Daily Inspirational

[Brother Love]

DON’T TELL HIM A THING





Many years ago the writer’s father, then a city missionary, received a telephone call from a prominent liberal clergyman.

"Peter," said the clergyman, "I’ve got a young man here in the outer office who seems to be in great distress. He says he feels he’s so great a sinner that he’s overstepped the line
and God won’t forgive him. Now you’ve had a lot of experience with such people. What shall I tell him?" The clergyman didn’t even know how to help a troubled soul.

"Don’t tell him a thing; I’ll be right over ," said dad, and he left immediately to deal with the young man himself.

Dad knew very well what was the matter with this young lad. The Holy Spirit had convicted him of his sin (John 16:. The lad had come to see himself as he really was -- as God saw him, and sees any unsaved person, no matter how religious.

No person ever comes to see his need of a Savior until he has first come to see himself as a condemned sinner before God. And it is only when we come to see ourselves as we
are in the sight of a holy God that there is hope of salvation.

The self-righteous do not see their need of a Savior. What would He save them from? What have they done that is so wrong? This is the way their reasoning goes.

It is only when we begin to appreciate the holiness and righteousness of God that it dawns upon us that our condition is hope-less without a Savior.

Strange, is it not, that so many people have pictures hanging on their walls of our Lord crowned with thorns or hanging on a cross, yet do not really know Him as a Savior, their own Savior.

But when we have been convicted of our sin and our hopeless condition before God, we are ready to take in the words spoken by Paul to the trembling jailor at Philippi:

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

By C. R. Stam
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2 Tim 2:15  Study to show thyself approved unto God, a  workman  that needeth  not  to  be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

[Brother Love]

The Day of Reckoning

Scripture Reading:
"But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; who will render to every man according to his deeds."-- Romans 2:5,6

Few would disagree that we live in a cruel world where sin besets us on every hand.  Who will ever forget the senseless terrorist attack on the World Trade Center where 3,000 souls perished.  Such atrocities oftentimes bring cries of protest as to why God doesn't do something with those who commit such hideous sins?  To keep things in prospective, according to Proverbs 6:17 the sins of pride and lying, of which we all are guilty, are even a greater abomination in the sight of God than hands that shed innocent blood.  The reason for this is because they are sins that fuel these types of brutalities.

GOD'S GRACE

"To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation" (II Cor. 5:19).

During the age of grace God has reconciled Himself to His enemies and is not imputing their trespasses unto them.  This could not be said of those who lived under the Law for God did at times impute their sins to them with catastrophic results.  When the Children of Israel committed the sin of idolatry 3,000 souls fell by the edge of the sword in judg-ment (Ex. 32:15-28).  The sin of disobedience committed by Nadab and Abihu for offering strange fire resulted in their death by fire (Lev. 10:1,2).  The sin of murmuring brought severe consequences when Miriam was plagued with leprosy.  Aaron, her brother was quick to beseech the Lord to "lay not the sin upon us, wherein we have done foolishly" (Num. 12:1-15).  Little did Korah, Dathan and Abiram realize that when they committed the sin of rebellion the earth would open up and swallow them and their families (Num. 16:28-34). These are but a few samples of sins im-puted to those who dared to trespass against God.

Today under grace, God is not imputing (to put to one's charge) the world's sins unto them, but rather is giving every man, every-where, an opportunity to be saved.  To help our understanding of this truth let us say that a bank gives you an unlimited line of credit.  As a display of grace the banker tells you that there will be no payments, interest or service charges imputed (that would be grace), but will require full payment on the account at the end of 25 years. Recklessly, you go on a spending spree running the account into the
hundreds of millions of dollars.  Suddenly, you are confronted with the reality that you have mounted a debt that you will never be able to repay in this lifetime or the next.  As the day of reckoning approaches you work and work to satisfy the debt, but to no avail.  
About that time someone you have never met offers to pay the entire debt on your behalf, all you must do is believe that he is able and willing to pay the amount owed.  What will you response be to such a gracious offer -- belief or unbelief?  While God is not imputing sins at this hour the unsaved are accountable for those trespasses if they reject Christ's vicarious work on their behalf.

They who continue in unbelief are storing up sins, which will one day condemn them at the Great White Throne Judgment, yet to come.  Those who are behind the murder of defense-less citizens may think they have evaded the arm of justice, but they are sadly mistaken!  The angels of God are recording all of these evil deeds.  When they stand before the right-eous Judge at the end of time, the books will be opened and every man will be judged according to his works (Rev. 20:1-15).  Their sins that have reached to heaven will plunge them into the depths of torment.  They shall not escape the justice of God!

But isn't God a God of love, surely He would never condemn anyone to hell?  Yes, "God is love!"  He loved the world so deeply that He sent His only begotten Son to this earth to die for our sins -- there is no greater demon-stration of love than for a man to lay down his life for his friends.  But God is also holy and righteous and when it comes to the matter of sin His justice must, without excep-tion, be satisfied. Always remember, any infraction against God's infinite holiness
requires an infinite penalty.

Those who reject God's gracious offer of reconciliation, refusing to receive His pro-vision of salvation, will be found in their sins.  God will be left with no other recourse, other than to confine the unbelieving to a destiny of eternal torment.  If you end up in the Lake of Fire, unsaved friend, you will have no one to blame, but YOURSELF!  God sent His Son to save you.  Christ died for your sins, and buried and rose again.  The gospel has been preached, and you have been warned!  Now the matter rests with you -- BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST AND THOU SHALT BE SAVED! (Acts 16:31).

Heed these words of St. Paul before it is too late: "Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you... by which also ye are saved." "For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures;
"And that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures" (I Cor. 15:1-4).

By Pastor Paul M. Sadler,
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2 Tim 2:15  Study to show thyself approved unto God, a  workman  that needeth  not  to  be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

[Brother Love]

CONFIDENCE IN DEATH





In the forty years of my ministry I have seen many people approach death and have seen some die.

Some, who knew Christ as their Savior, were ready, even  eager, to go to be with Him. Some passed from this scene with songs or words of praise on their lips. Others, who had
failed to prepare, died in mortal fear, not merely of death, but of what lies beyond.

These things do not always run true to form, however, for I have also seen the most hard-ened unbelievers go out of this life joking and seemingly unafraid, while, on the other
hand, I have seen sincere Christians cringe with fear at the approach of death. These human reactions did not change the fact that the unbelievers had reason to be afraid, while
the believers need not have feared.

The Word of God tells us that "it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judg-ment" (Heb. 9:27,28). It is the "after this" that makes men so afraid to die. They fear the truth of Rom. 14:12, that "every one of us shall give account of Himself to God."

But wait: we did not quote all of Heb. 9:27,28. The full passage reads as follows:

"And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment; so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time apart from sin, unto sal-vation."

This can mean only one thing: that Christ died for us and bore the judgment for our sins, the "second death." This is why Heb. 2:9-15 declares that "by the grace of God" Christ "tasted death for every man... that through [His] death He might... deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage."

By C R. Stam

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[Brother Love]

APPLAUSE




Scripture Reading:
"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."
-- Colossians 3:17

There seems to be a growing trend in Christendom for congre-gations to physically applaud those who are ministering in the things of the Lord. Pastors are applaudedwhen they wax eloquent or say something humorous. Also, after soloists lift the hearts of the saints into the heavenlies they are often met with a round of ap-plause as they step down from the platform.  Having pastored a num-ber of local assemblies, I've risen from my chair, on more than one occasion to interrupt the hand clapping of the saints.  While I am sure their applause was well intentioned, it is nonetheless very irreverent and disrespectful to the Lord.

When the world gives a standing ovation after a performance of an actor or comedian they are expressing their appreciation for having been acceptably  entertain-ed.  They are also praising the performer for his excellence in an art which has been cultivated through years of hard work.

When the servant of the Lord comes to the platform, to minister on our behalf, the purpose of his labor of love is not to entertain the congregation.  It is to be view-ed rather as a ministry, which is an integral part of our worship of the Holy One of Heaven.  Anyone who serves the Lord, sincerely, would never want the applause of men, but would insist that all the honor and glory be given to God.  May all our adoration go to the One Who is worthy to be worshipp -ed, for He has given us his Word and the opportunity along with the gifts to minister on His behalf.  Amen!

CHRYSOSTOM ON APPLAUSE
345-407 A.D.

"... some clapped their hands in applause,according to the custom of the times.  Then Chrysostom raised his voice: 'How does your applause help me?' It will be the right approval if you practice in life what I say to you.  The church is no theater, where men listen for their own pleasure."  (From the Life of Chrysostom, by Frederic Perthes, P. 18).

By Pastor Paul Sadler
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2 Tim 2:15  Study to show thyself approved unto God, a  workman  that needeth  not  to  be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

[Brother Love]

THE WALK OF THE BELIEVER





How is it possible to live "under grace" and not be governed and controlled by rules and laws and regulations of a by-gone dispen- sation?

The "life in the Spirit," of Galatians 5:25, is obtained by faith in Christ. This is where we must begin. Calvary is ever the meeting place between God and man.

And as we come to Christ at Calvary we are "created in Christ Jesus unto good works" (Eph.2:10). No, we’re not perfect yet, and most of us have a long ways to go, but now we have someone with which we can go
the distance--"the Spirit". So the number one question is, "Are you saved?"

Then God wants us to know that the Holy Spirit "BAPTIZES" us into Christ and into the Body of Christ (Rom.6:3,4,). Entirely apart from the Law, we are made one with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection, and one with one another also by "the operation of God" (Col.2:12).
Romans 6:11-13 states that we are now to "reckon" ourselves "alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord".

When believers "walk in the Spirit" (Gal.5:16) their lives produce that which the Law could never do: "...love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance..."; against which the Apostle Paul says, "THERE IS NO LAW".
The Law cannot save you, nor can it keep you, and it certainly cannot bless you (Gal.3:13; 2:20,21; 4:15).

"Knowing this, that the Law is NOT made for a righteous man..." (ITim.1:9).

However...GRACE does save us, GRACE does keep us, and GRACE continues to bless us (Rom.8:3,4; 5:10; 8:34) with "all spiritual bless-ings in heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (Eph.1:3) because GRACE has imputed the very "righteousness" of the Lord Jesus Christ, Himself, to our account (IICor.5:21).

"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).

As we "look" for our wonderful Saviour, Titus 2:11-13 teaches that GRACE is not a license to sin. Therefore do not repay such "love" with such ingratitude to Him who shed His blood to save you from an eternity in "Hell" and "the Lake of Fire" (Rev.20:11-15).

By Russell S. Miller
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2 Tim 2:15  Study to show thyself approved unto God, a  workman  that needeth  not  to  be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

[Brother Love]

The Seventh from Adam




Scripture Reading:
"And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints."
-- Jude 14

About two weeks prior to teaching the Dispen-sation of Conscience in my Dispensational Survey class at the Berean Bible Institute, I raised the following question to the student body.  What is the significance of Enoch being addressed as "the seventh from Adam"?  The entire class drew a blank -- they were stumped!!  Although it may seem rather
insignificant at first glance, the Holy Spirit has added this phrase for good reason.  In fact, this phraseology is only used in refer-ence to Enoch.

A number of the students gave some thought to the matter and even ventured a couple of explanations, which were true, but not the answer I was looking for.  Finally, one stud-ent eventually got two or three hints out of me and came up with the answer.  Upon arriving at the fourth and fifth chapters of the Book of Genesis, I explained to the class that there were two Enoch's before the days of the great flood. Therefore, we must carefully dis-tinguish between the Enoch who descended from Cain, and the Enoch who was the "seventh from Adam" (Gen. 4:16-18 cf. 5:22-24).  The first Enoch walked in the way of Cain -- his descendants were morally bankrupt.

God would have us follow the example of Enoch, the seventh from Adam, who walked in the way of faith.  Thus "Enoch was trans-lated that he should not see death; and was not found [implying everyone searched for him], because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he PLEASED GOD" (Heb. 11:5).  In addi-tion, the path of the coming Redeemer would pass through Enoch, the seventh from Adam, not Cain's Enoch (Gen. 3:15).  So then, a seemingly insignificant phrase suddenly helps us better appreciate that: "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profit-able for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness" (II Tim.3:16).

By  Pastor Paul M. Sadler,
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2 Tim 2:15  Study to show thyself approved unto God, a  workman  that needeth  not  to  be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

[Brother Love]

CALVARY IN RETROSPECT

If the Bible makes anything clear, it is the fact that the secret of all God’s good news to man is centered at Calvary.

It was because Christ was to die for sin that God could proclaim good news to sinners down through the ages.

It was not until some time after the crucifix-ion, however, that "the preaching of the cross" was widely proclaimed as a message by Paul in "the gospel [good news] of the grace of God" (Acts 20:24; I Cor. 1:18).

The proclamation of "the gospel of the grace of God" was the natural accompaniment to the revelation of the cross as the secret of God’s good news to man. In this proclama-tion of His over-abounding grace to sinners, everything centers in the cross.

According to Paul’s epistles "we have redem-ption through His [Christ’s] blood" (Eph. 1:7), we are "justified by His blood" (Rom. 5:9), "reconciled to God by the death of His Son" (Rom. 5:10), "made nigh by the blood of Christ" (Eph. 2:13) and "made the righteous-ness of God in Him" because God "hath made Him to be sin for us" (2 Cor. 5:21).

The "covenant" of the law was abolished by the cross (Col. 2:14), the curse of the law was removed by the cross (Gal. 3:13), the "middle wall of partition" was broken down by the cross (Eph. 2:14) and believers in Christ are reconciled to God in one body by the cross (Eph. 2:16). Little wonder Paul calls his message "the preaching of the cross"!

To the believer it is thrilling to see the cross as God’s reply to Satan when, at first glance, it had appeared that Calvary had been Satan’s greatest triumph! Thus we can exclaim with Paul:

"God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ!" (Gal. 6:14).

By C.R. Stam
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2 Tim 2:15  Study to show thyself approved unto God, a  workman  that needeth  not  to  be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.


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[Brother Love]

RECONCILIATION



To understand reconciliation it helps to understand its anto-nym, alienation.  Alienation means to be outside -- isolated -- separated -- estranged.  We must accept the fact of alienation in order to receive the great truth of reconciliation.

The unbeliever is in a threefold state of alienation:
From the commonwealth of Israel.  Ephesians 2:11-12
From the life of God.  Ephesians 4: 17-18
From God Himself.  Colossians 1:21

In Christ we have been reconciled to God, to Israel, and have eternal life.  Reconcile means reunite; reconnect; restore; or change completely the relationship.

Following are two non-doctrinal examples of reconciliation:

1 Cor. 7:10,11- "And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband: But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife."  In this case to be reconciled means to be reunited.

Matthew 5:23,24- "Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the alter, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gifts before the altar, and go way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift."  Here the exportation to change enmity.  For friendship or a stained relationship for reconciliation.  The idea is to change the relationship completely. To be reconciled is to be recon-nected; to be brought into a friendly relationship and back on speaking terms.

How does this apply to the alienation of Jew and Gentile?  (Ephesians 2:11,12) The barrier between Jew and Gentile has been broken down and both have been reconciled unto God in one body.  This was accomplished at the Cross where Christ slew the enmity (see Ephesians 2:13-16).  There is a new relationship in the body of Christ between Jew and Gentile.  There is a new relationship between both Jew and Gentile. and God.  Both Jew and Gentile have been reconciled by the Cross and brought into a new relationship with God described as the one new man; the body of Christ.  The previous priorities by the Jew have been put aside.  The Gentiles were alienated and separated, but now, they have been brought nigh though the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.  "And came and preached peace to you which were afar off (Gentiles), and to them that are nigh (Jews), For through Him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father" (Ephesians 2:17,18).

"To wit, that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them, and have committed unto us to word of reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:19).  Through the death of Christ God changed completely the position of mankind (the world) in its relationship to Himself.  The Bible never states that God is reconciled.  God's righteousness never changes.  God is immutable -- never changing.  Through the finish work of Christ on the Cross, God sees the world reconciled.  He is not changed or reconciled Himself.

Some Scriptures that talk about reconciliation are:

Romans 11:15 -- The casting aside of Israel is the reconciling of world.
Colossians 1: 20 -- all things are reconciled
2 Cor. 5:19 -- whole world  reconciled

From these references we conclude that reconciliation does  not necessarily mean salvation.  Reconciliation does mean that the world has been brought into a position or relationship to God whereby He can deal with the world in grace instead of wrath.  In simple terms, reconciliation means man has been made savable.  This was all made possible by the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ.  The whole world was not saved, nor is the whole world going to be saved.  At the cross of Calvary God made reconciliation; this is an accomplished  fact.  Now, because of this accomplished fact, God can deal with the world in his grace.  In 2 Cor. 5:19 it says that God is not imputing our sins, but instead He is offering peace.  Be-cause of the cross, and what was accomplished there, God is able to deal with the world in his grace.  The world has been reconciled through the blood of His cross. Man has been made savable. The world is so altered, so changed in its position in respect to the holy judgments of God that it is rendered savable.

2 Cor. 5:20 exhorts believers "Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God."  As Christ's messengers we have been committed to the word (or message) of reconciliation.  We are to go forth in His behalf, beseeching others to appropriate this reconciliation as their own.  Having been reconciled -- as their own.  Having been reconciled -- be ye reconciled is not double talk.  Man still has to accept God's grace and reconciliation.  This is where faith comes into the picture.  We are to put our trust in his finish work and appropriate the truth of reconciliation as our very own.  God is beseeching the world to receive the reconciliation which has been made.  God is offering peace and reconcilia-tion and we are to be his messengers.

One of the obstacles between man and God is the law.  This is God's standard and it condemns all, for none can meet God's standard.  The Lord Jesus Christ took away this obstacle at the cross and the world has been reconciled.  The demands and condemnation of the law have been satisfied, the guilt has been paid for, and the heart can be changed through the power of the Lord Jesus Christ.  It is all possible because God was in Christ in reconciling the world unto Himself.

By John Baker
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2 Tim 2:15  Study to show thyself approved unto God, a  workman  that needeth  not  to  be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

<))><

[Brother Love]

HEROES OF FAITH


In Rom. 4:12 the Apostle Paul declares that Abraham was the father, not of his physical offspring alone, but also of those who "walk in the steps of that faith" which Abraham had.

Have you ever noticed that God does not hold the great men of Scripture up to us because of their personal virtues? Almost invariably their records are marred by failure and sin. But God bids us observe their faith and what their faith gained for them (See Rom. 4:3,9,11,12).

There is a whole chapter on this subject in the Book of Hebrews. Hebrews 11 is properly called "the great faith chapter," and its heroes "heroes of faith," for it tells how Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and scores of others "obtained a good report" before God. They all faltered and failed again and again, but Heb. 11:39 declares that "these all... obtained a good report THROUGH FAITH."

This is why Rom. 4:9-12 states that God’s bless-ing is bestowed upon those who "walk in the steps of that faith" which Abraham exhibited, just as it was bestowed upon Abraham himself.

This truth is driven home in Verses 3 to 5 of the same chapter:

"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).
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2 Tim 2:15  Study to show thyself approved unto God, a  workman  that needeth  not  to  be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

<))><

[Brother Love]

GRACE NOT EARNED





Have you ever noticed that God does not hold the great men of Scripture up to us because of their personal goodness? Almost invariably their records are marred by failure
and sin, but God bids us look at their faith, to see what their faith did for them. Even those who lived consistently good lives are not held up to us for their personal worth, be-cause God knows their imperfections. Thus Rom. 4:2,3 says:

"For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory—but not before God. For what saith the Scripture? Abraham  believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness."

And Verse 6 goes on to say about David:

"Even as David also describeth the blessed-ness of the man unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works."

This is because man cannot live a life good enough to make him acceptable to God, for with God only perfection is good enough. One sin spoiled the earth; God will not allow
one sin to spoil heaven too. This is why in grace He gave Christ to die for our sins and to pay the just penalty for us. Because of the all-sufficient payment of Christ in our be-
half, God can now be "just, and the Justifier" of those who place their faith in Christ (Rom. 3:26).

The famous eleventh chapter of Paul’s letter to the Hebrews bears out the fact that sal-vation, or acceptance with God, is obtained, not by human effort, but by faith. This great chapter on the heroes in God’s "Hall of Fame," begins with the words: "For by it [faith] the elders obtained a good report," and then goes on: "By faith Abel ...," "By faith
Enoch...," "By faith Noah...," "By faith Abraham...," etc., and closes with the declaration:

"...these all...obtained a good report through faith..."

By C. R. Stam
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2 Tim 2:15  Study to show thyself approved unto God, a  workman  that needeth  not  to  be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

<))><

[Brother Love]

Christ our Sufficiency





"But of Him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteous-ness, and sanctification, (set apart) and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord" -- -- 1 Cor. 1:30,31.

The Psalmist wrote, "Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation (Psalm 68:19).

If this was true under the law of Moses, how much more true is it in this dispensation of the grace of God!  Paul reminds us in Ephesians 1: 3, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ."  1 Cor. 1: 30 highlights some of these blessings.

This verse begins, "But of Him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us..." (1 Cor. 1:30a.  "But of Him..." That is, all of this is of God.  "Are ye in Christ Jesus..." Once again, the great apostle of the Gentiles reminds us that all of our blessings are found "in Christ Jesus." Those who are outside of Christ simply do not have these blessings, nor will they until they trust in His finished work on the cross.

"Who...is made unto us, wisdom..." In 1 Cor. 1:22b., Paul tells us "the Greeks seek after wisdom."  The Greeks developed human wisdom to its very "height."  Even today, most so-called "great philosophies" are traced to the Greek thinkers.  Acts 17:18 names to popular schools of thought in Paul's day, the "Epicurians," and the "Stoicks" (or, Stoics).  The Stoicks reasoned that the way to God was through self-denial, therefore they denied themselves anything pleasurable, thinking it to be evil.  They prided themselves in not expressing feelings or emotions of joy.  To this day, people who show little response to either pain or plea-sure are referred to as being "stoic."  The Epicureans believed in many gods, and felt that suffering resulted from attributing too much to divine power.  Therefore they tried to explain everything in terms of the natural world.

All of this may seem like some profound thought, but in the end, neither leads to salvation.  What we need is true wisdom from above, which will lead us to the very pre-sence of God.  This is what we find in Christ Jesus!

"Who...is made unto us...righteousness..." Why do we need righteousness?  Simply because  "there is a none righteous, no, not one (Rom. 3: 10).  Isaiah reminds us that "all our righteousness are as filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6b).  How could such people as we ever stand in the presence of a holy God?  The answer is through Christ: by His holy life and vicarious death.  Let us explain.

to be continued tomorrow

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2 Tim 2:15  Study to show thyself approved unto God, a  workman  that needeth  not  to  be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

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[Brother Love]

Christ our Sufficiency
Part 2



In His life on earth, Christ "was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15 b). Christ lived a life of perfect righteousness.  In His death, Christ took on Him all of our unrighteousness (sin) and paid the price in full.  When we place our trust in Him, an amazing transaction takes place: "For He (the Father) hath made Him  (Christ) to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him (2 Cor. 5: 21).  Thus is Christ  "made unto us... right-eousness" ( 1 Cor. 1: 30b).

"Who...is made unto us..."sanctification" Sanctification simply means "holiness." Christ is not only our "wisdom" and our "righteousness," He is also are "sanctification."  This might actually surprise some, for while many believers understand the positional righteousness we have in Christ, they still tend to think of sanctification as something we do on our own.  Yet ironically, it is often our very attempts to live a holy life that end up in failure.  This is because, like the Galatians, we often try to live the Christian life by the power of the flesh.  "Are you so foolish?  Having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?"  (Galatians 3:3).  The fact is, just as we were saved by grace through faith, so we are to walk in faith as well.

Paul surely said it best (by divine inspiration, of course) when he stated, "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I; but Christ lived in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me" (Galatians 2:20).  You see, the true practical sanctification comes when we yield to Christ and simply allow Him to live His life through us.  Then Christ truly becomes our "sanctification."

Who...is made unto us redemption...Paul uses several words for redemption in his writings.  The word used in this text means to set free by the payment of a ransom.  Christ paid the penalty of our sin, which is death.  In doing so He set us free, so that we might serve Him without any encumbrances.

These four blessings of wisdom, righteousness, sanctifica-tion, and redemption are ours "in Christ Jesus."  That is, they have nothing to do with our goodness or performance, they are only by his grace!

What is the result of this?  That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord"  (1  Cor. 1: 31).  The word, "glory" carries the idea of "boasting."  Indeed, when one considers that all of the spiritual blessings we have are because of Christ, not because of our own labors, there simply is no room for boasting except in Christ!  
to be continued tomorrow

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Should this devotional be a blessing to you, maybe you have a friend or family member that would like to start receiving the daily word. You may forward this to them, by copy and paste method,  and they can use the below link to subscribe. We love to meet new people

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www.graceandthetruth.com

E-Mail GracentheTruth@aol.com

2 Tim 2:15  Study to show thyself approved unto God, a  workman  that needeth  not  to  be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

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[Brother Love]

"Christ our Sufficiency"
Part Three



     WHAT IS TRUTH?   Truth is whatever God says regardless of how I may think or feel.

    You are a treasure 2 Corth. 6:16 "And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people."

We are a lot more than a sinner saved by Grace, we are a Saint, and by calling.  1 Cor. 1:2 "Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours"

    We have it backwards, Eph. 2:10, We are a divine work of Art, Poem (Gr. poiema) of God's ..... He made us, He created you, a brand new creation in Christ 2 Cor. 5:17 "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature......."  "His in fact we are....His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus upon (Gr. Epi ..dative case) upon a footing of good works. (Rotherham) Which God prepared before beforehand. That therein we might walk." We see these good works in the context Eph. 2:1-9.  

     Affirm the truth it will impact your life, do not believe the lie that was told to Eve in the Garden.  We have a hard time believing because you are looking at how you or they live.  Why not confess who and what you are right now, perfect, righteous, holy, and without blame.

     In the Old Testament all this was imputed to them, not the same today, it has been credited and put to our account.  It is infused into us Romans 5:17 "For if by one man's offense death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ."

    Do not live by the first lie, and become what we are, what God says we are, affirm it.  All we need to do is to walk what God has already made us.  What we are in Him Believe what God says you are Abide, Trust and believe what God says about you.  

    One passage that does just this is in "nutshell" form is Col. 2:6,7 "As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus
the Lord, so walk ye in Him:" "Rooted and built up in Him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving."

      We have listed below 100 Things that have been given to each believer by Christ Jesus at the time of your salvation, now study them, ask the Holy Spirit to enlighten you to the truth and appropriate each as your own.  You will be greatly surprised at what you will learn and be taught by the Holy Spirit.  (Eph. 1:17-18)  

     We leave you with this verse in Philippians 3:10 and our prayers.  Phil 3:10  "That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death"




100 Things That Are Free To Us By Christ




1.ACCEPTED ---------------- EPH. 1-6
2. ALIVE WITH CHRIST-------- COL. 2:13
3.ASCENDED---------------EPH. 2:6
4. ADOPTED -----------------GAL 4:5
5 AMBASSADORS ---------------- 2 COR. 5:20
6.ACCESS -------------- ROMANS 5-2 & EPH 2:18
7. ALL THINGS --------------- I TIM. 6:17
8. ANOINTED US --------------- 2 COR, 1:21
9.APPREHENDED ---------------- PHIL. 3:12
10. APPOINTED------------------I THESS. 3:3
11. ATONEMENT -------------- Rom 5:11
12. AUTHORITY ----------------- TITUS 2:15
13. ASSURANCE ---------------- I THESS. 1:5
14. ABUNDANCE OF GRACE --------- ROMANS 5:17
15. BAPTIZED ---------------- I COR. 12:13
16, BLESSED ------------------- EPH. 1:3
17. BURIED ------------------- COL. 2:1
18. BELOVED -------------------- ROMANS 1:7
19. BUILDED TOGETHER ------------ EPH. 2:22
20. CALLED ------------------ROMANS 8:30
21. CHOSEN ---------------- EPH. 1:4
22. CIRCUMCISION --------------COL. 2:11
23. COMPLETE ----------------- COL. 2:10
24. CONFORMED --------------ROMANS 8:29
25. CRUCIFIED ------------------ GAL. 2:20
26. COVERED ------------------- ROMANS 4:7
27. CONFIRMED ----------------------I COR. 1:7,8
28. CLEANSED -------------------EPH. 5:26
29. CREATED -------------------------EPH. 2:10
30. CONQUERORS -----------------ROMANS 8:37
31. CROWNED -------------------2 TIM. 4:8
32. DAUGHTERS -----------------2 COR. 6:8
33. DECLARED ---------------------2. COR. 3:3
34, DELIVERED ----------------2 COR. 1: 10
35.ELECT OF GOD ---------------- COL. 3:12, EPH 1:4
36. ENRICHED -----------------I COR. 1: 5
37. ESTEEMED ------------PHIL. 2:5
38. ETERNAL ----------------TITUS 1:2 -15
39. FAMILY-------------------EPH. 3.
40. FELLOWHEIRS -------------EPH. 3:6
41. FELLOWCITIZENS -----------EPH. 2:19
42. FELLOWLABOURERS ------------ PHIL. 4-13
43. FELLOWSERVANT --------------- COL. 4:7
44 FELLOWSOLDIERS ----------------PHIL. 2:25
45. FORGIVEN ------------------ COL. 2:13
46. FREEMAN ------------------ I COR. 7:22
47. FURNISHED -----------------2 TIM. 3:17
48. GLORIFIED --------------- ROMANS 8:30
49. HABITATION --------------- EPH. 2:22
50. HEIRS ---------------ROMANS 8:17
51. HOLY------------------- Col. 3:12
52. HUSBANDRY---------------1 Cor 3:9
53. INDWELL ----------------Romans 8:1
54. INHERITANCE---------------Eph 1:11
55. INSTRUCTED-----------------Phil.4:12
56. INTERCESSION---------------Romans 8:26,34
57.FITLY JOINED TOGETHER--------------EPH 4:16
58. JUSTIFIED------------ROMANS 3:24
59. KNOWN OF GOD------------ GAL 4:9
60. LOVED------------ EPH 2:4
61. MADE MEET------------- COL 1:12
62. MEMBERS---------------EPH 4:25-5:30
63.MESSENGERS --------------2 COR 8:23
64. MIGHTY-----------2 COR 10:4; COL 1:29
65. MINISTERS------------- 2 COR3: 16, 6:4
66. NEW CREATURES------------- 2 COR 5:17
67. PARTAKERS----------- EPH 3:16; TIM 6:2
68. PEACE--------- ROMANS 5:1
69. PLANTED TOGETHER---------ROMANS 6:5; EPH 3:20
70. POWER WORKING IN US-------------- EPH. 1:19
71. PREDESTINATED--------- EPH. 1:5,11
72. PREPARED UNTO GLORY------------- ROMANS 9:23
73. PRESERVED------------2 TIM. 4:18
74. PURCHASED POSSESSION------------ EPH. 1-. 14
75. "QUICKENED--------------EPH. 2:5
76. "RAISED---------------EPH. 2:6
77. RECONCILED -----------ROMANS 5: 10
78. REDEEMED ------------GAL. 3-13
79. REGENERATION------------ TITUS 3:5
80. RENEWED------------ 2 COR. 4:16
81. RESURRECTED ---------ROMANS 6:5
82. RICH---------- 2 COR. 6:10,8:9
83. RIGHEOUSNESS OF CHRIST -------1 COR. 1:30, 2 COR. 5:21, ROMANS 5: 19
84. RISEN---------- COL. 2:12,3:1
85. ROOTED------------ EPH. 3:1; COL.2:7
86. SAINT---------- ROMANS 1:7; 1 COR. 1:2
87. SANCTIFIED---------- I COR. 6.: 11
88. SAVED----------- EPH. 2:8-10;  2 TIM. 1-. 9
89. SEALED------------- I COR, 1:22; EPH, 1:13
90. SEATED---------- EPH. 2:6
91. SOLDIERS -------------2 TIM. 2:3,4
92. SONS-------------- ROMANS 8:14
93. STEWARDS---------- COR. 4:1
94. TRANSLATED ----------COL. 1: 13
95. TRIUMPH ----------2 COR 2:14
96. VICTORIOUS---------- I COR. 15:57
97. VOCATION ---------EPH. 4:1
98. WASHED-----------I COR. 6:11
99. HAVE WISDOM -----------I COR. 1:30
100. HIS WORKMANSHIP -------------EPH. 2:10




HOW MANY MORE CAN YOU FIND?

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[Brother Love]

GRACE TODAY AND TOMORROW

Paul learned what thousands upon thou-sands of God’s saints have learned from his day to ours: that it is often more blessed to experience God’s grace in suffering than to
enjoy deliverance from suffering, for in the former case we lean the harder and pray the more, and so are drawn closer to Him. More-over, we find that His strength is made per-fect in weakness and that when we are weak, then are we strong (2 Cor. 12:9,10).

But even better things are in store for God’s people:

Some day, "in the ages to come," God will display to all the universe "the exceeding riches of His grace." How will He do this? "In His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus" (Eph. 2:7).

Dear reader, have you accepted the grace of God in Christ Jesus? Do you believe that He loves you and that He "came into the world" to bear all the blame and shame and pun-
ishment that was your due, so that you might be "justified freely by His grace" (Rom. 3:24)?

If not, will you take Him at His Word now and come to know the truth of 2 Cor. 4:15:

"For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanks-giving of many redound to the glory of God."

Whatever your past; however great or many your sins, take God at His Word. Believe that He loves you in spite of all. Believe that He has already provided the payment for your sins in Christ:

"In whom we have redemption. through His blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace" (Eph. 1:7).

By C. R. Stam
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Should this devotional be a blessing to you, maybe you have a friend or family member that would like to start receiving the daily word. You may forward this to them, by copy and paste method,  and they can use the below link to subscribe. We love to meet new people

Daily Inspirational

WEB SITE
Grace And The Truth
www.graceandthetruth.com

E-Mail GracentheTruth@aol.com

2 Tim 2:15  Study to show thyself approved unto God, a  workman  that needeth  not  to  be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

<))><

[Brother Love]

PEACE WITH GOD
ACCESS TO GOD AND
THE HOPE OF GLORY





According to Rom. 4:25, Christ was delivered to death for our sins and then raised from the dead because He had fully settled our debt. The results of this mighty work of redemp-
tion are marvelous indeed to ponder over.

First, it means for every believer in Christ, that "being justified by faith we have peace with God" (Rom. 5:1). If Christ has paid for our sins and the barrier between God and us has been removed, why should we not enjoy peace with God? Why should we not rise in the morning, go about our work during the day and retire at night with complete confi-dence that all is well; that we are at peace with God and that He loves us as His very own?

But more: Verse 2 goes on to say that by Christ we also have "access by faith into this grace wherein we stand." If the barrier of sin has been removed and we are at peace with God, what is there to keep us out of His presence, especially when He Himself bids  us to "come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need"? (Heb.4:16). How wonderful to have a standing before God in grace! to be at peace with Him and to enjoy free access into His presence by faith!  

But there is still more. Not only does the believer in Christ enjoy peace with God and access to God, but, as this same verse says: "We rejoice in hope of the glory of God."

"Hope" in the Bible is, of course, more than a wish. It is an eager anticipation of wonderful things to come. Heb. 6:19 says: "Which hope we have as an anchor to the soul, both sure and stedfast." Man has always been afraid of the glory of God. When the glory of the Lord shone round about the Judaean shepherds "they were sore afraid." This was because "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:23). But the simplest believer in Christ may rejoice in the anticipation of sharing God’s glory some day.

By C. R. Stam

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