Just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned... Romans 5:12
The Bible does not say that God punished the human race for one man's sin, but that the nature of sin, namely, my claim to my right to myself, entered into the human race through one man. But it also says that another Man took upon Himself the sin of the human race and put it away--an infinite and profound revelation (see Hebrews 9:26) The nature of sin is not immorality and wrongdoing, but the nature of self-realization which lead us to say, "I am my own god." This nature may exhibit itself in proper morality or in improper immorality, but it alwyas has a common basis--my claim to my right to myself.
Sin is something I am born with and cannot touch--only God touches sin through redemption. It is through the Cross of Christ that God redeemed the entrie human race from the possibility of damnation throught heredity of sin. God nowhere holds a person reponsibile for having the heredity of sin, and does not condemn anyone because of it. Condemation comes when I realize that Jesus Christ came to deliver me from this heredity of sin, and yet I refuse to let Him do so. From that moment I begin to get the seal of damnation "This is the condemnation and the critcial moment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than light John 3:19 Oswald Chambers
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Friday, September 30, 2011
Beginnings
My first bible teacher and one very dear to my heart was J. Vernon McGee. He was the first one who showed me the the bible is a manual for living my daily life with purpose and meaning. He went home to be with the LORD in the late 80's but he still can be heard daily on the radio teaching his practical and warm hearted messages on his broadcast "Through the Bible Radio".
In addition I still receive his newsletter; just think the ministry he founded is still honoring Christ 30 years after his death. This is a description of "bearing fruit that will last".
Regarding Jesus, Dr. McGee said; " it was no accident the Son of God identified with the human race as a carpenter--He was always a builder.
His work of repairing, beautifying and construction is still going on today".
From his newsletter this month I freely quote;
Mark 1:1-3 The beginning of the gospel (good news) of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 2) As it is written in the prophet Isaiah:
Behold, I send My messenger ahead of You
Who will prepare Your way; 3) the voice of one crying in the wilderness,
'Make ready the way of the LORD, make His paths straight'.
That is not the beginning of either John or Jesus. It is the beginning of the gospel when the Lord Jesus came to this earth and died on a cross and rose again. That is the gospel.
There are 3 beginnings recorded in Scripture. Lets consider them in chronological order.
1. "In the beginning was the Word" John 1:1
This goes back to a dateless beginning, before all time. I look at the universe I know it began somewhere and that somewhere is God. I don't know anything about that because it had no beginning and I cannot comprehend such a fact. God came out of eternity to meet us, He was there before anything else.
2. "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth" Genesis 1:1
This is where we move from eternity to time. I believe God created time at this point. No one can guess the date of the creation; ideas range from 6000 years to 3 billion years, that is quite a gap. We know so little but when we come into His Presence and we will begin to "know even as we are known" we will realize how we "saw through a glass darkly". I believe we will be amazed at our own ignorance as we look back. Our God is a great God and He has plenty of time; "a thousand years is as a day to Him".
Trust His timing, it is always right.
3. "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ" Mark 1:1 is the same as "that which was from the beginninig" 1 John 1:1. The good news has a date. It goes back to Jesus Christ at the precise moment He took upon Himself human flesh. Jesus Christ is the gospel.
Yes, the good news is this; God became flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld His glory. Emmanuel, God with us.
Kelly
In addition I still receive his newsletter; just think the ministry he founded is still honoring Christ 30 years after his death. This is a description of "bearing fruit that will last".
Regarding Jesus, Dr. McGee said; " it was no accident the Son of God identified with the human race as a carpenter--He was always a builder.
His work of repairing, beautifying and construction is still going on today".
From his newsletter this month I freely quote;
Mark 1:1-3 The beginning of the gospel (good news) of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 2) As it is written in the prophet Isaiah:
Behold, I send My messenger ahead of You
Who will prepare Your way; 3) the voice of one crying in the wilderness,
'Make ready the way of the LORD, make His paths straight'.
That is not the beginning of either John or Jesus. It is the beginning of the gospel when the Lord Jesus came to this earth and died on a cross and rose again. That is the gospel.
There are 3 beginnings recorded in Scripture. Lets consider them in chronological order.
1. "In the beginning was the Word" John 1:1
This goes back to a dateless beginning, before all time. I look at the universe I know it began somewhere and that somewhere is God. I don't know anything about that because it had no beginning and I cannot comprehend such a fact. God came out of eternity to meet us, He was there before anything else.
2. "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth" Genesis 1:1
This is where we move from eternity to time. I believe God created time at this point. No one can guess the date of the creation; ideas range from 6000 years to 3 billion years, that is quite a gap. We know so little but when we come into His Presence and we will begin to "know even as we are known" we will realize how we "saw through a glass darkly". I believe we will be amazed at our own ignorance as we look back. Our God is a great God and He has plenty of time; "a thousand years is as a day to Him".
Trust His timing, it is always right.
3. "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ" Mark 1:1 is the same as "that which was from the beginninig" 1 John 1:1. The good news has a date. It goes back to Jesus Christ at the precise moment He took upon Himself human flesh. Jesus Christ is the gospel.
Yes, the good news is this; God became flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld His glory. Emmanuel, God with us.
Kelly
Friday, August 26, 2011
What Does it Mean to Say "Jesus Saves"?
Jesus is God come to earth, a true human being. God became a human being in the person of Jesus in order to save us. (1John 4:2)
Why do we need to be saved? The bible says that every human being who ever was born has sinned, Romans 3:23. To sin is to do something, in thought, word, or deed, that contradicts God's perfect character. Because of our sin, we all deserve punishment from God, John 3:18. The penalty for sin is death. God is just, so He cannot allow sin to go unpunished. Since God is infinite and eternal, and since all sin is against God , only an infinite and eternal punishment is sufficient. Eternal death is the only just punishment. That's why we need to be saved.
Because we have sinned against an infinite God, an infinite person must pay for our sin. Jesus saves by dying in our place. In the person of Jesus Christ, God sacrificed Himself on our behalf, paying the infinite and eternal penalty only He could pay, 2 Corinthians 5:21. Because He is infinitely merciful, Jesus took the punishment we deserve in order to save us from eternal death. Because of His great love for us, Jesus laid down His life, John 15:13, paying the penalty that we had earned but could not pay. Jesus was then resurrected proving His death was sufficient to pay the penalty for our sin 1 Corinthians 15.
Jesus saves all who will receive His gift of salvation. Jesus saves all those who fully trust in His sacrifice alone as the payment for sin, John 3:16. Jesus sacrifice was all that is needed to pay for the sins of humanity, however, each one must personally receive His precious gift. John 1:12
If you now understand what it means that Jesus saves, and you want to trust in Him as your Savior, you can pray this prayer; Father, I know I am a sinner and I know that because of my sin I deserve to be eternally separated from you. Even though I do not deserve it, thank you for loving me and providing the sacrifice for my sin through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I believe that Jesus died for my sin and I trust in Him alone to save me. I want Jesus to be my Savior and my Lord. From now on help me to live my life for you instead of for myself. Thank you for saving me. Amen
Why do we need to be saved? The bible says that every human being who ever was born has sinned, Romans 3:23. To sin is to do something, in thought, word, or deed, that contradicts God's perfect character. Because of our sin, we all deserve punishment from God, John 3:18. The penalty for sin is death. God is just, so He cannot allow sin to go unpunished. Since God is infinite and eternal, and since all sin is against God , only an infinite and eternal punishment is sufficient. Eternal death is the only just punishment. That's why we need to be saved.
Because we have sinned against an infinite God, an infinite person must pay for our sin. Jesus saves by dying in our place. In the person of Jesus Christ, God sacrificed Himself on our behalf, paying the infinite and eternal penalty only He could pay, 2 Corinthians 5:21. Because He is infinitely merciful, Jesus took the punishment we deserve in order to save us from eternal death. Because of His great love for us, Jesus laid down His life, John 15:13, paying the penalty that we had earned but could not pay. Jesus was then resurrected proving His death was sufficient to pay the penalty for our sin 1 Corinthians 15.
Jesus saves all who will receive His gift of salvation. Jesus saves all those who fully trust in His sacrifice alone as the payment for sin, John 3:16. Jesus sacrifice was all that is needed to pay for the sins of humanity, however, each one must personally receive His precious gift. John 1:12
If you now understand what it means that Jesus saves, and you want to trust in Him as your Savior, you can pray this prayer; Father, I know I am a sinner and I know that because of my sin I deserve to be eternally separated from you. Even though I do not deserve it, thank you for loving me and providing the sacrifice for my sin through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I believe that Jesus died for my sin and I trust in Him alone to save me. I want Jesus to be my Savior and my Lord. From now on help me to live my life for you instead of for myself. Thank you for saving me. Amen
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
The Holy Spirit
We have been discussing Jesus promise in John 14:16, to send the Holy Spirit. This was part of the list of reasons He gave to the disciples to obey His command 'Do not let your heart be troubled".
Jesus said the Counselor-the Spirit of God Himself-would come after Jesus was gone to care for and guide the disciples.
The Holy Spirit is the very Presence of God within all believers, helping us live as God wants, and building the Church on earth. By faith we can have the Spirit's power every day.
These are some truths about the Holy Spirit and their references;
He will be with us forever John 14:16
The world cannot accept Him John 14:17
He lives with us and in us John 14:17
He teaches us John 14:26
He brings to our remembrance what Jesus said John 14:26
He reminds us of Jesus' words John 14:26 & John 15:26
He convicts us of sin, shows us God's righteousness and announces God's judgment on evil John 16:8
He guides us into all truth John 16:8
He brings glory to Christ John 16:14
Hopefully these references with help you to obey the command to not have a troubled heart John 14:1
God bless you with understanding and faith
Jesus said the Counselor-the Spirit of God Himself-would come after Jesus was gone to care for and guide the disciples.
The Holy Spirit is the very Presence of God within all believers, helping us live as God wants, and building the Church on earth. By faith we can have the Spirit's power every day.
These are some truths about the Holy Spirit and their references;
He will be with us forever John 14:16
The world cannot accept Him John 14:17
He lives with us and in us John 14:17
He teaches us John 14:26
He brings to our remembrance what Jesus said John 14:26
He reminds us of Jesus' words John 14:26 & John 15:26
He convicts us of sin, shows us God's righteousness and announces God's judgment on evil John 16:8
He guides us into all truth John 16:8
He brings glory to Christ John 16:14
Hopefully these references with help you to obey the command to not have a troubled heart John 14:1
God bless you with understanding and faith
Saturday, March 5, 2011
God's Gracious Presence
We have experienced many trials in the past 2 weeks. Perhaps you noticed last week there was no radio program on Monday as the transmitter was down. The heavy snow in Ohio this winter has taken its toll in many ways. The station manager chose to play an earlier broadcast and begin this week with the series in John.
At the same time my husband was experiencing the first of two trips to the emergency room for heart related problems. He had a major open heart surgery last March 2010 to correct several problems and has been left with fluttering heart. Up until now he has manged but it became an acute problem lately and has let to him having cardio version, a challenge in someone with a brain probe treating Parkinson's disease.
In all these things God has Sovereignly overruled and brought him through. He has given me wisdom to make challenging decisions and given me the comfort of His still and undemanding Presence when I was exhausted.
Tom is slowly recovering and steadily feeling better. We have both grown closer to the LORD Jesus during these difficulties. I want to tell you that we are finally all alone with God and it is a wise person who gets to know Him now and take comfort in Him and His promises.
The radio program should be up to date now as God has graciously allowed me to go on with it and so I pray you will be blessed by His sure and certain Word of hope.
Kelly
At the same time my husband was experiencing the first of two trips to the emergency room for heart related problems. He had a major open heart surgery last March 2010 to correct several problems and has been left with fluttering heart. Up until now he has manged but it became an acute problem lately and has let to him having cardio version, a challenge in someone with a brain probe treating Parkinson's disease.
In all these things God has Sovereignly overruled and brought him through. He has given me wisdom to make challenging decisions and given me the comfort of His still and undemanding Presence when I was exhausted.
Tom is slowly recovering and steadily feeling better. We have both grown closer to the LORD Jesus during these difficulties. I want to tell you that we are finally all alone with God and it is a wise person who gets to know Him now and take comfort in Him and His promises.
The radio program should be up to date now as God has graciously allowed me to go on with it and so I pray you will be blessed by His sure and certain Word of hope.
Kelly
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Practice Spiritual Concentration-Tozer
The following is one of my favorite writings of A.W. Tozer, he is someone you need to know:
Retire from the world each day to some private spot. Stay in the secret place till the surrounding noises begin to fade out of your heart and a sense of God's Presence envelops you. Deliberately tune out the world. Listen for the inward Voice till you learn to recognize it. Stop trying to compete with others. Give yourself to God, and then be what and do what you are without regard t what others think. Reduce your interests to a few. Don't try to know what will be of no service to you. Avoid the digest type of mind--short bits of unrelated facts, cute stories and bright sayings. Learn to pray inwardly every moment. After a while you can do this even while you work Practice candor, childlike honesty, humility. Read less, but read more of what is important to your inner life. Call home your roving thoughts. Gaze on Christ with the eyes of your soul. Prace spiritual concentration.
Retire from the world each day to some private spot. Stay in the secret place till the surrounding noises begin to fade out of your heart and a sense of God's Presence envelops you. Deliberately tune out the world. Listen for the inward Voice till you learn to recognize it. Stop trying to compete with others. Give yourself to God, and then be what and do what you are without regard t what others think. Reduce your interests to a few. Don't try to know what will be of no service to you. Avoid the digest type of mind--short bits of unrelated facts, cute stories and bright sayings. Learn to pray inwardly every moment. After a while you can do this even while you work Practice candor, childlike honesty, humility. Read less, but read more of what is important to your inner life. Call home your roving thoughts. Gaze on Christ with the eyes of your soul. Prace spiritual concentration.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Praise the LORD
Psalm 145
I will extol You, my God, O King, and I will bless Your Name forever and ever. 2 Every day I will bless You, and I will proase Your Name forever and ever. 3 Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised and His greatness is unsearchable.
Praising the LORD is an important, yes critical part of our relationship with Jesus. I basically involves thanking Him for the many blessings in our life. The ways we can recognize our Father's goodness are as limiless as the ways He reveals Himself to mankind. God says He inhabits the praise of His people, He is with us when we praise Him.
God gives us many reasons to be thankful, no matter what our circumstances. He has promised to cause all things to work together for good for those of us who love Him. He is willing, He is able, He will do it.
Every night when I lay down to sleep I thank God for five things of the day. Taking nothing for granted, it is critical to maintain a humble and thankful spirit.
Someone has asked "what if God took away that for which we have not thanked Him?" He is good, love Him, thank Him, pray for His soon return.
Psalm 103
Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me bless His holy Name.
I will extol You, my God, O King, and I will bless Your Name forever and ever. 2 Every day I will bless You, and I will proase Your Name forever and ever. 3 Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised and His greatness is unsearchable.
Praising the LORD is an important, yes critical part of our relationship with Jesus. I basically involves thanking Him for the many blessings in our life. The ways we can recognize our Father's goodness are as limiless as the ways He reveals Himself to mankind. God says He inhabits the praise of His people, He is with us when we praise Him.
God gives us many reasons to be thankful, no matter what our circumstances. He has promised to cause all things to work together for good for those of us who love Him. He is willing, He is able, He will do it.
Every night when I lay down to sleep I thank God for five things of the day. Taking nothing for granted, it is critical to maintain a humble and thankful spirit.
Someone has asked "what if God took away that for which we have not thanked Him?" He is good, love Him, thank Him, pray for His soon return.
Psalm 103
Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me bless His holy Name.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)