Sunday, March 31, 2013

Easter Sunday: Resurrection


John 20

Within three days Jesus’ followers went from heartbroken sadness to triumphant jubilation. The cross screamed, “The End,” making them feel hopeless and helpless. But the resurrection trumpeted, “The Beginning,” bringing confidence and courage. The cloud of doubt and despair that had shrouded them melted away and was replaced with unshakeable faith.

Can you imagine how they felt when they realized Jesus had risen from the dead? Suddenly hope came alive; now everything He had said was validated as truth. They had not believed a lie. His victory over death was the acid test that forever sealed their sure conviction that He was the Messiah.

We commemorate Jesus’ death on the cross with solemnity, but the resurrection calls for thunderous applause, praise, and song. All the blessings that come our way through the Savior’s cross are confirmed by the resurrection. It proved that the Father was satisfied with the Son’s payment for our sins. Now we can know that our transgressions are forgiven and we’re eternally secure.

What’s more, Jesus promises that we, too, will be resurrected and given new bodies. Physical death could not hold Him, nor will it overpower us. Because He overcame the grave, His followers have the same kind of life He has—eternal and indestructible.

As Christians, we have the right to celebrate Easter with great rejoicing. Because of this event, our lives have been forever changed. We’ve been transformed and given new life. With unwavering faith, we trust the Bible because Christ’s power over the grave proves He can and will fulfill every word.

Saturday, March 30, 2013

From Friday to Sunday


Now we are back in Jerusalem. Moments from now Jesus will be dead. A more hopeless scene you could never imagine. He died in terrible pain. But his death is not the end of the story. On Sunday he rose in glorious victory. The same Jesus who cried, “I thirst,” rose from the dead, victorious over the grave.

Let us learn the lesson well. Your sufferings do not necessarily mean you are out of the will of God. It is entirely possible that you may do everything God wants you to do … and still suffer terribly. Even so, your suffering may yet be redeemed into something much greater than you can imagine! Jesus pointed the way when he cried, “I thirst.” That was Friday. On Sunday he rose from the dead to become a gushing spring of Living Water.

Are you suffering right now? Do you live in darkness? Is the way unclear, the light dim, do you feel the pain of those you love turning against you? Fear not. And do not lose heart.

What is happening to you happened first to Jesus. And what happened to him may yet happen to you. Your suffering has a purpose; your pain has a reason, your darkness leads on to a brighter, better and morning.

Run to the cross. Cling to it. Embrace the sufferings of Christ. Though this cannot lessen your pain, it may give you strength to carry on. Jesus suffered before you; he also suffered for you. Child of God, remember this: As Friday comes before Sunday, so the cross leads on to the empty tomb. And there is no resurrection unless there is first a crucifixion.

Description of the Word of God - Psalm 119


An forgettable code of laws

Psalms 119:93

I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have preserved my life.

Something infinite in its scope

Psalms 119:96

To all perfection I see a limit; but your commands are boundless.

A source of wisdom

Psalms 119:98

Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever with me.

A source of knowledge

Psalms 119:99

I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes.

Psalms 119:104

I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path.

Psalms 119:130

The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.

Something sweeter than honey

Psalms 119:103

How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

A lamp to the feet

Psalms 119:105

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.

A light to the pathway of life

Psalms 119:105

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.

Ezekiel


26th book of the Bible. 48 Chapters. 1,273 Verses. 39,407 Words and 310 Verses of history.
                                                                                                                                        
Messages from God:

Ezekiel 20:5

and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: On the day I chose Israel, I swore with uplifted hand to the descendants of the house of Jacob and revealed myself to them in Egypt. With uplifted hand I said to them, “I am the LORD your God.”

Ezekiel 20:27

“Therefore, son of man, speak to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: In this also your fathers blasphemed me by forsaking me:

Ezekiel 20:30

“Therefore say to the house of Israel: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Will you defile yourselves the way your fathers did and lust after their vile images?

Ezekiel 20:33

As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I will rule over you with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with outpoured wrath.

Ezekiel 20:39

“‘As for you, O house of Israel, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Go and serve your idols, every one of you! But afterward you will surely listen to me and no longer profane my holy name with your gifts and idols.

Ezekiel 20:45

The word of the LORD came to me:

Ezekiel 21:1

The word of the LORD came to me:

Ezekiel 21:8

The word of the LORD came to me:

Ezekiel 21:18

The word of the LORD came to me:

Ezekiel 21:24

“Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: ‘Because you people have brought to mind your guilt by your open rebellion, revealing your sins in all that you do—because you have done this, you will be taken captive.

God Gives Help


Psalms 30:10-11

10 Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me; O LORD, be my help.”

11 You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,

Psalms 37:39-40

39 The salvation of the righteous comes from the LORD; he is their stronghold in time of trouble.

40 The LORD helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him.

Psalms 40:16-17

16 But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation always say, “The LORD be exalted!”

17 Yet I am poor and needy; may the Lord think of me. You are my help and my deliverer; O my God, do not delay.

Psalms 42:5

Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and

Psalms 46:1

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.

Psalms 54:4

Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me.

Psalms 60:11

Give us aid against the enemy, for the help of man is worthless.

Psalms 63:6-7

6 On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night.

7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

Psalms 70:4-5

4 But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation always say, “Let God be exalted!”

5 Yet I am poor and needy; come quickly to me, O God. You are my help and my deliverer; O LORD, do not delay.

Examples of Faithful Servants


Joseph

Genesis 39:3-4

3 When his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD gave him success in everything he did,

4 Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned.

Acts 7:10

and rescued him from all his troubles. He gave Joseph wisdom and enabled him to gain the goodwill of Pharaoh king of Egypt; so he made him ruler over Egypt and all his palace.

Moses

Hebrews 3:5

Moses was faithful as a servant in all God's house, testifying to what would be said in the future.

Numbers 12:7

But this is not true of my servant Moses; he is faithful in all my house.

Caleb

Numbers 14:24

But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it.

Job

Job 1:8

Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.”

Job 2:3

Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. And he still maintains his integrity, though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason.”

Samuel

1 Samuel 3:9-10

9 So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

10 The LORD came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”

The servants of the centurion at Capernaum

Matthew 8:9

For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

Servants of Cornelius

Acts 10:7

When the angel who spoke to him had gone, Cornelius called two of his servants and a devout soldier who was one of his attendants.

Friday, March 29, 2013

Old Rugged Cross


Friends, let us surrender our life on this Good Friday - you may not get other chance…

On a hill far away, stood an old rugged Cross The
Emblem of suffering and shame; and I love that old cross where the
Dearest and best for a world of lost sinners was slain,

So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross, till my
Trophies last I lay down; I will cling to the old rugged
Cross, and exchange it someday for a crown.

O that old rugged cross, so despised by the world, has a
Wondrous attraction for me; for the dear Lamb of God left his
Glory above, to the bear it to dark Calvary.

So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross, till my
Trophies last I lay down; I will cling to the old rugged
Cross, and exchange it someday for a crown.

In the old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine, a
Wondrous beauty I see, for it was on that old cross Jesus
Suffered and died, to pardon and sanctify me.

So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross, till my
Trophies last I lay down; I will cling to the old rugged
Cross, and exchange it someday for a crown.

To the old rugged cross I will ever be true, its
Shame and reproach gladly bear; then he’ll call me some day to my
Home far away, where his glory forever I’ll share.

So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross, till my
Trophies last I lay down; I will cling to the old rugged
Cross, and exchange it someday for a crown.

Thursday, March 28, 2013

God Gives Help


Genesis 49:25

because of your father's God, who helps you, because of the Almighty, who blesses you with blessings of the heavens above, blessings of the deep that lies below, blessings of the breast and womb.

2 Chronicles 14:11-12

11 Then Asa called to the LORD his God and said, “LORD, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, O LORD our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this vast army. O LORD, you are our God; do not let man prevail against you.”

12 The LORD struck down the Cushites before Asa and Judah. The Cushites fled,

2 Chronicles 18:31-32

31 When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they thought, “This is the king of Israel.” So they turned to attack him, but Jehoshaphat cried out, and the LORD helped him. God drew them away from him,

32 for when the chariot commanders saw that he was not the king of Israel, they stopped pursuing him.

2 Chronicles 32:7-8

7 “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him.

8 With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the LORD our God to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people gained confidence from what Hezekiah the king of Judah said.

Psalms 27:8-10

8 My heart says of you, “Seek his face!” Your face, LORD, I will seek.

9 Do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger; you have been my helper. Do not reject me or forsake me, O God my Savior.

10 Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me.

Psalms 28:7

The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.


Christians Hope For


Eternal Life

1 Corinthians 13:13  

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

1 Corinthians 15:19  

If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.

Ephesians 2:12  

Remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.

Colossians 1:23  

If you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.

Titus 1:2  

A faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time,

Titus 3:7  

So that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.

Hebrews 3:6  

But Christ is faithful as a son over God's house. And we are his house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast.

Converts safe in heaven

1 Thessalonians 2:19  

For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you?






God’s Verse for God’s people


Surrender

John 17:15  

My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.

John 7:28  

Then Jesus, still teaching in the temple courts, cried out, “Yes, you know me, and you know where I am from. I am not here on my own, but he who sent me is true. You do not know him,

Luke 9:48  

Then he said to them, “Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For he who is least among you all—he is the greatest.”

John 14:1  

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.

John 8:28  

So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am the one I claim to be and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me.

John 7:29  

But I know him because I am from him and he sent me.”

Romans 8:34  

Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.

Acts 4:12  

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”

John 17:1  

After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: “Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you.

Kingdom of God


Acts 1:3

After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.

Acts 8:12

But when they believed Philip as he preached the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.

Acts 14:22

Strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said.

Acts 19:8

Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God.

Acts 20:25

“Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again.

Acts 28:23

They arranged to meet Paul on a certain day, and came in even larger numbers to the place where he was staying. From morning till evening he explained and declared to them the kingdom of God and tried to convince them about Jesus from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets.

Acts 28:31

Boldly and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 14:17

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit,

1 Corinthians 4:20

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.

1 Corinthians 6:9-10

9 Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders

10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

1 Corinthians 15:50

I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.

Galatians 5:21

and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Colossians 4:11

Jesus, who is called Justus, also sends greetings. These are the only Jews among my fellow workers for the kingdom of God, and they have proved a comfort to me.

2 Timothy 1:5

I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.

Examples of Drunkenness


Elah

1 Kings 16:9

Zimri, one of his officials, who had command of half his chariots, plotted against him. Elah was in Tirzah at the time, getting drunk in the home of Arza, the man in charge of the palace at Tirzah.

Thirty three kings

1 Kings 20:16 They set out at noon while Ben-Hadad and the 32 kings allied with him were in their tents getting drunk.

Ahasuerus

Esther 1:10-11

10 On the seventh day, when King Xerxes was in high spirits from wine, he commanded the seven eunuchs who served him—Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar and Carcas—

11 to bring before him Queen Vashti, wearing her royal crown, in order to display her beauty to the people and nobles, for she was lovely to look at.

Belshazzar

Daniel 5:1-6

1 King Belshazzar gave a great banquet for a thousand of his nobles and drank wine with them.
2 While Belshazzar was drinking his wine, he gave orders to bring in the gold and silver goblets that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines might drink from them.

3 So they brought in the gold goblets that had been taken from the temple of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines drank from them.

4 As they drank the wine, they praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone.
5 Suddenly the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lampstand in the royal palace. The king watched the hand as it wrote.

6 His face turned pale and he was so frightened that his knees knocked together and his legs gave way.

Israelites and Church members

Isaiah 5:11

Woe to those who rise early in the morning to run after their drinks, who stay up late at night till they are inflamed with wine.

Isaiah 28:1

Woe to that wreath, the pride of Ephraim's drunkards, to the fading flower, his glorious beauty, set on the head of a fertile valley— to that city, the pride of those laid low by wine!

1 Corinthians 11:21

for as you eat, each of you goes ahead without waiting for anybody else. One remains hungry, another gets drunk.


Wednesday, March 27, 2013

The Doctrine of Repentance


How produced

John 16:8

When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment:

Hebrews 4:12

For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

Romans 2:4

Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance?

2 Corinthians 10:8-11

8 For even if I boast somewhat freely about the authority the Lord gave us for building you up rather than pulling you down, I will not be ashamed of it.

9 I do not want to seem to be trying to frighten you with my letters.

10 For some say, “His letters are weighty and forceful, but in person he is unimpressive and his speaking amounts to nothing.”

11 Such people should realize that what we are in our letters when we are absent, we will be in our actions when we are present.

Not expiatory or meritorious, but qualifies for pardon

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.

Acts 2:38

Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 3:19

Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,

Romans 10:9-10

9 That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.