GRACE AND THE TRUTH - DAILY INSPIRATION

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THE SECRET OF SPIRITUAL VICTORY
  by C. R. Stam
   
    Believers in Christ have been made "free from sin" by grace (Rom. 6:14,18 ) in the sense that they need not, indeed, should not, yield to sin when temptation arises (Rom. 6:12,13). Believers have also been made "free from the law of sin and death" (Rom. 8:2) for Christ, in grace, bore the death penalty for them.

But no believer is free from what Paul calls "the law of sin which is in my members" (Rom. 7:23), that is, the old flesh, with its inherent tendency to do wrong. Nor is he free from the conflict with the new nature which this involves. If the Christian would be truly spiritual and deal in a scriptural way with the sin that indwells him, he must clearly recognize its presence; he must face the fact that while, thank God, he is no longer "in sin", sin is still in him. (Rom 7:18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but [how] to perform that which is good I find not.)

But this conflict should not discourage us, for it is one of the true signs of salvation. It is unknown to the unbeliever, for only the additional presence of the new nature, along with the flesh, causes this conflict, for the Bible says about these two: "these are contrary the one to the other" (Gal. 5:17).

But not only is this conflict within the believer a sure sign of salvation; it also creates within him a deep and necessary sense of our inward imperfection and of the infinite grace of a holy God in saving us and ministering to us daily in helping us to overcome sin. And this in turn gives us a more understanding approach as we proclaim to the lost "the gospel of the grace of God".

Paul's epistles show clearly that there is nothing that will so help us to overcome sin and live pleasing to God as an understanding and an appreciation of what He has done for us in Christ. As we are occupied with these "things of the Spirit" we find ourselves "walking in the Spirit", and Galatians 5:16 says: "WALK IN THE SPIRIT, AND YE SHALL NOT FULFIL THE LUST OF THE FLESH". How much better to have our lives transformed by occupation with Christ (II Cor. 3:18 ) and our position and blessings in the heavenlies with Him (Col. 3:1-3), than to assume the hopeless task of trying to improve the "the flesh"; always engaged in introspection; always occupied with the flesh!

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THE HAND OF LIFE
By Miles Stanford

"That I may know Him ... being made conformable unto His death" (Phil. 3:10).

'The life that emerges from death is administered by a loving, nail-pierced hand.

"As with the seed that is buried once for all, but then disintegrated through a gradual process that sets free the new life, even so does our Father deal with our old nature by delivering it to death with the Lord Jesus once for all, and then bringing about its mortifying in detail through the circumstances of daily life, until the power of the old man has lost its hold on us."---L.T.

"We are going to have to learn death in order to know life. Redemption must be known first, and the ultimate effect will be death to sin, to selfishness; and all this is very trying. One might be tempted to say, All this trial comes upon me because I have not been redeemed. Not so; it is just because you are redeemed. We may seek to avoid the bitter waters of Marah, but our Father will bring us to them. He intends to break down what is of the old man, and then, in His own good time, He will pour in that which sweetens all.

"But because God has brought me to Himself, He is putting His finger on everything that hinders complete dependence upon Him, or my soul's full enjoyment of Himself. So count it not strange, though it be a fiery trial which is to try you; for the Father will have you drink of the very thing (death) that redeemed you." -J.N.D

"Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus"  (Phil. 2:5).

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WHAT GRACE IS
by C. R. Stam



Never let the devil deceive you into supposing that God planned sin as "a gracious means to a glorious end," for then salvation from sin would be simple justice, not grace. No, you cannot legitimately charge God with your sin. It is to the guilty, the undeserving, far and wide, that God offers "the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace" (Eph. 1:7).

There are two significant phrases in Eph. 2 which shed clear light upon the character, the nature, of grace. They are found in Verses 2 and 3, which speak of the unsaved as "children [Gr., huiois, full-grown sons] of disobedience" and "children [Gr., tekna, born ones] of wrath."

Meditate for a moment on these phrases: "Children of disobedience" and "children of wrath." It is against this dark, black background of deserved wrath, that we read further:

"BUT GOD, who is RICH IN MERCY, for His GREAT LOVE wherewith He loved us, "Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us [given us life] together with Christ (BY GRACE ARE YE SAVED), "And hath raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: "That in the ages to come He might show THE EXCEEDING RICHES OF HIS GRACE IN HIS KINDNESS TOWARD US THROUGH CHRIST JESUS" (Eph. 2:4-7).

Somehow it takes a load off one’s heart and mind to come to the end of his rope, as it were, and admit that he is a sinner, deserving God’s wrath. How sweet to the ears of such is the wonderful message of redemption by grace, through the finished work of Christ at Calvary. We were all the "children [full-grown sons] of disobedience": and therefore "by nature the children [born ones] of wrath": "But God!" When hope seemed gone, He intervened and now offers salvation to all by grace, through faith.

"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved" (Acts 16:31).

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GOD'S POWER PERFECTED IN WEAKNESS
by C. R. Stam
   
   

To Paul was committed the greatest revelation of all-time. He was divinely commissioned to proclaim the glorious all-sufficiency of Christ's redemptive work. He made known God's offer of salvation by free grace to all who trust in Christ, along with their heavenly position, blessings and prospect in Christ.

Lest he should become puffed up by the glory of these great truths, God gave him what he called "a thorn in the flesh," an aggravating physical infirmity of some sort. "For this thing," he says, "I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me" (II Cor. 12:8 ). But the Lord knew better than Paul what was good for him:

"And He said unto me. My grace is sufficient for thee; for My strength is made perfect in weakness" (Ver. 9).

How right God was! Every Christian knows that with brimming health and "good fortune" comes the tendency to forget our need of Him, while infirmity causes us to lean harder and to pray more, and this is where our spiritual power lies. Every believer should acknowledge this and say with Paul:

"Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities... for when I am weak, then am I strong" (Vers. 9,10).

Infirmities of the flesh are common even among God's choicest saints. What satisfaction there is, then, in resting upon God's Word: "My grace is sufficient for thee, for My strength is made perfect in weakness."

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RIGHTEOUS WRATH
By Pastor Bob Hanna




Fear of God's wrath troubles many who are ignorant of its nature and their fate in relation to it. The apostle offers solace to the saints: "To you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ; who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power" (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9).

Paul assures us, "Much more then, being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him" (Romans 5:9), "For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ" (I Thessalonians 5:9), The apostle's comforting words bear witness of our salvation. We will not be present at the scene when God will display His wrath because it will take place after He has taken us up in the rapture, "and so shall we ever be with the Lord" (I Thessalonians 4:17). Our security against God's wrath was established when we received Christ as Savior. "After that ye believed [or, upon believing] ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of His glory" (Ephesians 1:13,14). The Holy Spirit Himself is the seal.

Not only does the Holy Spirit seal us, but He indwells us permanently from the moment we believe. "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you" (I Corinthians 3:16)? "What? know ye not that you body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's" (I Corinthians 6:19,20.) Positionally we are already in heaven: "from whence we look for [expect] the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ" (Philippians 3:20). "When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory" (Colossians 3:4).

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PAUL TELLS OTHERS ABOUT HIS GOSPEL
by C. R. Stam
   
    It is true that now there is but one gospel and God's anathema is pronounced upon any who would presume to proclaim any other (Gal.1:8,9), but those who suppose that Paul proclaimed the same good news which the twelve before him had proclaimed, should carefully read Galatians 2:1-9.

The twelve had been proclaiming our Lord's kingdom rights in "the gospel of the kingdom". The kingdom having been rejected, however, God raised up Paul to proclaim "the Gospel of the Grace of God" (Acts 20:24). In Galatians 1:11,12, this apostle declares:

"But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man, for I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ."

This is only one of many passages in which he declares that he was commissioned to proclaim a special message by the glorified Lord Himself (Eph.3:1-4; Rom.16:25; etc.).

Now in Galatians 2:2, the apostle states: "I went up by revelation [God sent him] and communicated unto them [the apostles and elders at Jerusalem] that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles...." But was he not merely checking to make sure that he and they were preaching the same good news? No, for he goes on to say: "But [I went] privately to them which were of reputation, lest by any means I should run, or had run, in vain".

Verses 7 and 9 then go on to tell how "they saw" and "perceived" the grace that had been given to Paul, so that they publicly and officially gave him "the right hands of fellowship", acknowledging him as the apostle of grace, sent to the world with a message of grace:

"Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" (Rom.3:24). 

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COUNTER-BALANCED
By Miles Stanford

"Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus" (Heb. 10:19).

Personal knowledge of and fellowship with our risen Lord Jesus is counter-balanced by personal knowledge of and fellowship in the death of the Cross. The principle of balance prevents our slipping past the Cross and pushing into His presence.

"Where do you dwell? 'Come and see. They came ... and abode with Him' (John 1:39). The highest satisfaction He can have is that we should be at home with Himself. He has removed the distance from His own side.

"If you believe that, you say, I will approach Him. That is one thing. The next thing is, His love is so great He delights to have your company. It is not that you will feel yourself out of place there--- you will be there in all the beauty of the Lord Jesus Christ."

"Our Father delights in having us with Himself. Love yearns to satisfy itself about me. It is not only that I can go in, but a much greater thing--- my Father, in all His majesty and glory, can come out! All is equipoised. Not only have I entree, but I am shaped to the grandeur of the scene, conformed to the glory of God. Not admitted like a stranger, but changed into the same image; not to equality but similarity; transformed into moral correspondence."
-J.B.S.

"If we are not with Him where He is, we cannot be for Him where He is not. We must be inside the veil to be outside the camp."

"Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith" (Heb. 10:22).

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PERSONAL SAFETY IN AN ATOMIC AGE
by C. R. Stam


The neutron bomb, they tell us, will not wreck buildings, but will destroy all life, easily penetrating concrete walls three feet thick. Yet we are also being advised to build fall-out shelters for the safety of ourselves and our families! These can be erected for only a few hundred dollars -- obviously not with walls three feet thick!

As General MacArthur once rightly said: "There is no security on this earth." No man can count on physical safety, for the simple reason that, apart from bombs and death rays, "it is appointed unto men once to die" (Heb. 9:27). The moment we are born we begin the race with death, and death always finally wins.

But physical safety is not most important anyway. It is not so much death that men fear as the thought that death might usher them into the presence of God (Heb. 9:27; Rom. 14:12).

But even this need not be feared if we have "peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom. 5:1). The Apostle Paul, once a self-righteous Pharisee, came to trust the Christ he had persecuted and now proclaimed:

"This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief" (I Tim. 1:15).

Having thus been saved from sin by faith in Christ, he had no fear of death. Indeed, he could say: "For, to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain" and "to depart and be with Christ... is far better" (Phil. 1:21,23).

Why then, should we Christians shudder with fear at those things which are so frightening to others? Our Lord said to His disciples: "I say unto you, My friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do" (Luke 12:4). No, the true believer need not fear, for he is safe in Christ, not only in this life, but forever. "He that believeth on the Son [of God] hath EVERLASTING LIFE" (John 3:36).

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TWO APPEARINGS
By Pastor Bob Hanna


A common misunderstanding of Scriptural revelation is the difference between the catching away of the church (the Body of Christ) and the coming of Jesus Christ to establish His promised millennial kingdom according to Israel's prophetic program.

The Dispensation of the grace of God is the present era in which we live today. This is the age of the church the body of Christ which was formed under the ministry of the apostle Paul "according to the revelation of the mystery." This dispensation interrupted the prophetic program of the nation of Israel and will end when God has completed His plan and purpose prior to Israel's restoration. Paul, addressing Gentile believers, writes, "Blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in" (Romans 11:25). The event that will bring about this occurrence ("the fulness of the Gentiles") we call "the rapture."

The other happening under consideration is the second advent--- the return to earth of Jesus Christ to reign as Israel's king. Contrasts between these two appearings are clear. The rapture is thus described by Paul: "The Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first; then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord" (I Thessalonians 4:16,17).

By contrast the second advent brings Christ physically to earth. "His feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east and the mount of olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west" (Zechariah 14:4): When the Lord ascended to heaven, the apostles were watching. Two angels appeared to them and explained, "This same Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven" (Acts 1:11).

Those who are saved in this present dispensation of the Grace of God are assured by our apostle, "When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory" (Colossians 3:4). Blessed assurance!

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TWO ASPECTS OF CHRISTIAN LIBERTY
by C. R. Stam


"And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free... If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed" (John 8:32,36).

The true believer in the Lord Jesus Christ enjoys glorious liberty, and our Lord Himself said that there are no strings attached... "Ye shall be free indeed," free even from the most oppressive of all slave masters: sin. While the Law never saved one man from sin, the Lord Jesus, by His death on Calvary did, for we read that "Christ died for our sins."

Therefore the Apostle wrote by divine inspiration: "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage" (Gal. 5:1). His letters thunder severe rebukes against believers who "desire to be under the law." To the Colossian Christians he wrote:

"Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holy day, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days; which are a shadow of things to come; but the body [substance] is of Christ" (Col. 2:16,17).

But true liberty is used for good, otherwise it only reverts to bondage again, for whatever overcomes a man becomes his master (II Pet. 2:19), and doing evil can only harm ourselves and others. Thus the Apostle says further:

"But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak" (I Cor. 8:9).

"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).

"...Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth" (Rom. 14:22).

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THE VALUE OF BIBLE STUDY
by C. R. Stam


"From a child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation, through faith which is in Christ Jesus" (II Tim. 3:15).

Timothy was a fortunate young man. His father was not a believer in Christ, but his godly mother made up for this lack as, day after day, from his earliest childhood, she taught him the Word of God. As a result he came to know Christ at an early age and later became St. Paul’s faithful co-worker and close associate in making known the wonderful "good news of the grace of God."

In his very last letter the great Apostle Paul recalls Timothy’s "unfeigned faith... which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice" (II Tim. 1:5).

If only we had more such mothers and grandmothers today, with husbands to help them! If only our American children were not set adrift on a restless sea of human speculation, but were taught the eternal truths of God’s Word, the Bible!

We all need to "know the Holy Scriptures," not only because they teach reverence for God and build moral character, but most of all because they "are able to make [us] wise unto salvation through faith... in Christ Jesus."

The theme of the Bible, the Old Testament as well as New, is the Lord Jesus Christ, the riches of whose saving grace are unfolded to us in the Epistles of Paul, the chief of sinners saved by grace. It was to Paul that God committed the preaching of the cross of Christ. He it is who tells us about the riches that flow from Calvary. He it is who tells us, by divine inspiration that:

"...WE HAVE REDEMPTION THROUGH [CHRIST’S] BLOOD, THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS ACCORDING TO THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE" (Eph. 1:7).

"THAT IN THE AGES TO COME HE MIGHT SHOW THE EXCEEDING RICHES OF HIS GRACE IN HIS KINDNESS TOWARD US THROUGH CHRIST JESUS" (Eph. 2:7).

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'DIVINE GUIDANCE
THE CHRISTIAN'S PREROGATIVE.'
Part One of Two
By Late Pastor L. Peterson

Genesis 24:27; Proverbs 3:5-7.



'I being in the way, the Lord led me.'
The above text had its birth. In the experience of Abraham's servant seeking a wife for Isaac. Abraham spoke to his servant saying 'Swear by the Lord, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell.' The servant promised Abraham and thus went in search of the proper girl to become Isaac's wife. He went to the land from which his master had come. In his journey he had asked God for guidance so that he would not err in his choice and that he would always be in God's will. God did guide him and in acknowledgment of this heavenly guidance, the servant gave the testimony of our text: 'I being in the way, the led me'. Gen. 24:27.

The Christian has every right to expect divine guidance in life. It is the Christian's prerogative to have this supernatural guidance. There are however, certain principles and laws under which we live and work. If we go in accord to these divine laws we will know and have God's best for us. The astronauts in their journeys into space work in harmony with God's laws. The precision of their instruments are accurate only as they obey or synchronize with these laws. The space ships are guided by certain stars that God long ago placed in space. So it is spiritually as long as the Christian works in harmony with God's plan he or she may know His leading in their lives. Proverbs 3:5-7 sets forth our Heavenly Father's order to be followed in realizing His guidance for our lives. You, dear friend, cannot err in obeying His Word. It is your prerogative to have this supernatural guidance. Here are the necessary steps in experiencing your rightful heritage.

First, there must be an absolute and total confidence in God. Provo 3:5. The writer of Proverbs declares 'Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.' Another translation presents it this way: 'You be persuaded in all your heart upon God, do not prop yourself up' (or lift yourself up). The inspired text is crying out to a young man who is journeying through life. He is on the road of life and has not traveled that road before. There are many pitfalls and unmarked ways. The experience of travel can only be learned by travel. No academic training or study can take the place of experience. The traveler coming to unmarked 'Y's' will need divine guidance, he cannot trust his own and must resort to another's wisdom. This is why in the first seven chapters of Proverbs the inspired writer cries out 'My son - my son - my son.' Note Proverbs 1:10. 'My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not'; 2:1, 'My son, if thou wilt receive my words ... ; 3:1, 'My  son, forget not  my law ... '; 4:l, 'Hear, ye children. the instruction of a father ... '; .5:1, 'My son, attend unto my wisdom...'; 6:1, My son, if thou be surety for thy friend .... ' and 7:1, 'My son, keep my words ... ' These expressions are the cries from a heart and if you please, the heart of your Heavenly Father begging you to follow His guidance. He knows the road better than His servant. His beloved Son, our Savior has gone the road before us and knows the hazardous journey. He knows you need guidance and you know it too if you will honestly acknowledge it. You may profit by His guidance and wisdom but you must not, you cannot do so without 'absolute and total confidence in God.' You must not 'prop yourself up.' You must not make crutches of your own to find your way in life. You must learn to lean On God and trust Him completely. Your own maneuvering will never do. You cannot trust your own feelings in the matters of decision. Feelings will often mislead you. Have you ever been lost in a deep dense forest? It is a real strange experience. You will in such experiences always have certain convictions and feelings as to directions. You must never trust them, they may be entirely wrong. People who have been lost and found often tell tales of how they walked for hours thinking they were going in the right direction and learned that they had just walked in circles. They had gone no place. Christians often do this for they do not resort to a complete trust in God abandoning their own ideas and feelings. Oh! hear the cry of a wise father; 'My son ... trust in the Lord with all thin heart; and lean not to thin own understanding.'

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'DIVINE GUIDANCE
THE CHRISTIAN'S PREROGATIVE.'
Conclusion 2 Of 2
By Late Dr Lloyd Peterson


   Secondly, there must be a complete acknowledgment of God's interest in your life. 3:6. The wise father says 'In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths'. A better translation of this verse is found in an old English manuscript. It reads, 'In all thy ways think Him.' This is the sum total teaching of the text. It is simply saying, 'Count God as a partner in your journey through life.' Clarke says, 'Begin, continue and end every work, purpose and device with God.' God is interested in your life. Do you realize this? If He were not, why would He send His beloved Son to this planet to die for you. If He were not, why then would our Savior say in speaking of sending the Holy Spirit, 'He will guide you.' It is absolutely true that God is interested in you and your life. He is more interested in your life and your journey through it than you can possibly be yourself. He wants you, as a Christian, to take Him in as a partner. This is not only in your vocation, or service as a Christian, but in your avocation or means of livelihood. What you are doing to keep body and soul together is God's business and you are but His steward in that service. Please remember this, dear friend. Count 'Him in' -- in every consideration of all items of life. Don't buy, build, train or travel without considering God's interest in the decisions.

   The blessedness of all this is the fact that you will never make a mistake following His guidance. Oh, young people!  This is so important to you. Life in its journeys has many uncharted ways. You must travel them and you need guidance. Let the Master pilot your vessel. Hear the hymn writer in his song of petition.

'Jesus, Savior, pilot me
Over life's tempestuous sea,
Unknown waves before me roll,
Hiding rocks and treacherous shoal;
Chart and compass come from Thee,
Jesus, Savior, pilot me.'

   A favorite painting of mine is that of a young, energetic and handsome lad. He is standing in the pilot house of a ship. The sea before him looks stormy and uncertain, but the lad looks confident and certain. He seems sure and at perfect ease. Behind him stands the Master, our Lord and Savior, with one hand on the shoulder of the lad. This is what Solomon the inspired writer means when he says, 'Son, in all thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy paths'.

   Thirdly, there must be open lines of communication. 3:7. The proverb says, 'depart from your own wisdom.' Our text says, 'Be not wise in thine own eyes'. When we resort to a message from no higher source than our little brain, we are already lost. It is so easy to become conceited. (i.e. have or entertain the idea that all wisdom has it's origin in our thinking). A wise person realizes the depravity and inability of the flesh. Communication with God is broken when we make our decisions without God. Don't be so conceited that you feel you have the answers. Complement yourself and God by keeping in touch with Him.

   The proverb also says 'Depart from evil.' A better translation is, 'bend away from all evil.' It is said of Augustine that after his conversion to Christ a former paramour saw him and ran to greet him. The young convert started running away from her and she cried out 'Augustine, it is I.' Augustine retorted as he fled, 'but it is not I.' This is turning from evil. We must do so in life to keep lines of communication open so that our Heavenly Father can give us guidance for life. An officer of World War II was asked, 'What is the most dangerous part of battle and what do you fear most?' He answered, 'When lines of communication are broken.'

   Dear friend, do you wish to possess your heritage of divine guidance? Do you have any interest in your own welfare? Then learn to obey the truths from Proverbs. Have absolute and total confidence in Cod. Pave complete acknowledgment of His interest and keep the lines of communication open.

   The fruit and blessedness of this is expressed in verse 8, 'It shall be health to thy navel and marrow to thy bones'. As a child is in the womb of its mother and receives all nourishment and life through the umbilical cord, so the child of God is in the womb of the universe and his or her only means of true life is found in proper union with God. You have the choice to accept or reject the wise council of God as given in our text. Accepting it you may at the sunset of life say, as did Abraham's servant, 'I being in the way, the Lord led me.' Rejecting it, God declares in another of Solomon's letters, 'Rejoice, 0 young man, in thy youth, and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine yes: but know thou that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment.' Ecclesiastes 11:9.

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Talking About Love
Steve McVey

"Why do you speak only about the love of God? I know He loves us all, but there are other important things we need to know about Him too." This was the observation somebody recently made in an email he wrote me. It seemed to this person that maybe my ministry and message somehow lack balance or are incomplete because of my constant emphasis on the loving grace of God.

I understand his concern. There was a time when I would have thought the same thing. At that time, I saw love as an important attribute of God's character that needed to be stressed along with other important characteristics of His nature. There came a time, though, that my understanding of our Father's nature changed.

I now don't see love as one of the attributes of God that stands alongside His mercy, justice, patience, wrath, omniscience, etc. I see love as the defining characteristic of His very nature. John wrote, "God is love." To say that our God is love is a different matter than simply saying that He loves. Our God may show mercy, justice, patience, wrath, etc. He may possess omniscience and be omnipotent, omnipresent, etc. Those things describe Him and how he behaves, but love is a different category altogether. Love defines our Father. It is the essence of His being. It is His divine DNA.

When we understand the reality that God is love, it changes everything. It affects the way we see Him. It affects the way we read our Bibles. It affects the way we see other people and ourselves. It transforms us because that's what love does.

The love of our Father is so different from earthly love that it has a name of its own. It's called agape. Agape is a kind of love that isn't called forth because of a desirable quality of the its recipient. Instead, it springs forth because of the beauty of the one from whom it flows. Eros is a kind of love that sees something physically stimulating in another person. Storge sees something comfortable and warm that attracts it. Phileo sees a kindred heart that it wants to befriend. Agape isn't drawn to somebody because of something in them but because of something in Himself .

Once we understand that God is Love, we realize that everything we know about Him must be filtered through that lens. Every other characteristic or action of our Father will then be seen as an expression of Love.

What a comforting thought! When the world around us seems to be falling apart, we can know that a loving God is sovereign! When our own circumstances seem out of control, we can know that a loving God has us under His watchful care! When we don't understand and are troubled, our loving God does understand and already has all the details worked out for us.

God doesn't just love you. He is Love. Meditate on that reality. Let it grip you and transform your perspective on reality, as you've understood reality until now. Love superintends the universe and also your own life. No wonder the Apostle Paul wrote, "If God be for us, who can stand against us?!" What else is there to talk about except Love because when we talk about Love, we are talking about Him.

[nChrist]

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The Unpardonable Sin
by  Pastor L. Peterson
Now home with the Lord
Matthew 12:31-32; Mark 3:2-30; Luke 11:14-23




The above caption is not exactly scriptural for the subject of which we write, but used for convenience. What do we mean by this?

Down through the years we have heard many messages on this subject spoken of in the foregoing scriptural reference. These messages have always been captioned 'The Unpardonable Sin' This caption is a misnomer, that is, the title does not truly represent what the scriptures teach. The Word of God does not say it cannot and will not be forgiven, on the contrary it teaches that it will be forgiven and in fact gives us the exact time and place that it will be forgiven. We shall present this in the course of the message. In Mark's Gospel, where in the King James version it says 'hath never forgiveness, but it is in danger of eternal damnation' (Mark 3:29) it should rather read 'hath not forgiveness' 'not' has limits whereas 'never' carries the sense of timelessness and is thus called 'unpardonable'. Thus the use of the caption 'The Unpardonable Sin' because it is best known to Christians by this language. In order to come to the heart of our subject, we must follow certain steps or rules employed in the interpretation of any given scripture.

The first step in our progression of this study is to learn to whom our Lord was speaking. This is always important in any biblical analysis. If this rule were employed in the study of God's Word we would not have all the 'isms' and differences that we have today in so-called Christian circles. It is said, 'you can prove anything by the 'Bible'. This is almost true if the above rule is not respected. In this particular case our Lord was speaking to the Nation Israel. Gentiles were excluded and the Church, which is Christ's body, was non-existent and not even prophesied. How hard it is for some Christians to realize that our Lord never came to organize the Church. It is true as W.R. Newell has written in his booklet, PAUL'S GOSPEL, 'Christ when on earth did not start anything'. Romans 15:8 declares: 'now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers'. Thus it is well to know that whatsoever our Lord had to say about this particular sin it was to the Chosen People; it has nothing to do with the people today. In fact, this particular sin cannot be committed today. Dr. Chafer writes in his theology (Vol.7 page 48) 'It should be noted that this sin against the Holy Spirit consisted in asserting that Christ's' works, which were wrought by the Holy Spirit, were accomplished on the contrary by Satan. Such a setting could not be found now since Christ is not in the world as He was then, nor is He undertaking in the same way to do works by the Holy Spirit. It is, therefore, impossible for this particular sin to be committed today'. Today we preach the Israel and that is the 'vengeance' of 'the day of the Lord', or the tribulation period.

Here, in Hebrews 10:28,29, Israel is charged again with a threefold sin, the last far more sever than the first two and unforgiven Note these sins: Verse 28, 'despised Moses' law', a blatant rejection of God the Father, Verse 29, 'trodden underfoot the Son of God....., rejection of God the Son, Verse 29b, 'done despite unto the Spirit of Grace'. This latter is the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. 'Despite' in the original language means 'insult' or 'outrage'. Because of this one thing remains 'the day of the vengeance', or the time of tribulation, or the day of the Lord' at which time Israel is forgiven this sin and restored again to national and spiritual favor with God.

In Joel 2:12-29 we have presented to us the story of Israel's repentance for committing this sin of which we are writing. Scofield has captioned this, and properly so, 'Repentance of the Jews who are in the Land'. All Israel is called upon to repent. They acknowledge that they have been without God as in former covenant relationship for they declare in verse 17, 'wherefore should they say among the people, where is their God?. Upon cleansing and repentance God answers them in divine favor. Before their repentance they have been in deep sorrow and suffering, actually, it appears to them that God was never to receive them again in fulfilling the covenant promises of the Old Testament. It appeared that God was going to give the Gentiles their heritage. Verse 17 says 'spare they people, O Lord, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen (Gentiles tiles) should rule over them.' Had they believed the prophet Hosea, they would have known that they would be restored to divine favor. Hosea 3:3-5 says, 'Thou shalt not be for another man; (God speaking of husband and wife relationship) so will I be for thee. For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice and without an image and without an ephod, and without teraphim: Afterward shall the children of Israel The prophet is speaking of the day when they, the chosen people, repent and are forgiven the sin of which we have been writing , i.e., the so-called 'Unpardonable Sin'.

In conclusion may we remind you then, that this sin is not personal, it is not possible to commit it today. It has nothing to do with 'the Church which is Christ's body'. It is a misnomer to call it 'unpardonable' for it is pardoned in the great tribulation period at the 'time of Jacob's trouble'. Today the Jew is not in any sense standing in divine favor above other peoples. 'All have sinned (Jew and Gentile) and come short of the Glory of God'. Today, in this age of Grace, God is calling out from all peoples sinners who are saved by grace plus nothing, adding them to the church which is Christ's body. Today Jew and Gentile, lose national identity and become a 'new creation' as spoken of in 2 Cor. 5:17. This becomes the highest and greatest of all God's creation for we Jew and Gentile, become 'flesh of His flesh and bone of His bone'. for this we bow before our God in worship, adoring Him and thanking Him for such marvelous grace.