Blogs
Jesus Paid It All
June 14th
John 8:28 'Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.'
JOHN 8:12-30
This is the second of three times that Jesus spoke of Himself being 'lifted up' (1st - Jn. 3:14; 3rd - Jn. 12:32-33). As the scripture explains in John 12:33, this was a reference to crucifixion as the means of His death. The lifting up is speaking of being lifted up from the earth and suspended on a cross in crucifixion. The Jews understood that Jesus was speaking of death.
The crucifixion didn't just happen. It was planned by God. Does this mean that God bears...
ARE YOU READY TO DIE FOR JESUS? IF SOMEONE HELD A GUN TO YOUR HEAD AND TOLD YOU THAT THEY WOULD SHOOT YOU IF YOU DIDN'T DENY JESUS, WHAT WOULD YOU DO. I WOULD HOPE THAT WE ALL WOULD HAVE THE COURAGE TO NEVER DENY HIM. DID YOU KNOW THERE ARE PLACES THAT THINGS LIKE THIS ARE HAPPENING ALL THE TIME. WE ARE SO BLESSED THAT WE CAN STUDY GOD'S WORD WITHOUT THE THREAT OF BEING KILLED. THE SAD THING IS THAT THERE ARE SOME CHRISTIANS THAT DON'T EVEN READ THEIR BIBLE EVERY DAY AND OTHERS NOT AT ALL. HOW CAN THIS BE?
Mystery Of The Trinity
June 13th
John 8:19 'Then said they unto him, Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also.'
JOHN 8:12-27
The scriptures teach Jesus' oneness with the Father. This oneness is more than singleness of purpose and actually denotes 'a single one to the exclusion of others' as in the statement, 'There is one God' (1 Tim. 2:5).
This truth is so well established in scripture that some people make no distinction between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit but believe they are simply one God expressing Himself in three different ways. However, Jesus makes a distinction between Himself and His Father here...
Amazing Grace
June 12th
John 8:4-5 'They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?'
JOHN 8:1-11
This was possibly the most potentially damaging temptation the scribes and Pharisees ever presented to Jesus. Much of Jesus' widespread popularity with the people was because of His examples of and teachings about God's mercy and forgiveness towards sinners. This was received with great enthusiasm by the people who, before this time had been presented with only a harsh, legalistic, judgmental picture of God.
The scribes and Pharisees had often tried to portray Jesus as condoning or...
Effortless Fruit
June 11th
John 7:38 'He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.'
JOHN 7:37-41
These rivers of living water are referring to the Holy Spirit and the effects He produces in the life of the believer. Galatians 5:22-23 says, 'the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.' These qualities should flow out of us as an artesian well. They should not have to be pumped. They will flow as we conform our thinking to God's Word.
Jesus speaks of bearing fruit in John 15 and declares that '. . . without me ye can do nothing' (Jn. 15:5). This fruit is the product of the...
DO YOU TRY TO BE GOOD, GO TO CHURCH, TITHES, SERVE ON CHURCH COMMITTEES, GIVE TO THE POOR, READ YOUR BIBLE, AND PRAY? THESE ARE THINGS THAT MOST OF US WOULD SAY YES TO, BUT WHY DO WE DO ALL OF THESE THINGS? IS IT TO TRY TO BE MORE RIGHTEOUS SO GOD WILL LOVE US MORE?
ARE YOUR PARENTS STILL ALIVE? WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU TALKED WITH THEM? ARE YOU NOT TALKING TO THEM FOR A REASON? AT LEAST YOU STILL HAVE THEM HERE ON EARTH SO YOU CAN TALK WITH THEM. DO YOU EVEN REMEMBER WHY YOU STOPPED TALKING WITH THEM? WELL, IT IS ABOUT TIME YOU STRAIGHTENED THINGS OUT. YOU MIGHT THINK YOU DON'T HAVE ENOUGH TIME IN YOUR LIFE TO SPEND WITH THEM BUT WHEN THEY ARE GONE, BELIEVE ME, YOU WILL REGRET IT. THEY NEED YOU NOW MORE THAN EVER.
The Heart Matters
June 10th
John 7:22 'Moses therefore gave unto you circumcision; (not because it is of Moses, but of the fathers
and ye on the sabbath day circumcise a man.'
JOHN 7:21-24
The covenant of circumcision was given to Abram in Gen. 17:9-14. In v. 14, the Lord said that any man who did not carry this sign of the covenant in his flesh was to be killed. This placed a great importance on the act of circumcision. Paul says in Rom. 4:3-13, that Abraham had already been justified by faith before he was circumcised. It was Abram's faith that saved him at least 13 years before the Lord...
HAS YOUR PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS GROWN COLD OVER THE MONTHS OR YEARS SINCE YOU RECEIVED HE AS YOUR SAVIOR? YOU KNOW YOU STILL LOVE HIM AS MUCH BUT DON'T FEEL AS CLOSE AS YOU ONCE DID? WELL, JESUS SAYS IN MATTHEW 24:12 "BECAUSE INIQUITY SHALL ABOUND, THE LOVE OF MANY SHALL WAX COLD."