Author: Stan Cox
Mining the Scriptures: Jude 20-23
Though Jude’s primary purpose was to warn about false teacher’s, he also writes several words of instruction to his readers. In fact, verses 20-23 contain such, beginning with the phrase “But you…” As such these have application in our lives as well.
Build your faith (through an examination and cultivation of God’s word. We are to constantly be improving in our Christian walk). Pray in the Holy Spirit (this most probably indicates that we are to pray in accord with God’s will, that which the Holy Spirit has shared through His inspiration of the word). Keep yourselves in the love of God (this is our responsibility, to keep ourselves in God’s love. Obedience is how we show our devotion and love for Him). Look for Christ’s mercy (as Cornelius and other seeker’s of truth have done).
Finally, verses 22-23 explain how we are to deal with the sins of others. This depends upon the circumstances of the sin and sinner, how fully they are taken in the sin, and what is best to save them. Some need longsuffering and compassion, while others need a more direct and hasty treatment, “pulling them out of the fire” (23).
What Rachel’s Passing Teaches Us About Death
Genesis 35 reveals the death of Rachel, one of Israel’s wives. She gave birth to Joseph and Benjamin, and through her maidservant Bilhah, also supplied to her husband Dan and Naphtali. Leah and her maidservant Zilpah were responsible for the other eight sons of this ancestor of the nation of Israel. “Also God said to him [Israel]: ‘I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall proceed from you, and kings shall come from your body. The land which I gave Abraham and Isaac I give to you; and to your descendants after you I give this land’” (Genesis 35:11-12). In verses 17-18 of the text, we read of Benjamin’s birth: “Now it came to pass, when she was in hard labor, that the midwife said to her, ‘Do not fear; you will have this son also.’ And so it was, as her soul was departing (for she died), that she called his name Ben-Oni; but his father called him Benjamin” (Genesis 35:17-18). So, Rachel died in childbirth, giving Israel his last son. An interesting aspect of this passage is the simple way her death was described, “And so it was, as her soul was departing (for she died).” Continue reading “What Rachel’s Passing Teaches Us About Death”
What Is Important? The Message!
Paul, as an apostle of Jesus Christ, though he was “one born out of due time” (1 Corinthians 15:8), said in 2 Corinthians 11:5, “I consider that I am not at all inferior to the most eminent apostles.”
His apostleship was given directly by Jesus Himself (cf. Acts 9:15-16), and both his own epistles and Luke’s record of his ministry (Acts) attest to the truth of this. But the next words written, in 2 Corinthians 11:6, give a very good reason for Paul’s success, “Even though I am untrained in speech, yet I am not in knowledge.”
There is great reward, both for the teacher and the student, when knowledge is shared. It doesn’t matter if the speech or ability is limited. Paul is proof of this, and expressed it wonderfully through his pen.
Some disagree. Some said about Paul, “For his letters, they say, ‘are weighty and powerful, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible.’” (2 Corinthians 10:10). What an inept and inappropriate criticism. What Paul was preaching was the gospel of Christ, “the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes…” (Romans 1:16). The proof is evident.
If you have little talent, but you have studied and know God’s word, share it! Let the power of God come, not by eloquence, but from the scriptures themselves. It is there from whence true power comes!
Heroes of Faith
Our lesson details several men of Hebrews 11, Enoch, Gideon, Barak and Jephthah whose faith is noted in the chapter, as an example for us to follow!
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Jesus on the Cross
A discussion of the events of Jesus’ Crucifixion, and the words John recorded said by Jesus on that occasion.
The Ministry of the Prophet Hosea
The beginning of the book of Hosea sets the timeline. He received words from God, “in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel” (Hosea 1:1). This reign of the second Jeroboam is related in 2 Kings 14:23-29. Jeroboam reigned over a nation that was fully steeped in idolatry, which was soon to fall to the mighty nation of Assyria. The people were taken into captivity, and the northern nation was no more. The internal evidence seems to indicate that Hosea’s ministry of prophecy took place only a few decades before the end of the nation in 722 B.C.
It is important to note how God felt toward idolatry. The beginning of the 10 commandments given by God is, “You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself a carved—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God…” (Exodus 20:3-5a). Idolatry was considered a great unfaithfulness, a spiritual adultery to God. And yet, for its entire existence, the northern kingdom of Israel consistently practiced the sin. Continue reading “The Ministry of the Prophet Hosea”
The Advocate
(1 John 2:1-2), “My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.”
The problem is, and always has been sin. “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…” (Romans 3:23). God determined to solve the problem of sin by sending His only begotten Son as a sufficient sacrifice. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” (John 3:16-17). “Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” (Hebrews 9:12-14). Of course, this was in the mind of God since before the creation of the worlds (cf. Ephesians 1:4). Continue reading “The Advocate”
1 John 2:9-11
Light contrasted with darkness. This is a concept that John talks about often. A true Christian is “in the light.” This refers to a right relationship with God, who is our illumination. It is the place a Christ is supposed to be. But, any man who claims such a place, and yet shows hatred for others (in this context, another brother in Christ) remains in the darkness rather than the light.
God loves the world (cf. John 3:16). Love must be characteristic of His children, especially love for those in this glorious family. If we love our brother we abide in the light, “and there is no cause for stumbling.” (10) Light illuminates, making the way easy, and directing the paths of the child of God.
However, hatred keeps one from the light. Without light we do not know where we are going. Sightless and yet walking is a dangerous proposition. Physically we can stub an toe. Spiritually we can lose our soul, a far worse possibility.
Love is the answer. Love for one another. Don’t fool yourself!
Expectations VS Reality
Luke 3 reveals that the Jewish people, because the reasoned in their hearts rather than appealing to God’s word, had mistaken expectations both about John the Baptist, and the Messiah Himself. Such problems remain for religious people today.
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Three Qualities of Those Faithful to God
The qualities of godliness, righteousness and holiness characterize and identify those who please God.
Lessons to Learn from Labor Day
Tomorrow is labor day, a federal holiday celebrating those who work for a living, created and passed into law by President Grover Cleveland in 1894. It is a result of tensions in the newly industrialized nation, as labor unions sought to improve working standards and practices for manual laborers. Since then, every first Sunday in September is a federal holiday, with all federal government employees, and many private company workers enjoying a day off.
Interestingly, the Bible has much to say about the importance, value and significance of working for a living. Consider the following, among many verses:
(Colossians 3:23, ESV), “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.”
(Ecclesiastes 3:12-13), “I know that nothing is better for them than to rejoice, and to do good in their lives, 13 and also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor—it is the gift of God.”
(Ephesians 4:28), “Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need.”
(Proverbs 18:9) “He who is slothful in his work is a brother to him who is a great destroyer.”
(2 Thessalonians 3:10), “For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat.”
Sermon: The Bible Doctrine of Imputation
The prevalence of the false doctrine of Calvinism in our religious world have led many to misundertand what is actually taught by the scriptures of the concept of Imputation. The lesson reveals the truth about the subject.
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Sermon: Pilate’s Limited Authority
(John 19:1-16) It is evident by Jesus’ statement in verse 11 of our text, that Pilate greatly exaggerated his own authority. All men only have authority granted to them by the Almighty Himself.
I Thought God Doesn’t Change?
People today do not understand the nature of God. They take issue with the clear Bible teaching that God is unchanging in His nature. This is a central aspect of our Christian faith, as it promises a consistency we depend upon to assure our eternal reward as He has promised. They declare Him to be inconsistent, and take issue with such passages as James 1:17, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning”; and Malachi 3:6, “For I am the Lord, I do not change…” What these passages and others actually indicate is that you can depend upon God. It doesn’t mean that He can’t change His mind depending upon circumstances (cf. Exodus 32:14; Jonah 3:10), or that a change in covenant indicates a change in character or any wavering in His dealing with mankind. Continue reading “I Thought God Doesn’t Change?”
Mining the Scriptures: 2 Peter 2:4-11
This section of Peter’s epistle uses several examples from scripture to note God’s judgment. First is the angels who sinned, of which we know little beyond speculation. However, this judgment seems to be the first meted out by God. We are familiar with the flood, and the judgment of the ancient world. Next are Sodom and Gomorrah, who God destroyed with fire and brimstone. He states these two cities serve as an “example to those who afterward would live ungodly” (6).
In the midst of such judgment of evil stood righteous men like Moses and Lot, who were oppressed by the evil which surrounded them. But, they were spared by God.
This is to let us know today that “the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment” (9).
As always, your standing before God and treatment by Him depends upon your own obedience or disobedience. God treats us all fairly because God is just!
