Two Minutes With The Bible

[Ambassador4Christ]

GODLINESS IN AN UNGODLY WORLD

BY RUSSELL S. MILLER

Of the first two children born into this world, Cain bludgeoned his brother, Abel, to death (Gen.4:4-8). And before two more chapters in the history of the human race, as recorded in the Book of Genesis, are passed, we read these words:

"And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
"And it repented the Lord that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him at His heart" (Gen.6:5,6).

The seeds of wickedness and sin, millennia ago and through the years, continue to produce such ungodliness in our world today. But how are we to live "godly" in such an ungodly world? The answers to this, and many other questions, are found in Paul’s epistles.

"FOR I SPEAK TO YOU GENTILES, INASMUCH AS I AM THE APOSTLE OF THE GENTILES, I MAGNIFY MINE OFFICE" (Rom.11:13).

And the Apostle Paul, God’s man for today, continues in Romans to declare:

"Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord" (Rom.12:17-19).

In I Thessalonians 4:1-12, Paul instructs believers how they ought to walk and to please God, and furthermore, in Galatians, he declares:

"This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh" (Gal.5:16).

In the midst of all this ungodliness, believers are to manifest God in their lives:

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering,
gentleness, goodness, faith, "Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
"And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the
affections and lusts.
"If we live in the Spirit, LET US ALSO WALK IN THE SPIRIT"
(Gal.5:22-25).

We’re speaking about "godliness". Remember "the Judgement Seat of Christ", is much closer today than it has ever been before! Are you ready to meet the Lord (IICor.5:10)?
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Two Minutes With The Bible By Pastor Stam

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[Ambassador4Christ]

"GOD SENT FORTH HIS SON"

BY RUSSELL S. MILLER

"But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons" (Gal.4:4,5).

"When the fulness of the time was come" —
Vine’s dictionary defines fulness as "the end of an appointed period". It might easily be answered, "It was the time appointed of the Father".

"God sent forth His Son"—
Isaiah foretold how God would "send forth" His Son. "...A virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel [God with us]" (Isa.7:14). So it was that Joseph was told, "...Fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.

"And she shall bring forth a Son, and thou shalt call His name JESUS: for He shall save His people from their sins" (Matt.1:20,21).

His death on Calvary’s cross is sufficient and efficacious, not for His people only, for the Apostle Paul declares that He "tasted death for every man" (Heb.2:9).

"Made of a woman" —
Note: He was NOT made of a man and woman. Our text very distinctly states that He was "made of a woman". When was the last time that you saw a child born of a virgin? Such a thought as a virgin birth is scientifically impossible. But, then, so is "resurrection", but nothing is "too hard for the Lord" (Gen.18:14). There is a very specific reason that Christ was born of a virgin. You see, though Mary had tainted blood coursing through her veins, Christ was miraculously onceived, and entered the stream of humanity as a babe in a manger with NONE of Adam’s tainted blood being transferred to Him. So the sacrifice He offered to God on our behalf was accepted.

"Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God" (Rom. 3:26).

"Made under the law" —
Consequently, not only did He fulfil the righteousness of the Law, but He can impute His very "righteousness" to every believer (Rom.4:3-5; IICor.5: 21).

"To redeem them that were under the law" —
There was no other way to redeem mankind.

"Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us..." (Gal.3:13).

"For [God] hath made Him to be sin for us, [Christ] who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him" (IICor.5:21).

Make this Christmas the year that you trust Christ as your Saviour, and a Blessed Christmas will be yours indeed:

"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved" (Acts 16:31).
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Two Minutes With The Bible By Pastor Stam

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[Ambassador4Christ]

"FROM FAITH TO FAITH"

BY RUSSELL S. MILLER

"For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith" (Rom. 1:17).

What does Paul mean by the phrase, "from faith to faith", in this passage? His words in Galatians 3:23-25 may give us food for thought and substance to our faith:

"BUT BEFORE FAITH CAME, WE WERE KEPT UNDER THE LAW, SHUT UP UNTO THE FAITH WHICH SHOULD AFTERWARDS BE REVEALED.
"Wherefore the Law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
"BUT AFTER THAT FAITH IS COME, WE ARE NO LONGER UNDER A SCHOOLMASTER" (Gal.3:23-25).

Hence, the Apostle’s use of the phrase, "on whom the ENDS of the ages are arrived", and the Greek word, telos, in I Corinthians 10:11, is pertinent here, for Paul’s gospel is the unveiling of God’s "eternal purpose" in Christ. In his epistles alone we learn that "the time of reformation" had come as "works" gave place to the Age of Grace (Heb.9:10-14). This, then, and the passage in Galatians, gives us additional light and under-standing upon our text, "from faith to faith", in Romans 1:17. When God does something, it affects the whole Universe as is evidenced in the Epistles of Saint Paul concerning the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and His finished work on Calvary’s cross.

"FOR HE HATH MADE HIM TO BE SIN FOR US, [CHRIST] WHO KNEW NO SIN; THAT WE MIGHT BE MADE THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD IN HIM" (IICor.5:21).

Therefore in Paul’s gospel, both Jews and Gentiles can "now" live "without the law":

"Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
"WHOM GOD HATH SET FORTH TO BE A PROPITIATION THROUGH FAITH IN HIS BLOOD, TO DECLARE HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS FOR THE REMISSION OF SINS THAT ARE PAST, THROUGH THE FORBEARANCE OF GOD:"TO DECLARE, I SAY, AT THIS TIME HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS: THAT HE MIGHT BE JUST, AND THE JUSTIFIER OF HIM THAT BELIEVETH IN JESUS" (Rom.3:24-26).

Thus in Hebrews 9:26 Paul’s words about our Saviour, and His finished work of redemption, are most significant:

"For then must He often have suffered since the foundation of the world: BUT NOW once in the end of the world hath He appeared to PUT AWAY sin by the SACRIFICE of Himself."

In the book of Romans we see that God’s righteous standards are maintained, "from faith to faith". Whereas God once required obedience to the Law of Moses for acceptance with Him, now, in this Age of Grace, you must accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior today, for His righteousness is "witnessed" by the Law and the prophets:

"EVEN THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD WHICH IS BY FAITH OF JESUS CHRIST UNTO ALL AND UPON ALL THEM THAT BELIEVE..." (Rom.3: 21,22).

How important Paul’s words are then, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved..." (Acts 16:31), and do it today.
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Two Minutes With The Bible By Pastor Stam

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[Ambassador4Christ]

"THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY FAITH"

BY RUSSELL S. MILLER

"For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith" (Rom.1:17).

Nearly 500 years ago Martin Luther shook the world on the eve of October 31, 1517 when he stood against all the ecclesiastical powers of Europe on the truth of this passage.

"The just shall live by faith." This revelation Christ gave to the
Apostle Paul. Thus in his three quotations of that mysterious phrase of Habakkuk 2:3,4 we can glean some wonderful truths concerning the "revelation" of God’s Son (Gal.1:16).

"THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY FAITH" (Rom.1:17).
"Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom.5:1).

"THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY FAITH" (Gal.3:11).
"Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law. Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the Law; ye are fallen from grace" (Gal. 5:2-4).

"THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY FAITH" (Heb.10:38).
"Now the just shall live by faith: But if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul" (Heb.10:38,39).

It has become very clear, then, that in Paul’s gospel, salvation for Jews and Gentiles is on the basis of faith alone in the Lord Jesus Christ. And Martin Luther was right!

"But now the righteousness of God WITHOUT THE LAW is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
"Even the righteousness of God which is by faith [faithfulness] of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
"Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
"WHOM GOD HATH SET FORTH TO BE A PROPITIATION THROUGH FAITH IN HIS BLOOD, TO DECLARE HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS FOR THE REMISSION OF SINS THAT ARE PAST, THROUGH THE FORBEARANCE OF GOD:
"TO DECLARE, I SAY, AT THIS TIME HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS: THAT HE MIGHT BE JUST, AND THE JUSTIFIER OF HIM THAT BELIEVETH IN JESUS" (Rom.3:21-26).
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[Ambassador4Christ]

"THE JUDGMENT SEAT OF CHRIST"

BY RUSSELL S. MILLER

The men that the Lord has raised up, and divinely inspired to write the books of the Bible, have spoken about the many judgments of God.

Some of the more prominent judgments are: 1) When the Lord returns "with power and great glory" to resume His royal rights to this earth (Matt.24:27-31); 2) The Judgment of the Nations, often called "the sheep and goat judgment" where those nations who have blessed His people will be rewarded, but the wicked shall be cast into "everlasting fire" (Matt.25:31-46); 3) The Great Tribulation when the seven seals, and the seven trumpets, and the seven vials, shall mark the end of Satan’s global power in this world-system (Matt.24:15-26; Rev.4:1—16:21; 20:1-10); and 4) The Great White Throne Judgment of the unsaved dead of all the ages (Rev.20:11-15).

But none of these passages speak about "the Judgment Seat of Christ" (IICor.5:10) because this is distinctly Pauline. This judgment deals with the service that each believer has rendered to God, in this dispensation of grace, since the day of his conversion to Christ. In several of Paul’s epistles he declares that "we shall all stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ" (Rom.14:10). This will be an awesome day, though a great day of rejoicing, for some, more so, than for others.

In I Corinthians 3:9-15 Paul speaks about those who build upon the foundation that he laid, and warns, "Let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.

"FOR OTHER FOUNDATION CAN NO MAN LAY THAN THAT IS LAID, WHICH IS JESUS CHRIST" (ICor.3:10,11).

Many have built upon Christ with "wood, hay, and stubble", when they should have "built upon this foundation [with] gold, silver, [and] precious stones".

"Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the Day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is..." (ICor.3:13-15).

In regards to "the Revelation of the Mystery" of Romans 16:25, Paul points out the paramount importance that "stewards" are to be "found faithful" in the Lord’s service:

"Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God" (ICor. 4:5).

So this Judgment Seat occurs when "THE LORD COMES" for His Church, for us, the members of the Body of Christ. It will be seen then, how vital it was, to have "walked worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of Christ" (Col.1:10). Paul’s words in Galatians 5:16 have not been spoken for naught. Yes, you’re eternally secure in Christ and, no, God does not change His mind when you "sin against Christ", but walking in the "flesh" affects your service for Christ, "so that ye cannot do the things that ye would" (Gal.5:17).

"SO THEN EVERY ONE OF US SHALL GIVE ACCOUNT OF HIMSELF TO GOD" (Rom. 14:12).
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[Ambassador4Christ]

JUDGMENT IN THE KINGDOM

BY RUSSELL S. MILLER

"Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again...." (See Matthew 7:1-6).

Many precious souls have "wrongly divided" this passage of God’s Word, and consequently feel quite ill at ease when a brother corrects their doctrinal and practical errors with the revelation given to Paul in his epistles.

It was Paul’s earnest prayer that believers would judge the things that are more "excellent" regarding the truth of God’s Word, "rightly divided":

"AND THIS I PRAY, THAT YOUR LOVE MAY ABOUND YET MORE AND MORE IN KNOWLEDGE AND IN ALL JUDGMENT;
"That ye may APPROVE things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the Day of Christ" (Phil.1:9-10).

So now we have a contradiction! In one place it says, "Don’t judge", but here in Paul’s Philippians epistle, it clearly says that we are to "judge". What are we to do? What are we to believe? Who is right, our Lord, or His Apostle, Paul?

Since our Lord Himself first revealed to Paul "that blindness in part [has] happened to Israel" (Rom.11:25), which has resulted in the setting aside of the favored nation, it would be wise to FOLLOW PAUL AS HE FOLLOWS CHRIST (ICor.4:16; 11:1; Rom.11:13; 16:25,26).

Remember, the constitution of "the Kingdom of Heaven" is found in "the Sermon on the Mount" of Matthew 5,6,7. It deals with God’s earthly people Israel (Matt.5:3,5,10,19,20), not with us, the members of the Body of Christ. This is the same Kingdom that was given to David (II Sam. 7), spoken of by Daniel (2:36-45), promised in all the prophets (Isa.11:1-10; 35; Jer.23:5; Eze. 37:24,25), and proclaimed "at hand" by John the Baptist, Christ, and the Twelve (Matt.3:2; 4:17; 10:7). And, during the days of Pentecost this very Kingdom was actually offered to Israel and her leaders (Acts 2:14,22,36; 4:5-12) by the Apostle Peter:

"Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; "And He shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:"Whom the heaven must receive until the times of [restoration] of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began" (Acts 3:19-21).

But Israel continued to reject Messiah, stood by that murderous, awful deed of Christ’s crucifixion, and refused the Lord’s gracious calls to repentance through water baptism (Acts 2:38), committing yet another wickedness, the unpardonable sin of Matthew 12:31,32 in the stoning death of Stephen in Acts 7:54-60.

In this Kingdom, Christ "shall sit in the throne of His glory" and the Twelve Apostles "shall sit upon twelve thrones JUDGING the twelve tribes of Israel" (Matt.19:28). There will be no room for the "hypocrite" with "the beam in his eye".
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Two Minutes With The Bible By Pastor Stam

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[Ambassador4Christ]

"THE JUDGE OF ALL THE EARTH"

BY RUSSELL S. MILLER

Two Thousand Years ago a certain Man, innocent of all wrongdoing, was taken into custody by the authorities, given a trial in which He was charged of crimes He had not committed, and even when "no fault" could be found in Him, He was condemned to the cruelest death that man could
invent.

Now it should not be supposed that simply because these Two Thousand Years have passed that this terrible miscarriage of justice will not be avenged in the Highest Court! Nor should it be supposed that everyone who has had a part in this travesty will escape the judgment of this Court!

You may think you know nothing, at all, about this event. But you are still guilty of His blood, and it behooves you, now, to cry unto Him, "the Judge of all the earth", for mercy and grace, in, what cannot be otherwise, your impending and eternal doom!

His name is Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, who, in the greatest of love and grace, paid our debt of sin, Himself, on the Cross of Calvary.

Though He was crucified at the hands of wicked men, Jews and Gentiles are guilty of His death. But more, it was your sins, your lifestyle, that nailed Him to the Cross, so you are not innocent in this matter, but guilty as charged. Yet because He not only was innocent of all wrongdoing, but righteous in all that He did, the grave could not hold
Him. Death had no claim upon Him. Consequently, by His own Almighty power He arose from the dead; and alive forever more, He is seeking for all those who had a part in His crucifixion.

Now it seems to me that the wisest thing that any man could do under such circumstances is to plead for mercy from this Court of Justice. Because this Man, whom you have crucified (your sins also nailed Him to the cross), is alive, and He is coming again to take vengeance upon all mankind.

Jesus Christ is The Judge of All the Earth!
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[Ambassador4Christ]

"JOINT-HEIRS, JOINT-BODY, JOINT-PARTAKERS"

BY RUSSELL S. MILLER

"That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ by the gospel" (Eph.3:6).

Bible prophecy has great things in store for those Gentiles of the future "kingdom of Heaven" on earth, but such a position as "joint-heirs, and of a joint-body, and joint-partakers" is foreign to the prophetic Word of God. Nevertheless such is the rendering of Darby’s New Translation; Bullinger’s foot-notes; and Englishman’s Greek New Testament.

This is why Paul declares that "the Mystery" committed to his trust was "hid in God", "not made known", and "hid from ages and from generations" until it was first revealed to him by the glorified Lord Jesus Christ (Eph.3:1-9; Col.1:26; ICor. 9:17; Gal.1:11,12).

"Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto His holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit" (Eph.3:5).

In all that which the Lord Jesus Christ inherits of His Father, we have been made "JOINT-HEIRS WITH CHRIST" (Rom.8:17), and of His promise to Abraham we are "JOINT-PARTAKERS IN CHRIST" (Eph.3:6). But there is more, in that "one new man" of Ephesians 2:15, believing Jews and Gentiles are a "JOINT-BODY" in Christ today. And all this is a result of the gospel of the grace of God given to Paul.

Thus, the Apostle produces his credentials "WHEREOF I AM MADE A MINISTER, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God;
"EVEN THE MYSTERY WHICH HATH BEEN HID FROM AGES AND FROM GENERATIONS, BUT NOW IS MADE MANIFEST TO HIS SAINTS" (Col.1:25,26).

That’s right, Paul, that great architect of grace, is the minister of the Church, which is the Body of Christ. "AS A WISE MASTERBUILDER", he says, "I HAVE LAID THE FOUNDATION, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon" (ICor. 3:10).

"...That in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, FOR A PATTERN TO THEM WHICH SHOULD HEREAFTER BELIEVE ON HIM TO LIFE EVERLASTING" (ITim.1:16).

"And to make ALL MEN see what is THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE MYSTERY, which from THE BEGINNING OF THE WORLD hath been HID IN GOD, who created all things by Jesus Christ" (Eph.3:9).
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[Ambassador4Christ]

JEHOVAH IS HIS NAME

BY RUSSELL S. MILLER

In Genesis 15:5,6, God told Abraham to look up and count the stars, for "So shall thy seed be", and Abraham "believed in the Lord; and He counted it to him for righteousness". But who is the "God" in whom Abraham believed, what is His name?

When the Israelites were in the bondage of Egyptian slavery and Moses was commanded to deliver them out of Egypt, he also inquired about God’s name:

"...Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is His name?, what shall I say unto them?
"And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and He said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you" (Ex.3:13,14).

Now in Exodus 6:3, the Lord again spoke to Moses: "And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by My name JEHOVAH was I not known to them".

So it was Jehovah, the Lord God Almighty, in whom Abraham believed, the same Lord who "made Heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is" (Gen.1:1; Ex.20:11; Eph.3:9).

In John 8:56 Christ spoke to the Jews of His day about Abraham’s God: "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day: and he saw it, and was glad". How often in John’s gospel the Lord speaks this truth, that "...Before Abraham was, I AM" (8:56; 6:35; 8:12; 10:7-11; 11:25; 14:6; 15:1-5). This is most interesting, because, in the darkness of that night of Christ’s betrayal and arrest, they fell over "backward" upon
hearing those two little words, "I AM" (John 18:5,6). The Eternal God was in their presence! And they could only arrest Him, as He voluntarily surrendered to God’s purpose.

So, Jehovah, of the Old Testament, is the Lord Jesus Christ, of the New Testament.

In his epistles, the Apostle Paul relates that this same JESUS "took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
"And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross" (Phil.2:7,8).

Thus, the Apostle points peoples of all nationalities to the Christ of Calvary’s cross as the only means of salvation today:

"For what saith the Scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.

"Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.
"But to him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness" (Rom.4:3-5).

Jehovah means Saviour, Jesus Christ is our only Saviour, consequently, God will also "count" your "faith" for "righteousness", if you will simply believe what the Bible says about Jesus Christ:

"Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins ... that He might be just, and the Justifier of him which believeth in JESUS"
(Rom.3:24-26).
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[Ambassador4Christ]

IS IT EVER RIGHT TO LIE?

BY RUSSELL S. MILLER

"By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace" (Heb. 11:31).

We surely had a good discussion at the Bible study on "Rahab, the harlot". No doubt she was guilty of more sins than "harlotry" as a simple reading of the text of Joshua 2:1-24 would indicate. That she also lied is an obvious conclusion. And "yes", she could simply have said, "If you wish to search the house, please do so", and left the outcome to God. But in her "little" faith she sought to help God out instead, perhaps in fear of her life, as Abraham and Sarah before her had done (Gen.16:1-16). But lest you should judge this new believer
too harshly—what might your reaction have been, had you been in her given circumstances (Gal. 6:1)? Remember, please, that our God is not only a God of justice, as at Jericho, but He is also merciful, kind, and gracious. He is more willing to bless us than we are to be blessed.

Is it wrong to lie? Of course it is wrong to lie, under any
circumstances.

But like Jacob, that old "supplanter" or "deceiver" (Gen.27:36), this dear soul wanted the blessing of God more than any thing else in her whole life. That God honored her faith, not her lie, is clearly seen in the words of the Apostle Paul:

"BY FAITH THE HARLOT RAHAB PERISHED NOT WITH THEM THAT BELIEVED NOT, WHEN SHE HAD RECEIVED THE SPIES WITH PEACE" (Heb. 11:31).

A question: How is it possible that God’s Son, who "cannot lie"
(Tit.1:2), our blessed Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, should have come through the line of these renowned sinners, if not to die for sinners on Calvary’s cross?

"IN WHOM WE HAVE REDEMPTION THROUGH HIS BLOOD, THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS, ACCORDING TO THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE" (Eph.1:7).

Yes, it cost our blessed Saviour His life’s blood to save us from our sins, so terrible is sin in the sight of God—even a little white lie!

As God could save Rahab, by grace, so He can save you too, if you will only believe Him.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Subscribe at:
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Two Minutes With The Bible By Pastor Stam

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Berean Bible Society
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[Ambassador4Christ]

LIGHT AND DARKNESS, AND THE LOVE OF GOD

BY RUSSELL S. MILLER

"Giving thanks unto the Father, Which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son..." (Col.1:12-14).

When Adam and Eve partook of the fruit of "the tree of [the] knowledge of good and evil" (Gen.2:9) they fell into sin themselves, and plunged the whole human race into sin (Rom.5:12). Having been warned, "for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die" (Gen.2:17) they were disobedient, and so, we are no longer perfect, but sinful, and in need of the Saviour. While it may take 70 or 80 years, from the moment we are born, we begin to die, and "dying thou shalt die". Consequently mankind, that’s all of us, was blinded by the devil’s lie, and as such, walks in darkness.

"In whom the god of this world [Satan] HATH BLINDED THE MINDS OF THEM WHICH BELIEVE NOT, lest the LIGHT of the GLORIOUS gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should SHINE unto them" (IICor.4:4).

If a man is dying, and you have the means to help him, would you let him die? So God, Himself, places a "very high value" upon us all. We are of "eternal worth" to Him. He sent His "Eternal Son" to pay for our sins, Himself, at the extreme cost of His own life’s blood (Rom.8:31-34; Eph.1:7) that we may now, by faith in Christ, walk in the Light of His Word. Why else would God have sent His "only begotten Son" into this sin cursed world to die on a cruel cross for our sins?
Therefore God will not, and cannot, accept your "good" works in substitute of Christ’s "finished work of redemption" on Calvary’s cross.

It’s not "good works", then, but rather a matter of whether or not we believe God’s Word. It is what Christ did on the cross that God accepts (Rom.3:25), and as we accept Christ's redemptive work on our behalf (Eph. 2:8,9), God "accepts" us (Eph.1:6). Do we believe the truth of the Word of God or the devil’s lie? God loves us, each and every one of us, with an everlasting, an eternal, love. How MUCH He loves us:

"BUT GOD COMMENDETH HIS LOVE TOWARD US, IN THAT, WHILE WE WERE YET SINNERS, CHRIST DIED FOR US" (Rom.5:.

"BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, AND THOU SHALT BE SAVED..." (Acts 16:31).

[Ambassador4Christ]

"THE WRATH OF GOD REVEALED"

BY RUSSELL S. MILLER

How and why is God’s wrath "revealed from Heaven against all
ungodliness and unrighteousness of men" (Rom.1:18)?

It is revealed "BECAUSE that which may be known of God is manifest in them...". Even the "invisible things of...creation...are clearly seen..." (1:19,20). They did not want a Creator!

It is revealed "BECAUSE ...[they] became vain in their imaginations...and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image..." (1:21-23). If you insist upon believing "a lie...and worship and serve the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever" (ver.25), God will send you "a strong delusion"--the devil’s "lie" (IIThes.2:9-12).

We have seen why God’s wrath is revealed, but how is it revealed?

"...GOD ALSO GAVE THEM UP TO UN-CLEANNESS through [their] lusts..." (Rom.1:24).

And because man has "changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator" (ver.25):

"...GOD GAVE THEM UP UNTO VILE AFFECTIONS..."(Rom.1:26).

"For even their women did change the natural use [of sex] into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet [fitting]. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge..." (1:26-28),

"...GOD GAVE THEM OVER UNTO A REPROBATE MIND, to do those things which are not convenient" (Rom.1:28).

And because they had "filled" themselves with "all ungodliness and unrighteousness" (1:29-31) the judgment of God is revealed in such things as venereal disease and AIDS.

"Who knowing the judgment of God, THAT THEY WHICH COMMIT SUCH THINGS ARE WORTHY OF DEATH, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them" (Rom.1:32).

"THEREFORE thou art inexcusable, O man..." (Rom.2:1).

But no matter what your sin, big or little, as we described or
otherwise, God "LOVES" YOU and wants to save you, AND HE WILL SAVE YOU FROM YOUR SINS, if you will simply believe in His Son, who died for our sins on Calvary’s cross, and arose from the dead.

"Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom.5:1).
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Subscribe at:
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Two Minutes With The Bible By Pastor Stam

Mailing Address:
Berean Bible Society
N112 W17761 Mequon Road
P.O. Box 756
Germantown, WI 53022

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[The Crusader]

IS IT EVER RIGHT TO LIE?

BY RUSSELL S. MILLER

"By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace" (Heb. 11:31).

We surely had a good discussion at the Bible study on "Rahab, the harlot". No doubt she was guilty of more sins than "harlotry" as a simple reading of the text of Joshua 2:1-24 would indicate. That she also lied is an obvious conclusion. And "yes", she could simply have said, "If you wish to search the house, please do so", and left the outcome to God. But in her "little" faith she sought to help God out instead, perhaps in fear of her life, as Abraham and Sarah before her had done (Gen.16:1-16). But lest you should judge this new believer
too harshly—what might your reaction have been, had you been in her given circumstances (Gal. 6:1)? Remember, please, that our God is not only a God of justice, as at Jericho, but He is also merciful, kind, and gracious. He is more willing to bless us than we are to be blessed.

Is it wrong to lie? Of course it is wrong to lie, under any
circumstances.

But like Jacob, that old "supplanter" or "deceiver" (Gen.27:36), this dear soul wanted the blessing of God more than any thing else in her whole life. That God honored her faith, not her lie, is clearly seen in the words of the Apostle Paul:

"BY FAITH THE HARLOT RAHAB PERISHED NOT WITH THEM THAT BELIEVED NOT, WHEN SHE HAD RECEIVED THE SPIES WITH PEACE" (Heb. 11:31).

A question: How is it possible that God’s Son, who "cannot lie"
(Tit.1:2), our blessed Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, should have come through the line of these renowned sinners, if not to die for sinners on Calvary’s cross?

"IN WHOM WE HAVE REDEMPTION THROUGH HIS BLOOD, THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS, ACCORDING TO THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE" (Eph.1:7).

Yes, it cost our blessed Saviour His life’s blood to save us from our sins, so terrible is sin in the sight of God—even a little white lie!

As God could save Rahab, by grace, so He can save you too, if you will only believe Him.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Subscribe at:
http://www.bereanbiblesociety.org/twominut.html
Two Minutes With The Bible By Pastor Stam

Mailing Address:
Berean Bible Society
N112 W17761 Mequon Road
P.O. Box 756
Germantown, WI 53022

Web Site:
http://www.bereanbiblesociety.org/
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Email: berean@execpc.com

Good one Ambassador, thanks for posting it.

Your friend and brother

The Crusader

<))><

[Ambassador4Christ]

MORTIFY THOSE EARTHLY MEMBERS

BY RUSSELL S. MILLER

"MORTIFY THEREFORE YOUR MEMBERS WHICH ARE UPON THE EARTH...." Paul lists such sins as "...fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetous-ness, which is idolatry" (Col.3:5), and he says concerning these sins:

"For which things sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience" (Ver.6).

How beautiful is the grace of God! The wrath of God does not come upon us, but His GRACE is showered upon us. Therefore DO NOT repay such love with ingratitude.

Rather, as he says in Romans 6:11-13, "reckon yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin" and "alive unto God...", or as here in Colossians:

"PUT TO DEATH" those very sins for which God’s wrath does come upon the children of disobedience.

And he adds, "PUT OFF" these sins also: "...anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication..." Col.3:8,9). "...PUT OFF the old man with his deeds", and...

"AND PUT ON THE NEW MAN, WHICH IS RENEWED IN KNOWLEDGE AFTER THE IMAGE OF HIM THAT CREATED HIM" (Col.3:10).

"PUT ON therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, [inner feelings] of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
"Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any; even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye."AND ABOVE ALL THESE THINGS PUT ON CHARITY, WHICH IS THE BOND OF PERFECTION" (Col.3:12-14).

"AND LET THE PEACE OF GOD RULE in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful" (Col.3:15).

"LET THE WORD OF CHRIST DWELL in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord" (Col.3:16).

There is no other avenue of wisdom today whereby the Spirit of God works in the hearts and lives of men and women, boys and girls, than THE WORD OF GOD. And especially the Word of God, "rightly divided", as we find it today in the Epistles of St. Paul. No other source can "renew our minds" today except "the preaching of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery" (Rom.16:25). So "LET THIS WORD OF CHRIST DWELL IN YOU RICHLY IN ALL WISDOM..." (Col.3:16).

"AND WHATSOEVER YE DO in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him" (Col.3:17).
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Subscribe at:
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Two Minutes With The Bible By Pastor Stam

Mailing Address:
Berean Bible Society
N112 W17761 Mequon Road
P.O. Box 756
Germantown, WI 53022

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[Ambassador4Christ]

"THE MYSTERY OF INIQUITY"

BY RUSSELL S. MILLER

"For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth [hindereth] will [hinder], until he be taken out of the way.
"And then shall that wicked [one] be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming:
"Even him [anti-Christ], whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders" (IIThes.2:7-9).

In this world-system "the mystery of iniquity" is connected with foreign intrigue, espionage, politics, and liberalism, but this short study shall focus upon the professing church with its modernism, ecumenicalism, and neo-evangelicalism. There is no principle, or cause, that these men will not sacrifice upon the altar of their global economy and one world religion. And this wickedness was already at work in Paul’s day under the guise of different names, but nevertheless just as subtle:
"For if he that cometh preacheth ANOTHER Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him" (IICor.11:4; see also verses 13-15).

Satan, of course, is responsible for all the confusion, wickedness, and lawlessness that is in this world. It is Satan who "hates" our "Liberty" in the Lord Jesus Christ and seeks only to "steal" and to "kill" and to "destroy" (John 8:44; IICor. 3:17; John 10:10). But the
"love" of God was manifested in the cross of Calvary where "CHRIST DIED FOR OUR SINS" (ICor.15:3,4).

"But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them" (IICor.4:3,4).

Nevertheless God has not given us "the spirit of fear" but rather He has commissioned us with "the mystery of godliness" today, and equipped us with the ability "to make all men see WHAT IS THE FELLOWSHIP OF THIS MYSTERY, which from the beginning of the world hath been HID IN GOD, who created all things by Jesus Christ" (Eph.3:9) until He takes us, His blood-bought Church, out of this sinful world.

Such preaching, in the power of the Holy Spirit, will suppress "the mystery of iniquity" (Rom.1:16-18; IITim. 3:5) and further the cause of Christ in this world.

The commission, which God has given members of the Body of Christ -- Romans 16:25,26 -- has been ridiculed and slighted even by Christians for many long years now. It is about time they woke up to the stark and stern reality, that Paul’s Gospel hinders the ministers of iniquity!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Subscribe at:
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Two Minutes With The Bible By Pastor Stam

Mailing Address:
Berean Bible Society
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P.O. Box 756
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Email: berean@execpc.com