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THIS
PAGE OF SHORT BIBLE STUDIES IS ABOUT FULL. OTHER SUCH
THOUGHTS WILL BE ADDED WEEKLY ... JUST AT DIFFERENT LOCATIONS ON
THE WEB-SITE.
FRIDAY, MAY 27, 2005:
The fields of
psychology and sociology both are today keen on the idea of
teaching us how to live with all kinds of people. How to
tolerate our differences, especially in our interpersonal
relationships.
Vast amounts of
literature, some of it Christian in focus, instruct us on how to
put up with "know-it-alls" or complainers or bullies or
manipulators and a number of other groups as well.
Now much of this
is well and good.
In fact,
Scripture teaches us to "love one
another." Paul in Ephesians 4:2 even goes so far as
to command us to "forbear" one
another. To tolerate (lovingly) each others' weaknesses!
He repeats his charge in Colossians 3:13 ---
"Forbearing one another, and forgiving one
another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ
forgave you, so also do ye."
In Romans 15:1
the Apostle even expresses his teaching in terms of Christian
maturity. "We then that are strong
ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please
ourselves."
A spirit of
harmony is critical to the work of the Lord!
However ...
... there are some kinds of folks we are not told to tolerate!
Listen to these
inspired words:
"But now I have written unto you not
to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a
fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a
drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat."
(1st Corinthians 5:11)
If a person SAYS
he or she is saved ... and still lives a lifestyle of iniquity
and debauchery, be on guard!
If they are
"called" brethren ... and still commit immorality or drink
alcohol or speak abusively or worship gods or goddesses or steal
or covet ... DO NOT KEEP COMPANY WITH THEM!
Fornication and
adultery involve sexual sins forbidden by Scripture. We
call them "affairs," God calls them sin!
Idolatry
involves allowing anybody or anything to usurp God's place in
one's life.
To "rail" is to
speak abusively ... to slander or criticize severely.
To be a
"drunkard" is self explanatory!
"Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and
whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise." Proverbs
20:1
An "extortioner"
is one who steals by force. Armed robbery, for example.
To not "keep
company" with someone translates the Greek verb "sunanamignumi"
which combines "sun" and "ana" and "mignumi," to mix! (To
fervently mix with someone!) Do not hang around with them!
Do not associate with them!
"Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith
the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will
receive you." 2 Corinthians 6:17
(Now Paul is not
taking about outright sinners here! To totally avoid them
would be to leave this world! Paul IS talking about
profession Christians who are living lives of hypocrisy and
deceit! Avoid them! Do not tolerate them! They
will hurt you spiritually!)
Look again at
our verse. "But now I have written
unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a
brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a
railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no
not to eat." 1st Corinthians 5:11
Notice that Paul
even commands us not to eat with that crowd! Don't even
have a meal with them! (And that would have included the
Lord's Supper also!)
To put it
succinctly ... the Bible here covers our lives in several key
areas.
1. Our sexual habits!
2. Our social habits!
And even ...
3. Our Supper Habits!
Truly we are to
glorify Christ in everything we do!
"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
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
SATURDAY, APRIL 23, 2005:
There's something
"special" about the praise of angels ... as they adore their
Creator and God!
We Christians can
all learn something about worship from them too!
God the Father said
in Hebrews 1:4 --- "And let all the
angels of God worship Him (Jesus)."
They do and they
will for ever!
In some ways their
worship is the fullest and the most excellent of all the
adoration in the Bible!
Let me show you
what I mean.
As far we we
redeemed ex-sinners are concerned, our worship of God GROWS as
we progress through the Book of Revelation.
In Revelation 1:6
John the Apostle (just a man saved by God's grace) begins
uplifting our Lord. He uses a two-fold doxology:
"And (Jesus) hath made us kings and
priests unto God and His Father; to Him (Jesus) be glory and
dominion for ever and ever. Amen." See, it's two-fold
--- glory and dominion!
Next comes the
worship of the 24 Elders (representing the saints of all the
ages, probably 12 from the Old Testament and 12 from the New,
the Patriarchs and the Apostles). Revelation 4:11 quotes them.
"Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive
glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things,
and for thy pleasure they are and were created." Now,
it's three-fold blessing to God --- glory and honor and
power!
And soon our human
benedictions become even greater! For in Revelation 5:13 we
hear a four-fold one! "And
every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under
the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them,
heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be
unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for
ever and ever." Now, "every creature" includes the
redeemed! Count these multiple thrusts of praise --- blessing,
honor, glory and power! See! They're four-fold!
I am assuming that
the longer we are in Heaven the more we Believers will really
adapt to an ever fuller and purer worship of Almighty God and
His Son our Saviour!
BUT while our
worship is expanding and including more and more areas of glory
... the angels have already arrived!
Their praise of God
is not two-fold or four-fold or even six-fold, but ...
seven-fold! Count its beauties:
"And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about
the throne ... saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that
was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and
strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing."
Revelation 5:11-12
1. Power!
2. Riches!
3. Wisdom!
4. Strength!
5. Honour!
6. Glory!
7. And Blessing!
Wow!
How majestic!
Seven ... how
spiritually complete and perfect!
And here's some
additional "good" news. The verses to which I just alluded also
say that along with those angels (the worship "instructors") ...
someone else joins this great assembly of praise!
Again:
"And I beheld, and I heard the voice
of many angels round about the throne and the beasts
and the elders:
and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and
thousands of thousands; saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the
Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom,
and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing."
I've capitalized "and
the elders!" Those earthly Believers ... seen by
John as already being in Heaven and symbolizing all the redeemed
... are participating in this seven-fold poem of praise also!
We shall "arrive"
at full and perfect and mature praise and worship "in the sweet
by and by!"
In the mean time,
keep on worshiping Him!
We are simply in
training ... but even the learning is delightful!
I've heard of
people who made school (education) their career, just advancing
from one "degree" to another!
I never thought
that alone would bring any pleasure ... until I enrolled in
God's School ... the school of Worship!
I plan to stay in
that one until I graduate ... and go to that great Baccalaureate
Service in the sky!
What a Day that
will be!
Praise the dear
Lord!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
SATURDAY,
APRIL 16, 2005:
While recently studying the "Queen of Sheba"
passage in 1st Kings 10 and 2nd Chronicles 9 I was startled to
notice an obvious "diversion" to the smooth flow of events!
The narrative seems to be "interrupted" with
a two verse paragraph about "almug trees!"
Let me show you what I mean:
"And the navy also of
Hiram, that brought gold from Ophir, brought in from Ophir great
plenty of almug trees,
and precious stones. And the king made of the
almug trees
pillars for the house of the LORD, and for the king's house,
harps also and psalteries for singers: there came no such
almug trees, nor
were seen unto this day." 1 Kings 10:11-12
Why would the sacred historian want to do
this?
Is there perhaps something special about
these "almug trees" that warrant our attention?
Theologians and Bible scholars are unsure
exactly what kind of tree this is. In my studies I've read
everything from a sandalwood tree to a juniper. It is said that
over 15 different trees have been suggested through the years!
But this much is sure!
It is a precious tree, very valuable.
It is a durable tree, not given to decay.
And it is a fragrant tree, emitting a sweet
odor.
I began thinking about that.
What TREE (in symbol and type now) would have
to be inserted into a story about a lost
woman meeting a Type of Christ?
Why, the Cross!
And the Cross was a tree! Listen to Paul in
Galatians 3:13 --- "Christ hath redeemed
us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it
is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree."
And the Cross introduces a lot of hazy
thinking to men of the world! They can't figure it out! They
suggested a whole lot more than 15 different meanings for
Calvary ... all of them being wrong but one!
And the Cross is a precious Tree! (Excellent
in character!) That's where we got saved, folks! Where the
Blood of Jesus was shed!
And the Cross is a durable Tree! Its Message
will not die ... ever! That's because of Jesus, Who changes
not! "Jesus Christ the same yesterday,
and to day, and for ever." Hebrews 13:8
And the Cross is fragrant! To an Almighty
God above It is the "power of God unto salvation!" To a
repenting sinner on earth It is the only means of Life, eternal
Life! What sweet aroma it brings to the spiritual senses!
Talking about the Cross and "hinting" at this sweet-smelling
Affair, Isaiah says: "Yet it pleased the
LORD to bruise Him!" Isaiah 53:10
I believe this almug tree surely pictures
Calvary!
Then notice what Solomon did with the almug
trees!
"And the navy
also of Hiram, that brought gold from Ophir, brought in from
Ophir great plenty of almug trees, and precious stones. And the
king made of the almug trees pillars for the house of the LORD,
and for the king's house, harps also and psalteries for singers:
there came no such almug trees, nor were seen unto this day."
He used these trees for two purposes.
For "pillars!"
This word is used only here in all the
Bible! It means a "support!" (And what supports everything in
the Christian life? THE CROSS!) It's the support for both the
Church and the home! See the text ..."the
House of the Lord and the King's house"
And "for harps and psalteries" for the
singers too!
Music!
And what gives us our song as Believers? THE
CROSS!
"But God forbid that I
should glory (sing, praise, rejoice), save in the Cross of our
Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I
unto the world." Galatians 6:14
The first singing in the Bible is in Exodus
15 ... just after God had redeemed His people from bondage!
(First the Cross ... then the singing!)
By the way, "harps" comes from a verb meaning
"to twang" and "psalteries" comes from a noun meaning
"skin-bag!" Figure that one out on your own! Sure sounds like
my kind of singing though! An old "skin bag" like me can
"twang" with the best of them! All because of the Cross!
Oh, notice one more thing about those almug
trees.
"There
came no such almug trees, nor were seen unto this day."
There were none like those ...
ever before or ever since! Complete and unique excellence!
Unmatched! Unparalleled! If that doesn't describe the Cross, I
don't know what does!
David once said (1 Samuel 21:9) of the dead
giant Goliath's sword: "And David said,
There is none like that; give it me." I say that is also
true of the Cross!
Praise the dear Lord!
And thank God for Calvary!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
SATURDAY,
APRIL 9, 2005:
The verse is quite short.
It simply says:
"Casting
all your care upon him; for he careth for you."
It's found in 1st Peter 5:7.
That opening verb is
interesting! In Greek it's "epirripto" and means "to
fling" something upon someone! Or better yet "to hurl"
something toward a person!
The Lord is inviting us to
quickly and violently with great fervency throw our burdens and
problems upon Him!
The little noun "care"
translates the Greek word "merimna." It means that which pulls
one apart! That which distracts! Isn't that really
what fear and worry and fretfulness and distrust do? They
pull us to pieces!
Then the Lord assures us that
he "cares" for us. This verb is "melo" in Greek and means
to have extra concern for someone! To be interested in
them! To have real empathy! It's in the present
tense too! God just keeps on caring and caring about us!
If I read Peter's short
invitation rightly, through him our great God is inviting us to
come to Him with all our heartaches and sorrows and problems!
All of them!
I see in 1st Peter 5:7 three
things:
1. I see
OUR POSITION! Jesus cares for
us! This text is written to saved people. He died
for us! He washed our sins away! He sent us the Holy
Spirit! He meets our needs! He answers our prayers!
He in in Heaven right now interceding for us! And He's
coming again some day to get us! What a POSITION we enjoy
in Christ Jesus!
2. I see
OUR PROBLEMS! We, though
saved, still live in an ungodly world. We also have an
enemy, a roaring lion named the devil. He wants to harm
us. We will experience trials and temptations and
hardships of various kinds from time to time. Paul even taught
the new Believers in his church to expect such difficulties!
Peter calls these problems "cares," thing that tear us to pieces
emotionally and mentally and seek to hinder us spiritually!
The good thing is that God knows about our problems! All
about them! Jesus is even "touched
with the feeling of our infirmities!" Hebrews 4:15
3. Then, gladly, I see
OUR PRIVILEGE! We are
invited, yea ... nearly commanded, to bring our problems to the
Lord! To prayerfully spread them out before the Throne of
Grace! (That's what godly King Hezekiah did in Isaiah
37:14 after receiving a threatening letter from a wicked King!
"And Hezekiah received the letter from the
hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up unto
the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD.")
Such praying or expressing of our burdens and doubts and
frustrations (the noun "cares" means just that) is often in
Scripture called lamentation! (To "lament" means to wail
or weep or moan!) Pray when you're shouting the victory!
But also pray when you're discouraged and worn to a frazzle!)
Bring your cares to Jesus! What a privilege that is!
Now if I had the time and
space, I'd show you two or three examples of folks bringing all
their cares to the Lord! It's not always the prettiest
form of praying either!
Jeremiah ---
"O LORD, thou hast deceived me, and I was
deceived: thou art stronger than I, and hast prevailed: I am in
derision daily, every one mocketh me." Wow!
Jeremiah 20:7
David ---
"How long
wilt
thou forget me, O LORD? for ever? how long wilt thou hide thy
face from me?" Pretty bold language! Psalm
13:1
Job ---
"Oh that I knew where I might find him! that I might come
even to his seat! I would order my cause before
him, and fill my mouth with arguments." Mercy!
Job 23:3-4
And, really, even Jesus ---
"And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with
a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to
say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" Matthew
27:46
In each case above the
supplicants were "casting all their care
upon the Lord, Who cared for them!"
One short verse ... three
great truths ... four living examples!
Praise the Lord!
Have you prayed today?
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
SATURDAY,
MARCH 26, 2005:
Four times, and only four
times does the Old Testament used the word "revived."
I mean in the past tense as shown here.
That fact alone makes me want
to see what God revived in those long ago days!
Here they are.
There is a revived spirit in
Genesis 45:27. "And
they (the sons of Jacob) told him (Jacob) all the words of
Joseph, which he had said unto them: and when he saw the wagons
which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their
father
revived." All the years old Jacob had
thought his son (his favorite son) was dead! Now he just learned
it's not so! And the "proof" of Joseph's well-being was
wagonloads of gifts and blessings! Sounded just like
Joseph! Hey, preachers, sometime preach on the "wagon
loads" God has sent us too! Here is a
REVIVED SPIRIT! Blessing from
heaven above will revive any saved spirit!
Next is Judges 15:18-20.
Samson was tired. He had just again defeated the enemy for
Israel's sake! "And he was sore
athirst, and called on the LORD, and said, Thou hast given this
great deliverance into the hand of thy servant: and now shall I
die for thirst, and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised?
But God clave an hollow place that was in the jaw, and
there came water thereout; and when he had drunk, his spirit
came again, and he
revived: wherefore he called the name thereof Enhakkore,
which is in Lehi unto this day. And he judged
Israel in the days of the Philistines twenty years." Here
is REVIVED STRENGTH!
The next one is amazing!
It deals with Elijah the great Man of God. A little boy
has died! Elijah prayed! "And
the LORD heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child
came into him again, and he
revived."
(1st Kings 17:22) Now we have a REVIVED
SON! Oh, how our young folks need (and many of them
long for ... ) real Revival! God can touch them too!
Lastly, Elisha (long since
dead) works another miracle! This one deals with his bones
... laying in his grave! "And Elisha
died, and they buried him. And the bands of the Moabites invaded
the land at the coming in of the year. And it came to
pass, as they were burying a man, that, behold, they spied a
band of men; and they cast the man into the sepulchre of
Elisha: and when the man was let down, and touched the bones of
Elisha, he revived,
and stood up on his feet." (2nd Kings 13:20-21)
A grown man ... revived, raised from the dead! This is
indeed a REVIVED SOUL! Here you
might notice that when he revived ... he stood! Oh, how we
need Revival today .. to help us better stand for God!
Let's think about that last
miracle just a bit. A dead man (Elisha) who still has
power ... even after death? A dead man (Elisha) who is in
reality now in paradise/heaven? A dead man (Elisha) who
had a double portion of he Spirit of God? A dead man (Elisha)
who is really more alive than ever?
Yes! And that all
reminds us of Jesus!
Jesus Who still has power ...
even after death! Who is now in Heaven! Who has the
Holy Spirit without measure! Who is more alive (not to die
again) than ever!
Jesus Who, unlike Elisha, now
has an empty tomb!
Think of it! All these
four "revivings" in the Old Testament because we have a
REVIVED SAVIOUR! A RESURRECTED
SAVIOUR!
Here's the review:
A REVIVED
SPIRIT (JACOB)!
A REVIVED
STRENGTH (SAMSON)!
A REVIVED SON
(WIDOW'S BOY)!
A REVIVED SOUL
(UNNAMED MAN)!
ALL BECAUSE OF
A REVIVED SAVIOUR!
That's Old Testament Revival!
And it sounds good to me!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
SATURDAY,
MARCH 19, 2005:
This week I again was
interested in what the Bible says about REVIVAL!
I discovered that the King
James Version uses the verb "revive" exactly 7 times (really 8
times but only in 7 references)!
Today I want to show you those
times.
They draw a great picture of
what one could call "Principles of Revival!"
Here they are in Bible order:
1. Nehemiah 4:2 ---
"And he spake before his brethren and the
army of Samaria, and said, What do these feeble Jews? will they
fortify themselves? will they sacrifice? will they make an end
in a day? will they
revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which
are burned?" These words fall from the wicked lips
of Sanballat, an enemy of God's people. He is mocking
God's work! Yet he unknowingly teaches us something.
He mentions the PLACE God plans to send revival! His
House! The Temple here! Revival deals with God's Own
children! And it begins in their Churches and their homes
and their hearts! Again, here's ...
The PLACE of Revival!
2. Psalm 85:6 ---
"Wilt thou not
revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?"
Here we see another principle of revival. Why?
Why will God send revival? That His people may "rejoice" in Him!
This reveals ... The PRAISE of Revival!
In fact it (maybe even deeper yet) reveals ...
The PURPOSE of Revival! That
purpose is the Glory of God ... that He will be praised!
3. Psalm 138:7 ---
"Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
thou wilt
revive me: thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against
the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me."
Now there's danger lurking in this verse! See the
enemies! Yet the Psalmist cries for God to revive him ...
thereby bringing safety! Here clearly is ...
The PROTECTION of Revival!
4. Isaiah 57:15 ---
"For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity,
whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him
also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the
spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite
ones." God will not just arbitrarily revive anyone!
There are qualifications! We here find out whom God
revives, the humble ones! "Contrite" means broken into
pieces, crushed! Here we specifically see ...
The PEOPLE of Revival!
5.
Hosea 6:2 ---
"After two days will he revive us: in the
third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight."
Now Hosea is no doubt here looking to the future. Future
restoration and revival for Israel. But look more closely
... these words are framed as a promise! God will
revive His people in His time! Let's call this one what it
truly is ... The PROMISE of Revival!
6.
Hosea 14:7 --- "They that dwell under his
shadow shall return; they shall revive as the corn, and grow as
the vine: the scent thereof shall be as the wine of Lebanon."
The picturesque prophet Hosea is again at work here.
He compares revival to the spring time of the year! The
crops are growing with health and vigor, both corn and grapes!
These are respectively the sources of strength and joy!
Now we have Biblically ... The PICTURE of
Revival!
7.
Lastly, Habakkuk 3:2 --- "O LORD, I have
heard thy speech, and was afraid: O LORD, revive thy work in the
midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in
wrath remember mercy." Here is God's acting in a
way different than we've ever imagined! His reviving now
involves judgment! Read the rest of Habakkuk 3 and you
will see what I mean! Part of God's future plans for
revival include rapturing the Church, saving Israel (after 7
years of tribulation), and destroying the earth (only to build a
new one)! Wow! God's pattern for revival does not
always fit ours! But here in Habakkuk we definitely see
... The PROGRAM for Revival! It
must be done God's Way. That way varies from time to time
and place to place. God cannot be reduced to a single mode
of revival operation! His principles remain the same, but
His particulars change!
Seven BIBLE
ways God works in Revival!
That's why
I've called them PRINCIPLES OF REVIVAL!
I pray some
Preacher reads these lines and gets some thought with which to
feed his dear people tomorrow!
Man of God,
as you study today the Holy Spirit sure can show you some
nuggets in these 7 verses!
Enjoy!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
SATURDAY,
MARCH 12, 2005:
An old saying goes something
like this: "More things are wrought by prayer than this
world ever dreams!"
Let's analyze that sentence in
the light of God's Word.
* Prayer is one main way
to defeat the Devil! So believed Jesus!
"And
the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have
you, that he may sift you as wheat: but I have prayed for thee,
that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen
thy brethren." Luke 22:32
* Prayer is the way
sinners are brought into the Family of God!
"And the publican, standing afar off,
would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote
upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner."
(Luke 18:13) The Father prophetically said to the
Son in Psalm 2:8 --- "Ask
of me, and
I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the
uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession."
(Souls to be saved!)
* Prayer is one main way
to acquire Wisdom too! James 1:5 tells us:
"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of
God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth
not; and it shall be given him."
* Prayer is the way a
backslider gets restored. James 5:19-20 tells us:
"Brethren, if any of you do err from
the truth, and one convert him; Let him know, that he which
converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a
soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins." This
is a saved man who has "erred!" James classifies him as a
"brother."
* Prayer is how the
saints of God are strengthened!
"Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit
indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."
Matthew 26:41
* Prayer is how to get
more workers into God's fields of service! (Preachers,
Teachers, Evangelists, Missionaries and others!)
"Pray ye therefore the Lord of the
harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest."
Matthew 9:38
* Prayer is how we stay
faithful ... and keep from quitting! "And
he (Jesus) spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought
always to pray, and not to
faint."
(Luke 18:1) If we pray, we will not faint! If we
faint, we have not prayed!
* Prayer is one main way
to see sick folks made well! "Is any
sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and
let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of
the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the
Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they
shall be forgiven him." James 5:14-15
* Prayer is a key move
in handling our problems! "For
verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this
mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and
shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those
things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have
whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things
soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them,
and ye shall have them." Mark 11:23-24
Let me sum things up with one
more great verse: "Call
unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty
things, which thou knowest
not."
Jeremiah 33:3
Now ... back to our opening
"quote!"
"More things are wrought by
prayer than this world ever dreams!"
After reviewing those precious
verses ... let me put it this way: More things are wrought
by prayer than Brother Bagwell ever dreamed!
Amen!
Let's try to adopt Paul's
motto and ... "Pray without ceasing!"
1st Thessalonians 5:17
If anyone
finds this little Article helpful in any way, let me know.
Sometimes I wonder the impact (if any) our secondary Pages have.
Your in-put would be appreciated.
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
SATURDAY,
MARCH 5, 2005:
Yesterday I got to thinking
about the POWER of God again!
I asked myself ... What are
the most astounding Bible statements about God's almighty Power?
I came up with a short list,
as the Spirit reminded me of a few things that both Paul and
Peter said.
To me the greatest single
statement in the New Testament (for the Believer in Christ)
about Power is found in Ephesians 1. The great Apostle
Paul mentions his desire that "we may know
... the
exceeding greatness of His
power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of His
mighty power,
which He wrought in Christ, when He raised
Him from the dead, and set Him at His Own right hand in the
heavenly places!" Wow! Paul just said that
the POWER available to us Christians is the same power that
raised Jesus from the dead! To me, that is awesome!
Second on my list is Ephesians
3:20. Paul speaks of God as One Who
"is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or
think, according to the power that worketh in us!" Think
of that! He has placed within us the power (Holy Spirit)
Who can do MORE ... MUCH MORE ... than we will ever be able to
ask or think!
Then I have one of Peter's
verses in mind. He tells us that we are "kept" saved by
the power of God! Writing to Believers he says:
"Who are kept by the power of God through
faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time."
(1st Peter 1:4) If God's Power keeps me saved, I am
secure!
Lastly I would include 2nd
Peter 1:3 where the Preacher tells us that God has, by His
Power, given us ALL we need to live for Him!
"According as His divine power hath
given unto us all things that pertain unto life
and godliness!" That's amazing! Everything I
need for godly living!
Let's put my "list" together.
We have access to Power that's
almighty! (It raised Jesus from the dead!)
We have Power that's
ABOUNDING! (More than we can
ask or think!)
We have Power that's
ABIDING! (It keeps us saved
day by day!)
And we have Power that's
AMPLE! (It gives us ALL
things we need to live for God!)
Preachers, your list will no
doubt differ from mine ... but it sure is an interesting thought
we've pursued together, isn't it?
What are the greatest POWER
verses to you?
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
FRIDAY,
FEBRUARY 25, 2005:
Joshua 1:8 is one of the
greatest verses in the Bible for the Christian!
"This book of
the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt
meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do
according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt
make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success."
It gives us 3 "rules" for
absolute success in God's eyes!
It assures us that, under
certain conditions, our "way" can be abundantly
"prosperous!" This Hebrew word for "prosperous" ("tzsalach"
in Hebrew) comes from a root verb that means "to break out" or
"to flow over" or "to "rush forward" (as in rapidly advancing)!
Note this: It is used as a verb to describe the
Holy Spirit coming upon certain Old Testament Believers!
(Judges 14:6 and 19 and Judges 15:14 and 1st Samuel 10:10 and
11:6 and 16:13 ... each time used of the Holy Spirit!)
It looks to me
like God equates "prosperity" with the "filling" of the Holy
Spirit!
And the verb "have good
success" is "sakal" and means to understand (in a wise godly
sense) or to have prudence and skill at holy living!
These are not necessarily
"money" and "fame" terms here! There's no "health and
wealth" required in any of these words!
This is success and blessing
IN GOD'S EYES AND ACCORDING TO HIS TERMS!
BUT ... what is necessary to
enjoy these precious blessings from the Lord?
Three things:
1. You get into the Word of
God! That means more than just reading it too.
To "meditate" implies to get it in your heart and mind and let
it "talk" to you all day (and all night) long! The Hebrew
verb "hagah" literally means to talk in a low voice or to
mumble!
2. Get the Word of God into
you! That's also a dominant idea in "meditation" here.
Scripture has been so "internalized" that you KNOW it well.
You have via the Spirit's teaching interpreted and personalized
it for godly purposes!
3. Then, obey what you have
learned from Scripture. Be a "doer" of the Word!
Obedience to the Voice of God ... either through the written
Word or through the Living Spirit Who teaches us the Word!
And those three areas of
implementation involve three body parts:
1. One's mouth! (Talk
God's Word!)
2. One's heart! (Learn
God's Word! Internalize it!)
3. One's feet! (Obey
God's Word!)
I will guarantee you this.
God will do what He says in Joshua 1:9. Try Him and see!
Now I wouldn't say that without having Bible precedent!
God, in reference to His promise about tithing says:
"Bring ye all the tithes into the
storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house,
and prove me now
herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the
windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall
not be room enough to receive it." Malachi 3:10
Three steps to abundant
blessings from God!
This article (on Joshua 1:8)
has been well worth our time folks!
Of course that's true of ALL
the Bible's 31,102 verses!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2005:
One of the finest verses in
Scripture concerning the POWER of God is found in the Book of
Acts.
"But ye shall receive power, after that
the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto
me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and
unto the uttermost part of the earth." Acts 1:8
Notice that
here spiritual power is a GIFT!
"Ye shall receive power!"
It cannot be earned or bought or stolen. The verb "receive"
translates the Greek word "lambano." This means to take or lay
hold of! No idea of force is present either! However, let me
say this. Grammatically the word indicates that God makes the
power available ... but we must at least have enough desire to
"lay hold" of it! ("Dechomai" is the Greek verb that's more
passive. It would have suggested power being GIVEN whether you
wanted it or not! And "haireomai" is the verb that's more
aggressive! It means something like ... "To take for oneself!"
We can never receive power ... or seize it either ... without
God being willing to give it!)
Next notice
the GROUNDS of that power! It is
distributed by God the Holy Spirit! He is the "Dynamo" of God!
Here He is called the Holy Ghost. "Hagios Pneuma" is the Greek
Name. The old-timers used the term Ghost instead of Spirit for
Him because to them a Ghost was the Presence of one who had died
... but returned! They actually viewed the Holy Spirit as Jesus
in Essence working in them and through them! Wherever you see
the Holy Spirit working in liberty ... there you will also find
the great POWER of God! To have more POWER ... be more yielded
to the Holy Spirit!
Now let's
look at the GRAMMAR of this power!
The Greek word here is "dunamis" and means strength, ability or
might. This root word gives us English words such as dynamo,
dynamic, dynamite and a host of others. Technically it (being
in a family of about 5 or 6 different but synonymous words for
power or strength) has the idea of "inherent" power. That means
power within! Power which you were granted! Not borrowed power
or bought power ... just (as it were) birthed power!
Our verse
proceeds to reveal the GOAL of this
power. It seeks to make us "witnesses" for our dear Lord and
Saviour! The noun here is "martus," which gives us primarily
the word "martyr!" It means one whose very life illustrates his
faith and beliefs and convictions! (I guess the power to be
burned at the stake is "witness" enough!) God needs such
"witnesses' today to His Deity, His Plan of Salvation, His
method of separated living, His strength to answer prayer, His
comfort in trials and sorrows, His abiding Presence, and His
grace to die! Plus so much more! That kind of "witness" can
only be produced via Holy Spirit Power. This is real
Christianity!
Lastly
observe with me the
geography
of this power! To the folks whom Luke is writing, the power
began at Jerusalem, their home area! Then it spread outward in
ever widening circles until it literally reached Rome and
beyond, the uttermost parts of the world! God wants us to live
for him ... purely and sincerely and transparently ...
everywhere we go! And that, my friend, is powerful living!
Here's the
whole verse again: "But ye shall receive
power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall
be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and
in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth."
Amen!
Let's try
to live by it!
By the way,
the whole verse in reality it a GUARANTEE
also! That's because it is a promise from God!
You can depend on it! "For
he is faithful that promised." (Hebrews 10:23) And
furthermore as Joshua reminded the Israelites:
"Not
one thing hath failed of all the good
things which the LORD your God spake concerning you; all are
come to pass unto you, and not one thing hath failed thereof."
(Joshua 23:14) You can base your whole Christian life on Acts
1:8. God has so promised! (And that IS a guarantee!)
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
SATURDAY,
JANUARY 29, 2005:
I recently studied the miracle
of the "parting" of the Red Sea!
It's recorded in Exodus
chapters 14 and 15.
I believe this is a literal
historical event, that the waters actually divided to allow a
small nation (2,000,00 or so Jews) to pass safely through its
midst!
I was amazed to learn one
particular "nuance" of hermeneutical information. It turns
out to be held by many Bible scholars, but was new to me!
I quote C. H. Macintosh, a
fundamental teacher of the 19th century, who believed the Red
Sea opened progressively as the children of Israel marched (not
all at once, but a little bit at a time) ... "God never gives
guidance for two steps at a time. I must take one step,
and then I get light for the next. This keeps the heart in
abiding dependence upon God."
Here's how the King James
Bible records it all: "And Moses
stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea
to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made
the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. And the
children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry
ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on
their right hand, and on their left." Exodus
14:21-22
Well, however the waters
divided (all at once or a little at a time as Israel marched)
... they DID divide! They (the waters of a whole sea)
obeyed the voice of the Lord!
But that "one-step-at-a-time"
thing is Biblical!
Let me show you what I mean:
In 2 Corinthians 4:16 Paul
tells us that our Lord renews us (sends us spiritual strength)
"day by day!" Here it is: "For
which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet
the inward man is renewed
day by day."
In Luke 11:3 the Lord supplies
our needs "day by day!" Look for yourself:
"Give
us day by day our daily bread." (Not a week or
month at a time!)
And just think of God's
blessings! "Blessed
be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of
our salvation. Selah." Psalm 68:16
And we've not even mentioned
the Lord's Presence with us! That's daily, hourly, minute
by minute! Unending! "And, lo,
I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.
Amen." Matthew 28:20
Plus ... the Lord saves
sinners daily! "And
the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved."
Acts 2:47
And what about our duty or
obedience to Him?
Remember Calvary day by day!
"Now this is that which thou
shalt offer upon the altar; two lambs of the first year day by
day continually." Exodus 29:38
Here's an example of praising
God day by day! "And
the children of Israel that were present at Jerusalem kept the
feast of unleavened bread seven days with great gladness: and
the Levites and the priests praised the LORD day by day, singing
with loud instruments unto the LORD." 2 Chronicles
30:21
Nehemiah 8:18 tells of
studying the Bible day by day! "Also
day by day, from the first day unto the last day, he read in the
book of the law of God. And they kept the feast seven days; and
on the eighth day was a solemn assembly, according unto
the manner." Also Acts 17:11 ---
"These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they
received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the
scriptures daily, whether those things were so."
We are to encourage each other
day by day! "But
exhort (encourage) one another daily, while it is called To day;
lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin."
Hebrews 3:13
We are to mortify our old
flesh day by day! Paul did! "I
die
daily." 1st Corinthians 15:31
But, thank God, be sure of
this ... some DAY Jesus is coming again also! The old song
said: "Some golden daybreak, Jesus will come!"
Until, then ... we shall just
live one day at a time!
And it's a promise, His Grace
will be sufficient!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
SATURDAY,
JANUARY 22, 2005:
The Preacher just made this
passing statement: "The Bible likens Satan to five
different animals." That caught my attention.
What are they, those animals?
Of course there is the
"serpent." (Genesis 3:1,
where that word is first used in Scripture, calls him "subtil."
The word means sly, sneaky!)
Then there is Matthew 13 where
the devil is a "bird" trying to
steal the seed of God's Word! (Compare Matthew 13:19 with
Luke 8:5.) Birds fly "in the air."
Next he's a
"wolf" attacking the flock!
(John 10:12) The word "wolf" (in Greek = "lukos") means
"white!" Wickedness appearing as purity!
Plus he's a
"lion" seeking whom he may devour!
"Devour" means literally "to swallow down!" (Greek ="katapino")
In 1st Peter 5:8 the Apostle calls Satan an "adversary."
That's an opponent, an accuser in a lawsuit.
Lastly the devil is a
"dragon." See Revelation 12.
There he's a particular hater of Israel and the dear Lord Jesus
Christ!
(Now I'm not saying that some
of you creative Preachers can't find other "animals" that
picture the devil! I think all "parasites" do! This
however is a good basic list.)
Let's review:
The devil is a:
Serpent! In Genesis 3 he seduces!
Bird! In Matthew 13 and Luke 8 he steals!
Wolf! In John 10 he shines! (Wolf means
"white!")
Lion! In 1 Peter 5 he seeks! (Or he
swallows!)
And a Dragon! In Revelation 12 he succumbs!
(He's defeated!)
Thank God for the Victory!
"But
thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our
Lord Jesus Christ." 1st Corinthians 15:57
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
SATURDAY,
JANUARY 15, 2005:
It's one of my favorite verses
in the whole Bible!
It deals with the salvation of
one's soul!
"Verily,
verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth
on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come
into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life."
John 5:24
First, notice with me the
AFFIRMATION built into this great
statement! "Verily, Verily,"
Jesus says! In Greek the words used here for "verily" are
identical. They are spelled (literally) "amen!" They
mean "truly, truly!" Jesus is strengthening this Promise
by His Own testimony to it! So even Jesus said "amen"
again and again!" (25 times in the New Testament)
Then notice the
AUDITION necessary for salvation!
(Man does nothing to be saved ... understand me. But ...
He must have his ears "opened" or he will never come to the
Lord!) Without a sinner's "hearing" the Word of God in its
convicting power ... he or she will never desire to "come" unto
the Lord Jesus for salvation. Jesus said seven times in
Revelation 2 and 3 ... "He
that
hath an ear, let him
hear."
But the hearing is just the
beginning! One must also believe! The verb means to
lean upon Jesus, to trust Him, to lay all in His Divine "lap"
for the salvation of one's soul! Now keep this in mind.
It is possible to believe in vain! I base this statement
on something Paul preached in
1st Corinthians 15:2 ---
"By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in
memory what I preached unto you,
unless ye have believed
in
vain."
Wow! This is the
ACTION of salvation! This
sincere Spirit-anointed act of trust must occur!
Then see the
APEX of it all! (The highest
point!) One will be given eternal life! Eternal Life to
enjoy fellowship with the Son and communion with the Holy Spirit
and to forevermore glorify the Father on His Throne! The
verb "hath" is interesting! It is "echo" and is here in the
present tense! He has It and he (the repentant sinner)
holds it (eternal life) RIGHT NOW and that possession continues
day by day perpetually! (It is a gift of God to the
believing soul!)
Next there is an
acquittal here! The ex-sinner shall see no
condemnation! The noun is "krisis" and means judgment!
No hell! No eternal death! No separation from God!
Hallelujah! The wrath of the Almight no longer rests upon
the poor (but now saved) soul! (John 3:36 ---
"He that believeth on the Son hath
everlasting life: and he
that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of
God abideth on him.") Amazing!
And notice ... the verse
closes with an APPOSITION!
That's a word used in English grammar that means "a term which
re-explains a thought earlier used in a sentence." First
we were told that the converted sinner
"has everlasting life." Now we are told (re-told
really) that he or she "is passed from
death unto life!" Either way, it sounds great!
The curse of sin, because of
Jesus' Blood shed on Calvary, is removed! "For
the wages of sin is death." (Romans 6:23a)
And we have passed from death unto life, Eternal Life!
"But
the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
(Romans 6:23b)
John 5:24 is a salvation verse
if one ever existed! And it's a Promise from God!
Preach it!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
SATURDAY,
DECEMBER 11, 2004:
I first saw
this yesterday. I have pondered it a bit through the
morning. And here are some of my conclusions. I base
them solely on the Word of God!
Occasionally God either promises He will ... or He just does!
What,
Preacher?
He opens
the Heavens!
Listen to
Isaiah's great prayer, one born in a longing for God's
Presence and for true Revival!
Isaiah 64:1
--- "Oh that thou wouldest
rend the heavens,
that thou wouldest come down, that the mountains might flow down
at thy presence." (The verb "rend" means to tear
open!) He is asking the Lord to come to earth!
Here are
the heavens opened for God's PRESENCE!
Then one
day in Jesus public ministry (just as it began) the Lord opened
the heavens for sure! Jesus was being baptized!
Matthew 3:16 tells us about it. "And
Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the
water: and, lo, the
heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of
God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him." The
Holy Spirit descends upon Jesus in a visible manner!
Here the
heavens are opened for God's POWER!
But there
is yet another day coming, a day in which the heavens will open
yet again! John tells us about it in Revelation 19:11-16.
"And
I saw heaven opened,
and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was
called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and
make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on
his head were many crowns; and he had a name written,
that no man knew, but he himself. And he was
clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called
The Word of God. And the armies which were in
heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen,
white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword,
that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them
with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the
fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his
vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD
OF LORDS." Jesus is
coming again!
Here the
heavens are opened to fulfill God's
PROMISE!
Three
"openings" of Heaven!
Each is a
blessing.
However,
there could be none of these had not One Other Thing been torn
open!
This event
happened while Jesus was on Calvary!
Matthew
27:51 --- "And, behold,
the veil of the temple
was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the
earth did quake, and the rocks
rent."
Through
Jesus' Blood Atonement and His Death on the Cross, access was
opened to the
presence of the Lord Himself!
According
to Paul in Hebrews 10:20 that "veil" represents Jesus' Flesh
too! "By
a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through
the veil, that is to say, his flesh."
Jesus' very
Body being OPENED has made possible all the other openings of
Heaven on our behalf! It makes possible our eternal
salvation!
This
opening secures God's PARDON!
Glory to
His dear Name!
By the way,
because of Calvary, go to church tomorrow and worship Him
fervently. And when the offering is received, be sure to place
your tithes in the plate. Such a practice will "open the
doors of Heaven" for you yet again! So guarantees Malachi
3:10 --- "Bring ye all the tithes into the
storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me
now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not
open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a
blessing, that there shall not be room enough
to receive it."
Here the
heavens are opened with God's
PROVISION!
Again, all
I know to say is, Praise the Lord!
I thought
someone might be able to glean a thought or tow from this little
meditation. May it spiritually feed a hungry soul in the
days ahead!
(Notice the
five "P" words!
Presence, Power,
Promise, Pardon
and Provision! Some of you
love to alliterate!)
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
SATURDAY,
NOVEMBER 13, 2004 ... A SERMON ON "HOLINESS"
Out text
today is found in 2 Corinthians 7:1 ---
"Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse
ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit,
perfecting holiness in the fear of God."
Let's
examine its every word carefully!
First, I
see some PROMISES regarding
Holiness! "Having therefore these
promises!"
The I see
the PREMISE regarding Holiness!
"Dearly beloved!" It's only
for Believers!
Next is the
PATHWAY to Holiness!
"Let us cleanse ourselves!"
Then is the
PERIL to Holiness!
"Filthiness of the flesh and spirit"
And finally
we note the PERFECTING of Holiness!
"Perfecting holiness!" Bring
it to maturity!
And all
this is done within the PARAMETERS
of Holiness! "In the fear of the
Lord!"
Wow!
That all
just naturally falls into place it seems!
Now we know
God saved us to be holy!
Leviticus
20:7 commands us: "Sanctify
yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD
your God."
Peter
quotes that in 1 Peter 1:15-16. "But
as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner
of conversation; because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am
holy."
And isn't
it amazing that the Comforter the Lord has provided us is called
(God) the HOLY Spirit! That Name occurs 7 times in the
Bible!
For example
Paul reminds us to "Grieve not the
holy Spirit of
God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption."
Ephesians 4:30
Now, think
with me how the Promises of God help make us holy!
Philippians
4:13 --- "I can do all things through
Christ which strengtheneth me."
1
Corinthians 10:13 --- "There hath no
temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is
faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye
are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to
escape, that ye may be able to bear it."
1 John 3:3
--- "And every man that hath this hope (of
Jesus' Second Coming) in him purifieth himself, even as He
(Jesus) is pure."
Plus
hundreds more of God's purifying promises!
(What a series of sermons they would be!)
Amazing!
The only
class of people who can be pure are the saved, the dearly
beloved of God, members of His Family!
"And if the righteous scarcely be saved,
where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?" 1
Peter 4:18
But part of
becoming holy involves something we do! We must
"cleanse ourselves!" See 1st John
1:9 --- "If we confess our sins, he is
faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from
all unrighteousness." And James 4:8 instructs us:
"Draw nigh
to God,
and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners
(James' name for fleshly saints even); and purify your hearts,
ye double minded." I think this is part of what
Paul had in mind when he said: "I
die daily." See 1st Corinthians 15:31.
Also the
Greek word used here for "filthiness" is interesting. It
is in Greek spelled "molusmos" and means soiled or stained or
made vile. It comes from the verb "moluno" ... to soil or
make dirty! And that verb comes from a word ("melas")
that means black! Its the word the old Greeks and Romans
used when one was walking down the street in town and a resident
in a second floor villa poured the contents of his overnight
"potty" chamber down on into the gutter below ... some of it
splashing on your fresh white toga! That was "filthiness!"
(This surely shows God's word picture for sin!)
The word
then slowly developed into a term for moral impurity as well.
Yet notice
also that this "filthiness" Paul applies to both the body (the
"flesh") and the spirit!
Fleshly
sins are abundantly apparent. Lust and strong drink and
wild parties and all the rest!
But
"spiritual" filthiness ... what's that?
Maybe our
dirty hearts that spue forth all those words of gossip and
slander and hatred week after week!
Maybe our
jealous wills that grieve when anyone else prospers!
Maybe the
vile thoughts that scamper about in too many minds of so-called
saved people!
If we are
truly redeemed we had better get busy growing in
holiness!
"Perfecting" holiness means to "epiteleo" it! "Teleo"
means to reach the goal, to become mature, to be "fully
furnished" as a Believer! The prefix "epi" merely
intensifies the word ... with the added thought of "within"
being added! Maturing within one's very being!
And as a
present participle, the verb "perfecting" tells us this will be
a life-long process! Always striving to become more and
more holy!
Of course
we can't do this on our own!
Jesus IS
our holiness!
1st
Corinthians 1:30 thunders forth: "But
of him are ye in Christ
Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness,
and sanctification, and redemption."
Glory!
We are to
appropriate and internalize and live off the very Person of
Jesus, the Holy One of God!
And this
striving for holiness will only be done in one atmosphere!
It will exclusively be done within the parameter of the
"FEAR OF THE LORD!" A
reverent respect for the things of Heaven and of the Word and of
the Saviour!
One will
not hunger for holiness in the atmosphere of Hollywood or Las
Vegas or San Francisco or New York or Atlanta. Only in the
"Fear of the Lord" will holiness prosper!
Listen to
Jesus in Matthew 5:6 --- "Blessed are
they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for
they shall be filled."
It is so!
Preachers,
I thought you might enjoy this little Bible thought from 2
Corinthians 7 as you prepare for tomorrow's messages.
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
SATURDAY, OCTOBER
30, 2004 ... A SERMON ON THE "FACE" OF JESUS:
I came
across the old Book in a Bibliography (That's a book that lists
other books!) My Bibliography lists over 5,000 titles about our
precious Lord! Many are long out of print now, but some of
them our local "inter-library loan" librarian has been able to
find!
One such
Title is "The Face of Our Lord." It is written by a
preacher named Paul Rees. It was first published in 1951
by Eerdmans Publishers.
This Pastor
simply went through the New Testament and looked for verses that
mentioned the Face of Jesus!
I thought I
would at least share his main points with you today!
THE DREADFUL FACE! For this
thought the preacher used 1st Peter 3:12 which says:
"The face of the Lord is against them that do evil."
THE DAUNTLESS FACE! Here he
referred to Luke statement about Jesus:
"And it came to pass, when the time was
come that he should be received up,
he stedfastly set his face to
go to Jerusalem." Luke 9:51
THE DAZZLING FACE!
Matthew 17:2 ---
"And (Jesus) was transfigured before them:
and his face did shine
as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light."
THE DUTIFUL FACE! Here Jesus
is in Gethsemane. "And he went a
little further, and fell
on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be
possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will,
but as thou wilt."
THE DESPISED FACE! This is
near the time of His crucifixion.
"Then did they spit in
his face, and buffeted him; and others smote him
with the palms of their hands." Matthew 26:67
AND ...
THE DIVINE FACE! Paul
mentions this in 2 Corinthians 4:6.
"For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath
shined in our hearts, to give
the light of the
knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."
They say
you can tell a lot by looking into a face! It is indeed
true in this case!
I think
those thoughts might make a good skeleton on which one could
hang a lot of spiritual "meat" to feed God's people!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
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