Podcasts about lord jesus christ rom

October 31st marks the 507th anniversary of the protestant reformation when a Catholic monk by the name of Martin Luther wrote ninety-five complaints concerning the Roman Catholic Church and nailed those complaints to the door of All Saints Church in Wittenberg in 1517. Little did Luther know that his complaints would be taken down, translated into multiple language, and mass produced through the newly invented printing press. It was because of what Martin Luther was reading and studying in his Bible that he wrote his complaints for the purpose of debating and dialoging over what he believed were inconsistences with the teachings of the church compared to what the Bible actually taught. Eventually, on April 17, 1521, Luther would have to appear before the Diet of Worms to give account for the vast number of texts, treatises, letters, and tracts calling into question the teachings and traditions of the Roman Catholic Church. It was at the Diet of Worms Luther was given the option to recant and repent, and if he did so, he would be welcomed back into the Church. If Luther refused, he would be branded a heretic and burned at the stake. Luther requested an adjournment to pray and formulate an appropriate response. The meeting was reconvened the next day on April 18th, and it was on that day that Luther delivered a speech that would forever affect the Church. Luther was only permitted to give a short and simple answer whether he would retract his teachings or stand by them; here is the most well-known part of his answer before the Diet of Worms: Since your most serene majesty and your highnesses require of me a simple, clear, and direct answer, I will give one, and it is this: I cannot submit my faith either to the pope or to the council, because it is clear that they have fallen into error and even into inconsistency with themselves. If, then, I am not convinced by proof from Holy Scripture, or by cogent reasons, if I am not satisfied by the very text I have cited, and if my judgment is not in this way brought into subjection to God's word, I neither can nor will retract anything; for it cannot be either safe or honest for a Christian to speak against his conscience. Here I stand. I cannot do otherwise. God help me. Amen. Luther was not burned at the stake over his answer but understood that his answer could have resulted in his death. What did happen was he had to go into hiding and change his name and appearance for a while, for his own safety. Luther delivered his great speech because there was a truth greater and more important than his own safety, for what he was most concerned about was not what the Pope declared to be true, but what Gods word said and how everything else compared to what the Word of God said. We live in a different time compared to the day Luther lived! However, if you are a Christian, you a part of a community known as the church of Jesus Christ, and therefore are a people of one book, and that book is the Bible which contains within its pages the truth of how it is we are to live. When Paul wrote his epistle to the Ephesians, he did so while in prison. Before the apostle was the presence of a roman soldier, and it was with the armor a soldier of Rome wore that Paul would become all too familiar. What is the Belt of Truth? Paul lists six pieces that belong to the armor of God, seven parts if you include Pauls statement on prayer in 6:18-19 and that there is no power apart from a dependance upon God in prayer. The first piece of armor that he begins with is a belt. The belt was an important part of a Roman soldiers armor, not because it made it look better, but because it served two primary purposes: it was used to tuck in and keep the soldiers garments from tripping him up, and it was used to hold the sheath for ones sword. It is worth noting that the belt also served to display a soldiers military status and rank. The belt went underneath the armor, while remaining visible so that it was obvious he was ready to fight. As the warriors belt was critical for his readiness in battle, truth is essential to the Christian life. If we are going to stand in the might of the Lord, if we are going to be able to stand firm against the devils schemes, and if we are going to have any hope in resisting on the evil day, truth is essential to the Christian life. It is the nature of our God and the character of His Word: Teach me Your way, Lord; I will walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear Your name. (Ps. 86:11) God is not a man, that He would lie, nor a son of man, that He would change His mind; has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? (Num. 23:19) The Rock! His work is perfect, for all His ways are just; a God of faithfulness and without injustice, Righteous and just is He. (Deut. 32:4) Truth is not only essential to the Christian life; it is the center of the Christian faith! Think about it, Gods fullest and most perfect expression of His faithfulness and character is in His Son, Jesus: God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom He also made the world. And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power (Heb. 1:13a). If you are a Christian, you follow Him who said: I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me (John 14:6b). Think about what Paul is saying in Ephesians 6:10-14; the only way you will be able to resist the father of lies (the devil) is by putting on the full armor of God, beginning with the belt of truth! But, dear Christian, what is the belt of truth? I want you to think about the significance of where the belt is placed. It is the first part of the armor that is put on and it is the one piece that is tightest and closest to your person. I do not believe I am reading too much into this when I say that I believe the belt of truth is more than just the Word of God (although it certainly is that), it is also our new identity now that we are in Christ! We who were once dead in our sins are now alive with Jesus (2:4-5), and now He is head over His church which we are now a part of (1:22). We are now His body (1:23), Jesus is our peace (2:17-18), we are His temple (2:21), because Jesus now dwells in our hearts through faith (3:17). Through Christ, we are one body, sealed by one Spirit, called in one hope by one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of all... (4:4-7). Our identity is now in Jesus, which means that He is our truth! This is why, more than any other book in the entire Bible is the phrase in Christ repeated more than thirty times to describe where it is the Christian finds his/her identity than in the epistle to the Ephesians! Listen, to put on the belt of truth is to do what we read in Romans 13:14, Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts. To put on the belt of truth is to identity with the Jesus who said: Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple (Luke 14:27). If you are a Christian, His truth is now your truth. Why is the Belt of Truth Important? To put on the belt of truth is to be so identified with Jesus that you are freed up to, walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called (Eph. 4:1). To put on the belt of truth is to stand on the foundation of the prophets and the apostles with Jesus Christ as your eye-opening, mind-captivating, and life-shaping cornerstone (2:19-20). To put on the belt of truth is to walk in love, just as Christ loved you and gave Himself up for us, and offering and sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma (5:1-2). To put on the belt of truth is to subject yourself under the cleaning water of Gods word (5:26). To put on the belt of truth is to identify with the Lordship of Jesus by doing what He says (see Luke 6:46). We seem to live at a time in society when my truth trumps all other truths. Since the days of Martin Luther, we have moved closer and closer to redefining truth with every form of media invented to give us more knowledge and make the world more accessible to us. Now, do not misunderstand me, God gave us a brain to grow in our understanding and the different forms of media has made available to us some really great things, but it has also been used to pervert knowledge and truth. Think for a moment of how the different forms of media have changed our lives. The printing press paved the way for the enlightenment and modernity when truth was measured by reason. The worldwide web paved the way for postmodernity beginning in the 60s until our present day with the conviction that reason and the human intellect is no longer the arbiter of truth, but also includes the emotions and intuition as the arbitrators of truth to the point when we now have our own truth. Now, with the invention of AI, we are entering a new era and the way our society measures truth and morality, like modernity and postmodernity, will never be the same. Our world is changing so rapidly and so profoundly, but there is one thing that has not changed and cannot change, and that is this simple fact: all truth is Gods truth. Truth belongs to our Creator and the lies belong to the devil. Our identity is in Jesus who is, according to the Bible: ...the same yesterday and today, and forever (Heb. 13:8). Our world is changing, but not so with our God! He remains infinitely good, infinitely just, infinitely holy, infinitely wise, and is equally a God of love and mercy in infinite measure! He alone, in our ever-changing world, remains always true, always honorable, always right, always pure, always lovely, always commendable, always excellent, and always praiseworthy (see Phil. 4:8). The God who chose you before dirt was invented, He who redeemed you with His blood, and the One who has sealed you for the day of redemption DOES NOT CHANGE! For I, the Lord, do not change; therefore you, the sons of Jacob, have not come to an end. (Mal. 3:6) Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. (Jas. 1:17) God is not a man, that He would lie, nor a son of man, that He would change His mind; Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? (Num. 23:19) So, if the One who is truth does not change, how is it and why is it that some in the church feel the need to mold and shape what the Bible teaches to what our ever-changing world defines as true? So here is the rub. If you are a Christian (or thinking about becoming a Christian), you follow Jesus who said: I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me (John 14:6b). As Lord over your life, He will make demands upon your life for His glory and your good, to put the belt of truth on is to walk in light of your identity as a Christ-follower. You cannot and you will not walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called (4:1), if you are not putting on the Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 13:14). Because Jesus is the cornerstone of His church and the apostles and prophets are Her foundation, we, as His church, are a pillar and support of the truth (1 Tim. 3:14-15) in a world that does not know the Truth, because it does not know Jesus. Sam Storms said of our enemy: Satan will always flourish in the midst of theological ignorance.

October 31st marks the 507th anniversary of the protestant reformation when a Catholic monk by the name of Martin Luther wrote ninety-five complaints concerning the Roman Catholic Church and nailed those complaints to the door of All Saints Church in Wittenberg in 1517. Little did Luther know that his complaints would be taken down, translated into multiple language, and mass produced through the newly invented printing press. It was because of what Martin Luther was reading and studying in his Bible that he wrote his complaints for the purpose of debating and dialoging over what he believed were inconsistences with the teachings of the church compared to what the Bible actually taught. Eventually, on April 17, 1521, Luther would have to appear before the Diet of Worms to give account for the vast number of texts, treatises, letters, and tracts calling into question the teachings and traditions of the Roman Catholic Church. It was at the Diet of Worms Luther was given the option to recant and repent, and if he did so, he would be welcomed back into the Church. If Luther refused, he would be branded a heretic and burned at the stake. Luther requested an adjournment to pray and formulate an appropriate response. The meeting was reconvened the next day on April 18th, and it was on that day that Luther delivered a speech that would forever affect the Church. Luther was only permitted to give a short and simple answer whether he would retract his teachings or stand by them; here is the most well-known part of his answer before the Diet of Worms: Since your most serene majesty and your highnesses require of me a simple, clear, and direct answer, I will give one, and it is this: I cannot submit my faith either to the pope or to the council, because it is clear that they have fallen into error and even into inconsistency with themselves. If, then, I am not convinced by proof from Holy Scripture, or by cogent reasons, if I am not satisfied by the very text I have cited, and if my judgment is not in this way brought into subjection to God's word, I neither can nor will retract anything; for it cannot be either safe or honest for a Christian to speak against his conscience. Here I stand. I cannot do otherwise. God help me. Amen. Luther was not burned at the stake over his answer but understood that his answer could have resulted in his death. What did happen was he had to go into hiding and change his name and appearance for a while, for his own safety. Luther delivered his great speech because there was a truth greater and more important than his own safety, for what he was most concerned about was not what the Pope declared to be true, but what Gods word said and how everything else compared to what the Word of God said. We live in a different time compared to the day Luther lived! However, if you are a Christian, you a part of a community known as the church of Jesus Christ, and therefore are a people of one book, and that book is the Bible which contains within its pages the truth of how it is we are to live. When Paul wrote his epistle to the Ephesians, he did so while in prison. Before the apostle was the presence of a roman soldier, and it was with the armor a soldier of Rome wore that Paul would become all too familiar. What is the Belt of Truth? Paul lists six pieces that belong to the armor of God, seven parts if you include Pauls statement on prayer in 6:18-19 and that there is no power apart from a dependance upon God in prayer. The first piece of armor that he begins with is a belt. The belt was an important part of a Roman soldiers armor, not because it made it look better, but because it served two primary purposes: it was used to tuck in and keep the soldiers garments from tripping him up, and it was used to hold the sheath for ones sword. It is worth noting that the belt also served to display a soldiers military status and rank. The belt went underneath the armor, while remaining visible so that it was obvious he was ready to fight. As the warriors belt was critical for his readiness in battle, truth is essential to the Christian life. If we are going to stand in the might of the Lord, if we are going to be able to stand firm against the devils schemes, and if we are going to have any hope in resisting on the evil day, truth is essential to the Christian life. It is the nature of our God and the character of His Word: Teach me Your way, Lord; I will walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear Your name. (Ps. 86:11) God is not a man, that He would lie, nor a son of man, that He would change His mind; has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? (Num. 23:19) The Rock! His work is perfect, for all His ways are just; a God of faithfulness and without injustice, Righteous and just is He. (Deut. 32:4) Truth is not only essential to the Christian life; it is the center of the Christian faith! Think about it, Gods fullest and most perfect expression of His faithfulness and character is in His Son, Jesus: God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom He also made the world. And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power (Heb. 1:13a). If you are a Christian, you follow Him who said: I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me (John 14:6b). Think about what Paul is saying in Ephesians 6:10-14; the only way you will be able to resist the father of lies (the devil) is by putting on the full armor of God, beginning with the belt of truth! But, dear Christian, what is the belt of truth? I want you to think about the significance of where the belt is placed. It is the first part of the armor that is put on and it is the one piece that is tightest and closest to your person. I do not believe I am reading too much into this when I say that I believe the belt of truth is more than just the Word of God (although it certainly is that), it is also our new identity now that we are in Christ! We who were once dead in our sins are now alive with Jesus (2:4-5), and now He is head over His church which we are now a part of (1:22). We are now His body (1:23), Jesus is our peace (2:17-18), we are His temple (2:21), because Jesus now dwells in our hearts through faith (3:17). Through Christ, we are one body, sealed by one Spirit, called in one hope by one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of all... (4:4-7). Our identity is now in Jesus, which means that He is our truth! This is why, more than any other book in the entire Bible is the phrase in Christ repeated more than thirty times to describe where it is the Christian finds his/her identity than in the epistle to the Ephesians! Listen, to put on the belt of truth is to do what we read in Romans 13:14, Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts. To put on the belt of truth is to identity with the Jesus who said: Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple (Luke 14:27). If you are a Christian, His truth is now your truth. Why is the Belt of Truth Important? To put on the belt of truth is to be so identified with Jesus that you are freed up to, walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called (Eph. 4:1). To put on the belt of truth is to stand on the foundation of the prophets and the apostles with Jesus Christ as your eye-opening, mind-captivating, and life-shaping cornerstone (2:19-20). To put on the belt of truth is to walk in love, just as Christ loved you and gave Himself up for us, and offering and sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma (5:1-2). To put on the belt of truth is to subject yourself under the cleaning water of Gods word (5:26). To put on the belt of truth is to identify with the Lordship of Jesus by doing what He says (see Luke 6:46). We seem to live at a time in society when my truth trumps all other truths. Since the days of Martin Luther, we have moved closer and closer to redefining truth with every form of media invented to give us more knowledge and make the world more accessible to us. Now, do not misunderstand me, God gave us a brain to grow in our understanding and the different forms of media has made available to us some really great things, but it has also been used to pervert knowledge and truth. Think for a moment of how the different forms of media have changed our lives. The printing press paved the way for the enlightenment and modernity when truth was measured by reason. The worldwide web paved the way for postmodernity beginning in the 60s until our present day with the conviction that reason and the human intellect is no longer the arbiter of truth, but also includes the emotions and intuition as the arbitrators of truth to the point when we now have our own truth. Now, with the invention of AI, we are entering a new era and the way our society measures truth and morality, like modernity and postmodernity, will never be the same. Our world is changing so rapidly and so profoundly, but there is one thing that has not changed and cannot change, and that is this simple fact: all truth is Gods truth. Truth belongs to our Creator and the lies belong to the devil. Our identity is in Jesus who is, according to the Bible: ...the same yesterday and today, and forever (Heb. 13:8). Our world is changing, but not so with our God! He remains infinitely good, infinitely just, infinitely holy, infinitely wise, and is equally a God of love and mercy in infinite measure! He alone, in our ever-changing world, remains always true, always honorable, always right, always pure, always lovely, always commendable, always excellent, and always praiseworthy (see Phil. 4:8). The God who chose you before dirt was invented, He who redeemed you with His blood, and the One who has sealed you for the day of redemption DOES NOT CHANGE! For I, the Lord, do not change; therefore you, the sons of Jacob, have not come to an end. (Mal. 3:6) Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. (Jas. 1:17) God is not a man, that He would lie, nor a son of man, that He would change His mind; Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? (Num. 23:19) So, if the One who is truth does not change, how is it and why is it that some in the church feel the need to mold and shape what the Bible teaches to what our ever-changing world defines as true? So here is the rub. If you are a Christian (or thinking about becoming a Christian), you follow Jesus who said: I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me (John 14:6b). As Lord over your life, He will make demands upon your life for His glory and your good, to put the belt of truth on is to walk in light of your identity as a Christ-follower. You cannot and you will not walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called (4:1), if you are not putting on the Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 13:14). Because Jesus is the cornerstone of His church and the apostles and prophets are Her foundation, we, as His church, are a pillar and support of the truth (1 Tim. 3:14-15) in a world that does not know the Truth, because it does not know Jesus. Sam Storms said of our enemy: Satan will always flourish in the midst of theological ignorance.

Bride, Chosen and Revealed (Audio) David Eells 8/7/24 The Glorified Bride Donna Loftus  8/3/24  (David's notes in red) I dreamed that there was a man (acquaintance) in the other room that called me and said look and I looked and there was a miniature city on a table with a golden light shining on it from above (l knew it was new Jerusalem) (Whom John said in Revelation was the Bride.) He said, “look it is the golden city coming alive”.  I then saw a piece of paper that was laying on a desk or table in the room start to flutter and move as well as other things. I started to go up in the air and kept repeating “He is risen”, “He is risen “, “He is risen”!  (Jesus' Bride will have His resurrection life.)     There is No More Time Debbie Fenske 8/4/24 Yesterday I heard the Lord speak, “There is no more time” when I was praying and doing spiritual warfare. I sat waiting and listening for Him to say more. But I didn't hear any more until today when I purposed, with my pen and tablet, to hear what more he had to say on that. Then I heard: My dear ones, you are my pearls, my prized gems. You are the love and desire of my heart. You are my chosen from before the very beginning. You are my choice. I want you as my Bride. And so, I say to you, “There is no more time.” I say again, “ There is no more time.” it is now, or never. Now is the time for groundbreaking overcoming. Let it be witnessed among you, all things being of divine newness. I have cleansed from you those who were seriously lacking, those who were lagging, and those who would not touch the divine. They have been taken out from among you. Your perfecting is almost complete. No more looking back at anything to hinder you in my purpose that I have for each of you. Only look within your hearts for any need of repentance, and repent, and be wholly new. Now is the victory over your enemies, these demon spirits that have been speaking unworthiness to you. But, now is the time to boldly proclaim, unrelentingly, that they are liars. They are against what is divine. This fight goes on, but not the fight within your own mind and heart. That time has ended. There is no more time for that. There is only time for engaging in spiritual warfare, knowing you are the victor in casting Satan and his demons down, and putting them under your feet. Yes! It is time for My desire of the ages to come forth in fighting victory. Know who you are. Speak who you are. Speak to each other who you are. Call out to the enemy who you are. You are my perfected, divine overcomers. I see the lights of my divine ones covering the earth, all joining together in one soul, one mind, and one spirit, with one purpose. I am rising up in all of you. For I Am your strength to engage, and to overcome. No more defeat. Defeat is forbidden. For it is only I in you, and you in Me. Weaknesses in you are defeated. There cannot be defeat, and there is no time for defeat. Now is the time for victory. For I have prepared you. I have cleansed and healed you of so much. You have overcome in your own sufferings, battles, and all constant attacks against you. Now, see and encourage each other as being what I am saying of you, and seeing in each of you. Always encourage one another. This is part of your overcoming. You will continue in your pursuit of only Me. There is no time to pursue any lesser thing. Remember, I have said, “There is no more time.”     Those Culled From the Bride David Eells  8/3/24 Last night I saw that people were being disqualified and removed from the Bride running. I saw the spirit of Jezebel who ruled over her husband were to be removed. I saw those who were judging others by spirits of criticism and pride were to be removed. I saw that those who were cold in their relationship to the body were removed. (This reminded me of those who got closer and closer to the back door and then were gone.) I saw those who were in willful sins are to be removed.     Removed For Willful Disobedience Marie Kelton 7/26/24  (David's notes in red) During the meeting, I had asked the Father where a certain backslider from UBM was with him. And then I had an open vision of a beautiful tree with leaves on it on a hill. I then saw a hand come from heaven and shake the tree until there were no leaves on it. (They were not capable to take in the Son for life.) And then snap the tree from the trunk. And pull it up. The roots were still in the ground though. (At this point there was still a possibility to return.) Luke 13:6-9 And he spake this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came seeking fruit thereon, and found none. And he said unto the vinedresser, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why doth it also cumber the ground? And he answering saith unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it: and if it bear fruit thenceforth, well; but if not, thou shalt cut it down. I wasn't sure if I was seeing clearly. (She was not wanting to make a mistake on something so important.) So the lord gave me another vision of the same tree with a rope being tied around it, being pulled up from the roots this time. I still wasn't sure so the lord gave me a vision of him standing next to me with a little potted plant in his hand and he pulled the plant up from the pot showing the roots. And yet still I wasn't sure if I was seeing clearly. So the Lord gave me another vision of me sitting in my house sitting on my couch, having an open vision of the tree with the rope around the trunk being pulled from the ground with the roots showing.  Jude 1:12 These are they who are hidden rocks in your love-feasts when they feast with you, shepherds (No numeric pattern) that without fear feed themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn leaves without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots. The Lord then gave me another open vision during the meeting of 3 pieces of silver hitting the floor. I immediately thought of the 30 pieces of silver that Judas threw down before the Pharisees. (This person was a Judas to the Body of Christ.) Matthew 27:3-5 Then Judas, who betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, I have sinned in that I betrayed innocent blood. But they said, What is that to us? see thou to it. And he cast down the pieces of silver into the sanctuary, and departed; and he went away and hanged himself. (He was removed from among those who John the Baptist said were the Bride. “He that hath the Bride is the bridegroom.”)     Those Who Repent Will Find Grace Marie Kelton  7/19/24 During the meeting I had an open vision of me carrying a black back pack on my back (Representing the weight of mistakes and sins with condemnation and a spirit of heaviness.) I saw the Lord walk up to me and take the back pack off my shoulders and He started to carry it. We were walking on a road. As we were walking the back pack turned white and merged into the Lord. (The Lord took away condemnation for sins and the spirit of heaviness on the cross. When this happened I physically felt lighter in the meeting.) The Lord and I reached a body of water. The black back pack then appeared again on the Lord's back. He then took it off and dropped it into the water. I knew the body of water was the sea of forgetfulness.  Micah 7:19-20 He will again have compassion upon us; he will tread our iniquities under foot; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the lovingkindness to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old.     Beast Changing Human DNA to His Marie Kelton 8/5/24  (David's notes in red) During the meeting, I had an open vision. Of my spirit man, being translated to a red rocky cliff. There was a warring angel with wings standing beside me. On top of the cliff was a giant red stone that had been carved out. (The stone which the builders rejected and crucified.) A door was in the stone and a keypad was next to the door. (Jesus is the door and the key is faith.)  The Lord appeared, and opened the door which led to an elevator. Then the Lord, the angel, and I went on an elevator down to a lower level in the Earth. When the doors opened,  I saw a science lab. The Lord and I walked through the science lab. To a second door. The Lord opened that door and I saw demons working in the lab. The demons couldn't see the Lord and I.  I knew we were there on a mission to get human DNA that had not been tampered with by the demons. (The demons using the DS scientists are in the process of changing the DNA of mankind to make them their servants. The cure is to have the Lord's DNA through faith in His blood.) The Lord and I walked up to a stand where there was a double helix of human DNA in an oblong container. The Lord took the container and put it in a white satchel bag that was around him. Then we walked through the doors. And translated back to the top of the entrance on the cliff where we started. (Some will be rescued from the beasts DNA either by refusing their shots, chemtrails, or by healing. The rest will be marked by the Beast.)     The Bride is Being Chosen Marie Kelton  8/3/24  (David's notes in red) During the meeting, I had an open vision. I saw the Lord walking toward me with a nice red pillow (the blood of Jesus) with gold trim and gold tassels hanging from the four corners of the pillow.  It had a tiara on it. The tiara had a sheer white veil on it. I went to go grab the tiara. But the Lord told me that "You do not choose yourself to be in the Bride. I choose who is in the Bride. (Not by my works, but by the Lord's grace will we be in the Bride). Then the Lord, took the tiara and put it on my head. After that I saw, a bigger pillow with a bigger tiara and veil on it like the first one. I knew it was for the corporate Bride body. I turned my head in the vision and saw a really huge tall lady, next to me with blonde hair. (The corporate Bride body.)  I saw the Lord put put the tiara on her head and fix the veil. I then had another vision, of a woman walking down an aisle, with a white dress on and a veil with a long train behind her.  The woman was walking towards a really bright light, I knew there were rows of white chairs next to her on both sides. When she was walking, at first it looked like she was walking on mud or dirt, but then it turned into grass. (Peter said, “All flesh is as grass.”)(The bride has the flesh under her feet).      How to be Chosen David Eells Esther is a prophecy of the Church Age, a prophecy that is hidden (“Esther” in Hebrew means “hidden” or “secret”) and, of course, Esther is the Bride – she's hidden and secret. Also, in the Song of Solomon, the Bride was furiously running after her Beloved. It was more important to her to seek the Lord than it was to the rest of the queens, concubines and virgins. It was rather ho-hum with them, but with the Bride, this was serious business. She was desiring earnestly to come into the presence of the Master.  Looking at the type and shadow in Esther how when the Lord came and called Israel, His Old Testament Bride, to come before Him, they refused, just as Vashti refused Ahasuerus. When we read in Esther chapter 2, we see that a new Bride is to be chosen for the King.  (Est.2:1) After these things, when the wrath of king Ahasuerus was pacified, he remembered Vashti, and what she had done, and what was decreed against her. (2) Then said the king's servants that ministered unto him, Let there be fair young virgins sought for the king: (Notice; the Bride did not come out of the people but the fair virgins, who came out of the people of God.)(3) and let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom, that they may gather together all the fair young virgins unto Shushan the palace, to the house of the women, unto the custody of Hegai the king's chamberlain, keeper of the women; and let their things for purification be given them.   I believe that Hegai, the King's chamberlain here, represents the Holy Spirit. He is the “keeper of the women.” It is his job to make sure that these women are beautiful to the King. The Holy Spirit's job is to manifest Jesus Christ in us and that is what is beautiful to the King: Christ in you, the hope of glory (Col.1:27). So, many fair young virgins were gathered together and a Bride was going to be chosen from among these.  In the Song of Solomon, it is the Bride who is running after her Beloved, while the rest of the queens, concubines and virgins didn't seem to be so excited about this. They even questioned her, What is thy beloved more than [another] beloved, O thou fairest among women? (Son.5:9). In other words, “What makes your Jesus any better than our Jesus?” And like what it says here: (Son.6:8) There are threescore queens, and fourscore concubines, And virgins without number. (9) My dove, my undefiled (that's the word for “perfect”), is [but] one; She is the only one of her mother (Meaning she's the only one who has come out of the mother; the rest of these are still a corporate body of the mother.); she is the choice one of her that bare her. The daughters saw her, and called her blessed; [Yea,] the queens and the concubines, and they praised her. It's going to be that way because this is also a prophecy of the end-time and, even though there are many virgins who are contending to be in this Bride, not everyone is going to be.   Back in (Est.2:4) And let the maiden that pleaseth the king be queen instead of Vashti. And the thing pleased the king; and he did so. A Bride will be chosen out of virgins of His New Testament people that we call the Church and that's why this is so important. (Est.2:5) There was a certain Jew in Shushan the palace, whose name was Mordecai…. The name “Mordecai” in Hebrew means “little man” and in Persian it means “little boy,” both of which mean “Man-child.” Mordecai is the Man-child. The Man-child ministry is about to start again and the exact same thing is going to happen, except this time it's a corporate Man-child, a much larger one that covers the earth.   (Est.2:7) And he brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther…. “Brought up” here means “nourished”; not just fed, but nourished. All the queens and concubines get fed, but not everybody is nourished. (7) And he brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle's daughter: for she had neither father nor mother, and the maiden was fair and beautiful; and when her father and mother were dead, Mordecai took her for his own daughter.  Here are more verses about the Bride: (Psa.45:9) Kings' daughters are among thy honorable women: At thy right hand doth stand the queen in gold of Ophir. Notice that the king's daughters are not the queen. They are honorable women, but they're not the queen. (10) Hearken, O daughter, consider, and incline thine ear; Forget also thine own people, and thy father's house: (11) So will the king desire thy beauty; For he is thy lord; and reverence thou him. Who is the Lord? When we leave father and mother, we need to submit to our Lord, submit to our Husband, Who is the Lord God. The Bride is beautiful to the King because she completely submits to His Lordship since the head of every man is Christ” (1Cor.11:3). “Thy father's houses” represent the apostate denominations, or queens and concubines, of Christianity.  Back in Esther, after her mother and father were dead, Mordecai the Man-child nourished her. Who was following Jesus when John the Baptist said, He that hath the bride is the bridegroom (Joh.3:29)? Who was it was walking with Jesus, learning of Jesus, sitting at His feet? It was the Bride, but where did she come from? She came out of the apostate denominations of Judaism. We also see this in (Rev.14:4) These are they that were not defiled with women (The “women” are the queens, the concubines, the denominations, the groups, the sects.); for they are virgins…. The meaning of this is that they don't received any seed of man. (Rev.14:4) These [are] they that follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. Remember, the Shulamite, or “perfect one,” in the Song of Solomon was only interested in following after the Bridegroom. (Rev.14:4) …These were purchased from among men, [to be] the firstfruits unto God and unto the Lamb. And they're not defiled with the “women.”  Now turn back to our text in Esther. (Est.2:8) So it came to pass, when the king's commandment and his decree was heard, and when many maidens were gathered together unto Shushan the palace, to the custody of Hegai (Who is, the King's chamberlain, representing the Holy Spirit), that Esther was taken into the king's house, to the custody of Hegai, keeper of the women. (9) And the maiden pleased him…. What do we do to please the Holy Spirit? Obviously, we can grieve the Holy Spirit. Scripture speaks about that, but just the opposite is true of those who please the Holy Spirit. We can't be pleasing unto God without having faith. The Bible says, Without faith it is impossible to be well-pleasing [unto him] (Heb.11:6) and the Holy Spirit is God's Spirit. (Est.2:9) And the maiden pleased him, and she obtained kindness of him (We need the kindness of the Holy Spirit. We need the favor of the Holy Spirit because we're doing what is pleasing unto Him.); and he speedily gave her her things for purification….   The Bride will have a more glorious garment than the virgin bridesmaids. (Rev.19:8) And it was given unto her (the Bride) that she should array herself in fine linen, bright [and] pure: for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. This garment is called lampros in Greek, meaning bright, glowing, or brilliant. This bright lamp represents her pure works. On the other hand, those invited to the marriage supper have only a “white” garment. Obviously, what the Lord is looking for is a purified Bride. Esther cooperated and the Holy Spirit gave to her the things that she needed for purification speedily. (Est.2:9) … and he speedily gave her her things for purification, with her portions, and the seven maidens who were meet to be given her out of the king's house….   The seven maidens were given to her because she pleased the Lord. I believe that the Lord showed me years ago that this was talking about the seven beams of light in the spectrum. Jesus said, I am the light of the world (Joh.8:12) and a prism breaks down the light into seven different attributes that we call “colors.” Joseph's “coat of many colors” (Genesis 37:3) designated him as a type of the Man-child reflecting Jesus Christ, a garment that he put on. The Bible says, Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ (Rom.13:14).  Also, this represents the seven attributes of Christ spoken of by Peter: (2Pe.1:5) Yea, and for this very cause adding on your part all diligence, in your faith…. In the original, there was no comma after “diligence.” It was put there by translators who thought it needed to be there, but there is no comma there. It is “adding on your part all diligence in your faith.” Faith is a gift of God. (5) Yea, and for this very cause adding on your part all diligence in your faith, supply virtue; and in [your] virtue knowledge. (6) And in [your] knowledge self-control; and in [your] self-control patience; and in [your] patience godliness;   (7) and in [your] godliness brotherly kindness; and in [your] brotherly kindness love. (8) For if these things are yours and abound, they make you to be not idle nor unfruitful unto the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (9) For he that lacketh these things is blind, seeing only what is near (The Greek wording there actually means “near-sighted”; “not seeing things from afar”; not seeing what God has given us from afar.), having forgotten the cleansing from his old sins. Have you forgotten that Jesus took away your sins – that you don't have those attributes that are contrary to Christ? You have now been given Christ. (2Co.3:18) But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory…. What we're saying is, “Jesus lives in me because the Book says so.” He's given us this free gift of His righteousness.  Getting back to Esther, the first-fruits to enter into the Kingdom is the Man-child, and he is raising up the Bride to enter into the Kingdom. Jesus is being manifested in His first fruits, Man-child, in order to fellowship and mature the Bride and that's what He desires greatly. (Est.2:9) … And he removed her and her maidens to the best place of the house of the women. (Praise God!) (10) Esther had not made known her people nor her kindred; for Mordecai had charged her that she should not make it known. (11) And Mordecai walked every day before the court of the women's house, to know how Esther did, and what would become of her. Notice that Mordecai followed her and, actually, he was her leader all the way through the Book of Esther.  (Est.2:12) Now when the turn of every maiden was come to go in to king Ahasuerus (to be inspected; to see who was going to be the Bride), after that it had been done to her according to the law for the women twelve months (for so were the days of their purifications accomplished, [to wit,] six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with sweet odors and with the things for the purifying of the women), (13) then in this wise came the maiden unto the king: Whatsoever she desired was given her to go with her out of the house of the women unto the king's house. This is very important, that “Whatsoever she desired was given her.” Do you have a desire? If you read Song of Solomon, you see something about the difference between the Bride and the virgins. There was a difference in desire. The desire of the Bride was to fellowship with her Lord, her King, her Beloved. Her desire was to constantly run after her Beloved, to appropriate more of Him.   Notice also that it says here very plainly that Whatsoever she desired was given her to go with her out of the house of the women unto the king's house. Everything we need has been supplied to us. (2Pe.1:2) Grace to you and peace be multiplied in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; (3) seeing that his divine power hath granted (Everything we need has been given to us. This is what you see in the Spirit, with your eyes exercised to discern good from evil, by the Word of God. This is how you are supposed to see.) unto us all things that pertain unto life (God's life, zoë life) and godliness (He's given us all things that we need for life and godliness, or purification. That was what the virgins were going through, purification, to be ready.), through the knowledge of him that called us by his own glory and virtue.  It's not just any knowledge that you can get at any church. It's God's knowledge, the knowledge of His Word. It cannot be changed; it will not be changed for the Bride. She is accepting the Word just exactly as it is, not perverting or twisting it for her ego's sake; she's not twisting it for her own doctrine's sake. She's not “adding to, or taking away from,” the Word (Rev 22:18-19).  She's a virgin, so she has not received the seed of men. (4) Whereby he hath granted unto us his precious and exceeding great promises; that through these ye may become partakers of the divine nature (He's already given us what is necessary; He's given us His “promises.”), having escaped from the corruption that is in the world by lust.  See, it's already been done. The only thing we have to do is exercise faith. If we exercise faith, we please the Holy Spirit. If we please the Holy Spirit, He quickly gives us purification, the “seven maidens” which we just read in 2 Peter 1:5-8. The only thing that impresses the Holy Spirit is faith in the true promises of God. That's why He gives us authority. That's why He empowers us. The Holy Spirit comes to us for the purpose of manifesting Christ in us. That's what He's there for. He's our helper, our Paraclete. (2Co.7:1) Having therefore these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. This is what the Bride is doing!  Going on in (Est.2:13) … Whatsoever she desired was given her to go with her out of the house of the women unto the king's house. (14) In the evening she went, and on the morrow she returned into the second house of the women, to the custody of Shaashgaz, the king's chamberlain (This is a different chamberlain here. This one has charge over the women's house, not the King's house.), who kept the concubines: she came in unto the king no more, except the king delighted in her, and she were called by name. And, of course, Esther was the one who was called by name. (15) Now when the turn of Esther, the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her for his daughter, was come to go in unto the king, she required nothing but what Hegai the king's chamberlain, the keeper of the women, appointed. We need nothing but what the Holy Spirit will give unto us – the Word of God – and nothing else. It behooves us to really seek after the truth and run after the Word.   The Bible says that we don't even have need for any man to teach us, that we have an anointing from the Holy One: (1Jn.2:27) And as for you, the anointing which ye received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that anyone teach you; but as his anointing teacheth you concerning all things, and is true, and is no lie, and even as it taught you, ye abide in him. However, the Holy One uses men to teach us and to preach and to lead and to guide, but He has to be in it. We have no need for men to do this; we have to make sure that we're receiving from the Lord. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God (Rom.8:14).  So, Esther took advantage of the fact that all she needed came from the Holy Spirit, represented in type by Hegai, the King's chamberlain, she didn't have anything but what was appointed of Him. Esther received the favor of the chamberlain, as we already read, because she pleased him in the works that she was doing, in desiring the right things. (Est.2:15) … And Esther obtained favor in the sight of all them that looked upon her. (16) So Esther was taken unto king Ahasuerus into his house royal in the tenth month, which is the month Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign. We are now in the seventh year. We've already started the seventh year, or the 7000th year, of His reign. (Est.2:17) And the king loved Esther above all the women, and she obtained favor and kindness in his sight more than all the virgins; so that he set the royal crown upon her head, and made her queen instead of Vashti.  (18) Then the king made a great feast unto all his princes and his servants, even Esther's feast; and he made a release (the word “release” here means “rest”) to the provinces, and gave gifts…. The “rest” that the Lord promises to give unto us, which most Jews did not enter into, is referred to in Hebrews chapters three and four. We enter into this rest by ceasing from our works and believing the promises. (Heb.4:3) For we who have believed do enter into that rest…. The Lord is offering this wonderful rest, the rest from your enemies, the rest from your problems, from the curse, etc. It's a rest because the Lord has already provided everything. There's never been a time like that last seven years of the Marriage Feast, when God's going to hand out such great gifts – never in history! He's going to be celebrating with the Bride, just as John the Baptist said: He that hath the bride is the bridegroom (Joh.3:29).

     The gospel is the good news that addresses the bad news of human sinfulness and separation from a holy God. Despite our helplessness and deserving of eternal punishment, God's solution is the gospel of grace, which reveals Jesus Christ took our sins upon Himself, died, was buried, and resurrected on the third day (1 Cor 15:3-4). At the cross, God judged our sin as His righteousness required, and pardons the sinner as His love desires. Salvation from eternal damnation is a free gift offered to all who trust in Christ alone, which emphasizes God's infinite grace rather than our human effort. This ultimate gift, paid for by Jesus's sacrifice, underscores the Bible's message that “the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 6:23), highlighting God's generosity and the completeness of Christ's work on the cross. God is Holy      The Bible reveals God is holy. God declares of Himself, “I am holy” (Lev 11:44), the psalmist says, “holy is the LORD our God” (Psa 99:9), and the Seraphim declare, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts” (Isa 6:3). In her prayer, Hannah said, “There is no one holy like the LORD” (1 Sam 2:2). In these verses, the word “holy” translates the Hebrew word qadōsh (קָדוֹשׁ), which, according to James Swanson, refers “to being unique and pure in the sense of superior moral qualities.”[1] God's holiness is closely linked with His righteousness, justice, and perfection. Holiness denotes moral purity. J. Carl Laney states, “When we say ‘God is holy,' we mean He is totally separated from all that is unholy, defiling, or contrary to His nature. God's holiness is unique and distinctive in that it is without any contamination or impurity.”[2] Because God is absolutely holy, it is written, “no evil dwells with You” (Psa 5:4), “Your eyes are too pure to approve evil, and You cannot look on wickedness with favor” (Hab 1:13), and “God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). Evil is any thought, word, or act that is contrary to the character and will of God. According to Merrill F. Unger, moral evil “is the failure of rational and free beings to conform in character and conduct to the will of God.”[3]George Howley states, “God is separate from all evil and is in no way responsible for it…[and] It can only be attributed to the abuse of free-will on the part of created beings, angelic and human.”[4] Evil originates in the heart (Gen 6:5; Zech 8:17), is part of our nature (Matt 7:11), and results in evil actions (Neh 13:17; Prov 24:8; 1 Pet 3:12).[5] According to Scripture, “the LORD is righteous and He loves righteousness” (Psa 11:7). There is a time when “He is coming to judge the earth; and He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in His faithfulness” (Psa 96:13), and He will “judge the living and the dead” (2 Tim 4:1). Everyone is a Sinner      Sin is the failure to conform to God's perfect righteousness. Scripture reveals we are sinners “in Adam” (Rom 5:12-13; 1 Cor 15:21-22), sinners by nature (Psa 51:5; Jer 17:9; Rom 7:14-25; 13:12-14), sinners by choice (Eccl 7:20; Isa 59:2; Jam 1:14-15; 1 John 1:8, 10), born as “sons of disobedience” (Eph 2:2), and are “by nature children of wrath” (Eph 2:3). The Bible reveals “there is no one who does not sin” (1 Ki 8:46), and “there is not a righteous man on earth who continually does good and who never sins” (Eccl 7:20). Isaiah wrote, “All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way” (Isa 53:6a). Paul stated that we “are all under sin” (Rom 3:9), and “there is none righteous, not even one” (Rom 3:10), for “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23). James wrote, “we all stumble in many ways” (Jam 3:2a), and John declared, “If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us... If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us” (1 John 1:8, 10). This means everyone stands guilty before God. Good Works Do Not Save      Good works have no saving merit before God. Isaiah wrote, “all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment” (Isa 64:6a). Paul wrote, “a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified” (Gal 2:16), for “by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Eph 2:8-9), and God “saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works” (2 Tim 1:9), and “He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness” (Tit 3:5a). Though human good works may have value in the sight of other people, they have absolutely no saving merit in God's sight. None at all! The Solution of the Cross      We are helpless to save ourselves, but God made a way, and this because He loves us and desires our salvation. He loves us so much that He sent His Son into the world to pay the sin debt we cannot pay. We're told, “By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:9-10). Nearly 2,000 years ago, God the Father sent God the Son into the world to take upon Himself humanity (Isa 7:14; Luke 1:30-35; John 1:1; 14; Heb 10:5), to be free from sin (2 Cor 5:21; Heb 4:15; 1 Pet 2:22; 1 John 3:5) and to live a perfectly righteous life. Jesus said, “I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me” (John 6:38; cf., John 7:29; 8:29; Gal 4:4). Jesus was sent by the Father to be “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29), for “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16).      Jesus willingly went to the cross and paid our sin-debt (John 10:18). His death was a penal substitutionary sacrifice for us, as the Son of Man came “to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). Paul wrote, “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom 5:8). Peter said, “Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God” (1 Pet 3:18). His death on the cross was for all sins for all time, for “the death that He died, He died to sin once for all” (Rom 6:10), He “offered one sacrifice for sins for all time” (Heb 10:12), and “He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world” (1 John 2:2). Because of Jesus' death on the cross, God “canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross” (Col 2:14). There's nothing for us to add to Jesus' work on the cross. Having paid our sin debt in full on the cross, Jesus said, “It is finished!” (John 19:30), and then He died.      After Jesus died for our sins, He was buried in a grave, and raised on the third day, as Scripture reveals (1 Cor 15:3-4). And “Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again” (Rom 6:9). After Jesus's resurrection, He was seen alive by hundreds of people (1 Cor 15:5-8), and those eye witnesses provided a written record of what they saw and heard (Luke 1:1-4; John 20:30-31; 2 Pet 1:16-18). God's offer of salvation is available for everyone. The Bible speaks of “God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim 2:3b-4), who has brought “salvation to all men” (Tit 2:11), and is “not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance” (2 Pet 3:9).      The cross is God's righteous solution to the problem of sin, as well as His greatest display of love toward sinners. At the cross, God judged our sin as His righteousness required, and pardons the sinner as His love desires. To understand the cross of Christ is to understand the heart of God toward a fallen world He wants to save. If someone perishes eternally, it is because they failed to respond to God and His drawing them to Himself (John 3:18; 5:39-40; Acts 7:51). All who end up in the lake of fire are there by personal choice, not because God failed to love them or make provision for their eternal salvation.      Once we hear the good news about what Christ accomplished for us, we are asked to place our faith in Him, to “Believe in the Lord Jesus” for salvation (Acts 16:31). Jesus is the object of our faith. To believe in Christ as our Savior means we trust Him to accomplish for us what we cannot accomplish ourselves: eternal salvation from the lake of fire. Faith in Christ is the only condition for salvation. Faith does not save. Christ saves. Faith is merely the instrument by which we receive the gift of God. Only the empty hand of faith accepts the gift. It offers nothing, but is open to receive that which is offered by another. No payment is required by us to receive it. Christ alone saves. No one else can save us, including ourselves. Salvation is a Free Gift from God      Salvation is a gift from the Lord. It is the most precious gift ever offered. And though the gift was very expensive to God, it is absolutely free to us. The precious gift of our salvation was paid in full by the Lord Jesus Christ who died for our sins, who hung between heaven and earth and paid our sin-debt. According to God's Word, “the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 6:23). The words “free gift” translate the Geek noun charisma (χάρισμα) which, according to BDAG, refers to “that which is freely and graciously given, favor bestowed, gift.”[6] And Joseph Thayer defines it as “a gift of grace; a favor which one receives without any merit of his own.”[7] Paul, when writing to the Christians at Ephesus, said, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Eph 2:8-9; cf., Rom 4:4-5; Tit 3:5). To say we are saved by grace means our salvation is unearned and undeserved in any way. God's gift of salvation is totally apart from any good works we may produce, and since good works do not save, bad works cannot unsave (though they can bring divine discipline). A gift focuses on the graciousness of the giver, whereas a reward focuses on the work of the recipient. Salvation is NOT a reward for work we've accomplished; rather, it is a free gift from God and based totally on the finished work of Christ. We pay nothing. Jesus paid it all.      The realization that salvation is offered freely, based solely on the perfect work of Jesus on the cross, offers profound relief to the person who has been laboring under the yoke of a works-based system. Those who operate under a works-based system of salvation will never reach a place of certainty in their relationship with God, for they will never know whether they have done enough to gain entrance into heaven. But the truth that salvation is a grace-gift from God, received by faith alone, liberates those who accept it. When properly grasped, God's gospel of grace alleviates the pressure to perform and the fear of falling short and brings a deep sense of peace and joy, knowing our salvation is secure, not because of our own efforts, but because of Christ's finished work. Peace comes when we look to Christ and the promises of Scripture and not ourselves. This gospel of grace message transforms our relationship with God from one of fear and striving to one of gratitude and love, as the focus moves from what we must do to what Christ has already done on our behalf. This grace-based approach encourages us to live out our faith from a place of thankfulness rather than obligation, resulting in a more authentic and joyful Christian life. The Benefits of the Cross      At the moment of faith in Christ, the benefits of the cross are applied to us. Scripture reveals we are forgiven all our sins (Acts 10:43; Eph 1:7), given “eternal life” (John 5:24; 10:28; Rom 6:23), the “gift of righteousness” (Rom 5:17; Phil 3:9), have “peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom 5:1), become “children of God” (John 1:12; Gal 3:26), are “justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus” (Rom 3:24), are “rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred to the kingdom of His beloved Son” (Col 1:13), and are blessed “with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” (Eph 1:3). Furthermore, as Christians, we are among those “whose names are in the book of life” (Phil 4:3). As a result, “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom 8:1). We will never experience the lake of fire. Never. As Christians, “our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Phil 3:20). Good Works Should Follow Salvation      To be eternally saved, the only condition is faith alone in Christ alone (John 3:16; 20:31; Acts 4:14; 16:31). That's all. Once saved and justified in God's sight, the Lord expects us to submit to Him in total obedience in all areas of life (Matt 28:20; Rom 12:1-2; Jam 4:7), and to learn His Word in order to live His will in every particular (2 Tim 2:15; 3:16-17; 1 Pet 2:2).      After salvation-justification, the Lord directs us to begin a lifelong journey of faith (2 Cor 5:7; Heb 10:38; 11:6), and to “press on to maturity” (Heb 6:1). This glorifies God, edifies others, and results in the best life possible in this world. Good works is what God expects of His people. Jesus said, “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matt 5:16). Paul wrote, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them” (Eph 2:10). The Lord instructs us “to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age” (Tit 2:12) and to be “zealous for good deeds” (Tit 2:14). We agree with Paul who wrote, “So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith” (Gal 6:10). God clearly calls His people to a life of obedience and good works. There is no question about this. The Scriptures are plain on the matter, instructing us, “like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior” (1 Pet 1:15). It is never the will of God that we sin; however, when we sin (and there is no Christian who does not sin), it is always His will that we handle it biblically by means of confession (1 John 1:9), which always results in forgiveness and restoration of fellowship. If we fail to walk in regular obedience to the Lord, we are subject to divine discipline in time (Heb 12:5-11), and loss of rewards in eternity (1 Cor 3:10-15; 2 John 1:8). Though believers may turn from the Lord and pursue a life of sin, these will also experience divine punishment, even to the point of physical death (1 Cor 11:30; 1 John 5:16-17), but will not forfeit their salvation, which is not possible (John 10:28).      In summary, salvation is free. The Lord Jesus purchased it for us on the cross, and He offers it without cost to those who place their trust in Him. It is freely offered and freely received, and there's nothing for us to pay. That's grace. Our justification before God is a one-and-done event that happens at the moment of faith in Christ. Good works are not a prerequisite, corequisite, or postrequisite to salvation. That is, beyond simple faith in Christ, nothing is required of us before, during, or after we believe in Him as our Savior. We are saved by grace alone (we don't deserve it), through faith alone (not by works), in Christ alone. Good works should follow salvation (Eph 2:10; Gal 6:10), but they are never the condition of it.      Once saved, God calls us to a lifelong process of sanctification. Sanctification is the life we live after being justified, and this process continues until we leave this world, either by death or rapture. The sanctified life requires us to learn and live God's Word (2 Tim 2:15; 1 Pet 2:2; 2 Pet 3:18), walk by faith (2 Cor 5:7; Heb 10:38), be filled with the Spirit (Eph 5:18), walk by the Spirit (Gal 5:16), and make ongoing good choices to stay on the path of God's will. Dr. Steven R. Cook     [1] James Swanson, “קָדוֹשׁ”, Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains : Hebrew (Old Testament) (Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997). [2] J. Carl Laney Jr., eds. Charles Swindoll and Roy Zuck, “God is Holy”, Understanding Christian Theology (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2003), 188. [3] Merrill Frederick Unger, “Evil” The New Unger's Bible Dictionary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1988), 382. [4] George Howley, “Evil,” ed. D. R. W. Wood et al., New Bible Dictionary (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1996), 349. [5] To be evil means we conform ourselves to Satan's world-system (1 John 2:15-16), and that we, by default, are self-centered and not God-centered. To be righteous means we are conformed to God's character and will, both in a salvific and sanctified way. [6] William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 1081. [7] Joseph Henry Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Being Grimm's Wilke's Clavis Novi Testamenti (New York: Harper & Brothers., 1889), 667.

     Jesus' suffering and death on the cross has both infinite and eternal value for both God the Father as well as those trust in Christ as their Savior. According to Francis Schaeffer, “Christ's death in space-time history is completely adequate to meet our need for refuge from the true moral guilt that we have. It is final because of who He is. He is the infinite second person of the Trinity; therefore, His death has infinite value.”[1]Though Jesus suffered for our sins for only a few hours on the cross, His death had infinite and eternal value and saves forever those who trust in Him as Savior. Geisler states, “Being by nature the infinite God, Christ's death had infinite value, even though His suffering and death occurred in a finite amount of time. Time is not a mandatory measure of worth—birth, for instance, happens over a relatively short span but produces something of extraordinary value. One death in limited time achieved something of limitless value for all eternity.”[2] Paul Enns states, “At the heart of orthodox belief is the recognition that Christ died a substitutionary death to provide salvation for a lost humanity. If Jesus were only a man He could not have died to save the world, but because of His deity, His death had infinite value whereby He could die for the entire world.”[3]      As a result of what Christ accomplished, there is great benefit for us who have trusted in Him as our Savior. By His work on the cross, Christians become the recipients of great blessings, both in time and eternity. Though He blesses some Christians materially (1 Tim 6:17-19), His main focus is on giving us spiritual blessings which are far better. Paul wrote that God “has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” (Eph 1:3). According to Harold Hoehner, “Every spiritual blessing (eulogia) refers to every spiritual enrichment needed for the spiritual life. Since these benefits have already been bestowed on believers, they should not ask for them but rather appropriate them by faith.”[4] Some of the spiritual blessings mentioned in Scripture are as follows: We are the special objects of His love: “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom 5:8), and “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10). We are forgiven all our sins: “When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross” (Col 2:13-14; cf. Eph 1:7; Heb 10:10-14). We are given eternal life: Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand (John 10:27-28; cf. John 3:16; 6:40; 20:31). We are made alive together with Christ: “God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ” (Eph 2:4-5). We are raised up and seated with Christ: God “raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Eph 2:6). We are the recipients of God's grace: “For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace” (John 1:16), “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Eph 2:8-9). We are created to perform good works: “So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith” (Gal 6:10), and “We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them” (Eph 2:10; cf., Tit 2:11-4). We are given freedom in Christ: “It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery” (Gal 5:1), “For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another” (Gal 5:13; cf., 1 Pet 2:16). We are given a spiritual gift to serve others: “As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God” (1 Pet 4:10; cf. Rom 12:6-8; Eph 4:11). We are children of God: “See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are” (1 John 3:1a), “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus” (Gal 3:26). We are made ambassadors for Christ: “We are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God” (2 Cor 5:20). We are gifted with God's righteousness: “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor 5:21), “and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith” (Phil 3:9; cf. Rom 4:3-5; 5:17). We are justified before God: “Being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus…For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law” (Rom 3:24, 28), and “knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified” (Gal 2:16). We have peace with God: “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom 5:1). We will never be condemned: “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:18), “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life” (John 5:24), “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom 8:1). We are given citizenship in heaven: “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Phil 3:20). We are transferred to the kingdom of Christ: “For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son” (Col 1:13; cf. Acts 26:18), and “walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory” (1 Th 2:12). We are all saints in Christ Jesus: we are “saints by calling” (1 Cor 1:2), and “saints in Christ Jesus” (Phil 1:1), and “are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God's household” (Eph 2:19). We are made priests to God: “He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father—to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen” (Rev 1:6). We are God's chosen: “He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him” (Eph 1:4), “So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” (Col 3:12). We are the recipients of His faithfulness: “He Himself has said, ‘I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you'” (Heb 13:5), and even “If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself” (2 Tim 2:13). We have been called to walk in newness of life: “We have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life” (Rom 6:4), and “walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love” (Eph 4:1-2). We are members of the Church, the body of Christ: “For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another” (Rom 12:4-5), and “He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all” (Eph 1:22-23; cf. Col 1:18). We are indwelt with the Holy Spirit: “Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” (1 Cor 3:16), “your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you” (1 Cor 6:19). We are sealed with the Holy Spirit: “having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise” (Eph 1:13b; cf. 2 Cor 5:5). We are enabled to walk with God: “I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh” (Gal 5:16), and “Since we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit” (Gal 5:25). We are empowered to live godly: “His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence” (2 Pet 1:3). We have Scripture to train us in righteousness: “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work” (2 Tim 3:16-17). We are guaranteed a new home in heaven: “In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:2-3). We are guaranteed resurrection bodies: “I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality” (1 Cor 15:51-53). We have special access to God's throne of grace: “Let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb 4:16). We will be glorified in eternity: “When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory” (Col 3:4), for Christ “will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself” (Phil 3:21). Dr. Steven R. Cook   [1] Francis A. Schaeffer, Joshua and the Flow of Biblical History, Second U.S. edition. (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2004), 206. [2] Norman L. Geisler, Systematic Theology, Volume Four: Church, Last Things (Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House Publishers, 2005), 403. [3] Paul P. Enns, The Moody Handbook of Theology (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1989), 225. [4] Harold W. Hoehner, “Ephesians,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 616.

Our salvation is secured by faith. “Having been justified by faith [not works] we have peace with God through the Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom 5:1). Faith is trust in God and His Word. The more of the Word of God you know, the more resources of faith you have. “We walk by faith and not by sight” (2 Cor 5:7). If you want to live by faith, you must exercise your faith and this develops it. Learning and applying God's Word is how you do it. The victory of your faith is overcoming the world. “For whoever is born of God overcomes the world: and this is the victory that overcomes the world - our faith” (1 John 5:4-5). Click for Full Transcript: https://rhem.pub/living-faith-92e04c

Introduction to Grace      Grace is unmerited favor. It is the kindness one person grants to another who does not deserve it. Grace (χάρις charis) refers to “a beneficent disposition toward someone, favor, grace, gracious care/help, [or] goodwill.”[1] This definition speaks of the attitude of one who is characterized by grace. A gracious act is “that which one grants to another, the action of one who volunteers to do something not otherwise obligatory.”[2] Others may not understand or accept what is offered by grace, but this is not for want of attitude and action on the part of the giver, where the benefactor freely confers a blessing upon another and the kindness shown finds its source in the bounty and free-heartedness of the giver. Once grace is received, it can, in turn, lead to gracious acts to others (Matt 5:43-45; Luke 6:32-36). In this way, grace leads to grace. The Need for Grace      Everyone needs God's grace, because we are all born in sin. We are sinners in three ways: 1) we are sinners by imputation of Adam's original sin (Rom 5:12-21), 2) we are sinners by nature (Psa 51:5; Rom 7:19-21; Eph 2:3), and 3) we are sinners by choice (1 Ki 8:46; Rom 3:9-18). Adam's sin the Garden of Eden is the first and greatest of them all. Because of Adam's rebellion against God, sin and death entered the human race and spread throughout the universe (Rom 8:20-22). Paul wrote, “Therefore, just as through one man [Adam] sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned [when Adam sinned]” (Rom 5:12), for “through one transgression [of Adam] there resulted condemnation to all men” (Rom 5:19a), and “by a man [Adam] came death, by a man [Jesus] also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all [who believe in Him] will be made alive” (1 Cor 15:21-22). All of Adam's descendants are born into this world spiritually dead in “trespasses and sins” (Eph 2:1), and are by nature “children of wrath” (Eph 2:3), “separate from Christ…having no hope and without God in the world” (Eph 2:12), “alienated” from God (Col 1:21), helpless, ungodly, sinners, and enemies (Rom 5:6-10). From a biblical perspective, we are all born totally depraved. According to Lewis Chafer, “Theologians employ also the phrase total depravity, which does not mean that there is nothing good in any unregenerate person as seen by himself or by other people; it means that there is nothing in fallen man which God can find pleasure in or accept.”[3]Total depravity means we are helpless to save ourselves. Grace & Judgment      God's grace does not ignore righteousness or judgment. God is righteous and He must condemn sin. He can either condemn sin in the sinner, or in a substitute. According to Merrill F. Unger, “since God is holy and righteous, and sin is a complete offense to Him, His love or His mercy cannot operate in grace until there is provided a sufficient satisfaction for sin. This satisfaction makes possible the exercise of God's grace.”[4] Christ is our substitute. He bore the penalty of all our sins and satisfied every righteous demand of the Father, for “He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world” (1 John 2:2; cf. Rom 3:24-25; 1 John 4:10). God's grace follows from His judgment. According to Lewis Chafer, “grace is what God may be free to do and indeed what He does accordingly for the lost after Christ has died on behalf of them.”[5] God's love for sinners moved Him to provide a solution to the problem of sin, and that solution is Christ who died in our place. Once we have trusted in Christ for salvation—and trusted in Him alone—God is then free to bestow on us forgiveness and eternal life, as well as numerous other blessings that are beyond our imagination to grasp. For those who reject God's salvation by grace, they are left to trust in themselves and their own good works to gain entrance into heaven, and this will fail miserably for those who choose this course. In the end, these will be judged by their works, and because those works never measure up to God's perfect righteousness, they will be cast in the Lake of Fire forever (Rev 20:11-15). Common Grace & Special Grace      There is a common grace God extends to everyone, whether they are good or evil, and this does not depend on their understanding or attitude toward God or others. God simply extends grace to all, and all receive it. Jesus said of the Father, “He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (Matt 5:45). Paul said, “In the generations gone by He permitted all the nations to go their own ways [in rebellion]; and yet He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good and gave you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness” (Acts 14:16-17). In these passages, God's grace is freely given to all, and this because He is gracious by nature.      However, there is special grace given to those who will welcome it. Special grace refers to those blessings that God freely confers upon those who, in humility, turn to Him a time of need. First, there is saving grace that God provides for the lost sinner who turns to Christ in faith alone (Eph 2:8-9). Second, there is a growing grace for the humble believer who studies and lives God's Word (2 Pet 3:18). Third, there is a grace God gives—a divine enablement—to help a believer cope with some life stress (2 Cor 12:7-10). Humility and positive volition are necessary requisites for those who would receive God's special grace, For “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (1 Pet 5:5; cf. Jam 4:6). Saving Grace      God's grace is never cheap. Our salvation is very costly. Jesus went to the cross and died in our place and bore the punishment that rightfully belongs to us. He is righteous. I am a sinner. He paid my sin debt in full. There's nothing for me to add to what He accomplished. The sole condition of salvation is to believe in Christ as my Savior. He died for me, was buried, and rose again on the third day (1 Cor 15:3-4), and we know “that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again” (Rom 6:9). Salvation is not Jesus plus me. It's Jesus alone. He saves. My contribution to the cross was sin and death, as Jesus took my sin upon Himself and died in my place. Peter wrote, “Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God” (1 Pet 3:18). We are brought to God solely by the death of Christ. Salvation is never what I do for God; rather, it's what He's done for us through the cross of Christ. All of this consistent with the character of God, for He is gracious by nature. Scripture reveals, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness” (Ex 34:6), and, “You, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness and truth” (Psa 86:15). God the Father is described as “the God of all grace” (1 Pet 5:10), who sits upon a “throne of grace” (Heb 4:16), who “gives grace to the afflicted” (Prov 3:34), and provides salvation “by grace” through faith in Jesus (Eph 2:8-9; cf. Acts 15:11; Rom 3:24). Jesus is said to be “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14), and the Holy Spirit is called “the Spirit of grace” (Heb 10:29). Grace is undeserved favor. It is the love, mercy, or kindness that one person freely confers upon another who deserves the opposite (Matt 5:44-45; Rom 11:6; Eph 1:6; 2:1-9; 2 Tim 1:9; Tit 3:5-7). The kindness shown is rooted in the goodness and open-handedness of the giver. Jesus is an example of grace, in that He cared for others, healing and feeding many (Matt 4:24; 14:15-21), even to those who refused to show gratitude (Luke 17:12-19). He acted out of His own goodness, for the benefit of others, with a full knowledge the majority would reject Him and abuse His kindness (John 3:19; 12:37).      Good works have no saving merit before God (Isa 64:6; Rom 3:28; 4:1-5; Gal 2:16, 21; Eph 2:8-9; Tit 3:5; cf. Phil 3:4-9). We cannot save ourselves any more than we can jump across the Grand Canyon or throw rocks and hit the moon. But God, because of His mercy and love toward us (John 3:16; Eph 2:3-7), did for us what we cannot do for ourselves. He provided a solution to the problem of sin, and that solution is the cross of Christ (1 Cor 1:18). God the Son—the second Person of the Trinity—came into the world by human birth (Luke 1:26-35; John 1:1, 14), lived a perfectly righteous life (Matt 5:17), was always pleasing to the Father (John 8:29), and willingly died in our place and bore the punishment for our sins. Jesus lived the righteous life that God demands and committed no sin (2 Cor 5:21; Heb 4:15; 1 John 3:5), and He died for us on the cross and paid the penalty for all our sins (Isa 53:1-12; Mark 10:45; Rom 5:6-10; 1 Pet 3:18; 1 John 2:2).      Jesus died once for all sin. And His sacrifice on the cross was a substitutionary death in which He paid the penalty for all our sins. Unlike the Old Testament animal sacrifices “which can never take away sins” (Heb 10:11), Jesus “offered one sacrifice for sins for all time” (Heb 10:12). This means there is nothing more to be offered for our salvation, for “by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified” (Heb 10:14). Jesus' atoning death on the cross was a one and done event. After Jesus paid the penalty for our sins, He said, “It is finished!” (John 19:30). The phrase it is finished translates the Greek word τετέλεσται tetelestai, which is a perfect passive indicative of the Greek verb τελέω teleo, which means “to complete an activity or process, bring to an end, finish, complete.”[6] According to Edwin Blum, “Papyri receipts for taxes have been recovered with the word tetelestai written across them, meaning ‘paid in full.'”[7] It means whatever debt we owed to God has been paid in full, and there's no further payment required. This is why salvation is never by our good works (Rom 3:28; Gal 2:16, 21; Eph 2:8-9; Tit 3:5). Good works in the life of the Christian should follow salvation (Eph 2:10; Gal 6:9-10), but they are never the condition of it! When we trust in Christ as our Savior, we accept His payment for our sin-debt. He gets all the glory and we get all the benefit. And “having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom 5:1).      In order for us to be reconciled to God, we must simply trust in Jesus as our Savior (John 3:16; 20:30-31; Acts 4:12; 16:30-31). When we trust in Christ as our Savior, we are forgiven all our sins (Eph 1:7; Col 1:14), given eternal life (John 3:16; 10:27-28), and receive the righteousness of God as a free gift (Rom 5:17; 2 Cor 5:21; Phil 3:9). The cross is God's righteous solution to the problem of sin, as well as His greatest display of love toward sinners. At the cross, God judged our sin as His righteousness required, and pardons the sinner as His love desires. To understand the cross of Christ is to understand the heart of God toward a fallen world He wants to save. Christians are to Model Grace      As Christians, we display common grace to everyone and special grace to believers. Concerning unbelievers, Jesus told His disciples, “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matt 5:44). This is done by grace, for the enemy does not deserve the love extended to them. When believers show this kind of gracious love, we are acting like our Father in heaven, for He is unconditionally good to everyone (Matt 5:45). Paul communicated both common and special in his letter to the Galatians where he wrote, “So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people [common grace], and especially to those who are of the household of the faith [special grace]” (Gal 6:10). And, as Christians, our speech should be characterized by grace. Paul wrote, “Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person” (Col 4:6). This means our speech should be biblically attractive to others, especially those who are positive to God. Why Believers Show No Grace      One would think that grace would flow from grace. That is, those who are shown grace by God would show grace and mercy to others. Paradoxically, this is not always the case. I am amazed at Christians who welcome God's grace, but show no grace to others. Many are mean-spirited, condescending, harsh, unforgiving, and speak with a critical spirit. This is contrary to the character of God and the teaching of Scripture. When it comes to our sin and unworthiness, the truth of Scripture is, “He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities” (Psa 103:10). God has not treated us as we deserve. In fact, He treats us much better than we deserve; but again, that's grace. The Lord is a God who loves, forgives, and shows great compassion toward the undeserving and has done so toward us. Yet some believers refuse to give grace to others, who are themselves undeserving. Jonah, for example, was a prophet of God who became angry when the Lord showed grace to Israel's enemy, the Ninevites, and withheld judgment when they humbled themselves and repented of their sin (Jonah 3:1-10). Jonah became angry at God's display of grace, saying, “I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, and one who relents concerning calamity” (Jonah 4:2). The contradiction is that Jonah personally enjoyed God's grace, but then selfishly wanted God to withhold it from others. I also think of the story Jesus told about a servant who owed a great debt, and when the man could not pay, he pleaded with his master, who felt compassion and graciously forgave his debt (Matt. 18:23-27). However, the man who had received forgiveness from his superior, later refused to forgive another man who owed him a very small amount (Matt. 18:28-30). The man who was shown grace refused to show grace to others, and the Lord called him “wicked” (Matt 18:32). I've often pondered why some, who rejoice in God's grace, refuse to show grace to others. I think there are several reasons. Ignorance of God and His Word. Some believers fail to understand grace as a characteristic of God (Ex 34:6; Psa 86:15; Prov 3:34; John 1:14; Eph 1:6; Heb 4:16; 10:29; 1 Pet 5:10), and that He directs His people to be gracious and loving to others (Matt 5:44-45; Luke 6:27-28; Col 4:6). Grace is not automatic in the Christian life. It must be learned and actively applied. As believers learn about God's grace, they can then actively share it with others. A legalistic mindset. Legalism is the belief that one can earn God's favor through religious practices and good works. This mindset prevents people from experiencing God's grace because they don't think they need it. Why would they? Their religious lives and good works lead them to think they've earned God's favor. But this has consequences in relationships with other people. If we earn God's favor, then naturally we'll only show favor to those we feel have earned it too. A judgmental spirit. It seems as though some people come out of the womb with a judge's gavel in their hand. These stand in the place of God rendering judgment on others according to their own arbitrary standards and expectations. Often this judgmental spirit takes the form of gossip, maligning, and badmouthing others. Such a critical spirit lacks the capacity to show grace because everyone is guilty, and some more than others. In some ways, running others down is a subtle form of self-praise. Arrogance. Arrogant people don't show grace. In fact, they lack the capacity because they're so self-absorbed, consumed with thinking about themselves and their own life, they have no room in their thinking and speech to show grace to others. I've heard it said that “arrogant people never see their own faults, only the faults of others,” and I think there's merit to the statement. Refusing to forgive. An unforgiving spirit makes it difficult to show grace. Forgiveness means we release someone from an offense or debt they owe us (or a debt we think they owe us). Forgiveness releases them from paying the penalty for their crime (real or imagined). Forgiveness does not mean continuing to tolerate abuse (physical, mental, sexual, etc.), but it means we continue to seek God's best in their life by prayer and biblical discussion. By refusing to forgive, we end up harboring hatred, and there's no room for grace in a hate-filled heart.      How do we overcome these obstacles to grace? First, it starts with knowing what the Bible teaches about the gracious character of God. We cannot live what we do not know, and knowledge of God's character and Word necessarily precedes living His will. We show grace only as we learn and experience it ourselves. Second, we must learn to see everyone from the biblical perspective, as undeserving of God's grace and love. Then, with eyes open, we choose to love the unlovely and show them grace. We treat them better than they deserve. We seek God's best in their lives. Third, learn to discipline the mind and will daily to think and act in grace. As we encounter unpleasant people, or those who have hurt us (i.e., family, friends, co-workers, etc.), we can consciously extend grace to them by showing love, kindness and mercy. Fourth, be ready to be hurt. Showing grace can be very difficult because it places us in a vulnerable spot where we may be hurt, sometimes on an ongoing basis. By faith we're okay with absorbing the pain others inflict, much like our Lord (1 Pet 2:21-24). We know God is with us, to shield and sustain us as we do His will (Psa 18:30; 55:22; Isa 41:10; Phil 4:6-7; Heb 4:16). Since we've tasted of the grace of God, let us also be gracious to others.   [1] William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 1079. [2] Ibid., 1079. [3] Lewis Sperry Chafer, Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1993), 118–119. [4] Merrill F. Unger et al., “Grace” in The New Unger's Bible Dictionary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1988), 504. [5] Lewis Sperry Chafer, Systematic Theology, vol 7, 178. [6] William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 997. [7] Edwin A. Blum, “John,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 340.

     As God's children, we simultaneously live and operate in two realms. Physically, we live in the material world that God created (though damaged by our sin), and it is here we spend our time learning, working, playing, resting, and touching the lives of those whom God places in our path. It is here we must advance by learning God's Word and living wisely in His will (2 Tim 2:15; 3:16-17; 1 Pet 2:2; 2 Pet 3:18). Making good choices from day to day—rooted in God's Word—is paramount to this life, as well as the one to come. As believers, we are to “seek first His kingdom and His righteousness” (Matt 6:33), and trust that “God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Phil 4:19). This requires faith (2 Cor 5:7; Heb 10:38; 11:6). But we also live in a spiritual realm that touches things real, but unseen. As Christians, we are to be led by God the Holy Spirit, to be “filled with the Spirit” (Eph 5:18), and to “walk by the Spirit” (Gal 5:16). Furthermore, we face attacks from the spiritual realm, as Paul warns us that “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Eph 6:12). As advancing Christians, we are to “be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding” (Col 1:9). And because the mind is the primary battleground, “We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” (2 Cor 10:5). Knowledge of God and His Word provides a basis for living effectively in both the physical and spiritual realm. God's Word reveals He's provided us a portfolio of spiritual blessings that benefit us in this life and, if understood and applied, will result in great rewards in the eternal state (1 Cor 3:14-15; 2 Cor 5:10).      Living in the dispensation of the church age, God has bestowed on us many good things. Though He blesses some Christians materially (1 Tim 6:17-19), His main focus is on giving us spiritual blessings which are far better. Paul wrote that God “has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” (Eph 1:3). According to Harold Hoehner, “Every spiritual blessing (eulogia) refers to every spiritual enrichment needed for the spiritual life. Since these benefits have already been bestowed on believers, they should not ask for them but rather appropriate them by faith.”[1]Warren Wiersbe states: "In the Old Testament, God promised His earthly people, Israel, material blessings as a reward for their obedience (Deut 28:1–13). Today, He promises to supply all our needs “according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Phil 4:19), but He does not promise to shield us from either poverty or pain. The Father has given us every blessing of the Spirit, everything we need for a successful, satisfying Christian life. The spiritual is far more important than the material."[2] Some of our spiritual blessings are as follows: We are the special objects of His love: “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom 5:8), and “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10). We are forgiven all our sins: “When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, 14 having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross” (Col 2:13-14; cf. Eph 1:7; Heb 10:10-14). We are given eternal life: Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; 28 and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand (John 10:27-28; cf. John 3:16; 20:31). We are made alive together with Christ: “God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ” (Eph 2:4-5). We are raised up and seated with Christ: God “raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Eph 2:6). We are the recipients of God's grace: “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Eph 2:8-9). We are created to perform good works: “We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them” (Eph 2:10). We are given freedom in Christ: “It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery” (Gal 5:1; cf. Gal 5:13; 1 Pet 2:16). We are given a spiritual gift to serve others: “As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God” (1 Pet 4:10; cf. Rom 12:6-8; Eph 4:11). We are children of God: “See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are” (1 John 3:1a; cf. John 3:6; Gal 3:26; 1 Pet 1:23; Tit 3:5). We are made ambassadors for Christ: “We are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God” (2 Cor 5:20). We are gifted with God's righteousness: “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor 5:21; cf. Rom 4:3-5; 5:17; Phil 3:9). We are justified before God: “Being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus…For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law” (Rom 3:24, 28). We have peace with God: “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom 5:1). We will never be condemned: “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom 8:1). We are given citizenship in heaven: “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Phil 3:20). We are transferred to the kingdom of Christ: “For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son” (Col 1:13; cf. Acts 26:18; 1 Th 2:12). We are all saints in Christ Jesus: “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God's household” (Eph 2:19; cf. Eph 1:18-19). We are made priests to God: “He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father—to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.” (Rev 1:6). We are God's chosen: “He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him” (Eph 1:4; cf. Rom 8:29-33). We are the recipients of His faithfulness: “He Himself has said, ‘I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you'” (Heb 13:5; cf. Phil 1:6; 1 Th 5:24). We have been raised with Christ to walk in newness of life: “We have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life” (Rom 6:4; cf. Rom 6:10-13). We are members of the Church, the body of Christ: “For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another” (Rom 12:4-5), and “He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all” (Eph 1:22-23; cf. Col 1:18). We are indwelt with the Holy Spirit: “Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? (1 Cor 3:16; cf. 1 Cor 6:19). We are sealed with the Holy Spirit: “having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise” (Eph 1:13b; cf. 2 Cor 5:5). We are enabled to walk with God: “I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh” (Gal 5:16). We are empowered to live godly: “His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence” (2 Pet 1:3). We have Scripture to train us in righteousness: “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work” (2 Tim 3:16-17). We are guaranteed a new home in heaven: “In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. 3 If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:2-3). We are guaranteed resurrection bodies: “I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality” (1 Cor 15:51-53). We have special access to God's throne of grace: “Let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb 4:16). We will be glorified in eternity: “When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory” (Col 3:4), for Christ “will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself” (Phil 3:21)      In these blessings from God we observe “the riches of His grace” (Eph 1:7). These are bestowed on us at the moment we trusted Christ as our Savior, and we come to know and appreciate them the more we study God's Word and grasp His goodness toward us. Such blessings are intended to motivate us to service, to live a life in appreciation for all God has done for us. With Paul, “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe” (Eph 1:18-19a).     [1] Harold W. Hoehner, “Ephesians,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 616. [2] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 9.

This book presents a psychological explanation of the gospel. It deals with the nine basic human needs that salvation fills. Believing that we have acceptance, love, and value gives us peace and contentment: “We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom 5:1). Believing that we have security, forgiveness, and guidance gives us assurance and confidence: “All things can be done for the one who believes” (Mark 9:23). Believing that we have support, purpose, and hope gives us meaning and significance: “We have this hope, a sure and steadfast anchor for the soul” (Heb 6:19). People today want more than creeds and platitudes. Discovering that there are logical reasons for the positive changes that take place when we become a Christian helps us understand how and why a conversion experience makes such a real difference in our lives. Learn more at GoodFaithMedia.org.

Scripture Reading: John 14:25-31 The concept of 'peace' is a major theme in the Bible, especially in the New Testament.  The word 'peace' occurs 95 times in the New Testament and is found in every book except 1 John. Few passages in Scripture are as sweet and comforting as this familiar promise of Jesus in John 14.  There is, in the Bible, the objective standing of peace with God.  "Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom 5:1; cf. Col 1:20).  The breech of relationship between sinful man and an infinitely holy God has been taken away by the cross of Christ for those who believe in Him. Flowing from the fountain of peace with God, in John 14:27, is the subjective experience of the feeling of peace in the mind and heart.  This is peace from God.  This is the feeling of security and contentment and well-being.  One of the wonders of this statement is that Jesus promises to give believers His peace … "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you."  Is there any better peace? This peace from God is not the elimination of problems or pain, but it is to have emotions and thoughts that are settled and stable in the middle of difficult circumstances. By truly resting in Christ, contemplating His wondrous work on our behalf, we can know the truth of the blessing "The LORD lift up His countenance on you, and give you peace" (Num 6:26).

Satan wants to make a casualty out of you by affecting your thoughts. Satan's objective is to frustrate the will of God in our life - mentally to doubt what we're doing, geographically to get us in the wrong place at the wrong time, and operationally to get us to do the wrong thing in the wrong way. How do you defend yourself? You put on the armor of God. You train your mind to spot his evil, avoid distractions, and know when you're being manipulated by his system of evil. You've got to prepare by learning and applying the Word of God so it becomes wisdom in your soul. “Stand firm…taking up the shield of faith, having on the belt of truth” (Eph 6:12-15). “Having been justified by faith we can have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom 5:1). Satan cannot stand against the truth of the Word of God. When you have the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, there's no way you're going to be defeated by Satan. Full Transcript: https://rhem.pub/armor-god-8c32b0 --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rick-hughes/message

Concentration is key to learning. You need the empowerment of the filling of the Holy Spirit to learn, retain and recall Biblical principles. Each piece of the armor of God is something you think. It is a mindset we need to win the battles we're in. The first piece of armor is the Belt of Truth. “You will know the truth and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32). We must strap the truth of God's Word around our waist because all other pieces of the armor attach to it. The truth of the Word of God is our anchor. Now attach the Breastplate of Righteousness covering your vital organs. This is the imputed righteousness of Christ given to you at salvation and the capacity righteousness you acquire as you grow spiritually. Next is the footwear of the Preparation of the Gospel of Peace. “Having been justified by faith we have peace with God through the Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom 5:1). The Shield of Faith is using the problem-solving device of the faith-rest drill. Full Transcript: https://rhem.pub/armor-god-05b002 --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rick-hughes/message

http://teachingbible.org https://www.facebook.com/teachingbible/videos/10226011484612743 The true and only God is Holy, which is a word that we can only really slightly understand due to our fallen condition that we inherited from previous generations. The Word of God has carefully selected accounts of the lives of people, all of whom have lived under a great measure of God's mercies, and are written to teach all people how to live according to God's love and intervention to rescue sinners from His righteous judgment through the deliverer His Son Jesus The Christ! Therefore, by becoming students of the Word of God we can all come to realize that we are incapable of satisfying God on our own power apart from His sacrificial offering of Jesus His Son, and Jesus' victorious resurrection from the dead; then step up to the challenge of “Learning Patience Through Everyday Trials” Old Testament Scripture Reading: Psalms 32:1 – 11 (KJV) Blessed Are the Forgiven Psa 32:1 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Psa 32:2 Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile. Psa 32:3 When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long. Psa 32:4 For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Selah. Psa 32:5 I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah. Psa 32:6 For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him. Psa 32:7 Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah. Psa 32:8 I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. Psa 32:9 Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee. Psa 32:10 Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the LORD, mercy shall compass him about. Psa 32:11 Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart. New Testament Scripture Reading: Romans 5:1 – 11 (KJV) Rom 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: Rom 5:2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Rom 5:3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; Rom 5:4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope: Rom 5:5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. Rom 5:6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. Rom 5:7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. Rom 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Rom 5:9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. Rom 5:10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. Rom 5:11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement. Transforming Power Statements: 1) Realization that every life is filled with trials and that we all have our share of troubles, fears, disappointments, anxieties, pressures, as well as successes, victories, hopes, dreams aspirations, and so on; it is easy to understand that the roller coaster of life, especially without any understan --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/landis-fisher/support

Occupation with Christ is one of the greatest problem-solving devices. “To put on the Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom 13:14). It is focusing your thoughts on Him “Put your eyes on Him the author and finisher of our faith” (Heb 12:2). Jesus came into this world as the undiminished deity and true humanity in one body, the God-Man. As man, Jesus Christ faced the same things we face and He had to use His Father's Word. Being occupied with Christ is thinking as He thought and you can only do this by knowing Him through studying His Word. “And come to know the love for Christ that goes beyond knowledge so that you may be filled with the fullness of God” (Eph 3:19). You haven't been told by God to straighten out others or the devil's world. You've been told to “Lift up Christ, the hope of glory” (Col 1:27). Full Transcript: https://rhem.pub/occupation-christ-b27d7 --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rick-hughes/message

What can we learn from Romans 8:28 which says, ‘And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose’ (NIV)? Well in this sermon, Eric Nugent shares 5 takeaways, that happen to begin with the letter ‘C‘ for us to remember: Certainty, Completeness, Cause, Condition, Consequences. And in fact we need to see the link in the text all the way from Rom.8:26-39, which includes the fact that the Purpose of the things that God is working for our Good, is ultimately for His Glory, and that means our being Conformed into the image of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ (Rom.8:29). If you’d like to watch the video of this sermon on YouTube, click here: The post God Makes All Things Work Together For Our Good! appeared first on Living Rock Church.

Rom 5:1  Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: Rom 5:2  By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Rom 5:3  And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; Rom 5:4  And patience, experience; and experience, hope: Rom 5:5  And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. 

Testifying With AssuranceRead 1 John 5:11–13; Hebrews 10:19–22; and 1 Corinthians 15:1, 2.What assurance of eternal life do the Scriptures give us that allowsus to testify of our salvation in Christ with certainty?__________________________________________________________________________________________________________If we do not have the personal assurance of salvation in Jesus, itis not possible to share it with someone else. We cannot share whatwe do not have ourselves. There are conscientious Christians wholive in a state of perpetual uncertainty, wondering whether they willever be good enough to be saved. As a wise, old preacher once said,“When I look at myself, I see no possibility of being saved. WhenI look at Jesus, I see no possibility of being lost.” The Lord’s wordsring with certainty down through the ages: “ ‘Look to Me, and besaved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other’ ”(Isa. 45:22).Our Lord wants each one of us to rejoice in the salvation that He sofreely offers. He longs for us to experience what it means to be justi-fied by His grace and be free from the condemnation that the guilt ofsin brings. As Paul says in Romans 5, “Therefore, having been justi-fied by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ”(Rom. 5:1, NKJV). He adds that we can have the assurance that “there istherefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom.8:1, NKJV). The apostle John confirms that “he who has the Son haslife; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life” (1 John5:12, NKJV).If by faith we have accepted Jesus, and He lives in our hearts throughHis Holy Spirit, the gift of eternal life is ours today. This is not to saythat once we have experienced the grace of God and salvation in Christ,we can never lose it (2 Pet. 2:18–22, Heb. 3:6, Rev. 3:5). We alwayshave the free choice to walk away from Him; but once we have expe-rienced His love and understood the depths of His sacrifice, we shouldnever choose to walk away from One who loves us so much. Day byday we should look for opportunities to share with others the gracegiven us in Jesus.Do you have assurance of salvation in Jesus? If so, on what do youbase it? Why do you have that assurance? Where is it found? Onthe other hand, if you are not sure, why are you not sure? Howcan you find that assurance?

Attribute: Soli Deo Gloria - God's own purpose At the bottom of his musical compositions, Johann Sebastian Bach, would write three capital letters . . . SDG.  George Frederic Handel did the same at the end of his writing "The Messiah" oratorio.  The letters stood for the Latin words soli Deo gloria . . . glory to God alone.  Bach and Handel knew that the purpose for music, like the purpose for all creation, is the glory of the Creator.               We know the answer to the well-known first question of the Westminster Shorter Catechism … "What is the chief end of man?"  The answer is … "The chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever."  We know from verses like 1 Corinthians 10:31 that we should do everything for the glory of God.  "So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." What we might not often think about is that God does everything He does for His glory.  There are scores of verses that reveal that wondrous reality to us.  He called Israel to be His special people for His glory (Isa 43,6,7); He leads His people in paths of righteousness for His sake (Psa 23:3); He forgives our sins for His own sake (Isa 43:25); He grants salvation in Christ for the praise of His glory (Eph 1:13,14).  All things were created for His glory (Rom 11:36). God does everything He does for His glory.  And the Scriptures explicitly link how we should live our lives to the glory of God.  We should live in harmony with each other that we "may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom 15:6).  We should keep ourselves sexually pure for the glory of God (1 Cor 6:18-20).  We should be zealous to do good deeds for God's glory (Mt 5:16).  Being thankful to God is a way of glorifying Him (Psa 86:12).  And categorically Paul declares that we should do everything we do for God's glory (1 Cor 10:31).

Thanking God For Your Benefits! Romans 5:1-5 The Benefits Package……… 5 weeks paid vacation 14 paid holidays Full medical & dental Savings plan matching up to 50% of your salary Company car lease – Any car you want European sports car New car every 2 years Our benefits – Romans 5:1-5 Romans 4:25 – starting point – He who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification. (NASB) Justification: How you get right with God – declared righteous By grace alone – through faith alone No one can brag – “I did it my way” Courtroom scene Forgiveness Just the beginning Peace with God (v. 1) Privilege of Access (v. 2a) Preview of the Future (v. 2b) Purpose in Pain (vv. 3-5) 1. Peace With God Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ Rom 5:1 NASB A fact not a feeling An unsaved person is at enmity with and separated from God Isaiah 48:22 - "There is no peace for the wicked," says the LORD. Psalm 7:11 - God is a just judge, And God is angry with the wicked every day. Romans 1:18 - For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, Great enemy of peace is sin Might feel at peace, but not be at peace – delusion Believer is at peace, but might not feel at peace – carnality, lack of teaching Peace made possible through the cross – Isaiah 53:5 Once we gave peace with God, we should experience peace of God. 2. Privilege of Access(vs. 2a) Rom 5:2 NIV through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand…. The word access - used of someone who brings another into someone else's presence Greeks, Romans, Pagans – did not want access to their gods Jews – limited access – no intimacy – high priest could enter Holy of Holies Cross changed everything Veil torn from top to bottom Eph. 2:13 – brought near by the blood of Christ Lam 3:22-23 - Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. 23They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. Hebrews 4:16 - Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. 3. Preview of Our Future (vs. 2b) Rom 5:2 NIV … And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Our hope founded in the glory of God In heaven we will see fully the glory of God Moses desire – Exodus 33 – “show me Your glory… 1 John 3:2 - Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. J. B. Phillips – hope = a happy certainty 2 Reasons for our HOPE: Jesus Christ prayed we would be with Him and the Father The resurrection of Christ 4. Purpose in Pain (vs. 3-5) Rom 5:3-5 NIV Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; (4) perseverance, character; and character, hope. (5) And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. John 16:33 - In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world. Justification - not escape from trials—but a guarantee that trials have purpose Romans 8:28 - And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. English word tribulation comes from the Latin word tribulum

text :: Romans 5:1-5 theme verse :: “Since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ…” (Rom 5:1) // The classic rock band, Boston, offers us a line in their 1976 hit song, Peace of Mind: “I understand about indecision. I don’t care if I get behind. People […]

Scripture Reading: Colossians 3:14-17 Continuing his description of what a church looks like, Paul reminds us that everything we do, in speech and in action, must be done in the name of Christ.  "And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him" (Col 3:17).  To do everything in the name of Jesus is not unlike the answer to the first question in the Westminster Shorter Catechism.  "The chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever."  To do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus summarizes the supreme, overarching purpose for human life.  All other purposes fall under the all-encompassing shadow of this wondrous, single-minded principle. And the Scriptures explicitly link how we should live our lives for the glory of God.  We should live in harmony with each other that we "may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom 15:6).  We should keep ourselves sexually pure for the glory of God (1 Cor 6:18-20).  We should be zealous to do good deeds for God's glory (Mt 5:16).  Being thankful to God is a way of glorifying Him (Psa 86:12). The delightful paradox in our yielding our lives for the consummate goal of God's honor is that this sacrifice of our lives for Christ is the path, the only path, to true and abiding satisfaction.  Our passion for Christ's honor and our passion for our satisfaction merge in the splendid experience of the life of a Christian.  "For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it" (Mt 16:25).