Wednesday, April 24, 2013
God Cares for His Children
Christians are to cast all their suffering, disappointments, trials, temptations,
and despair on God. He is faithful and will take care of us when we call on Him.
"Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty
hand of God so that at the proper time He may
exalt you, casting all your anxieties on Him,
because He cares for you."
1 Peter 5:6-7
At the proper time, appointed by Him, God will lift up his children who
suffer and are obedient to Him (see Job).
"Cast your burdens on the LORD,
and He will sustain you;
He will never permit the
righteous to be moved."
Psalm 55:22
God hears our cries for help.
"For the LORD hears the needy and does not
despise His own people who are prisoners."
Psalm 69:33
God will bless our submissiveness to Him.
"Delight yourself in the LORD,
and He will give you the desires
of your heart.
"Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in Him, and He will act.
He will bring forth your righteousness
as the light, and your justice as the
noonday."
Psalm 37:4-6
"For the LORD loves justice;
He will not forsake His saints."
Psalm 37:28
God helps believers overcome temptation.
"No temptation has overtaken you that
is not common to man.
God is faithful, and He will not let you
be tempted beyond your ability, but with
the temptation, He will also provide the
way of escape, that you may be able to
endure it."
1 Corinthians 10:13
Monday, April 22, 2013
Redeemed!
"In the Bible, to redeem means to free someone from something bad by
paying a penalty, or a ransom."
NIV Commentary
**********
"For you know that it was not with perishable
things such as silver or gold that you were
redeemed from the empty way of life handed
down to you from your forefathers, but with
the precious blood of Christ, a lamb, without
blemish or defect.
"He was chosen before the creation of the world,
but was revealed in these last times for your sake.
Through him you believe in God, who raised him
from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith
and hope are in God."
" ... For you have been born again, not of perishable
seed, but of imperishable, through the living and
enduring word of God."
1 Peter 1:18-21, 23
Jesus paid for the sins of His people, with His blood, a perfect sacrifice
that God the Father accepted as payment for all the transgressions we would ever
commit.
Silver and gold (material things) come and go, but Jesus' precious blood
shed on the cross for His people, leads them out of the darkness of sin and into
His light.
Led by the Holy Spirit, we receive life when we hear and believe the word of
God.
" ....for all flesh is like grass and all its
glory like the flower of grass. The grass
withers, and the flower falls, but the
word of the Lord remains forever."
1 Peter 1:24-25a
**********
He paid the price to buy the freedom of people in bondage to sin and under
the curse of the law.
"Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law
by becoming a curse for us -- for it is written,
'Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree'
-- so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham
might come to the Gentiles so that we might
receive the promised Spirit through faith."
Galatians 3:13-14
"Christ's death, because it was a death of substitution for sin, satisfied
God's justice and exhausted his wrath toward his elect, so that Christ actually
purchased believers from slavery to sin and from the sentence of eternal death."
John MacArthur
**********
" ... You are not your own, for you were bought
with a price."
1 Corinthians 6:19b-20a
God's people belong to Him, because they were purchased by the precious
blood of Jesus.
"He has delivered us from the domain of darkness
and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,
in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."
Colossians 1:13-14
Believers are freed from slavery to sin by Christ's death, and given entrance
into the kingdom of God.
"The Greek word for 'forgiveness of sins,' is a composite of two words that mean
'to pardon' or 'grant remission of a penalty.'"
John MacArthur
**********
"He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree,
that we might die to sin and live to righteousness."
1 Peter 2:24a
This is called substitutionary atonement. Christ took on the sins of His people,
and bore the punishment and penalty that satisfied a holy God. His righteousness
is imputed to us, and God views us as clean and holy, because of what Jesus did for us.
**********
The Christian's redemption came at the cross. Before we were even born, we had
been redeemed by the blood of Jesus, according to God's gracious and merciful plan.
We were chosen (Ephesians 1:4), foreknown (Romans 8:29), predestined (Romans 8:29),
and called (Romans 8:30) to salvation.
**********
Therefore, we were not redeemed because we believed, but we believed because
we were redeemed!
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Psalm 51
David wrote the 51st psalm after Nathan rebuked him for his sins of
murder and adultery. It shows God's forgiveness for His people who
sincerely repent of their sins.
Surely, if God forgave David, He will also forgive us when we turn
from our sins and live for Him.
**********
"Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.
"Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from
my sin!
"For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.
Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil
in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and
blameless in your judgment.
"Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my
mother conceive me.
"Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach
me wisdom in the secret heart.
"Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall
be whiter than snow.
"Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken
rejoice.
"Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit
within me.
"Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy
Spirit from me.
"Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing
spirit.
"Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you.
"Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, O God of my salvation,
and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.
"O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.
"For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;
you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.
"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite
heart, O God, you will not despise.
"Do good to Zion in your good pleasure; build up the walls of
Jerusalem; then will you delight in right sacrifices, in burnt
offerings and whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on
your altar."
Psalm 51
Monday, April 15, 2013
Great Testimony of God's Sovereignty in Salvation
David Kjos writes a blog called The Thirsty Theologian.
When David and his wife joined the church they had been attending,
David offered his testimony to the congregation.
Notice that he talked about God's grace and mercy, and not about himself.
His emphasis was on what God had done, and not what he had done.
Every born again believer shares David's testimony of God's sovereignty in
salvation.
**********
"And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in
which you once walked, following the course of
this world, following the prince of the power of
the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons
of disobedience --- among whom we all once
lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out
the desire of the body and the mind, and were by
nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind."
"But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great
love with which he loved us, even when we were
dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with
Christ -- by grace you have been saved -- raised us
up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly
places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he
might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in
kindness toward us in Christ Jesus."
"For by grace you have been saved through faith.
And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
not a result of works, so that no one may boast."
Ephesians 2:1-9
**********
Here is what David said that day.
"I have done nothing; God has done it all. It was God who chose me before the
foundation of the world according to his good pleasure (Ephesians 1). It was God
who sent the gospel to me, who convicted me of my sin, called me to faith in Christ,
gave me the gift of faith (Ephesians 2), granted me repentance (2 Timothy 2), and
gave me the understanding to discern the things of God (1 Corinthians 2)."
"It was God who adopted me as his son (Romans 8, Galatians 4, Ephesians 5),
and made me a joint-heir (Romans 8) with his only natural son, Jesus Christ. It was
God who gave me a new nature (2 Corinthians 5), so that I would hate my sin, and
love him and his Word. And it is God who continues to work in me, 'both to will
and to work for his good pleasure (Philippians 2). Finally, it is God who has
promised to perfect the good work he has begun in me (Philippians 1) and to
glorify me with him (Romans 8)."
"I was conceived and born in sin. I had no ability or inclination to choose Christ,
accept Christ, make a decision for Christ, or any other phrase you may have heard
or used to describe conversion. I was an enemy of God, a rebel, concerned only
with my own pleasure and well-being. As much as I would like to diminish my
role in this story, there is one way in which I was very actively involved. I actively
hated God and loved myself. But God loved me, and saved me. Just as he called
Lazarus out of the grave, he called me from mine; and just as Lazarus could not
raise himself from the dead, neither could I raise myself."
"I am not saved because I have accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior. I am
saved because God, in Christ, by his perfect righteousness and his death for my
unrighteousness, has made me acceptable to him. He has not accepted me because
I have accepted him. My faith in him is a consequence, not a cause, of his acceptance
of me. I have trusted Jesus as my Lord and Savior because God has accepted me
in Christ."
"Because of Christ, God doesn't see me as the sinner I am. He sees me covered with
Christ's righteousness. And in that same way, I hope when you hear (or read) this
testimony, it causes you to see not me, but the glory of God in Christ."
Friday, April 12, 2013
"Born of Water"
"Jesus answered, 'I tell you the truth, no one
can enter the kingdom of God unless he is
born of water and the Spirit."
John 3:5
In this passage, the word "water" does NOT refer to baptism, but instead to
the spiritual cleansing a person undergoes when he is regenerated by God.
**********
"Jesus referred not to literal water here but to the need for 'cleansing'.
When water is used figuratively in the Old Testament, it habitually refers
to renewal or spiritual cleansing, especially when used in conjunction with
'spirit.'
Thus, Jesus made reference to the spiritual washing or purification of the
soul, accomplished by the Holy Spirit through the word of God at the moment
of salvation, required for belonging to his kingdom."
John MacArthur
ESV Commentary
**********
"(25) I will sprinkle clean water on you,
and you shall be clean from all your
uncleannesses, and from all your
idols I will cleanse you. (26) And I will
give you a new heart, and a new spirit
I will put within you. And I will remove
the heart of stone from your flesh and
give you a heart of flesh. (27) And I will put
my Spirit within you, and cause you to
walk in my statutes and be careful to
obey my rules."
Ezekiel 36:25-27
"What was figuratively described in v. 25 is explained as literal in vv 26-27.
The gift of the 'new heart' signifies the new birth, which is regeneration by the
Holy Spirit.
"The 'heart' stands for the whole nature. The 'spirit' indicates the governing
power of the mind, which directs thought and conduct. A 'heart of stone' is
stubborn and self-willed. A 'heart of flesh' is pliable and responsive. The evil
inclination is removed and a new nature replaces it."
John MacArthur
ESV Commentary
**********
"But when the goodness and loving kindness
of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not
because of works done by us in righteousness,
but according to his own mercy, by the wash-
ing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,
whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus
Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his
grace we might become heirs according to the
hope of eternal life."
Titus 3:4-7
"Salvation is not achieved by human effort or merit but comes through God's
mercy alone. 'Washing of regeneration' is a reference to new birth, of which baptism
(among other things) is a sign. It cannot mean that baptism is necessary for regen-
eration, since the New Testament plainly teaches that the new birth is an act of God's
Spirit and is not effected or achieved by ceremony."
NIV Commentary
"Salvation brings divine cleansing from sin and the gift of a new,
Spirit-generated, Spirit-empowered, and Spirit-protected life as God's own
children and heirs."
John MacArthur
ESV Commentary
Thursday, April 11, 2013
The New Birth is the Work of the Holy Spirit
A Christian publication tells its readers how to be "born again."
Do A, B, C, and D, and you can receive the new birth.
However, Jesus' words to Nicodemus in John 3, show that
regeneration (being born again) is totally the work of the Holy
Spirit, and man contributes nothing to it.
"Jesus answered him, 'Truly, truly, I say to
you, unless one is born again, he cannot
see the kingdom of God.'
" ... unless one is born of water and the
Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and
that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
"Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must
be born again.' The wind blows where it
wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do
not know where it comes from or where it
goes. So it is with everyone who is born of
the Spirit."
John 3:3, 5-8
Notice that Jesus said nothing to Nicodemus about what he needed to do
to be born again, but clearly told him that the new birth was the work of the
Holy Spirit exclusively. It is a mystery (verse 8).
Men have no control over the wind or over the Holy Spirit. The Holy
Spirit does as He pleases.
**********
"Yet to all who received him, to those who believed
in his name, he gave the right to become children of
God --- children born not of natural descent, nor of
human decision or a husband's will, but born of God."
John 1:12-13
Here, John tells us that our new birth is not traced to anything we do, but
to the grace of God. Yes, we receive and believe in Jesus for salvation, but
only because God regenerates us ("born of God") before we embrace Christ.
"Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ
has been born of God, and everyone who loves
the Father loves whoever has been born of him."
1 John 5:1
This scripture reveals that saving faith is a result of regeneration and not
the cause of it. In other words, the new birth precedes saving faith. Every-
one who in the present believes, has in the past been regenerated by God.
Faith does not produce regeneration, but regeneration produces faith.
**********
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy,
he has caused us to be born again to a living
hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ
from the dead, to an inheritance that is im-
perishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in
heaven for you, who by God's power are
being guarded through faith for a salvation
ready to be revealed in the last time."
1 Peter 1:3-5
Peter wrote that God's great mercy, "has caused us to be born again ..."
The new birth is an act of God, not of man. A man does not "born again"
himself; only God can regenerate him.
Just as we contribute nothing to our physical birth, we have nothing to
do with our spiritual birth. It depends on the grace and mercy God shows
for his people.
**********
"... then the LORD God formed the man of dust from
the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath
of life, and the man became a living creature."
Genesis 2:7
God made Adam alive when he breathed life into him. We are made
spiritually alive when the Holy Spirit changes our heart of stone (un-
believing) into a heart of flesh, enabling us to trust in him for our salva-
tion. We become his people.
"I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you
shall be clean from all your uncleannesses,
and from all your idols I will cleanse you.
And I will give you a new heart, and a new
spirit I will put within you.
"And I will remove the heart of stone from
your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
And I will put my Spirit within you, and
cause you to walk in my statutes and be
careful to obey my rules.
"You shall dwell in the land that I gave to
your fathers, and you shall be my people,
and I will be your God."
Ezekiel 36:25-28
**********
We can't do anything to be born again. That is a miracle of the
Holy Spirit, bestowed on people who are hostile to God and unable
to do anything to please him.
"... the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does
not submit to God's law, nor can it do so.
Those controlled by the sinful nature can-
not please God."
Romans 8:7-8
When the Holy Spirit regenerates us, we believe in Jesus for our
salvation, and there is no condemnation for those who are in him.
"Therefore, there is now no condemnation
for those who are in Christ Jesus, because
through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit
of life set me free from the law of sin and
death."
Romans 8:1
Sources: Dan Phillips and John MacArthur
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
The Cross Was God's Idea
I caught part of an interview on Fox & Friends recently.
I didn't get the man's name or the name of the book he was
promoting.
Commenting on his book, he said (paraphrasing), "The cross
wasn't God's idea. God just took a horrible act of men and made
it a beautiful thing."
One of the co-hosts responded, "That was beautifully put." I
thought to myself, "How sad" that these two people had such a
lack of understanding about the Bible and God's plan of re-
demption.
Apparently, they believe God made the world, and took His
hands off it, and let man run the show, reacting only when they
went outside of the boundaries He had set for them. That is not the
God of the Bible.
The Bible clearly states that people are responsible for their
own actions, but are not in charge of their own fates.
The heart of man plans his way,
but the Lord establishes his steps.
Proverbs 16:9
Many are the plans in the mind of
a man, but it is the purpose of the
Lord that will stand.
Proverbs 19:21
God had a plan and a purpose for Jesus' death on the cross
and He used wicked men (Judas, Pilate, Pharisees, Roman
soldiers and held them responsible for their evil deeds) to
carry out His plan.
Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus
of Nazareth, a man attested to you by
God with mighty works and wonders and
signs that God did through him in your
midst, as you yourselves know— this
Jesus, delivered up according to the definite
plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified
and killed by the hands of lawless men. God
raised him up, loosing the pangs of death,
because it was not possible for him to be held by it.
Acts 2:23-24
For truly in this city there were gathered
together against your holy servant Jesus
whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius
Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples
of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your
plan had predestined to take place.
Acts 4:27-28
God decided before the creation of the world that Jesus'
death on the cross would be necessary to redeem sinful men.
Ephesians 1:4-7.
God works out everything in conformity with the purpose
of his will. Ephesians 1:11.
It was the Lord's will to provide His Son as a substitute to
pay for His people's sins. Isaiah 53:10.
God knew Adam would fall and therefore everyone
afterward would be born with a sinful nature, unable to please
God without receiving His grace. Romans 8:7-8
Sinful man needed a Savior to escape God's wrath for his
wickedness and Jesus was that perfect sacrifice in human form.
Hebrews 10:14.
All of this was done according to God's perfect plan, from
before the foundation of the world.
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