is, how many stars there are. We're never going to reach even the closest stars. Stars are given to give light to the earth, but also to humble us, because the nearest star Proxima Centauri is 4.25 light years away. So you're not going to get in your vehicle and dial up the cruise control to one light year, and then in four of those, you'll be there. You'll never make it. The only thing we ever made that has left the solar system, Voyager, at its rate it would take 73,000 years to get there. Like, “Oh, we got much better technology than Voyager now, we can go twice as fast.” Okay. Then that's 37,000 years maybe. One of you will do the math and come back at me. I know that. But then that's the nearest star. The Pleiades that he mentions, the stars that make up that constellation group, is 100 times further away than that. We'll never make it. We just look at it. Job has absolutely no control over the stars. He cannot bind their chords or loosen them, whatever that means. He cannot bring any star forth, but God actually controls each star, because of his mighty power not one of them is missing and he knows each of them by name, Isaiah 40:26. It's interesting, he talks about the laws of the heavens. Like long before there was Newton figuring out the laws of gravitation or Einstein, figuring out the laws of light and of relativity, God knows, verse 33, the laws of the heavens, all of it. And then whether, again, verse 34-35, “Can you raise your voice to the clouds and cover yourself with a flood of water? Do you send the lightning bolts on their way? Do they report to you and say, ‘here we are?’” “Are you in charge of the wind and the rain, and the clouds? Can you control all that?” Now, interestingly, in verse 36, for the only time in these four chapters, the only time, God addresses human capacity. He doesn't talk about man pretty much at all in these four chapters. I find that interesting, but here he mentions it briefly. Verse 36, “Who endowed the heart with wisdom or gave understanding to the mind?” So he's saying, “I created you in my image, and I gave you a brain.” The human brain is the most complex physical thing God ever made. The number of neural interconnections in the human brain are equal to, they tell us, the number of leaves in the Amazonian rainforest. God made that. He made your brain to do what it does. It is made in the image of God. And so your reasoning powers, your thinking, your analytical powers, your understanding, God did that. And he's greater than all of it for he made it. Man's understanding is like a flickering candle compared to God's omniscience. But this capability is still an astonishing display of God's creative power. And then he goes one more time to human limits and to weather again. Verse 37-38, “Who has the wisdom to count the clouds? Who can tip over the water jars of the heavens when the dust becomes hard and the clods of earth stick together?” All right. So God's basic natural theology approach, I think comes in two main parts, not counting Behemoth and Leviathan, we'll get to in due time. Basically you've got inanimate objects and then animals. Those are the two basic approaches. So we've done all this inanimate stuff. The foundations of the earth, the oceans, the weather, the wind, the clouds, the stars, all this inanimate creation and how God runs it. Then he starts getting into animals. Now I know this is still chapter 38, but if I can tell you, the chapter divisions are not inspired by God. They were done by monks, I guess at some point, or somebody did them. I don't know who divided up the chapters. Some of the divisions are excellent and wonderful, and shouldn't be changed others are a bit confusing. So this one, I'm just going to put a line across here and say the two animals he discusses here we'll talk about next time with all the other animals. And there are 10 of them, one after the other, each of them with their capabilities, each one with their domains and God feeding them and caring for them and all that. We'll get to that God willing next week. III. God’s Truth in Scripture Prepares Us So that's natural theology. That's what God's saying. Now, God's truth as revealed in scripture is higher and clearer. The book of Job is clearer than looking at creation itself. We learn more from scripture. So again, keep in mind the whole book of Job and the context, Job's sufferings, the problem of human pain. That's what we're addressing here. God is addressing the problem of human suffering. The problem of pain that comes in our lives, the afflictions that come and hurt us deeply, and he wants to help us. And this is how he's helping us. This is how he wants to help us. This is God's answer. What is it? The God who made all these things and wisely sustains them, and powerfully sustains them, knows also how to run your life. “Trust me, trust me, I have earned, I should have earned your trust.” That's the argument that's going on here. We know there's stronger arguments. I know in the New Testament, the giving of Jesus, his life, his death, his resurrection. We'll get to that in a moment, but this is what's happening in this chapter. “Know me. Look at creation.” The astounding evidence of God in creation. The clearest description in scripture of natural theology is in Romans 1:20 and following, “Since the creation of the world,” that text says, “God's invisible qualities- his eternal power and divine nature- have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made so that men are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools.” So let's not be fools. Let's look at nature. Let's look at creation and say, “The God whom I love made all these things. When I look at this creation, I see how powerful he is, how wise he is, how loving he is.” And if we don't, then our foolish hearts are darkened. We're not glorifying God as God and giving thanks to him. "The God who made all these things and wisely sustains them, and powerfully sustains them, knows also how to run your life." So do that, and as you're doing that, know yourself. What do you think you should know about yourself? You should be humble. You should be humble in reference to God. You should know yourself. You're a creature, you're created in the image of God. That's true. That's your exaltation. But you are not God, that's your humbling. So fall down before God in humble worship, renounce all arrogant claims and charges against him. And in suffering, especially, trust God that he is wise. He knows what he's doing. The same God who orchestrates the weather patterns, who moves masses of warm air in one direction and cool air in another to produce exactly the right amount of rain and sunshine for the crops, God knows how to orchestrate your life. And not only that, he knows how much you can handle. We would've been, admit it, extremely gentle with Job. We would've had God be gentle with Job. In terms of the trials that he brought, we would've had fewer, less. We feel that God maybe wasn't gentle. But I'll tell you this, God was effective. The level of trial he brought in Job's life was the right amount to achieve what he wanted. And the counsel, the approach to counseling was just right. So therefore, suffer well, suffer well. Look at creation and realize that God is in control and knows exactly what he's doing in your life. Trust him; speak words of confident faith to him when you're hurting. When you're hurting, speak words of confident faith, “God, I trust you. I know you love me. I know this is working in good purpose in my life.” Say those things to him. Pray your pain back to him. Be patient in affliction. And as you study creation, learn the attributes you can learn from creation. You can't learn all of them. There are some attributes you can't learn from creation. I mentioned that last week. I don't think you can learn God's justice in creation. You have to look at what he does with people. And in the end, his justice will be vindicated. We'll talk about that. But what can you learn? Well, Jesus said, “Consider the lilies of the field,” right? Consider them. David said in Psalm 8, “When I consider the heavens, the work of your fingers.” So you got this considering thing going on. So consider the lilies of the field. And what do you get, according to Jesus, when you do? You realize you shouldn't be anxious about your life, what you'll eat or drink or about your body, what you'll wear. Look at the lilies of the field. If God clothes them better than Solomon, he knows how to take care of you. So what you get from looking at that creation, you get a sense of God's love, his love. And when you look up to the stars in the night sky with Psalm 8 in your mind, and you say, “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have made,” you know what I think, I think, “what is man?” So you get humbled by that. And you also have a sense of God's infinite power and your lowness. So you get humility from that. And what do you get when you consider the complex ecosystems, about the animals and how they relate to their terrain and all that? We'll get more of that, God willing, next week. But the Psalmist does that in Psalm 104. You realize that God has a place for every creature and every creature is in its place. And it lives as long as it's supposed to and it eats what it's supposed to, and it functions like it's supposed to, and all of it interacts in amazing ways. So what do you get when you meditate on that? A display of God's wisdom, wisdom. Psalm 104:24, “How many are your work O Lord. In wisdom, you made them all, the earth is full of your creatures.” Now, look at the three attributes we've just seen. God's love when you consider the lilies. God's power, when you consider the heavens and God's wisdom, when you consider the animals and the ecosystems, and their relationships to each other. Those are the three attributes people always question when it comes to human suffering, always. Either God's not loving or he is not wise, or he is not powerful or none of the above. But when we look at creation as Christians, with the help of the Holy Spirit, we see differently, we see differently. Now, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Job's real problem was not his sufferings. The loss of his possessions, his children's health, that wasn't his real problem. His real problem was his own deeply embedded sin. Deep inside his heart there were sinful attitudes toward God, and it took this level of pressure, pressure, to bring them bubbling up to the surface. And they came, didn't they? God knew they were there. And so he puts pressure on Job to bring him to humbling so that he can have mercy on him, that he can heal him from those things. And he's going to be humbled. The fear of the Lord in all of this brings it to the surface and saves him. In Job 42:5-6, this is where we're heading, “My ears had heard of you, but now my eyes have seen you. And I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.” So humble yourself. Let's do a little logic problem. Job is the godliest man alive. One that God boasted about as blameless and upright, a man who it says feared God and shunned evil. That's who Job was. If I can just be general with you folks and with myself, that's not who we are. We're not blameless and upright, fearing God and shunning evil like Job, not to his level. So here's my logic problem: If a man like Job as good as he was needed this level of humbling, how much do you think we need? Certainly not less. And this humbling is designed to get us ready for suffering. So either you're going through suffering right now, or you will someday. The best thing you can do in either case is to fall down before almighty God and humble yourself. Tell him that he is your everything and that he is everything, and that you are nothing. Scuttle your pride. Tell him that you trust him and whatever he chooses to do with your possessions or with your loved ones, or with your help, he has the right to do. IV. Christ’s Perfect Fulfillment Saves Us Now, as I finish this morning, I want to bring to you the sweetest meditation that I had on this chapter. It's not in the chapter at all, but I'm just moving out further to the whole scope of 66 books of the Bible and all of what God is saying to us. I want to bring your mind to Christ. I want you to think with me together about Jesus Christ. We need to see the infinite majesty of Christ, the Son of Man, the Son of God. Jesus Christ is the exalted perfect God man. And unlike Job, this is beautiful, he actually can answer each of God's questions to Job, all of them. Christ is actually perfect in wisdom. Christ is actually eternal in his person and Christ is actually infinite in his power. So look at the questions that God asked Job, and imagine him asking them of Jesus. Look at verse 4, “Where were you, [Jesus], when I laid the foundations of the earth?” Well, according to John 1:3, “Through Christ, all things were made and without him, nothing was made that has been made.” Or even better, this will blow you away. Hebrews 1, in which we have an intra-Trinitarian conversation going on, in which the Father is exalting the Son, “To which of the angels did God ever say, ‘You are my Son; today I've become your Father?’” He's talking, the Father's talking to the Son. Keep that in mind. Then you get to Hebrews 1:10-12, God the father says to Jesus the Son, “In the beginning, O Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth and the heavens are the work of your hands.” Wow. That's Jesus. That's our Savior that God is talking to, “They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment, like a robe they will be changed. But you remain the same and your years will never end.” He is eternal. That's Jesus. What about walking on the sea? Look at verse 16 again, “[Job], Have you journeyed to the springs of the sea or walked in the recesses of the deep?” Imagine him saying that to Jesus, “Actually, father, I have. I have walked on the billowing waves of the sea of Galilee.” Mark 6:48-51, “About the fourth watch of the night. Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them. But when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out because they all saw him and were terrified. And immediately he spoke to them and said, ‘Take courage. It is I. Don't be afraid.’ Then he climbed into the boat with them and the wind died down and they were completely amazed.” What about the storm? Verse 34-35 of Job 38, “[Hey Job], can you raise your voice to the clouds and cover yourself with a flood of water? Do you send the lightning bolts on their way? Do they report to you and say, ‘here we are?’” In other words, “Job, do you control the weather?” What about Jesus? Oh, you know he does. In Mark 4:37-41, “A furious squall came up and the waves broke over the boat so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples went and woke him saying to him, ‘Teacher don't you care if we drown?’ He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, ‘Peace, be still.’ Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. And he said to his disciples, ‘Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?’ They were terrified and asked each other, ‘Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him.’” And at the second coming, Jesus is going to come riding on the clouds. Matthew 26:64, “In the future you'll see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” He's going to be riding on the clouds. And best of all, what about the gates of death? Look at verse 17, Job 38:17, “Have the gates of death been shown to you, [Job]? Have you seen the gates of the shadow of death?” Well, Jesus has not only seen them, he's blown them apart, “I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.” "By his mighty death and resurrection Jesus has destroyed the power of the grave; death could not hold him. And if we trust in Christ, if you trust in Christ as your Savior, death won't hold you either." By his mighty death and resurrection Jesus has destroyed the power of the grave; death could not hold him. And if we trust in Christ, if you trust in Christ as your Savior, death won't hold you either. He's going to bring you through the gates of death into everlasting life. For he says, “I am the resurrection and the life, he who believes in me will live even though he dies and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.” So God spoke to Job out of the whirlwind and restored his soul. But now, right now, God is speaking more clearly through his Son. Trust in him, put your faith in him. He is the perfect Son of Man who can answer all of these questions on our behalf and will be eternally worshiped at the right hand of God, forever. Close with me in prayer. Lord, thank you for the things that we've learned already in Job 38. There's a lot to cover. Thank you for speaking the truth to us. Thank you for Christ who died and who rose again that we might have forgiveness of sins and eternal life. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Faith. Culture. Hope. Life. Longtime journalist and commentator Billy Hallowell has covered thousands of the biggest faith and culture stories. Today I am honored to share a recent interview I had with Billy discussing my book Reflections on the Existence of God. Either God exists or He does not - There is no third option. The question of God's existence, in my opinion, is the most significant issue in all of life. As renowned French philosopher and mathematician Blaise Pascal said, you are betting your eternal destiny that you are right. My prayer for you is that through this podcast you will encounter truths and reasoning to challenge and bolster your faith. Billy Hallowell is the director of communications and content for PureFlix.com, the former senior editor at Faithwire.com and the former faith and culture editor at TheBlaze; he has contributed to FoxNews.com, The Washington Post, Human Events, The Daily Caller, Mediaite, and The Huffington Post, among other outlets. Subscribe to Billy Hallowell's "Edifi" podcast today! https://edifi.app/podcasts/edifi-with-billy-hallowell-26031/

By Rudy Rangel III in Cincinnati East, OH - July 24, 2021 - There are two authorities to come under. Either God or Satan. We have made our allegiance, but we are also are called to be representatives of God's way of life, relieving people from under the power of Satan, to God.

Being a Christian isn't a matter of thinking vs. not-thinking. It's a matter of where our thinking starts from.Ultimately there are only two places where thinking can start: Either believing truth begins with God, or truth begins with us.Either God's truth is true, or mine is. These are our only two options.Learning to think like Jesus, then, begins with trusting that God is the starting point for all true knowledge. This is why Solomon in his wisdom declared: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” (Proverbs 1:7).It's a risky thing, but if you want your life to be transformed, then you must be willing to surrender your mind to the rock solid foundation of God's true word.For related resources, visit https://preparedtoanswer.org/topics/faith-and-reason/start-thinking-like-jesus-today/Support the show (https://preparedtoanswer.org/donate/)

Either God is supreme, or He is not. If you claim to be a “christian,” believe in a savior, or fear the unknowable place called hell, to you, God is NOT supreme, or omnipotent.! But then there's my ilk who believe in a God who has never: left, told us to kill ANYBODY, needed anything of man, or stopped loving ALL that He has created! These like-minded individuals accept that we, human beings, are the obedient party in our relationship with God, NOT the other way around. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/christiantruth/message

Series: Revelation: The Best is Yet to ComeTitle: “Around the corner and around the world”Scripture: Revelation 10(Main commentary helps below at the end)Last week: “Have you got your heart in order?”This week: “Around the corner and around the world”My Bottom line:With his authorityto speak,his presenceto embolden, andhis wordto proclaim to the nations,Jesus recommissions his church in the tribulationto multiply disciple-makers (xDM)around the corner and around the world.IntroJim Hamilton tells the following story:“My parents had come to visit my sister and me. We were working at Kanakuk, a Christian sports camp in Missouri. But that night the softball game I was playing in wasn't over when my parents and sister were ready to go. I told them to go on, and they did.These were the days before cell phones. I knew my parents would be staying at a resort called Holiday Island, I began to wonder how in the world I would find my family. I got to Holiday Island and pulled into what looked like an office. Thankfully, someone came to the door, but when I asked if they could help me find which time-share my parents were in, I was told there were thousands of time-shares at Holiday Island. To make matters worse, there was no central system that logged all the units. He couldn't help me.Suddenly I realized that I was alone in the world, with no idea where to go, no clues as to where to start, and no way to contact my family. So I despondently got in my car and started driving father into Holiday Island. Then I saw a familiar sight: there was my sister's car! And under the windshield wiper was a note—I have it with me to this day. It reads as follows:Jimbo,We are at 15 Ironwood Dr. on the Island. Go to the Island—turn right on Appaloosa Dr.—2nd street is Ironwood Dr. Go to the end of the street. 15 Ironwood Drive.Love, DadPS: It is 7:20 pm—we will be back here at 8:20.It was 8:15 when I found that note. As I began to follow the directions, I soon crossed paths with my dad coming to get me, just as he said he would.Jim's father revealed to him detailed truths about the future that encouraged him not to give up in the present. Where his family was and when he was coming to get him.He gave him specific instructions on what to do and told him what he was going to do as well.Jim Hamilton's dad left him a note on his sister's car telling himExactly where his family was andExactly when he was coming to get him.I. 10:1-3 The Angel of Salvation through JudgmentNote the authority this angel has as he represents Christ. Later we'll hear authority from “The voice”.Reminds me of this funny story: https://bible.org/illustration/lighthouseLighthouseThe captain of the ship looked into the dark night and saw faint lights in the distance. Immediately he told his signalman to send a message” “Alter your course 10 degrees south.”Promptly a return message was received: “Alter your course 10 degrees north.”The captain was angered; his command had been ignored. So he sent a second message: “Alter your course 10 degrees south—I am the captain!”Soon another message was received: Alter your course 10 degrees north—I am seaman third class Jones.”Immediately the captain sent a third message, knowing the fear it would evoke: “Alter your course 10 degrees south—I am a battleship.”Then the reply came “Alter your course 10 degrees north—I am a lighthouse.”In the midst of our dark and foggy times, all sorts of voices are shouting orders into the night, telling us what to do, how to adjust our lives.Out of the darkness, one voice signals something quite opposite to the rest—something almost absurd. But the voice happens to be the Light of the World, and we ignore it at our peril. (A voice of authority in life)Paul Aiello, Jr.II. 10:4-7 “No more delay” at the 7th trumpet“No more delay” - no more judgments; no more time to repent and believe; time to wrap this up!III. 10:8-11 John Eats the Scroll“The Voice” = The risen Lord Jesus Christ recommissioning John (and us); voice of authority (Either God the Father or God the Son)“Go” with authority“Take the scroll” = take my revealed words (could be the future but more likely the good news)“Eat the scroll” = Digest it so that you process it internally and then proclaim it having processed it personally along the way.“Prophecy again about” the nations - to the nations regardless of creed, religion, ethnicity, or anything else. All people.Summary: (note how this mirrors the Great Commission in Matt 28:19-20)GO: Go (or as you go) with authority (Holy Spirit authority)TAKE: With God's revealed words (Bible)EAT: Internalize the message personallyPROPHESY: Proclaim it again around the corner and around the world (to the nations cf. Acts 1:8)Compare with Matthew 28:16-20 and Acts 1:8 and see the similarities. (See Luke 24 and Mark 16 as well)Last week's challenge was to share Christ with the person God brought to mind at that time. How did you do? Did you take that as if it were from God? Did you ignore it? Did you see God move? He isn't done. And perhaps you have a second chance...but there are no guarantees as this poem suggests.Poem: "Around the Corner" (Charles Hanson Towne)Around the corner I have a friend,In this great city that has no end,Yet the days go by and weeks rush on,And before I know it, a year is gone.And I never see my old friend's face,For life is a swift and terrible race,He knows I like him just as well,As in the days when I rang his bell.And he rang mine but we were younger then,And now we are busy, tired men.Tired of playing a foolish game,Tired of trying to make a name."Tomorrow" I say! "I will call on JimJust to show that I'm thinking of him",But tomorrow comes and tomorrow goes,And distance between us grows and grows.Around the corner, yet miles away,"Here's a telegram sir," "Jim died today."And that's what we get and deserve in the end.Around the corner, a vanished friend.2 major applications on top of...Be Confident. Be confident that God is Lord of all and will accomplish his purposes. Per the angel standing reminding us everything is under Jesus' feet, no terrorist, no rogue governments, no dictators, no usurpers of democracy, no kings are going to stand in the way of God's accomplishing his purposes.God Reveals Truth. We can know truth because God has revealed himself. We'll never have all knowledge—only God is omniscient. But we have knowledge because God gave Jesus the scroll. God—>Jesus—>Angel—>John—>us! We have it and can trust “the things that must soon take place” (1:1).ClosingJim Hamilton's dad left him a note on his sister's car telling himExactly where his family was andExactly when he was coming to get him.Jesus said to his disciples in John 14:1-3,“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.”Almighty God has sent his angel to his servant John “to show to his servants the things that must soon take place” (1:1).Main commentary help:Exalting Jesus in Revelation by Daniel AkinRevelation by Jim HamiltonBreaking the Code by Bruce MetzgerSeven Seals by Matt Chandler, 2021 sermonESV Global Study BibleBible in One Year by Nicky GumbelBible Knowledge CommentaryThe Book of Revelation, NICNT, Robert Mounce

Robert lives on cardboard for two weeks, Kelsey returns to the Pixel, we gear up for the zombie heist. Our theme song is "The Grim Reaper Blows the Horn" by Firage. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.   Find and friend YMBToAP on social media!   Patreon | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | Twitch | TikTok

One evening, after decades of a Christianity driven by rules and performance, I came impulsively close to ending my life. Until that moment, my relationship with God had been primarily about Bible content and the discipline to obey. But that night, everything changed. Driving along a freeway in Detroit, I came face-to-face with my deep longing for intimacy with him—an overwhelming need to live surrounded by his love. There was no going back. Either God was more than distant holiness and a list of rules and commands clamoring for discipline . . . or I was done. _ J. Kevin Butcher was a lead pastor for 35 years—the last 16 in urban Detroit. He is founder and executive director of Rooted Ministries, which comes alongside isolated, wounded, and discouraged pastors and their families to help them experience the deep love of God through abiding in Jesus. Kevin is the author of Free: Rescued from Shame-Based Religion, Released Into the Life-giving Love of Jesus and Choose and Choose Again: The Brave Act of Returning to God's Love. He is a graduate of Taylor University and Dallas Theological Seminary and has written numerous articles and shared the message of the Father's love around the world. Kevin is married to his best friend, Carla, and has three grown daughters, two sons-in-law, and four grandchildren.

Every follower of Jesus is born for the exact moment in time in which they are living. God makes no mistakes and He placed you right where you are, right now, on purpose. So we all are born for such a time as this. No life is pointless, purposeless or wasted. Your life matters and it matters right where you find yourself.   Sometimes we end up living beneath our circumstances. They sit over us, they are on top of us, they feel heavy and even oppressive. Ever feel as if your circumstances just keep getting the best of you? Just today I was really feeling on edge and I realized it was simply a circumstance getting the best of me, but by faith I was going to stop living under it and start living like the child of God, the joint heir with Christ, that the Bible says I am. You do that today, too. Right now, right this second, if you need to do that, do it. No time like the present to put the devil in His place and to put the Lord in His rightful place in your life, right?   In this present season of darkness (and it is dark!) and of spiritual warfare in culture and the world all around us, when so much is pressing in against Jesus and us as His church, which is who we are, we are literally the Bride of Christ! This right now is the exact time you were born to be part of.   If you never take time to pray and to ask God what He has for you to be doing in this moment, in the right now, you could be missing out on knowing what His purpose for you is. That is a really big risk to take. Don't gamble with things that matter. What do you already know matters? Don't gamble with that. Does marriage matter? Okay, don't take foolish risks and gamble with it. Does raising your children to know the Lord matter? Okay, don't take any risks there by wasting time and never doing family devotions or never praying with them - that's a foolish gamble.    I've said it before, if you look at where your time goes and where your money goes, you will get a good indication of what matters most. Of what is heaviest.    Either God's Word, what it actually says & it says a whole lot - what it clearly lays out for followers of Jesus to be about, to be doing - either that is important or it isn't. And even a cursory look at your life will reveal whether or not that is actually true. Not just if we say it's true, but does our life reveal it as true. Look at your life. Listen to what it is telling you. Is the most important stuff really the most important stuff in the day to day?    Choose wisely and don't gamble with things that really matter.    According to Matthew 28 19-20, you have been commissioned. The Great Commission is really our marching orders. Jesus told us exactly what to do. It's a big, broad umbrella that can cover so, so much of our lives, our actual living, and no matter when you've lived in the last 2000 years, no matter where, no matter what your career or vocation, no matter --- these words of Jesus will cover your life, your work, your relationships, your ministry, all of it.    Matthew 28:19-20 (Amplified) - “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations (help the people to learn of Me, believe in Me, and obey My words), baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always (remaining with your perpetually --- regardless of circumstance, and on every occasion), even to the end of the age.”   Don't resign your commission. Keep praying. Keep observing what His Word says. Do everything He has commanded you to do. Make disciples of all the nations (including the one you live in right now - including your kiddos in your own home - your neighbors on your own street - and of course support missions work all around the globe too) Help people to learn of Jesus. To believe in Jesus. To obey the words of Jesus.   And then here is the part that really jumped out at me, and I had not planned to focus on the last portion of these verses for the summit but I was just struck by the huge promise Jesus made here.    And you know, a promise of God is just solid gold, pure gold, so as it jumped out at me and I was in awe of what Jesus says here, I had to mention it. "And lo, I am with you always - remaining with you perpetually, regardless of circumstance and on every occasion - even to the end of the age. " That is one big promise, folks. My friends, this right here is of tremendous value! How can you keep on keepin' on, how do you keep praying when it feels like your prayers are stopping at the ceiling? How do you get up an hour early to read the Bible when the sick kids kept you up half the night? How? With this promise, that's how.    He is with you always. Whew. Wow. He will remain with you perpetually, regardless of circumstance and on every occasion. Um, whoa. Even to the end of the age.     Even to the end of the age, til the end of the world literally, that ‘s how long Jesus has promised to be with you. Perpetually. On every occasion. In all circumstances. He is with you always.   That is one whopper of a promise. Those are Jesus' last words and they are spoken for you, to you, for your life.    Let them sink in a bit today. And check your life - are you fulfilling your commission?  I sure hope so. If not, get after it. And keep getting after it.  And I meant it when I said that if you let off praying before God lets off answering, you'll have stopped too soon. How long will He be answering? Always. So pray til your last day and then wake up in eternity ready to praise.    Thanks for being here guys - appreciate it and I hope you're blessed and encouraged today. Also, check out the link if you want to see/hear me speak at the summit - https://theycallmeblessed.teachable.com/courses/for-such-a-time-as-this-summit?affcode=73637_pngouulo    The Power of God's Will - 40 Days of God's Promises Devotional - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08QG4Q7XH

Training by Apostle Baker More Than Enough Ministries and Astounding Love! A Global Church Fellowship ContactUs@AstoundingLove.org https://astoundinglove.org/ https://mteminc.org/ 1914 Trade Zone Boulevard San Jose, CA 95131 USA (408) 945-4439: Office #LoveAstounding --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/communion5779/support

In this session, we conclude our talk on suffering well. 7 Steps to Biblical Well-Being1.     Ask God for Help: Don't be anxious about anything but pray and present your request to God (Philippians 4:4-7).2.     Praise and Worship: Praise and Worship changes ones focus from the problems faced to the only one that can help and deliver.  Allow and let music help you cope with things in life. Create a playlist that focuses on God or songs that uplift you and give you hope. 3.     Sense of Call: God desires all of us to know Him and make Him known. Don't ever have a time in your life when you're not sure if God called you to do it. Either God has called you or he hasn't.  Knowing the Call of God on your life has the power to keep you through ANY and ALL Trauma or Suffering. 4.     Working with God: Together, you can truly do all things through the strength of God. He will arm and strengthen you as you fight through the trauma and suffering so you can encounter and have deliverance (Philippians 4:10-13).5.     Lamenting and Venting: God invites us to vocally speak our frustration to the Him (Like King David throughout the book of Psalms). Believers can feel betrayed by God and God allows people to blame Him for their suffering. This doesn't make Him angry, because He's big and gracious enough to take it. 6.     Suffering: Suffering builds Character and in the midst of the Trauma, remember to trust that God walks with you through it. God employs suffering in a variety of ways. It's also the key to discipleship and molds the identity and mind of a person. Suffering makes you relatable to Christ and places you in a position to get completely dependent on God realizing his strength and power is truly more than enough. It may hurt you to watch your loved ones encounter suffering, but the reality is they need to encounter suffering too in order to get dependent on God and learn from their situation.  We often have expectations of God that were never even Biblical. We like to have our own plan and when God doesn't bless it, we get upset with Him. God is sovereign and He loves us. Faith holds true to that. 7.     Assistance from Friends and Family: Suffering will take a team of people to help move others forward through their pain. Realize the people you open up to need to know how to help you cope.  They can often help by placing themselves in danger and fight when the person has no strength. There is power, freedom, connection and protection in the Body of Christ and Believers. There is a Biblical way to cope and if you do those principles well, you will thrive, and God will mend every crack you have making you better than before. To overcome suffering, you have to be able to provide people or receive an element of Hope. If there's no element of Hope attached to it, there won't be any progress. The loss of meaning is the doorway to death.  Remember to be anchored in who God is and that He sovereignly rises above human agenda. Suffering is not wasted in the divine agenda of our maker. Jesus also encountered suffering (Mathew 26:36-46 and Luke 22:42-44). Let that serve as a reminder that no one is immune to it. In fact, Jesus promises that we will have many trials and tribulations of many kind (John 16:33). Suffering is a catalyst that produces change in every area of our life. Psalm 23 and Psalm 91 are great chapters to read and use as a prayer through suffering. Be encouraged and steward your suffering well. 

Americans have often complained that there's not a dime's worth of difference between candidates and parties, until 2020! This is your Choice Election! The choice America makes will determine America's fate or America's destiny. Either God alone is God or Government will be God ruling over Americans as overlords and serfs. Listen free at DrEdHill.Podbean.Com Call 888-537-8720 for spiritual questions and concerns.

In a word, if there is a god, all is well; and if chance rules, do not also be governed by it. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/stoicmeditations/support

Either God is particularly present in the wilderness or human beings are hard-wired to find God in the frail space outside the comfort of day-to-day life. As Union has carved a path in the wilderness of social enterprise, the woods of millennial culture and now the COVID landscape, we have become particularly attuned to the ways that God refines us and church in these times. By exploring Union’s past and present wilderness moments, the Fellowship Class will consider a robust theology for navigating unexpected challenges with humor, joy and room for a couple tears along the way. We may even peer around the corner to see how God may shape us through pandemic resilience.

Either God is particularly present in the wilderness or human beings are hard-wired to find God in the frail space outside the comfort of day-to-day life. As Union has carved a path in the wilderness of social enterprise, the woods of millennial culture and now the COVID landscape, we have become particularly attuned to the ways that God refines us and church in these times. By exploring Union’s past and present wilderness moments, the Fellowship Class will consider a robust theology for navigating unexpected challenges with humor, joy and room for a couple tears along the way. We may even peer around the corner to see how God may shape us through pandemic resilience.

When it comes to being a Christian there are some things that either you believe or you don't. Either God created the world or he didn't. Either Jesus is the son of God, who was born and lived in this world, crucified and resurrected...or he isn't and didn't. Either God is in charge and desires good things for his children...or he doesn't. During this time, we who claim belief should live lives that look like it. People should be able to see in us that we are different because of our faith.

Revelation 6:12-17 Series: Just Conquer #22 # Introduction One of my greatest concerns with Postmillennialism—I'll even call it my bias against it, however it was that I came to have such a bias—is that the Postmillennial hope for the future, where the gospel conquers and brings about [a golden age in which Christian ethics prosper](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postmillennialism), while confident and comprehensive, isn't quite cataclysmic enough to explain Bible language. When Scripture paints a picture of the last days, and of the coming of the day of the Lord in particular, I don't imagine a calm day on an ocean shore while the artist keeps pushing paint into the corners of the canvas. When Scripture paints, the ocean crashes onto to the easel, thrashes it to pieces, throws it fifty yards in three directions, and all the beach-goers are running for cover that they never make it to. I'm willing to have my bias corrected, but part of my bias comes from a jealousy for the power of the inspired words to hold their own. Chicken Little/Henny Penny was paranoid because of gravity's pull on an acorn and took it as a sign that the sky was falling, but when the prophets say that the sky vanished like a scroll whose holder lost his grip, that sounds cosmic and cataclysmic. It sounds terrifying. And as John saw his vision, it terrified the most powerful people on earth who ran for their lives like little girls. For that matter, if the scene of judgment in the sixth seal (6:12-17) begins to answer the cry of the martyred souls under God's altar in heaven in the fifth seal (6:9-11), then these dramatic, extensive events are a proportional response. The souls gave their lives for the Lamb. They cry to Him for justice, and He comes in such a way that men on earth would rather die than see His face. Now that I think about it, cataclysm itself may still be too calm of a word. The Lamb has opened five of the seven seals on the scroll through Revelation 6:11. The four horsemen rode out on earth to begin the havoc in verses 1-8, then the fifth seal turned the focus back to the heavenly throne room, as the Lamb heard the voices of the martyrs, and then told them that it wouldn't be long. In Revelation 6:12-17 John sees the sixth seal opened, and by order of magnitude the kings and bankers, the movie stars and factory workers, all who had rejected the Lamb, some of whom were even directly responsible for Christian-killing, begin to reckon with the one with whom they have to do. There are two parts to this paragraph, the creational cataclysm (verses 12-14) and the human fear and flight (verses 15-17) which is both completely understandable and completely futile. None will escape the Lamb's wrath. # Creational Cataclysm (verses 12-14) When we're reading prophetic, poetic, apocalyptic language (which, by the way, all of these genres are meant as different ways to give *understanding* not to cause confusion), it can be challenging to distinguish the symbols from the substance symbolized. In other words, there is reality behind the representation, and the interpreter's work is to identify what's what. The Bible uses metaphors and analogies, so we don't, for example, expect to see a knob coming out of Jesus' torso just because He said He was the door (see John 10:7). As we look at verses 12-14 note that there are numerous similes (comparisons of things using “like” or “as”), but there are not similes explaining similes, or similes within similes. The similes explain in what way the thing that is happening happened. Of the various attempts to symbolize all of these happenings or events, the typical approach is to take the sun and moon and stars as governmental leaders. But then why refer to governmental leaders in verse 15? If there was a transition explanation such as “the stars are the kings,” well, that would be different (as in Revelation 1:20 where the stars are identified as the angels of the churches). But in this paragraph we have heavenly *impersonal* rulers (see Genesis 1:14-18) and earthly persons as rulers and *both* are ruled by God. If the stars are merely symbols, why are the kings also not symbols? It's not just mixing metaphors, it's messed up interpretation. **When [the Lamb] opened the sixth seal, I saw, and there was a great earthquake.** Is this an actual earthquake? Why wouldn't it be? Doesn't there need to be a bias even to ask that? Perhaps, as we read, we would see clues that tell us that a “great earthquake” merely conveys the idea of upheaval. Okay, an upheaval of what? The burden of proof is on those who have some other explanation for “earthquake” than as the shaking of the earth's crust and tectonic plates. If it's shaking up government, why say it again in the following verses? The earth quakes at numerous key displays of God's arrival and judgment, in the Old Testament and also in the Apocalypse. Earthquakes make a statement. But if the earthquake is merely a symbol of some intangible event, I'm not buying it. Next, **the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became [red] as blood.** Here are two celestial phenomena. The sun, the central star providing light and heat in our solar system, is eclipsed. The metaphor of “as sackcloth of hair” refers to “a coarse coat made of black goat's hair and usually worn in time of mourning” (Osborne). The parallel with the other major light-giving source to those on earth, due to various changes in the atmosphere, and undoubtedly a result of the great earthquake, caused the moon to appear red “as blood.” The color red isn't named in the Greek text, but fits the comparison. It also fits with ancient prophecy. > The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. (Joel 2:31 ESV) If these heavenly bodies represent earthly leaders, what is the point of the black and the red? And why add similes to the symbols? And how are these leaders different than the stars? Speaking of which, **and the stars of the sky fell to earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale**. These are not shooting stars, but falling stars, and falling all the way to earth. What is figurative about that? The metaphor shows how easy the stars fall. Come winter time, if there are any figs on the tree, it's barely hanging on, like the last string of a second-grader's top tooth. The branches can't keep their grip against a gust of wind. This language also has history. > All the host of heaven shall rot away, > and the skies roll up like a scroll. > All their host shall fall, > as leaves fall from the vine, > like leaves falling from the fig tree. > (Isaiah 34:4 ESV) Whether or not the original audience looked to astronomy for guidance, until Copernicus, the movements of the planets meant something. God Himself said that He gave the sun, moon, and stars to govern days and seasons and years (Genesis 1). He also said that His promises were as certain until they passed away (Jeremiah 31:35-36). The Lord is causing that to happen before the eyes of the world. Though a fictional account, it reminds me of the following scene of Narnia's end: > “Even one shooting star is a fine thing to see; but these were dozens, and then scores, and then hundreds, till it was like silver rain: and it went on and on. And when it had gone on for some while, one or two of them began to think that there was another dark shape against the sky as well as the giant's. It was in a different place, right overhead, up in the very roof of the sky as you might call it. “Perhaps it is a cloud,” thought Edmund. At any rate, there were no stars there: just blackness. But all around, the downpour of stars went on. And then the starless patch began to grow, spreading further and further out from the center of the sky. And presently a quarter of the whole sky was black, and then a half, and at last the rain of shooting stars was going on only low down near the horizon. > “With a thrill of wonder (and there was some terror in it too) they all suddenly realized what was happening. The spreading blackness was not a cloud at all: it was simply emptiness. The black part of the sky was the part in which there were no stars left. All the stars were falling: Aslan had called them home.” (_The Last Battle_. 83-84) There's one more verse of cataclysms: then **the sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.** Imagine that the sky was being held open, and that it ripped apart in the middle. The two pieces would rapidly roll up toward each edge, as if each end was trying to get back to its resting position. It was only held open by God's hands. As for the mountains, the great earthquake has begun to level them, and as they fall into the sea, and as the seas themselves are stirred up, the islands are covered and moved. # Frightened Flight (verses 15-17) Humans have a built in response mechanism often referred to as fight or flight. We either face something difficult or dangerous by putting up our dukes or by putting on our running shoes. But here is no fight. Also, there is an interesting awareness of why these things are happening. All sorts of classes of earth-dwellers are mentioned. **Kings** are the national or tribal heads of state. The **great ones** are likely the second level officials, cabinet members, counselors of the king. The **generals** are military leaders (the Greek word contains the idea of overseeing a thousand men), not just the soldiers, though by implication the soldiers follow their generals. The **rich** and the **powerful** own the wealth and buy what they want with it. Then it's **everyone**, the last class, both **slave and free**. This is all of society. None are unaffected by the cataclysmic ruin. **They hid themselves in caves and among the rocks of the mountains.** This is irrational. Not even the mountains can be trusted, they are in process of being removed. More drives the flight than protection from the earthly dangers, they fear the Lamb's wrath. They are **calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb.”** They are right to fear the holy one. They are wrong to think that physical death will spare them, and have a misplaced hope to avoid dealing with the King (on the throne) and His King (anointed by the LORD in Psalm 2:6-9). The one sitting on His throne started this vision in chapter 4. The Lamb is His Son and the only one worthy to bring about the recompense as seen in chapter 5. The earth-dwellers know, by conscience, that the cataclysms mean that they are guilty, and they are aware that they will give an account. They don't want to. More than the first guilty pair who hid in the garden, mankind will do whatever to avoid the wrath, the anger, of the Lamb. They say, **“for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”** This is the day of the Lord, the day of reckoning. Either God's wrath is satisfied by the Lamb slain, through the ransom of His blood, or God's wrath will bring about blood. **Who can stand?** This rhetorical question caps the cataclysmic point. How can anyone escape the worthy Seal-breaker? It's as if they realize, “How did we think we could get away with this? Who is going to put up any sort of resistance to the one who causes the cosmos to be undone?” # Conclusion These things have not happened yet. There have been earthquakes and eclipses, there have been meteor showers, and there have even been some who have fled into the wilderness to avoid destruction on a city, but the stars have not fallen to earth and the sky has not vanished. For that matter, the full number of the martyrs is not complete, so the final judgment on the persecutors has not come. We may still ask, if this is the end of all things, then how is there more of the story? Not just returning to the shire. The new heavens and the new earth doesn't come until chapter 21. There are, in fact, more earthquakes mentioned, and *all* the mountains removed, and more men killed. > Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. (Revelation 20:11 ESV) > Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. (Revelation 21:1 ESV) Either there are repeating ways of referring to the same judgments (as in the sixth seal is also the sixth trumpet is also the sixth bowl), or, as I still think, the sixth seal is followed by the seventh seal which contains the rest of the judgments. It gets worse (for example, in 8:12, a third of the the sun and moon and stars are *struck*, not just changing color). The question that ends the chapter is the great question: Who can stand? -------------------- ## Charge Knowing that the Lamb is storing up wrath for the day of judgment, what ought we to do? Yes, we do have a warning to give to men that they can flee from the wrath now in repentance before the Lamb. But we are also told explicitly to cheer each other up and build each other up. We don't just have one job (evangelism), but we do have one Lord, one hope, in one body. By His grace, stand firm. ## Benediction: > But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. (1 Thessalonians 5:8–11, ESV)

Either God is sovereign over all things or He is not. If He is not then there are some things beyond God which would cause Him not to be God. That is unthinkable.

Don't Waste Your Life (Part 1) - John PiperDon't Waste Your Life (Part 2) - John PiperDon't Waste Your Life (Part 3) - John PiperFamilyLife Today® Radio TranscriptReferences to conferences, resources, or other special promotions may be obsolete. Don't Waste Your LifeDay 1 of 3 Guest:                           John Piper From the Series:         Following the Call of Christ ________________________________________________________________­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Bob:                So why are you here?  For that matter, why is anything here?  Well, here is an answer from Dr. John Piper. John:              We need to help people see why the universe was created, and it wasn't created for people to become famous and for people to become powerful, it was created to display the worth and excellencies and beauty and wonders of God.  And we are here to receive that excellency and reflect it out in our lives so that other people see it.  It's all about God – from Him, through Him, and to Him are all things to Him be glory forever and ever. Bob:                This is FamilyLife Today for Wednesday, July 26th.  Our host is the president of FamilyLife, Dennis Rainey, and I'm Bob Lepine.  Understanding why we're here is the first step in not wasting our lives.  Stay tuned.                         And welcome to FamilyLife Today, thanks for joining us.  I have a distinct memory of an event that took place when I was in high school.  I was in an English class, and we were in a unit study on the subject of existentialism – "Existentialism and Man" – we were reading Camus and Sartre and the guy who wrote the story about being a cockroach – Kafka, Franz Kafka. Dennis:          This was in high school?  Bob:               This was in high school, and Mrs. Venary [sp] was our English teacher, and Mrs. Venary said one day, she asked us, "What's most important in your life?"  And I remember, we were going around the room and answering that question, and we got to me, and I don't remember what I said.  If I had to guess today, I would probably have said, "One of the really important things in my life is music."  I was in a band, I played guitar, I really liked music.                           But by the time we got to one of my classmates who was about halfway through the group, she said, "Really, the most important thing in my life is my relationship with God."  And I remember thinking, "Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, that's the right answer.  I need to remember that next time." And then it dawned on me that if I didn't have that as the right answer when the question came around, it probably wasn't really the most important thing in my life, you know? Dennis:          Yeah, and I was thinking how I would have answered it – I'm sorry that God would not have been my answer, either – athletics would have been.  And I think whether you're in high school and how you would have answered it then or where you are today, the question is still a good question, and we have someone today with us on FamilyLife Today who I think is going to help you – well, maybe either realign your spiritual tires or maybe answer the question in the right way for the first time.                           John Piper joins us on FamilyLife Today.  John, welcome to FamilyLife Today. John:              Thank you, I'm glad to be here. Dennis:          John is the pastor of preaching at Bethlehem Baptist Church where he has served since 1980.  He and his wife, Noelle, have four sons and a daughter, live in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and he's a prolific writer.  And, you know, Bob, it's not often that books come to our attention here at FamilyLife Today through our wives, but this one did.  Back last Christmas Barbara came to me, and she said, "You know, there is one book I want to give our kids for Christmas."  I said, "Oh, really?  Who is it by?"  She said, "John Piper."  And I immediately thought of some of the books that I've had the privilege of reading, browsing my way through, "Desiring God," among others, and she said, "It's a new book called "Don't Waste Your Life."  And I thought, "Now, that's a good title."  Because we have a generation of people, I believe, who are really not getting around to the question you asked, Bob – what is most important in your life.                         John, you tell a story about a couple who had retired on the coast of Florida. John:              Yeah, I got the story from "Reader's Digest." Bob:                That's okay, Ronald Reagan got a lot of his stories from "Reader's Digest," too.  There's nothing wrong with that. John:              And it was written by them, so it's not told about them, and I won't give any names, but they were marveling that at, I think, age 51 and 52 or something like that, they were able to retire early, go to Florida, and the peak of their excitement about this stage in their life was that they could play softball and collect shells.  And I just read that and thought, "You've got to be kidding?" Dennis:          Now, we're talking about the ultimate experience in their lives? John:              Evidently.  I mean, I'm thinking in the last chapter of my life, I am mainly preparing to meet the judge of the universe and give an account with my little vaporous life on this earth.  He is not going to ask, "Can I see your shell collection?"   Bob:                Who won the softball game?  It's not going to matter, is it? John:              It's not.  And so it became a kind of paradigm story for me of the American way because tragically the AARP and most people giving counsel on what to do with your latter years are telling you to go play them away on a golf course somewhere or something, and I'm thinking, "That is not the way I want to spend my life at all let alone my last few years in the months just preceding seeing the king of the universe." Bob:                And I think that's important.  The message in this book, "Don't Waste Your Life," is not just about not squandering the latter years of your life, but it's about the whole of your life.  It's a stewardship that we've been entrusted with, right? John:              Right.  Young people are making incredibly important choices early on, especially right at the juncture of early college years and post college years of "What am I going to do with my life?"  And I think they're eager and ready to hear somebody to call them to a radical kind of life that has a significance about it that is eternal and deep.  So that's what I've tried to talk about. Dennis:          Going back to your shell collection, as I read that, I thought – and you asked the question in your book, you can't imagine someone appearing before the judgment seat and God asking to see our shell collection.  And I thought, "What other kind of collections do we have?"  It could be our golf scores, our trophies, our businesses, our portfolio of stocks, our home that we built, the car we drive, the wardrobe or jewelry.  It could be our family.  We could make the family the chief end of man.  Or it could be our bank account.  You know, man has been collecting stuff, John, from the beginning of time.  It may not be as silly as a shell collection, but we have the wrong object of worship going all the way back to the Garden.                         When you were a young lad growing up, in your home there was a – was it a plaque or what was it?  Was it in the kitchen, as I recall, is that right? John:              Right, it was in the kitchen and probably it had as much to do with the title of the book as anything.  It hung, I remember it hung up where a clock started to hang later, but I now have it in my living room at home, so it's been on the wall for 50 years of my life, at least.  It says, "Only one life, 'twil soon be past, only what's done for Christ will last."  And that was emblazoned on my mind as a child, that significance and lasting reality is going to come from connectedness with Jesus.  If something is done to display the worth of Jesus, then that something will have value and significance, and if it didn't, it won't last. Bob:                So you would say that from early on, you understood this idea of the stewardship of your life and that it needed to be focused and rightly directed.  It's not something that came to you later in life? John:              I would say in my high school years, as I reflected back on the kinds of things I was thinking, the kinds of things I was writing and reading – as I reviewed those, it was amazing to me how much I was thinking about it in those days.                         The other thing that probably affected the title of this book, "Don't Waste Your Life" is the story my dad, as an evangelist, would tell when he was doing evangelism.  He came home one time and, with tears in his eyes, he said, "A man came to Christ who must have been in his 70s, and he'd been a sinner in the community for years, and people had prayed for him, and he'd resisted the Gospel, and he walked to the front, and he sat down.  And after the service, as I sat beside him and counseled him, he just wept and wept, and when I asked why he was weeping he just repeated over and over, 'I've wasted it, I've wasted it.'"                         I'll tell you, as a teenager, that story from my dad landed on me with such power that I thought, "Never, ever, ever do I want to be able to say that – I've wasted it."  So from maybe age 16, 15 on, I had this impulse in me, don't waste it, don't waste it. Dennis:          I have, for some reason, been kind of chewing on Acts, chapter 13, verse 36, and it reads, "For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep, and he was buried."  And I thought, you know, if that could be said of my life at the end of it, that I fulfilled God's purpose for my generation, whether you're a mother, a father, a businessman, and businesswoman, a single person, to be smack-dab in the middle of walking with God and fulfilling what He has for you, that's what you're talking about in the book.  You're talking about people who have a confidence that they are fulfilling not only God's will for their lives but they're a part of a grand scheme, a bigger picture, of what God's accomplishing on this planet. John:              Right, we need to help people see why the universe was created, and it wasn't created for people to become famous and for people to become powerful, it was created to display the worth and excellencies and beauty and wonders of God.  And we are here to receive that excellency and reflect it out in our lives so that other people see it.  It's all about God – "from Him, through Him, and to Him are all things to Him be glory forever and ever" – Romans 11:36 says.  And so I think significance must be defined in terms of God – depending on Him, being guided by Him, giving Him all the praise and all the glory and all the honor and then finding lifestyles and ways of talking and thinking and feeling and acting that make God look really good to this culture. Dennis:          In the '60s, your passion intensified for finding God's purpose and making sure you were about what He was doing, and it was your encounter with two different people that ultimately changed the course of your life.  Why don't you share those two people that you encountered in college? John:              I have three in mind, so I'm not which two you have in mind.  I'll mention Dan Fuller as a living teacher who had a tremendous impact in the way I read the Bible, and then I mentioned the dead person, Jonathan Edwards, and I'll mention another dead person, died in '63, the same days as John Kennedy died – C.S. Lewis.  So that triumvirate in the years, say, '64, as I began college to '68 when I went away, and then in the years '68-'71 in seminary that's where Dan Fuller and Jonathan Edwards conspired, and the key of the living teacher and the dead teacher was to show me that there is no final conflict between God's passion to be glorified and my passion to be satisfied.  I had grown up, for whatever reason, I'm sure it wasn't my dad's fault or maybe even the preacher's fault, thinking you can't have both of those.  Either God is going to be glorified or I'm going to be happy, because I heard – maybe it wasn't said, but this is what I heard – people would say, "Well, you should stop doing your will and do God's will."  And I kind of wanted to say, "Isn't there a third alternative?"  Like, maybe I would want to do God's will?  Maybe I would enjoy doing God's will?  And what those men showed me is that God is most glorified in me when I am most satisfied in Him; that God's glory shines in my being happy in Him.                         And so there isn't this necessary conflict between my pursuit of pleasures and his pursuit of glory if, in fact, my pursuit of pleasure is pleasure in him – that insight from Jonathan Edwards mainly, mediated through Dan Fuller and C.S. Lewis in his one page in "The Weight of Glory," where he said, "The problem with the world is not that we are pursuing pleasure but that we are far too easily pleased.  We are like children fooling around with mudpies in the slums when we could have a holiday at the sea, and we can't imagine what it's like."                         And what he meant was, we're fooling around with that list you gave earlier, Dennis, about just money, even family and possessions and business.  If we could see what a holiday at the sea that is a relationship with God, a delight in His beauty and power and excellencies was, then we'd see the problem in the universe is not that people are pursuing pleasure, but that they are settling for the low, fleeting, wrong, suicidal pleasures.  And so that's what I learned from Lewis and Edwards and then Fuller between '68 and '71, and it changed everything. Bob:                You later expressed that or referred to that as "Christian hedonism." John:              Right. Bob:                Hedonism is the philosophy that says the highest goal is the pursuit of pleasure.  And you said if we understand the Scriptures right, that's true, but the only real pleasure we're going to find is not in what the culture tells us will bring us pleasure. John:              Right, and the reason that is not in conflict with saying the highest goal is the glory of God is because God is glorified precisely in my being satisfied in the end.  That was the insight that makes lights go on, I find, for a lot of people these days. Dennis:          I have to read a passage that I know you're passionate about – Psalm 16:11 – "Thou will make known to me the path of life.  In Thy presence is fullness of joy."  And we don't believe this last third of the verse here.  It says, "In Thy right hand there are pleasures forever."  Frankly, it's what you described that for a number of years kept me at a distance from Christianity.  I didn't believe I could have a good time; that I could truly experience pleasure and happiness and fulfillment and walk with Jesus Christ.  I thought becoming a Christian was having to put on something black, put on a sour look, and be unhappy for the rest of my life.                         Now, I don't know where I got that picture, because I really grew up in a good church.  But nonetheless I had a caricature of Christianity that I was rejecting, and it wasn't this.  It wasn't the idea of a glowing, vibrant life filled with smiles and laughter and, as this says, enjoyment and pleasure.   John:              Right, but I think there are a lot of people who have said something like that and given it a little bit of our own twist; that is, I think there have always been rah-rah evangelistic youth crusades where we feature the athlete and the smiling beauty queen who say, "You really can have a great and happy life if you'll be a Christian."  And the ordinary folks look at that and thought, "That's not quite what I'm thinking.  That's not going to work for me, because I've got pimples, and I'm not strong."                           The difference with my message, and it's where you were going, I think, is that what I want to hold up is a joy and is a God who, in Himself, when all the beauty goes and all the strength goes and all the popularity goes and all the parties go, He's enough, and He's thrilling.                          You know, my wife and I were married in December of 1968, and we chose Habakkuk 3, the last four verses, I believe, of the book to be read at our wedding.  I don't know it all by heart, but I can paraphrase it.  It goes something like this – though the olive fail, though there be no fruit on the vines, though there be no cattle in the stall, though there be no sheep in the fold; in other words, we're talking famine and devastation, and then he says, "Yet will I rejoice in the Lord my God."                         Psalm 63:3 says, "The steadfast love of the Lord is better than life."  Or Paul says, "To die is gain."  So my message is a little more radical than what I was hearing from the rah-rah evangelistic crusade, "Yes, we can all have a good time" message but rather you may have an absolutely horrible life and smile your way all the way to heaven.                           In fact, 1 Corinthians 6, verse 10, Paul uses this phrase that, for me, has really stamped the way I want to talk about joy.  He says, "Sorrowful yet always rejoicing."  So I want there to always be a kind of minor key playing in the background of my parties and my celebrations, because I know the world is absolutely filled with pain and filled with suffering, and when I am rejoicing with those who rejoice, there is somebody very close to me weeping with those who weep, and so I just want to present an authentic call to radical pleasure at God's right hand when you may be wracked with cancer, your wife may have left you, your kids may be prodigal, your business may be failing, and you can say, "The Lord gives, and the Lord has taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord."                          So there's a flavor, I think, to this hedonism that I have that I hope is really realistic. Dennis:          And the time to develop that kind of relationship with Jesus Christ is not when you go through the valley.  The time to develop it is now.  It's to become focused on Him as your absolute source of life, of pleasure, of joy, and begin the process of walking with Him moment by moment.                           You know, I couldn't help but think, John, as you were talking about how those of us here at FamilyLife watched Bill Bright die.  The last two and a half years of his life were marked by him only having about 40 percent lung capacity, and he was literally – his body was starving for oxygen, and yet every time I saw him, and everyone else, too, he was praising God; talking about Him being his strength, his joy, his portion.  He never complained.  And I contrasted his life with how I've watched others die, and I thought, you know what?  Bill Bright taught me how to live, and he also taught me how to die.                         And what I want to do with my life is I want to do the same thing.  I want my deathbed to be as vigorous in the enjoyment and the pursuit of God, even though there will undoubtedly be pain, it will not be easy, but I would like it to be the way Bill Bright demonstrated as a man, and we can do that if we get into the Scripture and we find out who God is, because it's only as we know Him as He is that you can relate to Him as the God of the Universe. Bob:                You talk about somebody who didn't waste his life, Dr. Bright is a great example of someone who had the right priority, the right focus; who understood the implications of the Christian faith, and it changed the direction of everything.  It shaped every decision he made.  And I want to encourage our listeners that's really what is at the heart of the book that you have written, John.  It's called "Don't Waste Your Life," and it's a book that we have in our FamilyLife Resource Center.  I think this book gives each of us a good opportunity to re-evaluate how we're doing spiritually; whether the direction of our life is rightly aimed or not, and I think your book is helpful in that evaluation process.                         Let me encourage our listeners – contact us to get a copy of John Piper's book, "Don't Waste Your Life."  You can go online at FamilyLife.com to request a copy of the book or you can call 1-800-FLTODAY.  If you go online, in the middle of the home page you'll see a red button that says "Go."  If you click on that red button, it will take you right to the page where you can get more information about the book "Don't Waste Your Life."  You can order online, if you'd like, or call 1-800-FLTODAY and request a copy of the book.  We can have it sent out to you.  If you're interested in a copy of our conversation this week with John Piper, you can order that on CD, or you can download it as an MP3 file from our website at FamilyLife.com.  If you'd like the CD either order that online or call 1-800-FLTODAY.                         Over the last several years, one of the places where you have spoken, John, is at the Passion Conferences, and I know Beth Moore has also spoken to young people there challenging them to a wholehearted commitment to Jesus Christ.  Not long ago we had Beth as a guest on FamilyLife Today, and we talked with her about her 25-year marriage to her husband Keith, about some of the ups downs.  She was very candid in that interview, and this month and next month, we wanted to say thank you to those of you who can help support the ministry of FamilyLife Today with a donation of any amount by sending you a copy of this CD that includes our conversation with Beth Moore.                         Simply go to our website, FamilyLife.com, and click on the button that says, "Make a Donation," or call 1-800-FLTODAY and make a donation over the phone.  When you do, mention that you'd like the CD with Beth Moore and someone on our team will make sure that gets sent to you.  Or if you're making your donation online, when you come to the keycode box just type in the word "free," and we'll know that you want the CD sent out to you.  Again, it's our way of saying thanks for your financial support of the ministry of FamilyLife Today, and we appreciate hearing from you.                         Well, tomorrow we're going to continue our conversation with Dr. John Piper.  We're going to talk about the call to a cross-centered life and why we need to make sure that we're not sugar-coating our presentation of the Gospel.  Some folks may respond better if we tell them the hard truth, and we'll talk more about that tomorrow.  I hope you can join us for that.                         I want to thank our engineer today, Keith Lynch, and our entire broadcast production team.  On behalf of our host, Dennis Rainey, I'm Bob Lepine.  We'll see you back tomorrow for another edition of FamilyLife Today.                          FamilyLife Today is a production of FamilyLife of Little Rock, Arkansas, a ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ.   We are so happy to provide these transcripts to you.  However, there is a cost to transcribe, create, and produce them for our website.  If you've benefited from the broadcast transcripts, would   you consider donating today to help defray the costs?   Copyright © FamilyLife.  All rights reserved. www.FamilyLife.com      

1. Posture of worship – received by Grace. *Previous Episode*2. Posture of the Farmer – Received by labour (work for it). *Previous Episode*3. Posture of a warrior – Received through training- We need to remember that we are in a WAR. We need to train for the WAR and always beprepared. There is a difference between being acceptable and exceptional. Most people just exist and do not rule.- We can also fight for one another by holding each other accountable and praying for one another.- We have to fight against all the wrong input into our lives. Either God is in control of your life or the devil is.- Praying in the spirit is a powerful weapon.- The word of God, the spirit of God and fasting are important weapons in spiritual warfare.- Internal victory = corporate victory.

CAUSE: “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8 (NKJV) EFFECT: “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. Matthew 24:14 (NKJV) It has been 2,000 years later since this language of God was spoken, and yet there has been no return of King Jesus. This absence of Christ has 2 logical conclusions. (1) Either God is not where He is supposed to be or, (2) we are not where we are supposed to be.

In this episode, Nathan and Ailsa discuss the Book of Job. Timestamps: You can follow our podcast on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast! Apple Podcast: https://apple.co/2L1CbHq Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2XnuDFb Follow our other social media! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/about.that.bible Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/about.that.bible About That Bible is made by Every Nation Church, New York. Find out more about Every Nation NYC. 003 Job Transcript Ailsa: Welcome to About That Bible with Every Nation NYC, we are here to help you get more out of that Bible. We are reading a plan at the moment and you will find that plan in the notes if you want to follow along too. We're going to discuss different bits as we read along. You can also follow us on Instagram or twitter @AboutThatBible or go to our website everynationnyc.org for all of our podcasts there. But without further ado let's talk about that Bible. My name is Ailsa this is Nathan we're going to talk: Job. Nathan: Alright. Ailsa: I feel like every time we come to talk about a book of the Bible it's always like oh my goodness this is a crazy one, but here we are again Job. Nathan: This one is definitely no exception, it's a beast. Ailsa: Yeah, it's Job. True confession, until very recently, in fact until we did this plan I don't think I'd read the whole of Job. Nathan: Ok. Ailsa: Because it had always been like, Job, this is really depressing and meaty. And I put it off. Nathan: I definitely don't blame you. I think I've only read it in its entirety maybe twice or three times. It's not like the most uplifting thing, is it? Ailsa: No, and that's why we're going to talk about the main point of Job, and it's not a hugely uplifting topic, but here we go. So, I think Job is talking about whether the world works in a just way and whether God is just. Nathan: Yeah! Ailsa: Yeah, let's start by summarizing Job and then we can come back to whether God is just. You know that really small question. Nathan: I mean the simple answer is yes, right? Ailsa: Is it? I think that's what we like to call trite. Nathan: Podcast, done! Ailsa: Trite, simple and trite. Let's try to summarize job first so we know what we're talking about. What is Job? What's going on? Nathan: It's an immense book, it's 40 some odd chapters long if not longer? Ailsa: Yeah. Nathan: And basically we open and God is holding court in heaven. God is surrounded by other spiritual beings. Ailsa: Which you do not get very often in the Bible I should add. Nathan: So yeah, you have this heavenly scene. Ailsa: It's like a God chat, yeah. Nathan: We don't know who's seeing this we don't know who's narrating this but there he is. And out of the midst comes stain and sais... actually, no, God says... How does that start? Ailsa: Well, I think he's like, "oh Job". Nathan: God's just bragging on Job. Ailsa: I think so and then satan's like, he's only good because he wants things from you. Nathan: In any case, either God or satan raises the subject matter of Job and satan’s like, exactly, he's only serving you because you're so good to him God. Ailsa: Yeah, and then we move on to, well, then satan's how about I prove to you that I'm right, God's like how about I prove to you that I'm right and then God's like ok you can go test Job basically. Nathan: Yeah. Ailsa: Then Job has like a terrible time. Nathan: His life goes totally sideways. Ailsa: Terrible. Nathan: Up until that point he'd been a very righteous person. He'd served God, he'd made sacrifices on behalf of his children in case they'd got up to a little mischief while they'd been partying. And I love likes how teenagers, you know, in ancient Hebrew culture. Ailsa: They were also being teenagers. Nathan: Yeah, they're basically the same. And so Job's praying for them, he's praying for his wife, he's working hard, he's living for God the best he can and then everything starts collapsing around him. Literally, I think a house falls on his children, his animals die. Ailsa: Lots of people come and like take away all his different kinds of animals. I think there are different people that come and it's irrelevant but I think it's kinda funny, it's not funny obviously, but I think you know what I mean. Nathan: There are all sorts of calamities and disasters and only one person survives and it's just the messenger and he comes and says, "Job, awful news, everybody died. All your sheep have died, all your camels have died." Messinger after messenger. Ailsa: Yeah, and then his friends pop up. Nathan: He's got three friends. Ailsa: Three friends, they pop up. They're like so good at the beginning, they're like hey we're just going to sit with you because you're like suffering and terrible things. Nathan: They just sit in silence don't they? Ailsa: I'm like, I'm going to write that down, that's good. And then they start, then it starts being this back and forth. RIght so one friend will talk for a bit and then Job will answer. Next friend, Job answers and it's like that for a lot of chapters. Nathan: I think there are three cycles of that. Yes and then a fourth friend turns up out of nowhere. Elihu, something like that. Ailsa: He pops up. Nathan: And he's young and he brash and he gets the job done and he disagrees with Job and he disagrees with Job and he disagrees with the friends, but he honors God. He lifts God up. He has a very high view of God. And what's tempting while we're reading Job and what's hard is that each person is bringing their perspective. Each person is true, but it's not kinda not universally true. Like his friends are saying, well you must have done something wrong and as you're reading it you're like yeah Job has certainly done something wrong. Ailsa: I always think that. Nathan: Yeah, there's no the way that you're perfect. Ailsa: He's a human. Right? Nathan: Yeah. And then Job's like I've done nothing wrong and then Elihu comes and it's just like who do you trust? Who do you believe through the whole thing? Ailsa: Yeah, I'm not sure. Nathan: And you don't really have any clarity through most of the book. Ailsa: No. Nathan: Until, finally, in some of the last chapters, God turns up. Ailsa: Yep. Nathan: And boy does he ever turn up. He comes in in a whirlwind. And basically tells Job, stand up, dress like a man. Ailsa: Dress like a man? Nathan: I think he says that, like, dress yourself like a man. Ailsa: I don't know what that means. Nathan: I don't know. Ailsa: At that point, put a dress on, Right? Nathan: Probably, oh yeah. Moving on. And God just lets him have it, He's like, you're not god, I am, and where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth, where were you when I made it snow. When I made it rain? Have you seen the heavenly storehouses, you know, filled with snow? Have you seen these mountain tops? Have you seen the depths of the ocean? Were you there in deep dark space when I did this and that? And Job is just dumbfounded, there's nothing that he can say. He's done. Ailsa: He's done, God has the last word, and then he basically gives him double back at the end. Nathan: Yep. Ailsa: Which is another hard bit. Nathan: Only after rebuking his friends. He's like you guys, you treated Job wrong, The three friends, Elihu never gets another mention as far as I can remember. Ailsa: I don't think so. Nathan: And then Job, you need to pray for your friends. Ailsa: Yeah. Nathan: So that they can be restored as well. Ailsa: So, Thinking about those friends, because most of Job is about the friends, what do they tell us about whether God is just or whether we're seeing an unjust God? Nathan: His friends have a very simplistic view of the world. Ailsa: Yeah. Nathan: It's very black and white. Either God is good, and therefore God rewards good people or because you're doing so poorly in life, surely you've done something wrong. God's just you're doing bad so you must be the bad guy. It's a very black and white world view. And I think that like, if we ever say, you know, as I did at the start of this video, Yeah, God's just, I've got all the answers. Ailsa: Yeah, you're just being like them. Nathan: No, I want to clarify that, God is just, right? Like I thorough, thorough believe that. But when I say that I have all the answers I've got the worldview that's going to solve everything, pull everything together, what it does is it basically turns you into a judgemental person. Ailsa: Yeah. Nathan: And that's what happens to his friends. Is that they become very judgemental. They start making up stuff, surely you've tortured widows, or you've robbed widows. Surely you've done this, surely you've, you know, not fed the people that are in need that come to you. Surely you've turned them away empty handed. Or something like that. They just make up these horrible accusations. Ailsa: Well, they start trying to work out what Job's been doing wrong. To make sense. Which we still do, right? We still, like to think oh this is happening to someone they are suffering in this way, we like to think we're more sophisticated than this. But we like, we like victim blame. Nathan: Oh yeah. Ailsa: They are like classic victim blamers. Nathan: That's exactly what is happening here. Ailsa: The thing I find interesting though is that they, so at the end, and you did mention this, God is like so ticked off at them. And they've actually stood up, they have like, They have stood up and said God is just, Job you must be wrong. Which, you know we're saying that's not very nice, that's judgemental. But like, they seem like they're on the side of God. But then like, he's really ticked off at them. Like Job basically has to save them. Nathan: That's a great point. Ailsa: What are we supposed to do with that? Like they seem pro-God. Nathan: Well, don't be a judgemental, religious. Oh..  Yeah? Like, oh I've got access to God, therefore, you're doing bad, you must be doing wrong. God is more ticked off and that's like a theme in the bible, Jesus to the Pharisees, Paul to the Galatians. Ailsa: Oh that’s true. It's not like an original to Job moment. Nathan: I mean, yeah it's early in, well, I don't know, we can talk about history about when it was written but yeah, it's a theme through all of the bible isn't it? Ailsa: Yeah. Nathan: God does not like religious bigotry. Ailsa: Yeah. Man, they just think they're doing the right thing though. The fourth friend, He also thinks God is just though. But it is different? Nathan: I don't think he pins it on, he doesn't' pin it on Job. Ailsa: No, I think he's a bit annoyed at Job. I think maybe he's annoyed at Job for how he, how he blames God at one point, I think. Nathan: Well, that's fair enough, God doesn't get mad at Elihu, the fourth friend. Ailsa: No, I don't think so. That's the other thing, like, we see with Job, we see someone who does get annoyed at God. Like God is not annoyed at Job at the end. That's actually interesting. He's annoyed at those friends, he's not annoyed at Job. Job has accused God of possibly being unjust. Nathan: Wow, yeah. So Job has just brought his emotions to God. Ailsa: Yeah. Nathan: After going back and forth with his friends he's like that's it I want to talk to God I want him to prove himself to me. And I think that's something that like King David does. He brings all of his emotions to God. It's similar to what Job does. And I think that God understands like this world is tough and we want to see where he is and what he's doing. But on the other hand, he's also a lot, a lot bigger than we can understand and fathom so we don't always get the answers that we're looking for. Ailsa: No I don't think that you get any of the answers. So like you're left, you read Job and you think, ok so why is this dude suffering? And actually, you're kind of given the answer at the beginning, right?  You've got like God and satan having a chat and you know the reason that job is suffering in this instance is because satan sort of thought that he should have a go at him. And God was like, OK. So you see that, but there's no real reason outside of that. And Job never knows. Like he never gets the answer right? Nathan: No. He doesn't. and he doesn't get an explanation for why he gets everything back. And there's never even an attempt at a reason. Ailsa: No, it's like it's not even bothering to answer that. Nathan: No. Ailsa: And the God and satan bit is very unsatisfactory. Nathan: Oh yeah. And I think that's the point. It's supposed to be unsatisfactory. Ailsa: That's terrible, we hate that. Nathan: Well like, yeah, but like, bad stuff happens and we never get the answer in life. and so that's basically what Job is opening up. The world is not black and white. Good stuff happens to bad people. Bad stuff happens to good people. But that does not make God unjust. Ailsa: Oh man. Nathan: Alright, so we are right now reading through the Bible chronologically. And so it appears kind of halfway kind of after Genesis 11 you go to Job. What we've seen is that there's this satan character, running around, you know, as a snake. Ailsa: That's true. Nathan: And then in Genesis 3, God limits his authority in some way. Like, he says, cursed are you. You're going to be on your belly, eat the dust of the earth. That God in some way limits satan’s authority. And satan doesn't like this. And so in Job what I see is satan saying, Yeah of course people still like you God, you've taken away what I'm allowed to do with them. And it's like if you've ever been using an umbrella on a rainy day, and you're like, has the rain stopped? How bad is it out there? You pull it back. What hits Job is like a welter, a torrential downpour of rain. Like, yeah, satan is still at large, he's still a bad guy, but God got him on lockdown. So he's still able to go around and do his accusing thing and his lying thing but he's not going to just drop a house on your kids. Ailsa: Ok, that makes sense so you've got like, you've got like the limiting of satan in that first bit of Genesis and then you see how that actually plays out on Job. Nathan: So that's the way I see it as we read it chronologically that's what I see happening. Ailsa: Rather than, rather than it being like, God is punishing Job. Nathan: Yes. Ailsa: He just takes his thing away. Nathan: His grace. So like grace is something that we don't deserve. We never earn or deserve God's grace and so God is constantly I believe extending grace to every being on earth, making our lives better than what we deserve all the time. And here in Job we see a sneak peek at what it could be like if God did not limit the evil powers of this world. Ailsa: Yeah. Nathan: So that's what I see when I read it chronologically. Ailsa: Yeah, and where does it normally, what do we learn about the book from where it normally sits in our Bible? Nathan: Normally, it sits with the wisdom literature. And you get Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Job. And I love the work that the Bible Project did on this explaining the evolution of wisdom literature, they build one on top of the other. So, Proverbs has this very simplistic kind of black and white view of the world. If you do good, good stuff is going to happen to you. If you do bad, if you sleep in, and you don't work then you're going to be poor. And that's mostly true. But there's always the exception. And then Ecclesiastics comes along and says the wicked prosper. What's the point of life? And it kinda tears up the groundwork of Proverbs. And then Job comes along and says, yeah that's all true, but you know what? God's still just. He sits on his throne. His wisdom is way beyond our wisdom and we've got to trust him whether we like it or not. And that's like really really hard. Ailsa: Yeah. Nathan: I think the authors knew that from the very start. And that's why Job struggles with it, that's why his tree black and white friends struggle with it. Elihu never even really gets his head around it. Ailsa: Yeah. Nathan: It's really tough. Ailsa: At least we see represented people struggling with it though. Nathan: Yeah, yeah. Ailsa: It's like, it's ok to like really struggle with it. Nathan: The nature of sin; and I'm thinking Adam and Eve fell and what they did was they said, we're not going to trust you as God, we're going to take our trust from you and pull it inward. All of a sudden, the universal center of right and wrong is going to rest here [in me]. And so when bad things happen to me I'm going to say this is wrong. And God's saying no, the worlds quite messed up now and so to accomplish ultimate good you're going to think that it's wrong. Your little world is going to experience something that does not feel good for you in the moment. Ailsa: That is super hard. Nathan: And so God is asking for us to expand our world and allow our world to be bigger than us in our suffering. Ailsa: Ooo, it's like such a hard one to read. This is why people are like, oh Job. Nathan: Yeah, so Job is super uplifting. But I believe it is because bad stuff is happening. But what Job is saying is that there is reason, there is a point. That God is still in control. And that Romans chapter 8, we bandied about quite a lot, or it can be bandied about, and I don't want to just use it tritely, but I believe it points in, it funnels in to Job here. "All things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to his purposes." God is working stuff for good. Ailsa: But on a much bigger scale than we can comprehend basically. Nathan: Yes it does not mean that at the end of your life you know, on your deathbed, God is going to turn up and be like, well here's why your cat died when you were three, Your granny died when you were seven, you know, your father left you when you were twelve. He's not going to do that. Sometimes we get glimpses of that in the world and most of the time... No, I believe that when you walk with God you do get the narrative kinda unfolding. Ailsa: Do you mean like you do understand more of why things happen sometimes? Nathan: Yes, but you do gotta hold on for a long time. Ailsa: Yeah, and it's not also like, 'like for like'. Like you, you don't get to see like oh, you sin - this happens. Or you're like good - this happens. Like it's more complicated. Nathan: Your cat dies at three so you can go into veterinary school and solve cat AIDS. Ailsa: Or not even that. Like the, if you're a good person, then you get good blessing. Or, you know, you follow God and then you get a good thing. Like what Satan accuses Job at the beginning of only doing it for what he can get out of God. Nathan: Yeah, so we've got to follow God because he's God? Ailsa: Yeah. It kinda seems like that because that's kinda what it says on the end. God's like I am God and bigger than your, any of your stuff. Nathan: Yeah. Ailsa: Yeah. Nathan: He deserves it, he's God and we're not. Even though our heart cries out, "yes I am yes I am." Ailsa: Yeah, I know. We're like but surely I understand and Job's like, you don't understand. Nathan: I've got enough wisdom! Ailsa: And that's Job. Yeah, we get to see a man wrestling with just not understanding. Nathan: Yes. Ailsa: Yeah. And he gets all this stuff back at the end. But it's not because he was good. Right? I think God makes that clear, it's just grace on the end. Nathan: It's just grace. There's all sorts of little droplets of grace all the way through. All the way through Job. Job keeps referencing and alluding to these incredible Christological foreshadowing pieces. Ailsa: What do you mean by 'Christological foreshadowing pieces' because that's a whole bunch of turms. Nathan: So Job keeps using these phrases that the only answer to these phrases is Jesus. The only way that this is ever going to be solved is Jesus. So at one point he's like, 'I wish that I had an advocate who could place his hand on God and place his hand on me.' I'm like, well who's going to touch heaven and earth at the same time? Ailsa: Jesus. Nathan: Jesus. Another point he says, "For I know my Redeemer lives and shall stand upon the earth." Who's this redeemer, who's going to stand on the earth? Jesus. Right? Ailsa: Yeah. Nathan: And then ultimately the way that Job suffers, everything around him dies, he has basically died. LIke to everything, to the world, to his wife, to his kids, to everything around him is dead. And then God says, 'this is the guy who is going to restore these self-righteous friends back to God.' And even Job himself is a little bit like a Christ figure. Ailsa: Yeah, because he keeps being, standing in the gap for these people. Nathan: He stands in the gap for his friends, that's right.  Oh gosh, yeah, for his kids at first. Ailsa: Yeah, for his kids on the front end and then for his friends on the back end, right? Oh, it's all about Jesus. Nathan: It is all about Jesus. Or you can read it. Ailsa: All about Jesus. Nathan: I think Jesus read it all about Jesus. Ailsa: Probably, probably. Still, but, I think we're still left, I think it's all about Jesus, but I think we're still left with it's ok to be grappling with this stuff. Nathan: Yeah, it's a lifelong struggle, it really is. And for somebody who is struggling it's just, you kinda have to hold on, just keep going, trusting that God is good, trusting that your Redeemer lives, has stood upon the earth. That God is crushing suffering. And will one day fully and finally make it right. Ailsa: Yeah and on that note, Job. Nathan:  Yeah, Job it's a struggle. Ailsa: It's a struggle. Nathan: The struggle is real. Ailsa: It's an important one though because the struggle is real in real life. Job, I don't want to say done because that's not Job done. Done. Nathan: Job, the conversation is opened. Ailsa: Yeah. Nathan: We're finished opening the conversation. Yeah that's a good way of putting it. Ailsa: And Job we're finished opening your conversation, and done. Nathan: Moving on. Ailsa: That was About That Bible with Every Nation NYC. You can follow along the same reading plan as us and you'll find the link for that in the notes and you can read too. Don't forget you can also follow us on Instagram and twitter @AboutThatBible and you can find all our podcasts at everynationnyc.org or all the places that you can find podcasts. See you later guys. SHOW TRANSCRIPT: Ailsa: Welcome to About That Bible with Every Nation NYC, we are here to help you get more out of that Bible. We are reading a plan at the moment and you will find that plan in the notes if you want to follow along too. We're going to discuss different bits as we read along. You can also follow us on Instagram or twitter @AboutThatBible or go to our website everynationnyc.org for all of our podcasts there. But without further ado let's talk about that Bible. My name is Ailsa this is Nathan we're going to talk: Job. Nathan: Alright. Ailsa: I feel like every time we come to talk about a book of the Bible it's always like oh my goodness this is a crazy one, but here we are again Job. Nathan: This one is definitely no exception, it's a beast. Ailsa: Yeah, it's Job. True confession, until very recently, in fact until we did this plan I don't think I'd read the whole of Job. Nathan: Ok. Ailsa: Because it had always been like, Job, this is really depressing and meaty. And I put it off. Nathan: I definitely don't blame you. I think I've only read it in its entirety maybe twice or three times. It's not like the most uplifting thing, is it? Ailsa: No, and that's why we're going to talk about the main point of Job, and it's not a hugely uplifting topic, but here we go. So, I think Job is talking about whether the world works in a just way and whether God is just. Nathan: Yeah! Ailsa: Yeah, let's start by summarizing Job and then we can come back to the weather God is just. You know that really small question. Nathan: I mean the simple answer is yes, right? Ailsa: Is it? I think that's what we like to call trite. Nathan: Podcast, done! Ailsa: Trite, simple and trite. Let's try to summarize job first so we know what we're talking about. What is Job? What's going on? Nathan: It's an immense book, it's 40 some odd chapters long if not longer? Ailsa: Yeah. Nathan: And basically we open and God is holding court in heaven. God is surrounded by other spiritual beings. Ailsa: Which you do not get very often in the Bible I should add. Nathan: So yeah, you have this heavenly scene. Ailsa: It's like a God chat, yeah. Nathan: We don't know who's seeing this we don't know who's narrating this but there he is. And out of the midst comes stain and sais... actually, no, God says... How does that start? Ailsa: Well, I think he's like, "oh Job". Nathan: God's just bragging on Job. Ailsa: I think so and then satan's like, he's only good because he wants things from you. Nathan: In any case, either God or satan raises the subject matter of Job and satan’s like, exactly, he's only serving you because you're so good to him God. Ailsa: Yeah, and then we move on to, well, then satan's how about I prove to you that I'm right, God's like how about I prove to you that I'm right and then God's like ok you can go test Job basically. Nathan: Yeah. Ailsa: Then Job has like a terrible time. Nathan: His life goes totally sideways. Ailsa: Terrible. Nathan: Up until that point he'd been a very righteous person. He'd served God, he'd made sacrifices on behalf of his children in case they'd got up to a little mischief while they'd been partying. And I love likes how teenagers, you know, in ancient Hebrew culture. Ailsa: They were also being teenagers. Nathan: Yeah, they're basically the same. And so Job's praying for them, he's praying for his wife, he's working hard, he's living for God the best he can and then everything starts collapsing around him. Literally, I think a house falls on his children, his animals die. Ailsa: Lots of people come and like take away all his different kinds of animals. I think there are different people that come and it's irrelevant but I think it's kinda funny, it's not funny obviously, but I think you know what I mean. Nathan: There are all sorts of calamities and disasters and only one person survives and it's just the messenger and he comes and says, "Job, awful news, everybody died. All your sheep have died, all your camels have died." Messinger after messenger. Ailsa: Yeah, and then his friends pop up. Nathan: He's got three friends. Ailsa: Three friends, they pop up. They're like so good at the beginning, they're like hey we're just going to sit with you because you're like suffering and terrible things. Nathan: They just sit in silence don't they? Ailsa: I'm like, I'm going to write that down, that's good. And then they start, then it starts being this back and forth. RIght so one friend will talk for a bit and then Job will answer. Next friend, Job answers and it's like that for a lot of chapters. Nathan: I think there are three cycles of that. Yes and then a fourth friend turns up out of nowhere. Elihu, something like that. Ailsa: He pops up. Nathan: And he's young and he brash and he gets the job done and he disagrees with Job and he disagrees with Job and he disagrees with the friends, but he honors God. He lifts God up. He has a very high view of God. And what's tempting while we're reading Job and what's hard is that each person is bringing their perspective. Each person is true, but it's not kinda not universally true. Like his friends are saying, well you must have done something wrong and as you're reading it you're like yeah Job has certainly done something wrong. Ailsa: I always think that. Nathan: Yeah, there's no the way that you're perfect. Ailsa: He's a human. Right? Nathan: Yeah. And then Job's like I've done nothing wrong and then Elihu comes and it's just like who do you trust? Who do you believe through the whole thing? Ailsa: Yeah, I'm not sure. Nathan: And you don't really have any clarity through most of the book. Ailsa: No. Nathan: Until, finally, in some of the last chapters, God turns up. Ailsa: Yep. Nathan: And boy does he ever turn up. He comes in in a whirlwind. And basically tells Job, stand up, dress like a man. Ailsa: Dress like a man? Nathan: I think he says that, like, dress yourself like a man. Ailsa: I don't know what that means. Nathan: I don't know. Ailsa: At that point, put a dress on, Right? Nathan: Probably, oh yeah. Moving on. And God just lets him have it, He's like, you're not god, I am, and where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth, where were you when I made it snow. When I made it rain? Have you seen the heavenly storehouses, you know, filled with snow? Have you seen these mountain tops? Have you seen the depths of the ocean? Were you there in deep dark space when I did this and that? And Job is just dumbfounded, there's nothing that he can say. He's done. Ailsa: He's done, God has the last word, and then he basically gives him double back at the end. Nathan: Yep. Ailsa: Which is another hard bit. Nathan: Only after rebuking his friends. He's like you guys, you treated Job wrong, The three friends, Elihu never gets another mention as far as I can remember. Ailsa: I don't think so. Nathan: And then Job, you need to pray for your friends. Ailsa: Yeah. Nathan: So that they can be restored as well. Ailsa: So, Thinking about those friends, because most of Job is about the friends, what do they tell us about whether God is just or whether we're seeing an unjust God? Nathan: His friends have a very simplistic view of the world. Ailsa: Yeah. Nathan: It's very black and white. Either God is good, and therefore God rewards good people or because you're doing so poorly in life, surely you've done something wrong. God's just you're doing bad so you must be the bad guy. It's a very black and white world view. And I think that like, if we ever say, you know, as I did at the start of this video, Yeah, God's just, I've got all the answers. Ailsa: Yeah, you're just being like them. Nathan: No, I want to clarify that, God is just, right? Like I thorough, thorough believe that. But when I say that I have all the answers I've got the worldview that's going to solve everything, pull everything together, what it does is it basically turns you into a judgemental person. Ailsa: Yeah. Nathan: And that's what happens to his friends. Is that they become very judgemental. They start making up stuff, surely you've tortured widows, or you've robbed widows. Surely you've done this, surely you've, you know, not fed the people that are in need that come to you. Surely you've turned them away empty handed. Or something like that. They just make up these horrible accusations. Ailsa: Well, they start trying to work out what Job's been doing wrong. To make sense. Which we still do, right? We still, like to think oh this is happening to someone they are suffering in this way, we like to think we're more sophisticated than this. But we like, we like victim blame. Nathan: Oh yeah. Ailsa: They are like classic victim blamers. Nathan: That's exactly what is happening here. Ailsa: The thing I find interesting though is that they, so at the end, and you did mention this, God is like so ticked off at them. And they've actually stood up, they have like, They have stood up and said God is just, Job you must be wrong. Which, you know we're saying that's not very nice, that's judgemental. But like, they seem like they're on the side of God. But then like, he's really ticked off at them. Like Job basically has to save them. Nathan: That's a great point. Ailsa: What are we supposed to do with that? Like they seem pro-God. Nathan: Well, don't be a judgemental, religious. Oh..  Yeah? Like, oh I've got access to God, therefore, you're doing bad, you must be doing wrong. God is more ticked off and that's like a theme in the bible, Jesus to the Pharisees, Paul to the Galatians. Ailsa: Oh that’s true. It's not like an original to Job moment. Nathan: I mean, yeah it's early in, well, I don't know, we can talk about history about when it was written but yeah, it's a theme through all of the bible isn't it? Ailsa: Yeah. Nathan: God does not like religious bigotry. Ailsa: Yeah. Man, they just think they're doing the right thing though. The fourth friend, He also thinks God is just though. But it is different? Nathan: I don't think he pins it on, he doesn't' pin it on Job. Ailsa: No, I think he's a bit annoyed at Job. I think maybe he's annoyed at Job for how he, how he blames God at one point, I think. Nathan: Well, that's fair enough, God doesn't get mad at Elihu, the fourth friend. Ailsa: No, I don't think so. That's the other thing, like, we see with Job, we see someone who does get annoyed at God. Like God is not annoyed at Job at the end. That's actually interesting. He's annoyed at those friends, he's not annoyed at Job. Job has accused God of possibly being unjust. Nathan: Wow, yeah. So Job has just brought his emotions to God. Ailsa: Yeah. Nathan: After going back and forth with his friends he's like that's it I want to talk to God I want him to prove himself to me. And I think that's something that like King David does. He brings all of his emotions to God. It's similar to what Job does. And I think that God understands like this world is tough and we want to see where he is and what he's doing. But on the other hand, he's also a lot, a lot bigger than we can understand and fathom so we don't always get the answers that we're looking for. Ailsa: No I don't think that you get any of the answers. So like you're left, you read Job and you think, ok so why is this dude suffering? And actually, you're kind of given the answer at the beginning, right?  You've got like God and satan having a chat and you know the reason that job is suffering in this instance is because satan sort of thought that he should have a go at him. And God was like, OK. So you see that, but there's no real reason outside of that. And Job never knows. Like he never gets the answer right? Nathan: No. He doesn't. and he doesn't get an explanation for why he gets everything back. And there's never even an attempt at a reason. Ailsa: No, it's like it's not even bothering to answer that. Nathan: No. Ailsa: And the God and satan bit is very unsatisfactory. Nathan: Oh yeah. And I think that's the point. It's supposed to be unsatisfactory. Ailsa: That's terrible, we hate that. Nathan: Well like, yeah, but like, bad stuff happens and we never get the answer in life. and so that's basically what Job is opening up. The world is not black and white. Good stuff happens to bad people. Bad stuff happens to good people. But that does not make God unjust. Ailsa: Oh man. Nathan: Alright, so we are right now reading through the Bible chronologically. And so it appears kind of halfway kind of after Genesis 11 you go to Job. What we've seen is that there's this satan character, running around, you know, as a snake. Ailsa: That's true. Nathan: And then in Genesis 3, God limits his authority in some way. Like, he says, cursed are you. You're going to be on your belly, eat the dust of the earth. That God in some way limits satan’s authority. And satan doesn't like this. And so in Job what I see is satan saying, Yeah of course people still like you God, you've taken away what I'm allowed to do with them. And it's like if you've ever been using an umbrella on a rainy day, and you're like, has the rain stopped? How bad is it out there? You pull it back. What hits Job is like a welter, a torrential downpour of rain. Like, yeah, satan is still at large, he's still a bad guy, but God got him on lockdown. So he's still able to go around and do his accusing thing and his lying thing but he's not going to just drop a house on your kids. Ailsa: Ok, that makes sense so you've got like, you've got like the limiting of satan in that first bit of Genesis and then you see how that actually plays out on Job. Nathan: So that's the way I see it as we read it chronologically that's what I see happening. Ailsa: Rather than, rather than it being like, God is punishing Job. Nathan: Yes. Ailsa: He just takes his thing away. Nathan: His grace. So like grace is something that we don't deserve. We never earn or deserve God's grace and so God is constantly I believe extending grace to every being on earth, making our lives better than what we deserve all the time. And here in Job we see a sneak peek at what it could be like if God did not limit the evil powers of this world. Ailsa: Yeah. Nathan: So that's what I see when I read it chronologically. Ailsa: Yeah, and where does it normally, what do we learn about the book from where it normally sits in our Bible? Nathan: Normally, it sits with the wisdom literature. And you get Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Job. And I love the work that the Bible Project did on this explaining the evolution of wisdom literature, they build one on top of the other. So, Proverbs has this very simplistic kind of black and white view of the world. If you do good, good stuff is going to happen to you. If you do bad, if you sleep in, and you don't work then you're going to be poor. And that's mostly true. But there's always the exception. And then Ecclesiastics comes along and says the wicked prosper. What's the point of life? And it kinda tears up the groundwork of Proverbs. And then Job comes along and says, yeah that's all true, but you know what? God's still just. He sits on his throne. His wisdom is way beyond our wisdom and we've got to trust him whether we like it or not. And that's like really really hard. Ailsa: Yeah. Nathan: I think the authors knew that from the very start. And that's why Job struggles with it, that's why his tree black and white friends struggle with it. Elihu never even really gets his head around it. Ailsa: Yeah. Nathan: It's really tough. Ailsa: At least we see represented people struggling with it though. Nathan: Yeah, yeah. Ailsa: It's like, it's ok to like really struggle with it. Nathan: The nature of sin; and I'm thinking Adam and Eve fell and what they did was they said, we're not going to trust you as God, we're going to take our trust from you and pull it inward. All of a sudden, the universal center of right and wrong is going to rest here [in me]. And so when bad things happen to me I'm going to say this is wrong. And God's saying no, the worlds quite messed up now and so to accomplish ultimate good you're going to think that it's wrong. Your little world is going to experience something that does not feel good for you in the moment. Ailsa: That is super hard. Nathan: And so God is asking for us to expand our world and allow our world to be bigger than us in our suffering. Ailsa: Ooo, it's like such a hard one to read. This is why people are like, oh Job. Nathan: Yeah, so Job is super uplifting. But I believe it is because bad stuff is happening. But what Job is saying is that there is reason, there is a point. That God is still in control. And that Romans chapter 8, we bandied about quite a lot, or it can be bandied about, and I don't want to just use it tritely, but I believe it points in, it funnels in to Job here. "All things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to his purposes." God is working stuff for good. Ailsa: But on a much bigger scale than we can comprehend basically. Nathan: Yes it does not mean that at the end of your life you know, on your deathbed, God is going to turn up and be like, well here's why your cat died when you were three, Your granny died when you were seven, you know, your father left you when you were twelve. He's not going to do that. Sometimes we get glimpses of that in the world and most of the time... No, I believe that when you walk with God you do get the narrative kinda unfolding. Ailsa: Do you mean like you do understand more of why things happen sometimes? Nathan: Yes, but you do gotta hold on for a long time. Ailsa: Yeah, and it's not also like, 'like for like'. Like you, you don't get to see like oh, you sin - this happens. Or you're like good - this happens. Like it's more complicated. Nathan: Your cat dies at three so you can go into veterinary school and solve cat AIDS. Ailsa: Or not even that. Like the, if you're a good person, then you get good blessing. Or, you know, you follow God and then you get a good thing. Like what Satan accuses Job at the beginning of only doing it for what he can get out of God. Nathan: Yeah, so we've got to follow God because he's God? Ailsa: Yeah. It kinda seems like that because that's kinda what it says on the end. God's like I am God and bigger than your, any of your stuff. Nathan: Yeah. Ailsa: Yeah. Nathan: He deserves it, he's God and we're not. Even though our heart cries out, "yes I am yes I am." Ailsa: Yeah, I know. We're like but surely I understand and Job's like, you don't understand. Nathan: I've got enough wisdom! Ailsa: And that's Job. Yeah, we get to see a man wrestling with just not understanding. Nathan: Yes. Ailsa: Yeah. And he gets all this stuff back at the end. But it's not because he was good. Right? I think God makes that clear, it's just grace on the end. Nathan: It's just grace. There's all sorts of little droplets of grace all the way through. All the way through Job. Job keeps referencing and alluding to these incredible Christological foreshadowing pieces. Ailsa: What do you mean by 'Christological foreshadowing pieces' because that's a whole bunch of turms. Nathan: So Job keeps using these phrases that the only answer to these phrases is Jesus. The only way that this is ever going to be solved is Jesus. So at one point he's like, 'I wish that I had an advocate who could place his hand on God and place his hand on me.' I'm like, well who's going to touch heaven and earth at the same time? Ailsa: Jesus. Nathan: Jesus. Another point he says, "For I know my Redeemer lives and shall stand upon the earth." Who's this redeemer, who's going to stand on the earth? Jesus. Right? Ailsa: Yeah. Nathan: And then ultimately the way that Job suffers, everything around him dies, he has basically died. LIke to everything, to the world, to his wife, to his kids, to everything around him is dead. And then God says, 'this is the guy who is going to restore these self-righteous friends back to God.' And even Job himself is a little bit like a Christ figure. Ailsa: Yeah, because he keeps being, standing in the gap for these people. Nathan: He stands in the gap for his friends, that's right.  Oh gosh, yeah, for his kids at first. Ailsa: Yeah, for his kids on the front end and then for his friends on the back end, right? Oh, it's all about Jesus. Nathan: It is all about Jesus. Or you can read it. Ailsa: All about Jesus. Nathan: I think Jesus read it all about Jesus. Ailsa: Probably, probably. Still, but, I think we're still left, I think it's all about Jesus, but I think we're still left with it's ok to be grappling with this stuff. Nathan: Yeah, it's a lifelong struggle, it really is. And for somebody who is struggling it's just, you kinda have to hold on, just keep going, trusting that God is good, trusting that your Redeemer lives, has stood upon the earth. That God is crushing suffering. And will one day fully and finally make it right. Ailsa: Yeah and on that note, Job. Nathan:  Yeah, Job it's a struggle. Ailsa: It's a struggle. Nathan: The struggle is real. Ailsa: It's an important one though because the struggle is real in real life. Job, I don't want to say done because that's not Job done. Done. Nathan: Job, the conversation is opened. Ailsa: Yeah. Nathan: We're finished opening the conversation. Yeah that's a good way of putting it. Ailsa: And Job we're finished opening your conversation, and done. Nathan: Moving on. Ailsa: That was About That Bible with Every Nation NYC. You can follow along the same reading plan as us and you'll find the link for that in the notes and you can read too. Don't forget you can also follow us on Instagram and twitter @AboutThatBible and you can find all our podcasts at everynationnyc.org or all the places that you can find podcasts. See you later guys.

The classic formulation of the problem of pain goes something like this: IF God is all powerful and is loving then why is their pain and suffering in the word? And then people like David Hume later took this proposition and gave it more meat. Hume said here are the only conclusions one can have:Either God is all powerful and doesn’t care about suffering because he does nothing to stop it.Or God is not all powerful and cares about us but can do nothing to stop pain and suffering.So that is the basic argument that is posed to Christians, and many times, this stops a Christian in their tracks ... but it doesn't have to. It can be a difficult charge to answer, but in this episode we do our best to address it.

The theme for Part 3 of Maximum faith is "you gotta believe."  At some point, beliefs about God are expressed in the open as actions for God.  Call it what you want:  the proof in the pudding, the rubber hitting the road, or - for our purposes - where faith actually begins.  Words about God are not the same as actions which express true trust in God - we know the difference but more importantly God knows the difference and is waiting to see it and move in response. It happens when there is no obvious reason to believe but we believe and act anyway because we know God's capacity and character.  Either God's real or He is not.  Either He can or He can't.  Either He said he would or He didn't.  This is the rare black and white thinking of Abraham's faith in the midst of impossible circumstances.   He didn't waiver - and neither did God.  

The classic theological puzzle known as the “problem of evil” arises when we assert the existence of an all-powerful God who is also perfectly loving, while also asserting the presence of genuine evil in the world. As David Hume puts the case: “Either God would remove evil out of this world, and cannot; or He can, and will not; or, He has not the power nor will; or, lastly He has both the power and will. If He has the will, and not the power, this shows weakness, which is contrary to the nature of God. If He has the power, and not the will it is malignity, and this is no less contrary to His nature. If He is neither able nor willing, He is both impotent and malignant, and consequently cannot be God. If he is both willing and able (which alone is consonant to the nature of God), whence comes evil, or why does he not prevent it?” Very often, as in Hume’s framing above, the focus of efforts to approach the “problem” is on God. Can God? Should God? Is God? Why does/doesn't God? In a departure from this, in this episode the panelists place greater attention on those who are currently, or who have, suffered great evil, and how traditional approaches so often fail them. In many cases, one of the costs of great suffering, especially when it does not arise as a natural consequence of something we did, is the loss of faith in God altogether. More atheists are created by the fact of genuine, massive, and seemingly unfair distribution of great suffering than any other trigger. Clearly, in such cases, an “omni-everything” concept of God fails as a being or power that is able to comfort those who suffer. In a new book, God Can’t: How to Believe in God and Love after Tragedy, Abuse, and Other Evils, Christian and open-relational theologian Thomas Jay Oord directly faces the effects on individual faith that arise from evil. Through his posing and discussing five theological claims about God's loving nature in relation to evil, many Christians, and we sense Latter-day Saints would as well, have at last found new hope and the kind of comfort and peace that only an explicit faith in God can bring. Brittney Hartley and Mormon Matters host Dan Wotherspoon join Tom in discussing the ideas of his book, while contributing as they arise various places where Mormon thought is in close alignment with his theses. In the final section, they also discuss one large disconnect between Tom’s and wider Christianity’s view of God and that of Latter-day Saints: the question of whether God is embodied or not. It leads to a fascinating exchange, even as it primes the pump for many more explorations. We are grateful to Tom as an open-hearted, brilliant, and friendly conversation partner. Here’s to more episodes to come! Please listen in! Share! And be mindful that we’d also love your comments and ideas to become part of the ongoing conversations at mormonmatters.org!

Are we so familiar with how to ‘do’ this Christian life, that we’ve lost our commitment to letting God be God?

Time, waiting and patience are all difficult things for us in our humanity. We want things to happen, but we want them to happen on our schedule and when we are ready. Many stand and declare that the Lord has a purpose and does miracles. We know these things, but some think that He does not do them for us. We often blame ourselves not being good enough to deserve these things. In Genesis 11, we meet Abram and Sarai. In verse 30, the Bible calls out Sarai’s problem: She was barren. God made a covenant with Abram that he would make his seed into a great nation. But to those looking on, God had made a mistake. Either God chose the wrong man, or Abram had the wrong wife. In chapter 12, God commands Abram to move and again promises to make his seed into a great nation. Abram never hesitated and followed God’s direction. By chapter 15, Abram was still unsure of how the covenant would play out since he did not have a child, and he questions God on how it will come to pass. God reminds Abram of the promise but does not offer an answer about how. In chapter 16, Abram and Sarai take matters into their own hands, and try to have a child with Hagar saying “it may be that I may obtain children by her.” We cannot live life by maybe. The enemy wants us to get to the point of maybe. This course did not work out the way that they thought it would. That is always the case when we take matters out of God’s hands. How frustrating it must have been for Abram and Sarai to be following all of God’s direction, but not see the blessing that God had promised. How the enemy must have whispered in their ears about how they were not worthy. Like a haunting memory, it must have poisoned Sarai’s mind. In chapter 15, Abram is 99; thirteen years older than the previous chapter. Thirteen years past when they thought they were too old. In this chapter, God begins to speak a word for Sarai. He says that her name will be Sarah and specifically says that He would give her a son. This leads us to our text this morning. Our text says they laughed when God tells them that Sarah would have a child. They didn’t question or laugh when God tells them to move. But, this time they laugh because this promise involved them. Before, they just had to trust God, but now this part of the promise involves them. The doubt playing in their minds was telling them that they were not good enough. Too many people give up on the promise not because it is too big for God, but because it is too big for us. Some of us have tried to defer our calling because we do not think we are capable. Right in the middle of our text is God’s answer to that doubt: “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” In Genesis 21, the Bible declares “and the Lord visited Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did unto Sarah as he had spoken.” How many times have we been Sarah who agreed with God, but inside we laughed because of our own limitations? If God says it, we can count on it. We may not know when, we may not know how, we may not know the time frame, but it will happen. If God says it, it will happen. We may be limited, but our God is not!

“Jesus' entry into Jerusalem stirs emotions that should not be denied. It is a moment filled with possibility. The thought of what might be exhilarated all who followed Jesus. Might this be the king who would deliver them from the Romans? Who would return all the children of God who had been scattered abroad? This was the moment on which the wheel of history would turn. Either God's kingdom would be established on earth, or the people's hope would be forever shattered.” – R. Alan Culpepper

“Jesus' entry into Jerusalem stirs emotions that should not be denied. It is a moment filled with possibility. The thought of what might be exhilarated all who followed Jesus. Might this be the king who would deliver them from the Romans? Who would return all the children of God who had been scattered abroad? This was the moment on which the wheel of history would turn. Either God's kingdom would be established on earth, or the people's hope would be forever shattered.” – R. Alan Culpepper

“Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem stirs emotions that should not be denied. It is a moment filled with possibility. The thought of what might be exhilarated all who followed Jesus. Might this be the king who would deliver them from the Romans? Who would return all the children of God who had been scattered abroad? This was the moment on which the wheel of history would turn. Either God’s kingdom would be established on earth, or the people’s hope would be forever shattered.” – R. Alan Culpepper

“Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem stirs emotions that should not be denied. It is a moment filled with possibility. The thought of what might be exhilarated all who followed Jesus. Might this be the king who would deliver them from the Romans? Who would return all the children of God who had been scattered abroad? This was the moment on which the wheel of history would turn. Either God’s kingdom would be established on earth, or the people’s hope would be forever shattered.” – R. Alan Culpepper

“Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem stirs emotions that should not be denied. It is a moment filled with possibility. The thought of what might be exhilarated all who followed Jesus. Might this be the king who would deliver them from the Romans? Who would return all the children of God who had been scattered abroad? This was the moment on which the wheel of history would turn. Either God’s kingdom would be established on earth, or the people’s hope would be forever shattered.” – R. Alan Culpepper

“Jesus' entry into Jerusalem stirs emotions that should not be denied. It is a moment filled with possibility. The thought of what might be exhilarated all who followed Jesus. Might this be the king who would deliver them from the Romans? Who would return all the children of God who had been scattered abroad? This was the moment on which the wheel of history would turn. Either God's kingdom would be established on earth, or the people's hope would be forever shattered.” – R. Alan Culpepper

“Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem stirs emotions that should not be denied. It is a moment filled with possibility. The thought of what might be exhilarated all who followed Jesus. Might this be the king who would deliver them from the Romans? Who would return all the children of God who had been scattered abroad? This was the moment on which the wheel of history would turn. Either God’s kingdom would be established on earth, or the people’s hope would be forever shattered.” – R. Alan Culpepper

At Church, Jesse talked about the Florida school shooting and the spiritual issues affecting all people. He also discussed forgiving mothers with newcomers. At the beginning of the service, Jesse asked people if they ever felt depressed, shy, and other emotions. Everyone answered “yes.” Jesse connected these emotions to 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, who shot and killed at least 17 people at a school in Florida, injuring dozens more. Cruz reportedly said voices in his head told him to commit the murders. Jesse pointed out that whichever “god” we serve controls us — whether the real God or the prince of darkness. Therefore, the problem is spiritual, and not “guns,” nor even “mental illness.” After Jesse finished his point, a young black man watching online from Germany asked a personal question. He said that he lost all of his anger and gained confidence, but at 19 he sleeps with women. Should he continue the sex, or stop? Jesse urged him to stop that. Women want men to do right — not have sex with them until marriage. A number of newcomers joined Church in-person today — some from Jesse’s recent interview on Stefan Molyneux’s Freedomain Radio, and others from Jesse’s own YouTube videos. Two brothers spoke at-length with Jesse in Church regarding their mother. One man went through the 12-step program, now sober 13 years. He called it “far out” advice to abstain from sex in order to see if his girlfriend respected him. He blamed himself for his anger, addictions, and issues, and couldn’t bring himself to see where his mother went wrong. Jesse urged him to speak honestly with her, allow her to react how she will, but to forgive her — apologize for resenting her for what she did to him. The brothers’ half-brother also attended today. He said that he and his father did “a lot of forgiving.” But Jesse pointed out that real forgiveness is a one-time thing. Once you let go of anger completely, you’re done with it. We went overtime today for church, with so many new people sharing good conversation. One woman said that she realized at a young age that her mother did the best she could — so she did not feel anger toward her. She and her fiancé agreed to avoid sex until marriage. Jesse asserted to the people that sex is for having children — or, if you cannot control yourself, it’s best to marry before having sex. But it’s best to gain self-control, and get to know the person, rather than to marry simply to have sex. Jesse quickly answered two questions from a person online: What is the role of the Bible in our lives? If we don’t have freewill, why are we punished for sin? Jesse said to read, but not get into knowledge, which brings pride. We do not have freewill. Either God or Satan guides us based on the inclination of our heart. But God does not punish us — Satan does. God forgives us. But an angry, sinful person will not enter into the kingdom of God. Practice the Silent Prayer found on the BOND Church page. Please donate to support our work, and help us to help others. NOTE: We will not have church this coming Sunday, Feb 25, as Jesse will speak in Washington, D.C., that weekend. YouTube VIDEO: https://youtu.be/wC7cZqfqbNc

In a world where we are pushed to define ourselves on the basis of money - and all that money gives - Jesus calls us to make a stark choice. You can read the written sermon here: https://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/5-it-is-either-god-or-money-allan-quak-sermon-on-identity-201858?ref=SermonSeriesDetails

Ever reach the end of a workday, and wonder where the hours went? Sometimes it seems there's just too much to do, and not enough time to do it all. In this episode, I'll share 5 “tricks” that will help you get more done in less time. Plus, here are some additional reasons to keep listening… I will share an app that helps you make great-looking  portraits on your iPhone. Stu McLaren with the Lifestyle Business Report. Now let's get on with it… Announcements: Thanks to all who have left a review of the Ray Edwards Show in iTunes. Including  Johnny Lee Phillips, Cynthia Charleen, and Kevin Anthony Williams.  I'm considering the formation of an affordable, entry-level Mastermind Group. This would be a true mastermind group, led by me, with personal interaction available. Would you be interested? Let me know in the comments on this post. Tip Of The Week  The Facetune app helps you create pictures showing people in their best light. Lifestyle Business Segment  With Stu McLaren Spiritual Foundations Why do followers of Jesus experience tough times? Keep these 3 things in mind: We don't see what God sees. We don't know what God knows. Nothing surprises God! “The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.” Psalm 37:23 “Either God is doing a work in you, or He is using you to do a work in someone else.” Joel Osteen Feature Segment:  5 Tricks To Get More Done In Less Time Refuse any input (email, Facebook, voicemail, phone calls, chat, etc.) until you complete your “One Thing” for the day. Do your most important work next, still refusing inputs. Work in focus blocks, punctuated by short bursts of physical activity. Shorten your workweek and your workday with “hard stops.” Do things faster.   What To Do Now If you enjoy the podcast, I would consider it a great favor if you subscribe (and leave a review) in iTunes. This helps new people discover the show. You can also find the podcast on Stitcher. Question:     How do you  Get more done in less time? Click here to leave your comments.

Rabbi Harold Kushner wrote a book titled, When Bad Things Happen to Good People, in which he told the tragic story of his young son's death from a debilitating disease. As a religious person, he wrestled with why God allowed such a thing to happen. He concluded one of two things must be true: Either God is all-loving, but not all-powerful (He wants to prevent disease but can't) or God is all-powerful, but not all-loving ( He is able to prevent disease but won't). The conclusion the rabbi came to was the first of the two options: God is loving but not omnipotent. God cares about us, but has decided to let the world run on its own without intervention from Him. God is not sovereign or all powerful; He keeps his distance from the everyday affairs of this world. Solomon would not agree with Rabbi Kushner's conclusions. He believed that God was sovereign over all of time and history and that nothing happens outside of his purpose including suffering. This week at the Church at Chelsea-Westover, we will look at what Solomon says about life. Solomon offers impressions about life, insights about God, and instructions about living which touch the issues of pain and suffering in this life. We will see how we can live a victorious life in the midst of the pain and suffering we sometimes experience. We must remember the words of Paul. We know all things work together for good to them that love God and are called according to His purpose (Rom.8:28)

We are challenged to accept no substitutes for the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit. As you pursue the knowledge of the Lord, settle it for yourself that you will resist the temptation to minister out of your own temperament, skill, position or personal inheritance. Many ministers, for example, are such good speakers that they are able to convince their audience themselves rather than allow the opportunity for the Holy Spirit to convict them on His terms. Another example is in ministering in prophecy or words of wisdom. You may have noticed how general many prophetic words are. This doesn't necessarily mean that the Lord is not speaking, but that there is a lot of interference, probably from the person delivering the word. We are all to discern the difference, and encourage one another to “hold out” for the actual flow of the Spirit through our spirit. Many also have a tendency to add their own emotion or power of persuasion—the force of their personality—to their ministry, and the recipient is left overwhelmed by the person to the point they may not be able to discern the truth. Likewise there is a tendency to attribute ministry responsibilities to second and third generations, that a ministry is somehow a birthright of a ministry family and can be passed down from generation to generation. Take note that it is possible to duplicate some of the effects of the moving of the Spirit through our own efforts, especially since most people will go along with what is being said or done. But the true results of His moving—freedom, healing, assurance—can't be faked. Either God moves or He doesn't: If He's not moving, don't try to talk Him into it. Likewise, if He's “rocking the boat,” don&

Jobs come and jobs go, in the end, family is all you've got. This is the wise counsel I received from my manager when I was starting my career in IT many years ago. This was particularly meaningful because at the time, I applied myself 120% into my career, wanting to rise very fast to the top of my profession. While this is good and recommended, I found out soon enough that money itself provides its own set of temptations, and without being grounded in family, it is possible to lose, in one day, all the money, renown, and accolades you've taken years to accumulate.  Billy Graham understood, and you should too, that if 1 million people came to know Christ under his ministry and his family is lost - he has failed miserably. In Joshua 24, God reminded the Israelites through Joshua that He had been good to them, even when they did not deserve it. He had given them lands to posses of which they did not work for. And now they had to choose whom they will serve. Either God or the other god's their fathers served. Here was Joshua's resolve: ...but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD - Joshua 24:15 Notice, "me and AND MY HOUSE, not me alone. Joshua certainly was not about to leave his family behind.Family is important. Do not leave your family behind in vain pursuit of worldly wealth or social recognition. Take your family out to the movies, take a road trip with your family to a city far away. The jobs will come and they will go, the trials will come and they will go. Yes, the success will come and it too shall pass. On your death bed, all you will have surrounding you, is not your Mercedes Benz S-class, nor your 2.4  million dollar mansion in Miami, Florida. It's not your accolades and awards, and record sales and all that. All you will have, or hope to have around you will be family. Treat them right. Don't leave them behind.   Watch The Video

One of the most prominent and difficult issues in philosophy of religion addresses the dilemma that arises when one asserts the existence of an all-powerful God who is also perfectly loving, while also asserting the presence of genuine evil in the world. As David Hume puts the case: "Either God would remove evil out of this world, and cannot; or He can, and will not; or, He has not the power nor will; or, lastly He has both the power and will. If He has the will, and not the power, this shows weakness, which is contrary to the nature of God. If He has the power, and not the will it is malignity, and this is no less contrary to His nature. If He is neither able nor willing, He is both impotent and malignant, and consequently cannot be God. If he is both willing and able (which alone is consonant to the nature of God), whence comes evil, or why does he not prevent it?" There have been many attempts to address this dilemma, ranging from denial of the logical problem that seems apparent when trying to hold to all three assertions, to giving reasons for God allowing evil for some larger goods: because love requires free will, which opens the door to the possibility of us choosing evil, or because the presence of evil creates ideal conditions for "soul making," our proving ourselves through how we respond to it. Outside of classical theism and the three assertions, one finds other approaches to evil, including its denial--the claim that it only appears to be evil because we have a limited perspective (e.g., St. Augustine, Buddhism)--a denial of God’s goodness (e.g., protest theology, theistic dualism), or the denial of God’s omnipotence (e.g., process theology, LDS metaphysical positions suggested in some of Joseph Smith’s writings). Evil is far more than a philosophical problem, however. Most people care more about the suffering associated with evils, and their concern is to find meaning in what they or others are experiencing. A nice, clean "defense" (theodicy) of the God of classical theism is of little interest to them, as such answers are of no help to a torture victim or a teenager sold into sexual slavery. The matter then becomes finding the best response to evil and its attendant suffering. How do I best serve others who are in pain? How do I act powerfully in the face of my own afflictions? What role, if any, has God played in bringing this trial to me, or is God a fellow sufferer with me, ready to offer comfort and guide me to important lessons and eventual peace? And many more. In this three-part episode, Mormon Matters host Dan Wotherspoon and panelists Jennifer Finlayson-Fife, Jim McLachlan, and Loyd Ericson address these and many other issues related to the problem of evil and suffering. Part 1 focuses on the classical philosophical problem and defenses. Part 2 move more directly into LDS approaches to the subject, including a distinction between LDS "discourse" about evil (which follows closely what one finds in most other theistic traditions) and LDS "theology" about evil and suffering derived from Joseph Smith’s rejection of classical theism, as well as fascinating scriptural passages. Part 2 and Part 3 also directly address suffering, including powerful tire-meets-the-road stories of people in intense pain and which ideas and approaches to thinking about evil often exacerbate their suffering versus the ones that are more helpful.

One of the most prominent and difficult issues in philosophy of religion addresses the dilemma that arises when one asserts the existence of an all-powerful God who is also perfectly loving, while also asserting the presence of genuine evil in the world. As David Hume puts the case: "Either God would remove evil out of this world, and cannot; or He can, and will not; or, He has not the power nor will; or, lastly He has both the power and will. If He has the will, and not the power, this shows weakness, which is contrary to the nature of God. If He has the power, and not the will it is malignity, and this is no less contrary to His nature. If He is neither able nor willing, He is both impotent and malignant, and consequently cannot be God. If he is both willing and able (which alone is consonant to the nature of God), whence comes evil, or why does he not prevent it?" There have been many attempts to address this dilemma, ranging from denial of the logical problem that seems apparent when trying to hold to all three assertions, to giving reasons for God allowing evil for some larger goods: because love requires free will, which opens the door to the possibility of us choosing evil, or because the presence of evil creates ideal conditions for "soul making," our proving ourselves through how we respond to it. Outside of classical theism and the three assertions, one finds other approaches to evil, including its denial--the claim that it only appears to be evil because we have a limited perspective (e.g., St. Augustine, Buddhism)--a denial of God’s goodness (e.g., protest theology, theistic dualism), or the denial of God’s omnipotence (e.g., process theology, LDS metaphysical positions suggested in some of Joseph Smith’s writings). Evil is far more than a philosophical problem, however. Most people care more about the suffering associated with evils, and their concern is to find meaning in what they or others are experiencing. A nice, clean "defense" (theodicy) of the God of classical theism is of little interest to them, as such answers are of no help to a torture victim or a teenager sold into sexual slavery. The matter then becomes finding the best response to evil and its attendant suffering. How do I best serve others who are in pain? How do I act powerfully in the face of my own afflictions? What role, if any, has God played in bringing this trial to me, or is God a fellow sufferer with me, ready to offer comfort and guide me to important lessons and eventual peace? And many more. In this three-part episode, Mormon Matters host Dan Wotherspoon and panelists Jennifer Finlayson-Fife, Jim McLachlan, and Loyd Ericson address these and many other issues related to the problem of evil and suffering. Part 1 focuses on the classical philosophical problem and defenses. Part 2 move more directly into LDS approaches to the subject, including a distinction between LDS "discourse" about evil (which follows closely what one finds in most other theistic traditions) and LDS "theology" about evil and suffering derived from Joseph Smith’s rejection of classical theism, as well as fascinating scriptural passages. Part 2 and Part 3 also directly address suffering, including powerful tire-meets-the-road stories of people in intense pain and which ideas and approaches to thinking about evil often exacerbate their suffering versus the ones that are more helpful.

One of the most prominent and difficult issues in philosophy of religion addresses the dilemma that arises when one asserts the existence of an all-powerful God who is also perfectly loving, while also asserting the presence of genuine evil in the world. As David Hume puts the case: "Either God would remove evil out of this world, and cannot; or He can, and will not; or, He has not the power nor will; or, lastly He has both the power and will. If He has the will, and not the power, this shows weakness, which is contrary to the nature of God. If He has the power, and not the will it is malignity, and this is no less contrary to His nature. If He is neither able nor willing, He is both impotent and malignant, and consequently cannot be God. If he is both willing and able (which alone is consonant to the nature of God), whence comes evil, or why does he not prevent it?" There have been many attempts to address this dilemma, ranging from denial of the logical problem that seems apparent when trying to hold to all three assertions, to giving reasons for God allowing evil for some larger goods: because love requires free will, which opens the door to the possibility of us choosing evil, or because the presence of evil creates ideal conditions for "soul making," our proving ourselves through how we respond to it. Outside of classical theism and the three assertions, one finds other approaches to evil, including its denial--the claim that it only appears to be evil because we have a limited perspective (e.g., St. Augustine, Buddhism)--a denial of God’s goodness (e.g., protest theology, theistic dualism), or the denial of God’s omnipotence (e.g., process theology, LDS metaphysical positions suggested in some of Joseph Smith’s writings). Evil is far more than a philosophical problem, however. Most people care more about the suffering associated with evils, and their concern is to find meaning in what they or others are experiencing. A nice, clean "defense" (theodicy) of the God of classical theism is of little interest to them, as such answers are of no help to a torture victim or a teenager sold into sexual slavery. The matter then becomes finding the best response to evil and its attendant suffering. How do I best serve others who are in pain? How do I act powerfully in the face of my own afflictions? What role, if any, has God played in bringing this trial to me, or is God a fellow sufferer with me, ready to offer comfort and guide me to important lessons and eventual peace? And many more. In this three-part episode, Mormon Matters host Dan Wotherspoon and panelists Jennifer Finlayson-Fife, Jim McLachlan, and Loyd Ericson address these and many other issues related to the problem of evil and suffering. Part 1 focuses on the classical philosophical problem and defenses. Part 2 move more directly into LDS approaches to the subject, including a distinction between LDS "discourse" about evil (which follows closely what one finds in most other theistic traditions) and LDS "theology" about evil and suffering derived from Joseph Smith’s rejection of classical theism, as well as fascinating scriptural passages. Part 2 and Part 3 also directly address suffering, including powerful tire-meets-the-road stories of people in intense pain and which ideas and approaches to thinking about evil often exacerbate their suffering versus the ones that are more helpful.

Pastor Jeff Williams: July 31, 2011 Going Beyond, Part XIV, “Beyond Death.” We have been on a series called, “Going Beyond.” We are going to wrap it up today; we are not going to go Beyond anymore. We're going to finish, and we're going to talk about “Beyond Death.” I thought “Beyond Death” was kind of a gloomy topic for a Sunday morning, so I thought it might be fitting if we began with a little humor. One of the things I think is fun to read is tombstones. Sometimes people can be very creative with their tombstones. You might have read some tombstones yourself along the way. There are a couple that are humorous, so let's take a look at them today. The first one says, “Here lies Ann Mann, who lived an old maid and died an old Mann.” Ann obviously had a funny sense of humor. “Beneath this sod, a lump of clay lies Arabella Young, who on the twenty-first of May began to hold her tongue,” so congratulations to Arabella. This one is kind of mean. “The children of Israel wanted bread. The Lord sent them manna. Old Clark Wallace wanted a wife. The Devil sent him Anna.” Clark got his last shot in there. This one is kind of a serious one; it's a reflective one. It says, “Pause now, strangers, you've passed by as you are now, so once was I. As I am now, so soon you will be. Prepare yourself to follow me.” That was a very sober, reflective tombstone, but then next to that is a wooden sign that says, “To follow you, I'm not content until I know which way you went.” We laugh at that, and it's funny, but we know that time is ticking away for us. We know that all of us may have a long time left to live or maybe we have a short time left to live. We just don't know. We just know the clock is ticking for each and every one of us. It's like the man who went into his doctor's office. He was having some pain. He said, “Doc, what's going on?” The doctor examined him. He came back and said, “I have some bad news for you. It's malignant. It's terminal, and you don't have long to live.” He said, “Well, what do you mean I don't have long to live? How long do I have to live?” The doctor said, “Ten.” He said, “Ten? Ten, what? Ten years, ten months, ten days? What is ten?” The doctor said, “Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five…” (Congregation laughing.) We don't know [how long we have to live]. Hopefully we have more than ten seconds, but we just don't know what life holds. I think it's important that we start talking about these ultimate reality kinds of questions, kinds of concerns because you and I will all be people of eternity one day. Let's define the terms a little bit. What does it mean to die? We just take it for granted, “Well, we know what death means,” but Biblically, when it talks about death, what is it? What does it mean? Let's define that. If we're going to talk about “Going Beyond,” at first we must define it. I think we're going to look at an example today. I want to tell you the story about a young man who went through a terrible tragedy in his life. He was a very religious man. In fact, he decided to go into the ministry for a vocation. The church where he worked was a very large church. He was the head administrator of that church. Every guest speaker who came through, every regular teacher, everything that was done-all the offerings, all the upkeep-everything went through him. He ran that ministry, and that was his full-time job. It was a very large church, and he did quite well financially. He had a wife and one child, and she was his only daughter. He watched this little one grow, and at age 12, something happened. Just as she was ready to blossom into womanhood, she was stricken with a disease that they could not get a handle on. No matter what doctor he took her to, no matter who examined her, they could not find help. She deteriorated, and every day was getting worse, to the point where she was at the point of death. He was a desperate father. He didn't know what to do. He had prayed; he had spent money; he and his wife administered to the little girl, yet she was not getting better. Finally in desperation, he heard that there was a man coming to his city through whom God had done many miraculous things. His name was Jesus, and so Jairus left his home to try to find Jesus in hopes that maybe Jesus could perform a miracle and save his daughter's life. I want us to turn to the Gospel of Luke 8:41 (page 1025 of pew Bibles) and read that story together. “Then a man names Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue, came and fell at Jesus' feet, pleading with Him to come to his house…” This is significant because as you know, the Jewish rulers were in opposition of Jesus. There was always a clash, always head butting [going on]. Jesus was teaching a very different message than the Jewish leaders were teaching. The fact that so many of them were following Him was a threat to the powerbase. He was doing things that were unorthodox; He was teaching things that were unorthodox in a way that was unusual. He was teaching with authority, and people by the thousands began following Him. They saw that as a threat. In fact, if you began following Him, John tells us, you could be kicked out of the synagogue. You could be ostracized by your friends. This man could have lost his job, but he didn't care. He didn't care because his daughter's life was on the line, and he was a desperate dad. He found Jesus and began pleading. In the Greek, it's in the active, which means it's something he continued to do. There was a dialogue between him and Jesus as he was imploring Jesus to please come. Even though He was a busy man, and He was obviously doing something now, could He please stop? Could He please come and see his daughter? The man and Jesus begin to go to his home, and then there is a brief exchange between a woman who has another health concern and is healed. We resume the story in Verse 49, “While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. “‘Your daughter is dead,' he said. ‘Don't bother the teacher any more.'” For a split second, hope was gone. For a split second, he began pondering the weight of the words that were spoken to him. Fear was transformed into sorrow, and tears began to well up in his eyes. Sometimes as you read different Gospels, you have different insights into the story. One of the Gospels tells us that even after he received the news that his daughter was dead, he still refused to give up hope. He said to Jesus, “Even though she is dead, even now, if You will come and touch my daughter, she will be whole.” It's interesting that the man who has the most faith in all of Israel is a man who heretofore professed Christ. He is a man who heretofore has been an enemy of Jesus. Now, in these matters of ultimate importance, he has found an ally in Christ; and his faith is off the charts. “Even now, even as I get this report that she is dead, there is hope because You, Jesus, are the author of life.” Jesus comforts him and says, “‘Don't be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.' “When they arrived at the house of Jairus, He did not let anyone go in with Him except Peter, John and James, and the child's father and mother. Meanwhile, all the people were wailing and mourning for her.” Of these people, some were family; some were friends. Others were professional mourners. We think of a funeral as a very quiet, sober, reflective kind of event. In those days, they would hire people to come and make noise. They'd hire people to come and cry, so they were crying. That is why it was so easy for them to turn and go from crying to laughter, mocking, and ridiculing Jesus because really, they were hired mourners. They didn't have that attachment to the family, so it was easy for them to turn on Jesus in a moment's time. “‘Stop wailing,' Jesus said. ‘She is not dead but asleep.'” Could you imagine the tears that are being shed for a 12 year old girl who was cut off as she was entering the prime of life? Can you imagine the sorrow that's there? Then you go into that funeral and say, “She's not dead.” Either you can back those words up, or you're in an awful lot of trouble. Those aren't words you just come and jokingly say at a funeral. “They laughed at Him, knowing that she was dead. But He took her by the hand and said, ‘My child, get up!'” Talitha kum, He spoke in Aramaic to her [saying], “Maiden, arise.” “Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up. Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat. Her parents were astonished, but He ordered them not to tell anyone what had happened.” There is a Verse I want to draw your attention to, and that is Verse 55 because it helps us to understand death. It says, “Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up.” The spirit left; she was dead. The spirit returned; she was alive. When the Bible speaks of death, the definition of death literally means “to separate from.” That's what death means in the Bible-to be separated from. Her spirit left her body, and when that happened, death occurred. The spirit, the life-giving spirit, was separated from the body. I want to establish that fact and define that fact first of all with you from the Scripture. I'd like us to turn to the Book of Genesis 2:7 (page 2 of pew Bibles). We talk about what life is. It's important for us to turn to the very beginning of life. In Genesis 2, God has formed man, and man is lying lifeless before his Creator. It says, “…the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being.” God breathes into man His Spirit, and in that moment, life came. The heart started beating; the lungs began to breath; the eyes opened, and Adam was alive. Life had begun. In Verse 17, I want you to notice something significant as well. God made a promise. He set some boundaries. He set some rules. He said, “…but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.'” God is saying, “If you eat of this tree, you will die.” They ate of the tree. Did they die? Not physically. Either God reneged on His promise or God changed His mind. He threatened them like some parents do. Sometimes parents will threaten their children with something they know they're not going to do. You've saved up, and you're on an airplane to Disneyworld. Your kids are acting up, and you say, “We will turn this airplane around right now and go home if you don't behave.” You know you can't do that, but you're using any gimmick you can to get the child to be quiet. Is that what God's doing here? Is He threatening, “I'll kill you”? Then they call His bluff, and He's like, “I'm just kidding. I'm not going to do that.” Or, did He lie? Or, is there a different kind of death than physical death? If death means separation, what happened here is Adam and Eve's fellowship, their connection to God, was broken at this point in time. There now is a separation between God and man. That's what Christ came and restored for us. Death is separation. The day they ate of the fruit, they were separated from God. When the spirit joined the body, there was life. When the spirit left the body, there was death. James 2:26 (page 1197 of pew Bible), “As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.” Again, James talks about that separation. When Jesus died on the cross, the Bible is very clear to let us know what occurred at the moment of death. Let's examine the Gospels together. Matthew 27:50 (page 988), “And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, He gave up His spirit.” That means He died. Luke 23:46 (page 1046) “Jesus called out in a loud voice, ‘Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.' When He had said this, He breathed His last.” (John 19:30, page 1073), “When He had received the drink, Jesus said, ‘It is finished…'” Tetelestai-the debt is paid. “With that, He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.” It's very clear that the Bible teaches that death is a separation of the spirit from the body. An eternal death would be a separation from God. These are different kinds of death, but the meaning is the same-to separate from. Paul talked about this in the Book of Philippians 1 (page 1161). We want to understand what's beyond death. What happens to a believer when they die? What can we expect? Some teach soul sleep where there is this period from the time you die until the end of the world in which there is no conscience existence. Some teach that there is a purgatory or some sort of intermediate state that we go to. What is beyond death for the believer? Paul is going to talk about this with clarity and conviction. Paul is writing here to the Philippians. It's a church he started; it's a church he's ministered to. He's talking about a conflict he has. It's not a conflict between life and death; it's a conflict between wanting to be with people and wanting to be with the Lord. Paul was a little bit tired; sometimes when you do something good, you can be tired. Paul has to oversee the churches. When doctrinal error comes, he has to respond to that for all these churches-not Jerusalem, but all the churches in Asia Minor and Europe-he's overseeing those. He's overseeing the leadership, and we know from his letters that sometimes leadership went astray and he had to go after them or replace them. We know that there were times when he had to deal with moral impurities in the churches. He had to bring correction, and that was difficult to do. There were financial problems within the church. All these things press on Paul, and Paul is saying, “There are times when I'm weary. There are times when I'd just like to go and be with the Lord.” He's going to discuss that dilemma in Verse 21. He says, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” He does not see death as something to be shunned, dreaded, or feared. He sees death as a homecoming. “If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me...” In other words, I'm still productive. I can still teach and preach. I still have energy. I have a sound mind. God can still use me. “Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two. I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far…” He is saying, “For me to depart is to be with Christ. There is no intermediate state, no soul sleep, but when I die-when I physically die-I will be united with Christ.” “…which is better by far.” In the Greek, he is using the strongest superlative that he can. In our vernacular, we might say something like, “Words cannot express the joy I feel” or “words cannot express the sorrow I feel.” We use expressions like that. Paul is basically saying the same thing. He's saying, “I can't even put into words how much better it is to be in the presence of the Lord than here.” He said, “I am torn between the two. I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far…” Paul once said, “The eye has not seen nor ear heard what God has in store for those who trust Him.” He's saying, “What we have here, we think is good. We like what we have here, but that's only because we haven't seen what's there.” When I was growing up, I didn't go anywhere. Our family vacations were either to Wisconsin, Iowa or some other place in Illinois. When I got married at age 21, I had been to Illinois, Wisconsin, and Iowa. That was it! I'd never been on a plane; I'd never traveled anywhere beyond the Midwest. Basically, it wasn't too exciting because-I don't know how to break this to you-but Wisconsin and Iowa pretty much look like Illinois. There isn't anything that different. We have some beautiful country up in Door County. You can go to Galena, and that's beautiful too. There are rolling hills. Yes, there are places in Illinois that are not flat-landed, just so you know. Take a drive to Galena; it's gorgeous! We're driving through Colorado for our honeymoon, and then we had to go to through Nebraska. That made me feel better. I thought, “At least we have it better than somebody.” We drove through Nebraska, and it took about two, three months (congregation laughing). We finally got through there-and that was going 80 MPH-and we came into Colorado. I saw this big hill, and there was a babbling brook running down the hill. I was like, “Wow!” We pulled the car out, and I got camera out. I started snapping pictures and was taking all these pictures of this muddy stream coming down this big hill. I went, “Wow! That's really something!” We got in our car and drove some more hours, and we came around a bend. I saw this incredible cloud formation. I thought, “Wait a second. Those aren't clouds. Those are mountains! Those are the Rocky Mountains!” It was just amazing. I said to Brenda, “I would never get tired of seeing this. If this was the scenery I looked at…” Montana, if you've seen the mountains, you know. Does that ever get old? They're just incredible! I took pictures all week of the Rocky Mountains. When we got home and developed our film, I remember laughing at the muddy stream pictures of the hill thinking, “We thought that was wonderful. That was nothing compared to the Rockies!” I think that's what Heaven is like. We were at Yosemite a couple weeks ago, and we thought, “Oh, that's beautiful!” Nothing compared to what is to be revealed. We want to take our treasures with us. We want to take what is precious with us to Heaven, but what we're going to find out is what we have, nothing compares to what is to come. I heard a story about a man who worked out a deal. When the angel came to get his spirit, he worked out a deal to take some of his treasures with him. He said, “You know I'm a rich man, and I would just really love to take my gold. I have these gold bricks that I just love. Would it be okay with you since these are so important to me? It is a sign of the wealth that I have. Could I take these gold bricks with me to Heaven?” The angel said, “Yes.” They get to Heaven, and Peter is like, “This guy is checking in some goods. I can't believe it. That's against the rules. Nobody is allowed to bring earthly goods into Heaven. I have to see what is so exceptional that we bent the rules for this guy and allowed him to bring some of his earthly possessions into Heaven.” Peter came over to this wheelbarrow full of gold bricks. He started laughing, and he said, “Why in the world would you want to bring pavement into Heaven?” Streets are paved with gold?? Maybe you didn't know that Verse in the Bible. It's in there. “Why would you want to bring pavement into Heaven?” Paul is saying it's by far better. He said, “I am torn because I desire to be with you, but I desire to be with Christ. It's more necessary for you that I remain in the body.” He talked about that departure, and he talked about it with a confident hope and a confident expectation because he had put his trust in Jesus Christ. I'd like us to turn to the Book of John 11. It's the story of Lazarus. If you recall, Lazarus is the brother of Mary and Martha. Mary and Martha are the ones who while Martha was busy cooking a meal, banging pots and pans, huffing and puffing, Mary was at Jesus' feet listening and reflecting. Martha became all worked up and said, “Don't you care that I'm doing all the work?” Jesus said, “Martha, Martha. You're troubled with so many things. Only one is necessary.” Remember Martha yelling at Jesus? Now we find her in John 11 again yelling at Jesus. She is saying, “Lord, if You would have come when I told You to come, this wouldn't have happened! You were late when I gave You notice. If You would have come when I said…” Remember when she gives the notice to Jesus, Jesus stays, doesn't He? Sometimes when we pray, God is late, isn't He? Did you know many times when we pray, God is late on purpose? His schedule is not our schedule. He showed up late on purpose. He waited intentionally for Lazarus to die. When He got there, he got an earful from Martha. She was a handful, and she told him again how frustrated she was with him. Some of you are Marthas out there. You think you know better than the Lord, right? We have guy Marthas out there too. “Lord, if You'd done this the way I told you to, this wouldn't have happened. This could have been avoided,” and we give God a little lecture; and Jesus listens to it. I want you to contrast the faith here because she is a loyal follower of Jesus, yet her faith pales in comparison to that of Jairus. In her mind, she doesn't conceive, “Lazarus is now dead; it's too late.” Remember Jairus said, “Even though she's dead, You touch her, and she will live.” Martha didn't even conceive that. She believed he was the Lord, and she said, “Yes, my brother will rise again on the last day,” but the thought of her brother coming alive now after four days is just beyond comprehension. That just shows us how great the faith of Jairus was. Jesus looked at her and said in John 11:25 (page 1063), “‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?'” What does that Verse mean, “He who lives and believes in Me will never die”? Does that mean we won't physically die? Well, we know that's not the case. We've seen people who know the Lord die all the time. There was a church near where I'm from that actually taught that based on this Verse. They taught that you would never physically die. That's what the pastor taught. She said, “I'm never going to die. I believe the words of John 11:26, and if you follow me, you won't die.” Well, people thought that was great, so her church began to grow. It really suffered a setback when she died (congregation laughing). It's not funny. She did die. But that's not what it means, is it? What is he saying when He says, “You will never die”? Remember death is separation. He said it twice, so it almost seems like a contradiction. “He will live even though he dies.” So in Verse 25, he said, “Even though he dies…” And in Verse 26, he said, “…he will never die.” Is that a contradiction? It's the same principle we see working in Genesis. There will be physical death. There will be separation of the spirit from the body, but there will never be eternal death, a separation of the spirit from God. God is saying beyond death is union-a greater union, a greater fellowship-presence, face-to-face in God's presence. We will never be separated from God. Death is simply a passageway. Death is simply a door that we go through, but you and I will never be separated from our Creator. Isn't that wonderful news? Jesus says, “You will never die. There isn't a moment that you will be separated from Me.” He asks, “Do you believe this? Whoever lives in and believes in Me will never die.” Jesus doesn't lift up a denomination. He doesn't talk about church membership. He doesn't say, “If you'd just become a good person, you will never die.” He said, “If you live and believe in Me…” I didn't say that; Jesus said that. Jesus taught that salvation was through Him alone. In the Scripture when it talks about faith, it means more than just simply intellectually ascent. It means more than if I hand you a quiz and ask, “Do you believe Jesus is the Son of God? True of False.” “True.” “Do you believe that He rose from the dead, that He died for your sins?” “True.” “Yet, in your life, we see no evidence of faith. We see no evidence of Christ in your life.” That's not Biblical faith. Biblical faith is a conviction with corresponding action. Andy (from a presentation at church from “Strength Team.” You can find more information on the “Strength Team” here: http://www.strengthteam.com/outreach/content/team/andy-gavin) believes he can tear a license plate in half. He follows that up with corresponding action. He demonstrates. Tonight he's going to demonstrate his strength. I welcome you to come up and bang those blocks with your head a little bit and see what happens. They are real, and he will demonstrate that. He is going to go beyond saying it and demonstrate. There is corresponding action. Christ says those who put their trust and faith [in Christ], it will be apparent. “It will be apparent in the lives that they live-the fruit that their lives bare-that they have put their faith and trust in Me.” Jesus says you will know that you have passed from death to life. There is no intermediate state, no soul sleep, but you will be in the presence of the living God. You will never be separated from Him for a moment. Let's pray together: Father, as we live this life, [we learn that] this life is hard. This life has challenges. There are some times, like Paul, when we long to be in your presence. We don't know what's beyond that door. We don't know what's on the other side. It can be intimidating. It can be scary-for some, dreadful. But, Lord, if I'm going through a door, and I know that on the other side of that door is One who is greater than I, who loves me and is waiting for me, there is nothing to fear. If I know on the other side of that door that there are people who I love and who love me that have gone on before me, there is nothing to fear. In fact, there are times when we are torn and want to go to be with the Lord and the people we love. Until You call us home, there is work to be done. There is a reason we're here. Like Paul, we say there is fruitful labor for me. Lord, help us to walk in that fruitful labor, but at the same time be able to rejoice and know that You have made a way for us beyond the grave because You conquered sin and death. In Jesus Christ, our Lord, in His name we pray. Amen.

All law, being an expression of someone's morality, is an inescapable concept. Either God's law will define all morality, or man's law will.

In this episode, we continue our series focused on answering the questions commonly asked by non-Christians. This time we tackle one of the most common -- and most significant -- objections to Christianity: the problem of evil, suffering, and pain. The Greek philosopher Epicurus put it this way: "Either God wants to abolish evil, and cannot; or he can, but does not want to. If...

The Doctrine of Rest from the principle of grace and mercy. Part 1. Wednesday, April 16, 2008 The Sabbath Is Set Aside in the Church-age, COL 2:16-17; Galatians. 1CO 16:2 on the first day of every week let each one of you put aside and save, as he may prosper, that no collections be made when I come. ACT 20:7 And on the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul {began} talking to them, intending to depart the next day, and he prolonged his message until midnight. The Lord's Day, the first day of the week, is not a “Christian Sabbath,” because the Sabbath is the seventh day of the week and belonged especially to the Jews. Sunday is a special day to God's people because it commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, LUK 24:1; as well as the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, ACT 2:1. The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead was something brand new, and they discovered it on the first day of the week. The Royal Family formed by the baptism of the Holy Spirit was also something brand new, which is why we are called new creatures; JAM 1:18. Sunday is a special day to God's people because it commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead as well as the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, and the new family that you are a part of. ROM 8:23 And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, One of the things that happened when the Church-age superseded the age of Israel is that Saturday or the sabbath, was set aside. For the Jew, Saturday was a time for animal sacrifices. Saturday was a time for a specialized priesthood; it was a time for special activities and assembly worship. The Jewish age was halted and 50 days from Sunday, the resurrection day, was another Sunday, the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit baptized believers into Christ and made them brand new creatures. Because every believer is a priest, and the objective of every believer is to become spiritually self-sustained. The only time we possess to honor God in time is the number of days He provides for us in the Christian life,PSA 90:12; JAM 4:13-15. PSA 90:12 Teach us to organize our days, that we may present to thee a heart of doctrine. The fact that you live another day is a sign of divine grace and faithfulness, LAM 3:22-23. ISA 57:1 The righteous man perishes, and no man takes it to heart; And devout men are taken away, while no one understands. For the righteous man is taken away from evil. MAL 3:6 “For I, the Lord, do not change;” HEB 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, yes and forever. God always proves Himself be good to the man who passionately waits, to the woman who diligently seeks to the believer who learns how to rest in the Lord. The Doctrine of Rest Point 1. Definition. a. Rest is having peace in soul which means that you are free from worrying, from anxiety, and from frustration. b. It also means to remain confident. For the Church-age, God increased it and gave us a moment-by-moment sabbath, the faith-rest technique, HEB 4:1-3. Your moment-by-moment sabbath means your spiritual advance, and your annual sabbatical is comparable to the supergrace life. ROM 4:19-20 and without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah's womb; yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief, but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, EXO 14:10-14 “Do not fear! Stand by and see the deliverance of the Lord which He will accomplish for you today; the Lord will fight for you while you keep silent.” Caleb and the giants, Num 13-14 is an illustration of the supergrace life and the moment-by-moment rest. c. Rest also means to trust under extreme pressure. Rest - nuwach = to settle down; to give comfort; to be at rest from troubles and anxieties. Loipoi - rest = recreation and the remaining rest for the believer. Loipoi also means tranquility of the soul and also to refresh. Anapauo = to cease from work in order to receive strength. “Rest” = the state of mind in which there is complete and total peace being free from worries, anxieties and fears. Point 2. Introduction. The manifestation of the glory of God within. GAL 5:22 - peace = eirene; one of the meanings of eirene is rest. So for the Christian, he has entered into what the book of Hebrews teaches as a moment by moment rest, or a moment by moment sabbath. If the believer does not rest and tries to accomplish things on his own, then he enters into temporal death which is a separation from God. Every day that you wake up is another opportunity for you to enter into His rest. You have an altar and that altar starts right upstairs in your soul. Prayer is a part of your altar, but so is learning, serving, giving, etc. They not only struggle with rest outwardly (they're nervous wrecks; they're always falling apart; they can't handle pressure), but they struggle with rest inwardly...which is where real rest starts. God's glory is revealed by His grace. God's glory is revealed by His mercy. Mercy, which is compassion, is that which deals with the past in our lives, our mistakes and our failures. Grace gives us the power in the present and for the future. If you don't have rest with God you won't have rest with yourself. If you don't have rest with yourself you won't have rest with others. Arrogance, guilt, condemnation, and fear, torment a person's soul unless the individual discovers what real biblical rest is all about. Because God promised that He will be gracious and merciful (compassionate) to you. Even divine discipline is a revelation of His grace. The manifestations of the glory of God “from” God is His grace and mercy, but the manifestation of the Glory of God “in us” is rest. Point 3. Rest is also a fulfillment of the promises of God. If you don't live in God's promises which are based upon His character and nature, you won't have rest. If you want to live in fear of something, live in fear that you don't live in the promises of God, HEB 4:1. Rest - anapauo = causes us to cease from work in order to receive his strength. Rest comes first of all from going to Him; that's His promise...and secondly, if you learn from Him, you will find rest for your souls. LAM 3:23 - Every morning He is waiting to meet you and His grace and His mercy and His faithfulness are there. In ISA 30:18, He is tapping His foot waiting to be gracious to you. Either God is a liar (in Titus 1:2 that's impossible) or else you are not living in God's promises. 1KI 8:56 Blessed be the Lord, who has given rest to His people Israel, according to all that He promised; not one word has failed of all His good promised, which He promised through Moses His servant. Menuwchah = a marriage with rest or a resting place; it means to settled in a particular place. Menuwchah also means a condition of rest: A place of rest; A habitation of rest. We all have the opportunity for what we are secretly searching for, and it is within ourselves because of the life of Christ. That is a problem, it seems, for every believer......to attain something that God has already made them to be.

Big Dreams: Either God Shows Up or It Doesn't Happen

Big Dreams: Either God Shows Up or It Doesn't Happen

This is part 4 of our series on the Creeds.Because most of the creeds were the product of a Council of one kind or another, when dealing with the creeds, we have to talk about the Council.The Creed we're looking at in this episode, the Athanasian Creed, wasn't the product of a Council. And, like the Apostle's Creed we looked in the first episode, it almost certainly wasn't composed by Athanasius, just as the Apostle's Creed wasn't written by the Apostles.The origin of the Athanasian Creed remains a mystery. Athanasius, you'll remember, was an elder at the church of Alexandria and accompanied his pastor, Bishop Alexander, to Nicaea for the council, where together, they were some of the chief voices arguing against another elders from Alexandria named Arius who'd gone off the rails on the deity of Christ. Following Alexander's term as the Bishop of Alexandria, Athanasius took on that rol e, and in the years that followed, though Arianism ought to have been a moot point after being nailed into a theological coffin at Nicaea, it managed to go zombie and began once again chewing on the churches, many of which once again were infected. Athanasius stood against the tide of this resurgent Arianism; sometimes, seeming to be all alone. In fact, at times, the political winds blew against him and he was exiled for standing for Nicene Orthodoxy.Think of Athanasius as a general leading an ever shrinking number of troops in a war of theology & doctrine. If we were to single him out for the one thing he clung to, it was the Nicene tenet that God the Father & God the Son share the same substance – in Greek, homoousios.While Constantine deferred to the wisdom of theologians in settling the Arian challenge, following emperors weren't as skilled. They were Arians and allowed the heresy to re-emerge. Since Arianism was the accepted doctrinal position of court, it became politically expedient for church leaders to tow the line. Athanasius refused to allow politics to corrupt either himself or his church. For this, he was exiled. At one trial, when told that everyone else had gone over to the other side, he replied, “Athanasius contra munduma” = Athanasius against the world. He spent 17 years in 5 exiles by 4 emperors.And as much of a champ as Athanasius was, he almost certainly had nothing to do with writing the creed which bears his name.Athanasius died in 373 and never mentions the creed even once in his writings. The next 3 creeds following his death never refer to it, as they most certainly would have in the formulation of their creeds. One the contrary, the Creed bears the marks of the work of those creeds. Our best evidence is that the Creed came from the churches of North Africa that had been influenced by Augustine.In its earliest use, the Athanasian Creed wasn't   called a creed; it was called “The Faith of Athanasius.” And like the Apostles' Creed, it derived its relevance not from its author but rather to the truth it expressed and HOW it expressed it.Maybe first evidence of the creed was connected to Caesarius of Arles about 502. He transcribed the entire creed in a preface to a collection of sermons. He said he was attaching the creed, “because it is necessary . . . that all clergy, and laymen as well, should be familiar with the Faith” so they'd know what to teach. By 1090, the medieval theologian Anselm of Canterbury linked the Athanasian, Apostles', and Nicene Creeds as the Tria Symbola, the Three Creeds of the Christian Faith.The creed wielded major influence during the Reformation. It lies at the opening of the Lutheran Book of Concord along with the Apostles' & Nicene Creeds. It's used by several Reformed churches, and it was mentioned approvingly in the Augsburg Confession, the Formula of Concord, the 39 Articles, the 2nd Helvetic Confession, the Belgic Confession, and the Bohemian Confession. Luther said the Athanasian Creed was “the most important and glorious composition since the days of the apostles.” Calvin considered it one of “the three symbols” that stand forever alongside God's Word. Church historian Philip Schaff wrote of the Athanasian Creed, “This Creed is unsurpassed as a masterpiece of logical clearness, rigor, and precision.”High praise! But the Creed was rejected by the Greek Church because of it's position on the Holy Spirit.The Creed consists of 42 articles, divided into 3 parts. The 1st addresses the Trinity, relying heavily on Augustine's ideas, going so far as to quote him verbatim; making it pretty clear that it wasn't written by Athanasius, since he died when Augustine was still young & a pagan.The 2nd section defends the dual natures of Jesus the Council of Chalcedon explained in 451. We'll get in to a lot more detail on all that when we take a look at the Councils of the 4th & 5th Cs. The 3rd section of the creed is a list of condemnations for those who refuse to the assertions of the creed. This part of the creed has proven to be difficult for those who don't want their opponents consigned to a verbal damnation. But the fact is, most of the early creeds & confessions had a list of “anathemas,” that is, beliefs considered unacceptable in light of the beliefs that had just been articulated as embodying the Christian Faith. If “A” is exclusively true, “anti-A” can't be.Okay, enough jawing ABOUT the Creed. Let's read it . . . à BUT . . .Before we do, I need to clarify a word =  Catholic. We find it a LOT in the writings of the early church. It does NOT mean a denomination or branch of the church with headquarters in Rome. The word catholic meant universal. When the Church father wrote or spoke of the catholic faith, they meant the faith all genuine Christians believed.Okay, here we go …Whosoever will be saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold the catholic faith. Which faith except every one do keep whole and undefiled; without doubt he shall perish everlastingly. And the catholic faith is this: That we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity; Neither confounding the Persons; nor dividing the Essence.For there is one Person of the Father; another of the Son; and another of the Holy Ghost. But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, is all one; the Glory equal, the Majesty coeternal. Such as the Father is; such is the Son; and such is the Holy Ghost. The Father uncreated; the Son uncreated; and the Holy Ghost uncreated. The Father unlimited; the Son unlimited; and the Holy Ghost unlimited. The Father eternal; the Son eternal; and the Holy Ghost eternal. And yet they are not three eternals; but one eternal.As also there are not three uncreated; nor three infinites, but one uncreated; and one infinite. So likewise the Father is Almighty; the Son Almighty; and the Holy Ghost Almighty. And yet they are not three Almighties; but one Almighty. So the Father is God; the Son is God; and the Holy Ghost is God. And yet they are not three Gods; but one God. So likewise the Father is Lord; the Son Lord; and the Holy Ghost Lord. And yet not three Lords; but one Lord.For like as we are compelled by the Christian verity; to acknowledge every Person by himself to be God and Lord; So are we forbidden by the catholic religion; to say, There are three Gods, or three Lords. The Father is made of none; neither created, nor begotten. The Son is of the Father alone; not made, nor created; but begotten. The Holy Ghost is of the Father and of the Son; neither made, nor created, nor begotten; but proceeding. So there is one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three Sons; one Holy Ghost, not three Holy Ghosts.And in this Trinity none is before, or after another; none is greater, or less than another. But the whole three Persons are coeternal, and coequal. So that in all things, as aforesaid; the Unity in Trinity, and the Trinity in Unity, is to be worshipped. He therefore that will be saved, let him thus think of the Trinity.Furthermore it is necessary to everlasting salvation; that he also believe faithfully the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ. For the right Faith is, that we believe and confess; that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and Man; God, of the Essence of the Father; begotten before the worlds; and Man, of the Essence of his Mother, born in the world. Perfect God; and perfect Man, of a reasonable soul and human flesh subsisting. Equal to the Father, as touching his Godhead; and inferior to the Father as touching his Manhood. Who although he is God and Man; yet he is not two, but one Christ. One; not by conversion of the Godhead into flesh; but by assumption of the Manhood by God. One altogether; not by confusion of Essence; but by unity of Person. For as the reasonable soul and flesh is one man; so God and Man is one Christ.Who suffered for our salvation; descended into hell; rose again the third day from the dead. He ascended into heaven, he sits on the right hand of God the Father Almighty, from whence he will come to judge the living and the dead. At whose coming all men will rise again with their bodies; And shall give account for their own works. And they that have done good shall go into life everlasting; and they that have done evil, into everlasting fire. This is the catholic faith; which except a man believe truly and firmly, he cannot be saved.Surely you noted how very careful this creed handles the issues, 1st of the Trinity, & 2nd, of the 2 natures of Christ. A word on that . . .Theologians have long discussed how almost any attempt to [air-quote] “explain” God, and specifically, the Trinity, is destined to end up saying something that's not quite right. And that not quite rightness becomes a toehold for misunderstanding and the geneis of error that can break out in heresy. Either God is made out to be three gods, or the 3 divine persons of Father, Son, and Spirit are turned into a messy amorphous mish-mash that does nothing but confuse. The reason for this is because to speak about God as a Trinity as the Bible presents Him, requires a vocabulary & philosophical background different from speaking about literally - any other thing. God is categorically separate from all other subjects. God is God, & nothing else is. When we are dealing with the Trinity, we're entering into what theologians call the “aseity” of God; God as He is in & to himself. Since God is perfect & infinite, He will ALWAYS transcend His creation, of which we are. So while we struggle to grasp how the Trinity “works,” don't get frustrated if you find your understanding falling short. Rather, take comfort in that. For a God you could completely understand would be a god too small to worship. The essence of worship is awe. WE need to have the sense that we stand in the presence of something infinitely bigger & beyond, or worship has no fuel.Because of God's gracious self-revelation, we can apprehend Him. But because of his infinity, we cannot comprehend Him.Given this challenge in culling what Scripture tells us about the Trinity into a succinct Statement of Faith, the Athanasian Creed is about as careful and thorough an attempt as is found in history. It describes the core doctrine of the Trinity, then sets boundaries to prevent misunderstandings.The Athanasian Creed guides through key qualities & attributes shared by all three persons of the Trinity. God is uncreated, unlimited, & eternal.The wording of the Creed may at times seem a bit thick and heavy-handed in its repetition of God being 1 in Essence but 3 in Person. Whenever you see something like that, understand it as a clue to the historical setting that birthed it. A Neo-Arianism had risen that pretended to be faithful to Nicene orthodoxy, but was in fact a return to the idea that while Jesus & the Holy Spirit are God, they are less God than the Father, who alone sits at the top of the divine triangle. This was the position of royalty, because it allowed them some wiggle room to attach themselves to a position at the top of society with everyone else below them.Some have wondered why, for goodness sake, the early Christians didn't just chuck all this arguing about the Trinity and go for simply monotheism. The answer to that is simple= Because early Christians didn't have a choice. Scripture was God's Word, His self-revelation. So if it said there was one God, but 3 persons all claimed to be that one God, then that meant God is One in Essence but three in person.Well, why not go along with the ideas of Sabellius in the early 3rd C who said there's one God, who's chosen 3 different modes to reveal Himself in; as Father with Israel, as the Son Jesus during the Incarnation, and as the Spirit after Jesus' ascension. This idea was called Sabellianism, or modalism and persists to this day in some groups.Again, Modalism simply doesn't square with Scripture. Only one view does, classic orthodox Trinitarianism accommodates ALL of Scripture. And yes, that makes things difficult for us because it's hard to reconcile intellectually. But the more one meditates on the Trinity, the more blessing and goodness flows from it. We see that built into the very nature and character of God is the reality of relationship & mutuality, fellowship, sharing.The Creed ends with a bold but terse comment that those who believe its tenets are saved, but those who reject them are eternally damned. And as you may well imagine, that's raised a hew & cry for many years. There are those who have no problem with other stating their beliefs in bold, clear terms. But to then say salvation lies in agreeing with them while failure to do so results in condemnation, well, wait just a minute there pal! Back the carriage up! Who are you to tell me what I HAVE to believe?Consider this: Bill tells Ted he has to eat or he'll starve. What would we think of Ted if he told Bill that was very narrow thinking & that Ted's deeply offended by Bill's certainty. Ted's not hungry and is disturbed by the thought a failure to eat will result in his death.In a situation like this, we judge Ted as unreasonable. Because we know the connection between food and health.People who take offense at the Creeds for saying “Believe this and live, don't a die” are like Ted. They assume that heaven and hell aren't settled destinations all people end up in. They assume there's some other way than the one the Creed is so careful to plot.The authors of the creeds weren't aggressively drawing a fence around the Faith to keep people out. They were posting big, bold signs pointing to the only way in.