The Gospel

Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the GOSPEL which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. 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:

[Paul, writing to Christians @ Corinth, 1 Cor. 15:1-4]

Monday, May 28, 2012

Luke 24:44

Title:  Written about me

How many times have we come home to the Book?

We have to live in the Law, the Prophets, the Psalms, the Poetry, the History, the Gospels, the Parables, the Miracles, from beginning to end the Word of God.

We have to dwell there many, many times, and there drink of the water of life, be nourished by the living bread, and bathe in the light of truth.

We have to settle there many, many times.  We have to play there as youngsters, study there, build a career there, start a family, raise our children there, there grow old in grace and eventually go the way of all the earth.

Matthew 22:38


Title:  The greatest commandment


We cannot be selective when it comes to the commandments.  We cannot choose which to obey and which to ignore.

The summary of the commandments requires us to consider the law of God as the singular test of our love for the Lord.  These are interconnected, as having one advocacy in the character of God, and whose likeness the entirety of the law mirrors on those who are obedient to it.

Friday, May 25, 2012

Good Works Are Not Essential In Inheriting Eternal Life

The whole perception of salvation as represented in the Scriptures lies in the fact that man has sinned (a condition which is irreversible by human effort), and he has to be cleansed of that sin in order to receive eternal life with God.  Clearly the Bible reveals that the solution to sin (who is God Himself, and only through His initiative) is the death of a perfect sacrifice, and the perfect sacrifice must resurrect himself.  Indeed unless these conditions are met, there would be no forgiveness of sin, and, subsequently, no hope to eternal life in the presence of God.

Notwithstanding, good works remain as the fruit and evidence of salvation.



The problem:  SIN

Gen 3:1-7
1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?"
2 The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,
3 but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.'"
4 "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. 5 "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.
7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

Rom 3:19
Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God.

Rom 3:23
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,



The solution to sin: 

         
1]  The Perfect Sacrifice [the life of Jesus]

Gen 3:21
The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.

Lev 5:17-18
17 "If a person sins and does what is forbidden in any of the LORD's commands, even though he does not know it, he is guilty and will be held responsible.
18 He is to bring to the priest as a guilt offering a ram from the flock, one without defect and of the proper value. In this way the priest will make atonement for him for the wrong he has committed unintentionally, and he will be forgiven.

2 Cor 5:21
God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Heb 7:25-26
25 Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.
26 Such a high priest meets our need-one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens.

1 Peter 1:18-19
18 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.


2]  The Death of the Perfect Sacrifice  [the death of Jesus]

1 Cor 15:3-4
3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,

Heb 9:22
In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

1 Peter 1:18-19
18 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.

3] The Perfect Sacrifice Must Resurrect Himself  [the resurrection of Jesus]

John 2:19-21
19 Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days."
20 The Jews replied, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?"
21 But the temple he had spoken of was his body.

1 Cor 15:14-17
14 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.
15 More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised.
16 For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Philippians 1:21

Title: To live is Christ and to die is gain 

The glory of the next life makes the present life worth living. This gives us all the reason to act as pilgrims on this earth and build our temporary tenure here around the value of our faith, which is a life that reflects the testimony of the Lord Jesus, and to contribute to the growth of the body of believers. For all that it is worth life has no value unless it is a showcase of a profound yearning and expectation for eternity.




Monday, May 21, 2012

2 Timothy 1:10


Title:  Destroyed death


Death is the last dreadful enemy of mankind and it is to be confronted with the grace that was given us in the Lord Jesus, the Christ.

It is the last adversary, but to a child of God it has lost its power to usher in to a hopeless eternity; its destruction is with finality and has resulted in holiness and the incorruptibility of eternal life shining abroad in our hearts.

James 1:5

Title:  If any of you lacks wisdom

We need wisdom whenever we face trials of many kinds; and our wisdom will certainly fail to show us the joyful end to each testing, so it is imperative to ask God who will grant it generously to those who ask for it.

Wisdom from the Lord doesn’t dampen the severity of trials or even turn them into joyful occasions; wisdom allows us to see the benefits of the ordeal despite its harshness: that of our purification and strengthening and growth, not to mention the testimony of our perseverance to others.

Saturday, May 19, 2012

2 Timothy 1:10


Title:  Through the gospel


Through belief in the life, death, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus as the only payment for the penalty of sin, holiness is received; life as God has it is imputed to the saint as his highest and best possession.

Therefore the Christian must be a channel of this revelation of life incorruptible, with all the glory and honour that come with it.

And yet the calling for us to live righteous lives even by the power of God can only be achieved by much suffering, and in such condition reach out to a lost and broken world.

Thursday, May 17, 2012

1 Corinthians 3:21

Title:  No more boasting about men!

If well-known religious figures today knew they would surely be crucified upside-down, beheaded, sawn in half, tortured on the rack, disemboweled, burned at the stake, strangled and then quartered for their prominence as preachers of the gospel, how many would pursue after applause and public prominence?

With the sophistication the church has imposed on itself, I daresay that such a gruesome prospect of a tortured death was never even considered as part of pastoral discipline.

The apostles did not go through such painful and shameful ends so we might enjoy comfortable Christianity.  They suffered as models for us to follow, and we will.

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Genesis 3:5


Title:  Knowing good and evil


God alone determines what is good or evil.

Man, even in the purity of paradise, had no inclination to sinlessness but by the restrictions imposed on him by the Creator.  Left alone, man will almost always choose evil.

The standard of righteousness has always been God, the Lord Jesus while he was on earth, the Scriptures through the Holy Spirit.

All the good that we know is tainted with evil, but a time will come when we will know only good because we know that when the Lord Jesus appears we shall be like him.

Monday, May 14, 2012

James 1:2


Title:  Consider it pure joy                      
             
Christians can consider it pure delight when faced with adversity that breaks the calm and tranquility in life because of what we know trials can bring about in burning away the dross in our character.

And what do we know?  We know that we and our faith are being refined.  We know that we’ve had to suffer for but a short while.  We know that all things work together for good to those who love God.  We know that nothing can separate us from the love of God in the Lord Jesus.  We know our eternal destiny.

What we know about God’s love for his children far outweigh what we don’t know about trials and tribulations.

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Ezekiel 20:12


Title:  A sign between us


The major element in specific signs that bind the people to their God is their obedience to his commands.

Worship becomes an empty ritual, offerings become abhorrent to the Lord, and ordinances become a burden if we are not bent on obeying the decrees of God in following in the footsteps of the Lord Jesus with the Holy Spirit standing next to us.

Signs are mere vehicles of obedience.

Psalm 139:13

Title:  In my mother’s womb
                
The child in the mother’s womb is not part of her body; if it were the birth of the baby would have dire effects to her body, not unlike the consequences of removing her liver.  In fact, the baby even manufactures his/her own blood, usually taking after the father.

Food and shelter are the only contribution of the mother to the baby in her womb;

and love, if she is not planning to murder her child.

Friday, May 11, 2012

Galatians 6:10


Title:  As we have the opportunity

One of the concerns a Christian should pray for is the opportunity to do good.  He has to seek it as if hunting for a precious treasure that would some day yield for him a harvest of all good things and yet still more opportunity to do good.

Matthew 24:25


Title:  I have told you ahead of time


Christians have not exploited their advantage of knowing what will come to pass in the future, in order for them to prepare for the coming deception and upheaval that will sweep throughout the world and test those who live on the earth.

Had we taken the warnings of the Lord Jesus seriously, we would not find the church in the sad state it is in now.  The church has lost its bearings and its identity for the more placid environment of social relevance and acceptance.  We act as if everything will go on as it has been since the beginning of creation.  We act like the scoffers of old.

This must not be so.  We know better than the world.  A storm is on the horizon.  The time is short.  The Lord Jesus is at the door.

Thursday, May 10, 2012

2 Timothy 2:9


Title:  God’s word is not chained


Nothing should stop us from proclaiming the gospel.

In all of life’s situations the message of salvation by grace remains alive and well.  Let us not pull it down because we are in need materially, or we are destitute or sick or dying; instead we must allow it to lift us up from the troubles of life by announcing it to a lost and broken world.

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

2 Timothy 2:4

Title:  Civilian affairs

A minister of the gospel who enters politics lacks personal insight, or worse has not been given discernment by the Lord as to the value of the God who called; the calling, which was before the foundation of the world and is irrevocable, the source of his wages, the urgency of the gospel message, the lateness of the times, etc.

From the dawn of history through the modern era, every generation has been witness to the utter failure of politics/governments to change the world for the better.

This world is doomed!  It cannot be changed, let alone be saved from destruction by the mighty hand of God.

The only thing left for us to do now is to preach the gospel through the body of the Lord Jesus, the church, so those who had been chosen might hear and be saved.


Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Philippians 3:19


Title:  On earthly things


Can we really judge a person whether he’s a Christian or not?  Most definitely!

An unbeliever’s though patterns, the longings of his heart, his determination of what is worthwhile and relevant, the quality of his appetite and pleasures, the basis of his decisions, the sensitivity of his conscience, and the purpose of his life in general are all deeply anchored to earth.

He may be sitting next to you in the church pew, or your neighbor might be sitting next to one.

Mark 5:26

Title:  Doctors

One major facet we have to consider in wanting to prolong life is the purpose it would serve.  What is life if not for the service of the Lord?  Are we trying to extend life in order to continue serving God?  If we desire to continue on living for dread of death and the unknown, and in order to enjoy life’s pleasures aren’t we better off dead?

Be sure you are serving God, so there would be legitimate reason for healing and extension of life if it is God’s will.

Psalm 95:6


Title:  Worship


Worship is for God’s entertainment, and every person in the congregation is a performer.

The church meets in a place of worship every first day of the week to perform for God, never to just comfortably sit back as if watching the greatest show on earth, never to merely enjoy a performance of songs and talks delivered in theological jargon, for our enjoyment is in the presence of the Lord and not on what’s transpiring onstage.

A believer also is there to reflect the Lord’s glory, and he cannot hope to be lost in the number of the flock, unnoticed from the opening prayer to the closing hymn because God sees only one soul in that auditorium: his!

Sunday, May 6, 2012

Psalm 10:4

Title:  There is no room for God

There is room for God in every heart, but we would rather fill it up with garbage and irrelevant, irreverent, blasphemous articles that rob God of his proper place and time in our lives.

God wants that nook at the center of our being and, seriously, we need him there.

But we have allowed ourselves to be deceived into believing that we have to enjoy life to the hilt.  Furthermore, we have also convinced our conscience that “God will understand; no one is perfect.”

Life is too short not to allow God to take hold of our lives. Indeed a lifetime is not long enough to even commence paying our debt of gratitude to him.

2 Corinthians 4:1


Text:  Through God’s mercy


The ministry is not our own.  No one can say with pride that he deserves to be in the Lord’s service.

The sooner we recognize that the ministry of the new covenant was a gift and we had  not been entrusted with them because we were worthy or indispensable, the better it would be for us since those who had been called as  servants of the Lord will have to face hardship and persecution, and there would be no one from whom to draw out strength in order for us to persevere in times of oppressive trials, because God will not provide it to those who treat the ministry as their own rightful portion in the Lord’s vineyard.

Saturday, May 5, 2012

Job 38:4


Title:  Where were you?

We speculate on things we don’t understand, we theorize, we formulate equations and draw graphs and charts; and sure enough we grow vain in our own conceit.

Man was created to obey God, not to force answers out of him, for obedience brings pure joy and initiates true worship.  God has revealed to us every knowledge and wisdom that exalts his Son, that through him our iniquities might be taken away.

We must be satisfied with what we understand and respond to them in obedience to the God who knows what we don’t.

To question God is tantamount to giving him advice.  This must not be so for at the end of the matter we would be proven ignorant and we would have to cover our mouths with our hands.

Note:  Covering of mouth is acknowledgment of defeat

Acts 11:16


Title:  Christians


What advantage in this life is there in being a Christian?  One can readily be identified: the presence of God in their lives.

This attendance through the Holy Spirit is the power by which all the circumstances in a believer’s life (sufficiency, want, joy, sorrow, good health, sickness, victories, persecutions, defeats, sufferings, etc.) are harnessed to achieve that which is good: the transformation of the believer to the likeness of his Son.

Genesis 2:7


Title:  The Lord God formed the man


The first time Adam opened his eyes, the first countenance he saw was that of God’s, and he worshipped him.


To worship God is to seek his face.  On a greater scale it involves taking care of the garden/creation, obeying God’s laws, honoring marriage and nurturing the family, meeting with God and enjoying his presence from day to day.

In worship we reflect God’s image, so only those who are worthy, made worthy by the death of the Lamb of God are called before his presence to look at his face as Adam did.

Friday, May 4, 2012

2 Kings 13:14


Title:  Now Elisha was suffering from the illness from which he died



Christianity promises no immunity from afflictions common to man.  What God promises through Jesus, the Christ, is eternal life.  A Christian, therefore, will never die.  Do we really believe this blessed truth?

We are the soul and not the body.  We dwell in a tent that is wasting away and groaning with all creation, waiting eagerly for the renewal of all things.

As a result we must conduct ourselves as possessing immortality, in every situation, whatever happens, but with all humility because suffering is a privilege, a gift given only to the Christian on behalf of the Lord Jesus, and as a testimony to our worthiness to share in his glory. 

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

1 Peter 1:1

Title:  Strangers in the world



Christians are aliens on earth and to its philosophies because they had been bought from the slave market of the world; purchased by the life, death, and resurrection of the Son of God.

Of what value would this sacrifice of precious life appear to unbelievers if we cannot be identified as following in the footsteps of the Lord Jesus?  By conforming to the standards and excesses of a hedonistic society, and having a lukewarm stance against the godless ways of the present social order (abortion, homosexuality, same-sex unions, divorce, etc.) we would come out of the fray between good and evil looking and sounding no better than infidels in their abhorrence of the blood of the Lord Jesus.

And we would be no less guilty of treason and blasphemy.