Bible Study #721

The goal of Bible Study is not just learning, but living If you are saved, you will have a desire to be holy, a hunger for the Word, the inner witness of the Spirit, and a desire to share Jesus. These are the birthmarks of the believer. #721 16 June 15 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 for righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but for those of the whole world 1 John 2:1-2 Grateful for . . . . THE WORD OF GOD ! (\0/) (\0/) (\0/) (\0/) (\0/) (\0/) Greetings! so that you may not sin: Although a Christian must continually acknowledge and confess sin (1:9), he is not powerless against it. Fulfilling the duty of confession does not give license to sin. Sin can and should be conquered through the power of the Holy Spirit (see Rom. 6:12-14; 8:12, 13; 1 Cor. 15:34; Tit. 2:11, 12; 1 Pet. 1:13-16). Advocate: John 16:7 translates this word as "Helper" (lit. "one called alongside"). Perhaps a modern concept of the term would be a defense attorney. Although Satan prosecutes believers night and day before the Father due to sin (Rev. 12:10), Christ's High-Priestly ministry guarantees not only sympathy but also acquittal (Heb. 4:14-16). propitiation: Cf. 4:10. The word means "appeasement" or "satisfaction." The sacrifice of Jesus on the cross satisfied the demands of God's holiness for the punishment of sin (cf. Rom. 1:18; 2 Cor. 5:21; Eph. 2:3). So Jesus propitiated or satisfied God. for those of the whole world: This is a generic term, referring not to every single individual, but to mankind in general. Christ actually paid the penalty only for those who would repent and believe. A number of Scriptures indicate that Christ died for the world (Jn 1:29; 3:16; 6:51; 1 Tim. 2:6; Heb 2:9). Most of the world will be eternally condemned to hell to pay for their own sins, so they could not have been paid for by Christ. The passages which speak of Christ's dying for the whole world must be understood to refer to mankind in general (as in Tit. 2:3, 4). "World" indicates the sphere, the beings toward whom God seeks reconciliation and has provided propitiation. God has mitigated His wrath on sinners temporarily, by letting them live and enjoy earthly life. In that sense, Christ has provided a brief, temporal propitiation for the whole world. But He actually satisfied fully the wrath of God eternally only for the elect who believe. Christ's death in itself had unlimited and infinite value because He is Holy God. Thus His sacrifice was sufficient to pay the penalty for all the sins of all whom God brings to faith. But the actual satisfaction and atonement was made only for those who believe (cf. Jn 10:11, 15; 17:9, 20; Acts 20:28; Rom. 8:32, 37; Eph 5:25). The pardon for sin is offered to the whole world, but received only by those who believe (cf. 4:9, 14; Jn 5:24). There is no other way to be reconciled to God. May God bless you this week! ♥ Memory verse for this week: Prov. 16:32 Something to think about: The progression of faith: God accepts me; that’s grace. Then I accept God’s acceptance of me; that’s faith. Then, I accept myself; that’s peace. Then, I can accept you; that’s love. Then you are free to accept me; that’s fellowship. This week's Trivia's: [answer's below . . ] 1. In what city were the disciples on the Day of Pentecost? 2. To whom did Jesus say the following: "suffer it to be so now, for thus is becometh us to fulfill at righteousness."? * * * * * * * * * God's forgiveness is like God forgetting that it never happened * * * * * * * * * BIBLE MEDITATION: “… for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.” Rom. 14:23 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT: Now, what does that mean? It means any action that is not motivated and done by complete faith in God is sin. Anytime you do anything you’re not absolutely confident is God’s will for you to do, if you have a doubt about doing that thing, whether the thing in and of itself is right or wrong, you’ve sinned. A man was in the back bedroom getting dressed. His wife was out in the living room talking with a friend. He yelled out, “Is this shirt clean enough for me to wear?” Without hesitation, she said “no” and went on talking. After a while he came out, buttoning up another shirt. He asked, “How did you know that shirt wasn’t clean without looking at it?” She said, “If you had to ask, it wasn't.” Now, that's what God is saying here: whatsoever is not of faith (that you don't have confidence in) is dirty. If it's doubtful, it’s dirty. Leave it alone. ACTION POINT: Friend, we ought to give God the benefit of the doubt, and if we think it may be wrong, we should leave it alone until we’re sure that it is right. from the Ministries of Love Worth Finding . . . by Adrian Rogers * * * * * * * * * His forgiveness is based on His love for us * * * * * * * * * We have begun another journey and will learn from the book "Hard To Believe" written by John MacArthur. In his book John helps us to understand the high cost and infinite value of following Jesus. GBY . . . . . . . . . . HARD TO BELIEVE . . . . . . . . . . Chapter 10 . . TRAITORS TO THE FAITH . . THE CASE FOR EXCLUSIVISM . . We have a major problem here. And the only way to deal with this all-important issue is simply to go to the Scriptures. I’m not going to give you my opinion, because my opinion isn’t worth anything. God’s Word is the only thing that counts, and it counts for everything. Is there a biblical case for exclusivism, the idea that if you don’t know the gospel, and if you don’t’ believe in Jesus Christ, you aren’t going to heaven? The answer is yes. There is an overwhelming case for exclusivism. We’ve been making it all through this book. And we also have a biblical case for the fact that natural theology isn’t going to get anybody anywhere. We’ve already seen in Matthew 7 that God’s mercy is extremely narrow, and that those who would be saved have to enter through the narrow gate. It all starts with the story of the fall of man in Genesis 3. Up to this point in the Bible, Adam and Eve were in a condition of perfection, living in an earthly paradise known as the Garden of Eden. Though they had perfect minds, Adam and Eve couldn’t understand on their own why they were created. They could understand that they were created, and that something more powerful than they created them—some immense Being who loved beauty and order and design and gave them life. But they couldn’t understand why they were created unless somebody told them. God said to them, “You can eat everything.” Otherwise they wouldn’t have known that. And He said, “Don’t eat that. If you do, you’ll die.” And He said, “This is your wife: have babies.” And He said, “Name those animals.” That’s why they walked and talked with God in the garden, because God gave them special revelation about how they were to relate to Him and to their world. Natural theologians should be shocked to discover that Adam couldn’t know divine truth by his perfect reason! By his own reason, his own perfect intellect, he couldn’t have come to know that he was to eat this and not to eat that, that he was to name the animals, tend the garden, and so forth. God had to tell him all of that information. He didn’t naturally know it. God was the origin and source of truth, justice, morals, meaning, and beauty. Man was not the origin of truth, but the receiver of truth. It’s true. Adam and Eve would have known something about God, but they wouldn't have known what God wanted from them if He hadn’t told them. You can study all the religions, philosophers, and theologians of the world, and none of them ever comes up with the right understanding of man’s creation and man’s depravity. You can’t get there from depraved natural reasoning. When Satan got into that perfect garden with that perfect man and woman, he told them to distrust God’s instruction and rely on their own reason. That’s what he still wants in the world today. After a little chat with Eve, he finally said to her, “You’re not going to die. You can’t believe God—God lies. He said you’re going to die? Don’t believe it. You’re not going to die, you’re going to be like God. He just doesn’t like the competition!” Satan tempted man to trust his own natural reason and reject supernatural revelation from the mouth of God. God gave them special revelation: “Don’t eat.” Satan countered, “Don’t believe what God says. Trust your reason!” That’s essentially what natural theology claims. It’s just that same old satanic lie: “You can get there through your reason. Don’t worry about the Bible. Don’t worry about the gospel. You don’t need them.” So, how could fallen man, in a cursed world, find God’s truth by his perverted reason, when perfect man in a perfect world couldn’t find God with perfect reason? Even Adam couldn’t know what God wanted if God didn’t tell him, and nobody else can know what God wants if God doesn’t tell him. Satan always wants to depreciate the special revelation. What a great strategy it is to say, “Let’s convince the church it doesn’t even need to preach the gospel.” Tell me where that heresy came from—heaven? Here’s a hint: who has the most to gain if we stop preaching the gospel? next week: . . THE CLEAR TRUTH OF CREATIONISM . . * * * * * * * * * Problems are there to take us from where we are to where we need to be * * * * * * * * * ENTERING THE KINGDOM FROM DIFFERENT CIRCUMSTANCES * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * He goes and sells all that he has and buys that field . . . and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it Matt. 13:44b, 46 THERE IS NO PRESET FORMULA for turning from sin and by faith embracing Christ’s kingdom. A person does not have to perform certain rituals to become a Christian, and he or she can come from a variety of circumstances. In each parable referred to here, a man finds something of huge value and sacrifices all to possess it. But in the first parable the man was not even looking for anything, certainly not a valuable treasure. He came upon it quite by accident. In tending to his normal business, the man was working in a field or perhaps passing through on a trip. Finding the treasure was the furthest thing from his plans. Similarly, people often encounter the gospel while pursuing their daily activities. As they are busily occupied with their job, family, or schooling, they hear a sermon, read a book, listen to a CD, or have a believer witness to them. Through the Spirit’s gracious power they realize the gospel’s infinite value and are drawn into God’s kingdom. In contrast, the second parable portrays a man whose career was searching for a valuable commodity, which he eventually found. He’s the seeker who looks many places for life’s meaning. When not finding that which satisfies, he nevertheless perseveres, believing the truth can be found. He is like the Ethiopian whom Philip directed to Christ (Acts 8:26-39), or the God-fearing Cornelius who found salvation (Acts 10). Whether “by accident” or deliberately, all who are in the right place can and do find God’s priceless kingdom. Ask ASK YOURSELF On Christmas Day, celebrate the gift of salvation that has brought ultimate worth and value—and energy and excitement—into your life experience. Thank Him enthusiastically for seeking you with purpose and precision, even while you weren’t particularly looking for Him. * * * * * * * * * Christ 'in' you, the hope of glory * * * * * * * * * The Invisible God Made Visible? Nothing is more visible than a thought. You don’t know what I am thinking nor can I tell what you are thinking. But let a man speak and his words reveal his thoughts. Take the deepest thought and clothe it in words, and it will be visible to millions. Consider the plays of Shakespeare. They are but the thoughts of Shakespeare made visible through his words. Jesus reveals God to us. How fitting that Jesus should be called “the Word” for he communicates the very nature of God to us. John 1:18 reminds us that no one has seen the essence of God the Father, but the Son has “declared him” or “made him known” or “explained to him” or “revealed to him.” The underlying Greek has the idea of unfolding a truth step by step. Jesus makes known what we would never discover on our own. Without Jesus we would never know the fullness of God. We would know him as Creator and Designer of all things (Rom. 1:19-20), but we would never know the depth of His compassion toward sinners. Jesus is the key to the universe, “for all things have been created through Him” (Col. 1:16). He left his fingerprints everywhere. The galaxies shout out, “He is there.” The wildflowers sing together, “He is there.” The rippling brooks join in, “He is there.” The birds sing it, the lions roar it, the fish write it in the oceans—“He is there.” All creation joins to sing his praise. The heavens declare it, the earth repeats it, and the wind whispers it—”He is there.” Deep cries out to deep, the mighty sequoia tells it to the eagle who soars overhead, the lamb and the wolf agree on this one thing—“He is there.” Jesus is the radiance of God’s glory (Heb. 1:3). If you want to know what God is like, look at Jesus. He is not some grimy, blurry image of the Almighty. He isn’t the sun peeking through the clouds. Jesus radiates the glory of God. Theologians have a word for this. They say the Son is “co-essential” with the Father. That means the Father and the Son share the same essence. The Father is God and the Son is God. Jesus is the blazing, magnificent revelation of God Himself. When Jesus speaks, God speaks. May we have ears to hear what He is saying. Taken from ‘The Word of God’ by Keep Believing Ministries * * * * * * * * * It is a service of love that God values * * * * * * * * * A Wise Choice - Greg Laurie - www.harvest.org Many years later, when Moses had grown up, he went out to visit his own people, the Hebrews, and he saw how hard they were forced to work. During his visit, he saw an Egyptian beating one of his fellow Hebrews. After looking in all directions to make sure no one was watching, Moses killed the Egyptian and hid the body in the sand. -Exo. 2:11-12 Underneath Moses' robes of royalty beat the heart of an Israelite. He believed in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Moses saw how his people were being mistreated as slaves. He could have said, "That is tough for them, but I have it made in the shade right now. I don't want to do anything to jeopardize my position." But Moses' heart went out to the Hebrew people. He wanted to do something for them. What he did was the wrong thing, but I think we could safely say that his heart was in the right place. Hebrews 11 tells us, "It was by faith that Moses, when he grew up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter. He chose to share the oppression of God's people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin" (verses 24-25). Moses thought it was better to suffer than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. This reminds us that God's worst is better than the world's best. What are the hardest things about being a Christian? Being persecuted, being harassed for your faith-those are the worst things about being a Christian, I would suppose. What is the best the world has to offer? I guess it would be success, fame, fortune, or maybe all the pleasures that can be experienced. But the worst the Christian life has to offer is still better than what the world has to offer. Yes, there is fleeting pleasure in sin. I will tell you to stay away from sin, but I won't tell you that it is never any fun. There is that rush. There is that excitement. But then there are the repercussions. Moses decided to take the hardest thing rather than the best of all that Egypt could offer him. * * * * * * * * Look back to what He has done - - look forward to what He will do * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * A fool always looses his temper, but a wise man holds it back Prov. 29:11 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Answers to this week's Trivia's: 1. In what city were the disciples on the Day of Pentecost? A. Jerusalem Acts 2:5 2. To whom did Jesus say the following: "suffer it to be so now, for thus is becometh us to fulfill at righteousness."? A. John the Baptist Matt. 3:15 * * * * * * * * * Answers to Questions about Heaven . . . David Jeremiah Q. How old will children be in heaven? While there is no absolute answer provided in Scripture concerning this question, there are different views to consider. Some suggest that when we arrive in heaven, we will all be mature in body and mind and spirit. The book of Revelation describes worship in heaven as an all-encompassing act involving everyone who is there. Therefore, whoever is in heaven will be of such an age so as to be able to participate in the eternal worship of Almighty God. Others hold that if the millennium is part of heaven, there’s reason to believe that children will be in heaven and allowed to grow up until they reach a mature age. * * * * * * * * * Always pray to have eyes that see the best in people, a heart that forgives the worst, a mind that forgets the bad, and a soul that never loses faith in God. Until next time remember, "Keep looking up!" God loves you and yours, He really does! Nancy <\\\>< Remember: A man may go to heaven….. Without health, without wealth; Without fame, without a great name; Without learning, without earnings; Without culture, without beauty; Without friends and without ten thousand other things---- But he can NEVER go to Heaven without Christ. ~ This is a FREE e-mailing ~ This Bible Study is sent to subscribers only according to our strict NO SP*M policy. If you appreciate the information contained in this letter, please forward it to your friends. If you have acquired this letter from a friend and want to subscribe: Send an e-mail with Subscribe on the subject line to: hisfootprints4us@comcast.net If you do not want to receive these Bible Studies, please send an email with 'unsubscribe' on the subject line to hisfootprints4us@comcast.net No hard feelings This week's Quiz: Miscellaneous . . . There’s inevitably some stuff left over from all the other categories, so here we have a special miscellaneous quiz to catch the overflow. How many of these odd little facts do you know? 1. What did God create first? Gen. 1:1 a. light c. time b. water d. the heavens and the earth 2. What does Sabbath mean? a. “rest” c. “feast” b. “sleep” d. “holy” 3. The word manna actually means: Exo. 16:15 a. “bread from heaven” c. “white” b. “round” d. “What is it?” 4. Who was born grasping his brother’s heel? Gen. 25:26 a. Abel c. Jacob b. Shem d. Esau 5. The first song in the Bible and the last song in the Bible were written by the same person. Who? Exo. 15:1; Rev. 15:3 a. Jesus c. Abraham b. an angel d. Moses 6. Which of the following groups was anointed? Lev. 14:15-18; 1 Ki 19:16; Exo. 28:41 a. cleansed lepers c. priests b. prophets d. all of the above 7. Who of the following was not a shepherd? 1 Sam. 16:11-13; Gen. 4:2; Amos 1:1 a. David c. Amos b. Abel d. Isaiah 8. Who was so short that he climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Jesus? Lk 19:2-4 a. Zephaniah c. Zadok b. Zechariah d. Zacchaeus 9. What sign did God give Noah as a promise that He would never again flood the earth? Gen. 9:13 a. a cross c. an altar b. a rainbow d. a tablet 10. When Jesus was baptized, the Holy Spirit descended upon Him like a: Matt. 3:16 a. dove c. feather b. ray of light d. bolt of lightning