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Thursday, December 29, 2011

New Year


Bible Lesson: New Year 

Bible Text: Philippians 3:12-14 KJV
12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

The dear Apostle Paul spoke these words near the end of his life saying “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended:”

The man who wrote 14 of  our New Testament Epistles, said of himself....

II Corinthians 11:23-28 KJV
23 Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft.
24 Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one.
25 Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep;
26 In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;
27 In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.
28 Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.

Perhaps one of today's most sinister spiritual diseases is that of complacency.
One's spiritual life having arrived at a place of complete satisfaction.
DANGER..........DANGER AHEAD.....BEWARE!

I Corinthians 10:12 KJV
Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.

Life in Jesus Christ is  “not,” static, but dynamic.
The beloved Apostle Paul, knew this to be true.
A mans last words are no doubt his most sincere, and most certainly true of the Apostle.
His words remind us how to face this new year of uncertainty.

FACE THE NEW YEAR WITH CONFESSION:

Philippians 3:12 KJV
 “Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect...”

Matthew 6:12 NLT (Jesus)
"...and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us."

Lest there be any mistake, Our Lord herein includes everyone! You and I have sinned.
We have transgressed the laws of God. We have done this in at least one of three ways. Sin by innocence, sin by neglect, or sin by design.
We have transgressed.

Sin against another.
Matthew 5:24 KJV
Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.

I Corinthians 11:31 KJV
For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.

And not only should we confess to men, but to God.

Psalm 51:4 KJV (King David)
Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.

FACE THE NEW YEAR WITH A GODLY GUIDANCE:

Philippians 3:12 KJV
“... but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.”

Psalm 25:5,9 KJV
5 Lead me in thy Truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.
9 The meek will He guide in judgment: and the meek will He teach His way.

Psalm 27:11 KJV
Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path..."

Psalm 48:14 KJV
For this God is our God for ever and ever: He will be our Guide even unto death.

Psalm 73:24 KJV
Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.

Psalm 139:9,10 KJV
9 If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
10 Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.

Psalm 143:10 KJV
Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness.

Isaiah 30:21 KJV
And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the Way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.

Isaiah 42:16 KJV
And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them.

Luke 1:78,79 KJV (Zachariah)
78 Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the Day Spring (Jesus) from on high hath visited us,
79 To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.

John 16:13 KJV (Christ speaking of the Holy Spirit.)
Howbeit when He, the Spirit of Truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will shew you things to come.


FACE THE NEW YEAR WITH A FORWARD LOOK:

Philippians 3:13 KJV
“... forgetting those things which are behind...”

The Apostle, never let the heartaches or disappointments of yesterday change his direction.
His sight was fixed on heaven, and the Saviour who awaited him there.

Genesis 19:15,17,24-26 KJV
15 And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city.
17 And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; 
look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.
24 Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven;
25 And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.
26 But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.

Isaiah 1:4 KJV (The people of Judah.)
Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward.

Jeremiah 7:24 KJV (The people of Judah.)
But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward.

To look back, is to go back, and to go back, is to forsake the way of the Lord. As the people of God, our way lies ahead, our way is the leading of our faithful Shepherd.

Matthew 16:24 KJV
Then said Jesus unto His disciples, If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.

John 10:27 KJV
My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me:

John 12:26 KJV
If any man serve Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there shall also My servant be: if any man serve Me, him will My Father honor.

FACE THE NEW YEAR WITH DETERMINATION:

Philippians 3:13,14 KJV
13 “...this one thing I do, ...reaching forth unto those things which are before,
14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

I Corinthians 2:2 KJV
For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.

Hebrews 12:1-4 KJV
1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
2 Looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
3 For consider Him that endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.
4 Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.

Starting the new year with a heart of Confession, Godly Guidance, a Forward Look, and spiritual Determination, will put us on the path way of God's blessing.
This year, may we make the Lord Jesus Christ, the Master of our life.

John 13:13 KJV
Ye call Me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am.

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

"Work Out Your Own Salvation"


Bible Questions Answered:
“You say, we are saved only by belief, but in Bible it plainly say...work out your own salvation!”
Riye/ Shibuya, Japan

Bible Answer:

Bible Text:
Philippians 2:12 KJV (The Apostle Paul)
Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

Notice the Apostle Paul did not say, work “for” your salvation, but work “out” your own salvation.

We cannot work “for,” our salvation!
When our Lord hung on the cross of Calvary, He said....

John 19:30 KJV
“...It is finished: and He bowed His head, and gave up the ghost.
The sacrifice for mankind's salvation was forever finished. No man can add to it, nor from it take away.

This He did this “once,” for all time.

Hebrews 7:27 KJV
Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this He did once, when He offered up Himself.

Hebrews 9:28 KJV
So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

Hebrews 10:5-10 KJV
5 Wherefore when He cometh into the world, He saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared Me:
6 In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure.
7 Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of Me,) to do thy will, O God.
8 Above when He said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law;
9 Then said He, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that He may establish the second.
10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Here are the teachings of Apostle Paul.
Paul was not referring to salvation, but to sanctification.

I Corinthians 2:1-3 KJV
1 And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God.
2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.
3 And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.

Ephesians 6:5 KJV (Paul “was not,” endorsing slavery, but using it as an example.)
Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness (sincerity) of your heart, as unto Christ;

Salvation, was forever a finished work, but our Christian walk in righteousness, till the end, is a work in progress, never ending until we are with Christ.

I John 3:2 KJV
Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is.

When shall we be “fully-sanctified?”
When we shall see Him as He is, and not until.”

II Corinthians 3:18 KJV
But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.


Bible teachings continued.


Spiritual Perseverance:


Psalm 2:11 NLT
Serve the Lord with reverent fear, and rejoice with trembling.

Matthew 7:21 KJV
Not every one that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of My Father which is in heaven.

Luke 21:34-36 KJV (Jesus)
34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting (overindulgence), and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.
35 For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.
36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.

Salvation a Gift:


Romans 3:24 KJV (Paul)
Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

Romans 5:12-21 NLT (Paul)
12 When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. 
13 Yes, people sinned even before the law was given. But it was not counted as sin because there was not yet any law to break. 
14 Still, everyone died—from the time of Adam to the time of Moses—even those who did not disobey an explicit commandment of God, as Adam did. Now Adam is a symbol, a representation of Christ, who was yet to come. 
15 But there is a great difference between Adam’s sin and God’s Gracious Gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and His Gift of forgiveness to many through this other Man, Jesus Christ. 
16 And the result of God’s Gracious Gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free Gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. 
17 For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and His Gift of Righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one Man, Jesus Christ.
18 Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone. 
19 Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous.
20 God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant. 
21 So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord

Romans 11:5,6 NLT (Paul)
5 It is the same today, for a few of the people of Israel have remained faithful because of God’s grace—His undeserved kindness in choosing them. 
6 And since it is through God’s kindness, then it is not by their good works. For in that case, God’s grace would not be what it really is—free and undeserved.

Ephesians 2:8,9 KJV (Paul)
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the Gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Working out our own salvation:
It means to receive through faith, Salvation by the blood of Jesus Christ, a finished work.
Being a member of His body, His people, we are called to live our lives like unto the sinless Saviour.
Doing our best, not to earn our salvation, but to live as He has called us to live through His holy word.

If we should stop being a part of His body, stop living for Him, stop living like Him, stop living in righteousness and His word. We remove ourselves from His body.
If redemption is lost, it will be because we were not willing to live for the Saviour.

Although  Salvation is never earned, yet once received, the Author of Salvation, from a heart of thanksgiving, should be loved and followed in our daily lives.
Could it seem right any other way, than to love and live for the one who has redeemed us?

Mark 8:34 KJV
And when He had called the people unto Him with His disciples also, He said unto them, Whosoever will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.

John 12:26 KJV
If any man serve Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve Me, him will My Father honour.


Saturday, December 24, 2011

Virgin Birth II


Bible Questions Answered:
“What importance is virgin birth in the Christmas story, why does this make much difference?”
Aakash/ Calcutta India

Bible Answer:

The virgin birth of Christ is all important, first of all it was prophesied many centuries before His birth.

Genesis 3:14,15 KJV
14 And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:
15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

Genesis 3:14,15 NLT
14 Then the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all animals, domestic and wild You will crawl on your belly, groveling in the dust as long as you live.
15 And I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.”

(Seed of the woman/ speaks of a miraculous birth, as the seed of offspring originates from the male.)

Isiah 7:14 KJV (700 Years B.C.)
Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son, and shall call His name Emmanuel  (which means ‘God is with us’).

Matthew 1:18-25 KJV
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as His mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.
19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily.
20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
21 And she shall bring forth a Son, and thou shalt call His name JESUS: for He shall save His people from their sins.
22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,
23 Behold, a virgin shall be with Child, and shall bring forth a Son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
24 Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife:
25 And knew her not till she had brought forth her Firstborn Son: and he called His name JESUS.

Christ was the Son of God, not of Joseph.
God's Son, became flesh and dwelt among us.

Philippians 2:5-11 NLT
5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
7 But made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
8 And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name:
10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

The Eternal Son of God, became flesh....

II Corinthians 5:21 KJV
For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.

The Eternal Son of God:

Isaiah 9:6 KJV
For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Micah 5:2 KJV
But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall He come forth unto Me that is to be Ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

John 1:1-4,14-18 KJV
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 The same was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made. (Hebrews 11:3)
4 In Him was life; and the life was the light of men.
14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the Only Begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
15 John bare witness of Him, and cried, saying, This was He of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for He was before me.
16 And of His fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.
17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
18 No man hath seen God at any time, the Only Begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him.

John 8:58 KJV
Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.

John 17:5,24 KJV
5 And now, O Father, glorify thou Me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.
24 Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am; that they may behold My glory, which thou hast given Me: for thou lovedst Me before the foundation of the world.

Hebrews 1:1-3 KJV
1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, whom He hath appointed Heir of all things, by whom also He made the worlds;
3 Who being the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on High:

Hebrews 7:3 KJV
Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a Priest continually.

Revelation 22:13 KJV
I am Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Bethlehem


Bible Questions Answered:
“What was so special about the place bethlehem over the others?”
Brandon/ Birmingham, United Kingdom

Bible Answer:

It was special for several reasons.
First of all it was a time of Roman Census taking. The purpose of most Census taking was for the raising of taxes and or military placement. Rome had as its custom, census taking every 14 years.

Luke 2:1-5 NLT
1 At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. 
2 (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 
3 All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. 
4 And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. 
5 He took with him Mary, his fiancée, who was now obviously pregnant.

Bethlehem was the city of David (House of bread).

Prophecy had predicted the birth of the Messiah in Bethlehem some 700 years B.C.

Micah 5:2 KJV
But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall He come forth unto Me that is to be Ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

(Did Mary bring Jesus Christ into existence? Never, He is, always was, and always be God, with the Father and Holy Spirit. Was Christ a created angel? Never, He is, always was, and always will be God, with the Father and Holy Spirit.)

Isaiah 9:6,7 KJV
6 For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

This prophecy referring to Christ, says what of Him? “ His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” Did you notice the title “Everlasting?”

Bethlehem, a village 5 miles south west of Jerusalem, it was here that the prophet Samuel anointed David to be King of Israel.

I Samuel 17:12 NLT
" Now David was the son of a man named Jesse, an Ephrathite from Bethlehem in the land of Judah..."

I Samuel 16:13 KJV
Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward..."

Luke 2:6,7 NLT
6 And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. 
7 She gave birth to her first Child, a Son. She wrapped Him snugly in strips of cloth and laid Him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.

On the hills of Bethlehem, are caves, and shepherds put stables in them for their animals, for protection against weather, robbers and, wild animals.  The manger in which Jesus was born, no doubt was one of these cave stables.

In the year 328 The Church of the Nativity was built by Helena, mother to Emperor Constantine. It was built over the spot which was believed to have been Christ's birth. In the years 527-565 Emperor Justinian rebuilt the church.

Luke 2:8-20 KJV
8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger.
17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this Child.
18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

The hills surrounding Bethlehem, abound with vines, almonds, olives, and figs, but something far, far more wonderful, Bethlehem was home to the Bread of Life.

John 6:35, 47-51 KJV
35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the Bread of Life: he that cometh to Me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on Me shall never thirst.
47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on Me hath everlasting life.
48 I am that Bread of Life.
49 Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead.
50 This is the Bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.
51 I am the Living Bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this Bread, he shall live for ever: and the Bread that I will give is My Flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

All who receive the Lord Jesus, have everlasting life.

John 3:16-18 KJV
16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His Only Begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17 For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved.
18 He that believeth on Him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Have you received the Father's Gift?
Have you eaten of this Bread of Life, is the Lord Jesus Christ your Saviour?


Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Bible Lesson: Miracles Of The Power Of The Holy Spirit: Stephen


Bible Lesson: Miracles Of The Power Of The Holy Spirit:

God's Messenger: Stephen.

Bible Location: Judea.

Bible Text: Acts 6:8 KJV
And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people.

The early church, after Pentecost, had literally exploded as far as adherents.
And the disciples, became overburdened with the every day to day chores of the church and all its people.

 Acts 6:1,2 NLT
1 But as the believers rapidly multiplied, there were rumblings of discontent. The Greek-speaking believers complained about the Hebrew-speaking believers, saying that their widows were being discriminated against in the daily distribution of food.
2 So the Twelve called a meeting of all the believers. They said, “We apostles should spend our time teaching the word of God, not running a food program. 

The church answer:

Acts 6:3-8 NLT
3 And so, brothers, select seven men who are well respected and are full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will give them this responsibility. 
4 Then we apostles can spend our time in prayer and teaching the word.”
5 Everyone liked this idea, and they chose the following: Stephen (a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit), Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas of Antioch (an earlier convert to the Jewish faith). 
6 These seven were presented to the apostles, who prayed for them as they laid their hands on them.
7 So God’s message continued to spread. The number of believers greatly increased in Jerusalem, and many of the Jewish priests were converted, too.
8 Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed amazing miracles and signs among the people.

Stephen, became one of the first of seven deacons.

He was a man:
Full of faith (grace/RSV)and power, (who) did great wonders and miracles.
Oh honest report.
Full of the Holy Ghost.
Full of Wisdom
Full of love

Now wherever the blest work of God, certainly the angry enemy is not far away.

Acts 6:9-15 NLT
9 But one day some men from the Synagogue of Freed Slaves, as it was called, started to debate with him. They were Jews from Cyrene, Alexandria, Cilicia, and the province of Asia. 

Acts 6:9 RSV
Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), and of the Cyre'nians, and of the Alexandrians, and of those from Cili'cia and Asia, arose and disputed with Stephen. 

These were freed Jews, freed from being captives of Rome. (Josephus/ Tacitus.)

Cyrenians That is Jews of Cyrene, of Libya, from the coast of Africa.
Cilicia, Saul of Tarsus may well have been among them (a member of the Sanhedrin), and of Asia.

Stephen was a Hellenist Greek, and for that matter so Saul of Tarsus. Both, could have well known each other and debated each other!

10 None of them could stand against the wisdom and the Spirit with which Stephen spoke.
11 So they persuaded some men to lie about Stephen, saying, “We heard him blaspheme Moses, and even God.” 
12 This roused the people, the elders, and the teachers of religious law. So they arrested Stephen and brought him before the high council.
13 The lying witnesses said, “This man is always speaking against the holy Temple and against the law of Moses. 
14 We have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy the Temple and change the customs Moses handed down to us.”
15 At this point everyone in the high council stared at Stephen, because his face became as bright as an angel’s.

The Hellenist Jews, trumped up false charges against Stephen, as they had the Lord Jesus.
The Sanhedrin, was called upon, and Stephen gave his defense of faith.

Acts 7:1-60 NLT
1 Then the high priest asked Stephen, “Are these accusations true?”
2 This was Stephen’s reply: “Brothers and fathers, listen to me. Our Glorious God appeared to our ancestor Abraham in Mesopotamia before he settled in Haran. 
3 God told him, ‘Leave your native land and your relatives, and come into the land that I will show you.’ 
4 So Abraham left the land of the Chaldeans and lived in Haran until his father died. Then God brought him here to the land where you now live.
5 “But God gave him no inheritance here, not even one square foot of land. God did promise, however, that eventually the whole land would belong to Abraham and his descendants—even though he had no children yet. 
6 God also told him that his descendants would live in a foreign land, where they would be oppressed as slaves for 400 years. 
7 ‘But I will punish the nation that enslaves them,’ God said, ‘and in the end they will come out and worship Me here in this place.’
8 “God also gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision at that time. So when Abraham became the father of Isaac, he circumcised him on the eighth day. And the practice was continued when Isaac became the father of Jacob, and when Jacob became the father of the twelve patriarchs of the Israelite nation.
9 “These patriarchs were jealous of their brother Joseph, and they sold him to be a slave in Egypt. But God was with him 
10 and rescued him from all his troubles. And God gave him favor before Pharaoh, king of Egypt. God also gave Joseph unusual wisdom, so that Pharaoh appointed him governor over all of Egypt and put him in charge of the palace.
11 “But a famine came upon Egypt and Canaan. There was great misery, and our ancestors ran out of food. 
12 Jacob heard that there was still grain in Egypt, so he sent his sons—our ancestors—to buy some. 
13 The second time they went, Joseph revealed his identity to his brothers, and they were introduced to Pharaoh. 
14 Then Joseph sent for his father, Jacob, and all his relatives to come to Egypt, seventy-five persons in all. 
15 So Jacob went to Egypt. He died there, as did our ancestors. 
16 Their bodies were taken to Shechem and buried in the tomb Abraham had bought for a certain price from Hamor’s sons in Shechem.
17 “As the time drew near when God would fulfill His promise to Abraham, the number of our people in Egypt greatly increased. 
18 But then a new king came to the throne of Egypt who knew nothing about Joseph. 
19 This king exploited our people and oppressed them, forcing parents to abandon their newborn babies so they would die.
20 “At that time Moses was born—a beautiful child in God’s eyes. His parents cared for him at home for three months. 
21 When they had to abandon him, Pharaoh’s daughter adopted him and raised him as her own son. 
22 Moses was taught all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was powerful in both speech and action.
23 “One day when Moses was forty years old, he decided to visit his relatives, the people of Israel. 
24 He saw an Egyptian mistreating an Israelite. So Moses came to the man’s defense and avenged him, killing the Egyptian. 
25 Moses assumed his fellow Israelites would realize that God had sent him to rescue them, but they didn’t.
26 “The next day he visited them again and saw two men of Israel fighting. He tried to be a peacemaker. ‘Men,’ he said, ‘you are brothers. Why are you fighting each other?’
27 “But the man in the wrong pushed Moses aside. ‘Who made you a ruler and judge over us?’ he asked. 
28 ‘Are you going to kill me as you killed that Egyptian yesterday?’ 
29 When Moses heard that, he fled the country and lived as a foreigner in the land of Midian. There his two sons were born.
30 “Forty years later, in the desert near Mount Sinai, an angel appeared to Moses in the flame of a burning bush. 31 When Moses saw it, he was amazed at the sight. As he went to take a closer look, the voice of the Lord called out to him, 
32 ‘I am the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’ Moses shook with terror and did not dare to look.
33 “Then the Lord said to him, ‘Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground. 
34 I have certainly seen the oppression of My people in Egypt. I have heard their groans and have come down to rescue them. Now go, for I am sending you back to Egypt.’
35 “So God sent back the same man his people had previously rejected when they demanded, ‘Who made you a ruler and judge over us?’ Through the angel who appeared to him in the burning bush, God sent Moses to be their ruler and savior. 
36 And by means of many wonders and miraculous signs, he led them out of Egypt, through the Red Sea, and through the wilderness for forty years.
37 “Moses himself told the people of Israel, ‘God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from among your own people.’ 
38 Moses was with our ancestors, the assembly of God’s people in the wilderness, when the angel spoke to him at Mount Sinai. And there Moses received life-giving words to pass on to us.
39 “But our ancestors refused to listen to Moses. They rejected him and wanted to return to Egypt. 
40 They told Aaron, ‘Make us some gods who can lead us, for we don’t know what has become of this Moses, who brought us out of Egypt.’ 
41 So they made an idol shaped like a calf, and they sacrificed to it and celebrated over this thing they had made. 
42 Then God turned away from them and abandoned them to serve the stars of heaven as their gods! In the book of the prophets it is written, ‘Was it to Me you were bringing sacrifices and offerings during those forty years in the wilderness, Israel?
43 No, you carried your pagan gods— the shrine of Molech, the star of your god Rephan, and the images you made to worship them. So I will send you into exile as far away as Babylon.’
44 “Our ancestors carried the Tabernacle with them through the wilderness. It was constructed according to the plan God had shown to Moses. 
45 Years later, when Joshua led our ancestors in battle against the nations that God drove out of this land, the Tabernacle was taken with them into their new territory. And it stayed there until the time of King David.
46 “David found favor with God and asked for the privilege of building a permanent Temple for the God of Jacob. 
47 But it was Solomon who actually built it. 
48 However, the Most High doesn’t live in temples made by human hands. As the prophet says,
49 ‘Heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool. Could you build Me a temple as good as that?’ asks the Lord. ‘Could you build Me such a resting place?
50 Didn’t My hands make both heaven and earth?’
51 “You stubborn people! You are heathen at heart and deaf to the truth. Must you forever resist the Holy Spirit? That’s what your ancestors did, and so do you! 
52 Name one prophet your ancestors didn’t persecute! They even killed the ones who predicted the coming of the Righteous One—the Messiah whom you betrayed and murdered. 
53 You deliberately disobeyed God’s law, even though you received it from the hands of angels.”
54 The Jewish leaders were infuriated by Stephen’s accusation, and they shook their fists at him in rage. 
55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed steadily into heaven and saw the glory of God, and he saw Jesus standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 
56 And he told them, “Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand!”
57 Then they put their hands over their ears and began shouting. They rushed at him 
58 and dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. His accusers took off their coats and laid them at the feet of a young man named Saul.
59 As they stoned him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 
60 He fell to his knees, shouting, “Lord, don’t charge them with this sin!” And with that, he died.

Romans 14:12 KJV
So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.

Stephen, first martyr of the Christian church, was faithful until death.

Dear friend, our life, could end at any time, certainly it is not an eternal life.
Do you know the Lord, that's the most important question!
And if you do, are you serving Him, is He your Lord, and Master?
Will you hear the Saviour one day say to you...

Matthew 25:23 KJV
“...Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.”

Salvation Prayer

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Bible Questions Answered: Truth- Buy The Truth And Sell It Not


Bible Questions Answered 
“....my reading I see the words -buy the truth and do not sell it-what is this?”
Cadao/ Sydney, Australia

Bible Answer:

Bible Text: Proverbs 23:23 KJV
Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.

Proverbs 4:3-8 KJV (Solomon, listening to his father King David's lessons.)
3 For I was my father's son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother.
4 He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live.
5 Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth.
6 Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee.
7 Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.

Proverbs 23:23 KJV
“Buy the truth, and sell it not...”
King David was stressing the importance of having and knowing the truth.
The truth is of great value, do all that you can to have it, which speaks of sacrifice,...but never think of selling it.

This reminds us of the parable of Jesus, the pearl of great price.

Matthew 13:45,46 KJV
45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a Merchant Man, seeking goodly pearls:
46 Who, when He had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that He had, and bought it.

For the explanation of this parable see the following posting.... Parables-Our Lord's: The Pearl Of Great Price

Our Saviour devested Himself of all, to purchase, yeah, to redeem His beloved people!

Psalm 45:1-8 NLT
1 Beautiful words stir my heart. I will recite a lovely poem about the King, for my tongue is like the pen of a skillful poet.
2 You are the most handsome of all. Gracious words stream from your lips. God Himself has blessed you forever.
3 Put on your sword, O Mighty Warrior! You are so Glorious, so Majestic!
4 In your Majesty, ride out to victory, defending truth, humility, and justice. Go forth to perform awe-inspiring deeds!
5 Your arrows are sharp, piercing your enemies’ hearts. The nations fall beneath your feet.
6 Your throne, O God endures forever and ever. You rule with a scepter of justice.
7 You love justice and hate evil. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you, pouring out the oil of joy on you more than on anyone else.
8 Myrrh, aloes, and cassia perfume your robes. In ivory palaces the music of strings entertains you.

Philippians 2:5-11 KJV 
5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
7 But made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
8 And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name:
10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Heavens ivory palace, His throne, His haliments of glory, all, all, our blessed for ever, Saviour laid aside for our redemption, and that by His own precious blood.
Selah

II Corinthians 5:21 KJV
For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.

If this indeed was the mindset of the Saviour, what is our determination, towards Him?

Solomon's instructions were to ….
Proverbs 23:23 KJV
“Buy the truth, and sell it not...”
Whatever, be the sacrifice, there can be no comparison as to the value of truth!

John 14:6 KJV
Jesus saith unto him, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.

We cannot “buy,” what is free, but nevertheless our possessing this great treasure deserves our best sacrifices.

Ephesians 2:8,9 KJV
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Romans 3:24 KJV
Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

Psalm 107:22 KJV
And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare His works with rejoicing.

Salvation Prayer

Friday, December 16, 2011

Bible Questions Answered: Christian Confession

Bible Questions Answered:
“...tell me that phrase “the testimony of Jesus,” what is this meaning?”
Rico/ La Jolla, California U.S.A.

Bible Answer:

Bible Text:

Revelation 1:2 KJV
Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.

Revelation 1:9 KJV
I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for
the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Revelation 12:17 KJV
And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Revelation 19:10 KJV
And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for
the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

This is the “witness,” of Christian people, concerning Jesus.

I Peter 3:15 KJV
But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:

It is the call, nay, duty of any Christian to be ready to give a reason for his faith in Jesus Christ.
Every Christian has been commissioned to witness of his faith.

Mark 16:15 KJV (Jesus speaking to His disciples.)
And He said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

Romans 10:9,10 NLT
9 If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved.

The testimony of Jesus,” is confession as to your Christian faith, and or Christian instruction, i.e of preaching or teaching the Christian faith.

Matthew 10:32,33 KJV
32 Whosoever therefore shall confess Me before men, him will I confess also before My Father which is in heaven.
33 But whosoever shall deny Me before men, him will I also deny before My Father which is in heaven.

Luke 12:8 KJV
Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess Me before men, him shall the Son of Man also confess before the angels of God:

Philippians 2:11 KJV
And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

I John 2:23 KJV
Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.

I John 4:15 KJV
Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.


Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Bible Questions Answered: Seek Ye The Lord

Bible Questions Answered:
“It says seek the Lord while he may be found, when is that and when will it be that he cannot be found?”
Pat/ New York, New York U.S.A.

Bible Answer:

Text: Isaiah 55:6 KJV
Seek ye the LORD while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near:

This is not some mystical time of appearance or disappearance of the Saviour, rather these words speak of the spiritual condition of the heart.

II Corinthians 6:2 KJV
(For He saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured (helped) thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)

Many a person has heard the call of the Saviour, but delayed in their reaction to Him. Not today, they say, or after I graduate from school, after my business is a success, when I am older, etc. etc.

But delay, Is to refuse and the refusal of a day, becomes the refusal of a week, a month, a year. And before one realizes it, the refusal of a life time. And the heart that once could have turned to the Lord, has now become old and hardened to the ways of the world, and no longer desires to turn to the Lord.
This is the unpardonable sin, the total rejection of the calling of the Spirit of God.

Psalm 95:6-11 NLT
6 Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker,
7 for He is our God. We are the people He watches over, the flock under His care. If only you would listen to His voice today!
8 The Lord says, “Don’t harden your hearts as Israel did at Meribah, as they did at Massah in the wilderness.
9 For there your ancestors tested and tried My patience, even though they saw everything I did.
10 For forty years I was angry with them, and I said, ‘They are a people whose hearts turn away from Me. They refuse to do what I tell them.’
11 So in My anger I took an oath: ‘They will never enter My place of rest.’”

Hebrew 4:7 KJV
"...To day if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts.

Hebrews 12:14-17 KJV
14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:
15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;
16 Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.
17 For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.

Revelation 3:20 KJV
Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me.

Genesis 71,13,14,16,17 KJV
1 And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before Me in this generation.
13 In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah's wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark;
14 They, and every beast after his kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind, and every fowl after his kind, every bird of every sort.
16 And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the LORD shut him in.
17 And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lift up above the earth.

Righteous Noah and his family were shut in the ark, while others to whom Noah had preached warning for 120 years, and refused, were shut out.

Zechariah 7:11-13 NLT
11 “Your ancestors refused to listen to this message. They stubbornly turned away and put their fingers in their ears to keep from hearing.
12 They made their hearts as hard as stone, so they could not hear the instructions or the messages that the Lord of Heaven’s Armies had sent them by His Spirit through the earlier prophets. That is why the Lord of Heaven’s Armies was so angry with them.
13 “Since they refused to listen when I called to them, I would not listen when they called to Me, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

Brother to rejection, i.e. repentance and surrender postponed, is that of presumption.

Matthew 25:1-13 KJV
1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the Bridegroom.
2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:
4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
5 While the Bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.
6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the Bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet Him.
7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.
8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.
9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.
10 And while they went to buy, the Bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with Him to the marriage: and the door was shut.
11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.
12 But He answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.
13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of Man cometh.

The virgins are the bride of Christ, while the Bridegroom is Christ.

Matthew 7:16-23 KJV
16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
21 Not every one that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of My Father which is in heaven.
22 Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity.

Workers of iniquity, because though their garments are white, and their hands filled with lamps, yet they are without oil, and blind leaders, “of the dark,” blind.

Matthew 7:21 KJV
Not every one that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven;
but he that doeth the will of My Father which is in heaven.

To refuse to be surrendered to the Lord, as Master, is to rely upon fleshly works that perish. All the rituals, creeds, pomp and circumstance, degrees of great learning all will be as an empty lamp in the dark, on that secret day of the Bridegrooms coming.

Ephesians 2:8,9 KJV
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

I Samuel 15:22 KJV
And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.

Hebrews 12:14 KJV
Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:

The hour is late, the night far spent, each one must decide for himself, whether “poor in spirit,” or “full and self satisfied.”

Once the Bridegroom comes and takes His bride to heavens marriage feast, the doors will be shut.

Hebrew 4:7 KJV
"...To day if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts.

Deuteronomy 4:29 KJV
But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find Him, if thou seek Him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.

I Chronicles 16:11 KJV
Seek the LORD and His strength, seek His face continually.

Isaiah 31:1 KJV
Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many; and in horsemen, because they are very strong; but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the LORD!

Hosea 10:12 NLT
I said, ‘Plant the good seeds of righteousness, and you will harvest a crop of love Plow up the hard ground of your hearts, for now is the time to seek the Lord, that He may come and shower righteousness upon you.’


Sunday, December 11, 2011

Bible Questions Answered: Christmas Celebrated

Bible Questions Answered:
“When was Christmas first celebrated?”
Camargo/ Temecula, California U.S.A.

Bible Answer:

Tradition tells us that in 220 A.D. The Eastern/ or Greek Christian church celebrated the nativity.
A century later the Latin (Western) church celebrated it.
In the year 380 A.D. a uniform date was agreed upon that of 5 B.C.

The celebration of Christmas was first observed upon January 6th, but at the end of the 4th century it was moved to December 25th.

The Christmas tree was first introduced to Europe in the 8th century, by a German.

The Magi, were thought to have come from Arabia, Egypt, Mesopotamia, or another location in the East.
Some early church traditions state, that there were three Magi Princes, and that their names were Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar. It has been said of the Magians, that they were Semitic, and were known as Chaldeans.

These Magians Princes believed in one God, they had a hatred for idolatry and were diligent in looking for a coming Messiah.

Numbers 24:17 KJV
"I shall see Him, but not now: I shall behold Him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel..."

When the Magians saw the star leading to Judah, they believed the prophecy, come to life.



Saturday, December 10, 2011

Bible Lesson: Miracles Of The Power Of The Holy Spirit: Angelic Deliverance

Bible Lesson: Miracles Of The Power Of The Holy Spirit: Angelic Deliverance.

God's Messenger: The Angel Of The Lord. (Could have been Gabriel.)

Bible Location: Jerusalem.

Bible Text: Acts 5:17-25 NLT
17 The high priest and his officials, who were Sadducees, were filled with jealousy.
18 They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail.
19 But an angel of the Lord came at night, opened the gates of the jail, and brought them out. Then he told them,
20 “Go to the Temple and give the people this message of life!”
21 So at daybreak the apostles entered the Temple, as they were told, and immediately began teaching.
When the high priest and his officials arrived, they convened the high council—the full assembly of the elders of Israel. Then they sent for the apostles to be brought from the jail for trial.
22 But when the Temple guards went to the jail, the men were gone. So they returned to the council and reported, 23 “The jail was securely locked, with the guards standing outside, but when we opened the gates, no one was there!”
24 When the captain of the Temple guard and the leading priests heard this, they were perplexed, wondering where it would all end.
25 Then someone arrived with startling news: “The men you put in jail are standing in the Temple, teaching the people!”


Acts 5:17 NLT
The high priest and his officials, who were Sadducees, were filled with jealousy.

Only the gospel of the Apostles, had power and purpose, all the others were mad and jealous.

Luke 4:32 KJV
And they were astonished at His doctrine: for His word was with power.

Acts 5:18 NLT
They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail.

Oh, the millions of saints who have been martyred for their faith in Jesus Christ, and the many yet to follow.

Revelation 6:9-11 KJV
9 And when He had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:
10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, Holy and True, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?
11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.

Persecution, Jesus said we should expect it.

The Word of the Lord:

Matthew 10:16-22 KJV
16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.
17 But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues;
18 And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for My sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles.
19 But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak.
20 For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.
21 And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death.
22 And ye shall be hated of all men for My name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.

Matthew 24:9 KJV
Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for My name's sake.

Luke 21:12-17 KJV
12 But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for My name's sake.
13 And it shall turn to you for a testimony.
14 Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer:
15 For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.
16 And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death.
17 And ye shall be hated of all men for My name's sake.

John 15:20 KJV
Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept My saying, they will keep yours also.

John 16:1-3 KJV
1 These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended.
2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.
3 And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor Me.

II Timothy 3:12 KJV
Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.

Revelation 2:10 KJV
Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.

Acts 5:19 NLT
“But an angel of the Lord came at night, opened the gates of the jail, and brought them out....”

Genesis 18:14 KJV (Our Lord asked Abraham.)
"Is any thing too hard for the LORD?..."

Daniel 3:16-18 KJV
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you.
17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty.
18 But even if He doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.”

Daniel 3:19-25 KJV
19 Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated.
20 And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace.
21 Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
22 Therefore because the king's commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flames of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
24 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counselors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.
25 He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.

God, can deliver, but we have no promise of that, instead we are called to be faithful til death.

Hebrews 11:36-38 KJV
36 And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment:
37 They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;
38 (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.

Whether it be by deliverance or by death, our Saviour has promised His people...

Hebrews 13:5 KJV
"...I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."

Acts 5:19-21 NLT
19 But an angel of the Lord came at night, opened the gates of the jail, and brought them out. Then he told them,
20 “Go to the Temple and give the people this message of life!”
21 So at daybreak the apostles entered the Temple, as they were told, and immediately began teaching.

The mighty angels of God, realized that the Apostles had the “message of life,” and that it is so important for them to share that gospel.
The angels are desirous to fully understand the gospel, one day, during the great tribulation, they will be preaching it to the nations of earth.

I Peter 1:12 KJV
Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.

Revelation 14:6 KJV
And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,

If the mighty angles of God, realize how important it is to tell the Good News of the gospel, how important do we think it is?

Mark 16:15,16 KJV
15 And He said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

Acts 5:21-25 NLT
21 So at daybreak the apostles entered the Temple, as they were told, and immediately began teaching.
When the high priest and his officials arrived, they convened the high council—the full assembly of the elders of Israel. Then they sent for the apostles to be brought from the jail for trial.
22 But when the Temple guards went to the jail, the men were gone. So they returned to the council and reported,
23 “The jail was securely locked, with the guards standing outside, but when we opened the gates, no one was there!”
24 When the captain of the Temple guard and the leading priests heard this, they were perplexed, wondering where it would all end.
25 Then someone arrived with startling news: “The men you put in jail are standing in the Temple, teaching the people!”

Matthew 10:28 KJV (Jesus)
And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

I Peter 4:16-19 KJV
16 Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.
17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
18 And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?
19 Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to Him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.


Thursday, December 8, 2011

Bible Questions Answered: Slander

Bible Questions Answered:
“...these people have said everything false about me....”
Brunella/ Archhamps, France

Bible Answer:

There has down through time, always been busy bodies, who spread gossip and malicious false stories.
But the people of God, have a great defense.

THE WORD OF THE LORD:

Genesis 15:1 KJV
After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy Shield, and thy exceeding Great Reward.

II Chronicles 16:9 KJV
For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew Himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him.

II Samuel 22:3 KJV
The God of my Rock; in Him will I trust: He is my Shield, and the Horn of my Salvation, my High Tower, and my Refuge, my Saviour; thou savest me from violence.

Psalm 5:11,12 KJV
11 But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.
12 For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.

Psalm 18:2 KJV
The LORD is my Rock, and my Fortress, and my Deliverer; my God, my Strength, in whom I will trust; my Buckler, and the Horn of my Salvation, and my High Tower.

Psalm 31:2 KJV
Bow down thine ear to me; deliver me speedily: be thou my strong Rock, for an House of Defence to save me.

Psalm 33:20 KJV
Our soul waiteth for the LORD: He is our Help and our Shield.

Psalm 34:7 KJV
The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear Him, and delivereth them.

Psalm 50:15 KJV
And call upon Me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Me.

Psalm 84:11 KJV
For the LORD God is a Sun and Shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly.

Psalm 91:4 KJV
He shall cover thee with His feathers, and under His wings shalt thou trust: His truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

Psalm 144:2 KJV
My Goodness, and my Fortress; my High Tower, and my Deliverer; my Shield, and He in whom I trust; who subdueth my people under me.

Proverbs 30:5 KJV
Every word of God is pure: He is a Shield unto them that put their trust in Him.

Matthew 5:11,12 KJV (Beatitudes, Jesus.)
11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake.
12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

Matthew 15:15-20 KJV (Mark 7:18-23)
15 Then answered Peter and said unto Him, Declare unto us this parable.
16 And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without understanding?
17 Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught?
18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.
19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:
20 These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.

Luke 6:22,23 KJV
22 Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of Man's sake.
23 Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.

Galatians 5:19-21 NLT
19 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures,
20 idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, 21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

I Peter 4:14 KJV
If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the Spirit of Glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part He is evil spoken of, but on your part He is glorified.

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Bible Questions Answered: God's Knowledge

Bible Questions Answered:
“...so how will God will know when the rapture comes who are the people to take or not to take...”
Bob/ Detroit, Michigan U.S.A.

Bible Answer:

God's knowledge is perfect.

I Samuel 2:3 KJV
"...the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by Him actions are weighed.

Job 26:6 KJV
Hell is naked before Him, and destruction hath no covering.

Job 31:4 KJV
Doth not He see my ways, and count all my steps?

Job 34:21 KJV
For His eyes are upon the ways of man, and He seeth all His goings.

Psalm 139:4-6 KJV
4 For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.
5 Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.

Psalm 147:5 KJV
Great is our Lord, and of great power: His understanding is infinite.

Isaiah 40:28 KJV
Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of His understanding.

Daniel 2:22 KJV
He revealeth the deep and secret things: He knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with Him.

Hebrews 4:13 KJV
Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in His sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.


The Lord knows those that are His.

II Chronicles 16:9 KJV
For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew Himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him..."

II Timothy 2:19 KJV
Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are His. And, let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.


God knows our thoughts.

Psalm 44:21 KJV
Shall not God search this out? for He knoweth the secrets of the heart.

Luke 16:15 KJV
And He said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.

I Corinthians 3:20 KJV
"... The Lord knoweth the thoughts..."

I John 3:20 KJV
For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.


God knows those who trust in Him.

Nahum 1:7 KJV
The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and He knoweth them that trust in Him.

II Peter 2:9 KJV
The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations (trials), and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:


God knows our physical limitations.

I Kings 19:5 KJV (Elijah running from Jezebel.)
And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat.

Psalm 103:14 KJV
For He knoweth our frame; He remembereth that we are dust.


God knows what we need.

Matthew 6:8 KJV
"...your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask Him.

Philippians 4:19 KJV
But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

------
John 1:12 KJV
But as many as received Him (the Lord Jesus Christ), to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name:



Sunday, December 4, 2011

Bible Questions Answered: Blood Of Christ.

Bible Questions Answered:
“Abrahams sacrifice of ram and his blood this pleased God?”
Lesidi/ Berea, South Africa

Bible Answer:

Bible Text:
Genesis 22:13 KJV
And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.

God was pleased because Abraham, obeyed His call, even if it meant sacrificing his “only,” son.
Genesis 22:1-3 NLT
1 Some time later, God tested Abraham’s faith. “Abraham!” God called. “Yes,” he replied. “Here I am.”
2 “Take your son, your only son—yes, Isaac, whom you love so much—and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.”
3 The next morning Abraham got up early. He saddled his donkey and took two of his servants with him, along with his son, Isaac. Then he chopped wood for a fire for a burnt offering and set out for the place God had told him about.

But is was “never,” God's plan that, that would happen, but that He would test Abraham's love for Him. Yet it was and remains a great type of the sacrifice that God and His Son the Lord Jesus would make, that would have no, scape goat.

THE BLOOD OF CHRIST:

THE BLOOD OF CHRIST GIVES CLEANSING:

I John 1:7 KJV
But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and
the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.

Revelation 1:5 KJV
And from Jesus Christ, who is the Faithful Witness, and the First Begotten of the dead, and the Prince of the Kings of the Earth. Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood,

Revelation 7:14 KJV
And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in
the blood of the Lamb.

THE BLOOD OF CHRIST GIVES JUSTIFICATION:

Romans 3:30 AMP
Since it is one and the same God Who will justify the circumcised by faith [which germinated from Abraham] and the uncircumcised through their [newly acquired] faith. [For it is the same trusting faith in both cases, a firmly relying faith in Jesus Christ].

Romans 5:8,9 KJV
8 But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Much more then, being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.

Galatians 3:8 AMP
And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify (declare righteous, put in right standing with Himself) the Gentiles in consequence of faith, proclaimed the Gospel [foretelling the glad tidings of a Savior long beforehand] to Abraham in the promise, saying, In you (Christ) shall all the nations [of the earth] be blessed.

THE BLOOD OF CHRIST ALONE GIVES REDEMPTION:

Colossians 1:19,20 NLT
19 For God in all His fullness was pleased to live in Christ,
20 and through Him God reconciled everything to Himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.

Ephesians 1:7 KJV
In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace;

Colossians 1:14 KJV
In whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins:

I Peter 1:18,19 KJV
18 For as much as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a Lamb without blemish and without spot:

Hebrews 9:11-14 KJV
11 But Christ being come an High Priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;
12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood He entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.
13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:
14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the Eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

Hebrews 9:12 KJV
Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood He entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.

Hebrews 10:4-14 NLT
4 For it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
5 That is why, when Christ came into the world, He said to God, “You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings. But you have given Me a body to offer.
6 You were not pleased with burnt offerings or other offerings for sin.
7 Then I said, ‘Look, I have come to do your will, O God— as is written about Me in the Scriptures.’”
8 First, Christ said, “You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings or burnt offerings or other offerings for sin, nor were you pleased with them” (though they are required by the law of Moses).
9 Then He said, “Look, I have come to do your will.” He cancels the first covenant in order to put the second into effect.
10 For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time.
11 Under the old covenant, the priest stands and ministers before the altar day after day, offering the same sacrifices again and again, which can never take away sins.
12 But our High Priest offered Himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then He sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand.
13 There He waits until His enemies are humbled and made a footstool under His feet.
14 For by that one offering He forever made perfect those who are being made holy.


THE BLOOD GIVES ENTRANCE INTO THE HOLY PLACE:

Hebrews 10:15-20 KJV
15 And the Holy Spirit also testifies that this is so. For He says,
16 “This is the new covenant I will make with My people on that day, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.”
17 Then He says, “I will never again remember their sins and lawless deeds.”
18 And when sins have been forgiven, there is no need to offer any more sacrifices.
19 And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place
because of the blood of Jesus.
20 By His death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into
the Most Holy Place.

THE BLOOD OF CHRIST HAS FOREVER DEFEATED THE ENEMY:

Revelation 12:11 KJV
And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

THE BLOOD OF CHRIST FOREVER BRINGS REJOICING IN HEAVEN:

Revelation 5:1-14 NLT
1 Then I saw a scroll in the right hand of the One who was sitting on the throne. There was writing on the inside and the outside of the scroll, and it was sealed with seven seals.
2 And I saw a strong angel, who shouted with a loud voice: “Who is worthy to break the seals on this scroll and open it?”
3 But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll and read it.
4 Then I began to weep bitterly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll and read it.
5 But one of the twenty-four elders said to me, “Stop weeping! Look, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the heir to David’s throne, has won the victory. He is worthy to open the scroll and its seven seals.”
6 Then I saw a Lamb that looked as if it had been slaughtered, but it was now standing between the throne and the four living beings and among the twenty-four elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which represent the Sevenfold Spirit of God that is sent out into every part of the earth.
7 He stepped forward and took the scroll from the right hand of the One sitting on the throne.
8 And when He took the scroll, the four living beings and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp, and they held gold bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of God’s people.
9 And they sang a new song with these words: “You are worthy to take the scroll and break its seals and open it. For you were slaughtered, and your blood has ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.
10 And you have caused them to become a Kingdom of priests for our God. And they will reign on the earth.”
11 Then I looked again, and I heard the voices of thousands and millions of angels around the throne and of the living beings and the elders.
12 And they sang in a mighty chorus: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slaughtered— to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing.”
13 And then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea. They sang: “Blessing and honor and glory and power belong to the One sitting on the throne and to the Lamb forever and ever.”
14 And the four living beings said, “Amen!” And the twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped the Lamb.