“DIE TO SELF EVERYDAY”~ “TAKE UP OUR CROSS”
Mat 16:24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. Mat 16:25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. Mat 16:26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? Mat 16:27 For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works. Mat 16:28 Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom. The expression “die to self every day” is not only rather ambiguous, but...
Read MoreHOW DOES THE SAINT OBSERVE THE LORD’S TABLE/COMMUNION? PART2
1Co 10:1 Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; 1Co 10:2 And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 1Co 10:3 And did all eat the same spiritual meat; 1Co 10:4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. Because of the volume of feedback to the study “How does the saint observe the Lord’s Table/Communion?” I thought it needful to do a follow-up study on the matter by going more in to detail into the “Table,” “bread,” and “cup” issues. The Apostle Paul uses Israel as an example and an ensample for the saint today, both with Moses and the children of Israel,...
Read MorePOSITIVE AND NEGATIVE FEAR WITHIN THE BELIEVER
2Ti 1:6 Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. 2Ti 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 2Ti 1:8 Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God; As you have correctly noticed, “fear” is spoken about as a real and legitimate motivating factor with us in this present dispensation of God’s grace. In fact, it is spoken of both in a positive, (or a good and appropriate), sense, and in a negative, (or a bad and inappropriate), sense. Hence we find ‘positive fear’ in such places as you have cited, and...
Read MoreWHAT DID ISRAEL BELIEVE TO BECOME JUSTIFIED?
Luk 23:39 And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. Luk 23:40 But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? Luk 23:41 And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. Luk 23:42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. Luk 23:43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise. I think the best way for me to answer this is to more or less quickly survey the overall doctrine regarding justification unto eternal life in God’s program with Israel. And then having done so, look at the issue...
Read MoreHOW DOES THE SAINT OBSERVE THE LORD’S TABLE/COMMUNION?
1Co 11:23 For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: 1Co 11:24 And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. 1Co 11:25 After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. 1Co 11:26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come. One of the most important doctrines that the saint is entrusted with is what the Apostle Paul gives the saints to do that he says will “shew the Lord’s death till he come.”...
Read MoreJESUS CHRIST THE “ROCK”
1Co 10:1 Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; 1Co 10:2 And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 1Co 10:3 And did all eat the same spiritual meat; 1Co 10:4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. Briefly put, my understanding is that the context has to do with godly sanctification and the opposition against it from the Satanic policy of evil. It’s the issue both with Israel when the designation is originally used by God when He brought them out of Egypt and they first confronted the policy of evil, as well as when the Song of Moses in Deuteronomy...
Read MoreKINGDOM OF HEAVEN AND KINGDOM OF GOD
Mat 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Mat 4:18 And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. Mat 4:19 And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. Mat 4:20 And they straightway left their nets, and followed him. Briefly and simply put, my understanding is that for the most part there isn’t any difference between the two expressions. To me it is evident from places such as Matthew 4:17 and Mark 1:14–15, (where both accounts are describing the commencement of the Lord’s public preaching following John the Baptist being put into prison), that as set forth...
Read MoreWHEN DID THE DISPENSATION OF GENTILE GRACE BEGIN?
Act 9:15 But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: Act 9:16 For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake. Simply and briefly put, I am persuaded from the testimony of Scripture that God began this present dispensation of His grace, and hence began forming His new creature, the church the body of Christ, when He raised up Paul as a brand new apostle, (as recorded in Acts 9), and made it evident that His program and dealings with Israel up until this time were now no longer continuing on as had been expected. I’ll briefly cite a few of the issues that persuade me that this is so. Rom 2:4 Or despisest thou the riches of...
Read MoreTHE FATHER’S DESIGN FOR A GODLY MARRIAGE
1Co 7:2 Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband. 1Co 7:3 Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband. 1Co 7:4 The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife. 1Co 7:5 Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency. As saints “in Christ” we are taught of our Father how we ought to walk in godliness in this present evil world, and a good part of our godly education can consist of our being married to our...
Read MoreWHAT IS “THE OUTER DARKNESS” AND THE LOCATION OF THE LAKE OF FIRE
Mat 8:10 When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. Mat 8:11 And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. Mat 8:12 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. My understanding is that the Lord’s expression “outer darkness” refers to the issue of being outside the brightness and glories of the fulness of Israel’s land once God’s kingdom is established in it on the earth. In passages such as Isaiah 60-62 the issues of Israel’s “light” and “brightness,” (physical as well as spiritual), with...
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