Category: Bible Study

For May 20, 2019
In the beginning, as God was completing His Creation of the Heaven and the earth, He created man and woman and placed them in the Garden of Eden. But before performing His crowning achievement, God said:

Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth (Genesis 1:26).

Yet in the grander scale, we humans are separate and distinct from—special from all other created beings just as God is special and unique; separated from all others. When He breathed in us “the breath of life,” He purposely and deliberately imparted this distinction within us giving us an eternal human spirit (Genesis 2:7).

Genesis 2:15 states the Lord placed Adam in the Garden of Eden to manage and cultivate it. Ours is a solemn stewardship because we have dominion over the land, air, and aquatic creatures and the responsibility to cultivate vegetation, minerals, and water for its proper use and our benefit.

Colossians 1:16-17 tells how the Lord created all things, including us. But, we humans are His greatest creation; greater than Mount Everest, the Grand Canyon, Aurora Borealis, Victoria Falls, Table Mountain, the Barrier Reef, the Amazon rainforest, the magnificent Redwoods, and the sun, moon, and stars combined—in God’s eyes.

It is the Enemy’s job to confuse and distort God’s perfect plan by telling us we are flawed and worthless. He has convinced many of us that we “won’t amount to anything.” As result, many of us believe we will be “nothing but failures” in this life. However, these are lies because God created us differently, much like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle; when assembled they create a beautiful portrait of His love, redemption, and glory.

The Psalmist declares God designed us with glory and honor with all things under our feet (Psalm 8:5). Truly, God has given us an amazing pedigree that is up to us to accept. However, we must never let our pride and sense of self-importance deceive us into thinking or feeling we are God ourselves. He is the Creator, and we are the created. Psalm 36:6 tells us God preserves the earth and all that is in it.

Unlike any other created being, we can choose to live a noble life that reflects our Creator’s dignity to affect eternal changes in our lives and others around us. Thus, we should never consider ourselves as mistakes or afterthoughts.

We are special and unique persons who fulfill His perfect, eternal design for the universe. In other words, God created you and I, with all our complexity, to function according to His design: to bring Him honor, not the Enemy.

God’s marvelous creation provides us with the undeniable evidence of His existence and loving care. The Psalmist observes the heavens declare His glory, and the skies above are the visual displays of His awesome craftsmanship (Psalm 19:1). Because of the undeniable witness of His creation, those who brazenly and defiantly scoff at His existence have no excuse on the day when they will account for “every idle word” (Matthew 12:36).

Yet, made in His image also means we can choose where we will spend our eternity; whether in Heaven with the Lord or in Hell separated from Him. Jesus describes Hell as a place where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth; where the tormenting worms never die and the raging fire is never quenched (see: Matthew 13:42, and Mark 9:48).

I believe the “weeping and gnashing of teeth” will be a self-imposed human torment to some degree. Because unfortunately, Hell is the place where atheism and agnosticism will no longer exist because everyone there will instantly become “believers” in God’s existence and His redeeming love and grace freely extended to everyone through Jesus Christ. But they will spend eternity regretting not taking advantage of it—when they were alive and had the opportunity.

Our minds control our cognitive and anatomical functions. We should use them for proper thoughts, feelings, perceptions, and memories. Isaiah 26:3-4 (NLT) is clear about what happens to those whose thoughts and minds are properly fixed on the Lord:

You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! Trust in the Lord always, for the Lord God is the eternal Rock.

We also read in Philippians 4:8 (NLT):

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

We are to use our bodies as examples of God’s love and goodness in the world and never as the Enemy’s weapons for death and destruction. We are God’s crowning achievements of creation and salvation. We are to live out—to the best of our ability—the noble plan He has designed for each of us.

For March 13, 2019
Some of those who heard the Lord Jesus Christ proclaim the Beatitudes had been disappointed. For it was ancient Palestine around the beginning of the last millennium.  Although Rome was the world power, there were rumors of a promised Messiah who would establish His eternal Kingdom with Jerusalem at its center. But there was yet no Messiah—and no new kingdom emerging—or so they thought.

There were many recognized leaders of the day. One in particular, Jesus of Nazareth, gathered a significant following of anxious people who heard Him promise the following:

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. Matthew 5:3-12 (KJV)

Those who were disgruntled and disappointed by these words, expected Jesus tell how He was going to subdue the Romans and establish an earthly kingdom.

Unfortunately, many are still unmoved by His message today because they fail to realize that our Lord’s reign is invisible now (as He reigns in the hearts of His subjects), but it shall be visible later—when He returns!

Thanks be to God for those who heard the Lord’s piercing words and were spiritually transformed by them—as many of us have been today. They, like us, understand and embrace His eight fundamental blessings of Kingdom Citizenship:

• • The “poor in spirit” or those who turn from their pride and humbly seek the Lord Jesus Christ for their reconciliation to God are given eternal access to the Kingdom of Heaven.

• • Those who are truly penitent, who “mourn” over their helplessness (as sinners in need of a Savior) shall find the Lord to be the only means of true and lasting comfort.

• • Those who are the “meek,” who emulate Christ’s selflessness (especially when facing opposition; knowing that vengeance is the Lord’s, and He will vindicate) shall inherit the earth.

• • The Lord Himself shall completely satisfy the cravings of those who “hunger and thirst for God’s righteousness” in their lives, families, churches, communities, and world.

• • Mercy begets mercy. Those who graciously extend mercy to others are assured to receive God’s mercy and grace. Here, we can be merciful because the Lord has been merciful to us.

• • Those who demonstrate sincere desires and motives, who consistently show they have hearts that are pure (no malevolence or duplicity). These people shall see God face to face.

• • The Children of God always seek to preserve peace by living in harmony with others. This is because Jesus, the Prince of Peace lives inside them in the person of the Holy Spirit, who performs the Lord’s perfect peace through them as His “peace makers.”

• • Ill-treatment is a common plight to all humans. But those who inherit the Kingdom of Heaven having been “persecuted for righteousness sake” share an experience comparable to that of the ancient prophets. So when we face rejection, criticism, or isolation because of our Christian testimony, we can rejoice and be exceedingly glad because our reward in Heaven is great!

As Christians, we are the subjects of the Lord’s universal, yet invisible Kingdom where Jesus Christ reigns as both Savior and Lord. As such, we are the living proof of His marvelous plan of redemption. Thus, our faith in Christ and labors for His Kingdom’s benefit are never futile or wasted.

We are the joint heirs in whom the Lord has entrusted the New Birth. This priceless heirloom, which we acquire by faith in Christ alone and share in common, confirms our identity as His followers, allows us to live morally responsible and spiritually astute, and enhances and preserves a civil, global society both now and forever. What a wonderful Savior!

For February 13, 2019
Chapter nine of Mark’s gospel narrative has fascinated me over the years. It contains two heart-wrenching stories that evoke poignant visual images that yet resonate with me.

First is the account of the man who asked Jesus to heal his son, whose violent seizures and muted condition threatened his life. When the man asked the Lord to heal his son, the Lord told him that faith would make it possible.

Instantly, the man was overcome with tremendous fear and anxiety because he realized if healing was to occur, he could no longer trust his senses. Instead, he had to rely upon a spiritual reality that could not be proven scientifically or explained logically. This was a state of being totally unfamiliar to him at that moment.

In other words, the man had to put his faith in what he could not see, feel, touch, taste, or smell. But like any loving parent, he wanted his child restored to perfect health. In tearful reverence, he cries, “Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.” (Mark 9:24 KJV) That day Jesus healed the son’s body…and the father’s faith.

The second story contains some striking visual images concerning the destructive outcome of sin. Here Jesus teaches:

If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched—where ‘Their worm does not die And the fire is not quenched.’

And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame, rather than having two feet, to be cast into hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched—where ‘Their worm does not die And the fire is not quenched.’

And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire—where ‘Their worm does not die And the fire is not quenched.’ (Mark 9:43-48 NKJV)

Jesus is not advocating self-mutilation. He is teaching that sin is a natural consequence of our fallen condition, which produces a lifestyle of self-gratification, rebellion, and death.

As Ephesians 2:1-3 describes, we are content to boldly and shamelessly live out our sinful practices ¹; serving our master, the Devil as we follow the lustful yearnings of our sin-tarnished nature. In this condition, and by default, we are subject to God’s wrath—forever.

Jesus cites Isaiah 66:24 in His warning of an actual place called Hell. He uses the word gehenna, (or the Valley of Hinnom); located just outside Jerusalem where the wicked ruler, King Ahaz sacrificed his son in the fiery worship ritual to the pagan god Moloch some seven-hundred years earlier.² This heinous act was prohibited and condemned by Leviticus 18:21.

Although this valley was used as trash heap during the time of Christ, this graphic metaphor presents a somber warning to those who continue to reject God and practice sin.

Because whether the term is Gehenna as used here, the Lake of Fire (Revelation 19:20, or the Second Death (Revelation 20:14), the outcome is the same: eternal separation from God is the final state of all those who practice sin, and there will be “weeping and gnashing of teeth” forever. (Matthew 22:13)

Although the warning here is most serious, Jesus provides comfort as well. We can have the power to resist sin’s dominance—if we turn to Him completely. Because He was victorious over sin, He supplies us with the power to resist whatever is causing us to sin (as if it were “cut off”).

Thank God for His patience. He is not willing that we should perish; but that we come to repentance as 2 Peter 3:9 promises. As Romans 5:8 assures us, God demonstrated His wonderful, all-encompassing love for us in this single defining moment in human history:

While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us!

The Lord performed on our behalf what we were unwilling and incapable of doing ourselves. He paid the price of sin by His death on the cross. As a result, the power of sin and Satan, the cares of this world, and our own inadequate strength no longer debilitate us as we operate under His unfaltering might.

We grow to be more like Christ and honor him in everything we say, think, and do. Our new Spirit-driven life is born out of a sincere faith that transforms us while providing us with the clean hands and pure hearts that God requires.

Are we perfect? Absolutely not—but He is!

The Lord provides us with the spiritual strength we need to live nobly for Him daily as holy, acceptable, living sacrifices. Thus, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ; who walk not in the flesh, but in His Spirit. ³

We can represent Him in a manner that reflects His noble character. Like airplanes on a runway before takeoff, we will not achieve flight without our Eternal Pilot at the controls. With humble, reverent, and sincere faith in Christ, we are assured to reach our glorious final destination—eternal life—safely. What a wonderful Savior!

 

 

For September 24, 2018
While reading Leviticus 20:26 (NLT): “You must be holy because I, the Lord, am holy. I have set you apart from all other people to be my very own,” I was reminded of the Lord’s command to: “But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect,” (Matthew 5:48 NLT).

Some challenge the idea of “holy” Christian living by offering examples of high profile moral failures as proof that it can’t be done. Others, who argue from the position of innate human frailty, will offer the “nobody’s perfect” excuse as proof.

However, both of these arguments fail to consider that these commands were spoken by an all-knowing, eternal God and an all-powerful, risen Savior who expects our obedience, weather we choose to accept the validity of the commands or not.

God created us and He knows us better than we know ourselves. He loves us so deeply that He personally ensures our victory over sin by providing all the spiritual resources we need to live morally and spiritually Christ-like as we face the day-to-day growth opportunities that test our faith and our Christian walk.

Our Spirit-driven life is a byproduct of our sincere faith in Christ alone. It transforms us from the inside out while making us pleasing to God–despite our human frailty. In addition, His Spirit within us helps us crave more of His power to be manifested in our lives each day.

Thus, our perfect God provides us with all the spiritual resources we need to “conform to the very image of Christ” so when we see Him, “we shall be like Him” (Romans 8:29, 1 John 3:2).

What an awesome privilege and tremendous responsibility; not only do we carry our Lord’s name as Christians, we also disclose Him to others through our Christ-centered thoughts, words and actions.

As we prepare for the growth opportunities we inevitably will face, let us not forget that God calls us to be His holy people. And as such, we are designed to share the morally and spiritually impeccable life of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in ways that will not only transform others and us, but will bring Him glory as well.

We can do it.