Podcasts about spirit eph

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

Be Filled with The Spirit (Ephesians 5:15-18).  Pastor Ron Laney, Pleasant Grove Church, Carthage, MS.  www.PleasantGrove.info   Pastor Ron's Message Notes - Be Filled with The Spirit

Joshua Solowey | 01.12.25 | ethoschurch.org

V9 For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;[i] 1:9 He prays for them to have a deep and thorough understanding of God's will In the language of the New Testament, to be filled means to be “controlled by.” When we are filled with anger, we are controlled by anger. To be “filled with the Spirit” (Eph. 5:18) means to be “controlled by the Spirit.” Paul's prayer, then, is that these believers might be controlled by the full knowledge of God's will.[ii] We understand the will of God through the Word of God.[iii] Wisdom: or the ability to store up and organize principles of scripture ·         Understanding: the ability to apply those principles of scripture to daily living, a mental putting together The first step toward fullness of life is spiritual intelligence—growing in the will of God by knowing the Word of God.[iv]        Mark 8:36 "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?              John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? He can Save you if You ask Him based on His death, burial, and resurrection for your sins. Believe in Him for forgiveness of your sins today.               “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  -John 8:32             Our mission is to spread the gospel and to go to the least of these with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ; We reach out to those the World has forgotten.              hisloveministries.podbean.com #HLMSocial hisloveministries.net https://www.instagram.com/hisloveministries1/?hl=en His Love Ministries on Itunes Don't go for all the gusto you can get, go for all the God (Jesus Christ) you can get. The gusto will get you, Jesus can save you. https://www.facebook.com/His-Love-Ministries-246606668725869/?tn-str=k*F             The world is trying to solve earthly problems that can only be solved with heavenly solutions   [i] The New King James Version. (1982). (Col 1:9). Nashville: Thomas Nelson. [ii] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 111). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books. [iii] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 111). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books. [iv] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 111). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

Matthew the tax collector, also called a publican in the New Testament, had just been saved and called by Jesus to be His disciple. Obviously, this formerly despised sinner is excited and wants his old publican friends and others to rejoice with him. He prepares a great feast and even invites Jesus and His disciples. The critical Pharisees, who must have been nearby, are quick to criticize the disciples of Jesus for eating and drinking with such a group of terrible sinners. Jesus answers their criticisms with four illustrations.   First, Jesus basically says just like sick people need a physician, sinners need a Savior, and that is what I came for. Next, when they asked why His disciples didn't fast and make prayers like John's did, Jesus gave them the illustration of a bridegroom. You don't fast at a wedding, you celebrate. Jesus might have been reminding them of what John the Baptist had said in John 3:29 about rejoicing as a friend of the bridegroom, referring to Jesus.   “Then” Jesus gave the illustration of patching the old garment with a piece from a new garment (v. 36). Everyone knew that nobody patches an old garment with a piece of new cloth. The tough new cloth only makes the tear in the old, worn-out garment worse. Jesus had not come to patch up Judaism by darning some new religious ideas on to that old threadbare system. The worn and faded Judaism, so beloved by the rabbis, was beyond repair. His plan was to give people a new garment altogether. His own teaching, so rooted in God's Word and so new, vital, and refreshing, could never be tacked on to rabbinical ramblings. Interestingly and significantly, when the Lord died, Old Testament Judaism died with Him. God reached down from heaven and tore the temple veil in two (Matt. 27:51), signifying that Judaism was null and void.   Next, the Lord took His critics into the wineshop. If unfermented wine is put into brittle old wineskins, the gas will burst the skins and both the skins and the wine will be lost. The new life of the Spirit could not be forced into the old wineskins of Judaism. Jesus was revealing that the ancient Jewish religion was getting old and would soon be replaced (see Heb. 8:13). Most of the Jews preferred the old and refused the new. It was not until A.D. 70, when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and the temple, and scattered the people, that the Jewish religion as described in the Law came to an end. Today, the Jews do not have a priesthood, a temple, or an altar; so they cannot practice their religion as their ancestors did (see Hosea 3:4).   The things in the ceremonial Law were fulfilled by Jesus Christ, so there is no need today for sacrifices, priests, temples, and ceremonies. All of God's people are priests who bring spiritual sacrifices to the Lord (1 Peter 2:5, 9). The tables of Law have been replaced by the tables of the human heart, where God's Spirit is writing the Word and making us like Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 3:1-3, 18).   Jesus Christ still offers "all things new" (Rev. 21:5). As the Physician, He offers sinners new life and spiritual health. As the Bridegroom, He brings new love and joy. He gives us the robe of righteousness and the wine of the Spirit (Eph. 5:18; also see Acts 2:13). Life is a feast, not a famine or a funeral; and Jesus Christ is the only one who can make that kind of a difference in our lives.   Today, is Jesus and the Holy Spirit making a difference in your life?   God bless!

God is in her citadels; he has shown himself to be her fortress. Walk about Zion, go around her, count her towers, consider well her ramparts...That you may tell of them to the next generation (Psalm 48:3, 12, 13). In the Bible, cities can be centres of pride and corruption. Babylon symbolizes this kind of civilization (Revelation 17:18). However, a city can also be a centre of strength where the Lord God is worshipped. Jerusalem, also named Mount Zion, is the symbol of this form of society (Revelation 21). She is often called, the city of God. Throughout the Biblical story, Jerusalem, as the capital city of Israel, never fulfilled this destiny to be the city of God. Therefore, the Gentiles destroyed her in 586 BC and again in AD 70. Prophets such as Ezekiel and Isaiah looked for a new city with a new, restored temple. In the New Testament, the story turns from Israel to the church. Even before the physical temple in Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans, the church is identified as the new temple of God. Paul tells the Ephesians that they have been made members "of the household of God" and they are a building, under construction, growing "into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit" (Eph. 2:19-22). So, we do not come to "God's house" on Sundays for worship. We are God's house; we gather as God's temple. Honestly, church buildings do not mean much to God; he does not live in them. When John has his final vision in the Book of Revelation, he sees the New Jerusalem, God's city, which is also the bride of Christ. This city is His church (Rev. 21:9-11). Psalm 48 celebrates the greatness of Jerusalem on Mount Zion. Zion is great because God is great and he dwells in His city and in His temple, among His people. The immediate context of the psalm is probably that of worshippers going up to Jerusalem for one of the major festivals. We notice that as the worshippers head towards Jerusalem they contemplate this city. They ponder what it means that God is within her. The glory attributed to Jerusalem was never fulfilled in the Old Testament. The church, too, has fallen far short of the glory of God. We look much more like the Israel of the Old Testament than we generally care to admit. Yet, we eagerly await and look forward to the day when we will be glorious (Romans 8:18-23). Thus, this Psalm invites us to contemplate the church of Jesus. When we think of the church, what do we think about? Do we think about all the unholy people who claim to be Christians? Do we see the faults of our fellow worshippers? Many of us do exactly that. I'm sure it is one of the reasons why we have so many different denominations. We do need to be honest enough to admit the church's unholy state.  We should never try to minimize the hurt the church has caused. But we are also invited to see something more. God is among his people sanctifying his church. Do we see the Spirit at work preparing the bride of Christ? Can we see people being made holy and pure and spotless? Imagine your fellow worshippers being presented as holy to the Father in heaven. Your fellow worshippers will someday be part of that holy city. God will see it done. He is faithful. What a vision to prepare us for worshipping together! As you journey on, go with the blessing of God: May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you: wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness: protect you through the storm. May he bring you home rejoicing; at the wonders he has shown you. May he bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.

Geoff Thomas: The Holy Spirit – Chapter 20: “The Authority of the Holy Spirit”Marks of the Holy Spirit's Authroity1. Revelation [of the Word of God ~ 2 Peter 1:21]2. Regeneration ~ John 3:83. Sanctificationa. Mortification ~ Romans 8:13b. Vivification (transforming and fixing our minds on the glories of Christ) ~ 2 Cor. 3:18Submission to the Authority of the Spirit1. Not by hunch but by Holy Scripture2. Not by despair but by repentance3. Respecting the holiness of the Holy Spirit [by not grieving the Spirit]4. Not quenching the Spirit (1 Thess. 5:19)5. Being filled with the Spirit (Eph. 5:18)6. Setting your mind of spiritual things (Romans 8:5)For more information about this group, please visit their website at reformationboise.com. Every weekday at 8:00am you can listen to The Gospel for Life on 94.1 The Voice in the Treasure Valley, Idaho, USA. If you have a question, comment, or even a topic suggestion for the Pastors, you can email them. There is only one rule: Be Kind! Phone: (208) 991-3526E-mail: thegospelforlifeidaho@gmail.comPodcast website: https://941thevoice.com/podcasts/gospel-for-life/

We must recognize that the follower of Jesus cannot continue to move forward in Jesus without the Power of the Holy Spirit. (Eph 3:14-21)

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

Likely the most important truth about the Holy Spirit's active work that we must remember is that the Holy Spirit always works through his Word. Through his illuminating power, the Spirit opens our minds and hearts to accept and submit to the authority of the Word that he inspired. And thus it is through such submission to the Word that the Spirit sanctifies us. This is critically important to recognize: the Holy Spirit will not sanctify us apart from his Word.In fact, this is exactly what is indicated when Paul commands us to “be filled with the Spirit” (Eph 5:18). Like Spirit baptism and illumination, Spirit filling is another work of the Spirit that has been significantly confused in by errant teaching, but careful attention to the biblical text will give us clarity as to the exact nature of this work of the Spirit.Scott Aniol's blog:https://g3min.org/blogs/scott-aniol/Article, audio, itinerary:https://www.scottaniol.com/Podcast:https://anchor.fm/scottaniolFacebook:https://www.facebook.com/scottmaniolTwitter:https://twitter.com/ScottAniolInstagram:https://www.instagram.com/scottmaniol/

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

I first want to thank you for your prayers for us over this past weekend. I drove most of the night from New Life Baptist in White Marsh Maryland back to my home here in Sneads Ferry North Carolina. I arrived around 3:30am this morning and was of course quite tired, but I'm convinced that it was your prayers that kept us safe driving through the crazy traffic going around Baltimore and Washington DC on Interstate 95. Miraculously, I did not get sleepy or have a problem staying away the entire drive. Thank you, Thank you, Thank You!!!!! Psalm 149 brings us almost to the end of the Psalms, and still among the Hallelujahs. This is "a new song", evidently intended for the new creation, and the men who are of new heart. It is such a song as may be sung at the coming of the Lord, when the new dispensation shall bring overthrow to the wicked and honor to all the saints. The tone is exceedingly jubilant and exultant. It is obvious as you read this psalm that it looks forward to end of the Seven Year Tribulation period when the Lord Jesus Christ comes back with His saints on a white horse to execute judgment on the earth just before He sets up His one-thousand-year reign from the Throne of David (Revelation 19-20). Everything that God's people do in serving and glorifying the Lord must flow out of worship, for without Him we can do nothing (John 15:5). The most important activity of the local church is the worship of God, for this is the activity we will continue in heaven for all eternity. This psalm is a primer on worship and gives us the basic instructions we need. In verses 1-2 we learn we must worship the Lord intelligently. Worship is something that we must learn to do, and we will be learning all of our lives. In times of corporate worship, the saints do minister to one another (Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16), but the primary focus must be on the Lord, glorifying and extolling Him. Yes, we may worship the Lord in solitude, and we should (v. 5), but we must not forsake the assembly of the saints (Heb. 10:25). As members of the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:12-13, 27), we belong to each other, affect each other, and need each other. We need both the old songs and the new songs (see on 33:3), which suggests an intelligent balance in worship. The church family has young and old, new believers, and seasoned saints (1 Tim. 5:1-2; Titus 2:1-8; 1 John 2:12-14), and nobody should be ignored. The old songs bear witness to our steadfastness in keeping the faith, but the new songs give evidence that we are maturing in the faith as we grow in the knowledge of His Word and His grace (2 Peter 3:18). A maturing faith demands mature expressions of worship, just as a maturing marriage demands new expressions of devotion, but we do not abandon the old and major only on the new. "Let us press on to maturity" (Heb. 6:1). The old and the new must be integrated or we will not be balanced believers (Matt. 13:51-52). We must walk in the Spirit (Eph. 5:18-21) and grow in knowledge of the Word (Col. 3:16), learning new truths about the old truths and having new experiences of blessing from both. The church today can join with Israel in saying, "God is our Maker and our King" (Psalms 95:6; 100:3; 10:16; 24:7-10; Eph. 2:10; Rev. 15:3; 19:16). How He has made us is His gift to us, and what we do with it is our gift to Him. We must remind ourselves that we came from the dust, but because of God's grace, we are destined for glory! As the old song goes, "Soon and very soon, We're going to see the King." God bless!

In our next episode, Patrick and Jonah begin to explore Paul's exhortation to pray—“praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit” Eph 6:18 (KJV). What does it mean to pray in the Spirit? First, we acknowledge our need, then choose where to turn. Having taken up the sword of the Spirit, and aware of the spiritual battle all around us, we offer our prayers to the true source of wholeness and healing. And finally, we become a chalice, opening ourselves to receive God's will. Support the showMany thanks to Camilla Lake for show notes and Podcast/Patreon production and communications. Thanks also to Elliott Chamberlin who composed our theme music, “Seeking Together.” The Light in Every Thing is a podcast of The Seminary of The Christian Community in North America. Learn more about the Seminary and its offerings at our website. This podcast is supported by our growing Patreon community. To learn more, go to www.patreon.com/ccseminary.

     In the OT, the word repent translates the Hebrew verb nacham (נָחַם) which commonly means “to comfort…to find consolation, regret…to be sorry, come to regret something…to console oneself.”[1] This speaks of one's mental attitude, and was used of people (Gen 24:67; 27:42) and God (Gen 6:6; Deut 32:36). However, nacham also means to “change one's mind,”[2] and was used of the Lord who changed His mind about some action He was going to take. For example, Moses wrote, “So the LORD changed His mind [nacham] about the harm which He said He would do to His people” (Ex 32:14). In this way, nacham corresponds to the Greek word metanoeō (μετανοέω), which means to “change one's mind.”[3]      The word repent also translates the Hebrew verb shub (שׁוּב), which means to “turn; return, go back…revert; turn back.”[4] The word is used of an Israelite who restores a lost oxen or sheep to a fellow countryman (Deut 22:1-2), or returns a cloak to a poor man (Deut 24:12-13). The word is also used of God's people responding positively to His discipline and returning to Him in obedience (Deut 30:2-3, 9-10). Sometimes shub and nacham are used together, such as when God told Jeremiah, “if that nation against which I have spoken turns [shub] from its evil, I will relent [nacham] concerning the calamity I planned to bring on it” (Jer 18:8). Jonah recorded something similar concerning the Ninevites, saying, “When God saw their deeds, that they turned [shub] from their wicked way, then God relented [nacham] concerning the calamity which He had declared He would bring upon them. And He did not do it” (Jonah 3:10). In these passages, repentance is national and refers to a collective change of mind by the leadership and citizenry that leads to a cooperative change in behavior, a turning from evil that spares them God's wrath. The salvation given to the Ninevites (i.e., Assyrians) was national and temporary. The Assyrians eventually returned to their evil practices and destroyed Israel nearly 37 years later in 722 B.C. This shows that the repentance of one generation is merely the repentance of one generation, and that believing and humble parents does not guarantee believing and humble children. Eventually, God would destroy the Assyrians in 612 B.C. Repentance for the Unsaved      For the unsaved who are destined for the lake of fire, repentance is necessary concerning salvation if one understands it to mean having a change of mind that salvation is obtained solely in Christ. Unbelievers cannot stop sinning, which means they cannot save themselves, and their good works have no saving merit (Isa 64:6; Gal 2:16; Eph 2:8-9; Tit 3:5). The lost need to understand that salvation is 100% in Christ alone. Peter said, “there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). And when the Philippian Jailer asked Paul and Silas, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:30), the simple reply was given, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). The gospel is simple. It means believing in the One who died for our sins, was buried, and raised again on the third day, as Scripture teaches (1 Cor 15:3-4). And salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone (John 3:16), and not by any human effort (Eph 2:8-9; Tit 3:5), for “the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness” (Rom 4:5). For Christians, turning from a life of sin and producing good works should follow salvation (Eph 2:10; Gal 6:10), but they are never a condition of it. Arnold Fruchtenbaum states, “When the term ‘repentance' is used as a synonym for faith…it is a condition for salvation. For example, one has to change one's mind about who the Messiah is in order to be saved. So if repentance is meant as a synonym for belief, then yes, repentance is necessary for salvation.”[5] Robert B. Thieme Jr., states, “Salvation repentance occurs when the unbeliever hears the Gospel, understands it, and makes a decision to accept Christ's saving work (Luke 13:3, 5; Acts 17:30; 2 Pet 3:9). Believing in the Gospel message and repenting inherently operate together (Acts 20:21; Mark 1:14–15).”[6] According to Charles Ryrie: "Is repentance a condition for receiving eternal life? Yes, if it is repentance or changing one's mind about Jesus Christ. No, if it means to be sorry for sin or even to resolve to turn from sin, for these things will not save. Is repentance of sin a precondition to faith? No, though a sense of sin and the desire to turn from it may be used by the Spirit to direct someone to the Savior and His salvation. Repentance may prepare the way for faith, but it is faith that saves, not repentance (unless repentance is understood as a synonym for faith or changing one's mind about Christ)."[7]      When people hear God's Word accurately taught, it challenges them to change their mind about God and themselves. Paul, when speaking to the elders of the church at Ephesus spoke of “testifying to both Jews and Greeks of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21). Concerning this verse, J. Dwight Pentecost notes, “A change of attitude toward the revealed truth of God that produced a faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ was the substance of Paul's teaching there before the Ephesian elders.”[8] Should Fruit Follow in a New Believer?      Should we expect to see a change in one's values and behavior after being born again? Yes. We should expect to see a change in behavior. John the Baptist told his hearers, “Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance” (Matt 3:8). And Paul's message to the Gentiles was “that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds appropriate to repentance” (Acts 26:20). Ryrie notes, “Certainly when one changes his mind about Christ and receives Him as Savior, changes will follow in his life. All believers will bear fruit, so changes will follow.”[9] Zane Hodges states: "Of course, there is every reason to believe that there will be good works in the life of each believer in Christ. The idea that one may believe in Him and live for years totally unaffected by the amazing miracle of regeneration, or by the instruction and/or discipline of God his heavenly Father, is a fantastic notion—even bizarre. I reject it categorically."[10]      Such fruit in the life of believers assumes positive volition and takes time. Sometimes the fruit of the new life is invisible to others, as God works in the hearts of His children to lead them into right thinking and values that conform to His character and directives. Sometimes fruit is invisible, being merely a mental activity (Rom 12:1-2), in which believers know certain things to be true based on God's revelation, such as God being the One who created the universe (Gen 1:1), or claiming promises that stabilize the soul in the midst of adversity (Isa 26:3; Phil 4:6-9). Other times fruit is visible, such as when believers act in conformity with God's directives, speaking the truth in love (Eph 4:15), learning God's Word (2 Tim 2:15; 3:16-17), walking by faith (2 Cor 5:7; Heb 10:38), and advancing to spiritual maturity (Heb 6:1). When believers operate in carnality, this will produce sin and make them indistinguishable from unbelievers (Col 3:1-3), as they produce the fruit of the flesh (Gal 5:16-21). If such believers fail to confess their sin (1 John 1:9) and resume their walk with the Lord (Gal 5:16), they will fall into divine discipline (Heb 12:6), suffer loss of reward (1 Cor 3:10-15; 2 John 1:8), and may even die the sin unto death (1 Cor 11:30; 1 John 5:16). Repentance for God's Children      God commands His people to walk in His righteous ways, obeying Him and doing His will. A command implies intelligence to understand and volition to obey. It also implies that one has the capacity to refuse the command and turn away from God's will. It is possible for a righteous person to turn to a life of iniquity. Ezekiel warned about this on several occasions, saying, “When the righteous turns [shub] from his righteousness and commits iniquity, then he shall die in it” (Ezek 33:18; cf., Ezek 3:20, 18:24, 26). The Hebrew verb shub (שׁוּב), translated turn, here refers to the believer who “turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity” (Ezek 33:18a). That is, the believer changes his mind about living righteously and decides to pursue sin. The prophet warns that the righteous who turn to a lifestyle of iniquity will face God's punishment, perhaps even to the point of death, saying, “he shall die in it” (Ezek 33:18b).      Repentance is also used of Christians who are operating in a state of carnality and walking according to Satan's world system. For example, the Christians living in Ephesus were commanded by the Lord Jesus, “remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first” (Rev 2:5). Failure for Christians to repent of their carnality means they are subject to divine discipline. The Lord Jesus told Christians in Laodicea, “Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent” (Rev 3:19). In these cases, repentance means prioritizing God and His Word and submitting to His authority and pursuing a life of righteousness as God expects. The believer who does this will be devoted to learning Scripture (2 Tim 2:15; 1 Pet 2:2), walking by faith (2 Cor 5:7; Heb 10:38), being filled with the Spirit (Eph 5:18), walking in the Spirit (Gal 5:16), and will manifest the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23), secure rewards for eternity (1 Cor 3:10-15; 2 John 1:8), be a blessing to others (Matt 5:16; Gal 6:10), and glorify the Lord (1 Cor 10:31; 2 Cor 9:13). This is how believers should live. Does Sorrow Accompany Repentance?      Is there sorrow that leads to repentance? Yes, there can be true sorrow that leads to repentance. In his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul said, “the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death” (2 Cor 7:10). Though sorrow may lead to repentance, it does not always do so, as “the sorrow of the world produces death” and not salvation (2 Cor 7:10b). That is, one may be sorrowful, and yet never turn to Christ. Judas, when he betrayed Christ, “felt remorse” for his actions (Matt 27:3), and then “went away and hanged himself” (Matt 27:5). Fruchtenbaum notes, “Sorrow may accompany repentance, but the word itself does not mean ‘sorrow.' It simply means ‘to change one's mind' (Acts 8:22; 11:18; 20:21; 26:20; Heb 6:1, 6; 12:17; Rev 9:20).”[11] He further states, “If repentance is used merely as a synonym for believing in the Messiah—the way the Bible uses it—only in that sense is it truly a condition for salvation. But if—as some groups use it—repentance means ‘to feel sorry for one's sins,' then it indeed becomes a false addition to salvation.”[12] Concerning 2 Corinthians 7:10, Lewis Chafer states: "The common practice of reading into this word the thought of sorrow and heart-anguish is responsible for much confusion in the field of Soteriology. There is no reason why sorrow should not accompany repentance or lead on to repentance, but the sorrow, whatever it may be, is not repentance. In 2 Corinthians 7:10, it is said that “godly sorrow worketh repentance,” that is, it leads on to repentance; but the sorrow is not to be mistaken for the change of mind which it may serve to produce."[13] Dwight Pentecost adds: "You will observe from that verse that sorrow and repentance are not the same at all. Sorrow does its work, and when sorrow has done its work the product of sorrow is repentance and the product of the change of mind is salvation. The Apostle, then, has set up a progression: sorrow, repentance, and salvation. But the sorrow is not repentance, and the repentance is not salvation…Such a sorrow is not repentance, and we will miss the important teaching of the Word of God unless we are clear on the Scriptural concept that, in the Word of God, repentance is a change of mind."[14]      Repentance (a change of mind) and faith are like two sides of the same coin where one assumes the other. Lewis Chafer states, “It is asserted that repentance, which is a change of mind, enters of necessity into the very act of believing on Christ, since one cannot turn to Christ from other objects of confidence without that change of mind.”[15]Charles Ryrie adds: "What kind of repentance saves? Not a sorrow for sins or even a sorrow that results in a cleaning up of one's life. People who reform have repented; that is, they have changed their minds about their past lives, but that kind of repentance, albeit genuine, does not of itself save them. The only kind of repentance that saves is a change of mind about Jesus Christ. People can weep; people can resolve to turn from their past sins; but those things in themselves cannot save. The only kind of repentance that saves anyone, anywhere, anytime is a change of mind about Jesus Christ."[16] Joseph Dillow notes: "Is repentance necessary for personal salvation? It depends upon what one means by “repentance.” If it means turn from sin and submit to the Lordship of Christ, it is not necessary. But…if repentance means to admit that one is guilty and needs a Savior from sin, of course repentance is necessary. This is clearly taught in the Gospel of John (John 16:8-9) where we are told that the Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin. That means He brings them to a sense that they are wrong, they are guilty, and they need a Savior. That is repentance. No one comes to the Lamb of God who takes away sin (John 1:29), if he is not convinced that he is guilty and needs a Savior to take away his sin."[17]      In summary, the term “repent” is derived from the Hebrew word “nacham” and the Greek word “metanoeō,” both meaning “to change one's mind.” The term is employed both of people (Ex 13:17) and God (Ex 32:14; Jonah 3:10). Repentance, in the context of salvation, signifies a shift in mindset that recognizes Christ as the sole means of salvation. This understanding aligns with the gospel message of salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, and not by works (Rom 4:4-5; Gal 2:16; Eph 2:8-9). Repentance in salvation entails a recognition that God is holy, we are sinful, we cannot save ourselves, and we need a Savior. When one repents, they will believe the gospel message that Christ died for their sins, was buried, and resurrected on the third day (1 Cor 15:3-4), and will  trust in Christ alone as their Savior (Acts 4:12; 16:31). Dr. Steven R. Cook   [1] Ludwig Koehler et al., The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, 688–689. [2] William D. Mounce, Mounce's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old & New Testament Words, 993. [3] William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 640. [4] Willem VanGemeren, ed., New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology & Exegesis (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1997), 55. [5] Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, Faith Alone: The Condition of Our Salvation: An Exposition of the Book of Galatians and Other Relevant Topics, ed. Christiane Jurik, Second Edition. (San Antonio, TX: Ariel Ministries, 2016), 91. [6] Robert B. Thieme, Jr. “Repentance”, Thieme's Bible Doctrine Dictionary, 218. [7] Charles Caldwell Ryrie, So Great Salvation: What It Means to Believe in Jesus Christ (Chicago: Moody Press, 1997), 89–90. [8] J. Dwight Pentecost, Things Which Become Sound Doctrine, 64. [9] Charles Caldwell Ryrie, So Great Salvation: What It Means to Believe in Jesus Christ, 89. [10] Zane C. Hodges, A Free Grace Primer: The Hungry Inherit, The Gospel Under Siege, Grace in Eclipse, ed. Robert N. Wilkin (Denton, TX: Grace Evangelical Society, 2011), 274. [11] Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, Faith Alone: The Condition of Our Salvation: An Exposition of the Book of Galatians and Other Relevant Topics, 92. [12] Ibid., 92. [13] Lewis Sperry Chafer, Systematic Theology, 372. [14] J. Dwight Pentecost, Things Which Become Sound Doctrine, 63. [15] Ibid., 378. [16] Charles Caldwell Ryrie, So Great Salvation, 85. [17] Joseph C. Dillow, Final Destiny: The Future Reign of the Servant Kings.

     The Bible reveals God is holy.[1] God declares of Himself, “I am holy” (Lev 11:44), and the psalmist says, “holy is the LORD our God” (Psa 99:9), and the Seraphim declare, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts” (Isa 6:3). In these verses, the word “holy” translates the Hebrew word qadōsh (קָדוֹשׁ), which means “to be holy, [or] separated.”[2] James Swanson says it refers “to being unique and pure in the sense of superior moral qualities and possessing certain essential divine qualities in contrast with what is human.”[3] God's holiness is closely linked with His righteousness, justice, and perfection. Holiness denotes moral purity.      Because God is absolutely holy (Psa 99:9; Isa 6:3; Rev 15:4), it is written, “no evil dwells with You” (Psa 5:4). By definition, evil is “any act or event that is contrary to the good and holy purposes of God…Moral evil refers to acts (sins) of creatures that are contrary to God's holy character and law.”[4] According to Merrill F. Unger, moral evil “is the failure of rational and free beings to conform in character and conduct to the will of God.”[5]George Howley states, “God is separate from all evil and is in no way responsible for it…[and] It can only be attributed to the abuse of free-will on the part of created beings, angelic and human.”[6] Evil originates in the heart (Gen 6:5; Zech 8:17), can result in evil actions (Neh 13:17; Prov 24:8; 1 Pet 3:12), lead to proneness of evil (Ex 32:22; Deut 9:24), and mark an entire generation of people (Deut 1:35; Matt 12:45).      Being holy means God cannot be affixed to anything morally imperfect. This means the Lord cannot condone sin in any way. Scripture reveals, “Your eyes are too pure to approve evil, and You cannot look on wickedness with favor” (Hab 1:13), and “God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). Everett Harrison states: "The basic idea conveyed by the holiness of God is His separateness, i.e., His uniqueness, His distinction as the Wholly Other, the One who cannot be confused with the gods devised by men (Ex 15:11), the One who stands apart from and above the creation. Secondarily the holiness of God denotes His moral perfection, His absolute freedom from blemish of any kind (Psa 89:35)."[7]      The third Person of the Trinity bears the specific title of the Holy Spirit (John 14:26), which emphasizes His righteousness and separateness from sin (Isa 63:10; Eph 4:30). Jesus, as the Son of God, embodies the holiness of God in human form. Scripture tells us that Jesus was “holy, innocent, pure, and set apart from sinners” (Heb 7:26). Jesus lived and interacted with sinners (i.e., eating with them, attending weddings, etc.), but He never had sinful thoughts, spoke sinful words, or acted in sinful ways. No matter what was happening around Him, Jesus never crossed the line into sin. Without abandoning righteousness, He loved and spoke truth, displayed compassion, helped the weak, and rebuked the arrogant. He was always holy in thought, word, and deed, and though near to others, He was still “set apart from sinners” (Heb 7:26).      In one sense, a person or group is holy—set apart to God—simply by being part of the covenant community. It was said of Israel, “all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is in their midst” (Num 16:3). According to Allen Ross, “They were holy, because the Lord who set them apart was holy.”[8] Merrill F. Unger notes, “God has dedicated Israel as His people. They are ‘holy' by their relationship to the ‘holy' God. All of the people are in a sense ‘holy,' as members of the covenant community, irrespective of their faith and obedience.”[9] Being set apart to God, the Lord expected His people to be set apart from the world and behave in conformity with His righteous character and directives. Unger states, “Based on the intimate nature of the relationship, God expected His people to live up to His ‘holy' expectations and, thus, to demonstrate that they were a ‘holy nation.'”[10] The Lord told His people, “you are to be holy to Me, for I the LORD am holy; and I have set you apart from the peoples to be Mine” (Lev 20:26). According to Allen Ross, “The means of developing holiness required faith and obedience on their part. But because it was a nation of very human and often stubborn individuals, progression toward holiness did not develop instantly or easily, and for some it did not develop at all.”[11]      This is also true of Christians who are called “saints”, not because we act saintly, but because of our relation to God as part of the church, the body of Christ. Paul wrote to the church at Corinth, “to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling” (1 Cor 1:2). The word “saints” here translates the Greek hagios (ἅγιος), which pertains “to being dedicated or consecrated to the service of God.”[12] In this passage, hagios is a synonym for a believer in Christ, not a description of their character. All Christians are saints (Rom 1:7; 1 Cor 1:1-2; 2 Cor 1:1; Eph 1:1; Phil 1:1; Col 1:2). The Christians at Corinth were saints (positionally), even when they were behaving like mere men (1 Cor 3:1-3). Warren Wiersbe states: "The church is made up of saints, that is, people who have been “sanctified” or “set apart” by God. A saint is not a dead person who has been honored by men because of his or her holy life. No, Paul wrote to living saints, people who, through faith in Jesus Christ, had been set apart for God's special enjoyment and use. In other words, every true believer is a saint because every true believer has been set apart by God and for God."[13]      Christians living in the dispensation of the church age are called to holy living. Peter wrote, “like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, ‘you shall be holy, for I am holy'” (1 Pet 1:15-16). God, who is our Father, is holy, and He calls for His children to live holy lives. For Christians, living holy to the Lord is accomplished by advancing to spiritual maturity and living as obedient-to-the-Word believers (Heb 6:1). It means learning God's Word (Psa 1:2-3; Ezra 7:10; 2 Tim 2:15; 3:16-17; 1 Pet 2:2), living in submission to Him (Rom 12:1-2; Jam 4:7), walking by faith (2 Cor 5:7; Heb 10:38; 11:6), being filled with the Spirit (Eph 5:18), walking by means of the Spirit (Gal 5:16), accepting trials that help us grow (Jam 1:2-4), being devoted to prayer (Col 4:2; 1 Th 5:17; Eph 6:18), worship (Heb 13:15), being thankful (1 Th 5:18), fellowshipping with other believers (Heb 10:24-25), serving others (Gal 5:13; 6:10; 1 Pet 4:10; Phil 2:3-4), and taking advantage of the time we have (Eph 5:15-16). On the negative side, it means not loving the world (Jam 4:4; 1 John 2:15-16), nor quenching the Spirit (1 Th 5:19), nor grieving the Spirit (Eph 4:30). If we turn to sin—and that's always a possibility—it means we are not living holy lives as God expects. When Christians sin, it does not result in loss of salvation, but loss of fellowship with God. It also means that if we continue to live sinfully, that God may discipline us (Heb 12:5-11), and deny us eternal rewards (1 Cor 3:10-15; 2 John 1:8). Humble believers acknowledge their sin, and God restores them to fellowship when they confess it to Him, seeking His forgiveness (1 John 1:9). Dr. Steven R. Cook   [1] The apostle Paul referred to the Bible as “the holy Scriptures” (Rom 1:2), and “the sacred writings” (2 Tim 3:15). The terms “holy” and “sacred” mean the Bible is a special book in that it conveys divine revelation from God to mankind (2 Tim 3:16-17). Though written by human authors under the inspiration of God the Holy Spirit (2 Pet 1:20-21), the end product is “the word of God, which performs its work in you who believe” (1 Th 2:13). [2] Willem VanGemeren, ed., New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology & Exegesis (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1997), 868. [3] James Swanson, “קָדוֹשׁ”, Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains : Hebrew (Old Testament) (Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997). [4] Stanley Grenz, David Guretzki, and Cherith Fee Nordling, Pocket Dictionary of Theological Terms (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1999), 48. [5] Merrill Frederick Unger, R. K. Harrison, Howard Frederic Vos, et al., The New Unger's Bible Dictionary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1988). [6] George Howley, “Evil,” ed. D. R. W. Wood et al., New Bible Dictionary (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1996), 349. [7] Everett. F. Harrison, “Holiness; Holy,” ed. Geoffrey W Bromiley, The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1979–1988), 725. [8] Allen P. Ross, Holiness to the Lord: A Guide to the Exposition of the Book of Leviticus (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2002), 378. [9] W. E. Vine, Merrill F. Unger, and William White Jr., Vine's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (Nashville, TN: T. Nelson, 1996), 113. [10] Ibid., 113. [11] Allen P. Ross, Holiness to the Lord: A Guide to the Exposition of the Book of Leviticus, 48. [12] William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 10. [13] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1, 568.

Psalm 119:153-160 is the twentieth stanza of this psalm, and every line or verse begins with the twentieth letter of the Hebrew alphabet “RESH”, in the Hebrew Bible. Have you noticed that the writer became more urgent as he drew near the end of the psalm? The Hebrew alphabet was about to end, but his trials would continue, and he needed the help of the Lord. The last three stanzas all speak of persecution and trials, yet the writer still trusted the Lord. The higher we climb on the mountain of life the tougher the journey becomes. The older we get both physically and spiritually, we notice that we need the LORD more than ever before to help us and give us strength for the journey of life. The key phrase in this stanza is "revive me" (vv. 154, 156, 159), which means "give me life, lift me up and keep me going." The psalmist had prayed this prayer before (vv. 25, 37, 40, 88, 107, and 149), and the Lord had answered. Here, he not only prayed but also gave reasons why the Lord should answer. First, we can pray “revive me”, for He is our Redeemer (vv. 153-155). "Consider my affliction" is a request for the Lord to "see to" his needs. Abraham used this word when he answered his son's question in Genesis 22:8, "The Lord will see to it," in other words, He will provide the sacrifice. Our wonderful Lord not only "sees" the need but can "see to" providing what is needed. He is our Jehovah Jireh! "The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry" (Psalm 34:15; 1 Peter 3:12). The word "redeem" speaks of the kinsman redeemer who could rescue a family member in need, as Boaz rescued Ruth. (See Lev. 25:23-34.) In His incarnation, Jesus entered the human family and became our kinsman, and in the crucifixion, He paid the price to redeem us from sin, death, and hell. "Plead my cause" ties in with Jesus as our Kinsman Redeemer and also as our Surety (v. 122), Mediator, and Advocate, who represents us before the throne of God (1 John 2:1-2). In our affliction, it is comforting to know that the Son of God intercedes for us, hears our prayers, and meets our needs. Next, we ask the LORD to “revive me”, because He is Merciful (vv. 156-158). If we prayed on the basis of our own merit, God could never answer, but we come to the Father in the name of the Son (John 14:14; 15:16) and with the help of the Spirit (Eph. 2:18; Rom. 8:26-27). God in His grace gives us what we do not deserve, and in His mercy He does not give us what we do deserve. His throne is a throne of grace where grace and mercy are abundantly available to us (Heb. 4:16). The psalmist was still disgusted with the way the unbelievers lived (v. 158; see vv. 53, 136), but their bad example did not change his own convictions. Finally, we pray “revive me”, because His Word can be trusted (vv. 159-160). "The entirety of your word is truth" (v. 160) and this means all of it can be trusted. The totality of God's written revelation is not just true, it is truth. To love the Word is to obey it, and to obey it is to receive life from it. The Bible is not a magic book that conveys divine life to anyone who picks it up and reads it. God's living Word communicates His life and power to those who read it, meditate on it, and obey it because they love God and His Word. When Jesus raised the dead, it was through speaking the Word (Luke 7:11-17; 8:40-56; John 11:38-44; see John 5:24), and His Word gives us life today when we find ourselves in the dust (v. 25). Today, do you need strength for the journey? I assure you that you will find it as you spend time in communion with the LORD and His Word. God bless!

Romans 14:19 So then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another. Today's verse presents the conclusion to Paul's encouragement to his readers about how to relate to one another when there's a difference of opinion on disputable matters, issues where the Scriptures don't give clear direction. Therefore, this verse is a perfect live to love scripture encouragement. Let's read it again. “So then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another.” We can draw two goals for our relationships in such circumstances. First, pursue whatever will make for peace. Imagine a lake, the surface of which is very still. There are no waves. If you throw a rock into the lake, it disturbs the surface of the water and creates a ripple. The Holy Spirit is telling us that we are to relate to one another in such a way that there is no disturbances in our relationship with Jesus on an issue where we differ. Sometimes this is obvious if we simply pay attention to another person's countenance. Other times it's not quite so obvious and we might need to ask questions to find out where the Lord has them on an issue. Then we can do all that we can to encourage them in what they believe is pleasing to the Lord. So first, we pursue peace as we live to love with Jesus. Second, we pursue whatever builds up our brother or sister in their faith, their relationship with Jesus. The word for build up is a compound word in the Greek. oikos which is home or house, and dome which is to build. The idea is that we are to do whatever we can to edify our brother. Paul wrote to the Ephesians. Ephesians 4:29 “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.” Remember that we believers are God's household “in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit” (Eph. 2:21-22). So second, we pursue whatever edifies and builds up the faith of our brothers and sisters. Living to love with Jesus is pursuing peace and edification among our brothers and sisters in Christ. Think how this might apply to you and your spouse or you and your parents, if you are believers. These differences of opinion on these issues more often than not occur among family members. Think back over times when you have gotten in a debate or argument over some thing that hasn't been specifically addressed in Scripture such as music, food, and entertainment preferences. Did you pursue peace and edification in those occasions? If not, it might be a good idea to repent today to them, just to plant these words deep in your heart. I hope we will also purpose going forward to take to heart Paul's encouragement from this verse. Pursue peace and edification. Acknowledgment: Music from “Carried by the Father” by Eric Terlizzi. www.ericterlizzi.com

Psalm 119:113-120 is the fifteenth stanza of this psalm, and every line or verse begins with the fifteenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet “SAMEKH”, in the Hebrew Bible. It is obvious from this passage that the psalmist is dealing with the enemy of his fellowship with the LORD, who is trying to drag him back into the world with his lies and deceit. If the life of faith consisted only of meditating on the Word and loving God, life would be easy, but people of faith have enemies, and life in this world is not easy. "Through many tribulations we enter the kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22). In my Bible I have a name written next to verse 113 that reminds me of something that took place over 27 years ago in our ministry. I was the new pastor at Rainbow Forest in Troutville and at that time I would have everyone stand for the reading from God's Word and we were reading eight verses each Sunday from Psalm 119. That particular Sunday we were reading Psalm 119:113-120. There was a dear lady who was a first time visitor in attendance and when we read, “I hate the double-minded..”, she was stricken with conviction that she was a double-minded person and needed to get right with the LORD. She called me that week and came in to talk with us and she received the Lord as her Savior and dedicated her life to Him. She later went overseas as a missionary and was wonderfully used of the Lord to touch many people. Wow! One verse from this passage changed a whole lot of lives for the glory of God! In these verses the psalmist gives us four assurances that will help us face the enemy with courage and win the battle. First, we can be assured that God protects His people (vv. 113-115). The "double-minded" were the people who were undecided and therefore uncommitted to the Lord (1 Kings 18:21; James 1:8; 4:8). Today, we would call them "halfhearted." The psalmist knew that his shelter and shield was the Lord alone, and he trusted in Him. He is not hiding in the Lord from fear of facing the enemy, because he addresses the enemy in verse 115. Only in the Lord could he find the help he needed. The Lord protects us that He might equip us to face the enemy and fight the battle. The psalmist had his heart set on the Lord (v. 112), so there was no need to reconsider the matter. It was settled! Second, we can be sure that God upholds the obedient (vv. 116-117). The word “uphold” in verse 116, is sometimes translated “sustain”. “Sustain" pictures the believer leaning on the Lord for support and rest, while "hold me up" in verse 117, gives the idea of giving aid and refreshment. When we feel like falling down and just giving up, the Lord comes to our aid in ways we could never fully understand. Next, we need to remember that God rejects the wicked (vv. 118-119). God's people in the Old Testament fought their enemies with swords and slings, but God's people today use the sword of the Spirit (Eph. 6:17; Heb. 4:12). It is a conflict between truth and lies, and God's truth must prevail. The writer described the enemy as sheep that had gone astray (vv. 10, 21, 176) and as cheap dross that must be discarded (Prov. 25:4; 26:23; Isa. 1:22, 25). God in His judgments purifies the saints but reveals the wickedness of the sinners, the way the refiner's furnace reveals the dross (Jer. 6:28-30; Ezek. 22:18-19; Mal. 3:2-3). "Their deceitful is falsehood" (v. 118) means that the thoughts and plans of the wicked are based on lies, but they are only deceiving themselves because their plans will fail. Finally, we should keep in mind that God alone should be feared (v. 120). The fear of the Lord is the fear that conquers every fear. "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?" (Heb. 13:6). This takes us back to verse 113: if we are single-minded, we will fear only the Lord and trust Him. "The battle is the LORD's” (1 Samuel 17:47). God bless!

In this episode of GreekMatters, Dr. Fredrick J. Long discusses Ephesians 1:15-28. #ephesians #greek #biblicalgreek #biblestudy #koine #riches #spirit #podcast #subscribe --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/glossahouse/message

Eternal Life      John wrote, “whoever believes will in Him have eternal life” (John 3:15), and “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16). And Jesus pointed others to Himself, saying, “For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:40), and “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life” (John 6:47; cf., 10:28). Jesus, when saying the believer “has” eternal life in John 6:47, used the Greek verb echō (ἔχω – to have or possess), which is in the present tense, meaning it's a right-now-truth. That is, eternal life is what the believer possesses at the moment of faith in Christ. This eternal life is connected with being in a relationship with Jesus Christ. John wrote, “God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life” (1 John 5:11-12).      We should also understand that eternal life does not merely refer to our unending existence in which we spend eternity with God in heaven, but that there's a qualitative dimension to it. Jesus said, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10), and “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (John 17:3). Merrill C. Tenney states, “Eternal, the new life God gives, refers not solely to the duration of existence but also to the quality of life as contrasted with futility. It is a deepening and growing experience. It can never be exhausted in any measurable span of time, but it introduces a totally new quality of life.”[1] In its entirety, eternal life is a free gift offered by God to those who trust in Christ as Savior (John 3:16; Eph 2:8-9), an experience to be enjoyed now (John 10:10), and a future reward for a life of sacrifice (Luke 18:29-30). As we advance spiritually in our walk with the Lord by learning His Word (2 Tim 2:15; 3:16-17; 1 Pet 2:2; 2 Pet 3:18), being filled with the Spirit (Eph 5:18), walking obediently by faith (2 Cor 5:7; Heb 10:38; 11:6), praying often (Eph 6:18; 1 Th 5:17), developing an attitude of gratitude (Eph 5:20; 1 Th 5:18), fellowshipping with other believers (Acts 2:42; Heb 10:25), engaging in worship (Eph 5:19; Heb 13:15), and allowing trials to shape us spiritually (Jam 1:2-4), we will experience what Paul told Timothy, when he instructed him to “take hold of the eternal life to which you were called” (1 Tim 6:12). This is the quality of life of believers who, in time, operate with positive volition toward God as their divine Parent and obey His directives to advance to spiritual maturity. Wiersbe notes, “We have ‘eternal life' and need to take hold of it and let it work in our experience.”[2] MacDonald adds, “He is to lay hold on eternal life. This does not mean that he is to strive for salvation. That is already his possession. But here the thought is to live out in daily practice the eternal life which was already his.”[3] Joseph Dillow states: "Possessing eternal life is one thing in the sense of initial entrance, but “taking hold” of it is another. The former is static; the latter is dynamic. The former depends on God; the latter depends on us. The former comes through faith alone; “taking hold” requires faith plus “keeping commandments” (1 Timothy 6:14). Those who are rich in this world and who give generously “will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life” (1 Timothy 6:19). Eternal life is not only the gift of regeneration; it is also “true life” that is cultivated by faith and acts of obedience."[4] Expiation      The doctrine of expiation is closely related to propitiation. Propitiation means satisfaction and refers to God the Father's approval of the death of Christ on behalf of sinners. Expiation emphasizes the removal of sin, as well as its guilt and punishment. Because God is holy and just, sin is an offense that demands His punishment. According to John Stott, God's wrath refers to “His steady, unrelenting, unremitting, uncompromising antagonism to evil in all its forms and manifestations.”[5] By means of the penal substitutionary atoning death of Jesus, God's wrath is satisfied concerning His righteous demands for our sin, and when we turn to Christ as Savior, all our sins are forgiven (Eph 1:7), and we are reconciled to God (Rom 5:10; 2 Cor 5:18-20). Jesus is “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29), and we know “He appeared in order to take away sins” (1 John 3:5), and that Jesus “released us from our sins by His blood” (Rev 1:5). Bruce Demarest states, “the focus of propitiation is Godward—Christ's sacrifice pays the penalty of sin so as to appease God's wrath. But the focus of expiation is humanward—Christ's sacrifice removes the stain of sin and the sinner's liability to suffer sin's punishment.”[6] Charles Hodge adds, “Expiation and propitiation are correlative terms. The sinner, or his guilt is expiated; God, or justice, is propitiated.”[7]      Propitiation is a word that speaks to our relationship with the Father. He was angry with us prior to our coming to Jesus, as we were “enemies” of God (Rom 5:10), spiritually “dead” in our trespasses (Eph 2:1; cf., Col 2:13), and “children of wrath” (Eph 2:3). But now, because of the death of Christ, the Father accepts those who have trusted in Jesus as Savior, and has “forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross” (Col 2:13b-14). Robert B. Thieme, Jr. states: "Expiation describes the work of Christ on the cross that canceled mankind's debt owed for the penalty of sin. Man's penalty for sin is spiritual death, total separation from God. This is the status of every human being at birth due to Adam's fall (Rom 6:23a; Eph 2:1). The penalty placed all fallen humanity hopelessly in debt to God and incapable of paying the obligation. The only one qualified to pay was Jesus Christ, the Lamb without sin. He “bore our sins in His body on the cross” and was judged by God the Father (1 Pet 2:24a; cf. Isa 53:6b). Jesus Christ Himself covered the cost of man's spiritual death and “canceled out the certificate of debt” (Col 2:14). As a result, every human being is released from obligation and free to accept or reject the grace gift of salvation."[8] Dr. Steven R. Cook     [1] Merrill C. Tenney, “John,” in The Expositor's Bible Commentary: John and Acts, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 9 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 50. [2] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 236. [3] William MacDonald, Believer's Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments, ed. Arthur Farstad (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1995), 2101. [4] Joseph C. Dillow, Final Destiny: The Future Reign of the Servant Kings, 4th Edition (Houston, TX: Grace Theology Press, 2018). [5] John R. W. Stott, The Cross of Christ (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Books, 2006), 171. [6] Bruce A. Demarest, The Cross and Salvation: The Doctrine of Salvation, Foundations of Evangelical Theology (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1997), 180. [7] Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, vol. 2 (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997), 478. [8] Robert B. Thieme, Jr. “Expiation”,  Thieme's Bible Doctrine Dictionary, 94.

Dear OBC Family,Over these past weeks we have celebrated the birth of several children in our congregation, and this is a wonderful thing. Every child is a gift of God's grace. As parents we pray for our children, and for what kind of people they will grow up to become.This Sunday, we will look at a birth announcement of John the Baptist, as given from Gabriel to Zechariah in Luke 1:5-25. And this is not simply their son, but their son would grow up to be the forerunner of the Messiah. This is good news for Zechariah and Elizabeth, miraculous news, hard-to-believe news. Not only for them, but for all of God's people as they have waited through the ages for the coming of Christ.And it is good news for us today, as we see the faithfulness of God who keeps his promises and brings his Word to pass. This is good and wonderful news for God's people. I invite you to read ahead and think about Luke 1:5-25 in advance of this Sunday. I look forward to worshiping our Great God and Savior with you on this Lord's Day!Blessings in Christ,Pastor Ben---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Discussion & Response Questions (Luke 1:5-25)What does this text reveal to us about God?Was Elizabeth's barrenness God's judgment against her? What promises are given about barrenness in the Old Covenant? How should we understand barrenness in the New Covenant today?What does this text teach us about God's providence?Consider Elizabeth's reversal from barrenness to life. Where else do we see this in Scripture? Why is this significant? Why is Zechariah's mouth closed? Contrast this with Isaiah 6:1-7 and Mary's faith in Luke 1:34.How should Zechariah's heart and words have responded to this announcement? Where else does the Scripture speak about God closing mouths?What is the mission of their promised son? How will John be set apart, and how will he prepare the way for the coming of the Lord?Consider how Paul picks up the idea of Luke 1:15 and contrasts drunkenness with being filled by the Spirit (Eph 5:15-20; Gal 5:14-24). What does preparation for the second coming of our Lord look like today? (Matt 28:18-20)How ought we to respond to this text?

GOD MAKES YOU STRONG Romans 16 Gone Fishing Series Fishing isn't an easy profession. There are no set workdays; the hours are endless, with often little results. The weather can often be a problem; you must wait for days and weeks for the conditions to change. Likewise, fishing for souls is not for the faint at heart. We must be on the job 24/7; there is no break from being a living witness. Some missionaries like Hudson Taylor didn't see any conversions for years. We might think we have caught a fish, and just as they are about to be pulled into the boat, we lose them. Yet, we cannot change professions; if we are going to keep following Jesus, it means fishing for souls. When a fisherman finally gets a big one, they are so thrilled that they forget all the difficulty leading up to it. There is no more incredible feeling than leading someone into eternal life, seeing their chains come off, and being transformed before our eyes.   Here, in the final part of Paul's letter to the Romans, he gives greetings to all his friends as the custom of the time. Interestingly, considering some denominations' beliefs regarding women, 40% of those he mentioned were women who, for the most part, were ministry leaders. We can only go as far as our team; Paul had such incredible reach because of the vast team that he established on his mission trips. A team is only as strong as they are connected. Paul communicated through these letters to keep his team strong and His reach far.   Paul's final instruction to the church in Rome is to watch out for people who cause division by teaching contrary to what Paul had taught them. He encourages them that the God of peace will crush Satan's attempts to hinder the work. We live in a culture where issues are neglected because of the fear of confrontation; we don't want to offend. We are not of this world; we serve the King In His Kingdom and are, therefore, to do things His way. As Spiritual Leaders, we are to guard the sheep and be willing to do whatever is necessary to maintain the unity of the Spirit (Eph. 4:3).   Galatians 6:9 says, “Let us not become weary in doing good for in the right time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” This is written because it is easy to become weary, to want to give up. We have to keep our eye on the promise of the harvest. The key, as it says in Romans 16:25, “Now all Glory to God, who can make you strong.....” Isaiah 41:10 says to wait on the Lord, and He will renew our strength. Ephesians 6:10-12 says to be strong in the Lord and the power of His might, to put on the whole armor of God…..   We learn here that the key to being good fishermen is strength. God makes us strong, but we must wait on Him and let Him clothe us in his strength. This is a good end to the Gone Fishing series and a good introduction to our next series, which will be “BE STRONG.”  

In this episode, Dr. Fredrick J. Long considers was wise living in the Spirit looks like as he dives into Ephesians 5:15-21. Tune in! #ephesians #biblestudy #wisdom #holyspirit #spirituality Ephesians, Bible Study, Wisdom, Holy Spirit, Spirituality, --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/glossahouse/message

Over the last twenty years, alcohol and drug use have risen, with marijuana being legalized in 23 states, and popular breweries and pubs popping up in downtowns across America. LSD use has doubled over this period, and CBD gummies are now available at corner shops everywhere. In the midst of this uptick, a number of popular Reformed pastors and commentators are openly drinking alcohol on their podcasts, extolling the virtues of their favorite whiskey or beer. What is the Christian to make of all of this—particularly where alcohol is concerned? In this podcast, Scott Brown and Jason Dohm, joined by special guest Tom Ford, break down the issues biblically, explaining the lawful use of alcohol, while issuing a sober warning about the life-destroying dangers of drunkenness. Rather than seeking solace in an altered state of mind, Christians must follow the Scriptures: “Be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit” (Eph. 5:18).  

The BAPTISM in the SPIRIT is to receive the Spirit UPON. In Acts, new believers normally received this Baptism soon after their salvation. The PURPOSE of the Baptism in the Spirit is to EMPOWER us to fulfil the Great Commission (Acts 1:8). As well as (1) having the Spirit WITHIN for our own blessing and walk with God (HOLINESS), we also need (2) the POWER of His Spirit, through His Spirit UPON us, to communicate His life and blessing to others. This 2-fold BLESSING of the SPIRIT corresponds to the 2-fold BLESSING of Abraham (Gen 12:2). The Baptism in the Spirit empowers us to be a blessing to others, especially by sharing the Gospel with them, so they can be saved. This 2-fold ministry of the SPIRIT in the New Covenant was prophesied in the Old Testament (Ezek 36:26-27, Joel 2:28-29). The promise of the Baptism in the Spirit (Matt 3:11) came to pass on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 1:5). The life of Jesus, our example and representative reveals this 2-fold experience of the Spirit: (1) He had the Spirit WITHIN Him from birth, and lived a perfectly holy life, even before (2) He was BAPTISED in the Spirit at 30, when He received the Spirit UPON to supernaturally EMPOWER Him for His ministry to others (Luke 3:21-22, John 1:32-33, 2:11, 4:18). When we are born again, we have the SPIRIT WITHIN, but we also need to receive the SPIRIT UPON to empower us to witness and minister to others. Jesus baptises us in the Spirit - the Spirit UPON us (John 1:33). In His teaching, He described these 2 experiences of the Spirit in terms of living water: (1) A Fountain of living water within (John 4:10-14), and (2) Rivers of living water flowing out of us (John 7:37-39). The apostles also had this 2-fold experience (receiving) of the Spirit: (1) They were BORN AGAIN and received the SPIRIT WITHIN on the day of the resurrection (John 20:22, Gen 2:7). Then Christ prepared them to receive the Baptism in the Spirit (Luke 24:48-49, Acts 1:4-5,8). Then (2) they were baptised in the Spirit at Pentecost, when He came UPON them (Acts 2:1-4). There were 2 aspects to their experience of being baptised in the Spirit: (1) The Spirit came UPON them (v3), and (2) He filled their souls from within (v4). To be filled with the Spirit and so receive the Spirit UPON, we must surrender our soul and body to God to do His will and fulfil His mission. Moreover, God wants us to stay continually filled with the Spirit (Eph 5:18). By surrendering our souls to God and yielding our bodies to Him (by speaking out the words the Spirit gives us), we allow the Spirit to fill our souls from within, and to come UPON us. The outward evidence the Spirit has filled us and has now come upon us, is that we have yielded our tongue to His control by speaking in tongues (v4). Acts 2:4 describes the first time believers received the Baptism in the Spirit, and so it is the prototype description, God's blueprint for all New Covenant believers. In Acts 11, Peter confirms what they received at Pentecost was the Baptism in the Spirit, because he says what the Gentiles received, when the Spirit came upon them in Acts 10, was the same experience the Jews had ‘at the Beginning' (Pentecost), which he then described as the Baptism in the Spirit (Acts 11:15-16). Acts 8 describes the 2-stage experience of the Samaritans. They heard the Gospel and were baptised in water, so they were saved (v14,16), but they had not yet received the Spirit upon them (v15-16). When the apostles laid hands on them they received the Spirit upon (v17), which was manifested outwardly in a supernatural way (v18-19), namely by them speaking in tongues (v20). The 2-Stage experience of the Paul is in Acts 9: (1) He was SAVED when he saw the risen Christ and called him ‘Lord' (Acts 9:5-6). (2) He was FILLED with the SPIRIT, when Ananias prayed for him 3 days later (Acts 9:9-18), and he spoke in tongues (1Cor 4:18). The Gentile Pentecost is described in Acts 10:44-48 as the Spirit coming upon them, and in 11:15-16 as the Baptism in the Spirit. Just as at Pentecost, the outward evidence of the Baptism was speaking in tongues. This was the only proof the apostles looked for and accepted. Finally, we study the 2-stage experience of the Ephesians in Acts 19. Paul's question in v2 shows that receiving the Baptism in the Spirit is not automatic, when you believe in Christ for salvation. The Ephesians (1) believed the Gospel, that Paul preached to them and were saved (v5a), then they were baptised (v5b), and then (2) "when Paul laid hands on them, the HOLY SPIRIT came UPON them, and they SPOKE with TONGUES and prophesied” (v5c). So, they were BAPTISED in the SPIRIT subsequent to their SALVATION, as a distinct experience. Consistently in Acts, it was normal for Christians to receive the Baptism in the Spirit as a separate experience soon after salvation, and the outward evidence of this Baptism in the Spirit is speaking in tongues.

The BAPTISM in the SPIRIT is to receive the Spirit UPON. In Acts, new believers normally received this Baptism soon after their salvation. The PURPOSE of the Baptism in the Spirit is to EMPOWER us to fulfil the Great Commission (Acts 1:8). As well as (1) having the Spirit WITHIN for our own blessing and walk with God (HOLINESS), we also need (2) the POWER of His Spirit, through His Spirit UPON us, to communicate His life and blessing to others. This 2-fold BLESSING of the SPIRIT corresponds to the 2-fold BLESSING of Abraham (Gen 12:2). The Baptism in the Spirit empowers us to be a blessing to others, especially by sharing the Gospel with them, so they can be saved. This 2-fold ministry of the SPIRIT in the New Covenant was prophesied in the Old Testament (Ezek 36:26-27, Joel 2:28-29). The promise of the Baptism in the Spirit (Matt 3:11) came to pass on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 1:5). The life of Jesus, our example and representative reveals this 2-fold experience of the Spirit: (1) He had the Spirit WITHIN Him from birth, and lived a perfectly holy life, even before (2) He was BAPTISED in the Spirit at 30, when He received the Spirit UPON to supernaturally EMPOWER Him for His ministry to others (Luke 3:21-22, John 1:32-33, 2:11, 4:18). When we are born again, we have the SPIRIT WITHIN, but we also need to receive the SPIRIT UPON to empower us to witness and minister to others. Jesus baptises us in the Spirit - the Spirit UPON us (John 1:33). In His teaching, He described these 2 experiences of the Spirit in terms of living water: (1) A Fountain of living water within (John 4:10-14), and (2) Rivers of living water flowing out of us (John 7:37-39). The apostles also had this 2-fold experience (receiving) of the Spirit: (1) They were BORN AGAIN and received the SPIRIT WITHIN on the day of the resurrection (John 20:22, Gen 2:7). Then Christ prepared them to receive the Baptism in the Spirit (Luke 24:48-49, Acts 1:4-5,8). Then (2) they were baptised in the Spirit at Pentecost, when He came UPON them (Acts 2:1-4). There were 2 aspects to their experience of being baptised in the Spirit: (1) The Spirit came UPON them (v3), and (2) He filled their souls from within (v4). To be filled with the Spirit and so receive the Spirit UPON, we must surrender our soul and body to God to do His will and fulfil His mission. Moreover, God wants us to stay continually filled with the Spirit (Eph 5:18). By surrendering our souls to God and yielding our bodies to Him (by speaking out the words the Spirit gives us), we allow the Spirit to fill our souls from within, and to come UPON us. The outward evidence the Spirit has filled us and has now come upon us, is that we have yielded our tongue to His control by speaking in tongues (v4). Acts 2:4 describes the first time believers received the Baptism in the Spirit, and so it is the prototype description, God's blueprint for all New Covenant believers. In Acts 11, Peter confirms what they received at Pentecost was the Baptism in the Spirit, because he says what the Gentiles received, when the Spirit came upon them in Acts 10, was the same experience the Jews had ‘at the Beginning' (Pentecost), which he then described as the Baptism in the Spirit (Acts 11:15-16). Acts 8 describes the 2-stage experience of the Samaritans. They heard the Gospel and were baptised in water, so they were saved (v14,16), but they had not yet received the Spirit upon them (v15-16). When the apostles laid hands on them they received the Spirit upon (v17), which was manifested outwardly in a supernatural way (v18-19), namely by them speaking in tongues (v20). The 2-Stage experience of the Paul is in Acts 9: (1) He was SAVED when he saw the risen Christ and called him ‘Lord' (Acts 9:5-6). (2) He was FILLED with the SPIRIT, when Ananias prayed for him 3 days later (Acts 9:9-18), and he spoke in tongues (1Cor 4:18). The Gentile Pentecost is described in Acts 10:44-48 as the Spirit coming upon them, and in 11:15-16 as the Baptism in the Spirit. Just as at Pentecost, the outward evidence of the Baptism was speaking in tongues. This was the only proof the apostles looked for and accepted. Finally, we study the 2-stage experience of the Ephesians in Acts 19. Paul's question in v2 shows that receiving the Baptism in the Spirit is not automatic, when you believe in Christ for salvation. The Ephesians (1) believed the Gospel, that Paul preached to them and were saved (v5a), then they were baptised (v5b), and then (2) "when Paul laid hands on them, the HOLY SPIRIT came UPON them, and they SPOKE with TONGUES and prophesied” (v5c). So, they were BAPTISED in the SPIRIT subsequent to their SALVATION, as a distinct experience. Consistently in Acts, it was normal for Christians to receive the Baptism in the Spirit as a separate experience soon after salvation, and the outward evidence of this Baptism in the Spirit is speaking in tongues.

A new MP3 sermon from Living Water Baptist Church is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: Being Filled with the Spirit (Eph. 5:18) Subtitle: Ephesians: Building the Church Speaker: Shaun Marksbury Broadcaster: Living Water Baptist Church Event: Sunday - PM Date: 6/4/2023 Bible: Ephesians 5:18 Length: 50 min.

A new MP3 sermon from Living Water Baptist Church is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: Being Filled with the Spirit (Eph. 5:18) Subtitle: Ephesians: Building the Church Speaker: Shaun Marksbury Broadcaster: Living Water Baptist Church Event: Sunday - PM Date: 6/4/2023 Bible: Ephesians 5:18 Length: 50 min.

Series: N/AService: Sunday Morning WorshipType: SermonSpeaker: Mike Brenneman

     Restore Broken Fellowship with God Through Confession of Personal Sin. All believers sin, and there are none who attain perfection in this life (Pro 20:9; Eccl 7:20; 1 John 1:8-10). For this reason, familial forgiveness is necessary for a healthy relationship with God. David understood the folly of trying to conceal his sins, which resulted in psychological disequilibrium and pain; however, when he confessed his sin, God forgave him (Psa 32:2-5). John wrote, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). God forgives because it is His nature to do so, for He “merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness and truth” (Psa 86:15; cf. Psa 103:8-14). And He is able to forgive because Christ has atoned for our sins at the cross, satisfying the Father's righteous demands regarding our offenses. The apostle John wrote, “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; 2 and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world” (1 John 2:1-2). The challenge for many believers is to trust God at His word and accept His forgiveness and not operate on guilty feelings. William MacDonald states: "The forgiveness John speaks about here [i.e., 1 John 1:9] is parental, not judicial. Judicial forgiveness means forgiveness from the penalty of sins, which the sinner receives when he believes on the Lord Jesus Christ. It is called judicial because it is granted by God acting as Judge. But what about sins which a person commits after conversion? As far as the penalty is concerned, the price has already been paid by the Lord Jesus on the cross of Calvary. But as far as fellowship in the family of God is concerned, the sinning saint needs parental forgiveness, that is, the forgiveness of His Father. He obtains it by confessing his sin. We need judicial forgiveness only once; that takes care of the penalty of all our sins—past, present, and future. But we need parental forgiveness throughout our Christian life."[1]      Be Filled with the Spirit. Paul wrote to Christians, “don't get drunk with wine, which leads to reckless actions, but be filled by the Spirit” (Eph 5:18 CSB). If a believer consumes too much alcohol, it can lead to cognitive impairment and harmful behavior. But the believer who is filled with the Spirit will possess divine viewpoint and manifest the fruit of godliness, worship, and thankfulness to the Lord (Eph 5:19-20). Being filled with the Spirit means being guided by Him rather than our own desires or the desires of others. The Spirit's guidance is always according to Scripture. Being filled with the Spirit does not mean we have more of Him, but that He has more of us, as we submit to His leading. Warren Wiersbe comments: “Be filled with the Spirit” is God's command, and He expects us to obey. The command is plural, so it applies to all Christians and not just to a select few. The verb is in the present tense, “keep on being filled”, so it is an experience we should enjoy constantly and not just on special occasions. And the verb is passive. We do not fill ourselves but permit the Spirit to fill us. The verb “fill” has nothing to do with contents or quantity, as though we are empty vessels that need a required amount of spiritual fuel to keep going. In the Bible, filled means “controlled by.” “They... were filled with wrath” (Luke 4:28) means “they were controlled by wrath” and for that reason tried to kill Jesus. “The Jews were filled with envy” (Acts 13:45) means that the Jews were controlled by envy and opposed the ministry of Paul and Barnabas. To be “filled with the Spirit” means to be constantly controlled by the Spirit in our mind, emotions, and will…But how can a person tell whether or not he is filled with the Spirit? Paul stated that there are three evidences of the fullness of the Spirit in the life of the believer: he is joyful (Eph. 5:19), thankful (Eph. 5:20), and submissive (Eph. 5:21–33). Paul said nothing about miracles or tongues, or other special manifestations.[2] Lewis S. Chafer wrote: "To be filled with the Spirit is to have the Spirit fulfilling in us all that God intended Him to do when he placed Him there. To be filled is not the problem of getting more of the Spirit: it is rather the problem of the Spirit getting more of us. We shall never have more of the Spirit than the anointing which every true Christian has received. On the other hand, the Spirit may have all of the believer and thus be able to manifest in him the life and character of Christ. A spiritual person, then, is one who experiences the divine purpose and plan in his daily life through the power of the indwelling Spirit. The character of that life will be the out-lived Christ. The cause of that life will be the unhindered indwelling Spirit (Eph 3:16-21; 2 Cor 3:18)."[3] Charles Ryrie states: "To be filled with the Spirit means to be controlled by the Spirit. The clue to this definition is found in Ephesians 5:18 where there is contrast and comparison between drunkenness and Spirit-filling. It is the comparison which gives the clue, for just as a drunken person is controlled by the liquor which he consumes, so a Spirit-filled Christian is controlled by the Spirit. This will cause him to act in ways which are unnatural to him, not implying that such ways will be erratic or abnormal, but asserting that they will not be the ways of the old life. Control by the Spirit is a necessary part of spirituality."[4]      Walk in the Spirit. Paul wrote, “walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh” (Gal 5:16). In this passage walking is a metaphor for daily living, which can be influenced by God (Deut 5:33; 10:12), other righteous persons (Prov 13:20), sinners (Psa 1:1; Pro 1:10-16; 1 Cor 15:33), or one's own sin nature (Gal 5:17-21). To walk in the Spirit means we depend on His counsel to guide and power to sustain as we seek to do His will. The Spirit most often guides us directly by Scripture. Jesus, speaking of the ministry of the Holy Spirit, said, “the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you” (John 14:26). The Holy Spirit helps the Christian know the Word of God, and to recall Scripture when needed for guidance. The Holy Spirit also works through mature believers—whose thinking is saturated with God's Word—to help provide sound biblical advice for others. Warren Wiersbe states: "The New Testament calls the Christian life a “walk.” This walk begins with a step of faith when we trust Christ as our Savior. But salvation is not the end—it's only the beginning—of spiritual life. “Walking” involves progress, and Christians are supposed to advance in the spiritual life. Just as a child must learn to walk and must overcome many difficulties in doing so, a Christian must learn to “walk in the light.”[5] Charles Ryrie adds: "Constant dependence on the power of the indwelling Spirit of God is essential to spiritual growth and victory. By its very nature, walking is a succession of dependent acts. When one foot is lifted in order to place it front of the other one, it is done in faith—faith that the foot that remains on the ground will support the full weight of the body. You can only walk by the exercise of faith. You can live the Christian life only by dependence on the Holy Spirit. Such dependence will result in the Spirit's control over the deeds of the flesh (Gal 5:17-21) and the Spirit's production of the fruit of the Spirit (vv. 22-23). Dependence on the power of God and effort on the part of the believer are not mutually exclusive. Self-discipline and Spirit-dependence can and must be practiced at the same time in a balanced spiritual life. Dependence itself is an attitude, but that attitude does not come automatically; it usually requires cultivation. How many genuine Christians there are who live day after day without even sensing their need of dependence on Him. Experience, routine, pride, self-confidence all tend to drag all of us away from that conscious dependence on God which we must have in order to live and act righteously."[6]   [1] William MacDonald, Believer's Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments, ed. Arthur Farstad (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1995), 2310-11. [2] Warren Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary: New Testament, Vol. 2 (Colorado Springs, Col., Victor Publishing, 2001), 48. [3] Lewis S. Chafer, He that is Spiritual (Grand Rapids, Mich. Zondervan Publishing, 1967), 43-44. [4] Charles C. Ryrie, “What is Spirituality?” Bibliotheca Sacra 126 (1969): 206. [5] Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary: New Testament, Vol. 2, 479. [6] Charles Ryrie, Balancing the Christian Life (Chicago. Ill., Moody Press, 1994), 198.

Pslam 132:1 LORD, remember David and all his afflictions. David went through many afflictions in his life. He suffered the loss of a child, a violent son, a jealous king, a captured wife, a best friend dying in battle, etc.  He also sacrificed to build a dwelling place for God.  Indeed, I have taken much trouble to prepare for the house of the LORD” (1 Chron 22:14). The Son of David also endured afflictions to build us up as a dwelling place for God.   “Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted” (Is 53:4).  “In whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit” (Eph 2:21-22). David modeled extreme devotion to the house of God.  He says in this psalm.... "I will not give sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids, until I find a place for the LORD, a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.” Be encouraged to give your whole heart in pursuing the presence of God!  

     The term spiritual translates the Greek adjective πνευματικός pneumatikos, which is applied to Christians in a few New Testament passages (1 Cor 2:15, 3:1; 14:37; Gal 6:1). The Christian who is called spiritual (1 Cor 2:15) is contrasted with the natural man (ψυχικός psuchikos), who is unsaved, having no spiritual life (1 Pet 1:3, 23), and is “devoid of the Spirit” (Jude 1:19). Furthermore, the spiritual Christian is contrasted with immature believers who are called “infants in Christ” (1 Cor 3:1), regularly governed by their sin natures, called “fleshly” (1 Cor 3:3a) and who live “like unbelievers” (1 Cor 3:3b CSB). Spiritual Christians are mature in their knowledge of God's Word (1 Cor 2:6; 14:20; Heb 5:12-14), and regularly manifest the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23). According to Charles Ryrie, “In 1 Corinthians 2:15 we have the nearest thing to a definition of spirituality, and that is actually only a description. If the spiritual believer judges or examines or discerns all things, yet himself is not understood by others, then spirituality means a mature, yet maturing, relationship to God.”[1] And William Evans states: "The biblical concept of a spiritual Christian is one who is governed by the Holy Spirit rather than by his lower nature. “He that is spiritual” is contrasted with “the natural man,” that is, the soulish or unregenerate individual (1 Cor 2:14-16). The spiritual person is also set over against the carnal or fleshly believer who is still a babe in Christ (1 Cor 3:1-4). Christians are exhorted to grow by feeding on the Word (1 Pet 2:2). The Holy Spirit teaches them by means of the Scriptures (John 16:13). They are led by the Spirit (Rom 8:14); walk in the Spirit (Gal 5:16); bear spiritual fruit (Gal 5:22-23); are strengthened by the Spirit (Eph 3:16); and are filled with the Spirit (Eph 5:18)."[2]      Assuming new life and an advance to spiritual maturity, the Christian will not attain sinless perfection in this life. According to Charles Swindoll “Christians will not attain perfect Christlike maturity in this earthly life. Yet they can grow enough through sanctification to become characterized as ‘spiritual' or ‘mature in Christ.' The apostle Paul denied that he was perfect, but he was certainly mature and was aggressively pursuing further growth in Christ (Phil 3:12–14).”[3]      Spirituality is the life the Christian enjoys when properly living in dependence upon the Holy Spirit and walking according to Scripture. This advance assumes one has believed in Christ as Savior and has spiritual life (John 3:16; 6:28-29; 20:31; Acts 4:12; Rom 5:6-10; Eph 2:8-9; Tit 3:5; 1 Pet 1:3, 23). Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. Only Christ's atoning work on the cross is sufficient to satisfy God's righteous demands toward our sin (1 John 2:2). No works are necessary for us to be saved. We need only Christ. When the Philippian Jailer asked the apostle Paul, “What must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:30). Paul replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). Believing in Christ means we trust Him to do for us that which we cannot do for ourselves; to save us. It means we trust solely in Him and nothing more. Though good works should follow our salvation, they are never the condition of it.      Once we are born again, God desires that we advance to spiritual maturity, which glorifies Him and blesses us and others. The information taught in this lesson applies only to the Christian, for “The unbeliever does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him. And he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Cor 2:14 NET; cf. John 8:43-44).      The advance to spiritual maturity is a process that takes time as Christians learn and live God's Word on a regular basis. There is always opposition, for we live in a fallen world and are confronted with many obstacles and distractions that seek to push or pull us away from God. Though constant distractions are all around us, we move forward by “destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” (2 Cor 10:5). Bringing our thoughts into captivity means focusing our minds on God and His Word (Isa 26:3; Prov 3:5-6; 2 Cor 10:5; Col 3:1-2), and not allowing our thoughts to be bogged down and trapped with the cares of this world (Matt 6:25-34).   [1] Charles Caldwell Ryrie, Basic Theology: A Popular Systematic Guide to Understanding Biblical Truth (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1999), 433. [2] William Evans and S. Maxwell Coder, The Great Doctrines of the Bible, Enl. ed. (Chicago: Moody Press, 1974), 316–317. [3] Charles R. Swindoll and Roy B. Zuck, Understanding Christian Theology (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2003), 951.

30 Days of Thankfulness1. Taste and See That the Lord is Good Dan Bidwell, Senior Pastor Psalm 34:1-8 Two friends met each other on the street one day. One looked forlorn, almost on the verge of tears. His friend asked, What has the world done to you, my old friend? The sad fellow said, Let me tell you: three weeks ago, my uncle died and left me forty thousand dollars. Thats a lot of money. But you see, two weeks ago, a cousin I never even knew died, and left me eighty-five thousand dollars, free and clear. Sounds to me that youve been very blessed. You dont understand! he interrupted. Last week my great-aunt passed away. I inherited almost a quarter of a million from her. Now the mans friend was really confused. Then, why do you look so glum? This weeknothing! ~ Thankfulness. November is the perfect month to think about the idea of thankfulness. Of course we have Thanksgiving (the holiday) at the end of the month, but why limit our thankfulness to just one day? The Bible is full of encouragements to be thankful thankful to God for who he is, and what he has done. Thankful for everything he has given us. Thankful for providing even when things dont seem to be going our way. Being thankful is not always easy. It takes practice. And thats why I want us to spend all of November practicing thankfulness together, with a series Im calling 30 Days of Thanksgiving. Im excited to see what God will do in our hearts, as we cultivate our thankfulness and grow in gratitude together over the next 30 days. To help I have produced a downloadable 30 Days of Thankfulness prayer guide. I wanted to have paper copies printed for you but our printer stopped printing color this week, so youll have to be thankful for black and white notes, or you can easily read it on your ipad or computer. The idea is to focus every day on something youre thankful for. There is plenty of space to jot down notes or thoughts or prayers. I really hope it helps us learn thankfulness. Ill be working on this myself, so you can ask me what Im thankful for as wellJ 1 So the question we have to ask ourselves as we come to church this morning is, What are you thankful for in 2022? And how will you look back on 2022 and see blessing, and provision, and protection? And how can you take that thankfulness into whatever the coming season brings? Were going to be looking at Psalm 134 to help us answer those questions, so why dont we pray and then well open the Bible together. Our heavenly Father, as we reflect on the year weve had, help us to see your goodness and your sovereign hand over every circumstance. Give us thankful hearts as we remember your promises and your provision. Give us all joy in thanksgiving today. In Jesus name we pray. Amen 1. The Power of Words I love the idea of thanksgiving. And scientific research shows that thankfulness is good for us! For example, a neuroscientist from USC found that there is a link between gratitude and the parts of our brain tied to social bonding, reward and stress relief.1 Other studies have linked gratitude with oxytocin production oxytocin is also known as the cuddle hormone or the love hormone, because its released when people snuggle up or bond socially. Researchers out of Berkeley have shown the benefits of gratitude on mental health2, and theyve put all their research into a book called The Gratitude Project.3 But in all that research, the benefits of gratitude come when we practice it regularly. When express our gratitude, and put it into words. In all the studies, participants would either keep a thankfulness journal, or write gratitude letters, or just make a regular habit of putting their thankfulness into words. Because our words are powerful, and words can shape the way that we think about the world around us. The writer of Psalm 34 (King David) understood the power of words. Listen to how he starts the Psalm: 1 I will extol the Lord at all times;his praise will always be on my lips. 2 I will glory in the Lord; Fun fact about Psalm 34. This Psalm is an alphabetic acrostic in the original Hebrew language every line in the starts with the next letter of the Hebrew alphabet (aleph, beth, gimel, daleth, heh etc). 1 https://news.usc.edu/163123/gratitude-health-research-thanksgiving-usc-experts/2 https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_gratitude_changes_you_and_your_brain 3 https://www.newharbinger.com/gratitude-project 2 But come back to the idea that words are powerful. Because the Psalmist makes the choice to speak positive words into his situation, no matter what happens I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. I will glory in the Lord. The word extol is translated bless in many of the other Bible versions. And I think this represents a choice for David, the Psalmist. We could look at our circumstances and curse God, or we can choose to bless him. David says, no matter what, I choose to bless the Lord at all times. The next two lines carry a repetition in the original Hebrew. Praise and glory have the same root in Hebrew both come from the hallelujah word. And so we could crudely translate v1b and v2: A hallelujah will always be on my lips, I will hallelujah in the Lord. There was a big worship song a few years ago that came out of a church in northern California, called I raise a hallelujah! You might have heard it on the radio. The words are all about continuing to praise God, to glory in him, to raise a hallelujah whether we are faced by enemies, or storms, doubts... Regardless of what comes our way, David says, keep Gods name on your lips, keep praising him, and youll keep the right dialogue going on in your head... Because it is so easy to listen to words of the tempter, isnt it? The one who undermines our confidence. The one who loves to sow the seeds of doubt. The Devil loves to get inside our heads, doesnt he. And thats why I love this Psalm so much. David writes this Psalm for people who have been listening to the wrong voices... verse 2b let the afflicted hear and rejoice. 3 Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together. David wants those who are afflicted to listen to his testimony. He wants to come alongside them, he wants them to hear his bold choice to speak words of hope in danger. He wants them to hear and rejoice to listen and to have their joy restored. I know that the last few years have been difficult for many of you. Some of you have shared those hard things with me, and weve prayed over illness and death and estrangement and mental health and all kinds of hardships and afflictions. Collectively weve all lived through a pandemic that has changed our day to day existence, and continues to produce uncertainty about the future. Its easy to feel overwhelmed by it all. 3 But in this Psalm, David teaches us that there is something we can do to reorient ourselves in the middle of trouble, and thats to keep speaking truth about the greatness of God, no matter what enemy we see before us. Thats what verse 3 is all about. The ESV and King James translate this verse: Magnify the Lord with me! We need to magnify God that is, we need to look closely at how big and powerful and majestic and wonderful God is. We need to keep making him great in our lives. Making him the biggest and most impressive thing we see. Because its way too easy to let the hard things in life grow out of proportion. Our problems can seem insurmountable, unsolveable, unmanageable. But when we look at them alongside the God who spoke creation into being, are they really that powerful? Sometimes it takes a friend to help us see the truth. Thats what David does. He encourages all the afflicted to remember Gods greatness with him. To lift Gods name on high. To join him in the hallelujah... What words are you speaking to yourself in the middle of the storm that is 2022? What is the narrative that youre telling yourself about this year? Is it a narrative that puts God firmly on the throne, that puts God unquestionably in control of today and tomorrow? Are you speaking a hallelujah over every day that the Lord has given you in 2022? Thats your self-talk. Now I want you to think about the words that you speak into the lives of those around you whether they trust in the Lord or not. What testimony are they hearing from your lips? Are they hearing your testimony to Gods greatness, as you speak about 2022? Are your words bringing gospel comfort and peace and joy and hope and thankfulness? Words are powerful... Thats our first big idea. 2. The Promise of Deliverance Our second big idea is that our words dont fall on deaf ears. Bookshops are full of self-help books, and books about the power of positive thinking. Is that the essence of Davids exhortation? Is that all there is to it? Think good things about God, and everything will turn out alright? 4 To push it a step further, should we expect to live a life free from affliction when we trust in the Lord? That wasnt Davids experience. When we read the attribution at the top of this Psalm, it says: [A psalm] of David. When he pretended to be insane before Abimelek, who drove him away, and he left. This Psalm seems to be written during the time when David had to run for his life away from King Saul, who was trying to kill him. You might remember that the Lord had anointed David as king over Israel, but Saul was still on the throne. Things got messy. And David finds himself hiding out in the royal court of his enemies, the Philistines, when the Philistine King recognizes him and says: Isnt this David, the king of the land? Isnt he the one they sing about in their dances: Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands? (1 Samuel 21:11) David has jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire... And so he pretends to be mad drools into his beard, and scratching the doors with his fingernails, until the Philistine king sends him away. So did David live a charmed life because of his magical words about Gods greatness? No. Back in Psalm 34 David reminds us in v19 that: The righteous person may have many troubles, BUT... the Lord delivers him from them all; In this Psalm, David looks back on a difficult moment in his life, and he has a testimony about how God rescued him. How God helped him through the trouble. How God was faithful to his promise to bring David to the throne, by saving him from his enemies. And we see that refrain time and time again throughout the Psalm God promises to deliver those who call out to him: 4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. 6 This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles. 17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. 5 We have a promise-keeping God. He promises to hear us when we cry out to him our words are not hot air. They are words that remind us of the One who is able to do more than we could ask or imagine, and the One who is powerfully at work within us by his Spirit (Eph 3:20). In some ways we are nothing like King David. We will probably never find ourselves on the run from one king and threatened by another. But there will be times when we fear for our jobs, for our health, for our families. And the threat might remain, but listen to what David says in v4: 4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. As we face all kinds of difficulties in life, the temptation will be to make that problem into the biggest thing in our life. To let it loom over us, to let it dominate our thoughts, to let it steal our confidence in Gods bigger plan for us... Because God has a bigger plan for us. The Bible is absolutely clear about the future for those who trust in Jesus Christ. Its a future without evil, its a future without suffering, its a future where God keeps his promise to make us his children and heirs of the kingdom. Its a glorious future, just like David faced, only even better. So what could get in the way of Gods good plan for you? What enemy is so big that Gods plans might be thwarted? Coronavirus? Cancer? Your mental health? Your physical health? Are any of those problems so great that they could prevent God from rescuing you and bringing you into his kingdom? No. There is nothing that can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus, and nothing that will stop God from bringing about your ultimate rescue. Demons, death, disease they are powerless against the one who is bringing all of history towards the day when Jesus kingdom triumphs over all others. Even Satan cant stand in the way of Gods plans, because Jesus has dealt with Satans grip on our souls. Jesus has dealt with our sin and shame on the cross so that not even our unrighteousness will hold us back from Gods promises, if we ask Jesus to rescue us from it. And thats the joy of the gospel that David knew also: 5 Those who look to him are radiant;their faces are never covered with shame. (Ps 34:5) 6 Whenever Moses would meet with the Lord, do you remember, his face would be radiant, literally. There was something about being in the presence of the Lord that made him glow. And David says its the same for everyone who knows God and trusts him deeply. There is something radiant about them. This is not about hollow words of affirmation, but an abiding trust in Gods promises experienced in the past, and the present and anticipated in the future. Are these the promises that keep you steady in the storm? God kept these promises for David. God kept these promises for Jesus. And he will keep these promises for you, regardless of what difficulties we face... Thats big idea 2 to remember Gods promises of deliverance. 3. The Proof is in the Pudding And that leaves us with one last idea to finish: the proof is in the pudding. It wouldnt be Thanksgiving without pie, particularly Pumpkin pie and Pecan pie. Until just a few years ago, I had never tasted pumpkin pie. Its just not a thing in Australia. You cant buy pumpkin in a can, you dont see pumpkin pies in stores, and even Starbucks didnt have pumpkin spiced latte until a few years ago. And so when we got to our friends house one night for dinner, and the wife announced that we were having pumpkin pie for dessert, I have to admit I was a bit wary. Is there anyone else who thinks pumpkin pie looks like baby food? Turns out pumpkin pie is pretty good. And so is pumpkin spiced latte. Sometimes you just have to try something to find out if its good. David writes to people who are facing big enemies. People who are finding it hard to trust that God is bigger than whatever they face. That might be you. You might be listening today thinking, Im just not sure if God can deal with this thing that is going on in my life right now. Im not sure if I can trust what weve read today. Im not sure that I want to put all my eggs in that basket. If youre thinking that way, youre not alone. Over the last 3 years, all of us have been thrown by events we never expected. Some deeply worrying events... But I dont want those worries to keep you from experiencing the goodness of God. A bit like pumpkin pie, sometimes you just have to try something to find out if its good. David writes in Psalm 34:9 7 8 Taste and see that the Lord is good;blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. Psalm 34 is an invitation to give God the benefit of the doubt. To try him for yourself and to see if his promises are true in your life. To taste and see that the Lord is good. Again, this psalm doesnt promise the perfect life. But it promises a blessed life. A life without shame, a life that brings peace (v14) and a life that experiences the comfort of knowing that someone hears you when you cry out. A life where there is something (and someone) greater than any difficulties you might face... Thats worth giving thanks about... Will you pray with me? 1 I will extol the Lord at all times;his praise will always be on my lips. 2 I will glory in the Lord;let the afflicted hear and rejoice. 3 Glorify the Lord with me;let us exalt his name together. 8

Ephesians 2:19 — What makes people unified? Is it the way they act? The same interest? In this sermon on unity from Ephesians 2:19 titled “Christian Unity,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones states “Nothing else can bring men together truly but this—this gospel.” In Ephesians, Paul is addressing the reality that both Jew and Gentile were side by side in standing before God through Jesus. This reality would have stunned the readers of Ephesians. No “righteousness” that Jews had would earn right standing before God and no lack of religious heritage for the Gentile would hinder salvation through Christ. Their righteousness was as filthy rags before God and all are on the same plane (Isaiah 64:6). All sinners are absolutely helpless before God. However, as Dr. Lloyd-Jones notes, Christians are those who are agreed upon the cross, know Jesus Christ, and share Christ's righteousness. Also, Christians are one because they are brought to one Father by one Spirit (Eph. 2:18). Dr. Lloyd-Jones also notes that all who are in Christ are fighting the same battle, have the same struggles, and are able to carry each other's burdens as they journey through this life. They are also comforted by one savior. Though living this life may be challenging, Christians are marching towards one eternal hope.

Introduction      In this chapter, Moses anticipates Israel's rebellion against the Lord and the application of the curses upon the nation (Deut 30:1). However, Moses also anticipates their humbling in captivity, return to obedience, and God's restoration of blessing in the land (Deut 30:2-5). Simultaneously, God promises to create in His people a new heart that will serve Him (Deut 30:6-8), which will bring blessing (Deut 30:9), but also conditions that blessing on their obedience (Deut 30:10). Moses then reveals that God's will for them—as specified in the Mosaic Law—is not too difficult (Deut 30:11), nor out of their reach (Deut 30:12-13), but is as near as their own mouths and hearts (Deut 30:14). Lastly, Moses ties the people's blessings and cursings to their own choices to obey or disobey the Lord (Deut 30:15-18), with a call for them to choose life that they might be blessed (Deut 30:19-20). Moses' Promise of Judgment and Restoration (Deut 30:1-10)      Moses, having previously addressed God's blessings and cursings upon the nation, depending on their obedience or disobedience to His directives (Deut 28), anticipates the nation's future failure. He states, “So it shall be when all of these things have come upon you, the blessing and the curse which I have set before you, and you call them to mind in all nations where the LORD your God has banished you” (Deut 30:1). This does not appear to be prophecy, but rather, an expectation of future judgment because Moses knows the sinful proclivity of his people and the Lord's faithfulness to keep His promises.      But just as Moses expected the nation's future judgment, He also foresaw their return to God, saying, “and you return to the LORD your God and obey Him with all your heart and soul according to all that I command you today, you and your sons, 3 then the LORD your God will restore you from captivity, and have compassion on you, and will gather you again from all the peoples where the LORD your God has scattered you” (Deut 30:2-3). According to Peter Craigie, “the people would remember that the circumstances in which they found themselves were not the result of ‘fate,' but an inevitable consequence of disobeying the covenant with the Lord.”[1]Suffering can, in the right heart, produce humility and obedience in individuals and groups. This would prove true for the generation that went into Babylonian captivity in 586 B.C. and later returned to the land under the leadership of Ezra and Nehemiah. Jack Deere states: "Moses had passionately urged the nation to obey the Lord and His commands, and had set the blessings and curses before them in order to motivate them. Yet he knew his fickle and stubborn people well enough to realize that their apostasy was inevitable and that the worst curses would come upon them—exile and dispersion among the nations. However, even in the midst of this curse he foresaw God's blessing. For Israel would come to her senses; she would take God's word to heart."[2]      Moses, referring to future generations of Israelites, said, “If your outcasts are at the ends of the earth, from there the LORD your God will gather you, and from there He will bring you back. The LORD your God will bring you into the land which your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it; and He will prosper you and multiply you more than your fathers” (Deut 30:4-5). There was a partial return of God's people to the land under Ezra and Nehemiah; however, the people were dispersed a second time in A.D. 70, which dispersion lasted until A.D. 1948, when there was another partial regathering in Israel in anticipation of God's eschatological plans. But complete fulfillment of all Israel being in the land and reaping God's full blessings will not occur until the future reign of Christ. Jack Deere states, “The prophets made it clear that this great restoration to the land would not take place until the Second Advent of the Messiah just before the beginning of His millennial reign on the earth (e.g., Isa 59:20–62:12; cf. Jesus' teaching of the regathering in Matt 24:31; Mark 13:27). This will be a time of spiritual and material prosperity greater than the nation has ever known (Deut. 30:5).”[3]      Not only would God restore His people to the land, but He would also change their hearts. Moses said, “Moreover the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live” (Deut 30:6). The circumcised heart refers to regeneration. Eugene Merrill notes, “Just as circumcision of the flesh symbolized outward identification with the Lord and the covenant community (cf. Gen 17:10, 23; Lev 12:3; Josh 5:2), so circumcision of the heart (a phrase found only here and in Deut 10:16 and Jer 4:4 in the OT) speaks of internal identification with him in what might be called regeneration in Christian theology.”[4] And this circumcised heart refers to the work God will do for the nation of Israel when He fully implements the New Covenant as specified in Jeremiah and Ezekiel (Jer 31:31-34; Ezek 36:22-32). This work of God in the hearts of His people will happen when Christ returns at His Second Coming and establishes His millennial kingdom on earth. According to Eugene Merrill: "While the repossession of the land can be said to some extent to have been fulfilled by the return of the Jews following the Babylonian exile (cf. Jer 29:10–14; 30:3), the greater prosperity and population was not achieved in Old Testament times. In fact, it still awaits realization in any literal sense (cf. Hag 2:6–9; Zech 8:1–8; 10:8–12). As for the radical work of regeneration described here as circumcision of the heart, that clearly awaits a day yet to come as far as the covenant nation as a whole is concerned."[5]      Not only would God restore and bless His people, but He would keep His Word to judge Israel's enemies. Moses said, “The LORD your God will inflict all these curses on your enemies and on those who hate you, who persecuted you” (Deut 30:7). God always keeps His Word, both to bless and curse, whether to Israel, or those who attack her. Moses, speaking to His people, said, “And you shall again obey the LORD, and observe all His commandments which I command you today” (Deut 30:8). Moses wants the best for his people, so his directives are always to walk with the Lord in obedience. And if his people obeyed, he said, “Then the LORD your God will prosper you abundantly in all the work of your hand, in the offspring of your body and in the offspring of your cattle and in the produce of your ground, for the LORD will again rejoice over you for good, just as He rejoiced over your fathers” (Deut 30:9). If obedience was pursued by the nation, then God would bless His people's work, their offspring, and the fruit of their ground. Moses concludes this section with the conditional clause, saying, “if you obey the LORD your God to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in this book of the law, if you turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and soul” (Deut 30:10). The book of the law refers to the book of Deuteronomy as a whole (cf., Deut 31:24-26), and if Israel obeyed, prosperity would follow. Concerning the ultimate fulfillment of this passage, Thomas Constable states, “God has not yet fulfilled these predictions. Therefore we look for a future fulfillment of them. The passages cited above indicate that this fulfillment will take place at the Second Coming of Christ, and in His millennial kingdom that will follow that return. A distinctive of dispensational theology is the recognition that God has a future for Israel as a nation, that is distinct from the future of the church or the Gentile nations.”[6]Warren Wiersbe agrees, saying: "Bible scholars disagree about the future of Israel. Some say that the church is now “spiritual Israel” and that all of these Old Testament promises are now being fulfilled in a spiritual sense in the church. Others say that the Old Testament promises must be taken at face value and that we should expect a fulfillment of them when Jesus Christ returns to establish His kingdom on earth. Moses seems to be speaking here to and about Israel and not some other “people of God” in the future, such as the church. The church has no covenant relationship to the land of Israel, for God gave that land to Abraham and his descendants (Gen 15); and the blessings and curses were declared to Israel, not the church. It would appear that there will be a literal fulfillment of these promises to Israel. When they repent, turn back to Jehovah, and open their hearts to the operation of His Spirit (Ezek 37:1–14; Isa 11:2; Joel 2:28–29), God will save them from their sins and establish them in Messiah's glorious kingdom (Zech 12:10–13:1; 14:8–9)."[7]      In closing out Deuteronomy 30:1-10, some dispensational Bible teachers such as Chafer, Pentecost, Lightner, and others, believe this section constitutes what is commonly called the Palestinian Covenant. However, Thomas Constable sees this section not as a new covenant, but a call for Israel to commit themselves to the Lord. Constable states: "Some premillennial commentators have called Deuteronomy 30:1–10 the Palestinian Covenant. They have not used this term as much in recent years, because these verses do not constitute a distinctively different covenant. Verses 1–10 simply elaborate on the land promises made earlier to Abraham and his descendants (Gen. 12:7; et al.)…I would say this section is a call to commit to the Mosaic Covenant (cf. Josh 24:1–28) that, at the same time, contains further revelation concerning the land. The further revelation is that, even though the land would be Israel's to occupy, the Israelites could only inhabit it if they were faithful to Him."[8]      I have previously taught Deuteronomy 30:1-10 as being the Palestinian Covenant; however, after closer examination, I am more inclined to agree with Constable's assessment. Though I greatly love and appreciate many Bible teachers (i.e., Chafer, Pentecost, Lightner, etc.), there will, on occasion, be disagreement with them. It is always helpful that such disagreements are done in love and grace. Moses' Call to Choose Obedience and Life (Deut 30:11-20)      Moses wants the best for his people and he keeps setting truth in front of them with a call to learn and walk in it. The commandments he's giving to them are not out of reach nor impossible to live by. Moses said: "For this commandment which I command you today is not too difficult for you, nor is it out of reach. 12 It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will go up to heaven for us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may observe it?' 13 “Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will cross the sea for us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may observe it?' But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may observe it” (Deut 30:11-14)."[9]      God had clearly revealed His Word to His people, and that revelation had been inscripturated. Adherence to His commands did not require superhuman ability. Nor was it necessary to travel to some unreachable location such as heaven above or across a vast ocean to secure it. Moses said God's Word was near them, as near as their mouth (to be verbally repeated) and heart (to be contemplated). If obedience were not possible, God could not bless Israel when they obeyed, or curse when they disobeyed. For God to impose an impossible standard of law, and then punish His people when they failed, would be a form of abuse rather than love. Daniel Block states, “In calling for wholehearted obedience, Yahweh does not demand what is unknowable, impossible, or unreasonable. If Israel fails—and they will (Deut 31:16–18)—it will not be because the people cannot keep the law because the bar is impossibly high, but that they will not keep it.”[10] God made success possible. The choice was up to His people.      Moses was seeking the best for his people and wanted them to succeed and prosper. Moses said, “See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity” (Deut 30:15). Moses would soon die, and only God's directives communicated through him would remain. God's law would be with them in written form, which they could carry with them, study, talk about, and adhere to in everyday practice. This gave the people real choices concerning life and prosperity or death and adversity. Of course, Moses desired their best, saying, “I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, that you may live and multiply, and that the LORD your God may bless you in the land where you are entering to possess it” (Deut 30:16). Choosing God and a walk with Him according to His Word was a choice to be blessed (cf., Deut 11:26-28). Daniel Block notes: "Moses the teacher/preacher presents two options and outlines the consequences of each. If they demonstrate love for Yahweh by walking in his ways and obeying all his commands, they will enjoy life and prosperity; but if they turn away from Yahweh and his way, they “will certainly be destroyed” (v. 18). Here “the life” and “the good” represent functional equivalents to “the blessing” (Deut 11:26; 28:1–14), while “the death and the destruction” represent the curse (Deut 11:26; 28:15–68)."[11]      But Moses warned of God's judgment upon the people if they turned away from Him, saying, “But if your heart turns away and you will not obey, but are drawn away and worship other gods and serve them, 18 I declare to you today that you shall surely perish. You will not prolong your days in the land where you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess it” (Deut 30:17-18). A rejection of God and His directives meant a rejection of life and blessing. Here, negative volition, which leads to disobedience, would result in self-induced suffering. Moses challenged his people to obedience today, which reveals his pastoral heart and call for immediate action, not a delay that might lead to forgetfulness and hardening of heart. It would be dangerous to delay one's response.      In closing his third address, Moses called for witnesses to the words of the covenant (heaven and earth), as well as a positive response from the nation in order that they might be blessed. Moses said: "I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, 20 by loving the LORD your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may live in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them." (Deut 30:19-20)      Choosing God and a life of obedience would result in blessing, not only for His people, but for their children as well. Concerning Moses' legal language, Eugene Merrill states: "Once more Moses announced that there and then he was offering the covenant to Israel, doing so as the agent of the Lord and in his name (vv. 19–20). This time, however, the offer was couched in the formal terms of a legal setting in which witnesses were invoked to bear testimony in the future to the response of Israel to the Lord's gracious overtures. In similar ancient Near Eastern legal transactions the witnesses usually were the gods of the respective litigants, but the monotheism of Israel's faith dictated that such appeal be to creation, to heaven and earth, for only it would endure into future ages. Such appeal to creation is attested elsewhere in the Old Testament when the Lord enters into some kind of formal legal encounter with his people (cf. Deut 4:26; 31:28; 32:1; Isa 1:2; Mic 1:2)."[12]      Life and blessing, as well as death and cursing, were tied to the choices God's people would make, not only for the moment, but for years to come, and not only for themselves, but for their children, who would possess God's revelation and have everything they needed for a successful life. God has integrity and keeps His Word. The question before the nation was whether they would keep theirs. Present Application      God's desire for the Christian is to develop his/her character so that righteousness, goodness, grace, and love flow easily and with continuity of expression. But godly character does not automatically occur in the life of the Christian, nor does it happen overnight; rather, it matures over a lifetime as we make many good choices to walk in step with God and let His Word transform us from the inside out (Rom 12:1-2). But we should be aware that it is possible to abuse our liberty and make bad choices with the result that we weaken the will and forfeit our freedoms (the alcoholic or drug addict knows this to be true). Paul said, “You were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another” (Gal 5:13).      Our own choices to live righteously are seen in: 1) our commitment to God and learning His Word (Psa 1:2-3; 2 Tim 2:15; 1 Pet 2:2), 2) submitting to His will (Rom 12:1-2; Jam 1:22), 3) being filled with the Spirit (Eph 5:18), 4) walking in the Spirit (Gal 5:16), 5) confessing our sin daily (1 John 1:9), 6) displaying Christian love (John 13:34; Rom 13:8), 7) seeking to glorify God (1 Cor 10:31), 8) living by faith (2 Cor 5:9; Heb 10:38; 11:6), 9), speaking truth in love (Eph 4:15, 25), 10) modeling humility, gentleness, patience, tolerance and peace (Eph 4:1-3), 11) forgiving others (Matt 18:21-22), 12) doing good (Gal 6:10), )13), encouraging others to do good (Heb 10:24), 14) fellowship with growing believers (Heb 10:25), 15), praying for others (1 Th 5:17; 2 Th 1:11), 16), building others up in the Lord (1 Th 5:11), and 17) being devoted to fellow believers (Rom 12:10). The wise believer will choose God and His ways, walking with Him daily in the light of His Word, and resting moment by moment in His promises.     [1] Peter C. Craigie, The Book of Deuteronomy, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1976), 363. [2] Jack S. Deere, “Deuteronomy,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 315. [3] Ibid., 315. [4] Eugene H. Merrill, Deuteronomy, vol. 4, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1994), 388. [5] Ibid., 388. [6] Tom Constable, Tom Constable's Expository Notes on the Bible (Galaxie Software, 2003), Dt 30:1. [7] Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Equipped, “Be” Commentary Series (Colorado Springs, CO: Chariot Victor Pub., 1999), 175. [8] Tom Constable, Tom Constable's Expository Notes on the Bible, Dt 30:1. [9] In his letter to the Romans, the apostle Paul borrowed Deuteronomy 30:11-14 and brought it into his line of reasoning to refute those who taught that obedience to the law was necessary as a means of salvation (Rom 10:1-3). But the Mosaic Law was never given as a means of salvation. Rather, it was given as a set of rules for Israel to adhere to in God's theocratic kingdom, and when followed, would glorify Him and bless others. According to Scripture, only Christ kept the law perfectly and never sinned (Matt 5:17; 2 Cor 5:21; Heb 4:15; 1 John 3:5). Furthermore, the standard of the law—ideal perfection—is fulfilled in the one who trusts in Christ as Savior (Rom 10:4), who gives us “the gift of righteousness” (Rom 5:17) at the moment of salvation (Phil 3:9). [10] Daniel I. Block, The NIV Application Commentary: Deuteronomy, ed. Terry Muck (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2012), 708–709. [11] Ibid., 710. [12] Eugene H. Merrill, Deuteronomy, vol. 4, The New American Commentary, 392–393.

To take advantage of the opportunities to proclaim Jesus provided by our cultural moment, we must draw our strength and wisdom from the Holy Spirit.

Introduction      Moses had previously addressed God's goodness to provide for His people since leaving Egypt (Deut 29:2-8), and called for them to commit themselves to the Lord for their own good (Deut 29:9-13) and the good of their children (Deut 29:14-15). Now Moses addresses the consequences of disobedience to the covenant if the people turn away from the Lord and adopt the idols and values of the pagan nations which surround them (Deut 29:16-29). Context      Moses opens this pericope by calling the people's attention to those spiritually poor nations who did not know the Lord or His blessings, saying,  “For you know how we lived in the land of Egypt, and how we came through the midst of the nations through which you passed; 17 moreover, you have seen their abominations and their idols of wood, stone, silver, and gold, which they had with them” (Deut 29:16-17). Here, Israel's relationship with God was contrasted with Egypt from which they came, as well as the pagans nations through which they'd recently passed. Israel's spiritual health and blessings could be seen in comparison to the surrounding pagan cultures. According to Kalland: "The statements “How we lived in Egypt” and “how we passed through the countries on the way here” (v.16) provide the locale and historic background for the people's knowledge of the gods in those places and the nature of their worship. This is evident from the definite reference to the detestable images and idols that they saw among the people there (v.17).”[1]      So that there would be no individual or national corruption, Moses said, “there will not be among you a man or woman, or family or tribe, whose heart turns away today from the LORD our God, to go and serve the gods of those nations; that there will not be among you a root bearing poisonous fruit and wormwood” (Deut 29:18). According to Radmacher, “Every individual man and woman was responsible to the community as a whole for his or her relationship to God. Since the entire community was covenanted to God Himself, every individual had to follow Him…Tolerance for idolatry and pagan practices would always corrupt the community, and therefore the covenant relationship with God.”[2] And Kalland states, “The source of ‘bitter poison' (v.18) was the person who turned away from the Lord to worship the gods of Egypt and those of the other nations that the Israelites passed through on their journey from Egypt to the plains of Moab.”[3]Choices have consequences, and to worship idols is to sow the seeds of darkness and poison into one's own heart, which not only corrupts the individual, but negatively impacts others.      The arrogant person who chose idolatry was his own worst enemy and would bring God's curses upon himself. Moses said, “It shall be when he hears the words of this curse, that he will boast, saying, ‘I have peace though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart in order to destroy the watered land with the dry'” (Deut 29:19). For that person who walks in the stubbornness of his pride and pursues idols without repentance, Moses said, “The LORD shall never be willing to forgive him, but rather the anger of the LORD and His jealousy will burn against that man, and every curse which is written in this book will rest on him, and the LORD will blot out his name from under heaven” (Deut 29:20). God is always opposed to the proud, and as long as recalcitrance persists, there will be no forgiveness. God's love reaches out to everyone, but when the prideful person rejects the Lord and His love, there is no other recourse to be saved or blessed. Rather, such a one will experience the Lord's anger, and the curses mentioned in the law of Moses will fall upon him. To have one's name blotted out from under heaven meant that he would die and not be remembered among his people, which was a grievous matter for those in the ancient world. If Israelites acted like pagans and devoted themselves to idols, they would, by their own decision, experience the same fate that Moses described would be for the Canaanites (Deut 7:24) and Amalekites (Deut 25:19), whose name and memory would be blotted out. Moses continued, saying, “Then the LORD will single him out for adversity from all the tribes of Israel, according to all the curses of the covenant which are written in this book of the law” (Deut 29:21). To be singled out for adversity meant God targeted His judgment against the offender to deal with him according to the requirements of the law.      God's judgment upon the disobedient was a display of His holy and righteous character, but it also had pedagogical value, to help future generations know how not to behave, and to see the consequences of sinful choices. Moses said, “Now the generation to come, your sons who rise up after you and the foreigner who comes from a distant land, when they see the plagues of the land and the diseases with which the LORD has afflicted it, will say, 23 ‘All its land is brimstone and salt, a burning waste, unsown and unproductive, and no grass grows in it, like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which the LORD overthrew in His anger and in His wrath'” (Deut 29:22-23). Because of the extreme wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrah, God had destroyed those cities, as well as the two neighboring cities Admah and Zeboiim, and He did this as a display of His righteous judgment against them (Gen 19:24-25). Similarly, if God's severe judgment were to fall upon Israel, it would draw the attention of surrounding nations. Moses said, “All the nations will say, ‘Why has the LORD done thus to this land? Why this great outburst of anger?'” (Deut 29:24). God intended for Israel to know His blessings, which would have testified positively to the surrounding nations (Deut 26:19; 28:1); however, by turning away from the Lord, He would use their destruction as a lesson to those who would see and question their downfall. God's outburst of anger against His people would come if they violated the terms of the covenant and pursued idols. The surrounding Gentile nations would properly conclude, saying, “Because they forsook the covenant of the LORD, the God of their fathers, which He made with them when He brought them out of the land of Egypt” (Deut 29:25). Breaking the covenant meant that His people “went and served other gods and worshiped them, gods whom they have not known and whom He had not allotted to them” (Deut 29:26). Israel was a theocracy and God was their King, Lawgiver, and Judge (Isa 33:22), and to worship idols and serve other gods was tantamount to treason.      The choice of ongoing sinful actions would have very negative consequences for God's people, as it would bring His judgment upon them, and rightfully so. Moses said, “Therefore, the anger of the LORD burned against that land, to bring upon it every curse which is written in this book; 28 and the LORD uprooted them from their land in anger and in fury and in great wrath, and cast them into another land, as it is this day” (Deut 29:27-28). According to Radmacher, “The nations were supposed to learn about God's grace from Israel's example; what a shame if they were to learn of His wrath instead!”[4] It is true that God did display His anger among His people, and this because they repeatedly turned away from Him and pursued sin and idolatry. However, because it's His nature, God was very slow to become angry with His people (Ex 34:6; Num 14:18; Neh 9:17; Psa 86:15; 103:8; 145:8-9; Joel 2:13; Jonah 4:2), and He was quick to forgive and show kindness when they humbled themselves, even in the slightest way (Neh 9:9-33). For example, King Ahab was a wicked ruler who reigned over Israel for twenty-two years (1 Ki 16:29), and Ahab “did evil in the sight of the LORD more than all who were before him” (1 Ki 16:30). By the end of Ahab's life, it is written, “Surely there was no one like Ahab who sold himself to do evil in the sight of the LORD, because Jezebel his wife incited him. 26 He acted very abominably in following idols, according to all that the Amorites had done, whom the LORD cast out before the sons of Israel” (1 Ki 21:25-26). However, even wicked Ahab, after hearing God's judgment against him (1 Ki 21:20-24), responded in humility and “tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and fasted, and he lay in sackcloth and went about despondently” (1 Ki 21:27). And God, because He is quick to show grace and mercy, turned from His anger against Ahab, saying to His prophet Elijah, “Do you see how Ahab has humbled himself before Me? Because he has humbled himself before Me, I will not bring the evil in his days, but I will bring the evil upon his house in his son's days” (1 Ki 21:29). Even the most wicked, as long as they have breath, may taste the Lord's goodness if they humble themselves before Him. God has certainly been patient with us (2 Pet 3:9).      Moses closed out this pericope, saying, “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law” (Deut 29:29). Concerning this verse, Peter Craigie notes, “The law placed upon the people the responsibility of obedience, the result of which would be God's blessing in the land they were going in to possess. This general principle was clearly revealed; obedience would lead to God's continuing blessing, but disobedience would bring about the curse of God. To go beyond that and speculate about the future things (the secret things) was not man's prerogative.”[5] As Christians, we possess God's Word to us, which provides particular insights into realities we could never know, except that He has spoken and His Words have been inscripturated (2 Tim 3:16-17). Charles Swindoll notes: “God keeps some knowledge to Himself. There are people who will tell you that they have access to this knowledge, claiming that God has given them a special revelation of His teaching. But God never contradicts Himself. The things He holds in secret are not a different truth that will erase the things we now know. They are simply things that only the Lord, in His infinite wisdom and power, can know. Everything that is essential for life has already been stated in God's Word. We do not have need of any ‘extra' revelation. It is enough to be accountable to all that He has already told us within the pages of this Book.”[6]      Sadly, we know from Israel's history, that the majority in Israel, from the leadership down, chose to turn away from the Lord and to walk in the stubbornness of their own hearts. And if we're honest, this is the history of us all.  Historical Review of Israel      Factually, we know that after Moses died, God brought the Israelites into the land of Canaan under the leadership of Joshua (Deut 31:23; Josh 1:1-9), and there the land was divided, giving a portion to each of the descendants of Jacob. After Joshua died (Josh 24:29-31), Israel failed to obey the Lord and did not drive out the Canaanites as He'd instructed (Judg 1:20-21; 28-33; 2:1-4). By allowing the Canaanites to live among them, the Israelites were influenced by their pagan values and, over time, were corrupted by them. These sinful choices had an impact on their children—the third generation of Israelites since the exodus—and they turned away from the Lord and radically pursued idols, thus provoking the Lord's anger (Judg 2:10-12). This went on for roughly 300 years as Israel fell into a pattern of idolatry (sin), after which God would send punishment (suffering), then the people would cry out to God (supplication), Who would relent of His judgment and send a judge to deliver them (savior), then the people would obey God for a time (service), and then fall back into idolatry (sin). The period of the Judges was generally marked by people who did not obey the Lord, but “did what was right in their own eyes” (Judg 17:6; 21:25).      Israel's history changed during the time of Samuel, who was the last of Israel's judges. The people of Israel cried for a king because they wanted to be like the other nations (1 Sam 8:4-5). God gave them their request (1 Sam 8:22), and Saul became the first king in Israel (1 Sam 10:1). Though Saul started well, he quickly turned away from the Lord and would not obey God's commands. Saul reigned for approximately 40 years and his leadership was basically a failure (1 Sam 13:1; cf. Acts 13:21). Later, God raised up David to be king in Israel (1 Sam 16:1-13), and David reigned for 40 years and was an ideal king who followed God and encouraged others to do the same (1 Ki 2:10-11). God decreed David's throne would be established forever through one of his descendants (2 Sam 7:16; Psa 89:3-4), and this is Jesus (Luke 1:31-33). Solomon reigned for 40 years after David (1 Ki 2:12; 11:42-43), and though He was wise and did many good things (ruled well, built the temple, wrote Scripture, etc.), he eventually turned away from God and worshiped idols (1 Ki 11:1-10), and the kingdom was divided afterward (1 Ki 11:11-41). The nation was united under Saul, David, and Solomon.      Israel—the northern kingdom—had 19 kings throughout its history and all were bad, as they led God's people into idolatry (i.e. the “sins of Jeroboam” 1 Ki 16:31; 2 Ki 3:3; 10:31; 13:2). The ten northern tribes came under divine discipline because of their idolatry (2 Ki 17:7-18) and were destroyed by the Assyrians in 722 BC. Judah—the southern kingdom—had 20 kings throughout its history and 8 were good (some more than others), as they obeyed God and led others to do the same (they were committed to the Lord like David, 1 Ki 15:11). However, Judah repeatedly fell into idolatry—as the 10 northern tribes had done—and, because of their disobedience (Jer 11:6-11; 22:8-9), they were eventually destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BC. The dispersion of Israel was promised by God if they turned away from Him and served other gods (Deut 28:63-68). Since the destruction by Babylon, Israel has been under Gentile dominance known as “the times of the Gentiles” (Luke 21:24; Rom 11:25). After a temporary regathering under Ezra and Nehemiah, Israel continued under Gentile dominance with the Medes & Persians, Greeks, and Romans. Because of their rejection of Jesus as Messiah, God disciplined Israel again in AD 70, and the Jews were scattered all over the world (Jam 1:1; 1 Pet 1:1). Israel's current state is one of judgment (Matt 23:37-39), and a “partial hardening” (Rom 11:25). Israel will be restored when Messiah returns to establish His kingdom on earth (Rev 19:11-21; 20:4-6). Present Application      As Christians, God calls us to holy living (1 Pet 1:14-16), and to serve as lights in a sin-darkened world (Matt 5:14-16; Eph 5:8-10). Such a life is based on good choices we make, as we daily learn God's Word (2 Tim 2:15; 1 Pet 2:2; 2 Pet 3:18) and walk by faith (2 Cor 5:7; Heb 10:38; 11:6). And, if we turn away from the Lord and commit egregious sins, or a lifestyle of ongoing carnality (1 Cor 3:1-4), then God will administer corrective suffering to bring us back into His will (Heb 12:5-11).      Living in a fallen world that is currently under Satan's rule (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11; 2 Cor 4:4; 1 John 5:19), it is imperative that we live wisely (Eph 5:15-16), choose our friends carefully (2 Cor 6:14), and not allow ourselves to be corrupted by Satan's world-system. And when we sin, it's important that we keep short accounts and confess our sin regularly (1 John 1:9), are filled with the Spirit (Eph 5:18), and resume our walk with the Lord (Gal 5:16). In this way we will glorify God and be a blessing to others.   [1] Earl S. Kalland, “Deuteronomy,” in The Expositor's Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992), 182. [2] Earl D. Radmacher, Ronald Barclay Allen, and H. Wayne House, Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Commentary (Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers, 1999), 264. [3] Earl S. Kalland, “Deuteronomy,” in The Expositor's Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 3, 182. [4] Earl D. Radmacher, et al, Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Commentary, 264. [5] Peter C. Craigie, The Book of Deuteronomy, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1976), 360–361. [6] Charles R. Swindoll, The Swindoll Study Bible, (Carol Stream, Ill. Tyndale House Publishers, 2017), 245.

A new MP3 sermon from Truth Matters Church is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: Pray In The Spirit (Eph 6:18) Subtitle: Devotionals Speaker: Jeremy Preece Broadcaster: Truth Matters Church Event: Devotional Date: 9/17/2022 Bible: Ephesians 6:18 Length: 6 min.

     As Christians living in the dispensation of the church age, we are not under the Mosaic Law as the rule for life (Rom 6:14; Heb 8:13), but are under the Law of Christ (1 Cor 9:21; Gal 6:2). Israelites, living under the Mosaic Law were promised physical blessings if they obeyed the Lord's directives (Deut 28:1-14), and physical curses if they disobeyed (Deut 28:15-68). For Christians, our blessings from the Lord can be physical (1 Tim 6:17-19), but are primarily spiritual in nature (Eph 1:3). And we are not said to be cursed when we disobey, but we do come under God's discipline (Heb 12:5-11), and this because ongoing sin impairs our walk with Him and stunts our spiritual growth.      As God's children, He has equipped us with the knowledge and power to live righteously (2 Tim 3:16-17; Tit 2:11-14; 2 Pet 1:2-3). Daily sin is handled by means of confession directly to the Lord, who always forgives (1 John 1:9). However, unconfessed sin and failure to advance spiritually can bring God's discipline. He loves us enough not to leave us where we are, and desires that we advance to spiritual maturity (Heb 6:1; cf., 1 Cor 14:20; Eph 4:11-13). This means we learn to deal with our sin based on His resources (so that we sin less), and pursue the Christian virtues He desires to see in us.      Hebrews 12:4-11 is a key passage related to God's discipline in the life of a Christian. In the letter, the writer states, “You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin” (Heb 12:4). According to Zane Hodges, “By ‘sin' the author probably primarily meant that of ‘sinful men' who opposed them, but doubtless also had their own sin in mind, which they had to resist in order to maintain a steadfast Christian profession.”[1] Biblically, we should personally strive against committing sin; however, the reality is that we do not. Some of us barely struggle at all. Where we break down in our personal efforts, God will work in and around us to help us grow. It is written, “You have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, ‘My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor faint when you are reproved by Him; 6 for those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom He receives'” (Heb 12:5-6).      In these verses, the writer uses the Greek word for an adult son (υἱός huios) and not that of a newborn (βρέφος brephos) or young child (παιδίον paidion). According to Warren Wiersbe, “A parent who would repeatedly chasten an infant child would be considered a monster. God deals with us as adult sons because we have been adopted and given an adult standing in His family (see Rom 8:14–18; Gal 4:1–7). The fact that the Father chastens us is proof that we are maturing, and it is the means by which we can mature even more.”[2] The noun (παιδεία paideia) in Hebrews 12:5 refers to the process whereby adult children are groomed for holy living. It is “the act of providing guidance for responsible living, upbringing, training, instruction, [which] is attained by discipline, correction, of the holy discipline of a fatherly God.”[3] The verb (παιδεύω paideuo) in Hebrews 12:6 means “to provide instruction for informed and responsible living, educate…to assist in the development of a person's ability to make appropriate choices, practice discipline”[4] Wiersbe states: "Chastening is the evidence of the Father's love. Satan wants us to believe that the difficulties of life are proof that God does not love us, but just the opposite is true. Sometimes God's chastening is seen in His rebukes from the Word or from circumstances. At other times He shows His love by punishing (“the Lord…scourgeth”) us with some physical suffering. Whatever the experience, we can be sure that His chastening hand is controlled by His loving heart. The Father does not want us to be pampered babies; He wants us to become mature adult sons and daughters who can be trusted with the responsibilities of life."[5]      As Christians, we must learn to expect God to discipline us, as He uses His Word and the hardships of life to mold our characters. God's discipline is a sign of His love for us, and “It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?” (Heb 12:7). MacDonald states, “when testings come to us, we should realize that God is treating us as sons. In any normal father-son relationship, the father trains his son because he loves him and wants the best for him. God loves us too much to let us develop naturally.”[6]      And God does not discipline the devil's children, but He does discipline His own; for “if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons” (Heb 12:8). There may be times when unbelievers get away with certain sins and even seem to enjoy the blessings of this life without hardship (Psa 73:1-12). But this is not so with God's children, as He desires greater blessings for us, both in time and eternity. The wise gardener never spends her time pruning the neighbor's weeds, but only her roses, and this because she desires greater beauty from them.      God's loving discipline is consistent with that of a good father who loves his children and trains them in righteous living. For “we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness” (Heb 12:9-10). God's desire is to refine us into the godly persons He wants us to be. By means of discipline, He seeks to burn away the dross of weak character and sinful habits and to refine those golden qualities He wants to see in us; the godly qualities that make us better. God always disciplines us for our good, that “we may share in His holiness” (Heb 12:10). According to John Jowett: "The purpose of God's chastening is not punitive but creative. He chastens “that we may share His holiness.” The phrase “that we may share” has direction in it, and the direction points toward a purified and beautified life. The fire which is kindled is not a bonfire, blazing heedlessly and unguardedly, and consuming precious things; it is a refiner's fire, and the Refiner sits by it, and He is firmly and patiently and gently bringing holiness out of carelessness and stability out of weakness. God is always creating even when He is using the darker means of grace. He is producing the fruits and flowers of the Spirit. His love is always in quest of lovely things."[7]      As God's children, we must learn to operate by divine viewpoint and live above the daily grind of life with all its difficulties and hardships. When we operate by divine viewpoint and live by faith, we can be thankful for God's loving work in our lives which, over time, yields godly fruit in the lives of His humble and obedient children. It is by divine viewpoint that we realize, “All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful” (Heb 12:11a). It is the natural proclivity of a person to maximize joy and minimize sorrow, and the Christian is no exception. We must never think the absence of joy means the absence of God, for though we often praise Him in the heights, He is with us in the valleys (Psa 23:4), and it is there His work is most impactful. And when God's discipline has taken its course, when we “have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness” (Heb 12:11b). It's always the afterwards that matters most to God, for when the Pruner has done His work in cutting away useless branches that bear no fruit, the benefit is a harvest of right living.      As God's children, He expects us to live holy and righteous lives that conform to His will (Tit 2:11-14; 1 Pet 1:15-16). When we sin, we can be restored to fellowship with God by means of confession (1 John 1:9). If we fail to confess our sins, and choose a sinful lifestyle, we put ourselves in real danger of knowing God's discipline. The wise believer accepts God's correction. The psalmist wrote, “It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I may learn Your statutes” (Psa 119:71), and later said, “I know, O LORD, that Your judgments are righteous, and that in faithfulness You have afflicted me” (Psa 119:75).      Suffering is sometimes removed after the believer confesses his/her sin to God (1 John 1:9). However, sometimes God leaves the suffering, which means His corrective suffering becomes perfective suffering to help us grow spiritually. In corrective suffering, we are outside God's will and are governed by our sin nature and human viewpoint, which cannot sustain the believer in times of trouble. But when we confess our sin to God (1 John 1:9), any residual suffering can be dealt with as we are filled with the Spirit (Eph 5:18), walking by means of the Spirit (Gal 5:16), and living by faith (Heb 10:38; 11:6). The Sin Unto Death      There is a point when a believer can sin and there's no recovery. When that happens, God will bring His child home. The apostle John wrote, “If anyone sees his [Christian] brother committing a sin that does not bring death, he should ask, and God will give life to him—to those who commit sin that doesn't bring death. There is sin that brings death. I am not saying he should pray about that” (1 John 5:16 CSB). It happens from time to time that a Christian will see another Christian “committing a sin.” The apostle John distinguished two kinds of sin in the life of the Christian: the “sin that does not bring death” and the “sin that brings death” (1 John 5:16-17). The “sin that does not bring death” is any sin the Christian commits that does not warrant physical death from the hand of God, though it may bring divine discipline if the believer continues in it. John does not specify which sin leads to death and which sin does not, as the punishment is finally determined by the Lord.      It was a terrible sin when Aaron led the Israelites into idol worship (Ex 32:1-6), but God did not call for Aaron's death. Samson slept with prostitutes (Judg 16:1-4), and though he was disciplined, the Lord did not kill him. When David had an affair with Bathsheba and murdered her husband Uriah, it was a rotten sin that brought divine discipline. The Lord told David, “I will raise up evil against you from your own household” (2 Sam 12:11); however, the Lord also told David, “you shall not die” (2 Sam 12:13), but then disciplined him with the death of his son (2 Sam 12:14). Later, after David confessed his sin, he was restored to ministry (Psa 51:12-13). It was evil when Solomon worshipped idols (1 Ki 11:1-10), but even here the Lord did not pronounce death for Solomon's sin. Peter argued with Jesus and tried to prevent Him from going to the cross (Matt 16:21-22), and later publicly denied the Lord three times (Matt 26:34-35; 69-75), but Peter was allowed to live. The apostle John twice worshiped an angel and was rebuked for it (Rev 19:10; 22:8-9), but the Lord let him live and used him in ministry. God's grace and mercy is very prominent throughout the Bible, and He repeatedly gives us ample opportunity to confess our sin and turn back to him. We know from Scripture that “The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness” (Psa 103:8). Because of this, “He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities” (Psa 103:10). Thank God for His great grace.        But there are sins a believer can commit that can result in physical death. The sin that leads to death, according to Paul Karleen, “denotes a sin habitually practiced by a believer, leading to God's removing him from this life, but not taking away his salvation.”[8] It refers to the believer who has become so sinfully rebellious that God disciplines him to point of death and takes him home to heaven. There are references in the Bible where God personally issued the death penalty for one or more of His erring children who had defied His authority. Examples include: Nadab and Abihu, who disobeyed the Lord in their priestly service (Lev 10:1-3), Uzzah, when he touched the Ark (2 Sam 6:1-7), and Ananias and Sapphira who lied to the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:1-11). The Christians at Corinth experienced stages of discipline which included weakness, sickness, and eventual death (1 Cor 11:30). God's discipline is never to condemn, which cannot happen (Rom 8:1), for “when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with the world” (1 Cor 11:32).      Under the Mosaic Law, God willed that sin be punished, but only some sins were punishable by physical death.[9] Sometimes God Himself executed the punishment (Lev 10:1-3; 2 Sam 6:1-7), and other times it was carried out by Israel's leaders (Ex 32:19-28). In the New Testament, God does not call Christians to put anyone to death, but has delegated that authority solely to the governments of this world (Rom 13:1-6), or He does it Himself (Acts 5:1-11; 1 Cor 11:30; 1 John 5:16). Personal sins that impact only the believer are differentiated from sins that harm others. Divine discipline is only related to our time on earth, as there will be no need for discipline in the eternal state (Rev 21:3-4).      Many Christians rightfully suffer because of their sinful lifestyle (1 Pet 4:15), and those who persist in their sin will eventually die by the hand of the Lord. Such a death is the pinnacle of suffering in this life, but we should never conclude that it means suffering for eternity. All believers are eternally secure in Christ. At the moment of salvation, all believers are given eternal life and imputed with God's righteousness (John 3:16; 10:28; Rom 5:17; 2 Cor 5:21; Phil 3:9). They are forever kept by the power of God and cannot forfeit their salvation (John 10:29; Rom 8:38-39). This means that when believers die—whatever the cause—they are guaranteed heaven as their eternal home. At the resurrection, the Christian is guaranteed a new body just the like body of our Lord Jesus, which has no sin (Phil 3:20-21).  Summary      It is possible for a Christian to sin, and to sin as badly as any unbeliever. However, unlike the unbeliever, God disciplines His own (Heb 12:5-11), and, if necessary, disciplines to the point of death (1 Cor 11:30; 1 John 5:16). This need not be the case. The Christian is called to a life of holiness (1 Pet 1:15-16), and this means learning to walk with God and do His will. Though we still possess a sin nature, Christians know victory because of our union with Christ (Rom 6:6, 11-13), and our walk of faith (Heb 10:38; 11:6). When filled with the Spirit (Eph 5:18), and walking by means of the Spirit (Gal 5:16), we can learn to embrace trials and even rejoice in them (Rom 5:3-5; Jam 1:2-4). Dr. Steven R. Cook _______   [1] Zane C. Hodges, “Hebrews,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 810. [2] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 324. [3] William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 748. [4] Ibid., 749. [5] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 2, 324. [6] William MacDonald, Believer's Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments, ed. Arthur Farstad (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1995), 2203. [7] John H. Jowett, Life in the Heights: Studies in the Epistles (New York, Bible House Publications, 1925), 260-261. [8] Paul S. Karleen, The Handbook to Bible Study: With a Guide to the Scofield Study System (New York: Oxford University Press, 1987), 359. [9] There were certain laws under the Old Testament that brought the death penalty: intentional murder (Ex 21:12-14; cf. Gen 9:6), attacking or cursing a parent (Ex 21:15), kidnapping (Ex 21:16), habitual rebellion against God (Deut 17:12), sacrificing to pagan gods (Ex 22:20), cursing God (Lev 24:15-16), working on the Sabbath (Ex 35:2), being a false prophet and leading Israelites into idolatry (Deut 13:1-5), religious human sacrifice (Lev 20:2), the practice of divination, sorcery or witchcraft (Ex 22:18; Deut 18:9-14), adultery and premarital sex (Lev 20:10-14; 21:9; Deut 22:20-22), sex with an animal (Ex 22:19; Lev 20:15-16), incest (Lev 20:11-12, 14), homosexuality (Lev 18:22; 20:13), and the rape of a married woman (Deut 22:25-27).

The idea of being in unceasing prayer may seem difficult or even impossible. But as usual, when we unpack a statement in Scripture we find it to be much more practical than it may appear on the surface.

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

"Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving." (Col 4:2)      God communicates with us through His written Word, and we communicate with Him through our prayers. When we pray, it immediately connects us with God, allowing us to confess our sin, express thankfulness, intercede for others, or request something for ourselves. Prayer is motivated by different causes and takes different forms. The most common words in the Bible translated prayer are תְּפִלָּה tephillah (Job 16:17; Psa 65:2) and προσευχή proseuche (Luke 19:46; Acts 12:5), which simply speak of the act of prayer.[1] According to Unger, “Prayer is the expression of man's dependence upon God for all things. What habitual reverence is to praise, the habitual sense of dependence is to prayer.”[2] And according to Liefeld, prayer is “communion with God, usually comprising petition, adoration, praise, confession, and thanksgiving. The ultimate object of prayer in both OT and NT is not merely the good of the petitioner but the honor of God's name.”[3]      There is no inherent power in prayer to change things. Biblically, the power lies in the One who answers the prayer, and He alone reserves the right to change things if He wills. God answers prayer, but He does so according to His sovereign will (Psa 135:6; Dan 4:35; Isa 46:9-10). Sometimes He says yes, sometimes no, and sometimes wait. It is good to remember that a prayer delayed is not necessarily a prayer denied. Sometimes we just need patience.      Some of the different types of prayer found in Scripture include: request for supply (Psa 116:1-2; Phil 4:6; Eph 6:18), thanksgiving (John 11:41; Col 4:2; Phil 4:6), submission (Luke 22:41-42), and intercession (Acts 12:1-5; Eph 6:18-19). The best prayers seek to glorify God above all else (John 14:13).[4] The Old Testament mentions imprecatory prayers, where Israelite believers prayed for God to destroy their enemies (Psa 58:6-8; 69:23-28). Imprecatory prayers were valid under the Mosaic Law where obedient Israelites could expect God to dispense justice on their enemies (Deut 28:7). Imprecatory prayers are not valid for Christians because we are not under the Mosaic Law (Rom 6:14). We are commanded to pray for our enemies that God will bless them (Matt 5:44-45; Luke 6:28, 35; cf. Rom 12:17-21; 1 Th 5:15; 1 Pet 3:9). If God dispenses judgment upon our enemies, He will do so at His discretion and not ours (Rom 12:17-19; 2 Th 1:6).      Prayer should be ongoing. Jesus taught His disciples “that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart” (Luke 18:1). As Christians, we are to “pray without ceasing” (1 Th 5:17). This means our prayer life should never end, but should be ongoing, day by day, moment by moment. Life can be stressful, but we are to “be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Phil 4:6). As Christians, we are to “draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb 4:16).      Most often prayer is an appeal to God to change a difficult or helpless situation. Sometimes God changes our situations as we request (i.e., concerning employment, health, finances, family matters, etc.), and sometimes He leaves the difficult situation and seeks to change our attitude. When God does not remove a difficult situation as we request, then He intends for us to deal with it by faith (Jam 1:2-4). God uses difficult situations to remove pride (Dan 4:37; 2 Cor 12:7-10), and to develop our Christian character (Rom 5:3-5). It's almost always the case that we prefer God change our circumstances rather than our attitude; and yet, it seems both biblically and experientially that God prefers to do the opposite. Though the Lord is concerned about our difficult situations, He's more concerned with developing our Christian character than relieving our discomfort. However God chooses to answer, He has His reasons and they always glorify Him. A challenge for us is to trust that His plan is better than ours, wherever it happens to lead us, or however difficult the journey becomes.      Prayer is for believers, for one can address God as Father only as a member of the family of God (John 1:12; Gal 3:26). The general agreement among theologians is that God does not hear the prayers of unbelievers, for they are not God's children but belong to Satan. Jesus said of unbelieving Jews, “You are of your father the devil” (John 8:44). Logically, we cannot call God our Father if He is not.[5]      Jesus prayed often, both publicly and privately (Matt 11:25-26; 14:23; 19:13; 26:36; Mark 6:46; Luke 5:16; 6:12; 9:28; 10:21; 22:41-42; John 11:41-42; 12:27-28; 17:1-26), and His prayer life was so noticeable, that His disciples asked Him to teach them to pray (Luke 11:1-4; cf. Matt 6:9-13). For the Christian, prayer should be directed to God the Father (Matt 6:6; Luke 11:2; Eph 5:20; 1 Pet 1:17),[6]in the name of Jesus (John 14:13; 15:16), and in the Holy Spirit (Eph 6:18; Jude 1:20). Praying in the name of Jesus is not a magic formula that makes our prayers acceptable to God; rather, it means our request is consistent with Jesus' character and will (1 John 5:14-15). Praying in the Spirit means we pray as the Spirit leads according to Scripture.[7] According to Ryrie, “Though we may address any Person of the Trinity, ordinarily, according to the biblical precedent, we address the Father in the name of Christ as the Spirit directs us (John 14:14; Eph. 1:6; 2:18; 6:18).”[8] It is interesting to note that both God the Holy Spirit and God the Son offer intercessory prayers for us to God the Father (Rom 8:26; Heb 7:24-25). When God Does Not Hear Our Prayers      There are some things in life that God conditions on prayer (Jam 4:2), but praying is no guarantee He'll grant our request. Being a righteous God, He only hears the prayers of those who seek to know Him and do His will. The apostle Peter writes, “For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous and his ears are open to their prayer. But the Lord's face is against those who do evil” (1 Pet 3:12). The apostle John writes, “This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him” (1 John 5:14-15).      Biblically, there are several reasons why God does not answer the prayer of believers: lack of faith (Jam 1:5-8), worship of other gods (Jer 11:12-14), failure to take in Bible teaching (Prov 1:24-31; 28:9; Zech 7:11-13), selfishness (Jam 4:2-3), carnality (Psa 66:18; Mic 3:4; Isa 1:15; 59:1-3), lack of harmony in the home (1 Pet 3:7), pride and self-righteousness (Job 35:12-13), and lack of obedience (Deut 1:43-45; 1 John 3:22; 5:14). All of these failings can be corrected as the believer learns God's Word and lives obediently by faith. Failure to learn God's Word and/or apply it results in self-harm, much like a child who will not listen to her parents, but repeatedly keeps reaching for the hot flame because it's pretty. God's commands are designed to bring blessing, either by teaching us to avoid that which is harmful, or to pursue that which is helpful. Summary      Prayer is a blessing we enjoy as believers as we can come before God's throne of grace and make requests (Heb 4:16). As Christians, we are to “pray at all times in the Spirit” (Eph 6:18), and to “pray without ceasing” (1 Th 5:17; cf. Luke 18:1; Rom 12:12; Col 4:2). As we advance toward spiritual maturity, God will occupy our thoughts in all matters, and prayer will come more and more naturally, and we will seek His interests above our own and pray according to His will.             [1] Other words include פָּלַל palal – to intervene as a mediator (Gen 20:7; Job 42:8), לַחַשׁ lachash – a whispering prayer (Isa 26:16; 29:4), שָׁאַל shaal – to ask, inquire (Isa 7:11; 45:11), עָתַר athar – a prayer related to sacrifice (Job 33:26), δέησις deesis – an urgent request (Eph 6:18), and ἔντευξις enteuxis – simple prayer, childlike prayer (1 Tim 2:1). The word αἰτέω aiteo is not translated as prayer, but is clearly used when making requests to God (Matt 7:7; John 14:13). [2] Merrill Frederick Unger et al., “Prayer”, The New Unger's Bible Dictionary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1988). [3] W. L. Liefeld, “Prayer,” ed. Geoffrey W. Bromiley, The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1979–1988), 931. [4] Moses provides a model prayer in Exodus 32:7-14 where he prayed on behalf of His people, Israel, that God would not pour out His wrath on them because of their idolatry (Ex 32:1-6). Moses' prayer to God starts by identifying Israel as “Your people” whom He had rescued from Egyptian bondage (Ex 32:11). Israel was not just any people, but God's chosen nation, who had already tasted of His great grace and compassion.[4] After citing God's deliverance, Moses then argued with God to withhold His wrath for two reasons: First, if God destroyed Israel, then His reputation among the pagan nations would be tarnished (Ex 32:12). Moses sought to protect God's reputation in the eyes of others, even unbelievers, and to uphold His glory. Second, if God destroyed Israel, He would be in violation of the promises He'd made to Israel's forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Israel (Ex 32:13). Moses did not want others to see God as one who fails to keep His promises. Moses' prayer was heard and God relented of the judgment He intended to bring on His people because of their sin (Ex 32:14). [5] However, there does seem to be at least one occasion in which God heard the prayer of an unbeliever who was seeking Him for salvation (e.g., Acts 10:1-2, 30-31; 11:13-14). It could be that if an unbeliever seeks God for salvation, as Cornelius did, then His prayers for salvation are answered. [6] Although there is at least one petition in the NT directed to Jesus (Acts 7:59-60). [7] The Greek preposition ἐν can mean, “in” “by” or “with” the Spirit. Hoehner translates the prepositional phrase ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ ἐν πνεύματι as “at every opportunity or occasion in the Spirit” (Harold Hoehner, Ephesians: An Exegetical Commentary, Grand Rapids, Mich.; Baker Academic, 2002, p. 856). Hoehner further states, “In the immediate context [of Eph 6:18], praying in the Spirit may well be connected to the sword of the Spirit. The sword of the Spirit is, on the one hand, God's spoken word to put His enemies to flight and, on the other hand, the believer's utterance to God in prayer in the power of the Holy Spirit to aid in the struggle against the evil powers” (p. 857). [8] Charles Caldwell Ryrie, Basic Theology: A Popular Systematic Guide to Understanding Biblical Truth (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1999), 68.

This Sunday we make space to encounter the Spirit through prayer, reflection, and communion. In a Lectio Divina format, we read some passages from Ephesians and reflect on the two questions: "what do you hear God saying to you in these texts?" and "What do you imagine God saying to our community in these texts?"

You need to learn to execute God's protocol plan during your time on Earth. The key to this is staying filled with the Holy Spirit and under control of the ministry of the Holy Spirit. “Be filled with the Spirit” (Eph 5:18). “Walk in the Spirit and you will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh” (Gal 5:16). Once you learn how to maintain fellowship with God by means of rebound, you need to “Grow in the grace and the knowledge of your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Pet 3:18). The Bible is a textbook and is designed to be taught to you by a qualified pastor-teacher. “You have this treasure in your earthly bodies” (2 Cor 4:7). Take in the Word of God on a consistent basis and apply it. Avoid distractions to your Christian life. Growing to spiritual maturity doesn't happen overnight. It takes a lifetime of growing in grace and knowledge of your Lord and Savior. You will come to understand what your place is in the plan of God. Click for Full Transcript: https://rhem.pub/time-earth-7335d8 --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/rick-hughes/message

INTRODUCTION Rivalry, envy, and vain-glory has gunked up the gears of human relationships from the very first pages of Scripture down to the present. Regardless of the relationship, whether between individuals or nations, rivalry slowly begins to fill the room with fumes. An explosion is waiting to ignite from the smallest spark. Man has accustomed himself to building his empires this way. This isn't how God builds. THE TEXT Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit (Eph. 2:11–22). SUMMARY OF THE TEXT Passing from the good news of Ephesians 1:15-2:10, Paul then turns to assure the Ephesian Gentiles that they are not second class citizens in God's household. They were once called “the Uncircumcised”, and thus were strangers to the covenant promises, without hope & without God (vv.11-12). But the blood of Jesus has brought near those who were once far off (v13), bringing peace by demolishing the wall which prevented Gentiles from coming any closer (v14). The rivalry which once marked the relationship between Jew & Gentile has been abolished by Christ's flesh, because by His incarnation as the True Israel of God, national Israel's laws have not only been fulfilled and satisfied, but the blessings promised to Israel have been expanded to include all nations (v15). This reconciliation was possible by the cross, where enmity was slain (v16). Paul cites Isaiah's prophecy of the messianic restoration of Israel (Is. 57:19), and applies it to Jesus. Christ accomplished what Isaiah foretold: peace to both far and near through His Word, granting access to the Father by the same Spirit (vv17-18). Now, the Ephesian Gentiles were no longer reckoned as strangers, but fellow-citizens, of God's household, they didn't need a visitor's visa (v19). The foundation of this house was the teaching of the apostles & prophets, but the chief cornerstone is Jesus Christ (v20). It's by this ministry of reconciliation that God is building a dwelling place for Himself (21-22). God takes Jewish bricks & Gentile bricks, and by the mortar of Christ's blood, builds a temple in which His presence dwells. ENGINES WITHOUT OIL Trying to get a group of people to get along without the regenerating power of the Spirit is like trying to get an engine to work without any oil. Inevitably the friction of slights, envies, gripes, and grievances will cause the engine to seize up. Mankind has tried several workarounds. But these routes only make things worse: the route of avoidance, the route of compromise, & the route of war. But regardless of the level of the relationship––whether it be intimate relationships like marriage, or national relationships––the temptation to enmity & rivalry is too irresistible. When you take the route of avoidance, you're opting to endure the noxious fumes rather than clear the air. You'd rather suffocate from the carbon monoxide of pent up grievances, than make peace with “them”. Or else you covet the position of being included in some group of “them.” You compromise your conscience & tear others down in order to get in. Or else you choose war, and go scorched earth on “them”. Your rival must be wiped off the face of the earth, or at least the family group chat. In other words, we're a tangled mess of disappointed desires, gnawing envies, and arrogant boastings. ONE NEW MAN This is the temptation which faced believing Jews & Gentiles in Ephesus. A long-standing bitter rivalry existed between them. One commentator notes that the Jews' feelings for the Gentiles was that “The Gentiles were created by God to be fuel for the fires of hell.” The Gentiles were dogs. They were the Uncircumcision & Unclean. The Gentiles weren't innocent in this ongoing feud. Gentile nations, after all, refused to help Israel during the Exodus (Ex. 17:8). They'd cheered when Babylon razed Jerusalem (Ps. 137:7). There was deeply ingrained animosity towards the Jews (Cf. Acts 16:20). These frequent skirmishes led to Jerusalem's utter destruction in 70AD. This human tendency to break into Hatfields & McCoys is one of the central dramas of human existence. The central problem wasn't the fact that humans developed distinctions. That's the natural outcome being fruitful & multiplying. The central problem was that we were sundered from God Himself. Having turned from God in Eden, mankind had been driven out from the presence of God. The fruit of this was seen in the next episode: brother slaying brother. While the Jews had been given the privilege of coming near to God, it wasn't from any special deserving on their part (Deu. 7:7-8). They had no cause for glorying. God had chosen them, yes. But He'd chosen them to solve the math equation in front of the whole class. The Israelite nation had, on the whole, failed miserably. Meanwhile, the Gentiles had continued to run from God's presence, worshipping the demons behind their idols. Neither the Jew who was near to God through the covenant, nor the Gentile who was far from God could stand before the holiness of God (Cf. Rom. 3:9ff). Both stood guilty before God's holy law. Christ came as a wrecking ball to all vain-glory, whether it be individual vain-glory, national vain-glory, or any other variety of human boasting. By His righteous life & death He broke down the partition wall between earthly rivals, because He first tore the veil which separated man from God. In so doing, He made one new man, a temple for His glory. A BLOOD LOYALTY The realization that the tendency to claw each other's eyes out at the slightest provocation lies just under the surface for any of us, does nothing to free us from it. You can know that rivalry can use anything for fuel, and still find yourself running from those you should reconcile with, or fighting with those you should reconcile with, or capitulating to those you shouldn't be sidling up to. All human enterprises will escalate into fractious bickering until blood is shed. All our efforts to hold society together requires blood to be shed. The “others” must be slain. The “invaders” must be slaughtered. The “pariah” must be sacrificed to appease the gods. Mankind demands loyalty. But it's a loyalty based on the shame of sin. Sinful loyalties lay their foundation on ethnic vain-glory, or bitterness towards other's success, or irrational fear of man, or having joined together to shed innocent blood. Notice that modern day appeals for unity & inclusion seek it on the basis of shared sin & approval for sin. Christian unity is founded on shared forgiveness for sin. What Christ has done is make it possible that your sins, and “their” sins can all be forgiven. And thus we can forgive each other, as God through Christ forgave us (Eph. 4:32). Christ proclaims peace to both near & far. Only there, at the cross, do we find peace. Peace with God & peace with each other. The cross demands us to all see our own sin, and to see God's wrath upon it. But also, we see there our righteousness. If you're both in Christ, God calls you––and your rival––righteous. ENMITY IS SLAIN As one pastor once wrote, “This enmity cannot be cured, it must be slain.” You cannot kill it, but die it must. Who is your rival? Who pushes your buttons? Who do you schmooze & flatter? Who do you despise? Are they your brother or sister in Christ? Then your boasting or envy or rivalry is a return to the old man, not resting in the one new man which Christ has made. Are they an unbeliever? Then your envious wrangling with them is trying to erect a wall which Christ broke down. You are to invite those far off to come in close. Outside of Christ the law declares everyone guilty. Apart from the Messiah, everyone is a covenant breaker driven far off from God's presence. Without Jesus, your passport says you aren't a citizen. But all your guilt. All your shame. All your rivalry. All your enmity with God & man. It is slain. The only way for all your enmity to die, is if it dies in Christ. This holds true for all who come; even your fiercest rival.

Am I alone in that I reflect on How God has brought me from death to life? From a place where I focused on temporal and meaningless practices to having "Faith" lens and seeing things for what they are, God-intended. From saving my soul from eternal death to changing my heart and progressively sanctifying me until His second coming (Phil 1:6). The other side of the coin is, What if I haven't changed much? Thank God our walk with Jesus isn't performance based. We are not competing with anyone but we ought to be willing to allow the Holy Spirits Fruits be noticeable and allow it to bleed into all facets of our Social and Non-Social life. If we grieve the Spirit (Eph 4:29-32) or quench it (1 Thessa 5:19), we will be faced with a very questionable walk that that James 1:23-24 (23For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; 24for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was.) “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind” (Ecclesiastes 12:13). --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/thesimplechristian/support