GRACE AND THE TRUTH - DAILY INSPIRATION

[nChrist]

______________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
Please share this Inspirational with others.
Free Email Subscription
_______________________________________

CHRISTIAN LIBERTY
by C. R. Stam


    Christian liberty is a priceless possession. It can be abused, of  course, but legitimately used it is an overflowing source of spiritual joy and power.

    God's purpose with regard to the liberty of the believer in Christ is aptly summed up for us in one short verse in the Galatian letter:

   "For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another" (Gal. 5:13)."

    As the cause of spiritual decline in Israel was always their departure from God's Word to them through Moses, so the cause of spiritual decline among believers today is always their departure from God's Word to us through Paul, and if anything is made unmistakably clear in the Epistles of Paul, it is the fact that believers in this present dispensation of grace have been delivered from the Law and, as God's full-grown sons in Christ,have been "called unto liberty." The failure of God's people to appropriate and enjoy this liberty today results in spiritual decline as surely as did the failure of the people of Israel to observe the law of Moses in their day.

    Could anything be plainer than those passages in this same  Galatian epistle, where the Apostle says by the Spirit:

   "CHRIST HATH REDEEMED US FROM THE CURSE OF THE LAW, being made a  curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth  on a tree" (Gal. 3:13)."

   "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)."

    Thus, to reject our blood-bought liberty and go back to the servitude of the Law is to repudiate not only the Word of God, but  the Word of God to us, and this must necessarily result in spiritual decline.

[nChrist]

______________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
Please share this Inspirational with others.
Free Email Subscription
_______________________________________

BLESSED ASSURANCE
By  Judy




"…Yet I am not ashamed, because I KNOW Whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He IS ABLE to guard what I have entrusted to Him for that day" (2 Timothy 1: 12).

The song, "Blessed Assurance" has words that ring like bells through my spirit and soul; how awesome is our God, that He is able to bring this heart such joy and such peace amid the tumultuous world about me! I praise His holy name!

I am bursting with love for my Jesus. He has given me assurance of eternal life and oh how glorious that will be. I am a joint heir with Jesus, God’s Son because of the cross of Calvary. Jesus purchased my salvation; I am filled with His Spirit and I am washed clean in His blood. His blood; what wonderful POWER there is in His blood, power to break chains of slavery, to forgive ALL my sin, to heal every cell in my body, and to protect me. Hallelujah!

Awake, you who sleep; arise from the dead and Christ will give you light. It is high time to awaken out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed (Ephesians 5:13-20). Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation (Romans 13:11-14; 1 Thessalonians 5:4-9). Gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Be of good courage, and let us be strong for our people and for the cities of our God. Watch and pray; stand fast in the faith, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.

"Arise and shine for your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the Lord will arise over you and His glory will be seen upon you (Isaiah 60: 1-3).

"An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord. This shall be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.' Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests" (Luke 2: 9-14; John 17).

As the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself. As the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life (1 John 5: 11, 12). Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift (2 Corinthians 9:15)!

"Make a JOYFUL SHOUT to the Lord, all you lands! Serve the Lord with gladness; come before His presence with singing. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name" (Psalm 100: 1- 4). "For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be on His shoulder. And HIS NAME will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9: 6; Luke 1: 46, 47). Hallelujah!!

"Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to God our Savior, who alone is wise, be GLORY and MAJESTY, DOMINION and POWER, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before ALL ages, NOW and FOREVERMORE! Amen" (Jude 24, 25).

My question this week: "Do you have the assurance of eternal life?"
In Jesus' Name,
Judy

[nChrist]

______________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
Please share this Inspirational with others.
Free Email Subscription
_______________________________________

HEAVEN -- AND WHO WILL GO THERE
by C. R. Stam



    Most people are surprised when they learn that the Old Testament,though three times as large as the New, does not contain one single promise about going to heaven. God's people, in Old Testament times, looked forward to a glorified earth, with Messiah as its Ruler.

    This was so even when our Lord was on earth and continued to be so through Pentecost. Peter, addressing his kinsmen just after Pentecost, said in essence: "Repent, and God will send Jesus down here" (See Acts 3:19-20), but Paul, in his epistles, says by divine inspiration: "Believe, and God will take you up there."

    This apostle of grace teaches us that God has already given believers in Christ a position and "all spiritual blessings" in heavenly places in Christ (Eph. 2:4-6; 1:3). And he teaches further that at the close of this dispensation of grace "the dead in Christ shall rise" and "we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together ...to meet the Lord... and so shall we ever be with the Lord" (I Thes. 4:16,17).

    Thus it is that Paul, God's special apostle for our day, declares that "our conversation [or citizenship] is in heaven" (Phil. 3:20) and writes of "the hope which is laid up for you in heaven" (Col.1:5). Thus it is that he encourages persecuted saints, saying:

    "Ye...took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing...that ye
    have in heaven a better and an enduring substance" (Heb. 10:34).
    And thus he writes even of death:

    "For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were
    dis- solved, we have a building of God, an house not made with
    hands, eternal in the heavens" (II Cor. 5:1).

    "...to die is gain....to depart and to be with Christ...is far
    better" (Phil. 1:21,23).

[nChrist]

______________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
Please share this Inspirational with others.
Free Email Subscription
_______________________________________

THE TIME ELEMENT IN SCRIPTURE
by C. R. Stam




How many Scriptural problems would be solved, how many seeming contradictions explained, if we were more careful to note the time element, emphasized so strongly in the Word of God.

In Romans 5:12 we learn that sin entered the human race by Adam. Then later "the law entered" (Ver. 20). But still later the Apostle Paul arose to say: "But now, the righteousness of God without the law is manifested" (Rom. 3:21).

Early in man’s history blood sacrifices were required for acceptance with God (See Gen. 4:4; Heb. 11:4), later circumcision and the Law (Gen. 17:14; Ex. 19:5), and still later, repentance and water baptism (Mark 1:4; Acts 2:38 ). But not until Paul do we learn of salvation by grace through faith alone, on the basis of Christ’s finished, all-sufficient work of redemption.

This is why the Apostle refers in Gal. 3:23 to "the faith which should afterward be revealed." This is why he declares that our Lord "gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time", and adds: "whereunto I am ordained a preacher and an apostle" (I Tim. 2:6,7).

It is only as we recognize the time element in Scripture that we see the difference between "the kingdom of heaven" and "the Body of Christ," between "the gospel of the kingdom" and "the gospel of the grace of God," between the "dispensation of law" and "the dispensation of the grace of God."

A comparison of Romans 3:21 and 26 shows how this time element is emphasized in Scripture. After discussing the function of the Law in Verses 19 and 20, the Apostle Paul declares: "But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested..." Then, in Ver. 26 he states that it is God’s purpose: "To declare, I say, at this time His [Christ’s] righteousness; that He [God] might be just and the Justifier of him that believeth in Jesus."

[nChrist]

______________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
Please share this Inspirational with others.
Free Email Subscription
_______________________________________

GOD WILL DO IT
By M. Stanford


" For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of [his] good pleasure.  (Phil. 2:13, KJV)

As we mature we come to see more and more clearly that our Father just as fully controls our lives as He does the universe. As CA. Fox said, "Climb on, and you will find the correcting, the chastening, the cleansing, the calming of the deep affection of God."

"All the testing and trying is to first deal with, by the Cross, that which can never stand the stress and which must be forever failure to the Lord, and then to develop that which is Christ within us. That is the spiritual life - Christ in us in all His fulness. 'I will make him a pillar.' 'I will write upon him the name of my God.' He is going to do it. All the striving will never bring that end about, but He will do it.

"The great majority of us would say, 'If it all depends on me, then it is a bad lookout! ' Well, of course, that is true, but let us look at the blessing of Joseph - The arms of his hands were made strong, by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob. . . even by the God of thy father' (Gen. 49:24, 25)." --CO.

"Let a man renounce himself, and see himself as crucified with Christ, and soon another Himself ----the Lord Jesus Christ - will take the central place in the heart, and quietly bring all things
under His sway."

"It is a great thing to offer the Lord Jesus Christ as the Saviour to sinful man, but it is still greater to express Him in a world where He is rejected."-----J.B.S.

"According as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness" (II Pet. 1:3).

[nChrist]

______________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
Please share this Inspirational with others.
Free Email Subscription
_______________________________________

REPENTANCE AND GRACE
by C. R. Stam



When the sinner is convicted by the Holy Spirit of the seriousness of sin and of judgment to come, and cries to the Lord to save him, he has, of course, repented, or changed his mind, as the Greek word signifies. Many of God’s servants, however, considering only the fact that sinners need such a change of mind, conclude that the way to produce the greatest results in their ministry is to stress repentance.

Such should take note of the response to the three great calls to repentance by which the dispensation of the Law was brought to a close: John the Baptist called Israel to repentance but was beheaded as a result (Matt.3:1-12; 14:3-10). The Lord Jesus took up the cry where John had left off (4:17), but was crucified for it. After the resurrection He sent His disciples to preach “repentance and remission of sin…in His name” (Luke 24:47) but Jerusalem refused to repent and it was not long before blood again flowed, as Stephen was stoned to death and a great persecution followed (Acts 8:3).

The guilt of Israel’s impenitence increased too, as the call to repentance was intensified, for while John’s murder was permitted by the people, Christ’s was demanded by them, and Stephen’s was actually committed by them. Thus the so-called “Great Commission” was bogged down at the very start, for if Jerusalem and the covenant people refused to repent, what hope was there that the “nations” (Luke 24:47) would do so?

“But where sin abounded, GRACE did much more abound: That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might GRACE reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom.5:20,21).

After calls to repentance had failed, the ascended Lord stooped down to save Saul, the chief of sinners, on the road to Damascus, in anything but a repentant mood. Not by threatening or dealing with him in judgment, but by speaking to him in the tenderest tones He showed him the glory of His grace. This “trophy of grace” was then sent forth to proclaim “the gospel of grace”, and the merits of his crucified, glorified Lord.

This is why repentance was emphasized, indeed was the theme of God’s message, from John until Paul, while grace, proclaimed through the cross and received by faith, gradually displaced it as the theme of God’s message for “this present evil age” (Acts 20:24).

[nChrist]

______________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
Please share this Inspirational with others.
Free Email Subscription
_______________________________________

Anger Management
by Paul M. Sadler,


 Scripture Reading:

 "Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil." -- Ephesians 4:26,27

 Around the turn of the century, the Church was graced with an array of great preachers, but none were more tenacious and outspoken than Billy Sunday.  He seemed to have a way of driving home a point.  It is said that a woman once approached him after one of his meetings who was well known for her bad temper.  She sought to defend her actions by saying: "But Mr. Sunday, although I blow up over the least little thing, it's all over in a minute."

 The evangelist looked her straight in the eye and said, "So is a shotgun blast!!  It's over in seconds, too, but look at the terrible damage it can do."

 God created us with a wide range of emotions, each of which serves a purpose.  Yes, even anger can be good.  Contrary to popular opinion, anger itself is not sinful.  Notice how the apostle words his above statement, "Be ye angry, and sin not."  In essence, Paul is saying that we are well within our rights to be angry over an injustice or unrighteous circumstances.

 The recent debate over "partial birth abortion" is a good example.  We should be incensed by "abortion" in general and horrified by "partial birth abortions" in particular.  Any procedure (usually performed at 7 or 8 months gestation) that allows the infant's head to remain in the birth canal while the abortionist forces a surgical instrument into the base of the skull to suction out the little one's brains is nothing short of first degree murder.  Here a righteous anger is perfectly justified.  In fact, there are scores of times in the Old Testament where the anger of the Lord is said to be kindled against His enemies (Num. 25:1-9; Jer. 12:13).

 Surely our Lord is a prime example that anger itself is not necessarily sinful, for He knew no sin.  Thus the Lord was well within the boundaries of godly behavior when He exhibited a righteous anger toward those who had made His Father's house a den of thieves (John 2:13-17).  In the future Tribulation Period those who reject God's anointed and worship the beast and his image, "the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of His indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone" (Rev. 14:10).

 Carefully note, Paul adds to the phrase "be ye angry" a warning, "and sin not."  Unbridled anger can easily turn into a fit of uncontrollable rage which normally leaves a path of destruction in its wake.  Unchecked, anger that overflows into resentment almost always results in some form of retaliation.  This may take the form of verbal attacks, threats, or even physical abuse.

 In a worst case scenario, it is much like a volcano that builds pressure over a period of time and finally erupts.  Whenever you watch a news report of a lone gunman who enters his former place of employment with a semi-automatic weapon and kills his supervisor and three other fellow workers, you are witnessing the eruption of pent-up anger.  Another example is the believer who allowed his anger to get the better of him and shot an abortion doctor outside a clinic down south.  With one pull of the trigger, this young man disgraced the name of Christ, labeled all Christians as radicals in the eyes of the world, destroyed his personal testimony, and ended up with life in prison.  These are both cases where anger spun out of control with tragic results.

 How to Deal with Anger

 We are living in a day when philosophy says, "express yourself openly," "tell it like it is," "open up," "let it all hang out."  However, the Scriptures counsel us to exercise restraint.

   The fruit of the spirit is "love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law" (Gal. 5:22,23).  As we walk by grace through faith, temperance will enable us to keep our anger under control.  But how does this work out in a practical sense?  Those who fly off in a fit of rage permit their anger to take control of them.  Consequently, the energy emitted from this emotion is usually misdirected at someone or something.  Sinful anger tears down.  Thus, in the heat of the moment things are often said and done which cause irreparable damage to relationships.

 Paul adds here in Ephesians, "let not the sun go down upon your wrath."  We should never allow our anger to simmer overnight.  This will only cause it to become more deeply seated.  "Neither give place to the devil" (Eph. 4:27).  You see, if you fail to handle things in the proper manner, you may well be giving Satan an opportunity to drive a deeper wedge in your relationships with others.  Surely, we are not ignorant of his devices.  Always remember, Satan is an opportunist.

[nChrist]

______________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
Please share this Inspirational with others.
Free Email Subscription
_______________________________________

POSITION POSSESSED
By Miles Stanford




"The God of peace ... working in you that which is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ" (Heb. 13:20, 21).

Abiding involves a dual choice. We can abide in the old nature and thereby become the victims of the internal civil war as depicted in Romans Seven. Or, we can abide (rest) in the risen Lord Jesus, the Source of our new nature, and thereby become the glad recipients of His life and liberty, as depicted in Romans Eight. "The Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death" (Rom. 8:2).

"How do we abide? 'Of God are ye in Christ Jesus' (I Cor. 1:30). It is all the work of God to place you there, and He has done it. Now stay there! Do not be moved back onto the ground of the old nature. Never look at yourself as though you were not in the risen Lord Jesus Christ. Look at Him and see yourself a new creation in Him. Look at Him as the very source of your Christian life. Abide in Him. Rest in the fact that God has placed you in eternal union with His Son, and let the Holy Spirit take care of His work in you. It is for Him to make good the glorious promise that 'sin shall not have dominion over you' (Rom. 6:14)."

"We should be spared years of struggle and failure if we learned at once --- as the converts did in the days of Paul--- that we ourselves were taken through the death of the Lord Jesus. The past blotted out, the pardoned sinner accounted crucified with the crucified Lord, henceforth joined as a new creation to the risen Lord and now sharing His life (Rom. 5:10)."

"The Lord Jesus is all that we need for all that we are."

"Your life is hidden with Christ in God" (Col. 3:3).

[nChrist]

______________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
Please share this Inspirational with others.
Free Email Subscription
_______________________________________

Learning To Love God More
by Steve McVey


I recently heard a sermon online about lamenting the fact that Christians don't love God the way we ought to love Him. "How do you expect to be used by God if you don't even fully love Him?" the passionate preacher proclaimed. His message reminded me of the many sermons just like it that I used to preach, but it reminded me even more of the many years I struggled to love the Lord the way I felt I should.

It's a sincere endeavor to love the Lord, but so often is misguided. A lawyer once came to Jesus and asked Him, "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law?" Notice what the man was asking about here. He was asking about the Law. Jesus answered his question, saying, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and foremost commandment." In response to the man's question about the greatest law, Jesus answered that it is to love God.

This verse has been abused many times by well meaning Christians because they fail to understand its context. It's important to note that the man was asking Jesus about the Law. As odd as it might seem, when we believe our greatest need is to try to love God more, we set ourselves up for failure. That's because of what the Law does to a person.

The Bible says that the Law stirs up sinful passions. (See Romans 7:4) It stimulates rebellion against the very thing it demands. So if you focus on how much you should love God, that law will condemn you and caused you to be filled with a sense of guilt. It isn't possible to love Him like we want to until we understand how much He loves us. Then, and only then, we will find love for God swelling up within our hearts.

Haven't you found this to be true in your own life? When you've focused on loving Him more, did you feel like you were succeeding? Or did you find yourself literally praying for help to love Him more? "Lord, help me to love you more" was evidence that you knew you were falling short in that area.

The Bible says, "We love, because He first loved us." Do you want to love God more? The key, then, is to focus on how much He loves you, not on how much you love Him at any given moment in life. The most important thing in your life isn't to struggle to love God more. By what power can you do that? Haven't we all struggled in that area? The secret is to begin to focus on how much your heavenly Father loves you.

As you grow in your understanding of the great love that He has for you, you'll find that what happens is the love within you will be awakened and motivated. In response to His love, it will grow and flourish and you'll find yourself loving Him more and more and, for that matter, even loving everybody else around you more and more too.

A legalistic view on the love relationship we have with our Father shifts the focus away from His goodness and grace and puts the responsibility on us. Grace reminds us that He is the initiator and we are the responders. The Bible says that God loves us, it's all about His love for us, and when we focus on that, instead of on our love for Him, we will discover that knowing the love of God for us becomes the catalyst for experiencing and enjoying His love in a deeper way than we have ever known. We will find that our own love for Him grows by leaps and bounds.

[nChrist]

______________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
Please share this Inspirational with others.
Free Email Subscription
_______________________________________

HE SHALL REIGN
by C. R. Stam


For 2500 years “death reigned from Adam to Moses” (Romans 5:14).

During this period of history it was demonstrated that “death passed upon all men,” not because the Law of Moses had condemned them to death, but simply because they were the offspring of fallen Adam, and depraved by nature. Entirely apart from the Law, “sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death” (James 1:15). Thus “death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had NOT sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression.”

For 1500 years, under the law, “sin… reigned unto death” (Romans 5:20,21).

Sin had surely risen to its height during Paul’s early years. Christ had been crucified and even after His resurrection His enemies had stood by that awful deed. Israel had joined the Gentiles in declaring war on God and His anointed Son (Psalms 2:1-3) and Saul of Tarsus was the leader of the revolt. It was no longer merely a matter of sin; it was now rebellion.

For 1900 years, “grace [has] reigned, through righteousness, unto eternal life, by Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 5:21).

Thus we are now living under the reign of grace. As “DEATH REIGNED from Adam to Moses” (Rom.5:14); as SIN REIGNED “unto death” after “the Law entered” (Vers.20,21), so now grace abounds, THAT GRACE MIGHT REIGN “through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord” (Vers.20,21).

For 1000 years the Lord Jesus Christ will reign upon this earth (Revelation 20:1-6), as King over Israel and the nations.

The kingdom will then be delivered over to the Father (1 Corinthians 15:24-28 ).

For all eternity the Father, Son and Holy Spirit will reign in the person of Christ (Romans 11:36; Ephesians 1:10).

Note: From Adam to the present day God has always been “on the throne”, but rather than ruling directly, has overruled in the affairs of men.

[nChrist]

______________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
Please share this Inspirational with others.
Free Email Subscription
_______________________________________

I HAVE SET THEE A WATCHMAN
by C. R. Stam


The Prophet Ezekiel was appointed by God as a "watchman" over the house of Israel (Ezekiel 33:7). He was held responsible to warn the wicked from their way, for while God must deal justly with sin, He had declared: "I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live" (Ver. 11).

If Ezekiel failed to warn the wicked, they would die in their sins, but their blood would nevertheless be required at his hand. If he faithfully warned them, however, and they refused to heed the warning, they would die in their sins, but he would be absolved of all responsibility (See Vers. 8,9).

Would some Christian reader remind us that we are living under another dispensation and that our message is one of grace? True enough, but this does not diminish, it increases our responsibility toward the lost.

If we believers carelessly allow the lost to go to Christless graves are we not morally responsible for their doom, and will we not be held accountable at the Judgment Seat of Christ? (See 2 Corinthians 5:10,11). This is why we find Paul reminding the Ephesian elders that he had not ceased to warn men "night and day with tears" (Acts 20:31).

As the Apostle looked back over his ministry among the Ephesians he could say: "I take you to record this day that I am pure from the blood of all men" (Ver. 26). And this had been true of his ministry in general. Indeed, it was now his desire that, whatever the cost, he might finish his course with joy, and the ministry which he had received of the Lord Jesus, to testify "the gospel of the grace of God" (Ver. 24).

[nChrist]

______________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
Please share this Inspirational with others.
Free Email Subscription
_______________________________________

CHRIST OUR PASSOVER IS SACRIFICED FOR US
by Russell S. Miller


When Israel came out of the land of Egypt and the Lord's gracious forbearance with Pharaoh required that he release the people of God from slavery, that Egyptian did not revere the Lord and would not let God's people go. On the fateful night of "the Lord's Passover", Pharaoh arrogantly hardened his heart against the Lord (Exodus 5:1; 14:15-18,27).

God told the Israelites to take a lamb, roast it with fire, and bitter herbs, and eat it in haste, for "it is the Lord's Passover", and "strike [the blood] on the two side posts and on the upper door post" of each house (Exodus 12:1-11).

"For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord."

It is not Pharaoh and his Egyptian "gods", but Jehovah who rules the world!

"And... when I see the blood, I will pass over you... " (Exodus 12:12,13,29,30).

Now we come to the New Testament, and as our Lord celebrated "Passover" with His disciples, He instituted "the Lord's Supper", a memorial of His shed blood, the revelation of which Christ first delivered to Paul. It was later revealed to "His holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit" (1 Corinthians .1:18; 15:1-4; Romans 3:25,26; 5:9,10; Ephesians 3:5; 1 Peter 1:11,12).

That Christ was born of "a virgin" makes His blood efficacious to save us from our sins (Matthew 1:18-25; John 1:47; Romans 5:12; 8:3; Hebrews 7:26).

This is why the Apostle Paul could say of the Lamb of God on Calvary's cross:

"FOR EVEN CHRIST OUR PASSOVER IS SACRIFICED FOR US" (1 Corinthians 5:7).

Now we see that not only were Israelites redeemed by blood in the Exodus of Egypt some 1500 years Before Christ (Exodus 12:11-14), the typification of which is revealed to Paul, but we also learn that Christ's "Passover" blood now saves believing Jews and Gentiles (1 Corinthians 11:25).

"Neither by the blood of goats and calves, BUT BY HIS OWN BLOOD HE ENTERED IN ONCE INTO THE HOLY PLACE, having obtained eternal redemption for us" (Hebrews 9:12).

[nChrist]

______________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
Please share this Inspirational with others.
Free Email Subscription
_______________________________________

BAPTIZED INTO-FILLED WITH
By Miles Stanford


"For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ" (Galatians 3:27).

The Holy Spirit baptizes us into the Lord Jesus, and fills us with Him.

"The one spiritual baptism positions the believer 'in Christ' (Romans 6:3,4; Galatians 3:27; Colossians 2:12), and into His Body (1 Corinthians 12:13). Since this position in the Lord Jesus is unchangeable, and eternal, the baptizing work of the Spirit is not repeatable. One 'in Christ' positionally, can never again through all eternity be 'out of Christ' positionally, as that position depends wholly upon the efficacy of the finished redemptive work of the Son, and does not hinge upon human merit or faithfulness.

"The filling with the Spirit, on the other hand, is repeatable (Acts 2:4; 4:8,31; 9:17), and is, in fact, a continuous process, as it conditions mutable experience, and has nothing whatever to do with immutable position. Christian position is effected by the baptism of the Spirit at the moment of the new birth. Christian experience is affected by the filling with the Holy Spirit. One effects our position, the other affects our condition." -M.U.

"The Holy Spirit gives a living knowledge; His light is the light of life; He is the 'Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.' We see the Father and the Son as seeing us. When we behold them by the ministry of the Spirit, it is as beholding us with infinite love, and bestowing upon us the blessings of grace. We know because we are known. 'Thou Father, Thou Son, seest me' is the immediate consciousness of the soul, when there is spiritual perception of the Father. In other words, love, petition, listening to the Father's voice, receiving the love and peace of the Lord Jesus, fellowship, are invoked in this knowledge." -A.S.

"The communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all" (2 Corinthians 13:14).

[nChrist]

______________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
Please share this Inspirational with others.
Free Email Subscription
_______________________________________

LIFE-GIVING CRUCIFIXION
By Miles Stanford


"Stand fast, therefore, in the liberty with which Christ hath made us free" (Galatians 5:1).

First, the believer understands that he has a right to be free in the Lord Jesus because of the finished work of the Cross; then he sees that same work of the Cross as his means to be free.

'When we truly hate ourselves, we are prepared to rejoice in the blessed fact that we have been crucified with the Lord Jesus - that sin in the flesh was condemned (not forgiven) when He died unto sin, that our whole history as in the flesh closed before the Father in His Son's death ~and that this is our title to be free. I have now a righteous title to have done with myself because I have died unto sin in the Lord Jesus' death.

"To prepare me for this I learn the necessity for death in my own experience, but the death of the Lord Jesus is my title to be free. It is by the appropriation of His death that I reach liberty and newness of life; that death has severed me from all that I was as in fallen Adam. 'I have been crucified with Christ.' I am free from myself, and free to have the One who is my, Christian life before me." -C.A.C.

"The Lord Jesus will make it His business to keep us alive and fruitful, if we will make it our business to rely upon Him. There must be no carnal, straining, no natural effort; we do not have to keep ourselves alive. Every fear to go down into daily death, every clinging to that which belongs to us, every grasp on our own personal position or ministry, will only hinder the manifestation of His life. It is to be life out of death. Even when our trust in Him brings us into the most helpless and impossible situations, we may rest assured that all will be well, for He is indeed the God of resurrection." -H.F.

"For ye died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God" (Colossians 3:3).

[nChrist]

______________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
Please share this Inspirational with others.
Free Email Subscription
_______________________________________

GUARD HIS TESTIMONIES
RALPH F. BALOG, Bible Teacher

Scripture Reading: Psalms 119:2; I Timothy 6:20

Guarding God's testimonies is not as the world would guard a valuable treasure. They would use physical force, if necessary, with elaborate security systems.

We keep God's testimonies and the sacred trust of the Pauline revelation by a Spirit-led mind. Paul wrote in Philippians 2:5: "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus." It is in your mind that the spiritual warfare takes place. And the solution to sure victory is to read the Spirit's Word, rightly divided. When the truth of God's Word gets hold of us it will seem the natural thing to guard God's truth for today by our actions either orally or in writing.

The Psalmist shows in verse 5 of Psalms 119 that he did not have the light from God's Word that we now have. But he knew that he would not be ashamed (sounds like the O.T. version of 2 Timothy 2:15) when he had respect unto all God's commandments.

The weapons in our warfare to guard God's testimonies will be those in 2 Corinthians 10:4: "The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds." Of course these "weapons" are the Word of God, that is, using the Sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17). So in our command to "keep that which is committed to our trust" we learn our responsibility is to allow God, via His precious Word, to work through us.

The battle is the Lord's and we will be victorious using His Word, rightly divided. Ineffective "swordsmen" are slain in battle - physically and spiritually. May we be as those in Hebrews 5:14: "But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil".