It is of Faith, that it might be by Grace

It is of Faith, that it might be by Grace
By Al Stoner

"Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all" (Rom. 4:16).

The Identification of "It". The "it" of reference (it is of faith) pertains to the manner in which the "blessedness", of which David spoke (Ps. 32:1-2; Rom. 4:6-10), comes upon men, who were once associated with sinful defilements. It has reference to the way that righteousness is able to be imputed unto men (Rom. 4:5). It answers the question regarding how that the holy God is able to justify the ungodly (cf. Rom. 4:5). To the unthinking mind, these matters might appear to be insignificant and inconsequential. But not so. It required the most thorough exercise of the Divine wisdom to devise means so that God's banished be not expelled from Him (cf. II Sam. 14:14). And expelled, or cast away, they would have to be, unless suitable and adequate means had been devised of Him.

Present-day religionists are very assuming, and have not even come up to the level of Bildad the Shuhite, who queried, "How then can man be justified with God? or how can he be clean that is born of a woman?" (Job 25:4). And hear Job himself as he asks a similar question, "I know it is so of a truth: but how should man be just with God?" (Job 9:2). It is not until men have been perplexed by questions such as these that they will be enabled to receive with gladness the blessed provision for the putting away of sins in the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. And the means, so far as men are concerned, is by faith.

It is of Faith. Therefore it is of faith, (which is to say), It's not by the means of keeping the law or by the doing of the works of the law. It is not by the means of vain attempts to measure up to God's standard, or God's righteousness, or God's glory. Nor is it by the means of doing the best that one can, as some are heard to speak. And it is not by the means of using resources received from Adam, from the natural man, or from tradition. Those possessing this faith and living by faith are those who are "born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God" (Jn. 1:13).

Rather, it is of faith, it is by the receiving and belief of Divine testimony. "He that hath received His testimony hath set to His seal that God (who cannot lie) is true" (Jn. 3:33; cf. Tit. 1:1). It is by believing God. It is by believing the record which God has given of His Son. Oh, to see more clearly ourselves, and be able to persuade men more effectively of the gravity that is associated with believing this record, as well as the grave consequences of not believing it! This is a matter about which God is most sensitive. He has put His very Person and Character "on the line" (cf. Gen. 22:16-18; Ps. 110:4; Heb. 6:13-20), as it were, in the commitments and promises which He has made regarding "the gospel of His Son" (Rom. 1:9).

It is of faith. That is, it is by taking hold of those things that are revealed in the Scriptures and which have become substantive to our inward perception because of faith. It is by justifying God by the possession of evidence of things that are not seen, only for the reason that He has testified of them. It is by the means of an inward persuasion of things that are revealed of God in His Word, and yet not seen. Such things as these are not perceptible with the resources of the natural man. "The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God" (I Cor. 2:14).

It is of faith. It is by the means of God working all of His salvational works in and through men, and yet the possessors of this faith are involved in that work every step of the way. "But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God" (Jn. 3:21). These are the words of the King, and they are good words! Consider that which was spoken by Isaiah: "Thou also hast wrought all our works in us" (Isa. 26:12). "This people have I formed for Myself; they shall shew forth My praise" (Isa. 43:12). And again, Paul declared, "we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them" (Eph. 2:10).

All of these things mentioned above are of faith; they absolutely involve the exercise of the faith, of which the Lord Jesus Christ is both the Author and Finisher (Heb. 12:1-2). Again, Paul affirmed, it is given unto men to believe on Christ (cf. Phil. 1:29). And yet that faith is to be diligently maintained by the ones possessing it (cf. Jn. 6:27-29). This is the fundamental "assignment" that God gives to "every man" (Jn.6:45) that would come to Jesus, and continue in Him (cf. I Jn. 2:24). "This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him (Christ) whom He (God the Father) hath sent" (Jn. 6:29). This is a lifetime assignment, and it is an all-encompassing one.

That it might be by grace. It is of faith, in order that God's grace may be brought into the forefront of consideration, both to men and to heavenly intelligences. It is of faith, in order that that good thing which Noah "had" (Gen. 6:8) may not only be the benefit of eight souls (cf. I Pet. 3:20), but, much more than this, may be magnified and multiplied in a vast multitude which shall be as "the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable" (Heb. 11:12) "world without end" (Eph. 3:21). It shall be "a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues" (Rev. 7:9). Such is the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.

It is of faith, so that the contrition and repentance expressed by David after sinning with Bathsheba (Ps. 51), may become the mind of all who are turning away from their sins, and believing on the Name of the only begotten Son of God.

It is of faith, so that God's thoughts may become the thoughts of redeemed personalities. As the Psalmist, transcending the covenant of his time, expressed the mind of all of the partakers of the salvation which is in Christ, "How precious also are Thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!" (Ps. 139:17). It is of faith, so that men may fellowship with God, even in the matter of the putting away of their sins by the Lord Jesus Christ. Such fellowship is experienced in the possession of a purged conscience, a conscience purged from dead works to serve the living God.

It is of faith, in order that of all the glory that God revealed unto Moses, "merciful and gracious" may now, in these last days, become the most prominent and glorious of them all through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus. Moses had to be hid in "a clift of the rock" (Exod. 33:22) in order that he might behold somewhat of God's glory. But in the world to come, because sins have been effectually put away by Christ, redeemed personalities eternally shall bask with exceeding great delight in the glory of God, because "the throne of God and of the Lamb" (Rev. 22:1, 3) shall be there. "The throne of God and of the Lamb", even in the present time, speaks a marvelous cordial to all those who are now engaged in the warfare of faith, striving against sin, and drawing nigh unto God with a true heart, in full assurance of faith.

It is of faith because Christ has abolished death, and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel (II Tim. 1:8-10). The blessed abolition of death, eternal life, and immortality are things which are perceptible, yea, they may be handled, in a very real sense, by those who are living by faith. It is of faith, because Christ has tasted death for every man (cf. Heb. 2:9). It is of faith, because Christ has once suffered for sins, the Just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God (I Pet. 3:17).

It is of faith, because God Himself is inclined to be being gracious. It is of faith, because mercy and truth have now met together, and righteousness and peace have kissed each other (cf.Ps. 85:10) in the purging of sins by Christ. It is of faith, so that God may be unrestricted in the display of His love, mercy, grace, and kindness to believing men, namely, to those who are in Christ Jesus.The fact being stated, this is not to cast any reflection on the Character of God. The law was "added because of transgressions, till the Seed (that is, Christ) should come to whom the promise was made" (Gal. 3:19).

To the End that the Promise might be Sure to all the Seed. The temporal blessings promised under the law, because of their dependence on perfect obedience on the part of the doers, were actually not sure to any of the seed under "the first covenant" (Heb. 9:1) . As James declared, "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all" (Jas. 2:10; cf. Deut. 27:26; Gal. 3:10).

But in Christ, and in the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory (II Tim. 2:10), there is a diametrically different modus operendi. It is that of faith, so that God may be gracious, so that His beloved Son and the salvation which is in HIm may become accessible to "whosoever will" (Rev. 22:17), to honest and good hearts (cf. Lk. 8:15), to those who are given to mourn because of their sin (cf. Mt. 5:4), to those who hunger and thirst after righteousness (Mt. 5:6), to those whom God teaches to greatly value His Son (cf. Jn. 6:45) and who thus receive Him (Jn. 1:12) and continue in Him (I Jn. 2:24).

The promise is sure to all the seed, because fulfillment of the promise depends entirely upon God, and upon Christ. As it is written, "it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy" (Rom. 9:16). By virtue of this situation, men are thrust entirely upon "God, who cannot lie" (Tit. 1:1), and upon Christ, who is "the faithful Witness" (Rev. 1:5), for both the accomplishment and full realization of "the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus" (II Tim. 1:1). "And this is the promise that He hath promised us, even eternal life" (I Jn. 2:25). Jesus said, "Ye believe in God, believe also in Me" (Jn. 14:1).

It is of faith, that it might be by grace, to the end that the promise might be sure to all the seed. --editor@banner.org

God Forbid that We Should be Indifferent

A Surpassingly Blessed Situation
By Fred O. Blakely

Having our "hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water," or, having believed in Jesus and been baptized into Him, we are to confidently enter the heavenly throne room over the "new and living way" thus consecrated for us "through the veil" (KJV). This is, indeed, a surpassingly blessed situation—the one anticipated by the Prophets and prefigured by the types and shadows of the Jewish institutions (Heb. 8:1-33; 11:39-40; I Pet. 1:10-12). God forbid that we should be indifferent to it, or fail to fully avail ourselves of the heavenly fellowship and blessing which it offers.

God Finds Tender Hearts

GOD FINDS TENDER HEARTS

By Given O. Blakely

"For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him." (2 Chron 16:9)

God will not overlook the individual that has a good heart. Men may fail to recognize those "whose heart is perfect" toward God, but He will not. As it is written, "The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry" (Psa. 34:15). Although isolated and in conflict with a wicked world, God is always aware of the righteous. He is preoccupied with them, waiting for their expressions of dependency upon Him. Peter said it this way, "For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil" (1 Pet. 3:12).

Our faith must appropriate this reality on the individual basis. Much of the religion of our day is group-oriented, losing the identity of the person.

The premier example of a man particularly precious to God, and loved by Him, is the Lord Jesus Christ. With Him God was "well pleased" (Matt 3:17; 17:5; 2 Pet 1:17). He is the "beloved Son" (Matt 3:17), and "THE Beloved" (Eph 1:6). Never was a man held in such regard by heaven as the Lord Jesus Christ. Behind Him, and to a lesser degree, there are several others who are noted for the way God viewed them.

NOAH is a notable example of our text. In the midst of a decadent generation that so angered the Lord He determined to destroy it, the eyes of the Lord found Noah. "But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD" (Gen. 6:8). While grace is often defined as "unmerited favor," in Noah's case it was not unrelated to his character. Noah was not contaminated by his generation. He did not allow it to corrupt his thinking.

JOB stood out in "the land of Uz" (Job 1:1). So far as God was concerned, here was the key person in the land. He twice challenged Satan to consider him, even giving approval for him to be extensively tested.

ABRAHAM is the father of believers (Rom. 4:16). God was so confident in Abraham that He would not "hide" from Him the thing He intended to do (Gen. 18:17). He also observed that Abraham would command his children after him (Gen. 18:19). How greatly this man was used by God. His eyes searched for such a man, and when He found him, He made him a byword in the community of the faithful.

SAMUEL stands uniquely before the era of the kings. He was a man close to God, being acquainted with Him from a youth. On one occasion, God said that even the prayers of Samuel would not help the decadent nation of Israel (Jer 15:1).

MOSES was a "servant faithful in all of his house" (Heb 3:5). He had capacities that could be used in honoring God, and the eyes of the Lord found him. How marvelously God undergirded the work of Moses, bringing the people of Israel out of Egypt, and finally giving the Law through him.

DAVID was a "man after God's own heart" (Acts 13:22). He was the kind of man that brought great delight to God, and the eyes of the Lord found him.

DANIEL is the only person in Scripture of whom it is said that he was "greatly beloved," or "highly esteemed" (NASB/NIV) – and it is repeated no less than three times (Dan 9:23; 10:11,19). How precious he was inn the sight of God – during the Babylonian captivity, when Israel was being judged by God, and while he was away from Jerusalem in a foreign land.

PAUL the Apostle "labored more abundantly than they (the Apostles) all" (1 Cor 15:10). So singularly minded was he! The eyes of the Lord found him as he set about to proclaim the Gospel with power. The Lord undergirded his preaching, bringing forth fruit around the world.

Those who teach men that God loves everyone alike do well to ponder that God has not so represented Himself. It is not on the part of wisdom for them to do so. God is not looking for the person who needs help, but for the one whose heart is perfect toward Him. That is a matter of revelation.

THE CAUSE THAT GOD CAN UNDERGIRD. The cause God can undergird is one that is in harmony with His "eternal purpose." God does not come to the aid of self-conceived agendas. That He does this is an imagination altogether too common among professed believers. Objectives that are motivated by faith honor God. Those who are prompted by pride are destined to failure, and thus will never be supported by the living God.

Our text is a case in point. Asa formed an alliance with his enemy, hoping to secure the safety of his nation. Faith in God had nothing to do with his choice, and thus God forsook him. His latter end was not glorious like the beginning of his reign.

The Lord allows a lot of room for holy creativity in His kingdom. If the heart of His people is open to His will, He will undergird their efforts for Him. He is looking for opportunities to do this. Those who desire to spread His Gospel will soon be discovered by "the eyes of the Lord." He will strengthen them for the work, and supply their needs. That is involved in the promise, "Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world" (Matt. 28:20).

GOD WORKS IN US. It is one thing for God to work THROUGH us, it is quite another thing for Him to work IN us. The latter is His revealed desire. He can work through anyone, using them for the accomplishment of His purpose. However, that does not always work for the benefit of the one being used, as with Balaam and Caiaphas. (Num 23:19-23; John 11:49-52). Working IN us involves fellowship with us. That is what salvation is about. We have been "called into the fellowship of His dear Son" (1 Cor. 1:9).

To will and to do. God works "IN" us "both to will and to do, of His good pleasure" (Phil. 2:13). Working in concert with our spirits, He accomplishes His "good pleasure" through our willingness and deeds. When it comes to doing, there is no greater activity than to experience the Mighty God working in us, both to will and to do what He has purposed. You do well to seek that kind of blessing.

PRAYER POINT: Father, in the name of Jesus, grant me grace to be a source of good pleasure to You.

Will You Be Restored?, by Chaplain Deanna

Editor's note: One of our writer's, Deanna Christian, desires to share some words of wisdom that she ministered to a woman who is living in sin. We share these impassioned, and profitable, thoughts here with our readers. They are as follows: I have been writing lately to confront one who has left the faith and returned to sin. She has left my teaching and gone on to be with Christians who offer her God's eternal grace regardless of her current behavior (living with yet another boyfriend, pregnant, completely incapable of caring for a child). I have much more I would like to say to her, but for now if you think these words are worth sharing with others in similar state, you may share them on your blog.--Chaplain Deanna Will You Be Restored? You began well. The word was near you, in your mouth but not yet in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); The Bible tells us that “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. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame. . . .” Romans 10:8-11, 13 [I] “urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, . . . that you do so more and more. For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like [those] who do not know God; [See to it] that no one transgresses and wrongs [a] brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you. (I Thessalonians 4;3-8) But now you have defiled yourself by what has come out of your heart. “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a [person].” (Matthew 15:19-20) Your heart has revealed your true state; for if you had believed God, you could not have kept on sinning. If you would now hope in God, you must purify yourself. “Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as He is pure. Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. You know that He appeared to take away sins, and in Him there is no sin. No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. 7 Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God. By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God” (1 John 3:4-10) If you would be a child of God, you must not keep on sinning. Repent. Believe God. Truly believe in a way that changes not only your heart but also your actions. Abide in God and ask God to abide in you. Turn away from wickedness, and turn back to the true and living God (if perhaps you have not so grieved Him that He will not hear your prayers, even as he refused the Israelites who sinned against Him). It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.--deanna_christian@yahoo.com The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you Chaplain Deanna

The Idea of Man's Essential Passivity is False

"The idea of man's essential passivity in God's dealings with him through Christ is false in all of its applications. The charge to each believer is: You build yourself up in the faith; you keep yourself in the love of God; you pray in the Holy Spirit; and you look for the mercy of Christ" (cf. Jude 20-21).--Fred O. Blakely

When Jesus Comes Again, by Given O.Blakely

When Jesus Comes Again
By Given O. Blakely

" . . . at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints." (1 Thess 3:13)

There is an appointed time when the necessity of holiness will be fully known. The aim of the Apostle is to prepare the saints for that predetermined day. There is a sense in which nothing else matters but this. To be unprepared to stand before the Father on this appointed day is to be condemned. Here is the reason for our lives and our labors in Christ Jesus.

AT THE COMING. There are few doctrines so marred with the opinions of men as that of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. As if that were not bad enough, there are also few doctrines that are as rarely proclaimed with power as this one. Yet, this is one of the most pivotal teachings of the Scriptures. Upon it, the hope of the saints is suspended. There are at least 250 references to Christ's return in the New Testament Scriptures. Every Gospel contains numerous references to Christ's coming. The Epistles contain nearly sixty references to Jesus' return, and all of them are foundational and central.

Before He was betrayed, Jesus declared to His disciples, "I will come again" (John 14:3). Following His ascension into heaven, two heavenly messengers arrayed in white said to His disciples, "Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven" (Acts 1:11). The resurrection of the dead will occur "at His coming" (1 Cor 15:23). That is when believers will be a crown of rejoicing to those who ministered to them (1 Thess 2:19). The great despot who will work in the power of Satan will be destroyed at that coming (2 Thess 2:8). This is the "coming" for which the saints are waiting (1 Cor 1:7). The keeping and perfecting power of God is to be performed until "the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Thess 5:23). Powerful pleadings and beseechments are made on the basis of this coming (2 Thess 2:1). Perseverance and endurance are maintained in view of this coming (James 5:7).

This is the day to which faith looks, and toward which it hastens, speeding its coming (2 Pet 3:12). This is "the day of the Lord" (1 Thess 5:2), "the day of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Cor 1:8), and "the day of redemption" (Eph 4:30). The Divine agenda is progressing toward this day. Everything about salvation is readying believers for this day. A people who do not speak often of this day are a weak people. Preachers who do not proclaim this day are guilty preachers. Hearts that do not yearn for it are faulty hearts. Those who have no interest in this day have only confirmed the Lord is not perfecting them. They stand on the precipice of eternal disaster, regardless of their profession. If our religion does not focus on the return of Jesus and make us ready for that glorious event, it is vain and useless. As it is written, "If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable" (1 Cor 15:19).

The aim is to be "blameless in holiness before God . . . at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." The only place in which such preparations can be made is this world, and the only time they can be made is now. Salvation is the environment in which the objective will be realized, and faith and love are the experiences through which it will be accomplished.

It is not possible to overemphasize the coming of the Lord. Of this day it is written, "He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed" (Acts 17:31). Nothing can thwart or delay the coming of that day. It is drawing closer, being "nearer than when we believed" (Rom 13:11).

WITH ALL HIS SAINTS. When our Lord returns, He will bring all of the faithful who have departed this life. Later, in an extended proclamation of this fact, Paul writes, "For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him" (1 Thess 4:14). These are the ones who are "absent from the body" and "present with the Lord" (2 Cor 5:6,8). They will be presented blameless in holiness before the Father. It only needs to be established whether those who "are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord" will be included in the spotless number (1 Thess 4:15).

The desire Paul is expressing in this passage is that the Thessalonians will be among those who will be gathered by the reaping angels (Matt 13:39). That is the ultimate test of whether we are the Lord's or not. Faith unites us now with this vast body of redeemed souls, "the spirits of just men made perfect" (Heb 12:23). That unity is not to be taken for granted, as though everything from that point on is automatic. There remains much work to be done in the strongest believer, and only the Lord can perform it. He will not do it without the prayers of discerning ones. Nor, indeed, will it be accomplished apart from an increasing and abounding love. The objective of the work is to be blameless in holiness when He returns. We should expect, therefore, a marked increase in holiness here and now.

PRAYER POINT: Father, in the name of Jesus, I thank You for the blessed hope of Christ's return. --Given Blakely

The Lake of Fire, or Hades?

The Lake of Fire, or Hades?
By Al Stoner

The majority of the times when the word "hell" is used in the King James Version (Matthew - Revelation) it is referring to the place of final torment for the wicked. In such instances the original world is geenna, or gehenna. But there are also some occasions when the word should be correctly rendered Hades (haides), or the temporary abode of the dead, that is, temporary until the resurrection and the day of judgment. In most instances, the context in which the word appears in the Authorized Version will make clear whether hell is referring to the lake of fire, or whether Hades is intended. For further clarification one may consult a translation such as the American Standard Version in which a clear distinction is more consistently made regarding this subject.

For the benefit of our readers we will here include nine instances where the word hell has reference to Hades. The following verses are taken from the ASV to demonstrate the clarity that is made in this translation on this matter, in particular.

"And thou, Capernaum, shalt thou be exalted unto heaven? thou shalt go down unto Hades: for if the mighty works had been done in Sodom which were done in thee, it would have remained until this day" (Mt. 11:23; cf. Lk. 10:15). It appears that these rejectors of the Savior have presently gone into a place of torment (cf. Lk. 16:23), but they are not yet entered into the place of final torment, which is "outer darkness" (Mt. 8:12), or elsewhere called "the lake of fire" (Rev. 20:15).

"And I also say unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it" (Mt. 16:18). Though death shall temporarily swallow up even those who have believed upon Him who is "alive for evermore" (Rev. 1:18), yet this "last enemy" (I Cor. 15:26) shall not prevail against the rock of Christ's divinity. "The earth shall cast out the dead" (Isa. 26:19) "at the last trump" (I Cor. 15:52). In that day the dead, and especially the righteous dead, shall be raised incorruptible.

"And in Hades he (the rich man) lifted up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom" (Lk. 16:23). And as we have said, Hades, for the wicked, is place of torment, but not the final one.

"Because thou wilt not leave my soul unto Hades, Neither wilt thou give thy Holy One to see corruption . . . . He (that is, David) foreseeing this spake of the resurrection of the Christ, that neither was he left unto Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption" (Acts 2:27, 31).

"Fear not; I am the first and the last, and the Living one; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive for evermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades" (Rev. 1:17-18). Christ is the Resurrection and the Life!

"And I saw, and behold, a pale horse: and he that sat upon him, his name was Death; and Hades followed with him. And there was given unto them authority over the fourth part of the earth, to kill . . . ." (Rev. 6:8).

"And the sea gave up the dead that were in it; and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death, even the lake of fire" (Rev. 20:13-14).

Here it can be readily seen that the word hell, as it is rendered in the King James Version, should be translated Hades. Death, the great separator of men from other men, and Hades, the place to which the separated ones are gathered, shall finally be done away with and cast into the lake of fire. The ungodly "shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal" (Mt. 25:46). --editor@banner.org

Death has Received a Mortal Blow

Death has Received a Mortal Blow

"In His resurrection Christ gave death a mortal blow, from which it was not able to recover. 'O death, where is thy sting?' Even death bows before Jesus. All enemies must bow before Jesus.'" --Michael Zaucha, in a recent Communion meditation

The Psalm 110 Text

The Psalm 110 Text

Of all the Scriptures quoted by the Lord and the Apostles, few are so vitally pivotal as Psalm 110, particularly verses 1 through 4. There we see declared from ancient times the reign of the Lord Jesus Christ, and particularly the nature of that reign (one that would be from God's "right hand" but also in the midst of Christ's enemies (see also I Cor. 15:25). In other words, it is a reign that has as its primary objective the implementation of God's purpose in salvation, and where all who reject and oppose Him shall be made Christ's footstool at the end. Christ's present dominion from the right hand of God is for the purpose of granting repentance and forgiveness of sins to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile (cf. Acts 5:31).

This Psalm also declares for the first time the High Priesthood of the Lord Jesus (v. 4). In this Priesthood, ordained of God, we can readily see God's desire for believing men to arrive safely in the world to come. In this Priesthood, the Lord Jesus Christ is assisting and nurturing those who are fighting the good faith, and who are coming "unto God by Him" (Heb. 7:25). We can also conclude of a certainty that, apart from this Priest, none would be saved. -editor@banner.org

Alignment against Satan, by Dean E.Boelt

Alignment against Satan

"The prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in Me," declared the Lord Jesus in the days of His flesh. That is still the situation. And we who continue in this world need to be acutely aware of that situation. That is so that we may not be ensnared by the Devil's wicked devices. If we are united with Christ, we are irreconcilably aligned against Satan -- this world's wicked prince. Let us not lose spiritual awareness of the warfare in which we are involved." --Dean E. Boelt

More Miscellaneous Observations and Reflections

Miscellaneous Observations and Reflections

“And the LORD shut him (i.e. Noah) in” (Gen. 7:16). The doleful sound of the shutting of the door of the ark is one that should have been heard from Noah’s generation down to this present one. Now we, who are in Christ, are being observed by the world as going “in and out” (Jn. 10:9) of our "ark of salvation", as it were, laying up “provender” for the time when the door into the world to come shall be forever shut (cf. Mt. 25:10; Lk. 13:25). --editor@banner.org

No unholy thing may enter the presence of the Lord. He is high and lifted up. Moses, Isaiah, and Job were holy men, but they all quaked with reverence and godly fear in the presence of the Holy One. Most of the preaching of today emphasizes human activity, while the preaching that is found in Scripture accentuates divine activity. God is holy, and therefore He does holy things.--Gene Hutchcraft

The cross is something that will quickly disappear from your vision, if your hearts and minds aren’t stayed on Jesus Christ, and especially if Christ’s cross is not gloried in. --Harold Lohse

It is in the knowledge of the spiritual world that we overcome the temporal one. Being united with our Head, Jesus Christ, we receive grace to overcome. --Fred O. Blakely

"This cup is the new covenant in My blood, even that which is poured out for you" (Lk. 22:20, ASV). "As we come to this table, let us consider anew that we are commemorating an everlasting covenant." --Given O. Blakely

When the Word of God comes with power to the individual, the heart and life will “oscillate with spiritual energy.”--Fred O. Blakely

Christ is “the true Vine” (Jn. 15:1). There are, however, other vines which men may be grafted into, such as “the vine of Sodom” (Deut. 32:32).

Contrary to much religious thinking and emphasis, the primary growth in the kingdom of God is not in numbers, but rather it is in how much men perceive of the kingdom. --Robert Cobb

The church is presently in heavenly places (cf. Eph. 2:6) by virtue of its union with the glorified Christ. --Dean E. Boelt

The work of every man is to believe the record which God has given of His Son.--Robert Cobb

The end result of receiving the grace of God is that men may walk worthy of the Lord. God is revealed in Christ, by the Holy Spirit, and through the Word. --Dean E. Boelt

Miscellaneous Observations and Reflections

Miscellaneous Observations and Reflections

Doubts are the beginnings of darkness. --Harold F. Lohse

If we do not walk in the light, our children will bear our whoredoms. --Sam Nugent

We have all eternity to celebrate our victories, but only one short hour before sunset in which to win them. --Robert Moffat

The law of mutation belongs to a fallen world, but God is immutable, and in Him men of faith find eternal permanence. --A. W. Tozer

“Nadab and Abihu will rise up in the judgment and confess that it is important to do what God says, exactly the way that He says to do it” (cf. Lev. 10:1-3). --Adapted from Given O. Blakely

Eternity has no gray hairs! The flowers fade, the heart withers, man grows old and dies, the world lies down in the sepulcher of ages, but time writes no wrinkles on the brow of eternity. --Reginald Heber

“From God’s own lips Moses gets an account of all that is deepest in His disposition and relations toward man. It can be seen in this revelation of Himself that mercy rules in the character of God” (see Exod. 34:6-7). --Source Uncertain

With regard to those who are outside of Christ, they are “not a people” (I Pet. 2:10), meaning that God does not approve of them in their natural state and does not acknowledge them as belonging to Himself. --Expanded from Fred O. Blakely

David and his afflictions may be seen in Psalm 22 in a very limited sense, “but as the star is concealed by the light of the sun, he who sees Jesus (here in this Psalm) will probably neither see, nor care to see, David.” --C. H. Spurgeon

Man Remains the Same. We who travel today by automobiles and jet airliners are exactly the same kind of beings as those who rode in oxcarts and later in stagecoaches. The great facts of existence remain the same in all generations of time---“birth, death, sin and sorrow, hope and fear. A picture is not altered because you put it in a different frame.” Man continues unchanged in his essential nature; hence, he has the same need of the divine Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, that men of all ages have had. --Expanded from Fred O. Blakely

A Wearying Effect. The Lord Jesus Christ is to believing men and women “the shadow of a great rock in a weary land” (Isa. 32:2). If this world, therefore, does not have a definite wearying effect on those who make a profession of faith, they must examine themselves to see whether or not they actually are in the faith (cf. II Cor. 13:5). This priceless “Shadow” of refreshing means absolutely nothing to those who do not find themselves being wearied, and occasionally worn out (cf. Dan. 7:25), by the incessant contrariness and oppositions of this present evil world. --editor@banner.org

Not a Small Thing. “The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?” (Jn. 6:52). From this remonstrance it is evident that a giant wall of unbelief stood between these Jews and their reception of the words of the Savior. This, of course, was their response to our Lord’s famous discourse on the Bread of life. Let us give thanks, therefore, wherever we behold people rejoicing in Christ’s death in their behalf, believing right well that it was for them that He died. Such confidence as this is not to be taken for granted and must not be regarded as a small thing. --editor@banner.org

At What are You Looking? The Apostle Paul, in Second Corinthians 4:18, expressed in passing the gazing posture of both himself and all the saints. He said: “we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.” This is the basic stance of all those who are living by faith. Faith rightly judges that eternal things have an incomparably greater value than temporal things and, therefore, it is so often as possible preoccupied with them. “Faith is the substance of things” (Heb. 11:1) which shall far outlast all the things which can be seen with these mortal eyes. To the believer in Christ faith imparts substance to the eternal things, and enables him or her to get a fervent grasp on them. --editor@banner.org

Walking according the Rule of New Creatureship

Walking according the Rule of New Creatureship

By Michael Blakely

"For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God" (Gal. 6:15-16).


Some comments made by Brother Michael at Refreshing Waters Renewal

1. There are connected requirements revealed in the gospel, which must be met if men are to be saved.
2. There are conditions to keep what God gives. One of those conditions involves the maintenance of new creatureship.
3. Anything good from God is received and kept on the basis of conditions.
4. The implications of the gospel involve maintentance and upkeep.
5. We avail ourselves of God's benefit in Christ in expectation of an effect.
6. What will avail me both now and in the Judgment? That is question which we must daily ask ourselves?
7. Who hath bewitched you?, Paul asked the Galatians. In other words, they changed sides.
8. We have many supplements to the gospel in our day, which amount to another gospel.
9. Here is the situation that men are confronted with in the new covenant era. Either you live unto God by faith in Jesus Christ, or you live by the rules.
10. Every believer must come to the point where they tell their "old man" (cf. Eph. 4:22-24), I don't need you any more. I don't need anything you have to offer.
11. In their measure, like Paul, the people of God bear the marks of the Cross of Christ. They have come to realize that it has cost, and daily costs, them something to follow Jesus.
12. Abstinence from circumcision, or legal requirements of any sort, will not suffice or avail before God, but only a new creature.
13. In Christ Jesus, God has created you all over again.
14. The new man can be put off, or ignored, but he cannot be corrupted.
15. The new man is a sphere of activity.
16. It is incumbent upon us to walk within the boundaries of the new man, and to keep the new man nourished up in the Word and in the doctrine.

The Fire shall ever be Burning, by C.H. Spurgeon

The Fire Shall Ever Be Burning
By C.H. Spurgeon

"The fire shall ever be burning upon the altar; it shall never go out." --Leviticus 6:13

Keep the altar of private prayer burning. This is the very life of all piety. The sanctuary and family altars borrow their fires here, therefore let this burn well. Secret devotion is the very essence, evidence, and barometer, of vital and experimental religion.

Burn here the fat of your sacrifices. Let your closet seasons be, if possible, regular, frequent, and undisturbed. Effectual prayer availeth much. Have you nothing to pray for? Let us suggest the Church, the ministry, your own soul, your children, your relations, your neighbours, your country, and the cause of God and truth throughout the world. Let us examine ourselves on this important matter. Do we engage with lukewarmness in private devotion? Is the fire of devotion burning dimly in our hearts? Do the chariot wheels drag heavily? If so, let us be alarmed at this sign of decay. Let us go with weeping, and ask for the Spirit of grace and of supplications. Let us set apart special seasons for extraordinary prayer. For if this fire should be smothered beneath the ashes of a worldly conformity, it will dim the fire on the family altar, and lessen our influence both in the Church and in the world.

The text will also apply to the altar of the heart. This is a golden altar indeed. God loves to see the hearts of his people glowing towards himself. Let us give to God our hearts, all blazing with love, and seek his grace, that the fire may never be quenched; for it will not burn if the Lord does not keep it burning. Many foes will attempt to extinguish it; but if the unseen hand behind the wall pour thereon the sacred oil, it will blaze higher and higher. Let us use texts of Scripture as fuel for our heart's fire, they are live coals; let us attend sermons, but above all, let us be much alone with Jesus.

The Wonder of Salvation, by Given O. Blakely

THE WONDER OF SALVATION
By Given O. Blakely

SOME ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF JESUS

"And, having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself; by Him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath He reconciled, in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in His sight." (Colossians 1:20-22)

Devotion 30 of 31

THE WONDER OF SALVATION
Right here a very wonderful aspect of salvation is seen. The truth of the matter is that we all will appear before the Lord, standing in His sight. Even though NOW everything is "naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do" (Heb 4:13), that stark reality sometimes eludes us. However, there is coming a day when we will be acutely aware that we are before Him, and so will the rest of the assembled universe. This is an inevitable confrontation. There is no way to avoid it, postpone it, or cause it to be canceled.

Behold the goodness of the Lord in this matter. He has made abundant provision for that very appearing to turn to our decided advantage. If we avail ourselves of the reconciliation Jesus made through the blood of His cross, that will be our blessed and most profitable time! We will never be more blessed than then! Our joy will rise to its most lofty peak, and our confidence will be its strongest. Here we experience a joy that is "unspeakable and full of glory" (1 Pet 1:8). Then – when we are "in His sight" to pass through His scrutiny – we will be "glad also with exceeding joy" (1 Pet 4:13). Then, we will have boldness – "boldness in the day of judgment" (1 John 4:17). It is possible to "have confidence, and not be ashamed before Him at His coming" (1 John 2:28).

GOD IS ABLE
And why is all of this so? For one thing, it is because God "is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy" (Jude 1:24). He is not only "able" to do this, but has revealed that ability to us. It is, therefore, in order to fervently seek to appropriate that blessing.

THE PURPOSE FOR THE RECONCILIATION
As if this is not enough, there is another reason for this possibility, and it is the focus of our text. It is this, namely that salvation, or reconciliation, is calculated to accomplish this benefit. That is WHY we have been reconciled to God, and it is WHY Jesus is reigning at the right hand of God, ever living to make intercession for us (Heb 7:25). It is WHY the massive hosts of angels have been marshaled to minister to those who are the heirs of salvation (Heb 1:13-14). It is WHY we have been given the Holy Spirit, who helps our infirmities, interceding for us, and leading us in the mortification of the flesh (Rom 8:13,26-27). It is WHY there is "grace to help in the time of need" (Heb 4:16).

This is the ultimate reason for "the whole armor of God" (Eph 6:10). It is why we have been "given all things that pertain to life and godliness" (2 Pet 1:3). It is why we have "access" to God through the Spirit, and "into this grace wherein we stand" (Rom 5:2; Eph 3:2).

Remove the objective of being presented "holy and unblameable and unreproveable in His sight," and there is no reason for salvation. In such a case, there is no reason to live godly, resist the devil, or crucify the flesh. In fact, without this purpose, there is no need for Jesus, no need for the Holy Spirit, and no need for the Word of God.

If our religion does not hold up in the day of judgment, there has been no point to it at all. If, when we stand before the Lord, we are ashamed, our life has been in vain, and we will obviously be of all the most miserable.

In order to fail the final test – the test of God's examination – there are several things that must be done. The Gospel of Christ must be ignored. The Holy Spirit of God must be resisted, grieved, and quenched. The Word of God must be neglected and thrust from us. We must forget the day of judgment, and refuse to consider death. We must refuse to be taught by Jesus or guided by the Spirit. In order for a person who has come into Christ to revert to the old manner of life, he must forget he was purged from his old sins, listen to the devil, and refuse to set his affection on things above.

When, therefore, we see slothfulness, indifference, disobedience, and hardheartedness among those professing the name of Jesus, it has betrayed a most lamentable situation. Such have "neglected" God's "great salvation," choosing to be deluded by the wicked one. How do I know this is the case? Simply because everything about salvation – everything – is designed to prepare us to stand before God. It is not possible to enter into eternity unprepared, without stubbornly refusing to receive what God has freely given in the Gospel, and resisting the Holy Spirit.

PRAYER POINT: Father, in the name of Jesus, I thank and praise You for giving to us everything that pertains to life and godliness. --GivenB@aol.com

Give Attendance to Reading

“The sacred page

With calm attention scan! If on thy soul,

As thou dost read, a ray of purer light

Break in—oh, check it not; give it full scope!

Admitted, it will break the clouds which long

Have dimmed thy sight, and lead thee, till at last,

Convictions, like the sun’s meridian beams,

Illuminate thy mind.”
--Samuel Hayes

"For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 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" (Heb. 4:12-13).

Christ's Precious Cross, by Fred O. Blakely

The Precious Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ
By Fred O. Blakely

The precious cross of our Lord Jesus Christ: What a theme for meditation! “Unto you who believe, He is precious,” it is written of the Savior Himself (I Pet. 2:7, RSV). And the same may certainly be said of the cross, upon which He “obtained eternal redemption for us” (Heb. 9:11-12). With the Apostle, we “glory in the cross,” and cleave to it with purpose of heart as the basis of our acceptance with God in His beloved Son (Gal. 6:14-16). “Being now justified by His blood, we ––praise God! ––shall be saved from wrath through Him” (Rom. 5:9-11).

How varied are the facets of the cross of Christ! How dark it appears from the human view! There we behold man’s enmity, malice, and hatred vented against the holy, harmless, and undefiled Lamb of God––Jesus, the Savior of the world. This was the dark background upon which God displayed Himself in His love, grace, and mercy toward the rebellious race. How splendorous are the glories that cluster around that cross! They shine out through the darkness like the beautiful colors of the rainbow when the light breaks through the dark clouds after a storm.

Sin was spotlighted at the cross. The world––Jew and Gentile––with all its united forces of opposition to God, was there. And so was Satan and all the power of darkness. Yet, amid all the darkness of such an hour-which has no parallel––God was there––praise His Name! Man had sinned. Justice demanded a sacrifice for sin. God’s love provided One––perfect and without blemish. Judgment did its strange work––its act, its strange act.

Now, what love and grace are seen in the cross! There God delivered up His beloved Son “for us all” (Rom. 8:32), to fill the gap, repair the breach and “put away sin” (Heb. 9:26). The deity of the Lord Jesus, His incarnation, followed by His perfect love and grace, were taught and known before. His resurrection and ascension into God’s Presence, carrying with Him all the blessed and precious values of His atoning death, have been declared since. But the cross is where an end was made of sin before the throne of Heaven (Dan. 9:24), its judgment and expiation being laid hard upon the perfect Substitute provided by God Himself for sinful, guilty man (Gen. 22:8; Jn. 1:29).

It was on the cross that our Redeemer cried. “My God, My God. why hast Thou forsaken Me?” (Mk. 15:34). Here is where He suffered, where He died, and where His blood was shed––a precious testimony that a life had been given up, and that Heaven’s throne, with all its righteousness and purity, was fully satisfied. And in such a place, and at such a time, God Himself, who is encircled with light and true holiness, was fully glorified. Was it any wonder, or need we be surprised to learn, that the veil was rent––in testimony that the work had been accomplished by which Heaven, even the holiest of all, was now thrown open, and faith invited to enter boldly (Heb. 10:19-22)?

The result of this work of the Savior upon the cross, great and perfect as it is, is wholly efficacious for the implementation of all of God’s eternal purpose in the Son. Not only were the “ever-lasting doors” by it lifted up to admit the “King of glory” (Ps. 24:7-10); they were also thrown back for the admission of those who were sinful, but who were cleansed by the blood of the cross. The Father’s aim is, “in the dispensation of the fulness of times,” to “gather together in one all things in Christ” (Eph. 1:10; cf.. Gen. 49:10; Col. 1:20). Since by the offering of Himself our Lord has “perfected forever” those who are so sanctified (Heb. 10:12-14), the cross has made possible and certain the realization of that intent.

The Holy Spirit

There is an emphasis in some circles to seek to exercise the power of the Holy Spirit through healing with an emphasis on the physical healing of every person who has faith. With great fanfare and declaration of their personal power to be channels of this healing, they attempt to display the power of God.

There is in this attempt a neglect of the condition of all humanity which we Christians share. There is a lack of understanding of the benefits of suffering as declared in Scripture: “More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” Romans 5:3-5

We will all eventually grow old. Our bodies may become afflicted with various troubles, illnesses, and disabilities, as even our dear Brother Given is now experiencing. How I would like to heal him! We have all prayed fervently for him—and yet he suffers.

We will all see death unless Christ comes before we die. Likewise our sisters Adannah, Leah, and Pam suffered greatly in their bodies and died.

We are not all healed physically by God. This does not mean we do not have faith in God. It does not mean we are not filled with the Holy Spirit. These falsities are proclaimed by some professed “faith healers.”

Some of them even claim to raise the dead, yet I have not seen it, nor have I read any international headlines of this wonderful event. I would think raising the dead would be international headline news—and it once was, affirming the power of Christ and his resurrection. But if this is happening now, it is very strange that it is not verified and incredibly newsworthy.

I believe the things done by the Apostles and early disciples—the signs, and wonders, and miracles were to confirm that Jesus was truly the Messiah, to signify that His powerful everlasting reign had been brought down to humanity through His death on the cross.

I believe it to be a fleshly pride that seeks personal power and affirmation of personal abilities, rather than seeking the truth, that motivates some of these faith healing performances.

With that in mind, and to comfort people with disabilities of various kinds who are burdened by not receiving healing at the hands of charlatans (or the merely and sincerely misled), I am studying the Holy Spirit more deeply, hoping to grow deeper into the love of the truth myself and to reason together with others. “Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.”

The Holy Spirt:
Proceeds from the Father. Joh 15:26. “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.

2. Is Given:
a. By the Father. Joh 14:16. "And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever"

b. By Christ. Isa 61:3. "to grant to those who mourn in Zion— to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified."

c. Through Christ’s intercession. Joh 14:16. (see above)

3. Sent in the name of Christ. Joh 14:26. "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you."

4. Sent by Christ from the Father. Joh 15:26 (see above) ; John 16:7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you."

5. As such he:

a. Communicates joy to saints. Ro 14:17 "For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Ga 5:22 'But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."

1Th 1:6 "And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit"

b. Edifies the Church. Ac 9:31 "So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied."

c. Testifies of Christ. Joh 15:26 (see above)

d. Imparts the love of God. Ro 5:3-5 "More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us."

e. Imparts hope. Ro 15:13 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”

Ga 5:5 “For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness.”

f. Teaches saints. Joh 14:26 (see above)

g. Dwells with, and in saints. Joh 14:17 “even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.”

h. Abides for ever with saints. Joh 14:16 (see above)

i. Is known by saints. Joh 14:17 (see above)
ii.
6. The world cannot receive. Joh 14:17 (see above)

These are some first truths about the Holy Spirit for the saints of God to dwell upon.

Refuge

Where could I go, oh where could I go,
Seeking a refuge for my soul?
Where could I go, oh where could I go?
Where could I go but to the Lord?

Christ's Death and our Sin

Christ's Death and Our Sin
By Given O. Blakely
"Our reconciliation to God required death – not just A death, but the death of the Lord Jesus Christ. We were reconciled to God in the fleshly body of Christ WHEN He died. That is precisely why we are "baptized into His death" (Rom 6:4), and are being "made conformable to His death" (Phil 3:10). We are, in every sense of the world, "reconciled to God by the death of His Son" (Rom 5:10). It is why, in the Lord's table, we "show the Lord's death till He come" (1 Cor 11:26).

This is the ultimate revelation of Christ's humility. For Him to enter the world as a "Babe" required profound humility. In order for Him be "subject" to Mary and Joseph required humility (Lk 2:51). What marvelous humility was displayed in our Lord being in a state where He "increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man" (Lk 2:52). In order to be tempted, He had to be humble (Heb 2:18; 4:15).

However, all of that was not the ultimate humility. It was death on the cross that most thoroughly exhibited the humility of Jesus. Thus it is written, "And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross"(Phil 2:8).

That is what it took to bring God and man together – to reconcile us to God. If Christ's death had not taken place, we would have forever been cut off from the "Father of spirits" (Heb 12:9).

If we sin, we do have an Advocate the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous One (1 John 2:1). However, His advocacy is effective because He died, bearing our sins in His body on the tree (1 Pet 2;24). When we confess our sins, it is good – even necessary – to remember those sins required to death of the Lord Jesus. That recollection will help us to take transgression seriously – seriously enough to avoid it, and, should we sin, to quickly resort to the Lord for forgiveness." --GivenB@aol.com

The Authors of this Blog

The authors of this blog have been selected because of their faith in, and evident devotion to, the Lord Jesus Christ, and also because of their experience, despite multiplied trials, in fighting the good fight of faith. When these brethren speak or write, generally they are drawing from the well of their fellowship with the Savior, as well as, their experience in the kingdom of God. In large measure, they are familiar with the ways and Character of the God and Savior that is revealed in the Bible. They are, with their heart's affection, conversant with God's will and purpose: what life is all about, what the nature of God's salvation is, the end to which God's eternal purpose in Christ Jesus (Eph. 3:10-11) is moving, how I as an individual fit in with this purpose. These writers are presently partakers of God's salvation in Christ, and they are write from this perspective. We are not claiming that when they express themselves, that they are writing ex cathedra, as some corrupt religionists would claim. But what we can say is that these believe the truth (II Th. 2:12) know the truth (Jn. 8:32-44), they have received a love of the truth (II Th. 2:10), and they are walking in truth (II Jn. 4). They are not disengaged from the warfare of faith. And they are not merely some who, in their earth wisdom, are able to say a few things about the Bible. These are asking, as well as speaking about, the way to Zion, with their faces thitherward (Jer. 50:5).

If you feel that you are one of these kinds of individuals, described above, and would like to contribute, you may send a request to: Al Stoner, editor@banner.org

The Parable of the Sower, by Robert Cobb

The Parable of the Sower, by Robert Cobb
(Mt. 13:3-9; 18-23)

The expressions of Jesus must be understood.


From this parable you get the picture that salvation belongs unto the Lord.


Jesus gives you a little bit to see if you'll keep coming. He says, as it were, you can come and be part of what I am doing.

Jesus is the One who has the determination to do the sowing.

Satan wants to take away what was sown in your heart.

There were some things that were deficient in these soils that need to be revealed.

The amazing thing is that any of the ground could bear fruit. Some people do believe, and bear fruit because God is merciful.

Outside of Christ we have nothing to contribute.

All the fruit belongs to God. He is the Husbandman.

In this parable we see revealed implications and responsibility.

Anything which causes the word to become unfruitful is an extremely serious matter.

Satan will try to tell you that you have stony ground. No, I know who Jesus is, and whom I have believed.

In this parable we see that God is saving the good things until the end.

A current-day error that is being spread abroad is: "You're not special enough for Satan to be interested in you." But this is a lie. He is seeking whom he may devour (I Pet. 5:7) and he is going forth to make war with those who keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ (cf. Rev. 12:17)

Flesh has to be checked in at the door. As you get closer to Christ, you do this automatically.

The word in this parable has reference to the promise of eternal life, the promise of remission of sins, the promise of an eternal inheritance in the world to come, and things of this nature.

When we do sin, we must confess, as did Eve, "the serpent beguiled me".

By the means of temptation, Satan is seeking to find the one thing that you would be willing to trade for eternal life.

As you walk in the Spirit, you are invulnerable.

It soon became evident what kind of soil each of the seeds were planted in.

If you have believed the record which God has given of His Son, and are continuing to believe, you have been planted in good soil.

There is no higher evaluation than Christ's.

Communion Meditation, Michael Zaucha

Communion Meditation, Michael Zaucha

Our endurance depends upon how much we see of God.

Jesus is "the Mighty One of God" and this salvation requires such an One to accomplish.

Jesus destroyed the one who had the power of death, that is, the Devil. In His resurrection Jesus gave death a mortal blow, from which it was not able to recover. O death, where is thy sting? Even death bows before Jesus. All enemies must be put under His feet.

Leaven

I closed my eyes in prayer this morning as I sat in my garden and prayed for the people in my building. I could hear a chorus of little birds singing and thought of St. Francis who preached the gospel to all creatures. He looked at a little bird and said, “It has nothing, yet hear how it sings to God. Just a few berries and it praises God with its song.”

Then I thought of how sad it would be if the birds stopped singing. So it is on the Island of Guam. Some brown snakes who are not native to Guam were imported – no one knows how for sure – and they had no predators on Guam. Soon they multiplied by the millions and devoured every singing bird on the island. Their sweet singing is heard no more.

The snakes are everywhere on Guam and there is nothing that can control them. They are around the children’s feet as they play in their yards. They are in the kitchens where women are cooking, in the living rooms under the chairs and in the sofas. They are on the floors where babies crawl. They are everywhere in the houses, cities, and countryside. They hang from trees, and fences surrounding the airport where people try valiantly to keep them from spreading to other countries—like ours--by hitchhiking on an airplane. I hope they do not come to our borders.

So it is with sin. Like one small pair of breeding snakes, sin enters the life of someone who lets it in. Soon it fills the life and destroys every good and beautiful song of praise.
Leaven represents sin. The Bible give examples of boasting and hypocrisy as examples of “leaven.” “Your boasting is not good.” (Matt. 6:11a) “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.” (Luke 12:1)

Leaven also represents false teaching. “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” Then they understood that he did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” (Matthew 6:11b-12)
If you let sin and false teaching into your life, it multiplies like yeast until it fills you body, mind and soul. Your whole being becomes ungodly.

What will happen to ungodly sinners? The Bible is clear: “For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment; 5 if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; 6 if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; 7 and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked 8 (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard); 9 then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, 10 and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority.
Bold and willful, they do not tremble as they blaspheme the glorious ones, 11 whereas angels, though greater in might and power, do not pronounce a blasphemous judgment against them before the Lord. 12 iBut these, like irrational animals, creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed, blaspheming about matters of which they are ignorant, will also be destroyed in their destruction . . .” (2 Peter 2:9-12)

What can a person in this horrible state do? Only one thing: turn to Jesus.
Do you think your sins are so small that God will not destroy you? Do not be deceived. “Do you not know a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. (I Cor. 5:5-8)

Come. Come as you are. Come now. Christ died for the ungodly. That means he died for me and for you. Receive Him by faith and follow on to know Him more day by day.

Say to God, “Make your face shine on your servant; save me in your steadfast love! Grant me grace to seek Your face every day. Hide not your face from me. Turn not your servant away in anger, O you who have been my help. Cast me not off; forsake me not, O God of my salvation! Teach me your way, O Lord, and lead me on a level path.”

Presented Holy and unblameable, by Given O. Blakely

Presented Holy and Unblameable
By Given O. Blakely

Some accomplishments of Jesus

And, having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself; by Him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath He reconciled, in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in His sight." (Colossians 1:20-22)Devotion 25 of 31PRESENTED HOLY AND UNBLAMEABLE " 22b . . . to present you holy and unblameable . . . " Other versions read, "holy and blameless" (NKJV), "holy in His sight, without blemish and free from accusation" (NIV), "without blemish and unreproveable" (ASV), and "holy and blameless and above reproach" (ESV).

There is an objective served by our reconciliation – a Divine objective. It has to do with God's "eternal purpose," and therefore, though present, is not anchored in time. The primary objectives of this purpose are not fulfilled in this world, and ultimately they do not have to do with temporal things. Every outworking of this purpose within this world is preparatory. All of this may appear rather evident, until you consider the nearly universal thrust of Western Christianity. When reaching the lost, resolving domestic issues, and streamlining daily living are considered the hub of Divine purpose, reconciliation loses its significance. There is an enormous amount of theological smoke that is being blown about these days. It clouds the real issues, obscures Divine intentions, and blinds men to the truth as it is in Christ Jesus. It all sounds nice, and appears to be very helpful, yet much of what parades itself as being of Christ is actually more closely related to the Old Covenant than the New Covenant, and often it has nothing whatsoever to do with man's personal identity with the Living God. Human behavior was the thrust of the Old Covenant – "DO and live" (Lev 18:5; Gal 3:12). But that is not the thrust, direction, or primary objective, of the New Covenant. In Christ, the real issue has to do with AFTER the present heavens and earth pass away. It has to do with what will occur AFTER death, and AFTER the judgment. AFTER we see the Lord as He is, then the fulness of the purpose of God will be made known AND realized. Until that time, everything is preparatory for those epochal events. This will be made most apparent in the following statements. PRESENT YOU " . . . to present you . . . " Most versions read the same way: "to present you." Some more liberal versions read, "to bring you before Himself" (NJB), "As a result, He has brought you into the very presence of God" (NLT). WHEN IS THE INTENDED PRESENTATION? The word "present" means to place beside or near, to set at hand, to present a person to another, and to bring into fellowship and intimacy (THAYER). The issue here is WHEN that presentation is intended to be made. The New Living Translation places the time in the now: "He HAS brought you into the very presence of God."

It is true that now we may come into the presence of the Lord, drawing near "with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water" (Heb 10:22). That, however, it NOT a presentation, but an invitation. Furthermore, our present access to God is by faith, and is not a true presentation.

In this world, WE "present" our bodies to God a "living sacrifice" (Rom 12:1). Our text, however, speaks of the Lord doing the presenting. The presentation of our text has to do with our appearance before the Lord AFTER the end of the world. It is consistently represented in this manner in Scripture. The focus of reconciliation is an ETERNAL consummation – one that is satisfying to God and honoring of Christ. 1. "Knowing that He which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall PRESENT us with you" (2 Cor 4:14). 2. "For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may PRESENT you as a chaste virgin to Christ" (2 Cor 11:2). 3. "That He might PRESENT it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish" (Eph 5:27). 4. "Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may PRESENT every man perfect in Christ Jesus" (Col 1:28). 5. "Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to PRESENT you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy" (Jude 1:24). This is speaking of a formal presentation, when the Lord Jesus receives His bride (Rev 21:2,9), and the Father Himself is joined with us (Rev 21:3). It all begins here, in this world, when we believe the record God has given of His Son, are baptized into His death, and are raised with Him to "walk in newness of life" (1 John 5:10; Rom 6:3-4). It continues in this world as we "live by faith," and "perfect holiness in the fear of the Lord" (Rom 1:17; 2 Cor 7:1). However, we have not yet been presented to the Lord. The work is still being completed. The Lord is finishing what He has begun, and performing the work until the day of Christ (Phil 1:6). We are still being "changed" (2 Cor 3:18), "renewed" (Eph 4:23), "conformed" (Rom 8:29), and perfected (1 Pet 5:10). We are still fighting and laying hold on eternal life (1 Tim 6:12), running (1 Cor 9:22; Heb 12:1), wrestling (Eph 6:12), looking (Tit 2:13; 2 Pet 3:12), and waiting for His Son from heaven (1 Thess 1:10). But the time will come when we will be "presented" to the Lord before an assembled universe. Everything about salvation is calculated to prepare us for that moment, and nothing about the reconciliation wrought by Jesus detracts from it. Any approach to religion that fails to take this into account is void of the Spirit of God, and is therefore counterproductive to everything Jesus is doing. As strong as that may appear, it is not nearly strong enough. PRAYER POINT: Father, in the name of Jesus, grant me grace to live with a constant consideration of the time You have appointed for the presentation of Your people. --GivenB@aol.com

Encounters with Others

God is waiting to be gracious to us! “Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.”
(Isaiah 30:18)


God waits to be gracious to us and the Bible tells us to also wait for the Lord: “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!”
(Psalm 27:12)


We shall not grow weary of waiting upon God if we remember how long and how graciously he once waited for us. [1] “And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise.”
Hebrews 6:15


We are waiting “for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.” We pray for people and wait for their salvation. It is good for us to wait for him. “The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.” (Lamentations 3:25-26)

I had a routine blood draw this morning. The lab worker was named Josh. I talked about my wonderful son-in-law, also named Josh, who recently bought me software. I told him I used LOGOS software for Bible study and asked if was interested in the Bible.

“Uh, no,” he answered.

And that might have been the end of it; I was with him for less than two minutes. But I add people like him to my “Encounters” prayer list: I type “Josh, the phlebotomist at St. Jo’s” into my prayer calendar. I set it to remind me to pray for him regularly. Some people have no one else to pray for them, so I never take encounters like this as “casual” encounters. Rather they are assignments to me from God to pray for those who may have no one else to pray for them.

Lord draw Josh to you; may he answer when you call. Put your fire into his heart; may he burn with desire to know and serve you. May he be filled with a passion to read your Word.

I do not know what the results of such prayers may yield in God’s kingdom, but I wait for the Lord, and this I know: it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer (Psalm 38:13b). “For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness.” Galatians 5:5

“[W]e are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. [2] We are waiting for the appearing ot the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. (Titus 2:11-14)

“Be strong and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord!”

[1]Spurgeon, C. H. (2006). Morning and evening : Daily readings (Complete and unabridged; New modern edition.) (July 8 PM). Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers.

[2]The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001 (2 Pe 3:13). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.