Mulling on the Eternal - Thoughts to Edify: July 2012

Monday, July 30, 2012

Bible Study - Knowing God:God Is Eternal Life to Me

Hi Everyone

Notes for the Bible Study are below. Click here to download the audio file.

You can also access the whole load of Friday Night Bible Study audio files.

Knowing God:God Is Eternal Life to Me
There’s much more to life!

Knowing Him is Eternal Life

John 17:3 And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. (NKJV)

Eternal Life is knowing God and Jesus Christ. We received salvation the day we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, but we will spend all of eternity realising just how great this salvation is.

More than just a ticket into heaven – He is the answer to all we need, the source of everything and has to be the centrality of our life’s focus.

John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. (NKJV)

The way, the truth and the life are in a relationship with Jesus. When we know Him, we know the way, we know the truth and most of all, we know THE LIFE.

His Life is in Us, Is One With Us

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. (NKJV)

Inside of all of us who believe is a New Creation. Our spirits were made new. We did not have a spirit in the past – it was dead. This new Spirit is one with the Lord.

1 Corinthians 6:17 But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him. (NKJV)

So What Does Eternal Life Mean to Us?

Saved from Sins

Matthew 1:21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” (NKJV)

What are effects of our sins?

Sin perverts, destroys

The World was almost destroyed by sin – time of Noah
Abram (later Abraham) was asked by God to leave the land of his forefathers because of sin (Joshua 24:2)
Wherever sin is prevalent, society as a whole declines

Without Jesus …

…sin will destroy you here and in the afterlife.

Sin is increasingly destroying the developed world today, as the church fails to occupy our ground, take what was already won by Jesus.

Saved, Made Whole

“Save” in Greek = “sozo” – Rescue, make whole, complete, well.

Matthew 9:21 For she said to herself, “If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well [sozo].” (NKJV)

Matthew 1:21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save [sozo] His people from their sins.” (NKJV)

Sin Made Us Un-whole

Sin makes us un-whole. Jesus came to save us from sin. To make us whole when we were un-whole.

We live in a state that is FAR, FAR fallen from what God had intended, the life Adam had in the Garden.

Isaiah 64:6 But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away. (NKJV)

Jesus came to save us from sin. To make us whole when we were un-whole.

Jesus traded your un-wholeness for His wholeness on the Cross, He was perfection crushed for your imperfection.

Every Un-wholeness is a Result of Sin

Addictions

Drugs, medication
Booze
Cigarettes
Computer games
Facebook
Golf/Fishing/Canucks…You name it!

Emotional issues

Anxiety/worry/fear/stress
Anger/resentment
Guilt/shame
Unworthiness/low esteem/rejection/insecurity
Depression
Envy/jealousy
Grief
Confusion
Hopelessness
Deep suspicion/inability to trust
Cynicism/scepticism/unbelief
Ungodly thoughts

Behavioural issues

Trouble relating with others
Attention seeking
Suicidal/self-destructive behaviour
Eating disorders
Lust, promiscuity
Criminal or deviant behaviour
Homosexuality
Lack of motivation

Bad habits (poor eating choices, bad lifestyle choices and others)

Sicknesses and diseases

Poverty/Fear of poverty

Every un-wholeness in us is a result of sin. Imagine what our lives would be like if we were whole.

These are ALL part of the fall.

Jesus traded your un-wholeness for His wholeness on the Cross,

He was perfection crushed for your imperfection.

2 Corinthians 5:21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (NKJV)

1 Peter 2:24 who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness— by whose stripes you were healed. (NKJV)

Jesus died to make us whole.

As The Life of God permeates our lives, these areas of un-wholeness will fall away from us.

We Need to Lay Hold of Eternal Life

We need to be increasingly led by the Holy Spirit through His Word,

We could be saved and continue in our old selves, not renewed and lead lives as Carnal Christians, not bearing fruit.

We need to grow up and this is the process. It is not about learning good morals or good behaviour or abiding by a code of conduct or “Christian values”.

It is about knowing the finished work of Christ on the Cross.

Philippians 3: 12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. (NKJV)

1 Timothy 6:12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. (NKJV)

James 1: 21 Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. (NKJV)

It is the Word that saves your SOUL, makes it whole.

A Picture of Wholeness

Psalm 1:1 Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; 2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night. 3 He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper. (NKJV)

Renew Your Mind and Lay Hold!

Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. (NKJV)

We need to realize that in every area of life, Jesus loves loves loves us and has already made a way for us. We need to know His love for us, to be full of Him.

Prove the will of God, not only to yourself, but as a testimony.

Ephesians 4: 17 This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, (NKJV)

Gentiles, people who don’t believe, can only walk according to 2 parts – soul and body. Futility of the mind.

New man is created according to true righteousness and true holiness – no spot or wrinkle!

Ephesians 4:22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. (NKJV)

Know God, Know Love, Have The Life

Ephesians 3:19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. (NKJV)

Know God, Know the Cross, Know His Love,

Be filled with The Life.

The Take Away

God has given us Eternal Life. He has given us Himself in Jesus
We now have that Zoe Life living in us, the Holy Spirit, one with our spirit
This Eternal Life saves us for eternity, makes us whole now
Every issue is life finds its answer in this Eternal Life
For us to walk in victory, we need to put on the New Man, renewing the spirit of our minds
This comes from meditating on His love for us in scriptures.

Monday, July 23, 2012

Bible Study - How Much Does Your God Love You?

Here are the notes for the BS. Click here to download the audio file.

You can also access the whole load of Friday Night Bible Study audio files.

Be blessed!

Chris

How Much Does Your God Love You?

Is it just about salvation? If it was just going to Heaven, it would be great already.

But is God able to bless you? Is He WILLING? Do you think He is willing? Or is that dependent on your performance?

John 17:3 And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. (NKJV)

Eternal or everlasting life is about knowing God. Knowing God is not a one time event, neither is eternal life.

John 14:6 says that Jesus is THE LIFE.

After we got saved, the more we know Him, the more our Spirits (one with the Holy Spirit) are in control and THE LIFE manifests.

Paul’s First Prayer for the Ephesians

Ephesians 1: 15 Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16 do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him,

Beyond getting saved, Paul earnestly prayed for the Ephesians this prayer. Note the things he prays for. 2 things have to be true here:

1. Paul felt that this was important (WE MUST NOTE)

2. Paul must have thought the Ephesians needed it

We need wisdom to know God. Mere intellect cannot discern Him. When we know God and His love, all our problems in life find an answer.

It takes us yearning for more of God to receive this wisdom.

18 the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power 20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. (NKJV)

We need our eyes of understanding to be enlightened, that knowing God brings us great hope IN HIS CALLING. His calling, His will for us is good, His plans to prosper us. We have great riches of glory – God’s goodness, in the inheritance in the saints.

We need to understand what great plans He has for us to walk in. If this was for Heaven only, then Paul would not have bothered to pray this pray so earnestly.

Paul’s Second Prayer for the Ephesians

Ephesians 3:14 For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man,

Paul’s second prayer-that we might be strengthened by His Spirit (who is one with our spirit) in the inner man – your soul, heart, will.

17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— 19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Christ dwells in our hearts by faith, when we know His love. Gal 5:6. Easy to have faith when we know His love.

Comprehension of this is a church thing, in the body of the believers. No solo-Christians.

We need to KNOW the LOVE of Christ. I suspect we all only have the smallest glimpse of this – it passes human intellectual knowledge, which is why it cannot be understood in the intellect.

The more we get to know this love, the more we are full of God. Truly, we can love to the measure we know we are loved.

*Our Christian growth must be characterized by how much we know His love for us.*

*This is a direct equivalent of knowing Him.*

*How well we know Jesus and the love demonstrated by Him on the Cross will determine how far we go in life.*

3 John 1:2 Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. 3 For I rejoiced greatly when brethren came and testified of the truth that is in you, just as you walk in the truth. 4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. (NKJV)

John desired that we prosper and be in health. He points out that this is to the measure that our souls prosper. As our minds are renewed by the Word of God, as we start to see things God’s way, we change our thinking (repent) and this will see corresponding prosperity and health.

John’s deepest desire as should be ours, is to see his children in the Lord walk in TRUTH. Truth is a person (John 14:6) and His name is Jesus.

Once full of Him, we get excited and tell the world. It's like having the cure for cancer, except it's a lot better and every unbeliever is another patient who needs what we have. We HAVE to tell the world!

2 Timothy 2:2 And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. (NKJV)

It is a fallacy that all Bible teaching must come from pastors or those trained in bible school

That is why we are all called to disciple.

2 Good Men Needed Only...

If each of us can disciple 2 persons every year of our lives and the ones we disciple do the same, it would take only 2 committed Christians to start with, to have the whole world saved in 20 short years!

Year 1 2 Christians Make 4 disciples Total 6 Christians

Year 2 6 Christians Make 12 disciples Total 18 Christians

Year 3 18 Christians Make 36 disciples Total 54 Christians

Year 4 54 Christians Make 108 disciples Total 162 Christians

Year 5 162 Christians Make 324 disciples Total 486 Christians

Year 6 486 Christians Make 972 disciples Total 1,458 Christians

Year 7 1,458 Christians Make 2,916 disciples Total 4,374 Christians

Year 8 4,374 Christians Make 8,748 disciples Total 13,122 Christians

Year 9 13,122 Christians Make 26,244 disciples Total 39,366 Christians

Year 10 39,366 Christians Make 78,732 disciples Total 118,098 Christians

Year 11 118,098 Christians Make 236,196 disciples Total 354,294 Christians

Year 12 354,294 Christians Make 708,588 disciples Total 1,062,882 Christians

Year 13 1,062,882 Christians Make 2,125,764 disciples Total 3,188,646 Christians

Year 14 3,188,646 Christians Make 6,377,292 disciples Total 9,565,938 Christians

Year 15 9,565,938 Christians Make 19,131,876 disciples Total 28,697,814 Christians

Year 16 28,697,814 Christians Make 57,392,628 disciples Total 86,093,442 Christians

Year 17 86,093,442 Christians Make 172,186,884 disciples Total 258,280,326 Christians

Year 18 258,280,326 Christians Make 516,560,652 disciples Total 774,840,978 Christians

Year 19 774,840,978 Christians Make 1,549,681,956 disciples Total 2,324,552,934 Christians

Year 20 2,324,522,934 Christians Make 4,649,045,868 disciples Total 6,973,568,802 Christians

The Take-Away

· Knowing God = Eternal Life

· The more we know, the more The Life manifests

· Knowing God = Knowing His Love

· Knowing His love = Getting full of God

· Getting full of God = Living The Life God intended – deep peace, satisfaction, blessings

· Learn this love in the Word

· Teach others!

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Bible Study - God Is Merciful 2

Bible Study - God Is Merciful Part 2

Here are the notes for the Bible Study on "God Is Merciful 2". Click here to download the audio file.

You can also access the whole load of Friday Night Bible Study audio files.

Be blessed!

Chris

- The Appetizer

Matthew 13:10 And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” 11 He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. 13 Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14 And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: ‘Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, And seeing you will see and not perceive; 15 For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them.’ (NKJV)

Luke 8:9 Then His disciples asked Him, saying, “What does this parable mean?” 10 And He said, “To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that ‘Seeing they may not see, And hearing they may not understand.’ (NKJV)

Mark 4:10 But when He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable. 11 And He said to them, “To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables, (NKJV)

The mystery of the Kingdom of God belongs to those who hang around the Lord, those who have developed a taste for His Word, the things of God, and are always eager to know more. Many turned up to see Jesus, get His healing, hear a few words, but only DISCIPLES hung around and pressed in.

Matthew 13:9 He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” (NKJV)

- Our Great Salvation: Romans 5
Romans 5:1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
We have BEEN justified by faith. We HAVE peace with God through Jesus. SO MANY are trying to find peace with God. We HAVE it.
Simply come to Him for peace. No need to get your ducks in line before you do. Jesus is the bath – no need to get clean before the bath.

2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

John 17:22 And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: (NKJV)
Beyond having peace with God and knowing that we are not going to hell, we have access by faith into this grace. We rejoice in the hope of the glory of God, the same glory that God the Father gave to Jesus which He gave to us (John 17:22). The rich goodness of God, all His blessings.

3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope.
This is like what James said in James 1:2. The perseverance is of faith to access His grace.

James 1:2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. (NKJV)
Testing of our faith creates patience, not testing of patience creating faith.

5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
When we know God’s love, we will have faith. Faith is the substance of things hoped for. And it won’t disappoint!

6 For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
This is how we know that He first loved us. Not that we love Him. (1 John 4:10)

9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. 10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
We shall be saved from wrath, regardless of what we do. Salvation goes into future sins as well!
Reconciled by His death, saved (sozo) by His life.

11 And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation. (NKJV)
For this we rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ. The word translates into “Bragging”. We have bragging rights.

Jump to 15
15 But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many.
Much more – grace of one man overcame the offense for many

17 For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.)
Jesus has given us the grace to reign in life!

20 Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, 21 so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (NKJV)
Grace abounds more than sin! Grace reigns, makes us righteous, gives us eternal life!

- Called to a Higher Life – Romans 6
Romans 6: 1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?
Paul knew this was coming up…

3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
We can walk in the Zoe life of God - our minds need to be renewed to know the How Much More, the fullness of God in us.

5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.
Without the Spirit in us, we are just Soul and Flesh and will always sin. (Eph 4:17)

7 For he who has died has been freed from sin. 8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him.
We are freed from sin and its effects. Our consciousness should not be on sin any longer. Death has no dominion over us, regardless of what we do!

10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11 Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (NKJV)
Sin and its effects have no dominion over us. We ought to consider ourselves as such.

12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. 13 And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. 14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.
Sin CAN reign in our mortal bodies – it is up to us!
Unlike 2 part people, sin DOES NOT have the right to reign over us. We have a choice. They don’t.

15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! 16 Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? (NKJV)
Sin won’t change your standing with God but sin WILL lead to death still. You smoke, you die earlier. You overeat, you get overweight. Sin will have consequences. Sin kills. Sin destroys.

John 5:14 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, “See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.” (NKJV)
Sin destroys. It doesn’t mean that anyone who is unwell has sinned, but sin can open a door to it.

17 But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. 18 And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.
We don’t have to do what the flesh says anymore. We have a choice. We are *slaves* to righteousness. Righteousness won’t let us go anymore! What a great thought!

19 I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness. 20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death.
Where did living as a slave to sin get you? Nowhere! Only to death!

22 But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (NKJV)

Galatians 6:8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. (NKJV)

- The Take Away
•God in His mercy has made us as righteous as Himself through Christ, to reign
•No choice in the past, as slaves to sin
•Now slaves to righteousness, all sins forgiven
•Sin no longer has dominion over us
•We choose – sin = death, righteousness = Zoe life
•We are called to a higher life – choose life!

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Bible Study - God Is Merciful 1

Here are the notes for the Bible Study on "God Is Merciful 1".

Right click to download the audio message or just click on it to listen online.
And if these help you, please drop me a comment. I want to do what works!
Be blessed!

Chris

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (NKJV)

What are we believing for at the end of the day? Really, we are believing in His infinite goodness to us. We are believing that He SO loved the World.

Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, (NKJV)

Great, abundant grace, not limited grace only enough for us to make it into heaven. SAVED = sozo = made whole. It has saved us, put us in a position that in the spirit realm is better than Adam in the Garden.

Psalm 103: 1 A Psalm Of David. Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! 2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: 3 Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, 4 Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, 5 Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. (NKJV)

Don’t forget His benefits! This is the meaning of SAVED to David. Same God, same goodness. This is why David praised and danced with all his might. He believed in God’s goodness. Not He will anymore, but He has. It is finished. They are now in the past tense now that we are blessed with EVERY spiritual blessing in heavenly places.

Romans 8:31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? (NKJV)
Romans 8:37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (NKJV)

Paul believed deeply in the goodness of God. We need to also.

Ephesians 3:19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. (NKJV)

The most important thing to know is the love of Christ.

- Definition of Grace and Mercy
Grace – what you didn't deserve that you got
Mercy – what you really deserve that you didn't get!

- His Mercy was from the Beginning
Adam and Eve
Genesis 3:22 Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”— 23 therefore the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. (NKJV)

It was for mercy that God drove them out of Eden, that they might not eat of the tree of life and live forever in the fallen state!

Cain and Abel
Genesis 4:9 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” 10 And He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground. 11 So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12 When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. A fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on the earth.” 13 And Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is greater than I can bear! 14 Surely You have driven me out this day from the face of the ground; I shall be hidden from Your face; I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond on the earth, and it will happen that anyone who finds me will kill me.” 15 And the Lord said to him, “Therefore, whoever kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the Lord set a mark on Cain, lest anyone finding him should kill him. 16 Then Cain went out from the presence of the Lord and dwelt in the land of Nod on the east of Eden. (NKJV)

Sin has consequences and they are not from the Lord. There are spiritual and natural laws on this earth. Cain’s understanding of God has already been corrupted by sin, and it drives him to want to be separated from God. God was actually merciful to him.

- God’s Infinite Mercy
Ephesians 2:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. (NKJV)

We are seated in heavenly places with Christ, far above all principality and power, might and dominion, and all names here today and forever.

Ephesians 1:20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. (NKJV)

Even the psalmist noted that

Psalm 100:5 For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations. (NKJV)

David for sure did.

Psalm 103:11 For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; 12 As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us. (NKJV)

Psalm 103:17 But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting On those who fear Him, And His righteousness to children’s children, (NKJV)

- No More Law Keeping!
Deuteronomy 7:9 “Therefore know that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments; (NKJV)

What happened to them if they didn't keep the commands? The curse! Deuteronomy 28:15 to end.

What did Jesus say about the law?

Matthew 5:17 “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. (NKJV)

He fulfilled the law and bore the curse on our behalf.

Galatians 3:13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), 14 that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. (NKJV)

- Our Response to Mercy

Come boldly to the throne of grace.

Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (NKJV)

When is a time of need? When we’ve blown it! The very times we DON'T feel like coming to the Lord, that’s exactly when we should. The very times that we think He’s probably angry with us, we have to trust the Word of God BY FAITH that He loves us and is not angry with us.
THAT is called walking by faith – Faith in His goodness, faith in the Word that tells us that He is merciful and forgiven us of all our sins!

- The Take Away
Know God – know Love – Know His Love
Get filled with His fullness
Know that He is full of mercy toward us
Know that He has redeemed us from the curses
Come to Him, don’t run from Him, no matter what

Saturday, July 7, 2012

2 People Needed to Save the World!

Just before Jesus left the earth for Heaven, He gave us what we call the Great Commission:

Matthew 28: 18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. (NKJV)

We are told that we should be making disciples.

Well, in many cases today, we went forth and built churches, set up para-church ministries, held revival meetings etc. Don't get me wrong, I'm not against any of these PROVIDED we continue with the original thought - to make disciples.

Did you know that if we started out with just 2 Christians, and these 2 Christians would spend a year discipling 2 people each year, and if each of these 2 discipled persons were to go one to do the same, make 2 new disciples a year for the rest of their lives, we'd have the whole world saved to the knowledge of Jesus' grace in just 20 years? Check out the math below: