Blessings for God’s People:

“In that day the mountains will drip new wine, and the hills will flow the milk; all the ravines of Judah will run with water. A fountain will flow out of the LORD’s house and will water the valley of acacias”…Joel 3:18

There shall be abundant Divine influences, and the gospel will spread speedily into the remotest corners of the earth. These events are predicted under significant emblems; there is a day coming, when everything amiss shall be amended. The fountain of this plenty is in the house of God, whence the streams take rise. Christ is this Fountain; his sufferings, merit, and grace, cleanse, refresh, and make fruitful. Gospel grace, flowing from Christ, shall reach to the Gentile world, to the most remote regions, and make them abound in fruits of righteousness; and from the house this of the Lord above, from his heavenly temple, flows all the good we daily taste, and hope to enjoy eternally.

“Proclaim this among the nations: Prepare for war! Rouse the warriors! Let all the fighting men draw near and attack”…Joel 3:9

Here is a challenge to all the enemies of God's people. There is no escaping God's judgments; hardened sinners, in that day of wrath, shall be cut off from all comfort and joy. Most of the prophets foretell the same final victory of the church of God over all that oppose it. To the wicked it will be a terrible day, but to the righteous it will be a joyful day. What cause have those who possess an interest in Christ, to glory in their Strength and their Redeemer! The acceptable year of the Lord, a day of such great favor to some, will be a day of remarkable vengeance to others: let everyone that is out of Christ awake, and flee from the wrath to come.

We Know God's Truth Through Creation

By Rick Warren

"But the basic reality of God is plain enough. Open your eyes and there it is!" (Romans 1:19 MSG)

About thirty-five years ago, I was at a camp in the mountains. Alone in a room, I prayed, "God, if there is a God, I'm open. If you’re real, I want to know You're real. And, Jesus Christ, if You can change my life, if there is a purpose for my life, I want to know it."

You know what happened? I didn't get goose bumps. I didn't cry. No bright lights shown down. Nothing like that.

Yet, still, it was the turning point in my life—because I was no longer biasing myself against God. I wanted to know the truth, even if it was inconvenient.

Truth can be discovered, but first we have to have an attitude of openness that says, "I want the truth more than anything else." Once you choose that attitude, you can discover the truth. How?

First, through creation.

We learn a lot about God, a lot about truth, just by looking at nature. This is why science is so important. It helps us understand God and His universe.

For instance, by knowing that there are 60,000 varieties of beetles, we learn God likes variety. By seeing a volcano, a tidal wave, or an earthquake, we learn God is powerful. From the delicately balanced ecosystem, we can observe God is incredibly organized.

The Bible says, "The basic reality of God is plain enough. Open your eyes and there it is! By taking a long and thoughtful look at what God has created, people have always been able to see what their eyes as such can't see: eternal power, for instance, and the mystery of His divine being. So nobody has a good excuse" (Romans 1:19-20 MSG).

In the coming days, we'll look at how God also leads us to the truth through conscience, careful consideration, His commandments, and through Jesus Christ.

           

A Mutual Dependency

By Rick Warren

I mean that I want us to help each other with the faith we have. Your faith will help me, and my faith will help you. Romans 1:12)

In authentic Christian fellowship people should experience a mutual dependency. This mutuality is the art of giving and receiving; it’s depending on each other.

The Bible says, “The way God designed our bodies is a model for understanding our lives together as a church: every part dependent on every other part” (1 Corinthians 12:25).

Mutuality is the heart of fellowship: building reciprocal relationships, sharing responsibilities, and helping each other. Paul said, “I want us to help each other with the faith we have. Your faith will help me, and my faith will help you” (Romans 1:12).

All of us are more consistent in our faith when others walk with us and encourage us. The Bible commands mutual accountability, mutual encouragement, mutual serving, and mutual honoring.

Over fifty times in the New Testament we’re commanded to do different tasks for “one another” and “each other.” The Bible says, “Make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification” (Romans 14:19).You are not responsible for everyone in the body of Christ, but you are responsible to them. God expects you do whatever you can to help them.

Brother

How often shall my brother

Matthew 18:21  

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?”

Teacher, tell my brother

Luke 12:13  

Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”

Brother will rise again

John 11:23  

Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

Do you judge your brother

Romans 14:10  

You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat.

Brother goes to law against

1 Corinthians 6:6  

But instead, one brother goes to law against another—and this in front of unbelievers!

Shall the weak brother

1 Corinthians 8:11  

So this weak brother, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge.

Slave—a believed brother

Philemon 1:16

 No longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother. He is very dear to me but even dearer to you, both as a man and as a brother in the Lord.

He who loves his brother

1 John 2:10  

Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble.

And murdered his brother

1 John 3:12  

Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother's were righteous.

Whoever hates his brother

1 John 3:15  

Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him.

Brother sinning a sin which..

1 John 5:16  

If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that does not lead to death, he should pray and God will give him life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that he should pray about that.

I, John, both your brother

Revelation 1:9  

I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.

The Temptation of Jesus

Read Matthew: 4: 1-11

Concerning Christ's temptation, observe, that directly after he was declared to be the Son of God, and the Savior of the world, he was tempted; great privileges, and special tokens of Divine favor, will not secure any from being tempted. But if the Holy Spirit witness to our being adopted as children of God that will answer all the suggestions of the evil spirit. Christ was directed to the combat. If we presume upon our own strength, and tempt the devil to tempt us, we provoke God to leave us to ourselves. Others are tempted, when drawn aside of their own lust, and enticed, James 1:14; but our Lord Jesus had no corrupt nature; therefore he was tempted only by the devil. In the temptation of Christ it appears that our enemy is subtle, spiteful, and very daring; but he can be resisted. It is a comfort to us that Christ suffered, being tempted; for thus it appears that our temptations, if not yielded to, are not sins, they are afflictions only. Satan aimed in all his temptations, to bring Christ to sin against God.

1. He tempted him to despair of his Father's goodness, and to distrust his Father's care concerning him. It is one of the wiles of Satan to take advantage of our outward condition; and those who are brought into straits have needed to double their guard. Christ answered all the temptations of Satan with "It is written;" to set us an example; he appealed to what was written in the Scriptures. This method we must take, when at any time we are tempted to sin. Let us learn not to take any wrong courses for our supply, when our wants are ever so pressing: in some way or other the Lord will provide.

2. Satan tempted Christ to presume upon his Father's power and protection, in a point of safety. Nor are any extremes more dangerous than despair and presumption, especially in the affairs of our souls. Satan has no objection to holy places as the scene of his assaults. Let us not, in any place, be off our watch. The holy city is the place, where he does, with the greatest advantage, tempt men to pride and presumption. All high places are slippery places; advancements in the world make a man a mark for Satan to shoot his fiery darts at. Is Satan so well versed in Scripture as to be able to quote it readily?

He is so. It is possible for a man to have his head full of Scripture notions, and his mouth full of Scripture expressions, while his heart is full of bitter enmity to God and to all goodness. Satan misquoted the words. If we go out of our way, out of the way of our duty, we forfeit the promise, and put ourselves out of God's protection. This passage, Deut. 8:3, made against the tempter, therefore he left out part. This promise is firm and stands good. But shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?

3. Satan tempted Christ to idolatry with the offer of the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them. The glory of the world is the most charming temptation to the unthinking and unwary; by that men are most easily imposed upon. Christ was tempted to worship Satan. He rejected the proposal with abhorrence. "Get thee hence, Satan!" Some temptations are openly wicked; and they are not merely to be opposed, but rejected at once. It is good to be quick and firm in resisting temptation. If we resist the devil he will flee from us. But the soul that deliberates is almost overcome. We find but few who can decidedly reject such baits as Satan offers; yet what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and lose his own soul? Christ was succored after the temptation, for his encouragement to go on in his undertaking, and for our encouragement to trust in him; for as he knew, by experience, what it was to suffer, being tempted, so he knew what it was to be succored, being tempted; therefore we may expect, not only that he will feel for his tempted people, but that he will come to them with seasonable relief.

God Has Prepared a Place for You in Heaven

By Rick Warren

"And I will live in the house of the Lord forever" (Psalms 23:6 NLT).

 When King David says, "And I will live in the house of the Lord forever," he's saying that God has prepared a place for him in Heaven.

That's one of the most important connections we see in the Bible. It connects yesterday with today and then connects them both with tomorrow.

God says, "I've got this great life planned for you, and surely goodness and mercy will follow you through it, but that's not the end! I've got something else at the end!" God builds it to a crescendo.

So David ends his Psalm by saying, "We're going to heaven!" Jesus saves the best until last. With God it just keeps getting better and better. The best is yet to come—"Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands" (2 Corinthians 5:1 NIV).

7 Things about the Bible:

7 Things about the Bible:

1.         The Bible is the inspired Word of God.

2.         The Bible contains the message; God is the source of the message.

3.         The Bible is holy and sacred.

4.         The Words of life are found in the Bible.

5.         The Bible is the complete revelation of God to man.

6.         The Bible reveals who we truly are, what we can expect from God and what God expect from us.

7.         The Bible is not primarily an intellectual book; the Bible is a spiritual book that must be spiritually discerned.

The Great House of God:

Your Father will never turn away. The doors of this room are never closed. Learn to linger in the living room of God’s house. When the words of others hurt you or your own failures distress you, step in here. Gaze at this painting and be reminded of your God: It is a right to call him Holy; we speak truth when we call him king. But if you want to touch his heart, use the name he loves to hear. Call him Father.

You can be sure of Salvation…

Do you really believe?

Do you have a changed attitude toward sin?

Do you have a desire to obey God?

Do you try to live separate from the evils of the world?

Do you love other Christians? Do you really love other people?

Do you have the witness of the Holy Spirit?

“Christ can cure you,

He can cleanse you,

He can change you…

And He will do it for you,

Question is … Will you let Him?  ….Billy Graham.

Search me and know my ways

We need to consistently allow the Holy Spirit to search our hearts and examine our motives in light of the standards of the Scripture. A regular checkup is a valuable activity for every believer to seriously evaluate their spiritual health in every area of life.

Sin

1 John 1:9

 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Hebrews 12:1  

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

Health

1 Peter 2:24  

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.

Proverbs 3:7-8  

7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil. 8 This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.

3 John 1:2  

Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.

Body

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.

1 Corinthians 9:27  

No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

Prayer

1 Timothy 2:1-2  

1 I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— 2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18  

15 Be joyful always; 17 pray continually; 18 give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

Three Benefits of Good News

By Rick Warren

"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23).

 The good news is you're able to enter into a relationship with God through an attitude of trust in Jesus Christ; not through religion, rules, regulations, or rituals.

When we trust our lives to Jesus Christ we're given three incredible, fabulous, wonderful benefits. So, when we tell others about the good news, we can let them know: God forgives your past; he gives you purpose in the present; and, he offers you a future.

God forgives your past. None of us are perfect. Everybody has made mistakes. Everyone has skeletons in the closet—things he or she wishes had never happened. God comes along and says, "When you trust Jesus Christ with your life, I take everything you've ever done and wipe the slate clean. You get to start over with a brand-new life."

Now, is that good news?

God gives you purpose in the present. You are not an accident. God created you for a purpose. But you're never going to know God's purpose for your life until you first get to know God. When you get to know God, you're going to know who you are. When you figure out God, you're going to figure out yourself.

I meet people all the time who say, "I'm just trying to find myself." You know what—you probably aren't going to like yourself once you find yourself!

These people say, "There's something missing in my life." God's missing! You weren't made to live and go through life just on your own power.

God offers you a future. God gives you a future, a home in heaven. Most people hope they're going to heaven, but they're not sure. Most people think if you do more good in your life than bad, then maybe God will grade on a curve and say, "Okay, you can come in."

Wrong! It doesn't work that way. You won't get into heaven on your own power because you're just not good enough.

There's only one way we can get into heaven—on somebody else's ticket. Since none of us are perfect, God came to earth in human form as Jesus. Jesus lived a life of perfection. He died on the cross, paid for our sin, and then went back to heaven. Now you get into heaven on his ticket, if you trust him.

Romans 6:23 says, "God gives us a free gift—life forever in Christ Jesus our Lord." It's a gift. That means you can't earn it, you can't work for it, and you can't own it in any way.

God says, "If you trust My Son with your life, you get forgiveness for your past, a purpose for living in your present, and a home in heaven in the future."

Is that good news?

Do you think anybody you know would be interested in that?

The world is hungry for good news.

A Safe Place

A Safe Place

“They knew nothing about what was happening until the flood came and destroyed them. It will be the same when the Son of Man comes.” Matthew 24:39

Noah was sent to save the faithful. Christ was sent to do the same. A flood of water came then. A flood of fire will come next. Noah built a safe place out of wood. Jesus made a safe place with the cross. Those who believed hid in the ark. Those who believe are hidden in Christ.

A Lifetime Guarantee

Our heavenly Father guarantees His promise by swearing upon His own integrity.

When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, - Heb. 6:13

Evangelism

The great battles, the battles that decide our destiny and the destiny of generations yet unborn, are not fought on public platforms, but in the lonely hours of the night and in moments of agony."     -   Samuel Logan Brengle

We Know

That we are in Him

1 John 2:5 

But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him:

Success

The first step toward success is taken when you refuse to be a captive of the environment in which your first find yourself.

We have eternal life

1 John 5:13 

I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.

Don't compare or conform your shape to others

By Rick Warren

Do your own work well, and then you will have something to be proud of. But don't compare yourself with others. Galatians 6:4 (CEV)

Yesterday I noted Satan will try to steal your joy of service in two ways: by tempting you to compare your ministry with others, and by tempting you to conform your ministry to the expectations of others. Both are deadly traps that will distract you from serving in the ways God intended.

The Bible warns us never to compare ourselves with others: "Do your own work well, and then you will have something to be proud of. But don't compare yourself with others." (Galatians 6:4 CEV)

There are two reasons why you should never compare your shape, ministry, or the results of your ministry with anyone else.

•          First, you will always be able to find someone who seems to be doing a better job than you and you will become discouraged.

•          Or you will always be able to find someone who doesn't seem as effective as you and you will get full of pride.

Either attitude will take you out of service and rob you of your job.

Paul said it is foolish to compare ourselves with others. He said, "We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise." (2 Corinthians 10:12 NIV)

The Message paraphrase says, "In all this comparing and grading and competing, they quite miss the point." (2 Corinthians 10:12b Msg)

You will find that people who do not understand your shape for ministry will criticize you and try to get you to conform to what they think you should be doing. Ignore them!

Paul often had to deal with critics who misunderstood and maligned his service. His response was always the same: Avoid comparisons, resist exaggerations, and seek only God's commendation.

One of the reasons Paul was used so greatly by God was that he refused to be distracted by criticism or by comparing his ministry with others or by being drawn into fruitless debates about his ministry. John Bunyan, the author of "Pilgrims Progress," said, "If my life is fruitless, it doesn't matter who praises me, and if my life is fruitful, it doesn't matter who criticizes me."

Broken things in Scripture

Kingdoms

Daniel 2:35 

Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were broken to pieces at the same time and became like chaff on a threshing floor in the summer. The wind swept them away without leaving a trace. But the rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth.

 Daniel 2:42 

As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle.

.

Daniel 11:4 

After he has appeared, his empire will be broken up and parceled out toward the four winds of heaven. It will not go to his descendants, nor will it have the power he exercised, because his empire will be uprooted and given to others.

Barns

Joel 1:17

The seeds are shriveled beneath the clods. The storehouses are in ruins, the granaries have been broken down, for the grain has dried up.

Bread

 Acts 20:11 

Then he went upstairs again and broke bread and ate. After talking until daylight, he left.

1 Corinthians 11:24 

And when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.”

Perspective protects us from error

By Rick Warren

Don't shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that's where the action is. See things from his perspective. Colossians 3:1-2 (MSG)

"Then we will no longer be like children, forever changing our minds ...." (Ephesians 4:14 LB)

Perspective protects us from error. If there was ever a time that Christians need to be grounded in the truth it is today. We live in a society that rejects absolute truth and accepts every opinion as equally valid.

Pluralism has created a very confused culture. The problem is not that our culture believes nothing but that it believes everything.

God intends for us to have his wisdom and perspective. The result of this will be believers who are ROCK solid: "Then we will no longer be like children, forever changing our minds about what we believe because someone has told us something different or has cleverly lied to us and made the lie sound like the truth." (Ephesians 4:14 LB)

The Gospel of the Second Chance

“Go; tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee.” Mark 16:7

If I might paraphrase the words, “Don’t stay here, go tell the disciples,” a pause, then a smile, “and especially tell Peter, that he is going before you to Galilee . . .”

It’s as if all of heaven had watched Peter fall–and it’s as if all of heaven wanted to help him back up again . . . No wonder they call it the gospel of the second chance.

Youth in the Bible:

Young people are often related to the worst problems in society. It’s interesting that this is not the picture of youth that the Bible gives. While there are some negative examples of young people in Scripture, the overwhelming majority are positive. For example:

·       Isaac, as young man, simply obeyed his father to the point of being a sacrifice.

·       Joseph, at seventeen, was sold into slavery by his brothers but lived for God.

·       Samuel, as a lad heard the voice of God and became a great leader.

·       David, as a youth, faced Goliath and led a nation.

·       Jeremiah was called to be prophet as a youth.

·       Josiah chose to follow God as a youth and led a revival while a young king.

·       Esther, as a young maiden, stood for God.

·       Daniel and his friends, possibly middle-school aged, stood for God in the face of the mighty king of Babylon.

·       Mary was probably a teen when she gave birth to the Lord Jesus.

·       Timothy was told not to let anyone look down on his youth but to be an example.

·       And the first recorded words of Jesus, at age twelve, were, “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house? (Luke 2:49).

BIBLE STUDY

10 Things Jehovah Is

Psalm 144

1 My strength (v. 1)

2 My Teacher of warfare

3 My goodness (v. 2)

4 My fortress

5 My high tower

6 My Deliverer

7 My shield (v. 7)

8 My trust (v. 2)

9 My Conqueror (v. 2)

10 My salvation (v. 10)