Podcasts about pilgrim's progress

In this chapter of The Pilgrims Progress, we witness the profound encounter between Christian and Faithful as they navigate the treacherous wilderness and approach the ominous town of Vanity. Their journey takes a pivotal turn when they reunite with Evangelist, who offers wise counsel and warnings about the trials that lie ahead. He emphasizes the importance of steadfastness in faith, urging them to remain vigilant against the temptations that Vanity Fair represents.As they enter the fair, Christian and Faithful become targets of ridicule and hostility, their distinct attire and language marking them as outsiders. This Vanity Fair, a bustling marketplace of worldly pleasures and vanities, reveals the stark contrast between the pilgrims' heavenly aspirations and the town's base pursuits. Despite the mockery and violence they face, Faithful stands firm in his beliefs, leading to a harrowing trial where he is condemned for his faithfulness to the truth.This part delves into themes of perseverance, the cost of discipleship, and the eternal conflict between the kingdom of God and the allure of worldly distractions. As Faithful meets a tragic end, we are reminded of the ultimate reward awaiting those who remain true to their convictions. Join us as we reflect on the courage it takes to uphold one's faith in the face of adversity and the promise of eternal life beyond this earthly journey.Minor updating has been done to make this recording more understandable.If you would like to pick up a copy of The Pilgrim's Progress to add to your home library, we have listed some of our favorites below. And we were sure to include one of our favorites rewritten for children. (affil links)The Pilgrim's Progress Old English: https://amzn.to/4j1j3XgThe Pilgrim's Progress Modern English: https://amzn.to/3W3SNlvLittle Pilgrim's Big Journey: https://amzn.to/41YDs9GSupport our mission:▪️ Buy Me a Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/wanderingpilgrims▪️ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheWanderingPilgrims▪️ Shop: https://shop.thewanderingpilgrims.com/▪️ Our Website: www.thewanderingpilgrims.comConnect with us for more insights and updates:▪️ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewanderingpilgrims/▪️ Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/The-Wandering-Pilgrims-581206039071736/

A new MP3 sermon from Free Grace Baptist Church is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: The Gospel in Pilgrims Progress (2) Subtitle: Pilgrims Progress Pictures Speaker: David Driver Broadcaster: Free Grace Baptist Church Event: Devotional Date: 3/13/2025 Bible: John 14:15-18; John 16:12-15 Length: 33 min.

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A new MP3 sermon from Free Grace Baptist Church is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: The Gospel in Pilgrims Progress Subtitle: Pilgrims Progress Pictures Speaker: David Driver Broadcaster: Free Grace Baptist Church Event: Devotional Date: 2/6/2025 Bible: Romans 5:1-11 Length: 30 min.

I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Saturday morning, the 18th of January, 2025, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. We start in 2 Corinthians 5:20:”Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us:…” Isn't that a beautiful scripture, the Lord speaking to the lost through you and I? Then we go straight to the Book of Revelation 1:11, and Jesus says to John:“What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches… “ You and I have been called to be representatives of Jesus Christ. We have been called to be ambassadors for the Lord. Now, I've just spoken to you about two great ambassadors. One was Paul, the Apostle, and the other was John, the blessed disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ. Both of these men wrote the word of God under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. You and I have a responsibility to tell the world about the soon-coming King. Now I can hear someone saying, ”Ja, well I haven't got much education, I can't write a book,” or somebody saying, ”I'm in an old age home. I can't do much anymore.” Or someone is maybe in a hospital and cannot move around. What can I do?” The most important thing to do, of course, is to pray, pray and pray! That is the most important thing for any believer to do, but I want to tell you about John Bunyan. Now John Bunyan wrote a book called The Pilgrims Progress, probably the most powerful and well-known book next to the Bible itself. Where did he write it? He wrote it in jail! He was in jail for 12 years off and on. He was a tinker by trade and yet that book, to this day, has impacted lives all over the world. What about C S Lewis, C S Lewis who wrote the book, Chronicles of Narnia? He wrote the Screw Tape Letters. He wrote many books.Folks, what I'm trying to say to you is, we don't need to travel around the world in order to get the Gospel out. Wherever you are and whatever you're doing, you might be a farmer; you might be a businessman; you might be a teacher or a nurse; you might be a professional sportsman. You can be an ambassador for Jesus Christ. Today let's start standing up and start shouting out from the rooftops that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that He loves sinners, that He's coming soon to take us home to be with Him in heaven forever!Jesus bless you and have a wonderful day,Goodbye.

Bees Looking to Halt Pilgrims Progress - Brentford v Plymouth FA Cup Preview PodcastAfter a tremendous win down in Southampton when the Bees put five goals past Southampton, theyre back on home soil where they play host to Plymouth in the third round of the FA CupBilly The Bee Grant, Matt The Allard Allard and Ali Mullalley got together to have a right old natter. On the podcast today:

THERE IS A MOVIE ENTITLED, ‘ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE' WHICH IS A SECULAR MOVIE BUT IS WELL WORTH WATCHING. IN THIS MOVIE, THERE ARE TWO LIGHTS, BUT ONE OF THEM IS HIDDEN. ONE LIGHT IS SEEN BY ANY WHO ARE LISTENING TO THIS PROFESSOR BROADCAST ON HIS RADIO, BUT THERE IS ANOTHER LIGHT THAT IS HIDDEN IN HIS BROADCAST THAT ONLY A FEW CAN SEE. SO SOME OF THE PEOPLE LISTENING ONLY SEE ONE LIGHT, BUT A FEW SELECT PEOPLE SEE BOTH LIGHTS. THE SAME IS TRUE IN CHRISTIANITY. MOST OF US DURING THE CHRISTMAS SEASON ENJOY THE LIGHT OF THE SON OF MAN AND EVEN SOME OF US MAY HAVE FAITH IN THE SON OF MAN WHO WE KNOW TO BE THE SON OF JOSEPH AND MARY, A CARPENTER; A BLUE COLLAR WORKER WHO HAD A 3 YEAR MINISTRY AND CALLED OTHER BLUE COLLOR WORKERS TO JOIN HIM, LIKE 4 FISHERMAN AND A TAX CHEAT WHO FOLLOWED JESUS AS HE DID MANY MIRACLES LIKE: HEALING SOME OF THE LEPERS, MAKING THE BLIND TO SEE, THE LAME TO WALK, HE WALKED ON WATER, RAISED LAZARUS FROM THE DEAD, WAS CRUCIFIED, HE HIMSELF ALSO ROSE FROM THE DEAD AND WE AS NATURAL MAN AMERICANS MAY HAVE FAITH ON ALL WHAT THE SON OF MAN HAS DONE BY THE POWER OF GOD AND THINK WE ARE CHRISTIANS, NOT KNOWING THAT WE MUST HAVE FAITH ON THE SON OF GOD WHO IS “ALL THE LIGHT WE CAN NOT SEE”, THIS LIGHT IS HID FROM US AND THIS IS WHY JESUS SAYS THE FOLLOWING: TAX COLLECTOR MATTHEW 11: [25] At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast HID these things from WHO?the wise and prudent, AND REVEALED THEM TO WHO?and hast revealed them unto BABES. 26] Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight.[27] All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and NO MAN knoweth the Son, BUT WHO?but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, BUT WHO?save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.IN THIS MESSAGE WE WILL TAKE A DEEP DIVE INTO “ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE” MENTIONED IN THE FOLLOWING VERSE:FISHERMAN JOHN 3:[19] And this is(=)the condemnation, WHAT IS = TO OUR CONDEMNATION AS NATURAL MAN AMERICANS?that light (SON OF GOD, WHO IS ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE)is come into the world, and men(NATURAL MAN AMERICANS)loved darkness rather than light(SON OF GOD)WHY?because their(NATURAL MAN AMERICANS)deeds were evil(ANYTHING LESS THAN PERFECT).[20] For every one that doeth evil hateth the light(SON OF GOD), neither cometh to the light, WHY?lest his deeds should be REPROVED.WE WILL FIND IN THIS MESSAGE THAT THERE SEEMS TO BE SOMETHING IN THE ELECT, WHO DON'T YET KNOW THEY ARE THE ELECT, THERE IS SOMETHING IN THEM THAT IS NOT SATISFIED WITH 99,999 % OF THE TRUTH BUT DESIRES WITH ALL HIS HEART TO KNOW 100% OF THE TRUTH, AND IS RELENTLESS IS SEEKING THAT TRUTH, AND WILL GO THOUGH WHATEVER HE HAS TO IN ORDER TO FIND THAT TRUTH, YET KNOWING THAT ALL HIS EFFORTS WOULDN'T BE A FACTOR IN WHY THE TRUTH WAS EVENTUALLY REVEALED TO HIM. ST. AUGUSTINE SOUGHT THE TRUTH FOR YEARS BEFORE CHRIST WAS REVEALED TO HIM BY HIS FATHER IN HEAVEN. “Truth, Truth, how inwardly even then did the marrow of my soul sigh for thee when, frequently and in manifold ways, in numerous and vast books, [the Manicheans] sounded out thy name though it was only a sound! And in these dishes -- while I STARVED for THEE -- they served up to me, in thy stead, the sun and moon thy beauteous works -- but still only thy works and not thyself; indeed, not even thy first work. For thy spiritual works came before these material creations, celestial and shining though they are. But I was hungering and thirsting, not even after those first works of thine, but after THYSELF the TRUTH. JOHN BUNYAN, THE AUTHOR OF, PILGRIMS PROGRESS, THE MOST DEFINITIVE AND ACCURATE BOOK WRITTEN ON SALVATION, WRITES IN HIS AUTOBIOGRAPHY:“This scripture made me faint and fear, yet it kindled fire in my soul. That which made me fear, was this; lest Christ should have no liking to me, for He called whom He would. But oh! the glory !”

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Passionate and honest, Ryan Dobson, son of Dr. James Dobson, tells of the 2nd most read book of all time, The Pilgrim's Progress, now a new fantastic, animated, adventurous movie depicting the journey we are all on. For shows and more subscribe at parentcompass.tv/subscribe or download the Parent Compass App. To donate go to parentcompass.tv/monthly-donations. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1493/29

Watch Real Christian Families from Parent Compass TV To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.lightsource.com/donate/1494/29

Passionate and honest, Ryan Dobson, son of Dr. James Dobson, tells of the 2nd most read book of all time, The Pilgrim's Progress, now a new fantastic, animated, adventurous movie depicting the journey we are all on. For shows and more subscribe at parentcompass.tv/subscribe or download the Parent Compass App. To donate go to parentcompass.tv/monthly-donations. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1493/29

Watch Real Christian Families from Parent Compass TV To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.lightsource.com/donate/1494/29

Growing up the son of Dr. James Dobson his life and what we can learn from it. What are the major family problems today? Ryan Dobson discusses life and his dad, the ministry, Family Talk, they hosted together and his calling to Rebel Parenting. For shows and more subscribe at parentcompass.tv/subscribe or download the Parent Compass App. To donate go to parentcompass.tv/monthly-donations. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1493/29

Watch Real Christian Families from Parent Compass TV To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.lightsource.com/donate/1494/29

Growing up the son of Dr. James Dobson his life and what we can learn from it. What are the major family problems today? Ryan Dobson discusses life and his dad, the ministry, Family Talk, they hosted together and his calling to Rebel Parenting. For shows and more subscribe at parentcompass.tv/subscribe or download the Parent Compass App. To donate go to parentcompass.tv/monthly-donations. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1493/29

In this episode, Stephan walks through key steps that helped he and his wife rebuild, and that he believes will help you as well. Stephan is speaking exclusively to husbands in this episode, as Jada spoke to the wives in the previous episode. If this episode blesses and encourages you, please consider leaving a review! Email: bridegroomrevival@gmail.com Resources Mentioned: 1. Every Man's Battle by Stephen Arterburn 2. Every Man's Marriage by Stephen Arterburn 3. Pilgrims Progress, Legacy Edition by Lithos Kids

What does it mean to be a Christian? How do you know that you are a Christian? What assurance can you have that you will remain a Christian? Well it is mentioned over thirty times in Ephesians, in fact we are told about 10 times in the very first and very long sentence that makes up the first 14 verses of Ephesians: In Christ, all the spiritual blessings in the heavenly places now belongs to you Christian (v. 3) In Christ, you were chosen before the foundation of the world (v. 4) Through Christ, you were predestined and adopted as sons and daughters of the living God (v. 5). In the Beloved Son of God, you are a favored child of God (v. 6). In Jesus, we have redemption, forgiveness, and the riches of Gods grace through His blood (v. 7). In Jesus, God made known the mystery of His will (v. 9). In Christ, the Father is bringing all things together to accomplish His good plan (v. 10). In Christ, we have obtained an inheritance in accordance with the plan of the Fathers perfect will (v. 11). In Christ, we are the praise of Gods glory (v. 12). In Jesus, you have been sealed by Gods Holy Spirit for the day of redemption (v. 13). To be a Christian is to be a person who was once spiritually dead, but now is alive with Christ not because of any religious activity on our part, but only because of the work of Jesus on our behalf (Eph. 2:1-9). This is what it means to be a Christian, but how does one become a Christian? I believe that in the same way that you become a Christian, is the same way you put on and take up the breastplate of righteousness. Some of you will remember our time spent in the sermon on the mount during my sermon series, Something Greater just over two years ago. In fact, if you are trying to make sense of the rhetoric and animosity that we are experiencing in our nation, I encourage you to read the first manuscript in that series from May 22, 2022. If you were here for that sermon series, you discovered that not only is the sermon on the mount the greatest sermon ever preached, but Jesus sermon shows us what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. During our time in the beatitudes I shared that the first three beatitudes, which are also known as beatitudes of need, reveal what is essential for any person to understand what is necessary for the salvation of your soul. Let me walk you through it because it will help you appreciate just how encouraging the breastplate of righteousness really is. So here are the first three beatitudes from Matthew 5:3-5, Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the gentle, for they will inherit the earth. To be poor in spirit is to arrive at the cross of Christ with empty hands, recognizing that you are spiritually bankrupt of any moral virtues adequate to earn or gain Gods forgiveness for sins committed against Him. Those who mourn are those who see and understand their sins for what they are and grieve because of them. The meek are those who understand that their problems are beyond them, their problems are because of the sin in them, and their problems are of their own doing. To come to Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins is to come to Jesus knowing that there is no righteousness in yourself; it is to mourn over the reality that your sins offend the God who is infinitely righteous, and to come to Jesus knowing that there is not one thing you can do to generate the kind of righteousness necessary for your salvation. The person who has been truly born again is one whose experience is now the fourth beatitude: Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied (Matt. 5:6). In Jesus, we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our wrongdoings, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us (Eph. 1:7-8). What is the Breastplate of Righteousness? The Roman soldiers breastplate was most likely form fitting and extended from the base of the neck to the top of the thighs, covering the thorax and abdomen for the purpose of protecting the vital organs such as the heart, lungs, kidneys, and bowels. The breastplate is the second piece of Gods armor we are told to put on, but what kind of righteousness does it represent? Is the breastplate of righteousness the righteousness of Jesus that has been imputed upon you the moment you were saved through faith by Christ alone? The imputed righteousness of Christ is when the righteousness of Jesus is applied to you the moment you believed the gospel as we are told in verses like 2 Corinthians 5:21, He [God] made Him [Jesus] who knew no sin to be sin in our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. Here, consider another passage that concerns the imputed righteousness of Christ from Romans 5:18-21, So then, as through one offense [Adams sin] the result was condemnation to all mankind, so also through one act of righteousness the result was justification of life to all mankind. For as through the one mans disobedience the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous. The Law came in so that the offense would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, so also grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. In other words, the imputation of Christs righteousness is good news because God the Father no longer sees you as a sinner because of your sinfulness but sees you as righteous because Jesus righteousness has been applied to you permanently. Do you remember last week when I showed you that the belt of truth includes your identity in Jesus and that He is now your truth? The One we follow is, the way and the truth and the life (John 14:6), and now we follow His way, we walk in His truth, and we are united to His life. Some of you, like John Bunyan, really struggle with the tension between what you know the Bible says about your salvation and your very real frustration over your sin. John Bunyan wrote Pilgrims Progress, a book he wrote while in prison for preaching the gospel, it has now been translated into more languages than any other book, except the Bible. Bunyan also wrote other books, and one such book so profoundly helped me with my own struggle of desiring to live for Jesus while struggling with my own sin. One day, while Bunyan was taking a walk, he discovered something that we dare not miss concerning the righteousness of Christ; he wrote about it in his book, Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners: One day, as I was walking in the field, my conscience still somewhat wounded and still fearing that all was not well, these words suddenly entered my soul: Your righteousness is in heaven. And I thought, moreover, that I saw, with the eyes of my soul, Jesus Christ at Gods right hand. I say, my righteousness was there [in heaven]; so that wherever I was, or whatever I was doing, God could not say of me, He is in need of my righteousness, as my righteousness was right in front of him. I also saw, moreover, that it was not my good state of heart that made my righteousness better, nor even my bad state that made my righteousness worse, since my righteousness was Jesus Christ himself, the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb. 13:8). Now indeed the chains fell off my legs, and I was loosed from my afflictions and irons. My temptations fled away too, so that from that time those terrifying Scriptures of God stopped troubling me; I now went home rejoicing in the grace and love of God. So when I got home I looked to see if I could find that verse:Your righteousness is in heaven,'but I could find no such statement. So my heart began to sink again; the only words which came to mind were these: Of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God and righteousness and sanctification and redemption (1 Cor. 1:30).[1] Bunyans book was first published in 1666, but his words echo what so many of us struggle with today as we seek to walk in a manner worthy of our calling (4:1). But is this the breastplate of righteousness that we are to put on along with the belt of truth? The answer to that question is yes... and no. The answer is No in that if you are a Christian, you do not need to apply the righteousness of Christ to your life, that is something that only God can do and already has been done for you (see Eph. 1:7-12)! If you are a Christian, you can say with the apostle Paul, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them mere rubbish, so that I may gain Christ, 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. 3:8-9). So in what way is the breastplate of righteousness the righteousness of Christ then? We put on the breastplate of righteousness when we live and walk in the confidence and reality that all we have is Christ, and His righteousness is righteousness enough! John Bunyan said that after he realized that all his righteousness was before the Father because Jesus is our righteousness and sanctification before God. He went on to say, Having reached this point, I rested very comfortably here, for some time, at peace with God through Christ. Oh, I thought, Christ, Christ! There was nothing but Christ before my eyes.... Oh, I saw my gold was in my trunk at home, in Christ, my Lord and Saviour. Now Christ was all all my righteousness, all my sanctification and all my redemption.[2] This my dear brothers and sisters is what it looks like to take up and put on the breastplate of righteousness. It is Gods to give, and it is now yours to rest, stand, and walk in! Why is the Breastplate of Righteousness Needed? I am not sure I need to say much to convince you why the breastplate of righteousness is needed, but to be sure that you not only understand why it is needed, but that you are able to celebrate that it is yours to wear, I feel the need to point out a few more things. One of the great expositors and pastors of the 20th century, Martyn Lloyd-Jones, said of this piece of Gods armor: You do not put on the breastplate of experiences, you put on the breastplate of righteousness. The breastplate of righteousness, like the belt of truth, is not something you generate or create out of your own strength. When Paul described the armor of God, he didnt invent it based on what he saw the Roman soldiers wearing around him while in prison, his understanding of the armor of God came from various passages in the Old Testament such as Isaiah 59. In Isaiah 53 we are promised a suffering servant who would be pierced for our offenses and crushed for our wrongdoings and that suffering servant was Jesus who was punished for our sins (see Isa. 53:5-10). Then when we come to Isaiah 59, the suffering servant is now the divine and righteous warrior who will come to rescue His people from their sins. Isaiah 59 begins with these words: Behold, the Lords hand is not so short That it cannot save; nor is His ear so dull That it cannot hear. But your wrongdoings have caused a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear (vv. 1-2). As we read on, we discover similar language that is used in Ephesians 2:1-3 used in Isaiah 59:12-13, For our wrongful acts have multiplied before You, and our sins have testified against us; for our wrongful acts are with us, and we know our wrongdoings: Offending and denying the Lord, And turning away from our God, Speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering lying words from the heart. Now listen to how desperate the condition of sinful humanity according to Isaiah: Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands far away; for truth has stumbled in the street, and uprightness cannot enter. Truth is lacking, and one who turns aside from evil makes himself a prey. Now the Lord saw, and it was displeasing in His sight that there was no justice (vv. 14-15). So what does Yahweh do to address the unrighteousness of His people? He made salvation possible for those who could not save themselves! It is in Isaiah 59:16-17 that Paul was referring to in Ephesians 6:14, And He saw that there was no one, and was amazed that there was not one to intercede; then His own arm brought salvation to Him, and His righteousness upheld Him. He put on righteousness like a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on His head; and He put on garments of vengeance for clothing and wrapped Himself with zeal as a cloak (vv. 16-17). The Divine Warrior promised in Isaiah 59 is He who would conquer our sin by suffering the wrath of His Father for our sins in our place! The only truly and perfect righteous One hung on a cross for unrighteous sinners! Upon His head was a crown of thorns to serve as a reminder of the curse of sin that He bore in our place, and once He declared that it was finished, the Divine Warrior bowed His head in death to become our salvation! Oh, dear brothers and sisters... do you see how critically important the breastplate of righteousness really is? Jesus is not only our Divine Warrior who is qualified to save rebel sinners, but He is the One also promised in Jeremiah 23, Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, When I will raise up for David a righteous Branch; and He will reign as king and act wisely and do justice and righteousness in the land. 6In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will live securely; and this is His name by which He will be called, The Lord Our Righteousness (vv. 5-6). Jesus is our righteousness and to put on the breastplate of righteousness is to walk in confidence that He is enough because His mercy is rich, His grace is sufficient, and His love is great! Charles Spurgeon described it this way: Saints are so righteous in Jesus Christ that they are more righteous than Adam was before he fell, for he had but a creature righteousness, and the Christian has the righteousness of the Creator. Adam had a righteousness which he lost, but believers have a righteousness which they can never lose, an everlasting righteousness. To put on the breastplate of righteousness is to stand, walk, live, and run in consideration of Jesus as your truth and as your righteousness. The breastplate of righteousness is important because when you put it on, it protects the vital organs of your faith, such as your heart. Your hope and salvation are not bound to a nation, or whoever the next president will be. Whatever happens today, tomorrow, on Tuesday, or any day before you, your Sovereign is Jesus, and it is He, Who walks on the waters Who speaks to the sea Who stands in the fire beside you He roars like a lion He bled as the Lamb He carries your healing in His hands! He has said, I am the first and the last, and the living One; I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and Hades (Rev. 1:17-18). Amen. [1] John Bunyan, Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners (Auburn, MA: Evangelical Press; 2000), pp. 113-14. [2] Ibid, p.114.

What does it mean to be a Christian? How do you know that you are a Christian? What assurance can you have that you will remain a Christian? Well it is mentioned over thirty times in Ephesians, in fact we are told about 10 times in the very first and very long sentence that makes up the first 14 verses of Ephesians: In Christ, all the spiritual blessings in the heavenly places now belongs to you Christian (v. 3) In Christ, you were chosen before the foundation of the world (v. 4) Through Christ, you were predestined and adopted as sons and daughters of the living God (v. 5). In the Beloved Son of God, you are a favored child of God (v. 6). In Jesus, we have redemption, forgiveness, and the riches of Gods grace through His blood (v. 7). In Jesus, God made known the mystery of His will (v. 9). In Christ, the Father is bringing all things together to accomplish His good plan (v. 10). In Christ, we have obtained an inheritance in accordance with the plan of the Fathers perfect will (v. 11). In Christ, we are the praise of Gods glory (v. 12). In Jesus, you have been sealed by Gods Holy Spirit for the day of redemption (v. 13). To be a Christian is to be a person who was once spiritually dead, but now is alive with Christ not because of any religious activity on our part, but only because of the work of Jesus on our behalf (Eph. 2:1-9). This is what it means to be a Christian, but how does one become a Christian? I believe that in the same way that you become a Christian, is the same way you put on and take up the breastplate of righteousness. Some of you will remember our time spent in the sermon on the mount during my sermon series, Something Greater just over two years ago. In fact, if you are trying to make sense of the rhetoric and animosity that we are experiencing in our nation, I encourage you to read the first manuscript in that series from May 22, 2022. If you were here for that sermon series, you discovered that not only is the sermon on the mount the greatest sermon ever preached, but Jesus sermon shows us what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. During our time in the beatitudes I shared that the first three beatitudes, which are also known as beatitudes of need, reveal what is essential for any person to understand what is necessary for the salvation of your soul. Let me walk you through it because it will help you appreciate just how encouraging the breastplate of righteousness really is. So here are the first three beatitudes from Matthew 5:3-5, Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the gentle, for they will inherit the earth. To be poor in spirit is to arrive at the cross of Christ with empty hands, recognizing that you are spiritually bankrupt of any moral virtues adequate to earn or gain Gods forgiveness for sins committed against Him. Those who mourn are those who see and understand their sins for what they are and grieve because of them. The meek are those who understand that their problems are beyond them, their problems are because of the sin in them, and their problems are of their own doing. To come to Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins is to come to Jesus knowing that there is no righteousness in yourself; it is to mourn over the reality that your sins offend the God who is infinitely righteous, and to come to Jesus knowing that there is not one thing you can do to generate the kind of righteousness necessary for your salvation. The person who has been truly born again is one whose experience is now the fourth beatitude: Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied (Matt. 5:6). In Jesus, we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our wrongdoings, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us (Eph. 1:7-8). What is the Breastplate of Righteousness? The Roman soldiers breastplate was most likely form fitting and extended from the base of the neck to the top of the thighs, covering the thorax and abdomen for the purpose of protecting the vital organs such as the heart, lungs, kidneys, and bowels. The breastplate is the second piece of Gods armor we are told to put on, but what kind of righteousness does it represent? Is the breastplate of righteousness the righteousness of Jesus that has been imputed upon you the moment you were saved through faith by Christ alone? The imputed righteousness of Christ is when the righteousness of Jesus is applied to you the moment you believed the gospel as we are told in verses like 2 Corinthians 5:21, He [God] made Him [Jesus] who knew no sin to be sin in our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. Here, consider another passage that concerns the imputed righteousness of Christ from Romans 5:18-21, So then, as through one offense [Adams sin] the result was condemnation to all mankind, so also through one act of righteousness the result was justification of life to all mankind. For as through the one mans disobedience the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous. The Law came in so that the offense would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, so also grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. In other words, the imputation of Christs righteousness is good news because God the Father no longer sees you as a sinner because of your sinfulness but sees you as righteous because Jesus righteousness has been applied to you permanently. Do you remember last week when I showed you that the belt of truth includes your identity in Jesus and that He is now your truth? The One we follow is, the way and the truth and the life (John 14:6), and now we follow His way, we walk in His truth, and we are united to His life. Some of you, like John Bunyan, really struggle with the tension between what you know the Bible says about your salvation and your very real frustration over your sin. John Bunyan wrote Pilgrims Progress, a book he wrote while in prison for preaching the gospel, it has now been translated into more languages than any other book, except the Bible. Bunyan also wrote other books, and one such book so profoundly helped me with my own struggle of desiring to live for Jesus while struggling with my own sin. One day, while Bunyan was taking a walk, he discovered something that we dare not miss concerning the righteousness of Christ; he wrote about it in his book, Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners: One day, as I was walking in the field, my conscience still somewhat wounded and still fearing that all was not well, these words suddenly entered my soul: Your righteousness is in heaven. And I thought, moreover, that I saw, with the eyes of my soul, Jesus Christ at Gods right hand. I say, my righteousness was there [in heaven]; so that wherever I was, or whatever I was doing, God could not say of me, He is in need of my righteousness, as my righteousness was right in front of him. I also saw, moreover, that it was not my good state of heart that made my righteousness better, nor even my bad state that made my righteousness worse, since my righteousness was Jesus Christ himself, the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb. 13:8). Now indeed the chains fell off my legs, and I was loosed from my afflictions and irons. My temptations fled away too, so that from that time those terrifying Scriptures of God stopped troubling me; I now went home rejoicing in the grace and love of God. So when I got home I looked to see if I could find that verse:Your righteousness is in heaven,'but I could find no such statement. So my heart began to sink again; the only words which came to mind were these: Of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God and righteousness and sanctification and redemption (1 Cor. 1:30).[1] Bunyans book was first published in 1666, but his words echo what so many of us struggle with today as we seek to walk in a manner worthy of our calling (4:1). But is this the breastplate of righteousness that we are to put on along with the belt of truth? The answer to that question is yes... and no. The answer is No in that if you are a Christian, you do not need to apply the righteousness of Christ to your life, that is something that only God can do and already has been done for you (see Eph. 1:7-12)! If you are a Christian, you can say with the apostle Paul, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them mere rubbish, so that I may gain Christ, 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. 3:8-9). So in what way is the breastplate of righteousness the righteousness of Christ then? We put on the breastplate of righteousness when we live and walk in the confidence and reality that all we have is Christ, and His righteousness is righteousness enough! John Bunyan said that after he realized that all his righteousness was before the Father because Jesus is our righteousness and sanctification before God. He went on to say, Having reached this point, I rested very comfortably here, for some time, at peace with God through Christ. Oh, I thought, Christ, Christ! There was nothing but Christ before my eyes.... Oh, I saw my gold was in my trunk at home, in Christ, my Lord and Saviour. Now Christ was all all my righteousness, all my sanctification and all my redemption.[2] This my dear brothers and sisters is what it looks like to take up and put on the breastplate of righteousness. It is Gods to give, and it is now yours to rest, stand, and walk in! Why is the Breastplate of Righteousness Needed? I am not sure I need to say much to convince you why the breastplate of righteousness is needed, but to be sure that you not only understand why it is needed, but that you are able to celebrate that it is yours to wear, I feel the need to point out a few more things. One of the great expositors and pastors of the 20th century, Martyn Lloyd-Jones, said of this piece of Gods armor: You do not put on the breastplate of experiences, you put on the breastplate of righteousness. The breastplate of righteousness, like the belt of truth, is not something you generate or create out of your own strength. When Paul described the armor of God, he didnt invent it based on what he saw the Roman soldiers wearing around him while in prison, his understanding of the armor of God came from various passages in the Old Testament such as Isaiah 59. In Isaiah 53 we are promised a suffering servant who would be pierced for our offenses and crushed for our wrongdoings and that suffering servant was Jesus who was punished for our sins (see Isa. 53:5-10). Then when we come to Isaiah 59, the suffering servant is now the divine and righteous warrior who will come to rescue His people from their sins. Isaiah 59 begins with these words: Behold, the Lords hand is not so short That it cannot save; nor is His ear so dull That it cannot hear. But your wrongdoings have caused a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear (vv. 1-2). As we read on, we discover similar language that is used in Ephesians 2:1-3 used in Isaiah 59:12-13, For our wrongful acts have multiplied before You, and our sins have testified against us; for our wrongful acts are with us, and we know our wrongdoings: Offending and denying the Lord, And turning away from our God, Speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering lying words from the heart. Now listen to how desperate the condition of sinful humanity according to Isaiah: Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands far away; for truth has stumbled in the street, and uprightness cannot enter. Truth is lacking, and one who turns aside from evil makes himself a prey. Now the Lord saw, and it was displeasing in His sight that there was no justice (vv. 14-15). So what does Yahweh do to address the unrighteousness of His people? He made salvation possible for those who could not save themselves! It is in Isaiah 59:16-17 that Paul was referring to in Ephesians 6:14, And He saw that there was no one, and was amazed that there was not one to intercede; then His own arm brought salvation to Him, and His righteousness upheld Him. He put on righteousness like a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on His head; and He put on garments of vengeance for clothing and wrapped Himself with zeal as a cloak (vv. 16-17). The Divine Warrior promised in Isaiah 59 is He who would conquer our sin by suffering the wrath of His Father for our sins in our place! The only truly and perfect righteous One hung on a cross for unrighteous sinners! Upon His head was a crown of thorns to serve as a reminder of the curse of sin that He bore in our place, and once He declared that it was finished, the Divine Warrior bowed His head in death to become our salvation! Oh, dear brothers and sisters... do you see how critically important the breastplate of righteousness really is? Jesus is not only our Divine Warrior who is qualified to save rebel sinners, but He is the One also promised in Jeremiah 23, Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, When I will raise up for David a righteous Branch; and He will reign as king and act wisely and do justice and righteousness in the land. 6In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will live securely; and this is His name by which He will be called, The Lord Our Righteousness (vv. 5-6). Jesus is our righteousness and to put on the breastplate of righteousness is to walk in confidence that He is enough because His mercy is rich, His grace is sufficient, and His love is great! Charles Spurgeon described it this way: Saints are so righteous in Jesus Christ that they are more righteous than Adam was before he fell, for he had but a creature righteousness, and the Christian has the righteousness of the Creator. Adam had a righteousness which he lost, but believers have a righteousness which they can never lose, an everlasting righteousness. To put on the breastplate of righteousness is to stand, walk, live, and run in consideration of Jesus as your truth and as your righteousness. The breastplate of righteousness is important because when you put it on, it protects the vital organs of your faith, such as your heart. Your hope and salvation are not bound to a nation, or whoever the next president will be. Whatever happens today, tomorrow, on Tuesday, or any day before you, your Sovereign is Jesus, and it is He, Who walks on the waters Who speaks to the sea Who stands in the fire beside you He roars like a lion He bled as the Lamb He carries your healing in His hands! He has said, I am the first and the last, and the living One; I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and Hades (Rev. 1:17-18). Amen. [1] John Bunyan, Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners (Auburn, MA: Evangelical Press; 2000), pp. 113-14. [2] Ibid, p.114.

This is an audio narration of sections (210-219) of the Pilgrim's Progress, by John Bunyan.  Visit bible4.family for more content or to support this podcast with a gift.  All of our content is free and without ads.  

As the first buds of spring unfurl in the heart of Norway, I, your Norwegian Storyteller, have woven together narratives as rich as the history of Hamar itself. Picture this: a quaint restaurant, the concept of 'hygge' wrapped around us like a warm shawl, and the stunning Lake Mjøsa acting as the perfect backdrop to tales of pilgrimages and medieval wonders. I share my personal springtime adventures, from the culinary delights that tantalize the taste buds to the serene whispers of nature that beckon the soul. You'll be transported to the Cathedral Point, where history's echoes are almost tangible, and feel the pride in Hamar's role during the 1994 Winter Olympics. The journey doesn't end there, as we also talk about THE NORWEGIAN PILGRIMS PATH. The melodies of Taryn Harbridge, whose tunes cradle our stories, elevate the experience, and if music is a language that speaks to you, you're in for a treat. Remember, our shared tales are the threads that bind us, so I encourage you to reach out via Facebook or Instagram to add your voice to our community tapestry. Let's gather around the proverbial fireside and celebrate the narrative magic we create together. Support the Show.Follow my PatreonSupport my content at Buy me a Coffee:

This is an audio narration of sections (210-219) of the Pilgrim's Progress, by John Bunyan.  Visit bible4.family for more content or to support this podcast with a gift.  All of our content is free and without ads.  

Today I review the 2019 computer-animated motion picture of The Pilgrim's Progress. This action-packed and moving portrayal of the classic John Bunyan allegory stars John Rhys-Davies, Ben Price, and Kristyn Getty. Join James Wisneski and me as we dig into this intriguing and imaginative retelling and discuss this story's impact on our lives. Listen and then share this movie with your family or a friend!

On today's Truth & Liberty Live Call-In Show, Alex McFarland and Steve Cleary discuss iBible, The Pilgrims Progress, RevelationMedia, as well as other current events affecting our nation while taking questions! Tune in Monday-Friday at 3:30 pm MT (5:30 ET) and call (719) 619-2341 and get the answers you need to live in truth and freedom!!

Have you noticed that the number three seems to be a big deal for the apostle Paul in Ephesians? For example, in the first fourteen verses we read of the three-fold role our Triune God has in our salvation: God the Father chose us before the foundation of the world (1:3-6), Jesus the Son made our redemption possible (vv. 7-12), and the Holy Spirit sealed us for the Day of redemption (vv. 12-13). We see it in the way Paul prays for the Ephesian Church: 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, and what is the boundless greatness of His power toward us who believe (vv. 18-19a). I thought one way to help you see this was to reimagine Pauls series of threes as his answer to a series of questions by Mr. Worldly-Wiseman, a character from John Bunyans Pilgrims Progress, a book first published in 1678 and is currently listed as the fifth most translated book in the world. If you are not aware of who John Bunyan was, all you know for now is that he wrote Pilgrims Progress while in prison for twelve years for preaching the gospel, his book is an allegory on the Christian life. In Bunyans book, the protagonist, Christian Pilgrim leaves his home, The City of Destruction, to embark on a pilgrimage for the salvation of his soul and to find the Celestial City where he can live for all eternity in the company of God. While on his journey he is helped and guided by other characters such as Evangelist, who is known as a preacher of the Holy Word and is eager to help those who are seriously concerned about the state of their souls. Christian also meets Interpreter who shows Christian many wonders and shows Christian many exhortations on the way he should go. There are others who join Christian on his journey such as Pliant who quits the pilgrimage after facing his first obstacle, and Hopeful, a refugee from Vanity Fair, who proves to be a faithful companion to Christian all the way to the Celestial City. There are others who Christian encounters that try to turn him away from the narrow way to the Celestial City who go by the names of Giant Despair, Apollyon, Flatterer, and Mr. Worldly Wiseman. Bunyan described Mr. Worldly-Wiseman, in this way: not an ancient relic of the past. He is everywhere today, disguising his heresy and error by proclaiming the gospel of contentment and peace achieved by self-satisfaction and works. If he mentions Christ, it is not as the Savior who took our place, but as a good example of an exemplary life. Do we need a good example to rescue us, or do we need a Savior? Imagine what a conversation might look like if Mr. Worldly Wiseman visited the Apostle Paul in prison during the same time the epistle to the Ephesians was written: Mr. Worldly-Wiseman: Paul, tell me how you can be sure that you are Christian since you are now in prison? Paul: Regardless of my circumstance, I am a Christian for these three reasons: I was chosen by God before the foundation of the world (1:4-6), I am redeemed through the blood of Jesus Christ for sins I am guilty of (vv. 7-12), and I am sealed by the Holy Spirit for a full and future redemption (vv. 13-14). Mr. Worldly-Wiseman: Why spend your years in prison and suffer when you can be free so long as you dont keep blabbing about Jesus in places people dont want to hear it? You know, you can be a Christian and be compliant too! Paul: How can I be quiet about something so important? Jesus commands me not to be quite about my relationship with Him and how he saved me even though I was, Dead to God (2:1), A slave to sin (vv. 2-3a), and A child of the wrath of God because of the sins I committed against Him (v. 3). What this means, Mr. Worldly Wiseman, is that I was once like you: A friend of the world (2:2a), A child of the devil (v. 2b), and A slave to my own flesh (v. 3). Mr. Worldly-Wiseman: Im not sure if I should feel insulted or pity for you because you believe such rubbish. So, tell me, what is so different between you and me? Paul: Jesus is the difference between you and me! Jesus lived a perfect sinless life that I could never live; He died a death I deserved on a cross for sins I committed, and He validated all of that by rising from death on the third day. What is true of me is true of every real Christian, and this is why I have chosen to follow Him: I was dead in my sins, but now I am alive in Christ (1:7; 2:4) My nature was bound by my sins, but now I have been raised with Christ (v. 6a) I stood condemned by a holy God, but now I am seated with Christ and am covered by His righteousness (v. 6b). Mr. Worldly-Wiseman: Come on Paul! I am a religious person and I admire Jesus as a great example to aspire to. We need to do our best and let God do the rest, but you have taken your Christianity too seriously! Paul: No one can do enough for the kind of salvation you and I need! The only thing God required of me was a faith that was only possible because of His grace. It is a grace that I could not, nor ever will earn, by anything I could ever do! I am the recipient of, A rich mercy we did deserve (v. 4a). A great love God was not obligated to give (v. 4b). An all-sufficient grace no one could earn (v. 5) All of which is only possible in and through Jesus Christ alone! So, now we come to Ephesians 2:8-10 and are immediately faced with another set of three words and why it is that God saved us in the first place. If you were asked the same questions or interrogated in the way I had Mr. Worldly-Wiseman interrogate Paul, how would you answer? My two points are in the form of two questions that this passage answers for us in a way that should be deeply discouraging or encouraging to you. How Does God Save? Now, considering all that we have studied together, we find ourselves at the threshold of Ephesians 2:8-9. What I want to do with you this morning is to walk you through these verses in light of the context of Ephesians 1:3-2:7. I want us to look at these verses together against the backdrop of my warning at the beginning of this sermon series which was this: Beware of imposing your view and thoughts of what God should be like, upon the text of His holy Word. You must allow the authority of Gods Word to impose its teaching upon your heart for the purpose of shaping it in a way that the eyes of your heart are able to see God more clearly. Now, before I go any further, let me say first and foremost that I want you to make your own conclusion with these verses based on the evidence of what you see in Ephesians and the rest of the Bible. I am not concerned if you end up seeing things differently than the way I see them so long as you do not impose what you think the Bible should say upon what it actually says. My only concern before you this morning is that I preach and teach the Bible in such a manner that I am faithful to the Word of God so when I stand before Him, I will do so knowing that I was faithful with what He has entrusted to me. So, here we go! Buckle up because it is going to be a fun ride. Lets start with verses 8-9, For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not a result of works, so that no one may boast. The three words I want you to see in this verse are grace, saved (i.e. salvation), and faith. To answer the question, How does God save? we need figure out what is the gift that He gives so that no one may boast. Is grace the gift given by God, or is salvation the gift given by God, or is a persons faith the gift given by God? Whatever the gift is, it eliminates any notion on our part that we did something to get it, otherwise Paul would never have felt the need to include verse 9, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. If I am right about what I see in Ephesians 2:8-9, it will open up verse 10 in a way that will encourage you and blow your mind at the same time. So, what have we seen in Ephesians so far leading up to these verses? Permit me to put what Paul lists concerning our salvation in sequential order from spiritual death to life: We were spiritually dead in our offenses and sins (2:1) We know we were spiritually dead because we were slaves to our sin (2:2a) Because we were slaves to our sin against God, we were by nature children of His wrath (2:3). But God, whose mercy is rich, love is great, and grace is sufficient, did three things (vv. 2:4-5): He made us alive with Christ (2:5b). He raised us up with Christ (2:6a). He seated us with Christ (2:6b). As a Christian, you can know that your salvation involved three acts of God Before the foundation of the earth, God chose to adopt you as His child through Jesus (1:4-6). In order to adopt you as His child, God redeemed you through the blood of Jesus for the forgiveness of all your wrongdoings (1:7-12). Because God will not lose any who He has redeemed, He has sealed you with His Holy Spirit until your redemption and salvation is complete (1:13-14). So, in light of all that Paul wrote concerning what God has done for the Christian, what does he mean by Ephesians 2:8-9? Let me offer up some fair and legitimate questions: If I am spiritually dead, how can a spiritually dead person respond to God in faith? If I am able to respond to God in faith in order to receive salvation through Jesus, then is my faith exempt from the kinds of works Paul is talking about in verse 9? If faith is a gift God imparts on me on some level, then how is my trust in Jesus for the salvation of my soul legitimate? Does your brain hurt from trying to process these sorts of questions? I have wrestled over these verses for nearly 30 years and have understood them in three different ways that I think may help give you some perspective. In my early years, I was convinced that the gift of God was a salvation that could only be received by faith. Sometime after I started reading guys like Jonathan Edwards and St. Augustine, I leaned towards thinking that it was faith that was the gift of God. To be honest, what makes all of this even more confusing is the Greek allows the person interpreting these verses to make either one of these conclusions. Here is where I sit now, and I believe that how I see it fits best with everything Paul has written leading up to these verses, and it fits with the rest of the Bible. So, what is the gift of God? It is His Grace, our faith, and our salvation in that order! The this is Gods grace, our faith, and our salvation. Think about what grace is for a moment. Biblical grace is Gods unmerited favor; it is favor given to someone who does not deserve it. Do you remember what I said in the second sermon I preached in this series on Ephesians 1:4-6? I told you that at the very least, when it comes to God, what we read in these verses leads to the conclusion that God moved first. We see the very same thing here in Ephesians 2:8! At the very least, it is the sheer grace of almighty God that I had reached a point in my life on July 18, 1991, when all that I heard about Jesus made sense and I surrendered my life to Jesus and was genuinely and categorically saved from the wrath of God and forgiven all my sins! Every step and experience leading up to that moment was also the demonstration of a God who pursued me, found me, and overcame my sin because His mercy was rich, His love was great, and His grace sufficient to do what a 16-year-old teenage boy could not do. God made me alive with Christ, God raised me up with Christ, and God seated me with Christ on that summers day on July 18, 1991, but He did not believe for me; I had to believe to be saved. He did the same thing with you Christian, but He did not believe for you! But my believing in Christ for the salvation of my soul, and your believing in Him for the salvation of your soul is not only a testament of Gods grace, but the proof that miracles happen. For What Purpose Does God Save? So, why did He do it? Why did he save you? Why did He choose you, redeem you, seal you, and made you, who were once dead, the recipient of the, boundless riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus (2:7)? After all, what Jonathan Edwards said concerning what we bring to our salvation is the resounding testimony of all of Scripture: You contribute nothing to your salvation except the sin that made it necessary. God didnt have to do it! God was not morally obligated to do it! But God did it; He saved you and redeemed you for the forgiveness of all your sin according to the riches of His grace, which He lavished upon you (1:7). But why? The answer is found in Ephesians 2:10, For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. The first word in verse 10 is the word For, which is telling us something. What it is telling us is that considering Ephesians 2:1-9, the following is true! You who were dead in your sins, walked according to the course of this world, lived in the lusts of your flesh, indulged the desires of the flesh and of the mind as a child of the wrath of God (vv. 1-3), God made you alive in Christ, for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that you would walk in those good works. This is exactly why God choose you, Christian, before the foundation of the world; listen to Ephesians 1:4 again: He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. What this means, and this is so important to see with the eyes of your heart: We were not saved to coast until we enter into the presence of God in heaven but were saved so that God could reveal His presence through us because of His resurrection power to change us! It is absolute nonsense to think and believe that you can encounter Jesus on the level Paul describes in Ephesians and remain unchanged! It is like saying that you can remain the same after you walk in front of a bus traveling 65 MPH; the force of the bus will change you permanently. Listen carefully, the God who spoke 300 billion suns into existence is the same God who makes alive the spiritually dead through the power of the Gospel of a resurrected Christ! How is it that a person can remain unchanged by a power greater than 300 billion suns? I will tell you; it is because that person has never truly encountered Christ, whose mercy is richer, love is greater, and grace more sufficient than all of our sins and the sins of 8.1 billion people combined! What we read in Ephesians 2:8-10 is that in light of the resurrection power of God through the redeeming work of Jesus the Son, and the empowering work of the Holy Spirit who seals us, it is the grace of God that leads to faith in God, for our salvation by God, for the purpose of a life of good works that glorifies God. The work that God is doing in your life is ongoing. I feel that it is fitting to close with something Sinclair Ferguson wrote concerning these verses: Heaven may be the final showroom; but here on earth God is already showing what he can do.. The church triumphant is an art gallery where God displays reflections of his glory. It is a portrait gallery in which the family likeness is seen in countless different individuals who together display his infinite glory. The church visible, here, and now, is a workshop. The Divine Artist is still painting his likeness on the canvas of our lives, the Divine Potter still has the clay in his hands. The time for final exhibition has not yet come. But one day it will. Then all that God has done in us in secret, invisible to the naked eye, will become visible for all to see. What a day that will be![1] [1] Sinclair B. Ferguson, Lets Study Ephesians (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth Trust; 2021), p. 53.

Have you noticed that the number three seems to be a big deal for the apostle Paul in Ephesians? For example, in the first fourteen verses we read of the three-fold role our Triune God has in our salvation: God the Father chose us before the foundation of the world (1:3-6), Jesus the Son made our redemption possible (vv. 7-12), and the Holy Spirit sealed us for the Day of redemption (vv. 12-13). We see it in the way Paul prays for the Ephesian Church: 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, and what is the boundless greatness of His power toward us who believe (vv. 18-19a). I thought one way to help you see this was to reimagine Pauls series of threes as his answer to a series of questions by Mr. Worldly-Wiseman, a character from John Bunyans Pilgrims Progress, a book first published in 1678 and is currently listed as the fifth most translated book in the world. If you are not aware of who John Bunyan was, all you know for now is that he wrote Pilgrims Progress while in prison for twelve years for preaching the gospel, his book is an allegory on the Christian life. In Bunyans book, the protagonist, Christian Pilgrim leaves his home, The City of Destruction, to embark on a pilgrimage for the salvation of his soul and to find the Celestial City where he can live for all eternity in the company of God. While on his journey he is helped and guided by other characters such as Evangelist, who is known as a preacher of the Holy Word and is eager to help those who are seriously concerned about the state of their souls. Christian also meets Interpreter who shows Christian many wonders and shows Christian many exhortations on the way he should go. There are others who join Christian on his journey such as Pliant who quits the pilgrimage after facing his first obstacle, and Hopeful, a refugee from Vanity Fair, who proves to be a faithful companion to Christian all the way to the Celestial City. There are others who Christian encounters that try to turn him away from the narrow way to the Celestial City who go by the names of Giant Despair, Apollyon, Flatterer, and Mr. Worldly Wiseman. Bunyan described Mr. Worldly-Wiseman, in this way: not an ancient relic of the past. He is everywhere today, disguising his heresy and error by proclaiming the gospel of contentment and peace achieved by self-satisfaction and works. If he mentions Christ, it is not as the Savior who took our place, but as a good example of an exemplary life. Do we need a good example to rescue us, or do we need a Savior? Imagine what a conversation might look like if Mr. Worldly Wiseman visited the Apostle Paul in prison during the same time the epistle to the Ephesians was written: Mr. Worldly-Wiseman: Paul, tell me how you can be sure that you are Christian since you are now in prison? Paul: Regardless of my circumstance, I am a Christian for these three reasons: I was chosen by God before the foundation of the world (1:4-6), I am redeemed through the blood of Jesus Christ for sins I am guilty of (vv. 7-12), and I am sealed by the Holy Spirit for a full and future redemption (vv. 13-14). Mr. Worldly-Wiseman: Why spend your years in prison and suffer when you can be free so long as you dont keep blabbing about Jesus in places people dont want to hear it? You know, you can be a Christian and be compliant too! Paul: How can I be quiet about something so important? Jesus commands me not to be quite about my relationship with Him and how he saved me even though I was, Dead to God (2:1), A slave to sin (vv. 2-3a), and A child of the wrath of God because of the sins I committed against Him (v. 3). What this means, Mr. Worldly Wiseman, is that I was once like you: A friend of the world (2:2a), A child of the devil (v. 2b), and A slave to my own flesh (v. 3). Mr. Worldly-Wiseman: Im not sure if I should feel insulted or pity for you because you believe such rubbish. So, tell me, what is so different between you and me? Paul: Jesus is the difference between you and me! Jesus lived a perfect sinless life that I could never live; He died a death I deserved on a cross for sins I committed, and He validated all of that by rising from death on the third day. What is true of me is true of every real Christian, and this is why I have chosen to follow Him: I was dead in my sins, but now I am alive in Christ (1:7; 2:4) My nature was bound by my sins, but now I have been raised with Christ (v. 6a) I stood condemned by a holy God, but now I am seated with Christ and am covered by His righteousness (v. 6b). Mr. Worldly-Wiseman: Come on Paul! I am a religious person and I admire Jesus as a great example to aspire to. We need to do our best and let God do the rest, but you have taken your Christianity too seriously! Paul: No one can do enough for the kind of salvation you and I need! The only thing God required of me was a faith that was only possible because of His grace. It is a grace that I could not, nor ever will earn, by anything I could ever do! I am the recipient of, A rich mercy we did deserve (v. 4a). A great love God was not obligated to give (v. 4b). An all-sufficient grace no one could earn (v. 5) All of which is only possible in and through Jesus Christ alone! So, now we come to Ephesians 2:8-10 and are immediately faced with another set of three words and why it is that God saved us in the first place. If you were asked the same questions or interrogated in the way I had Mr. Worldly-Wiseman interrogate Paul, how would you answer? My two points are in the form of two questions that this passage answers for us in a way that should be deeply discouraging or encouraging to you. How Does God Save? Now, considering all that we have studied together, we find ourselves at the threshold of Ephesians 2:8-9. What I want to do with you this morning is to walk you through these verses in light of the context of Ephesians 1:3-2:7. I want us to look at these verses together against the backdrop of my warning at the beginning of this sermon series which was this: Beware of imposing your view and thoughts of what God should be like, upon the text of His holy Word. You must allow the authority of Gods Word to impose its teaching upon your heart for the purpose of shaping it in a way that the eyes of your heart are able to see God more clearly. Now, before I go any further, let me say first and foremost that I want you to make your own conclusion with these verses based on the evidence of what you see in Ephesians and the rest of the Bible. I am not concerned if you end up seeing things differently than the way I see them so long as you do not impose what you think the Bible should say upon what it actually says. My only concern before you this morning is that I preach and teach the Bible in such a manner that I am faithful to the Word of God so when I stand before Him, I will do so knowing that I was faithful with what He has entrusted to me. So, here we go! Buckle up because it is going to be a fun ride. Lets start with verses 8-9, For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not a result of works, so that no one may boast. The three words I want you to see in this verse are grace, saved (i.e. salvation), and faith. To answer the question, How does God save? we need figure out what is the gift that He gives so that no one may boast. Is grace the gift given by God, or is salvation the gift given by God, or is a persons faith the gift given by God? Whatever the gift is, it eliminates any notion on our part that we did something to get it, otherwise Paul would never have felt the need to include verse 9, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. If I am right about what I see in Ephesians 2:8-9, it will open up verse 10 in a way that will encourage you and blow your mind at the same time. So, what have we seen in Ephesians so far leading up to these verses? Permit me to put what Paul lists concerning our salvation in sequential order from spiritual death to life: We were spiritually dead in our offenses and sins (2:1) We know we were spiritually dead because we were slaves to our sin (2:2a) Because we were slaves to our sin against God, we were by nature children of His wrath (2:3). But God, whose mercy is rich, love is great, and grace is sufficient, did three things (vv. 2:4-5): He made us alive with Christ (2:5b). He raised us up with Christ (2:6a). He seated us with Christ (2:6b). As a Christian, you can know that your salvation involved three acts of God Before the foundation of the earth, God chose to adopt you as His child through Jesus (1:4-6). In order to adopt you as His child, God redeemed you through the blood of Jesus for the forgiveness of all your wrongdoings (1:7-12). Because God will not lose any who He has redeemed, He has sealed you with His Holy Spirit until your redemption and salvation is complete (1:13-14). So, in light of all that Paul wrote concerning what God has done for the Christian, what does he mean by Ephesians 2:8-9? Let me offer up some fair and legitimate questions: If I am spiritually dead, how can a spiritually dead person respond to God in faith? If I am able to respond to God in faith in order to receive salvation through Jesus, then is my faith exempt from the kinds of works Paul is talking about in verse 9? If faith is a gift God imparts on me on some level, then how is my trust in Jesus for the salvation of my soul legitimate? Does your brain hurt from trying to process these sorts of questions? I have wrestled over these verses for nearly 30 years and have understood them in three different ways that I think may help give you some perspective. In my early years, I was convinced that the gift of God was a salvation that could only be received by faith. Sometime after I started reading guys like Jonathan Edwards and St. Augustine, I leaned towards thinking that it was faith that was the gift of God. To be honest, what makes all of this even more confusing is the Greek allows the person interpreting these verses to make either one of these conclusions. Here is where I sit now, and I believe that how I see it fits best with everything Paul has written leading up to these verses, and it fits with the rest of the Bible. So, what is the gift of God? It is His Grace, our faith, and our salvation in that order! The this is Gods grace, our faith, and our salvation. Think about what grace is for a moment. Biblical grace is Gods unmerited favor; it is favor given to someone who does not deserve it. Do you remember what I said in the second sermon I preached in this series on Ephesians 1:4-6? I told you that at the very least, when it comes to God, what we read in these verses leads to the conclusion that God moved first. We see the very same thing here in Ephesians 2:8! At the very least, it is the sheer grace of almighty God that I had reached a point in my life on July 18, 1991, when all that I heard about Jesus made sense and I surrendered my life to Jesus and was genuinely and categorically saved from the wrath of God and forgiven all my sins! Every step and experience leading up to that moment was also the demonstration of a God who pursued me, found me, and overcame my sin because His mercy was rich, His love was great, and His grace sufficient to do what a 16-year-old teenage boy could not do. God made me alive with Christ, God raised me up with Christ, and God seated me with Christ on that summers day on July 18, 1991, but He did not believe for me; I had to believe to be saved. He did the same thing with you Christian, but He did not believe for you! But my believing in Christ for the salvation of my soul, and your believing in Him for the salvation of your soul is not only a testament of Gods grace, but the proof that miracles happen. For What Purpose Does God Save? So, why did He do it? Why did he save you? Why did He choose you, redeem you, seal you, and made you, who were once dead, the recipient of the, boundless riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus (2:7)? After all, what Jonathan Edwards said concerning what we bring to our salvation is the resounding testimony of all of Scripture: You contribute nothing to your salvation except the sin that made it necessary. God didnt have to do it! God was not morally obligated to do it! But God did it; He saved you and redeemed you for the forgiveness of all your sin according to the riches of His grace, which He lavished upon you (1:7). But why? The answer is found in Ephesians 2:10, For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. The first word in verse 10 is the word For, which is telling us something. What it is telling us is that considering Ephesians 2:1-9, the following is true! You who were dead in your sins, walked according to the course of this world, lived in the lusts of your flesh, indulged the desires of the flesh and of the mind as a child of the wrath of God (vv. 1-3), God made you alive in Christ, for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that you would walk in those good works. This is exactly why God choose you, Christian, before the foundation of the world; listen to Ephesians 1:4 again: He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. What this means, and this is so important to see with the eyes of your heart: We were not saved to coast until we enter into the presence of God in heaven but were saved so that God could reveal His presence through us because of His resurrection power to change us! It is absolute nonsense to think and believe that you can encounter Jesus on the level Paul describes in Ephesians and remain unchanged! It is like saying that you can remain the same after you walk in front of a bus traveling 65 MPH; the force of the bus will change you permanently. Listen carefully, the God who spoke 300 billion suns into existence is the same God who makes alive the spiritually dead through the power of the Gospel of a resurrected Christ! How is it that a person can remain unchanged by a power greater than 300 billion suns? I will tell you; it is because that person has never truly encountered Christ, whose mercy is richer, love is greater, and grace more sufficient than all of our sins and the sins of 8.1 billion people combined! What we read in Ephesians 2:8-10 is that in light of the resurrection power of God through the redeeming work of Jesus the Son, and the empowering work of the Holy Spirit who seals us, it is the grace of God that leads to faith in God, for our salvation by God, for the purpose of a life of good works that glorifies God. The work that God is doing in your life is ongoing. I feel that it is fitting to close with something Sinclair Ferguson wrote concerning these verses: Heaven may be the final showroom; but here on earth God is already showing what he can do.. The church triumphant is an art gallery where God displays reflections of his glory. It is a portrait gallery in which the family likeness is seen in countless different individuals who together display his infinite glory. The church visible, here, and now, is a workshop. The Divine Artist is still painting his likeness on the canvas of our lives, the Divine Potter still has the clay in his hands. The time for final exhibition has not yet come. But one day it will. Then all that God has done in us in secret, invisible to the naked eye, will become visible for all to see. What a day that will be![1] [1] Sinclair B. Ferguson, Lets Study Ephesians (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth Trust; 2021), p. 53.

Rev. Dr. Dean Courtier preaching on 'Lessons from The Pilgrims Progress ' at Estuary Elim Ashingdon.

Sermon preached on Sunday Morning 11/12/2023 from Genesis 47:7-9, titled "The Pilgrim's Progress" by Missionary Matt Shriner, missionary to Poland at the First Baptist Church of Easton. Welcome to those joining via Podcast, we are glad to have you join us. If you are ever in the Easton Area, we would love to have you visit us! If you care to support the ministry, visit us at firstbaptisteaston.com, click Donate. https://app.aplos.com/aws/give/FirstBaptistChurchofEaston

In this episode, I share 15 rhythms that we do or have done with our children as we long to intentionally teach them about Jesus + show them what it looks like to follow Jesus. Most of these are SO small and nothing crazy. SO many that I learned from other moms that have gone before me, or ideas I heard and changed for what worked best for our fam. My prayer is that these encourage and stir up ideas/rhythms that you can incorporate in your own home! A little outline of the episode(all of these are explained further in the episode):INTRO/PREFACE:  It starts with US following and abiding in the Living God! It will be out of the overflow of us knowing, enjoying, and glorifying God that will have the most impact on our children. DISCLAIMER: None of these are cute and tidy. None of these are done perfectly. Perfection is never the goal. Pursuing, enjoying and depending on Jesus is.

Walk In Heavenly Places By Faith (3)   (audio) David Eells – 8/6/23  A Good Word  Debbie Fenske  7/25/23  (David's notes in red) Blessings to you, brethren. I am sharing this word I received from the Lord early this morning.  “My daughter, pen My heart upon this page. These words from My heart are for you, My people. My word to you now, is this. Stay pure. Stay calm. Stay vigilant. Stay gentle in spirit. But you must be bold, and strong against your adversary, Satan, the devil, casting down his assault weapons of condemnation, doubt, and fear.   Know that your angels are there, and they fight for you. But you must use your armor against this wicked foe. Remain on guard, and stand against the distractions of the enemy, the world, and your flesh. For they are all one against you. They are all one enemy of your souls. They are one enemy against your brothers and your sisters. They are against you, because they are against Me who is in you. Yes, Your Greater One Is in you.   This is why you already know, and already confess the victory over each plan of the enemy. But some among you are weaker in their confession of what, and who they are in Me. (We are by faith Sons of the Living God given His authority to rule over the flash, the devil, and the world. The Strong man is bound and we are to plunder.) I hear their cries unto Me, their desire to be strong in their faith, and strong in the fight. As they are growing in the faith, hold your weapons high over them, for you are one with them. Every member must be protected, keeping their eyes on Me. (I.e. Protect with our faith those who are weak.) I Am the one that allows your enemy to breakthrough past the angels so that you learn to fight, and resist, becoming stronger in confessing My Word in the spirit of great boldness and authority against the enemy, for yourselves, and for your brethren who are weaker.  (Give no place to the enemy in our speech or actions.) But I tell you this, they will not remain weak. They will grow in strength. And, I will, in this day, cause them to grow quickly, understanding how to handle their weapons of warfare against the enemy. So, in faith, you must see each battle won in victorious conquest.  Rise up! And be victorious over the war for your souls. Shout My name! Shout My name which is your banner. Stand, and be encouraged in what I tell you right now, that not one among you will be left lying on the battlefield. Fight for My great name, for yourselves, and for one another. I Am always your Sword, and I will always be your Strong Tower. Victory is yours through My great Name, for I Am your Great Reward. Keep awake, discerning, fighting. And through Me you will always attain the Victory. Rejoice that each battle has already been won!”      Keep The Cross Close To Your Heart  Marie Kelton 7/28/23 (David's notes in red)  I had an open vision during the meeting where the Lord was sitting next to me, and He had a necklace with a cross on it. (The crucified walk.)(And our enemies were conquered at the cross) The Lord then put the necklace on me. The necklace was long enough to lie on top of my heart. The Lord spoke to me and said, "Keep this close to your heart".  Luk 9:23 And he said unto all, If any man would come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. (Our cross is obedience to the Word in the midst of trials.) Pro 4:20-21 My son, attend to my words; Incline thine ear unto my sayings. 21 Let them not depart from thine eyes; Keep them in the midst of thy heart.   Pro 6:20-21 My son, keep the commandment of thy father, And forsake not the law of thy mother: 21 Bind them continually upon thy heart; Tie them about thy neck.    Newer Heights of Praise and Worship  Debbie Fenske - 10/14/22  This morning on our Zoom scripture and prayer meeting, ...Father started speaking this Word to me:   "I am lifting you up into newer heights of praise and worship that even astounds the angels in heaven. This is the time where I am bringing My true people throughout the earth into newer heights of worship and praise of Me. This is one way My glory is going to fill the earth. For as My people worship and praise Me in the fullness of spirit and truth, the power of My Holy Spirit will fill you, and My glory will fill you, and will flow forth from you, even now, to restore and revive many of my own. So, My people, let My glory, and My power flow!” Amen! Thank you Father!      Testimony Experience  Anonymous 5/29/23 (David's notes in red)  I experienced myself being up so very high and seated in the heavenlies in spiritual light. I saw many devils located way down beneath me. They were so very far down in darkness which seemed to have no end. I heard devils trying to call out to me, but I could barely hear what they were saying, because they were so far away. It sounded like they were saying things similar to the thoughts they try to give me. But for me to hear clearly what they were saying, I would have to leave my place up so high and go down lower. (If go low to hear the enemy we are in their territory of power.) I saw how they are way below me and while I'm in Christ (in the Heavens) I have authority over them, and they literally have to obey me; they are literally under me. The enemy tried to give me fear of the unknown, which is just not trusting God. While I was experiencing all this, I knew that if I agreed with the fear of the unknown, I would be taken out of this place. But by trusting God I could stay in this high place in the Heavens. I had to not agree with the familiar thoughts and feelings of fear of the unknown. If I entertained it, I would be taken lower.   It seemed as though the devils were so far down that they couldn't see me properly, but they knew I was there and they would shoot arrows of thoughts and feelings to try and get me to look at them. (Don't pay attention to their thoughts.)  Sometimes the arrows would get me, and I would either choose to listen and agree with it or choose to ignore it. But most of the time they would shoot randomly and miss me because I was so high up and not fully in view. If I commanded the devils to be quiet, they had to obey straight away.  I saw that the flesh and enemy are always trying to take us out of this high place in the Heavens, by using thoughts, feelings, self-will, fear, and doubt, wanting to control us. We need to remember and know each moment God is in control and allow Him do what He wants, within us and outside of us. Only when we are in Him fully and completely aligned with His Word, will and Spirit do we have this full authority over the enemy. Submit to God and the devil must flee.  Eph 2:4-6 but God, being rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5 even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace have ye been saved), 6 and raised us up with him, and made us to sit with him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus:  Luk 10:17-20 And the seventy returned with joy, saying, Lord, even the demons are subject unto us in thy name. 18 And he said unto them, I beheld Satan fallen as lightning from heaven. 19 Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall in any wise hurt you. 20 Nevertheless in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.  Eph 6:16 withal taking up the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one.  Col 3:1-3 If then ye were raised together with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated on the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on the things that are above, not on the things that are upon the earth. 3 For ye died, and your life is hid with Christ in God.  1Pe 5:8-9 Be sober, be watchful: your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour, 9 whom withstand stedfast in your faith, knowing that the same sufferings are accomplished in your brethren who are in the world.   Jas 4:7 Be subject therefore unto God; but resist the devil, and he will flee from you.      Word Of God A Flame Of Fire  Marie Kelton 7/28/23 (David's notes in red)  During the meeting, I was dealing with anxiety. I told the Lord about the anxiety. I then had an open vision. The Lord was sitting next to me. I saw in the palm of the Lord's hand was a bible and the bible was on fire. I looked up at the Lord and His eyes were a flame of fire. The Lord opened the bible and the scriptures in the bible were on fire also. Then, the Lord said, “The scriptures burn up the wood, hay, and stubble.” (Rom_12:2  And be not fashioned according to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind (with the Word who is Jesus), that ye may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.) (Dealing with anxiety and other fleshy emotions, are the trials and temptations we go through in order to overcome them by applying faith in the promises of the Word of God. Php 4:6 In nothing be anxious; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. We give thanks to God with our requests, because He has already delivered us from these temptations.)  1Co 3:11-13 For other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 But if any man buildeth on the foundation gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, stubble; (The thoughts, ideas, and works of the old life, which many never reject.) 13 each man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it is revealed in fire; and the fire itself shall prove each man's work of what sort it is. (The fiery trial will conquer the wood, hay, and stubble if we repent and believe the Word.) Then I heard or thought, “The Word of the Lord is a flame of fire.”  I asked the Lord what was the fire that covered the bible. The Lord said, "It is the fire of the Holy Spirit."  Mat 3:11-12 I indeed baptize you in water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you in the Holy Spirit and in fire: 12 whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse his threshing-floor; and he will gather his wheat into the garner, but the chaff he will burn up with unquenchable fire.      Entering Into The Rest  Winnie Osegueda 8/30/21 (David's notes in red)  I dreamed I got dressed to go outside in my favorite comfortable gray dress.  (Gray in this case represents death to self. We need to be comfortable in the death of the old man.) It was a beautiful and bright sunny day outside and I heard David pull up in the blue truck that him and Michael drive in often. David was wearing a denim jacket with patchwork of different colors, (Like Joseph's coat of many colors representing the different attributed of the light of the Lord. This represents putting on by faith these works.) and he came to talk to and give something to Chuc. (Chuck means to throw away or discard. In our trials we give up the old man and his ways and we put on the new man of Christ and His ways.) Angelica and Marie were also outside, and Angelica had a little boy with her, maybe about 8 or 9 years of age. (Representing her personal Man-child of “Christ in you the hope of glory”.) We had a couple of swings in our front yard for Zoe´ to swing on. Zoe´ brought out a comfortable teal chair that I keep in the bedroom of our house, and she hooked it onto the middle of her other swings, so that I could swing as well. (Zoe represents God's Life who will give the rest of the chair. The chair represents being seated in heavenly places with Him.)  Marie and Angelica wanted to try and swing on the teal swing chair, but the weight limit was below our weights, so I said that we couldn't do that. I told them that I was able to get on it before, but now I needed to get some weight off. (Too much weight or flesh will not allow us to be seated in heavenly places and you cannot enjoy or enter into the rest of faith.)  In another scene, I was in a car and Chuc was driving. I was turned around and I was observing from the back window and saw a man driving a red pick-up truck directly behind us, but also on our right. (This represents looking behind to see that the gifts were already given to us at the Cross. The man in the truck could represent Jesus. Red is for blood.)  The man in the truck threw some butterflies into the air as gifts, but I wasn't certain that they were real. Some of the butterflies were hanging on a string, three in a row. (The gifts of butterflies represent freedom and the new Life we have in Christ. Winnie, not knowing if the butterflies were real, is walking by sight and the perception of spiritual things are not clear. If we are seeing in the natural, the promises don't seem real to us. The three butterflies hanging on a string, could represent spirit, soul and body salvation.)  Some of the butterflies landed high up in a tree and I was sad because I thought I couldn't reach it, but then I saw a little girl reach them. (We believe we can't reach them, but we need child-like faith.)  I then remembered Angelica had put some butterflies away for me inside a blender cup I have that I use to make fruit smoothies. (The Angels preserve our Butterflies representing our born again fruit.) It was hanging right over my teal chair swing in my front yard. I thought I couldn't reach it, but I was able to. (Because that chair speaks of resting in the heavenly places by faith.) I opened the cup and there were different kinds of yellow and black butterflies that reminded me of Swallowtails. Some of the butterflies were yellow with stripes, some had few stripes, and some had no stripes at all. (The Lord is using a play on words here. Angelica put the butterflies in Winnie's cup because in essence we have to ‘swallow' the promises by drinking the water of the Word. Swallowtails represent the grace and free nature of the soul. Through Jesus, God gave us freely the grace to be set free and fly. They are reachable when we reach out by faith to take them.)  I asked the Lord for a verse for this dream and received, Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in Jehovah with all thy heart, And lean not upon thine own understanding: 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, And he will direct thy paths. (Don't only believe when we see, but by faith in what God has said.)      Cleansed His Way  Samuel Fire 5/9/23 (David's notes in red) I heard in prayer: “So much now is being overcome by the breaking of all strongholds and learning to hold the new life and ground. The false feelings you have, are the reactions and attacks in the spiritual through witchcraft. Everything you feel is bodily. The flesh feels, but the Spirit is fire.” (I was reminded of the wood hay and stubble how it burns in the fire, and then shown that the trees and plants would scream if they had feelings. Then when you do physical exercise or have attacks etc., this is the same in relation, but never lasts longer than God's love. His love lasts forever. Then I was reminded that God wants us to have the purest, finest gold and the perfect place for eternity with Him. He wants us, not the stuff that has been wrapped around us like a candy bar wrapper.)  “Remember the good and refrain from the ways of the bad. What may be good once, can be bad later.” (I saw an apple was fresh and ripe, when left alone would eventually rot.)  “The focus on Me was to teach many. As soon as self is led, corruption caused wickedness to remain. Remember to do good and set fire to evil.” (I was reminded how even Lot's wife's name is not mentioned. Nor was Job's wife named. Our attention is to the righteous. We are to give Glory and Praise in the Lord for what He said is good.)  (I then saw myself entering an area which is covered in darkness and evil. It would try to stick to me and attack me. I saw myself using a clean sponge to wipe a wall, and the area was cleaner, but the sponge now needed cleaning.) (Then you can throw it in the fire.) “Return to Me. Have the flame never go out. It has spread and will burn. Your duties are simply to pray and praise. I will show you more.” (I felt this may be for just myself as everyone has different roles in the Body of Christ. I also felt the Word is to be spoken, because that always pleases God. (And brings the Word to pass.)  I saw a buffing pad polishing something metallic that was already very beautiful. The shine afterwards was so intense that looked like it was glowing.)  (Getting rid of the last impurities so the shine comes through.) “Always be speaking the truth. (The Word) Keep reading and declaring promises.” (His promises cannot be negated.)  “To remove the hardest and worst hurts from the past, takes the longest time. Persevere. (Shine) When you restrict the body, I Am closer. Break and remove the strongholds. Declare the victory. Rely on the promises in My Son. See the end. Imagine and picture (and speak) the victory.” (I saw singing Holy Angels and worship with the words ‘Holy, Holy, Holy'.)      A Holy Vessel  Anonymous 1/3/23 (David's notes in red)  I heard in prayer: “No matter where you are, there is a deep darkness. (There is always darkness trying to overwhelm and take over. Consume the light of the Word and shine.) Isa 60:1-2 Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of Jehovah is risen upon thee. 2 For, behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the peoples; but Jehovah will arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. NENT Col 1:12-13 giving thanks to the Father, who fitted you to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light; 13 who delivered us out of the power of darkness, and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his love;   Joh 1:5 And the light shineth in the darkness; and the darkness apprehended it not.   You are to be in the fight. (Be in constant prayer and warfare.) NENT 1Th 5:16-18 Rejoice always; 17 pray without ceasing; 18 in everything give thanks: for this is God's will in Christ Jesus toward you.   Eph 6:12 For our wrestling is not against blood and flesh, but against the principalities, against the authorities, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spirituals of the wickedness in the heavenlies.   2Co 10:3-4 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh 4 (for the weapons of our warfare are not of flesh, but mighty before God unto casting down of strongholds.  1Ti 6:12 Fight the good fight of the faith, lay hold on the life eternal, whereunto thou wast called, and didst confess the good confession in the sight of many witnesses.   Be at peace in Me and where you are. (Trusting in the Lord always.) Pro 3:5 Trust in Jehovah with all thy heart, And lean not upon thine own understanding:  Psa 37:4 Delight thyself also in Jehovah; And he will give thee the desires of thy heart.  Make the place at that moment a Heaven. (Turn all situations into peace and joy.) Neh 8:10 Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto him for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye grieved; for the joy of Jehovah is your strength.   NENT Rom 15:13 Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, in power of the Holy Spirit.   This is a warning to not fall into the deep end. (Not to let the enemy steal anything.) NENT Joh 10:10 The thief cometh not, but to steal, and kill, and destroy: I came that they may have life, and may have abundance.   I Am all and you are My Temple. In all places, time and situation; put Me and the Holy Spirit first. NENT Mat 6:33 But seek ye first his kingdom, and righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you.  This is to alert you not to be concerned about anything. Just pray and praise Me.”  “The power you use in speech and talk is Me. Use it wisely. I am not to be flipped around like a pancake for your own gain. What do you do for Me?” (Be mindful of the thoughts and words spoken, and be according to the Word.) NENT Heb 4:12 For living is the word of God, and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and a discerner of thoughts and intents of the heart.   “Can you await My Instructions and Provision?” (Be patient in your faith) NENT Luk 21:19 In your patience ye shall win your souls.  Jas 1:3  knowing that the proving of your faith worketh patience.  4  And let patience have its perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, lacking in nothing.  Heb 6:11-12 And we desire that each of you show the same diligence unto the fulness of the hope even to the end: 12 that ye be not sluggish, but imitators of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.   “The Lord is coming and all His blessings already sent. Like a train to arrive at the station. Stay standing in expectation with your ticket ready. The earnest are to be rewarded. Knowing I will deliver on time. Are you worthy to receive? Be constantly checking the validation of the ticket each and every day, die to self and replace all with My Word as Christ.” (Doing all you are required to receive and looking to the answers and provision in expectation.) NENT Rom 8:9 But YE are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if so be that God's Spirit dwelleth in you. But if any hath not Christ's Spirit he is none of his.  Php 1:20 according to my earnest expectation and hope, that in nothing shall I be shamed, but with all boldness, as always, now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether by life, or by death.   Rom 8:19 For the earnest expectation of the creation awaiteth the revelation of the sons of God.   “Do you keep the desire of Me in your heart? Have every ache and pain in the need of Me.” (Priorities and humility) NENT 1Co 14:1 Follow after love; yet desire earnestly the spirituals, but rather that ye prophesy.   1Ti 2:4 who willeth all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of truth.   “Never forget you are deeply loved in any situation or trial. Just keep to the foundation and character of My Son. You all will need to sincerely hate all evil or it will be brutal to remove from you.” (Separate from all things opposing the Lord, no matter the attachment or level of pain.) NENT Jas 4:7 Be subject therefore to God; but resist the devil, and he will flee from you.      Draw Deeper Into God  Samuel Fire 4/13/23  I was seeking the Lord regarding why it hurts when we seek Him more than we have before and why do we feel a type of fear when going deeper and deeper into God's presence.  I heard: “Because nothing can completely handle My presence. They all have to be recreated as My Son or that aspect must fall before Me. I am making a wonderful work in you all, and these are great times for you. To share and hold onto each other, and to rely completely on Me and My Promise. Keep your focus and love. Do not let go of your deepest desire.   There is some hurt and old self that cannot be in My Holiness and Kingdom. (I felt something like the deeper we go, the harder it is to get closer. Then I saw a person trying to swim underwater but had to breathe out because of the air held in them would cause them to float up. But in order to stay submerged and go to the deepest depths with God, one would need to be completely dead to self and only have Jesus in control and Lord of their life.)  Be the loving example of My Word. Press into the perfect place of Me. Keep on focusing on Me. Read and pray. Be helpful to each other in assistance. Help each other on the words spoken and agreement.   No one is doing worse off than the price paid by My Son. Do not compare. Do not rejoice on the enemy's defeat, but be concerned over the walk you and others are doing.   Draw deeper into Me and want to do with Me all the great things I have set for you.  Learn to have no ability to do anything by self. That everything is already done in Christ. I have said and it is now just a time to be deeper in the revelation of My Love for you. (I felt that we just need to let go. Stop. And believe. So hard to do, but just think and speak it. Especially in the trials.)  Do not worry. Everything is done. You have not have to worry about it at all. (I felt that we need to praise God, to speak out what is His love to us and to receive it as though we already have it.)  The enemy is always attacking and lying to you every moment. The world is always trying to distract you and trying to get in the way of you and Me. The enemy and flesh try to use your hurt and old memories to separate us. But you need to give all these to Me, and when you read and apply My Word in Truth and Love, I Am accepted and connected to you. When it is difficult, give to Me attention and prayer. Praise Me for I am the final answer and solution.”      Buy Wisdom  Vanessa Weeks 1/15/23 (David's notes in red)  In a dream I was in a small store or house that had many knickknacks. These were on tables and organized together in different parts of the room.   There was also a large and sturdy old book that had many drawings depicting the stories told in the book. It was a special book with gold on the four corners of the cover. (Word of God?) I was looking at this book and then I saw a couple of children sitting on the floor looking at it.  I saw a white crocheted owl. (An owl to me means wisdom.) Pro 3:13 Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, And the man that getteth understanding. 14 For the gaining of it is better than the gaining of silver, And the profit thereof than fine gold. 15 She is more precious than rubies: And none of the things thou canst desire are to be compared unto her. 16 Length of days is in her right hand; In her left hand are riches and honor. 17 Her ways are ways of pleasantness, And all her paths are peace. 18 She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: And happy is every one that retaineth her.  I took the owl with my right hand and put it in a blue picture frame. (Picture of wisdom Pro 23:23 Buy truth, and do not sell it, Get wisdom and instruction and understanding.) (Barry: I think this would involve praying for it in faith, searching God's word for it, but also humility and a willingness to live by it.) I gave this owl in the blue picture frame to a young lady who was to my right, (where Jesus put the sheep) who was wearing a red shirt. (She is washed in the blood of Christ. After I woke up I thought that this lady was Gabby.) I gave it to her for her birthday. (Gabby means God is my strength.)  Then after I got home, I began to feel guilty because I realized that I had taken the owl without asking or paying for it. I was repenting and asking the Lord to forgive me. But I did not know how to make it right because I gave the owl to Gabby and did not think I could take it back to return it to the owner. Then I woke up.   After I woke up, I realized this owl is the same as Zoe's crocheted owl in real life. Owls to me represent wisdom so I believe it represents wisdom of the life of God.  I received by faith at random for this dream Dan 5:16. In context v. 13-16. Dan 5:13-16 Then was Daniel brought in before the king. The king spake and said unto Daniel, Art thou that Daniel, who art of the children of the captivity of Judah, whom the king my father brought out of Judah? 14  I have heard of thee, that the spirit of the gods is in thee, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in thee. 15 And now the wise men, the enchanters, have been brought in before me, that they should read this writing, and make known unto me the interpretation thereof; but they could not show the interpretation of the thing. 16 But I have heard of thee, that thou canst give interpretations, and dissolve doubts; now if thou canst read the writing, and make known to me the interpretation thereof, thou shalt be clothed with purple, and have a chain of gold about thy neck, and shalt be the third ruler in the kingdom.  Also, I asked the Lord about the feeling of guilt I had in the dream and received by faith at random Pro 28:15. In context vs. 13-15. Pro 28:13 He that covereth his transgressions shall not prosper: But whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall obtain mercy. 14 Happy is the man that feareth alway; But he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief. 15 As a roaring lion, and a ranging bear, So is a wicked ruler over a poor people.  I believe the Lord is saying to me by this verse and dream to pay the price for wisdom. And He has given me grace to confess and forsake my sin. Job 28:12-13 But where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding? 13 Man knoweth not the price thereof; Neither is it found in the land of the living. And verse 28 And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; And to depart from evil is understanding.  Father, thank you for showing us the price of wisdom. Please give us grace to fear you and depart from evil and in faith receive your wisdom in Jesus name, amen.      Taking From The Enemies Camp   Tianna Fire 6/10/23 (David's notes in red)  I dreamt that I was living with a community of Brethren, but we didn't live in a specific spot, but we traveled around all the time and everything we had was physically light and God provided all our needs. (Be not attached to worldly physical things but anchored in the Lord.)  At this point the Lord had led us all to travel to a different town, and to get there we had to walk along a beach side for a few days. We slept under the stars and God provided food without us doing anything, but walking where He wanted. (Rest in Him, no matter the situation, He is our covering.)  After a few days we got to this place that was on the left side of the beach in a forest. It was evening and the sun was almost completely down but the town had so many different colored lights and different loud sounds coming from it. (It kind of reminded me of "vanity fair" from Pilgrims Progress.) At this place there were some theme park rides and many different buildings with different activities. The sounds were so loud and there was festival music and much laughter and it was extremely worldly. (The Lord has called us out of the world to be separate from it and not get distracted by the lust of the fleshly things in the world.)  Before we went in, we prayed and God told us that there would be many Satanists in there, but there were things in there that were stolen from us and we were to walk into the areas God said, to grab what belonged to us, and then we could all leave. We all had a different task and a different area to go inside. We all went in pairs, and I was with a sister. NENT Luk 10:1-3 Now after these things the Lord appointed seventy others, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself was about to come. 2 And he said unto them, The harvest indeed is plenteous, but the laborers few: pray therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he send forth laborers into his harvest. 3 Go. Lo, I send you forth as lambs amidst wolves.   Luk 10:19 Lo, I have given you the authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall in any wise hurt you.   As we walked inside the festival there were many people all around and there were many famous actors, witches, musicians and other known people in the world. There were also a lot of people I had never seen before in real life. The Lord had revealed to me that witches and others that illegally access the spiritual realm can see Jesus in me and they know who I am when in public, so we stick out like a sore thumb. Also the demons in others are aware of Jesus in us and I can see that they recognize Christ in me.   So, in the dream I asked God to not allow any of the witches or demons to be able to see that Jesus is in us, so that we don't stick out, but for us to be hidden and not noticeable to the demons and witches. And praise God He did exactly that! He either made us invisible to everyone or He made us just look like normal people, but the enemy couldn't see us. (He can do the supernatural and keep us hidden in the natural. Mar 11:24 Therefore I say unto you, All things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.  Psa 32:7 Thou art my hiding-place; thou wilt preserve me from trouble; Thou wilt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah.)  So we were all able to easily go to the area to get what we needed without being noticed. Two brothers went into a maze area that was filled with all different types of mirrors, and what was theirs was in the center of the maze. (To see themselves as Jesus – beyond the natural, and the reward is at the end.) 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, even as from the Lord the Spirit.   Another couple had to go to the music area. (Music when sung or listened to, can lift our spirits.)  Another went to a party area where everyone was drinking and dancing and others had to go on a rollercoaster and the spinning swings ride. (This represents idolatry to the world where we are tempted by the world, the lust of the eyes and the lust of the flesh.) (Temptations come in the 5 senses [5 Kings Joshua ref?].)   1Co 10:6-7 Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. 7 Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. (Many will be tempted to do this in these days. They will cease to be stewards and instead claim ownership of what is God's.) 1Jn 2:15-17 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the vainglory of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.  The sister and I went into an escape room that was connected to a playground. (An escape room is where someone is locked into it, to play a game requiring them to solve a series of puzzles within a certain amount of time to accomplish a goal, typically finding a key to leave the room. They will have to race against the clock and decipher clues to find their way out of the room.)  There was a line up to go through this with many people behind us and in front of us. Only one person could go into an escape room at a time and we had to wait in the playground area for our turn. Once the person was done with the first escape room they would go into another line up for the next escape room, and there were 10 escape rooms. (The number 10 symbolizes perfect and completeness. It is also symbolic of the 10 commandments (the Law) given to Moses.) It was made known that the majority of people that go in will not get through many rooms, so they quit and leave, but those that did get further into the escape rooms mostly died. (We must lose our life in the world to have the life of Christ. We continue in the faith and press on to the high calling of God in Christ, and each of us must manifest our own death to self. Not everyone is able to continue, many give up and go back to the world.)  Mat 22:14 For many are called, but few chosen. Mat 10:22 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved.  Mat 16:24-25 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man would come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 25 For whosoever would save his life shall lose it: and whosoever shall lose his life for my sake shall find it.  When it was finally our turn, I went in first and the sister went in behind me. There were many people in front of me that couldn't get out of the escape room so they would get dragged out by whoever was running this place. By God's grace and His help, he got me through the first 5 escape rooms. (Five is the number of grace.) When I was in the fifth escape room, God told me that by witchcraft they had been putting a plastic bag into my mouth for each room I went into, without me knowing and their goal was to choke out everyone before they could get to the tenth room. (So they could not partake of the breath of the Spirit)  The item we wanted was in the tenth room, but they didn't want anyone to get there, so they would kill off or take out everyone they could before they got there.  (This could mean restricting the move of the Holy Spirit, stopping their ability to breathe or spiritual discernment. They use witchcraft to suffocate, or “choke” people. A spiritual death to take us out so we don't receive all the Lord has for us and reach completion, and in this dream, taking back what they came for.) Mar 4:19 and the cares of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful. (Some of the women captured by the satanists will overcome and escape when the principality in the leaders die and their power over them is broken. Some may not be chosen and would not escape.) I went to a mirror that was in the room and I opened my mouth and there were 5 plastic bags in the colors of grey and blue. (A person begins to turn blue or grey when they are suffocating and there is not enough oxygen in the blood. Blue and grey represents death by suffocation.) I took them all out and everything was well. The Lord showed me how to get out of this escape room and then I went into the waiting hallway to get into the sixth escape room. There was no one else there, but I wanted to wait there so I could tell the sister behind me about the plastic bags. The walls in this area were lime green. (Lime green could represent “freshness or being refreshed in the Spirit” after being saved from a death assignment.)  The sister came out and I told her about the plastic bags and she pulled them out of her mouth too and we continued on to the next escape rooms. After each room we would take the plastic bag out of our mouth and it was supernatural how it even got into our mouth. (We share with our brethren the revelations given us from the Lord so they can learn and also be free from the traps of the enemy and continue going forward in Christ.)  I was able to get to the last escape room, and I know it was only through God's grace as He gave me the wisdom, understanding and knowledge to get through each escape room.  (Any could contact us for this wisdom and knowledge. When they die out to the principality over their personal stupid demons they will lose power and their conscience and knowledge will return and they will escape.) When I got to the tenth escape room, I was able to get the item that belonged to us and leave unnoticed just as we prayed. The evil people had cameras set up everywhere so, naturally, they would have seen and known I was in there and had obtained the item. Normally demons see Who Jesus is in in the spiritual realm, but the other brethren and I were completely hidden physically and spiritually. (Pray for the escapees to be hidden in Christ.) The sister I was with was waiting outside as she had quit a few rooms ago because she had listened to fear, but she repented and got out. We then left to go back to the beach to meet with the other brethren.   On the way out, a brother who had started with us was socializing with some people at the party and it was then made known to us that he had taken interest in the worldly pleasures and people. (The lure of lust in the satanist camp captures many.)  This brother then became visible to them and to the enemy, so the enemy captured him. We just prayed and left and were later reunited with the brethren that stayed in agreement with the Word and hidden in Christ.   We learned that there were a few others that got stuck in this town in the party with these evil people. We knew there wasn't anything we could do but pray for them. Because if we went back to speak to them, we would become visible to them and to the enemy, but we wanted to stay hidden in Christ. (Pray for our brethren who have been taken captive to the deceitfulness of this world. Keep in faith. Allow the Lord to do His amazing work of grace!) NENT Col 4:12 Epaphras who is one of you, bondman of Christ Jesus, greets you, always striving for you in his prayers, that ye may stand perfect and fully assured in all of God's will.   Jas 5:15-16 and the prayer of faith shall save the weary one, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, it shall be forgiven him. 16 Confess therefore your sins one to another, and pray one for another, that ye be healed. The supplication of a righteous man availeth much in its working.   Heb 7:25 Whence also he is able to save to the uttermost them that approach God through him, he ever living to make intercession for them.  All of us that got out of the place, were able to get all the items back that belonged to us and we continued walking along the beach to go to the next place God wanted us to go to.      Believe And Confess The Word  David Eells  Many want sanctification or healing or deliverance or provision, etc. And the demons are constantly trying to talk you out of these things and more using as ammunition, your many problems, mistakes, failures, etc. But Jesus gave His gifts unto many imperfect people who were their own worst enemies.   He even gave these things to people who were willfully disobedient to confirm His Word; however, they did not, in some way, escape the judgment for this kind of sin for that is the Word too. Joh 5:14 Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing befall thee.  We received this text by faith at random. Heb 6:11-19 And we desire that each one of you may show the same diligence unto the fulness of hope even to the end: 12 that ye be not sluggish, but imitators of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises. 13 For when God made promise to Abraham (Who was in the flesh and trying to save himself.), since he could swear by none greater, he sware by himself, 14 saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee. 15 And thus, having patiently endured, he obtained the promise. (This could be true of any and all promises to you.) 16 For men swear by the greater: and in every dispute of theirs the oath is final for confirmation. 17 Wherein God, being minded to show more abundantly unto the heirs of the promise the immutability (This word means unchangeableness) of his counsel, interposed with an oath; 18 that by two immutable (or unchangeable) things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, (The two unchangeable things He cannot lie about is any promise He made to you and on top of that His oath promise.) we may have a strong encouragement, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us: (He did this to show you He will not break His promises so you can be encouraged to believe them. The demons will try to give you many reasons to not believe they are for you.)  19 which we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and stedfast and entering into that which is within the veil. (This anchor of your souls is so you won't be thrown about by every lie of the demons. God will keep His Word to you.)  Heb 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and to-day, (yea) and for ever. (He is unchangeable concerning His promises. Religions all have a changeable God who cannot be trusted. I.e. He made an eternal covenant, but you can't be sure He will heal the sick or save from sin, demons, or lack anymore so you can't have faith. What else would the devil have you believe? Come out from among them!)  Psa 119:86-93 All thy commandments are faithful: They persecute me wrongfully; help thou me. 87 They had almost consumed me upon earth (God's people are being devoured by the curse and the demons love it but here is the cure.); But I forsook not thy precepts. 88 Quicken (This word means “make alive”) me after thy lovingkindness; So shall I observe the testimony of thy mouth. 89 LAMEDH. For ever, O Jehovah, Thy word is settled in heaven. (Father says its unchangeable so you can believe it today.) 90 Thy faithfulness is unto all generations: (I.e. we have the same promises that were given back then.) Thou hast established the earth, and it abideth.   91 They abide this day according to thine ordinances; For all things are thy servants. (Notice: Everything serves God so nothing can stop Him from answering your faith and prayers.)92 Unless thy law had been my delight, I should then have perished in mine affliction. (Pro 10:21 The lips of the righteous feed many; But the foolish die for lack of understanding. Hos 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I also will forget thy children.)  93 I will never forget thy precepts; For with them thou hast quickened me (I.e. made me alive). … 128 Therefore I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right; And I hate every false way. (So “By whose stripes ye were healed” and “He made you free from sin” and He “delivered you out of the power of darkness” and He “gave you authority over all the power of the enemy and nothing shall in any wise hurt you.”)  Joh 12:48 He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my sayings, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I spake, the same shall judge him in the last day. …50 And I know that his commandment is life eternal: the things therefore which I speak, even as the Father hath said unto me, so I speak.  1Ki 8:56 Blessed be Jehovah, that hath given rest unto his people Israel, according to all that he promised: there hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by Moses his servant. And we “have a better covenant based on better promises”. Psa 89:34 My covenant will I not break, Nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips. (Since we are dependent on the promises for the abundant life, those who change them are under the curse even as they bring others under the curse. Rev 22:18 I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto them, God shall add unto him the plagues which are written in this book: 19 and if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the tree of life, and out of the holy city, which are written in this book.)  Psa 138:2 I will worship toward thy holy temple, And give thanks unto thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: For thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name. (God's promises and commands are more important to us than even His name.)  Rom 3:3 For what if some were without faith? (Man may break the covenant but God doesn't.) shall their want of faith make of none effect the faithfulness of God? (God will be faithful to all who repent and believe and sometimes they don't even know they need to repent of something.) 4 God forbid: yea, let God be found true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy words, And mightest prevail when thou comest into judgment. (We must agree with the Word so we may be accounted as righteous so we can have God's benefits and overcome when in tribulation.)      Promises are Conditional   Mat 10:32 Every one therefore who shall confess (Homo Logeo means to “speak the same as” meaning agree with the Word. Are you healed? Say it! Are you saved from sin? Say it! Are you free of demons? Say it! Are you provided for? Say it! Many will come to try to get you to agree with what you see with your eyes rather than what you see in the book.) who shall confess me before men, him will I also confess before my Father who is in heaven. 33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father who is in heaven. (If we walk and talk by sight to please men we will miss His benefits.)  Luk 12:8 And I say unto you, Everyone who shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God: 9 but he that denieth me in the presence of men shall be denied in the presence of the angels of God. (Angels will take their que from your words and actions of faith and it is they who minister God's salvation to you.)  Heb 4:14 Having then a great high priest, who hath passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. Heb 10:23 let us hold fast the confession of our hope that it waver not; for he is faithful that promised:   2Co 1:18-20 But as God is faithful, our word toward you is not yea and nay. (God is not fickle as the religions say; He stands behind His Word.) 19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us, even by me and Silvanus and Timothy, was not yea and nay, but in him is yea. (He is not yes and no about His promises; He is YES!) 20 For how many soever be the promises of God, in him is the yea: wherefore also through him is the Amen (meaning when we agree), unto the glory of God through us.  Mat 8:1-10 And when he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him. 2 And behold, there came to him a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. 3 And he stretched forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou made clean. (Jesus is willing to heal and deliver.) And straightway his leprosy was cleansed. 4 And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go, show thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.   5 And when he was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, 6 and saying, Lord, my servant lieth in the house sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. 7 And he saith unto him, I will come and heal him. 8 And the centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof; (God gives grace to the humble but He resists the proud.) but only say the word, and my servant shall be healed. 9 For I also am a man under authority, having under myself soldiers: and I say to this one, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. (He knew more than God's people, that Jesus' Word was supreme authority over the curse.) 10 And when Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.  Mar 5:22-42 And there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and seeing him, he falleth at his feet, 23 and beseecheth him much, saying, My little daughter is at the point of death: I pray thee, that thou come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be made whole, and live. (He had faith in Jesus to make her live.) 24 And he went with him; and a great multitude followed him, and they thronged him.   25 And a woman, who had an issue of blood twelve years, 26 and had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, 27 having heard the things concerning Jesus, came in the crowd behind, and touched his garment. 28 For she said, If I touch but his garments, I shall be made whole. (She spoke to the mountain and did not doubt so she got what she said as Mark said. Mar 11:23-24 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou taken up and cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that what he saith cometh to pass; he shall have it. 24 Therefore I say unto you, All things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.)  Back to our text: Mar 5:29 And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her plague. 30 And straightway Jesus, perceiving in himself that the power proceeding from him had gone forth, turned him about in the crowd, and said, Who touched my garments? (Notice it was not a matter of whether God willed this healing or not for Jesus didn't even know it until it happened. It was a matter of faith and confession as we are told.) 31 And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? 32 And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing. 33 But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what had been done to her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth. 34 And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.   35 While he yet spake, they come from the ruler of the synagogue's house saying, Thy daughter is dead: why troublest thou the Teacher any further? 36 But Jesus, not heeding the word spoken, saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Fear not, only believe. (I.e. Do not pay attention to what man or devil says. It's never too late Jesus still resurrects the dead. I am a witness.) 37 And he suffered no man to follow with him, save Peter, and James, and John the brother of James. 38 And they come to the house of the ruler of the synagogue; and he beholdeth a tumult, and many weeping and wailing greatly.   39 And when he was entered in, he saith unto them, Why make ye a tumult, and weep? the child is not dead, but sleepeth. (A spoken Word of faith.) 40 And they laughed him to scorn. But he, having put them all forth, taketh the father of the child and her mother and them that were with him, and goeth in where the child was. 41 And taking the child by the hand, he saith unto her, Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, Arise. (Another spoken Word of faith.) 42 And straightway the damsel rose up, and walked; for she was twelve years old. And they were amazed straightway with a great amazement.  Mat 15:22-31 And behold, a Canaanitish woman came out from those borders, and cried, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a demon. 23 But he answered her not a word. (Testing her faith with silence.) And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us. (They mistook His silence as an unwillingness to deliver.) 24 But he answered and said, I was not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. (Another test that she was not qualified. Many hear this. Faith is the qualification. Some have more than God's people.)   25 But she came and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. 26 And he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread and cast it to the dogs. (Again the test of You are not qualified but like Naaman the Syrian all that is needed is actions of faith to be a believer.) 27 But she said, Yea, Lord: for even the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table. (Humility brings grace, pride brings disgrace.) 28 Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it done unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was healed from that hour.   29 And Jesus departed thence, and came nigh unto the sea of Galilee; and he went up into the mountain, and sat there. 30 And there came unto him great multitudes, having with them the lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and they cast them down at his feet; and he healed them: 31 insomuch that the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb speaking, the maimed whole, and the lame walking, and the blind seeing: and they glorified the God of Israel.   (In any “great multitude” even of God's people, there are sinners of every kind but this was not the problem. It was their faith to bring the sick to Jesus because they heard and saw that He healed and delivered. More blessed are they who do not see and yet believe. And they glorified God to everyone and themselves. They were never the same.)  Mat 4:24 And the report of him went forth into all Syria: and they brought unto him all that were sick, holden with divers diseases and torments, possessed with demons, and epileptic, and palsied; and he healed them.   Mat 12:15 And Jesus perceiving it withdrew from thence: and many followed him; and he healed them all.  Luk 6:17-19 and he came down with them, and stood on a level place, and a great multitude of his disciples, and a great number of the people from all Judaea and Jerusalem, and the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear him, and to be healed of their diseases; 18 and they that were troubled with unclean spirits were healed. 19 And all the multitude sought to touch him; for power came forth from him, and healed them all. (We shall see this again for Jesus is coming as the Latter Rain in Hos 6:1-3.)  Luk 4:40 And when the sun was setting, all they that had any sick with divers diseases brought them unto him; and he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them.  God can change a prophecy, word of knowledge or wisdom, dream or vision, which can all be warnings, which are changed if we repent. They can be promises which we must believe to receive. Many do not believe to the end to receive and so their promise was not fulfilled. These things are changeable, but the Word is not. Jer 23:28-29 The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that hath my (prophetic) word, let him speak my word faithfully. What is the straw to the wheat? saith Jehovah. 29 Is not my Word like fire? saith Jehovah; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces? The straw supports the wheat but its value is nothing like the wheat.  A dream or prophecy can be changeable but not the Word.  Isa 53:1-12 Who hath believed our message? and to whom hath the arm of Jehovah been revealed? 2 For he grew up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. 3 He was despised, and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief (Hebrew: sickness): and as one from whom men hide their face he was despised; and we esteemed him not.  Who was He despised by, the factious. Who was Job or David despised by, the factious. 4 Surely he hath borne our griefs (Hebrew: sicknesses), and carried our sorrows; yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and Jehovah hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed, yet when he was afflicted he opened not his mouth; as a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and as a sheep that before its shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth.   8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who among them considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living for the transgression of my people to whom the stroke was due? (Who was due the stroke, the judas' the factious, the back stabbers, the lusters, etc.) 9 And they made his grave with the wicked, and with a rich man in his death; although he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.   10 Yet it pleased Jehovah to bruise him; he hath put him to grief (Hebrew: Made Him sick): when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of Jehovah shall prosper in his hand. (Notice: He prolonged His Days in His seed doing His same works.) 11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by the knowledge of himself shall my righteous servant justify many; and he shall bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he poured out his soul unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors: yet he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. 

A new MP3 sermon from The Narrated Puritan is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: Christian And The Arrows Of Beelzebub - Pictures in Pilgrims Progress Subtitle: Pilgrim's Progress Speaker: C. H. Spurgeon Broadcaster: The Narrated Puritan Event: Audio Book Date: 7/27/2023 Length: 16 min.

Bunyan alludes to the fact that, when souls are just upon the verge of salvation, they are usually assailed by the most violent temptations. I may be addressing some who are just now in that condition. They are seeking the Savior- they have begun to pray- they are anxious to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ- yet they are meeting with difficulties such as they never knew before, and they are almost at their wits' end. It may help them if we describe some of the arrows which were shot at us when we came to the gate, for it may be that the darts which are being shot at them are of a similar sort.

A new MP3 sermon from The Narrated Puritan is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: Christian And The Arrows Of Beelzebub - Pictures in Pilgrims Progress Subtitle: Pilgrim's Progress Speaker: C. H. Spurgeon Broadcaster: The Narrated Puritan Event: Audio Book Date: 7/27/2023 Length: 16 min.

Join us as we discuss Little Pilgrim on his arduous trip to the Celestial City. Will he be able to navigate through the many dangers that thwart his forward progress? This beautifully illustrated allegory was derived from John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress, but Helen L. Taylor's use of anthropomorphism makes Bunyan's amazing story easily understood by children. Animals that are characters make the book not only interesting to kids but also add a degree of emotional distance for young readers, which can be important with a message as personal and powerful as this one. Christian is a young rabbit living in a city called Destruction. After losing his mother, finding an old Book, and hearing the Evangelist, Christian wants to make his way to the Celestial City where a wise King rules that loves little creatures. He asks his friends to make the journey with him, they all laugh at him except his friend Christiana. She's unable to go because she's caring for younger siblings so Christian bravely decides to embark on the journey all by himself. He feels his heavy burdens slowing him down but he plods forward, meeting: Simple, Sloth, Presumption, Passion, Patience, Hypocrisy, Mistrust, Faithful, Hopeful and a host of others. Some seek to stop him, while some help and encourage him. “Knock and it shall be opened unto you.” What doors do you want to open in this life? Follow Christian to discover how to wisely navigate the worldly dangers as Helen Taylor along with Joe Sutphin's amazing illustrations take readers on this unforgettable journey! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/recapbookchat/message

In this episode of Candid, Jonathan welcomes Tyler Van Halteren, a man with a deep-rooted commitment to enriching the lives of children and youth through the power of Christian faith and storytelling. Tyler, a Master's Divinity graduate from the Master's Seminary, has dedicated most of his life to sharing the teachings of Christ and the wisdom of the Bible through storytelling.From serving as an Associate Pastor at Gorrie Bible Fellowship in his home country of Canada, to teaching at Phnom Penh Bible School in Cambodia, Tyler's journey has been one of service and exploration. But it was the profound impact of 20-minute bedtime stories on his own son that sparked an innovative idea in him - why not blend the charm of bedtime stories with enduring lessons from the Bible?Taking up this challenge, Tyler founded Lithos Kids in 2020. His venture was no less than a mission to transform the world through biblically faithful and beautifully illustrated children's books. The launch of his first book, 'Little Pilgrim's Big Journey', on Kickstarter was a resounding success, exceeding its funding goal by 500%.  It quickly became a treasured children's book and Little Pilgrim's Big Journey, Volume 2 was released shortly after and Little Pilgrims Big Journey, Volume 3 is releasing soon. Now, as a father and an author, he continues his mission from southern Ontario, Canada, where he resides with his growing family. Join us as we dive into this inspiring journey with Tyler, discussing the importance of spiritual mentorship, the creative process behind his illustrated books, and his vision for instilling Christian values in young minds.This is an episode you don't want to miss, especially if you're a parent, an educator, or anyone interested in spiritual growth and innovative approaches to faith-based education. Be sure to tune in!Books by Tyler Van Halteren:Little Pilgrim's Big Journey Volume 1Little Pilgrim's Big Journey, Volume 2Little Pilgrim's Big Journey, Voume 3, Pre-OrderKingdom of God Storybook BibleTo ask Jonathan a question or connect with the Candid community, visit https://LTW.org/CandidFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/candidpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/candidpodTwitter: https://twitter.com/thecandidpod

Remember Lot's wife as you listen to today's Pilgrim's Progress story time. Stay on the path! Source

Remember Lot's wife as you listen to today's Pilgrim's Progress story time. Stay on the path!

Are you willing to go all the way through with Jesus?

Are you willing to go all the way through with Jesus? Source

Are your words and actions congruent or are you related to Mr. Talkative?

Are your words and actions congruent or are you related to Mr. Talkative? Source

Jacob and his sons once again start their pilgrimage and are finally able to be the blessing God has wanted the family to be all along. Gene Pensiero Jr. Find audio, video, and text of this whole series in the Old Testament book of Genesis at calvaryhanford.com/atruebeginning

IN THIS EPISODE: "He Who Would Valiant Be" by John Bunyan (1628-1688)"In a word, that man so told the story of Christian and his travels, that my heart fell into a burning haste to be gone after him; nor could father or mother stay me! So I got from them, and am come thus far on my way."Show Notes:  "Peicing Back Together" by Lake Isabel "Gypsy" by Augustine "He Who Would Valiant Be" by Wallingford Parish Church with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Facebook: www.facebook.com/storiesofhymnsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/hymn.stories/Hymn Stories is a part of the Media Gratiae Podcast Network.

Don't miss this new edition, In The Studio with Michael Card. Well start off the hour by talking with author Kevin Belmonte about “Pilgrims Progress”, the culture shaping book written centuries ago by John Bunyan. We'll see the important place this classic still has in the life of Christians today. In the second half we'll continue Michael's study from the Cove called “Walk with Jesus”. You'll want to have your Bible in hand as we continue to look as the fourth Messianic Miracle. We'll be in John 11 to consider the meaning of the details in the raising of Lazarus from the dead. Conversation, teaching and insightful songs from Michael that weave the hour together in this session, In The Studio with Michael Card.