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I AM AN 80 YEAR OLD MALE, BORN AGAIN, CHRISTIAN WITH A LOVE FOR JESUS. I DO NOT GET OUT MUCH ANYMORE BUT FIND THAT TELLING PEOPLE ABOUT THE LOVE JESUS HAS FOR THEM IS NOT ONLY WHAT WE ARE SUPPOSED TO DO BUT SOMETHING THAT THE WORLD NEEDS.
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I HAVE WRITTEN ABOUT THIS ABOUT THREE TIMES NOW AND I STILL GET PEOPLE ASKING ME HOW WE CAN BE SURE THAT WE ARE SAVED. WELL, LET ME TRY ONE MORE TIME TO EXPLAIN IT SO EVERYONE CAN KNOW FOR SURE. I HAD HEARD ALL MY LIFE, "ONCE SAVED, ALWAYS SAVED", AND I HAD HEARD A LOT OF MINISTERS AND PEOPLE SAY THAT IT WAS NOT TRUE. WELL, WHEN I WAS NOT REALLY STUDYING THE BIBLE, MANY YEARS AGO, I REALLY DID NOT KNOW FOR SURE MYSELF. I ALWAYS HOPED IT WAS TRUE BUT NO ONE COULD NOT, OR WOULD NOT, TAKE THE TIME TO TELL ME. I DON'T WANT TO BE ONE OF THOSE TYPE PEOPLE.
No Distractions, Please
Mark 4:16, 'And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness;'
MARK 4:13-20
The second type of person Jesus describes is one who does receive the Word, even with great joy, but his commitment to the Word is shallow. Just as a plant must establish a strong root system to sustain its growth, so we must become rooted and grounded in God's Word. Too much attention on visible growth will cause us to become impatient and not take the time to become firmly established in the...
Understanding God's Word
Luke 8:12, 'Those by the wayside are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.'
LUKE 8:4-13
The first type of person Jesus describes is someone who doesn't understand God's Word (Mt. 13:19). Before God's Word can penetrate your heart, you have to understand (not comprehend) what it's saying. If the Word isn't understood, then it will be like seed scattered on top of hard-packed ground (the wayside). The birds will eat the seed and there will be no fruit.
Mark 4:15 and Luke 8:12, make it clear that these birds represent Satan, and Mark says the devil comes immediately to steal away the Word. Satan did not have direct...
DOES IT BOTHER YOU TO HEAR SOMEONE TAKE GOD'S NAME IN VAIN? IT DOES ME AND I DON'T MIND TELLING THEM ABOUT IT WHETHER THEY LIKE IT OR NOT. PEOPLE HAVE EVEN TOLD ME THAT IT WASN'T A SIN. DON'T THEY EVER READ THE BIBLE. WHAT ABOUT THE TEN COMMANDMENTS? (EXODUS 20:7 Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.) WHAT ABOUT JUST SAYING CURSE WORDS? DOING THAT IS A SIN ALSO. (EPHESIANS 4:29 SAYS "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.")
God's Word: Use As Directed
Luke 8:11, 'Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.'
LUKE 8:4-11
This parable illustrates the importance of the Word of God. God's Word contains total power, but it has to be planted in our hearts and allowed to germinate before it releases that power.
The seed is God's Word, and the types of ground are the four major categories of men's hearts. The Word was the same in each situation, but there were different results in each case because of the condition of men's hearts - not because of the Word. The Word doesn't work for...
THE FIRST TIME JESUS MINISTERED IN JERUSALEM WAS AT THE TEMPLE RIGHT AFTER HE HAD DRIVEN OUT THE ONES THAT WERE SELLING THE SHEEP, OXEN AND DOVES FOR THE OFFERINGS. HE HAD MADE A WHIP AND DROVE THEM OUT AND TURNED OVER THEIR MONEY TABLES. HE SAID THEY WERE NOT GOING TO MAKE HIS FATHER'S HOUSE A HOUSE OF MERCHANDISE. AFTER DRIVING THE MONEY CHANGERS OUT OF THE TEMPLE, HE BEGAN MINISTERING TO THE PEOPLE. MANY HAD BEEN FOLLOWING HIM TO SEE ALL THE MIRACLES HE WAS DOING AND MANY BELIEVED IN HIS NAME BECAUSE OF THE MIRACLES. THE BIBLE SAYS IN JOHN 2:24 "But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men," HE DIDN'T WANT PEOPLE TRYING TO SPREAD HIS MESSAGE THAT REALLY DIDN'T KNOW WHAT HIS MESSAGE WAS. THEY HAD SEEN THE MIRACLES AND BELIEVED BECAUSE OF THEM. I THINK THIS SHOWS THAT JESUS IS INTERESTED IN THE QUALITY OF OUR MESSAGE. THIS IS WHY WE NEED TO BE CONSTANTLY IN HIS WORD...
The Power Of God's Word
Luke 8:11, 'Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.'
LUKE 8:11-15
It is through the reading of the Word and the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit that Christ in His fullness is known. What a privilege it is today to have God's Word in our own language. Six hundred years ago there was no English translation of the whole Bible. Thanks...