I TALK A LOT ABOUT GETTING PEOPLE SAVED AND THAT IS FIRST AND FOREMOST BUT WE CAN'T STOP THERE. YOU MIGHT ASK WHAT IS THEREAFTER BEING BORN AGAIN. NATURALLY, YOU SHOULD START LIVING A GOOD CHRISTIAN LIFE BUT THAT STILL IS NOT ALL.
Our Inheritance With Christ
Matthew 11:11, 'Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding, he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.'
MATTHEW 11:2-19, LUKE 7:18-35
Much of the Old Testament deals with future events and the coming Messiah and His Kingdom. Not only was John the Baptist the voice of God to his generation, he was also the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. He did not merely prophesy about the coming Messiah and the New Covenant, as the Old Testament prophets did, but he actually prepared the way for the hearts of the people to receive Jesus by bearing witness to the Light.
Although John the Baptist was the...
Whose Faith Was It
Luke 7:13-14, 'And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not, And he came and touched the bier: and they that bear him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise.'
LUKE 7:11-17
This example of the widow's son being raised from the dead is often used to demonstrate that Jesus produced many miracles without any faith from those receiving the miracle but by His faith alone. However, the prayer in Mark 6:5-6 shows that Jesus could not (nor would not) do many mighty works in His home town because of the people's unbelief. Many scriptures reveal that faith must be present to receive from God (Mk. 11:23-24; Jas. 1:5-7).
So, whose faith was present in this instance?...
God's Kind Of Love
Matthew 8:9-10, 'For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. When Jesus heard it he marveled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.'
MATTHEW 8:5-13, LUKE 7:1-10
There were only two things in all of scripture that caused Jesus to marvel. They were (1) the Centurion's faith and (2) the Jews' unbelief (Mk. 6:6). A faith that made Jesus, who is the author and finisher of our faith, marvel is worth examining. This centurion believed that the spoken word of Jesus was sufficient to produce his miracle. He didn't need Jesus...
DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE VERSE IN THE BIBLE? MOST PEOPLE DO BUT ARE THERE A LOT OF VERSES YOU CAN REMEMBER? I AM GOING TO LIST A FEW BELOW AND SEE IF YOU HAVE HEARD THESE BEFORE.
More Than Just Sowing And Reaping
LUKE 6:38, 'Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.'
LUKE 6:17-49
This verse reveals one of God's cardinal laws that will work in the spiritual realm, as well as the physical world. Just as we 'give' seed into the ground to receive back multiple seeds, so it is with everything we give. Whether it's money, possessions, an emotion such as love or hate, prayers, or our time, we will reap a harvest of whatever we give. We reap exactly what we sow and proportional to the same measure that we give (Gal. 6:7-8).
'He which soweth...
...
His Mercy Endures Forever
MATTHEW 12:20, 'A bruised reed shall he not break, and a smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgement unto victory.'
MATTHEW 12:15-21, MARK 3:7-19, LUKE 6:12-16
One of the ways in which God's goodness is revealed is in mercy. We may describe mercy as the readiness of God to relieve the misery of fallen creatures. Many times, mercy is called compassion or lovingkindness. It is expressed toward the sinner because of the misery that sin has brought upon him.
The 'reed' referred to in this passage is probably speaking of the reeds that grew in the marshy areas in the land of Palestine. These were very fragile and could be easily bruised or broken. The term 'smoking flax' refers to a linen...
