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You're Not Alone In Persecution
Luke 23:11 'And Herod with his men of war set him at nought, and mocked him, and arrayed him in a gorgeous robe, and sent him again to Pilate.'
All of Christ's sufferings did not end when He finished His earthly ministry.
He still takes the persecution of His people personally as is revealed by His statement to Saul on the road to Damascus: 'Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?' He didn't ask Paul why he was persecuting His people. He said, 'Why are you persecuting Me?' When we are persecuted for righteousness' sake, it is actually Christ who is being persecuted.
One of the most trying aspects of persecution is the feeling that God...
Jesus - The Name Above Names
Luke 23:9 'Then he questioned with him in many words; but he answered him nothing.'
Not only does Jesus' refusal to defend Himself show His humility, but His refraining from venting His wrath against the man who senselessly killed His friend who was the greatest of the Old Testament prophets (Mt. 11:11), also displays His humble nature.
Because of Christ's humility and obedience to the Father, God gave Him a name that is above every name in heaven, earth and under the earth. There is no exemption for anyone or anything from coming under the Lordship of Jesus. He is Lord of ALL.
Jesus has not only been exalted above every 'being' that...
DID YOU KNOW THAT WHEN CAIN KILLED ABLE, HE DIDN'T KNOW THAT HE HAD SINNED? IN FACT, NO ONE KNEW THEY WERE SINNING BEFORE THE LAW, THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. GOD GAVE THE LAW TO SHOW PEOPLE JUST HOW BAD THEY WERE. WE SEE THIS IN ROMANS 7:7 WHERE IT SAYS "What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet." THE LAW SHOWED PEOPLE WHAT SIN WAS AND THAT THEY NEEDED TO CHANGE.
ALTHOUGH PEOPLE WERE SINNING BEFORE THE LAW, THEIR SINS WERE NOT CHARGED TO THEM. ROMANS 5:13 TELLS US THIS WHEN IT SAYS "For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law." ISN'T IT STRANGE THAT WHEN WE ARE TOLD WE CAN'T DO SOMETHING, WE WANT TO DO IT...
What Is A Miracle?
Luke 23:8 'And when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceeding glad: for he was desirous to see him of a long season, because he had heard many things of him; and he hoped to have seen some miracle done by him.'
Herod desired to see Jesus perform some kind of miracle, and some of the questions he asked Jesus made this desire obvious. However, Jesus did not use His faith to do any miracles for Herod.
Miracles are God's way of meeting the needs of those who seek Him in faith. Miracles will sometimes be used to demonstrate God's ability so that people may believe (Mk. 2:10-11), but they will not happen to skeptics who are tempting God (Lk. 4:9-12).
A...
The Sword Is The Word
John 18:36 'Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.'
JOHN 18:33-37
Christ's kingdom is spiritual, in the hearts of men - not physical; therefore, our fight as Christians must not be with carnal weapons but with spiritual weapons (2 Cor. 10:3-5). Spiritual forces cannot be defeated with human weapons.
When we are being attacked for being a part of Christ's kingdom, we must fight with spiritual weapons. Our warfare is not against people, but against the spiritual powers that operate behind the scenes through people. We must realize who the real enemy is...
I HAVE HEARD ALL MY LIFE, "ONCE SAVED, ALWAYS SAVED", AND I HAVE HEARD A LOT OF MINISTERS AND PEOPLE SAY THAT IT WAS NOT TRUE. WELL, WHEN I WAS NOT REALLY STUDYING THE BIBLE, I REALLY DID NOT KNOW. I ALWAYS HOPED IT WAS TRUE THAT I WOULD ALWAYS BE SAVED BUT NO ONE COULD TELL ME.
PARENTS, DO YOU LOVE YOUR CHILDREN SO MUCH THAT YOU WANT TO GIVE THEM THE THINGS THEY NEED OR EVEN JUST THINGS THEY WANT? IF WE LOVE OUR CHILDREN THIS MUCH, DON'T YOU KNOW THAT GOD, WHO IS LOVE, LOVES US A LOT MORE AND WANTS TO DO THE SAME FOR US? MOST CHRISTIANS WOULD SAY HE HAS GIVEN US THE MOST IMPORTANT THING HE COULD AND THAT IS SALVATION, AND I AGREE.
Choose To Love
John 18:23 'Jesus answered him, If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil: but if well, why smitest thou me?'
God's kind of love is not self-serving or self-seeking. Agape love will cause a person to lay down his life for another (Jn. 15:13), because he has literally forgotten himself. Many times when heros are asked why they put themselves in jeopardy to save someone else, they reply that they didn't even think about themselves. All they thought of was the danger to the other person. That's God's kind of love.
God's type of love involves emotions many times, but it is not an emotion. It is an act of the will. We can choose to love even when we don't...
Seek Greater Revelation
John 18:20 'Jesus answered him, I spake openly to the world; I ever taught in the synagogue, and in the temple, whither the Jews always resort; and in secret have I said nothing.'
The truths of God are hidden for His children, not from them. The Holy Spirit has been instructed to teach us all things (Jn. 14:26) and has given us an unction so that we will know all things (1 Jn. 2:20). We only have to appropriate what is ours.
What God desires His New Testament saints to know, that the Old Testament saints could not know, is 'Christ in you the hope of glory.' The coming of the Messiah was predicted in the Old Testament, but the idea that He would...