Presently we exist somewhere between the two. As the light is unto darkness, such is the existence, of good and evil!
The condition or lets say the decorations of these places is significant as to our present time and place!
How we influence this matter, must be understood. Without the proper influence one of two conditions will develop.
Good will overcome evil! If not, evil shall overcome good! There is no in between.
Laying out these parameters requires a format conditional on truth. Any science cannot be proven without it , anyone or anything outside of these things is only deception and false =a truth outside of reality.
Artificial intelligence, knows nothing of these things, because it has no heart to receive ,nor has the ability to see things we see and understand.
It is when we are influenced to think differently outside the Holy Spirit, things become unclear, and we are deceived.
It is the Holy Spirit that leads guides and directs. It is the Spirit that reveals all things. It is the reason that Jesus Christ came and died! Christ's spirit fills all things without our cooperation, it moves us, it can create the conditions necessary to sustain life! It knows all things.
Heaven and hell are real. If you are in the Spirit, than you will know all things even as Christ said, the enemies who are outside the Spirit, may be those of your own household. Even as Paul has written "we see through a glass darkly. but yet face to face".
Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil, and cleave to that which is good. ( Notice the word cleave).
The Lord was in now way obligated to answer their question in their time frame or indeed fall into the trap.
For He as everyone else knew full well that under the Law of Moses and by that God anyone caught in adultery should be stoned to death if found guilty .
But He had publicly stated that " He came not to condemn the world but that the world through Him might be saved .
He had no need to condemn the world for the world is condemned already and by the Law of God all are guilty under the law and condemned .Romans.
As if He had not heard them he bent down and wrote with His finger in the ground.
There are as far as I know only 5 times in s rupture when we read about " the finger of God"
1) In the book of exodus .when the magicians of Egypt having duplicated the first two or three works of God , could not duplicate the next work of God . For God " went a little further" and they were forced to confess " this is the finger of God ,we can't do this..
2) Belthazaars feast . Who in Babylon held a great feast and well into the party ordered the vessels of God taken from the tempo in Jerusalem and with them praised his gods of gold and silver . And a hand appeared over against the wall write in the plaster his doom .
3) It was the finger of Gods hand that wrote the 10 commandments in the two tablets of stone on mount Sinai .
4) " If I by the finger of God do cast out devils ,know ye that the kingdom of God has come nigh unto you " said Jesus .
While it might seem this quite remarkable account starts in John 1:1 we should not be bound by the chapter and verse of scriptures which while useful for reference and ease cannot always give a true picture .
For the context of the last verse of John 7." Every man went to his own house" Quite legitimately it has to be said but "Jesus went up to the mount of olives " Sacrificial praying .
There are times and perhaps these days are some of them when needs must ,the people of God need to forsake their beds or legitimate times of rest and seek Gods face and spend time in communion with " Our Father ,who art in heaven "
We then find the Lord early in the morning in the temple teaching .
It is the more likely that the devout and those who " hunger after righteousness" avoiding the clamour of the day that are to be found in the Temple early .and "all the people came unto Him and He sat down and taught them "
Any school teacher or professor knows that to get anything done you need a relaxed but concentrated atmosphere if you want to teach anything with students with receptive minds .
The bare bones of what came next as recorded are of the Pharisees and Sadducee's bringing with them a woman ,saying this woman was caught in the very act of adultery . Moses said she should be stoned to death ,what say you?
If you wish to enter a place where someone is preaching or in public prayer ,you should not just walk into the room much less noisily , but should wait patiently till there is a break or moment when if done quietly you can discretely join the meeting .
It would not be twisting the scriptures nor bending the truth to say that these did no such thing but rather would have ' barged' into that situation without a by or leave and interrupted whatever at that point had been going on .
Set the woman in the midst and demanded ' politely ' an answer to their question.
i was jus curious.. and im not a "diehard atheist" i wouldn't be on a kjv bible website if i was. but if u may what month was jesus born or even the date, since you know everything.
in 9:2, Jesus sends them out to "preach the kingdom of God"
in 9:21, Jesus "commanded them to tell no man that thing"
My question is, what are they preaching in 9:2? It doesn't seem like he sent them out to proclaim Jesus as the Messiah or Christ, because that's apparently a secret at that time - so what was their message?
Please forgive me if I appear to be argumentative , I can assure you that's not my intention . I must say how I feel though . Firstly , with all respect , it's not often possible to discern some ones motive for posting and I think it's folly to try to do so . I don't believe that we know anyone's heart or mind fully . Secondly , the truth often makes uncomfortable reading , but if it is the truth it must not be ignored or covered up . We , as humans , should be aware as much as possible , of the great mistakes wrought by governments , countries , cultures and individuals . It's only by being aware of our mistakes that we can hope to learn from them and not repeat them . History must not be erased or rewritten because it's uncomfortable , our children and children's children must be aware of our mistakes , no matter how hideous and shameful they are , so they can learn from them and not repeat them . This is the whole point of free speech . It's one of the cornerstones of democracy and must be upheld .
For a Christian, when we are born again our flesh dies. " Our natural independency or self reliance." for lack of a better description.
We have nothing credible to offer God of ourselves to present anything righteous.
Romans 8:2-10.
FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT.
Right away we see a contrast of the two in the term alone.
Romans 8:11-13.
Fruit is attached to a branch and that branch is attached to a vine! The vine gives it life. That life saved and sanctified us. ( Not just Positionally but transitionally.) It changed us! John 15:1-5.
Romans 8:11-13.
Work/efforts of the flesh is dead works unattached and no ability to produce anything that pleases God.
John 15:5. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for WITHOUT ME YE CAN DO NOTHING.
Dr. J. Vernon McGee, gives us some practical help in our choices that transform our character.
So what is the fruit of walking with God? Let's go straight to the orchard and examine the fruit that is in the life of the believer.
Jesus said, "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing." - John 15:4, 5
If you were not raised in the country, you may not know that in every fruit orchard, there is always something else that tries to overcome the fruit. In nature, slugs and bugs and stinkweeds all attempt to crowd out the fruit. And in the life of the believer, there are always things that will attempt to crowd out the fruit of the Spirit. In other words, it's quite possible that the weeds grow and the fruit will not be produced. Paul spoke of that very thing in Galatians 5:17.
The flesh wants to have its way and is actually in competition against the Holy Spirit. So there is a danger of producing something besides fruit. And that which the flesh produces is not something that God can use; it's not fruit at all.
Paul himself experienced that struggle and described it in Romans 7:15:
For what I am doing [the new man wanted to produce fruit], I do not understand [the old nature would not do it].
You can be a child of God and be producing works of the flesh in your life, and if you are, you are not living by the Spirit of God. And I can tell you, if the works of the flesh are appearing in your life, you are a discontented and troublemaking child of God.
Paul was speaking to believers when he said:
Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Galatians 6:7-9.
I personally believe that's a law of God, just like the law of gravity. If a farmer sows corn, you can be sure that he'll reap corn. If he sows wheat, he'll reap wheat. My friend, as a believer, if you are sowing to the flesh, you "will of the flesh reap corruption." There is no way around it.
Now, the child of God does not have to produce these things. We can produce the fruit of the Spirit. God has another principle:
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. - Galatians 5:22, 23
You can't produce these fruit by following the Law; in fact, there is not one of these lovely fruits that you can produce on your own. We are totally incapable; it can only be produced by the Holy Spirit. "For the fruit of the Spirit," Paul says in Ephesians 5:9, "is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth." You can know whether you are living by the flesh or living in the power, in the fullness, of the Holy Spirit by seeing if He is producing these fruits in your life.
"When I lived on the east coast in my younger years, there was a beautiful big maple tree in our backyard that would keep its leaves through the winter. The leaves were dead, but they still hung on to the branches. In the spring when the sap flowed, the new buds would finally push off the dead leaves. That's what happens when the Spirit of God grows His life in us-He pushes the old habits out of our lives as our new life in Christ grows stronger. Rather than try to pick off all the dead leaves and try to grow new leaves ourselves, we need to focus instead on cultivating our relationship with God and let the Holy Spirit deal with all the dead leaves." -J. Vernon McGee
Acts 6:8 And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people.
Acts 7:55 But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,
As you said Brother Jesse "Under the influence of God's Spirit, it is fascinating how people can function in various situations.
Apart from God's spirit we would be on the other side of the stoning.
Acts 6:8 and throughout ch 7 you see a God's spirit filled vessel emphasized in the power of Stephen.
And in Daniel 4:1-37 you see the humbling record of King Nebuchadnezzar by the Lord.
NOTICE THE DECREE;
"Let his heart be changed from man's, and let a beast's heart be given unto him; and let seven times pass over him. Daniel 4:16.
NEBUCHADNEZZAR'S RESPONSE;
"The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty? Daniel 4:30.
THE HUMBLING BY THE LORD!
While the word was in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee.
And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field: they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will. Daniel 4:31-32.
THE RESULTS OF THE HUMBLING;
"Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase. Daniel 4:37.
The Holyspirit is powerful, mysterious, and always active in diverse ways.
There are parallel verses that seem to correspond with several verses here. We are reminded of the hypocrisy of the Pharisees in verse 4 when they tried to ask Christ questions to trap him
( Matthew 22:15). They called Him "good teacher" and said that He was a man of integrity as their pretext for showing respect before they asked Him about paying taxes. This could also be seen on other occasions as well.
The mention of vanity is repeated in Ecclesiastes that Solomon wrote some time later. (verse 9).
Finally; we see the warning about not setting one's heart on riches in verse 10; which is something that Solomon ignored; again as one of the themes in Ecclesiastes.
Verses 2; 6 and 7 all mention salvation and God being a rock. Surely; Christ is the Rock of our salvation as well. In this case; we could say that salvation could mean spiritually and physically being saved from David's many calamities. The theme of a refuge is seen more than once in the Psalm as well. This can perhaps be our mental solace despite outside circumstances that would otherwise overwhelm us.
Finally verse 3 reminds us of Jericho; and how the wall collapsed on the city (apparently archaelogical evidenced suggests that it fell inward).
Solar Calendar versus Lunar and the Sabbath Day , Historiically and Modern, Jewish compared to Christian and the 3 major Feast days, please elaborate , is it on Saturday or Sunday, understanding that Jesus is our Sabbath and each day in Him!
alex1939...Interesting Dante...Lemme give ya my slant on these 2 trees...One is the written word the bible the mana that is good for bread that we may eat all we want...As there a zillion Churches on every corner...But Jesus said your fathers ate of that bread from heaven and are all dead..This Tree of knowledge answers to the tree of Knowledge that New Covenant that cannot be eaten till the book is opened that Jesus wrote with his own blood...I will KNOW them ALL from the least to the greatest and their sins and iniquities will i remember no more..Thats the New Covenant that answers to Jeremiah 31 :34...That Book that he wrote with his own blood...As Isaiah said this KNOWLEGE IS GONNA COVER THE EARTH AS THE WATERS COVER THE SEAS...An intimacy with God that is gona result in the Children of the Kingdom...An thus a flood of his spirit which is the H.G. Our fruit unto God via that tree of Knowlege..Our new heart and new spirit...Thus no body cd eat of this tree of knowledge till Jesus shed his blood on calvary...Thats y he has to Know us a Spiritual knowledge...But we cd not partake of this knowledge that tree of Knowledge ETC
.....These 2 trees were in the midst of the Garden of God...But now under this New Covenant these 2 trees are planted in our hearts....As Jesus said the good ground is your hearts where that good seed will be sown...Thus under this NEW covenant the kingdom will be with in us...Which answers to that Tree of knowledge in the midst of our hearts that Garden of God...Thus we answer to Eve that is symbolic of the Church the bride...Bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh...And her Children are spirits the H.G. that is gona be as the stars of heaven in multitudes...as Jesus said...Unless ya receive the Kingdom of God as a lil Child you will in no wise enter there in..This tree of Knowledge is gona result in the Children of the Kingdom...As Jesus said the good seed are the Children of the Kingdom...Thus an Israel of God..From the Tree of Knowledge.
"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom." that is rooted and grows out of obedience. The first Adam was not obedient to God, but the last Adam was Phil. 2:8 and Rom. 5:19
When the first Adam disobeyed, sin entered with desire and imagination, and with that, man can create in his mind anything, and the imagination of man is evil as we see Gen 6:5Gen 8:21Jer. 11:8 we must Rom. 6:162 Cor. 10:3-5.
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any [of God's elect] should perish, but that all [of God's elect] should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless. And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;
Romans 2:1-6
Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things. But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things. And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God? Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; Who will render to every man according to his deeds:
Geneis 2:16: And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
Note, the Tree of Life is in the garden, and man may freely eat thereof.
GENESIS 2:17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
Thus, the Lord told ADAM he may not eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge, and in my understanding on that day ADAM would seal his fate with death. But, this was prior to the birth of Eve. The Tree of Life was not forbidden, and also in the Garden. If there were something preventing Adam from eating of that tree, it is not stated, at least at this point. Therefore it is up to individuals to speculate as to the reasons why Adam may not have eaten of the tree of life.
GENESIS 2:23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
GENESIS 2:24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
Perhaps, as Adam and Eve are "one", the rules of the Fruit of the tree of knowledge also apply to Eve. For the sake of my view, let us assume that Eve is also bound by the rule applied to Adam prior to her creation.
Genesis 3:3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
Importantly, while the only record of God's statement comes prior to God's assertation, Eve is aware of it and feels it applies to her as well.
Hello GiGi. Thanks for your very good commentaries on these chapters, and as in this chapter 17 on sacrifices conducted by the priests, your emphasis being on the blood.
Your question intrigued me, as true believers, endued with God's Spirit, will always consider Christ's Sacrifice & the necessary shedding of His Blood as most vital for their forgiveness & transformation, the other part of your question, of "ways believers can defile or profane the blood of Jesus, thus trampling it underfoot", I wondered about. I doubt whether genuine believers can ever "defile or profane" the Sacrifice that Jesus made for them.
Your statement took me to Hebrews 10:29: "Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?" Though there are opinions on this epistle, mine continues to focus on it being sent to the Hebrews, i.e. those of Jewry who have turned to Christ & meeting in various congregations outside of Palestine. But some, having left Judaism behind & drawn to Christ, were not necessarily converted. They may have confessed their faith, been baptized in water, even some demonstration of a heart change & 'gifts' used in the Church. But a large portion of this letter is an apologetic to the superiority of Christ to that of the Old Covenant & Laws, which the Hebrews writer would not address in such detail unless there was some problem amongst those who were considering abandoning the 'faith' & returning to Judaism.
Though this letter is an encouragement to them, it also came as a grave warning. And here in Hebrews 10:29 (as also seen elsewhere), the warning was to those in such a spiritual state, that to return to Judaism effectively meant that they have determined that Jesus & His Sacrifice meant nothing & Judaism was the only answer. No further sacrifice availed for them.
Dear Starbux, in peace. What you write is so true. We must not just make rules that suit ourselves. And with which we may also be able to rule over other people.
At the latest in the morning hours today before I read your post, the Holy Spirit reminded me to pray for all who have not yet entered into His rest. And something central came to me, namely: Nothing we have we got from ourselves. There is a greater meaning: Nothing we have received, whether poor or rich, has NOT BEEN GIVEN TO US everything is FROM THE LORD.
So how is man to save himself at all when they do not see the Lord? If they see the Lord they clean them self from eval things ect.
Or what can a man add to his own and think that they got it from themselves?
Hebrew 4 and 5 chapter.
Here you see a separation, before and after. It is God's Word that we must follow. Whether baptism represents something for one person or several. Are you going to be a man for and throw dirt at them? That they have made mistakes in the best sense? No, you also mean in the best way. We certainly know that the devil confuses everyone he can. But as in Job, we understand that even the little devils were created by God.
We must hold on to the good. We Christians are no longer of this world, but we belong to the new covenant. We are foreigners and receive grace upon grace to see over all perspectives. This is how we can preach the word in season and out of season. Because faith comes from preaching, not one opinion over another. Here God has made it easy for us in the holy name of the Lord Jesus Christ. All honor shall He have for my life. Because if I confess my sins, He is not the one who rejects me. He is the one who wants me to live. For He has saved me. Love u much in Christ. Stay strong in His word.
I know that God brings such things to us to draw us into holiness before Him. I am thankful He does this.
I was hoping some of you may share ways y believers demonstrate that they esteem the blood of Jesus as so precious and also ways believers can defile of profane the blood of Jesus, thus trampling it underfoot.
Then Abraham offered animal sacrifices to God for atonement of sins. God called him to offer Isaac, Abrahams beloved son of the promise of God. God did not allow Abraham to follow through with this sacrifice but it showed that the sacrifice of a beloved Son was what will truly atone for sin and cleanse mankind from sin.
Now in the wilderness, YHWH speaks more about the killing of animals and the value of the blood. He forbids them to continue to offer any sacrifices in any way but bringing them to the tent of meeting. This would keep them from offering sacrifices to pagan idols like those around them, especially to Pan/Mendes, the goat idol of fertility, which was present in Egypt and in Canaan. The Israelites were to understand that in order for their sacrifice and their meat to be clean they were to present it unto God first. This reminds me of 1 Timothy 4:3-5 which tells us that we are to give thanks to God for our food and in thus doing it is deemed clean.
But even more deep is the preciousness of the blood of Jesus, our sacrifice for sin. AS the article I mentioned above speaks to, we are to hold as precious His blood shed for us and not defile or profane it in any way. Unbelievers do this by refusing to come before God by the blood of the Lamb thinking that they can present themselves before God acceptably any other way but through the blood of Jesus. Their refusal to receive the one remedy for their fallenness that God has ordained shows that they do not see the blood of Jesus as absolutely precious and lifegiving.
We, on the other hand, know this about the blood of Jesus cleansing us and giving us life, atoning for our sin and bringing forgiveness that we do not deserve. But I wonder that there are times when believers do not esteem His blood as precious as it truly is. Do we profane it or depreciate it's value in the way we speak of act? These thoughts to me really hit home. So, I examine myself before the Lord and repent.
I just finished reading a good commentary on this chapter titled, "The Preciousness of the Blood". It was such a great commentary. I recommend it. Go to Bible .org and type in the title.
I knew before reading this commentary that there was still more that God wanted me to glean from this chapter and I was thinking about the significance of singling out the blood in this chapter as being so important. so, being led to this article was a very good answer to the prompting of the Holy Spirit.
God has determined before the foundation of the world that blood is precious. It is in every creature He created. It is life determining. He emphasized this in Chapter 17 of Leviticus when it came to killing animals for consumption and for sacrifice. He emphasized that these animals are to be brought before the LORD at the tent of meeting so that the priest can butcher them properly, draining the blood and sprinkling it upon the altar. God cares about every animal he created. And when one dies he knows. Death is unclean, it defiles the body of the creature that once was alive. This is a very good depiction of what sin does in us. It defiles us because it brings death to us. It makes us unclean because it causes us to decay and become unwholesome.
The blood of creatures is precious because it keeps them alive. Not only the whole body, but each part of the body needs blood or else it will die even if the whole creature still lives. Sin causes death in different aspects of our lives. It is like a lack of blood flow to a body part. Life is in the blood, as the LORD decreed.
Before creation the Godhead determined that the shedding of blood to the death of one is the means of bringing atonement from sin. whether it was the animal God sacrificed in Genesis 3 to cover Adam and Eve's "nakedness" or the sacrifices Noah made after leaving the Ark to atone for the corruption of the earth from sin that brought on the flood. Blood cleansed and atoned.
Places we can see, and places we can't.
Presently we exist somewhere between the two. As the light is unto darkness, such is the existence, of good and evil!
The condition or lets say the decorations of these places is significant as to our present time and place!
How we influence this matter, must be understood. Without the proper influence one of two conditions will develop.
Good will overcome evil! If not, evil shall overcome good! There is no in between.
Laying out these parameters requires a format conditional on truth. Any science cannot be proven without it , anyone or anything outside of these things is only deception and false =a truth outside of reality.
Artificial intelligence, knows nothing of these things, because it has no heart to receive ,nor has the ability to see things we see and understand.
It is when we are influenced to think differently outside the Holy Spirit, things become unclear, and we are deceived.
It is the Holy Spirit that leads guides and directs. It is the Spirit that reveals all things. It is the reason that Jesus Christ came and died! Christ's spirit fills all things without our cooperation, it moves us, it can create the conditions necessary to sustain life! It knows all things.
Heaven and hell are real. If you are in the Spirit, than you will know all things even as Christ said, the enemies who are outside the Spirit, may be those of your own household. Even as Paul has written "we see through a glass darkly. but yet face to face".
Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil, and cleave to that which is good. ( Notice the word cleave).
Repent and be Baptized
We are not debtors to the flesh.
The Lord was in now way obligated to answer their question in their time frame or indeed fall into the trap.
For He as everyone else knew full well that under the Law of Moses and by that God anyone caught in adultery should be stoned to death if found guilty .
But He had publicly stated that " He came not to condemn the world but that the world through Him might be saved .
He had no need to condemn the world for the world is condemned already and by the Law of God all are guilty under the law and condemned .Romans.
As if He had not heard them he bent down and wrote with His finger in the ground.
There are as far as I know only 5 times in s rupture when we read about " the finger of God"
1) In the book of exodus .when the magicians of Egypt having duplicated the first two or three works of God , could not duplicate the next work of God . For God " went a little further" and they were forced to confess " this is the finger of God ,we can't do this..
2) Belthazaars feast . Who in Babylon held a great feast and well into the party ordered the vessels of God taken from the tempo in Jerusalem and with them praised his gods of gold and silver . And a hand appeared over against the wall write in the plaster his doom .
3) It was the finger of Gods hand that wrote the 10 commandments in the two tablets of stone on mount Sinai .
4) " If I by the finger of God do cast out devils ,know ye that the kingdom of God has come nigh unto you " said Jesus .
5) John 8 when Jesus wrote with His finger .
"If God should mark iniquity who would stand?
" He knows ur frame that it is dust"
While it might seem this quite remarkable account starts in John 1:1 we should not be bound by the chapter and verse of scriptures which while useful for reference and ease cannot always give a true picture .
For the context of the last verse of John 7." Every man went to his own house" Quite legitimately it has to be said but "Jesus went up to the mount of olives " Sacrificial praying .
There are times and perhaps these days are some of them when needs must ,the people of God need to forsake their beds or legitimate times of rest and seek Gods face and spend time in communion with " Our Father ,who art in heaven "
We then find the Lord early in the morning in the temple teaching .
It is the more likely that the devout and those who " hunger after righteousness" avoiding the clamour of the day that are to be found in the Temple early .and "all the people came unto Him and He sat down and taught them "
Any school teacher or professor knows that to get anything done you need a relaxed but concentrated atmosphere if you want to teach anything with students with receptive minds .
The bare bones of what came next as recorded are of the Pharisees and Sadducee's bringing with them a woman ,saying this woman was caught in the very act of adultery . Moses said she should be stoned to death ,what say you?
If you wish to enter a place where someone is preaching or in public prayer ,you should not just walk into the room much less noisily , but should wait patiently till there is a break or moment when if done quietly you can discretely join the meeting .
It would not be twisting the scriptures nor bending the truth to say that these did no such thing but rather would have ' barged' into that situation without a by or leave and interrupted whatever at that point had been going on .
Set the woman in the midst and demanded ' politely ' an answer to their question.
It is written " we are no debtor to the flesh "
in 9:2, Jesus sends them out to "preach the kingdom of God"
in 9:21, Jesus "commanded them to tell no man that thing"
My question is, what are they preaching in 9:2? It doesn't seem like he sent them out to proclaim Jesus as the Messiah or Christ, because that's apparently a secret at that time - so what was their message?
I understand why it's a secret in 9:21...
WORKS OF THE FLESH vs FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT.
WORKS OF THE FLESH;
For a Christian, when we are born again our flesh dies. " Our natural independency or self reliance." for lack of a better description.
We have nothing credible to offer God of ourselves to present anything righteous.
Romans 8:2-10.
FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT.
Right away we see a contrast of the two in the term alone.
Romans 8:11-13.
Fruit is attached to a branch and that branch is attached to a vine! The vine gives it life. That life saved and sanctified us. ( Not just Positionally but transitionally.) It changed us! John 15:1-5.
Romans 8:11-13.
Work/efforts of the flesh is dead works unattached and no ability to produce anything that pleases God.
John 15:5. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for WITHOUT ME YE CAN DO NOTHING.
God bless.
Part 1 of 4.
Dr. J. Vernon McGee, gives us some practical help in our choices that transform our character.
So what is the fruit of walking with God? Let's go straight to the orchard and examine the fruit that is in the life of the believer.
Jesus said, "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing." - John 15:4, 5
If you were not raised in the country, you may not know that in every fruit orchard, there is always something else that tries to overcome the fruit. In nature, slugs and bugs and stinkweeds all attempt to crowd out the fruit. And in the life of the believer, there are always things that will attempt to crowd out the fruit of the Spirit. In other words, it's quite possible that the weeds grow and the fruit will not be produced. Paul spoke of that very thing in Galatians 5:17.
See part 2.
Part 2.
The flesh wants to have its way and is actually in competition against the Holy Spirit. So there is a danger of producing something besides fruit. And that which the flesh produces is not something that God can use; it's not fruit at all.
Paul himself experienced that struggle and described it in Romans 7:15:
For what I am doing [the new man wanted to produce fruit], I do not understand [the old nature would not do it].
You can be a child of God and be producing works of the flesh in your life, and if you are, you are not living by the Spirit of God. And I can tell you, if the works of the flesh are appearing in your life, you are a discontented and troublemaking child of God.
Paul was speaking to believers when he said:
Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Galatians 6:7-9.
See Part 3.
Part 3.
I personally believe that's a law of God, just like the law of gravity. If a farmer sows corn, you can be sure that he'll reap corn. If he sows wheat, he'll reap wheat. My friend, as a believer, if you are sowing to the flesh, you "will of the flesh reap corruption." There is no way around it.
Now, the child of God does not have to produce these things. We can produce the fruit of the Spirit. God has another principle:
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. - Galatians 5:22, 23
You can't produce these fruit by following the Law; in fact, there is not one of these lovely fruits that you can produce on your own. We are totally incapable; it can only be produced by the Holy Spirit. "For the fruit of the Spirit," Paul says in Ephesians 5:9, "is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth." You can know whether you are living by the flesh or living in the power, in the fullness, of the Holy Spirit by seeing if He is producing these fruits in your life.
See Part 4.
Part 4.
"When I lived on the east coast in my younger years, there was a beautiful big maple tree in our backyard that would keep its leaves through the winter. The leaves were dead, but they still hung on to the branches. In the spring when the sap flowed, the new buds would finally push off the dead leaves. That's what happens when the Spirit of God grows His life in us-He pushes the old habits out of our lives as our new life in Christ grows stronger. Rather than try to pick off all the dead leaves and try to grow new leaves ourselves, we need to focus instead on cultivating our relationship with God and let the Holy Spirit deal with all the dead leaves." -J. Vernon McGee
God bless.
This seems to be a post meant for contentious purposes.
How did this get past the moderators?
Acts 6:8 And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people.
Acts 7:55 But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,
As you said Brother Jesse "Under the influence of God's Spirit, it is fascinating how people can function in various situations.
Apart from God's spirit we would be on the other side of the stoning.
Acts 6:8 and throughout ch 7 you see a God's spirit filled vessel emphasized in the power of Stephen.
And in Daniel 4:1-37 you see the humbling record of King Nebuchadnezzar by the Lord.
NOTICE THE DECREE;
"Let his heart be changed from man's, and let a beast's heart be given unto him; and let seven times pass over him. Daniel 4:16.
NEBUCHADNEZZAR'S RESPONSE;
"The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty? Daniel 4:30.
THE HUMBLING BY THE LORD!
While the word was in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee.
And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field: they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will. Daniel 4:31-32.
THE RESULTS OF THE HUMBLING;
"Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase. Daniel 4:37.
The Holyspirit is powerful, mysterious, and always active in diverse ways.
God bless.
There are parallel verses that seem to correspond with several verses here. We are reminded of the hypocrisy of the Pharisees in verse 4 when they tried to ask Christ questions to trap him
( Matthew 22:15). They called Him "good teacher" and said that He was a man of integrity as their pretext for showing respect before they asked Him about paying taxes. This could also be seen on other occasions as well.
The mention of vanity is repeated in Ecclesiastes that Solomon wrote some time later. (verse 9).
Finally; we see the warning about not setting one's heart on riches in verse 10; which is something that Solomon ignored; again as one of the themes in Ecclesiastes.
Verses 2; 6 and 7 all mention salvation and God being a rock. Surely; Christ is the Rock of our salvation as well. In this case; we could say that salvation could mean spiritually and physically being saved from David's many calamities. The theme of a refuge is seen more than once in the Psalm as well. This can perhaps be our mental solace despite outside circumstances that would otherwise overwhelm us.
Finally verse 3 reminds us of Jericho; and how the wall collapsed on the city (apparently archaelogical evidenced suggests that it fell inward).
May we trust in God for these promises today.
the early church fathers who were slave owners btw had no business removing these books out of the bible and lied and said they were not inspired.
God revealed to me these are his words.
.....These 2 trees were in the midst of the Garden of God...But now under this New Covenant these 2 trees are planted in our hearts....As Jesus said the good ground is your hearts where that good seed will be sown...Thus under this NEW covenant the kingdom will be with in us...Which answers to that Tree of knowledge in the midst of our hearts that Garden of God...Thus we answer to Eve that is symbolic of the Church the bride...Bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh...And her Children are spirits the H.G. that is gona be as the stars of heaven in multitudes...as Jesus said...Unless ya receive the Kingdom of God as a lil Child you will in no wise enter there in..This tree of Knowledge is gona result in the Children of the Kingdom...As Jesus said the good seed are the Children of the Kingdom...Thus an Israel of God..From the Tree of Knowledge.
"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom." that is rooted and grows out of obedience. The first Adam was not obedient to God, but the last Adam was Phil. 2:8 and Rom. 5:19
When the first Adam disobeyed, sin entered with desire and imagination, and with that, man can create in his mind anything, and the imagination of man is evil as we see Gen 6:5 Gen 8:21 Jer. 11:8 we must Rom. 6:16 2 Cor. 10:3-5.
God bless,
RLW
2 Peter 3:9-15
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any [of God's elect] should perish, but that all [of God's elect] should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless. And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;
Romans 2:1-6
Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things. But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things. And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God? Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; Who will render to every man according to his deeds:
Perhaps you could expand on it some time (before I decide to take up some specifics in that topic) :)
Note, the Tree of Life is in the garden, and man may freely eat thereof.
GENESIS 2:17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
Thus, the Lord told ADAM he may not eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge, and in my understanding on that day ADAM would seal his fate with death. But, this was prior to the birth of Eve. The Tree of Life was not forbidden, and also in the Garden. If there were something preventing Adam from eating of that tree, it is not stated, at least at this point. Therefore it is up to individuals to speculate as to the reasons why Adam may not have eaten of the tree of life.
GENESIS 2:23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
GENESIS 2:24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
Perhaps, as Adam and Eve are "one", the rules of the Fruit of the tree of knowledge also apply to Eve. For the sake of my view, let us assume that Eve is also bound by the rule applied to Adam prior to her creation.
Genesis 3:3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
Importantly, while the only record of God's statement comes prior to God's assertation, Eve is aware of it and feels it applies to her as well.
Your question intrigued me, as true believers, endued with God's Spirit, will always consider Christ's Sacrifice & the necessary shedding of His Blood as most vital for their forgiveness & transformation, the other part of your question, of "ways believers can defile or profane the blood of Jesus, thus trampling it underfoot", I wondered about. I doubt whether genuine believers can ever "defile or profane" the Sacrifice that Jesus made for them.
Your statement took me to Hebrews 10:29: "Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?" Though there are opinions on this epistle, mine continues to focus on it being sent to the Hebrews, i.e. those of Jewry who have turned to Christ & meeting in various congregations outside of Palestine. But some, having left Judaism behind & drawn to Christ, were not necessarily converted. They may have confessed their faith, been baptized in water, even some demonstration of a heart change & 'gifts' used in the Church. But a large portion of this letter is an apologetic to the superiority of Christ to that of the Old Covenant & Laws, which the Hebrews writer would not address in such detail unless there was some problem amongst those who were considering abandoning the 'faith' & returning to Judaism.
Though this letter is an encouragement to them, it also came as a grave warning. And here in Hebrews 10:29 (as also seen elsewhere), the warning was to those in such a spiritual state, that to return to Judaism effectively meant that they have determined that Jesus & His Sacrifice meant nothing & Judaism was the only answer. No further sacrifice availed for them.
At the latest in the morning hours today before I read your post, the Holy Spirit reminded me to pray for all who have not yet entered into His rest. And something central came to me, namely: Nothing we have we got from ourselves. There is a greater meaning: Nothing we have received, whether poor or rich, has NOT BEEN GIVEN TO US everything is FROM THE LORD.
So how is man to save himself at all when they do not see the Lord? If they see the Lord they clean them self from eval things ect.
Or what can a man add to his own and think that they got it from themselves?
Hebrew 4 and 5 chapter.
Here you see a separation, before and after. It is God's Word that we must follow. Whether baptism represents something for one person or several. Are you going to be a man for and throw dirt at them? That they have made mistakes in the best sense? No, you also mean in the best way. We certainly know that the devil confuses everyone he can. But as in Job, we understand that even the little devils were created by God.
We must hold on to the good. We Christians are no longer of this world, but we belong to the new covenant. We are foreigners and receive grace upon grace to see over all perspectives. This is how we can preach the word in season and out of season. Because faith comes from preaching, not one opinion over another. Here God has made it easy for us in the holy name of the Lord Jesus Christ. All honor shall He have for my life. Because if I confess my sins, He is not the one who rejects me. He is the one who wants me to live. For He has saved me. Love u much in Christ. Stay strong in His word.
I know that God brings such things to us to draw us into holiness before Him. I am thankful He does this.
I was hoping some of you may share ways y believers demonstrate that they esteem the blood of Jesus as so precious and also ways believers can defile of profane the blood of Jesus, thus trampling it underfoot.
Then Abraham offered animal sacrifices to God for atonement of sins. God called him to offer Isaac, Abrahams beloved son of the promise of God. God did not allow Abraham to follow through with this sacrifice but it showed that the sacrifice of a beloved Son was what will truly atone for sin and cleanse mankind from sin.
Now in the wilderness, YHWH speaks more about the killing of animals and the value of the blood. He forbids them to continue to offer any sacrifices in any way but bringing them to the tent of meeting. This would keep them from offering sacrifices to pagan idols like those around them, especially to Pan/Mendes, the goat idol of fertility, which was present in Egypt and in Canaan. The Israelites were to understand that in order for their sacrifice and their meat to be clean they were to present it unto God first. This reminds me of 1 Timothy 4:3-5 which tells us that we are to give thanks to God for our food and in thus doing it is deemed clean.
But even more deep is the preciousness of the blood of Jesus, our sacrifice for sin. AS the article I mentioned above speaks to, we are to hold as precious His blood shed for us and not defile or profane it in any way. Unbelievers do this by refusing to come before God by the blood of the Lamb thinking that they can present themselves before God acceptably any other way but through the blood of Jesus. Their refusal to receive the one remedy for their fallenness that God has ordained shows that they do not see the blood of Jesus as absolutely precious and lifegiving.
We, on the other hand, know this about the blood of Jesus cleansing us and giving us life, atoning for our sin and bringing forgiveness that we do not deserve. But I wonder that there are times when believers do not esteem His blood as precious as it truly is. Do we profane it or depreciate it's value in the way we speak of act? These thoughts to me really hit home. So, I examine myself before the Lord and repent.
I just finished reading a good commentary on this chapter titled, "The Preciousness of the Blood". It was such a great commentary. I recommend it. Go to Bible .org and type in the title.
I knew before reading this commentary that there was still more that God wanted me to glean from this chapter and I was thinking about the significance of singling out the blood in this chapter as being so important. so, being led to this article was a very good answer to the prompting of the Holy Spirit.
God has determined before the foundation of the world that blood is precious. It is in every creature He created. It is life determining. He emphasized this in Chapter 17 of Leviticus when it came to killing animals for consumption and for sacrifice. He emphasized that these animals are to be brought before the LORD at the tent of meeting so that the priest can butcher them properly, draining the blood and sprinkling it upon the altar. God cares about every animal he created. And when one dies he knows. Death is unclean, it defiles the body of the creature that once was alive. This is a very good depiction of what sin does in us. It defiles us because it brings death to us. It makes us unclean because it causes us to decay and become unwholesome.
The blood of creatures is precious because it keeps them alive. Not only the whole body, but each part of the body needs blood or else it will die even if the whole creature still lives. Sin causes death in different aspects of our lives. It is like a lack of blood flow to a body part. Life is in the blood, as the LORD decreed.
Before creation the Godhead determined that the shedding of blood to the death of one is the means of bringing atonement from sin. whether it was the animal God sacrificed in Genesis 3 to cover Adam and Eve's "nakedness" or the sacrifices Noah made after leaving the Ark to atone for the corruption of the earth from sin that brought on the flood. Blood cleansed and atoned.