Tuesday, December 21, 2021

What The Bible Says About Depression and Anxiety

 I've been away for awhile fighting my own fight. It wasn't anything new to me but I chose to ignore the need to deal with some private things. Some of those where accusations that simply weren't true, others were things I did to myself to cause inner conflict, still others were things the enemy of my soul chose to place in my way so that I felt powerless to help anyone else. 

I meet a lot of young people who are disenchanted with life, where they live, how they live but instead of dealing with it they strike out in anger and think somehow that will make them feel better. I was young too, once and felt the same way. I even signed up to go to war thinking that would deal with the feelings inside. While I am proud of my service to a very ungrateful country I saw things I wish I hadn't, but that is war. It is horrible to behold and yet it makes you think. 

I'm not anti-war activist, sometimes fighting is the only way to deal with great arrogance by other nations and people when turning the other cheek doesn't work or fit the situation. However, there are things that crop up in the human mind that aggravate the human soul. You hate yourself or your situation to point of wanting to die. I found a site some time back that I think can offer help. Of course, as an no longer practicing counselor. I highly recommend biblical counsel not just counsel! 

The Bible is a great source of inspiration if you let it in, but be prepared in today's world to get a lot of hate and antipathy if you talk about how you found help for the problems that plague you. So the Bible has another suggestion...use wisdom in talking about it.

See you in another blog,

Ted

 What the Bible has to say about Depression and Anxiety!

https://mentalhealthgracealliance.org/christian-mental-health-and-mental-illness/battling-anxiety-spiritually

Thursday, April 29, 2021

An Explanation of Trials

 

An Explanation of Trials

You are my refuge in the day of disaster.

Jeremiah 17:17

The path of the Christian is not always bright with sunshine; he has his seasons of darkness and of storm. It is true that God’s Word says, “Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace”;1 and it is a great truth that faith is calculated to give a man happiness below as well as bliss above. But life confirms that if the experience of the righteous is “like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day,”2 sometimes that light is eclipsed. At certain periods clouds cover the believer’s sun, and he walks in darkness and sees no light.

There are many who have rejoiced in the presence of God for a season; they have basked in the sunshine in the early stages of their Christian life; they have walked along the “green pastures” by the side of the “still waters.” But suddenly they find that the glorious sky is clouded; instead of the promised land they have to endure the wilderness; in place of sweet waters, they find troubled streams, bitter to their taste, and they say, “Surely, if I were a child of God, this would not happen.” Do not say that if you are walking in darkness. The best of God’s saints must drink the bitter potion; the dearest of His children must bear the cross. No Christian has enjoyed perpetual prosperity; no believer can always keep his heart in constant tune.

Perhaps the Lord gave you in the beginning a smooth and unclouded path because you were weak and timid. He moderated the wind on account of your weakness, but now that you are stronger in the spiritual life, you must enter upon the riper and rougher experience of God’s full-grown children. We need winds and tempests to exercise our faith, to tear off the rotten branches of self-reliance, and to root us more firmly in Christ. The day of evil reveals to us the value of our glorious hope.

1) Proverbs 3:17
2) Proverbs 4:18

Devotional material is taken from “Morning and Evening,” written by C.H. Spurgeon, revised and updated by Alistair Begg. Copyright © 2003, Good News Publishers and used by Truth For Life with written permission.

Too good not to send to all,

Ted

Wednesday, April 14, 2021

Are You In Need Of A Miracle?

 I have heard a few doctors say that miracles still happen today. Case in point, a young boy, John Smith, was playing on a frozen lake on Lake St. Louis, MO. John fell through the ice and was under the ice for 15 minutes. He was not breathing for another 45 minutes. He was termed as dead by the doctors who worked on him. His mother, a devout woman, demanded to be allowed to pray for him. He recovered after she prayed to Jesus for his recovery. A witness to the event, Dr. Nancy Bauer pronounced him dead after EMT and the hospital worked on him for a total of 45 min. She said later it gave her goosebumps to see him breathe after the mother prayed. The event happened at Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital. A movie was made about this event but it was quickly squelched. The young boy woke up the next day fully alert and was about to recount the event. Jesus still does miracles today. The greatest miracle of all is the forgiveness that calling upon the name of Jesus for salvation, because if we mean it, we are forgiven and we are cleansed and forgiven of all our sins. You can find this event on your cell phone...

I'm not going to tell you that everyone who prays will receive a miracle for traumatic events that occur in today's world, but it is possible and what do you have to lose by praying and asking. I had one occur for me. After graduating from seminary, my family and I went to Idaho to visit a friend I was very close to in bible college. I was to preach in his church that weekend. I took a day job riding a logging truck down a mountain. One of the chains wasn't as secure as it should have been. I was behind the cab of the truck keeping an eye on the load. Some logs came forward crushing my legs. All I could do was call upon the name of Jesus to stop the terrible pain as there was no doctor nearby. After securing the load we went down the mountain in the cab of my friend's truck. My friend and I prayed even though I was in terrible pain. A miracle did occur because the pain lessened and within a couple of hours I was able to walk again and even though bruised and cut my legs healed before that Sunday I was to preach. It was a miracle only Jesus could have done. Now for today's lesson:

The healing at the pool of Bethesda was unusual, in that Jesus Himself asked the man, "do you want to be healed?" - whereas normally He was approached by others who asked for healing.

In an act of grace, Jesus chose to engage with this man on a Sabbath day, despite his being infirm for 38 years. But like all the signs and miracles recorded in his Gospel, John's purpose in writing was to prove that Jesus was the Christ, and that by believing on HIM we might have life everlasting.

It was during His second year of ministry that this healing took place. Hatred for Christ was beginning to ferment and His Messianic claims were beginning to infuriate the religious leaders. But Christ continued to emphasize... in His actions and attitude, that He was Lord of the Sabbath with divine power to both heal the body and forgive sins.

The authority Christ demonstrated on this Sabbath-day healing, showed a godly concern and compassion for the well-being of mankind and a disdain for petty Jewish rules, rituals, and regulations, which dishonored God and enslaved an entire nation.

Although the healed man picked up his bed and carried it home, as instructed, he did not know who Jesus was and seemed indifferent to the gracious healing he had just received.

Perhaps he was satisfied with his physical bondage, or maybe was irritated when he was rebuked by the religious leaders for carrying his bedding on the Sabbath. This poor man was not only physically helpless and enslaved by his paralysis, but he also appeared to be blinded to the good news of the gospel of Christ and the spiritual salvation he had been offered.

And so, when challenged by the authorities for breaking the Sabbath day rule, he did not withstand their rebukes by glorifying God for his miraculous release from sin and supernatural healing - he simply answered that he had no clue who Jesus was... and informed the Jewish leaders that he was not the one who should be held responsible for breaking the Sabbath Law - it was the responsibility of the Man who said to him, "Pick up your pallet and walk!!"

There are many such people in the world today, who, like this paralyzed man, enjoy a close encounter with Christ... but fail to recognize Who He is... or refuse to engage in His offer of salvation. As we journey through life, may we never miss out on any close encounters that we may have with Christ. May we recognize His supernatural touch in so many of the natural things that take place in our lives - and may we always be ready to give Him thanks and praise in everything - for this is God's will for us.

My Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for the many lessons we can learn from the Word of Truth. I pray that as I journey through life, I may not miss any precious encounters with Christ along the way. Help me to do all things to Your praise and glory, and in everything give thanks. This I ask in Jesus' name, AMEN.

Knowing Jesus Is The Beginning of Wisdom!

See you next blog,

Ted


Friday, April 2, 2021

Slow To Speak

But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge.

Matthew 27:14


 Jesus had never been slow of speech when He could bless the sons of men, but He would not say a single word for Himself. “No man ever spoke like this man,” and no man was ever silent like Him. Was this singular silence the index of His perfect self-sacrifice? Did it show that He would not utter a word to prevent His crucifixion, which He had dedicated as an offering for us? Had He so entirely surrendered Himself that He would not interfere on His own behalf, even in the smallest details, but be crowned and killed an unstruggling, uncomplaining victim?

Was this silence a type of the defenselessness of sin? Nothing can be said to excuse human guilt; and, therefore, He who bore its whole weight stood speechless before His judge.

Patient silence is the best reply to a world of cruel opposition. Calm endurance answers some questions infinitely more conclusively than the loftiest eloquence. The best apologists for Christianity in the early days were its martyrs. The anvil breaks a host of hammers by quietly bearing their blows. Did not the silent Lamb of God furnish us with a grand example of wisdom? Where every word was occasion for new blasphemy, it was the line of duty to provide no fuel for the flame of sin. The ambiguous and the false, the unworthy and mean will soon enough confound themselves, and therefore the true can afford to be quiet and find silence to be its wisdom.

Evidently our Lord, by His silence, furnished a remarkable fulfillment of prophecy. A long defense of Himself would have been contrary to Isaiah’s prediction: “Like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.”1 By His silence He declared Himself to be the true Lamb of God. As such we worship Him this morning. Be with us, Jesus, and in the silence of our heart let us hear the voice of Your love.

1) Isaiah 53:7

Knowing Jesus is the beginning of wisdom!

See you next blog,

Ted

Sunday, March 28, 2021

Worthy Is The Lamb

 Worthy is the Lamb

Revelation 5
 
"Someday you will read in the papers that D. L. Moody, of East Northfield, is dead. Don’t you believe a word of it! At that moment I shall be more alive than I am now.”
During his evangelistic campaigns D. L. Moody loved to quote the first two sentences as a way of shocking his audiences with the truth that death would not be the end of his life but only the beginning.
 
His words came true on Friday, December 22, 1899. After decades of non-stop preaching, writing, speaking, evangelizing and traveling, his heart finally began to fail. With his family gathered round, he cried out, “Earth recedes; heaven opens before me.” His family thought he was dreaming. Then he spoke to one of his sons: “This is no dream, Will. It is beautiful. It is like a trance. If this is death, it is sweet. There is no valley here. God is calling me, and I must go.” Then it seemed as if he saw heaven opened before his eyes. “This is my triumph, this is my coronation day! I have been looking forward to it for years.” His face lit up. “Dwight, Irene—I see the children’s faces.” He was speaking of the two grandchildren who had died the previous year. A few minutes later he took his last breath. Thus did D. L. Moody enter heaven. He died as he had lived, full of faith and ready to meet the Lord.
 

I’d Rather Go to North Carolina

 
Children have no trouble believing in heaven even though their ideas are sometimes a bit mixed up. Many of them think heaven is some sort of celestial amusement park where you can ride on the Ferris Wheel and eat ice cream all day long and never get sick. Other children picture heaven as an unending church service that goes on and on and never seems to stop. One seven-year-old boy spoke for many adults when he said, “I know what heaven is, but I don’t want to go there. I want to go to North Carolina instead.”
 
Many of us would say the same thing. We know heaven is real, but we’d rather go to North Carolina (or Florida or Hawaii) first. Heaven can wait as far as we’re concerned. But that attitude, common though it may be, reflects a complete reversal of the biblical picture. This earth is passing away. It is here today and gone tomorrow. Heaven (which seems almost like a fairy tale to us) is the true reality and it is “the heart’s true home.”
 
The book of Revelation tells us more about heaven than any other book in the Bible. Most of us know about the lovely picture of heaven in Revelation 21-22, but there is another picture of heaven found in Revelation 5. In only fourteen verses the Apostle John gives us a tantalizing glimpse of our eternal home. Here we discover that the cross of Christ will still be our focus in eternity. This rare glimpse of heaven displays the victory of the Lamb who was slain.
 

Jesus—Heaven’s Hero

 
Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals. And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?” But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside (Revelation 5:1-4).
The place: The throne room of heaven. The time: Sometime in eternity. The setting: A magnificent throne and a mysterious scroll. Around the throne are myriads of angelic creatures, glorious and awesome to behold. A bright rainbow encircles the throne. Twenty-four elders wearing crowns of gold surround the throne. Flashes of lightning frame the One seated there. A sea of glass surrounds the throne. Everywhere there is singing, worship and praise. Your eye darts from one detail to another. You notice the four living creatures and wonder who they are and what they represent. There are armies of angels on every hand. There are cherubim and seraphim, and other angels you cannot identify. There is smoke and incense and light and joy. Your eyes and ears cannot take it all in. “Holy, Holy, Holy” cry the four living creatures. Suddenly, spontaneously, gladly, you find yourself bowing down before the One on the throne.
 
You have finally reached heaven. You are in God’s presence. Nothing you heard or saw or imagined on earth prepared you for this moment. Now at last you are home. Home where you belong. At home with the Lord.
 
After a few moments your eyes return to the scroll in the hand of Him who sits on the throne. What is the scroll? It appears to be a long parchment, with writing on both sides, sealed with wax. While you ponder the scroll and wonder what it means, an angel cries out, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?” There is silence in heaven. No one steps forward. No one in the universe is worthy to open the scroll or look inside it. What a strange sight this is. A scroll no one can open.
 

Jesus—the Victorious Lord

 
Then one of the elders speaks up: “See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals” (Revelation 5:5). Judah was the tribe from which the Messiah would come (Genesis 49:9). The “Lion” of the tribe of Judah speaks of its greatest Son, who combines within his own being power, wisdom, majesty,  and ultimate regal authority. He is also called the “Root of David,” a term meaning he is a direct descendant of David, Israel’s greatest king. But who is this “Lion” who is also called the “Root of David?” “Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth” (Revelation 5:6). As you look toward the great throne, a lamb stands in the center of the angelic creatures and the 24 elders. But not an ordinary lamb. This lamb has been offered as a sacrifice. He is standing, which means he is alive, but he appears to have been slain, which means he once was dead. The Lamb bears on his body the marks of death, but he is alive.

The Greek word for “lamb” is used 29 times in Revelation and only once elsewhere in the New Testament. It means a young or small lamb, exactly the kind used for sacrifice by the Jews. In the Old Testament, the lamb appears on the altar. In the gospels, he is on the cross. But in the book of Revelation, the lamb is on the throne. John saw the lamb at the “center” of the throne because the lamb stands at the center of God’s plan of redemption.

As you watch and wonder, the Lamb comes to the throne and takes the scroll from the One who sits on it. He can take the scroll because, though he was dead, he has come back to life.
 
The silence in heaven is broken as millions of angels begin to sing together: ‘Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!” (Revelation 5:12). The answering chorus rises from every corner of the universe: ‘‘To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!” (Revelation 5:13). You fall on your face before the Lamb, lost in wonder, love, and praise.
 
This description of heaven comes from Revelation 5. At the center of the action is a scroll with seven seals. When the seven seals are opened, they bring forth various judgments on the earth. When the seventh seal is opened, it contains seven trumpets of judgment. When the seventh trumpet sounds, it brings forth seven bowls of judgment. The seals, trumpets, and bowls describe the end-time catastrophes that will come upon the earth in the last days before the return of Jesus Christ. As one age dies in agony, another age is born.

The book of Revelation nowhere precisely identifies the scroll. During the Roman Empire, deeds or contracts were often sealed with seven seals. This included marriage contracts, rental and lease agreements, and contract bills. Perhaps this scroll is the title-deed to the earth. The seals, trumpets, and bowls describe the events that prepare the earth to receive its rightful owner. If so, then what was lost by Adam when he sinned has now been reclaimed and redeemed by Jesus Christ.
 
The Apostle John mentions the three great realms--In heaven, on earth, and under the earth, yet no one was found worthy to open the scroll.
 
             No angel could open it.
             No earthly ruler could open it.
             No demon could open it.
             Not even Satan himself could open it.
 
But Jesus can take the scroll. The Lamb who was slain is now the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. He has triumphed over death and hell and all the forces Satan could throw against him. Only a worthy victor could take the scroll and open it. He has fought the fight, won the battle, now the spoils of war belong to him.
 
Stop and think about this great point. The Lamb has already won the battle. It’s over. He’s won. The victory is His. From God’s point of view, Satan is already defeated.
 

Ten Days in Haiti

 
I remember speaking at an evangelistic crusade in Haiti during the week just before the national voodoo festival. The turning point came one night when I preached on ʺWho Is Greater—Satan or Jesus?ʺ That’s a big issue in Haiti because so many people live in fear of Satan’s power. During my message, I explained how Satan tried to kill Jesus when he was born, how he tempted him in the wilderness, how Satan entered Judas and caused him to betray Christ, and how the evil rulers plotted against Christ and finally nailed him to the cross. A party broke out in hell—singing, shouting, laughing, cheering. The Son of God had finally been defeated. In heaven, an awesome silence.
 
But on Easter Sunday morning, something happened inside the tomb. In the place where death reigned, a tiny sound. A movement, a deep sigh, a fluttering heart comes back to life, blood courses through the veins, the color returns, the fingers begin to move, then the arms and the legs, and suddenly Jesus stood up and walked out of the tomb, alive from the dead!
 
Down in hell, shocked silence, then wild screams, shrieks of terror, wailing, mourning, gnashing of teeth. In heaven and across the universe, the people of God began to cheer, the angels lifted their voices, the trumpets began to sound, all creation shouted the good news. Jesus Christ has come back from the dead!
 
When I said those words in Haiti, the congregation began to clap and cheer. ʺIf you’re following Satan,ʺ I said, ʺyou’re following a defeated foe. You’re following a loser. But if you follow Jesus, you’re following the greatest winner in the history of the universe. He’s the undisputed champion. He took on the pretender and knocked him out cold!ʺ
 

Jesus—the Lion who is a Lamb

 
That’s what Revelation 5 means when it says Christ has triumphed. He won the battle. The victory is his. He alone is worthy to open the scroll and break the seven seals.
 
Who is this Lion who is a Lamb? He stands because he is alive from the dead. He bears on his body the marks of his suffering. He is none other than Jesus Christ, the Son of God. He is a Lion in that he is the mighty King of All Kings. He is a Lamb because he was offered up as a sacrifice for the sins of the world.

A mighty Lion!
A meek lamb!
 
Christ the Lion is victorious because Christ the Lamb made the perfect sacrifice.
 
The Lamb speaks of His First Coming.
The Lion speaks of His Second Coming.

Think of what that means:

He came the first time in humility.
He comes the second time with power.

He experienced shameful treatment in his first coming.
He comes again in great glory.

He was crucified like a criminal in his first coming.
He returns as the Judge of the Universe.

He came once as a Lamb offered for the sins of the world. He came to save us from our sins. He came meek and mild. He comes again as a Lion to judge the world and to deliver his people. The key event occurs in Revelation 5:7 when the Lamb takes the scroll from Him who sits on the throne. This signals that his victory is complete and that history's final events are now about to unfold. The rest of the book of Revelation follows from this symbolic gesture. From this point on, the Lamb is in control of all events. Although the Antichrist will have his day, the Lamb still holds the scroll. It never leaves his hands.
 
All of life is in God’s hands. When the very worst happens, we may ask, “Where is the Lord?”  But he is where he has always been, on the throne of the universe, watching over every detail of life. Nothing escapes his gaze. While the world seems to be falling apart, he holds the scroll. While the nations rise up against one another, he holds the scroll. While armies march toward Armageddon, he holds the scroll.
 
In the midst of perplexing circumstances, let this thought bring you hope. The Lamb holds the scroll in his hand. He determines the destiny of the nations. Everything—even the most despicable evil—is under his control.
 

Jesus—the Lord of All Nations


Verses 9-10 contain a short course in Christian theology. “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.”
 
When Christ died, his death had a definite purpose. The blood of Christ purchased a great host of men and women for God. Jesus came as God’s purchasing agent to the earth. He searched through every tribe, every nation, every continent, every country, every state, every province, every city, every village, going up and down every street, searching out men and women he might purchase for God.
 
Let us put aside as beneath us any sub-Christian thinking that our Lord will be defeated.
 
He will not be defeated!
He has already won the battle!
 

Jesus—the Glory of Heaven

 
The glory of heaven is the Lamb—Jesus Christ, whose victory is celebrated without endJohn saw the Lamb standing “in the center” of the throne. Jesus is the focal point of heaven and the center of all attention. Without Jesus there would be no heaven at all. And without him none of us would ever have a chance to go there. As the famous hymn says, “When we’ve been there 10,000 years, bright shining as the sun, we’ve no less days to sing his praise than when we’ve first begun.”
 
Yes, we will see our loved ones in heaven. Yes, the redeemed of all the ages will be there. But the central fact will not be reminiscing about the old times on earth. The central fact will be that Jesus himself is there—the Lamb that was slain on our behalf.
 
It would do us good to return to Revelation 5 at least once a year and contemplate the wondrous scenes opened for us. We would be less prone to complain, less tempted to give up, less inclined to dabble in the things of the world.
 


One final word. The glory of heaven is Jesus. As the long ages roll on, we will never tire of singing his praise. We will see him still bearing the marks of his suffering on our behalf. On that day, the redeemed saints of God will sing with one united voice, “All hail the power of Jesus’ name, let angels prostrate fall. Bring forth the royal diadem and crown Him Lord of all.” Let the song begin in your heart this very day.

Pastor Ray Pritchard

See you next blog,
Ted

Saturday, March 13, 2021

For the Unbeliever

 

Why sit idle until we die with no real purpose?

2Kings 7:3 


 Friend if you still doubt the salvation message, I am concerned for you, and I would like to say something that would be helpful to you. Open your Bible, and read this story of the lepers, and note their position, which was similar to yours. If you remain where you are, you must perish; if you go to Jesus you will live.

It is said nothing venture nothing gained is the old proverb, and in your case the venture is not great. If you sit still in sullen despair, no one can pity you when your ruin comes; but if you were to die seeking mercy, if such a thing were possible, you would be the object of universal sympathy. None escape who refuse to look to Jesus; but you know that others are saved who believe in Him, for certain of your own friends and neighbors have received mercy. So why not you? Why not taste and see that the Lord is merciful? To perish is so awful that if you could only clutch at a straw, the instinct of self-preservation should lead you to stretch out your hand.

All of us who believe the gospel message want to assure you, as from the Lord, that if you seek Him you will find Him. Jesus casts out none who come unto Him. You shall not perish if you trust Him; on the contrary, you shall find treasure far richer than what the poor lepers gathered in Syria's deserted camp. May the Holy Spirit embolden you to go at once, and you shall not believe in vain.

Then when you are saved, share the good news with others. Do not hold back; tell your friends at church first, and join with them in fellowship; let the watchman of the city, the pastor, be informed of your discovery, and then proclaim the good news in every place. May the Lord God save you before the sun goes down this day.

Knowing Jesus is the beginning of wisdom!

Ted

Saturday, March 6, 2021

What has Jesus done for us?

 For as through the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous.

Romans 5:19(NASB)

There is much confusion about the consequences of Adam's sin as it relates to the Law of Moses - until one accepts that the root of all sin is traced back to Adam's one, original sin which brought death into the world. People generally believe that man is basically good, while the doctrine of original sin teaches that man is inherently bad - because of our identity with sinful Adam.


To believe that humanity is fundamentally flawed based on Adam's sin in the garden, is not accepted by the philosophy of the world and yet the Bible teaches that we are not sinners because we sin. We sin because we are sinners. We are sinners through our association with Adam's sinful race and death is the terminal outcome for all.


Adam brought sin into the human race and where there is sin there is death. Indeed, the cemetery is the greatest witness to man's sinfulness. Death has not... and cannot be cured as far as our humanity is concerned. Death reigned from Adam to Moses because of Adam's single transgression - and not only because of man's sinfulness, for all are BORN in sin. All are born 'dead in trespasses and sin'. As members of the human race, we are imputed with sin from our association with Adam and that sin nature is passed on from one generation to the next.


We are imputed with sin, we inherit a sin nature, and it was the one offence of Adam which brought death into the entire human race. Death was in the world long before the Mosaic Law was given. Before God's law was given to Israel, there was no spoken or written law for man to break and yet death continued to reign in the lives of all mankind.


As the federal head of the human race, only Adam broke God's law by eating the forbidden fruit of the tree of knowledge. None of his progeny could justifiably be charged with breaking God's law, because there was no law to break! And yet ALL suffered the consequences of sin, which is DEATH. ALL were born dead in sin and at enmity with God because 'in Adam ALL die' because sin and death was passed from Adam to all his descendants.


The Law came in under Moses to teach fallen man about sin. The Law was given so that sinners would KNOW that they were sinners. The Law was a tool that God used to show us what sin is. The Law was not the means to forgive sin but to identify sin in our lives. God implemented the Law to instruct us about sin and to show that we are all sinners who need a Saviour - and later Paul tells us that the Law is a schoolmaster to bring us to Christ.


The Law came in so that transgression would be identified in our hearts and lives. And the more man realised he was a sinner and estranged from God, the more sin was recognised, and the more sin increased. It was the Law that caused Paul to recognise that he was a sinner with a heart of jealous envy. And so with the increase of sin, it was necessary for God's grace to increase. The more sin abounded, the more grace also abounded and overflowed.


God's grace was there all along - but only when man began to understand the destructive nature of his sinfulness through the giving of the Law, did we recognise that we are sinners in need of salvation. Only when our lives are lined-up against God's perfect Law, can man understand the depth of our depravity and the immensity of God's grace towards us - in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us, so that the power of sin and death could be broken in the lives of all who believe.


As we reflect on the fact that one man (Adam) caused all men to be born in sin because of his one sin, we realise the depth of the riches of the goodness and grace of God which enables anyone who believes in the one Man (Christ) to be declared righteous. It is through the action of the one perfect Kinsman-Redeemer - on Calvary's Cross, that many are made righteous - by faith.


Because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man. How amazing to realise that the abundant overflow of grace and the amazing gift of righteousness can reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ. So then... as through one trespass there is condemnation for everyone, so also through one righteous act there is life giving justification for everyone. "For just as through one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so also through the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous."


How we praise and thank our Heavenly Father that through the Law, we are able to recognise our sinfulness and turn to Christ as Saviour, for the forgiveness of sins and life everlasting. Praise Your holy name.


My Prayer

Thank You, Heavenly Father, for the riches of Your goodness and abounding grace, which is mine in Christ Jesus my Saviour. Lord, I know that I am a sinner because of my identity with Adam. Thank You that by Your grace I have the privilege of being identified with Christ's righteousness - by faith. Thank You in Jesus' name, AMEN.

Knowing Jesus is the Beginning of Wisdom!

Ted

Wednesday, February 10, 2021

Dr. Dobson's Concern For The Country

 Dear Friends,


In my recent letters, I shared my profound concern for the soul of America. I stated that our future was hanging in the balance and our Republic was teetering near the point of no return. Well, the freefall has begun. The few remaining voices of reason and truth in the public square are being censored by big tech, expelled by corporate thought police, and twisted by the fake media. It is dizzying to watch.

Tragically, from his first day in office, President Joe Biden began to reveal his radical agenda for our nation. When joined with the influence of Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer, a sweeping takeover by the radical left is occurring at lightning speed.1 They have seized power in all three branches of government, and it is operating pell-mell without checks and balances. The movement we are witnessing actually began more than a half-century ago with the objective of creating a socialist-totalitarian state. Suddenly, it appears to be within reach.

This is a deeply troubling time for those of us who love our constitutional republic. Who would have believed that a coup of this scope could occur overnight within this greatest nation on earth? Cherished freedoms that have been enjoyed and protected for 232 years are now in serious jeopardy. Among them are religious liberty, free speech, and the right to own and bear arms. Everything that has defined America is being threatened or destroyed.

President Biden, though old and frail, is the spearhead for what amounts to a cultural revolution. He and those around him are jerking the nation 180 degrees to the left. The mechanism they are using to get this done is a flurry of executive orders that bypass the legislative process. While their overreach is apparently legal, it is an audacious expression of raw power. The President signed more than 21 EOs during his first week in office.2 Compare that to the record of his predecessors:


• Donald Trump: signed 4 executive orders in the first week
• Barack Obama: signed 5 executive orders in the first week
• George W. Bush: signed 0 executive orders in the first week
• Bill Clinton: signed 2 executive orders in the first week
• George Bush Sr.: signed 1 executive order in the first week
• Ronald Reagan: signed 0 executive orders in the first week
• Jimmy Carter: signed 1 executive order in first the week
 

The beat goes on. By the end of January, eleven days into his presidency, Biden had signed 42 executive orders.3 You've seen him on television, sitting at his desk in the Oval Office, signing a stack of documents in rapid succession. We wonder if he even had the time or energy to read them. But the greater issue is not how many orders he signed; it is how radical most of them are.

Lest we forget, just a few months ago candidate Joe Biden criticized executive orders as actions taken by a "dictator," and asserted that a democracy requires "consensus." So much for his empty rhetoric. He also called for unity in his inaugural speech, but with a few swipes of his pen he ended that illusion. Whereas he promised to be president of "all the people," Biden has endorsed a baseless and outrageous impeachment against Donald Trump, a man who received the votes of over 74 million people and came within a hair's breadth of being reelected. Unity. Indeed.

From rejoining the World Health Organization and the Paris Climate Agreement, to halting the border wall, limiting immigration enforcement, requiring non-citizens to be counted within our national census for legislative redistricting purposes, and welcoming transgender individuals into our armed forces, Joseph R. Biden and his liberal colleagues have just begun their efforts to fundamentally transform our sweet land of liberty.4

While many of Biden's actions are deeply disturbing and place the welfare of our country in peril, a few deserve greater condemnation. Let's look at some of his other executive orders.

First, his administration announced in January that it was rescinding the Mexico City Policy, a commonsense ban on U.S. aid money provided for groups who promote or provide abortion services around the globe.5 Not only has this policy saved the lives of countless innocents—but the vast majority of Americans oppose funding for abortion overseas. Here at home, President Biden wants to use your taxpayer dollars to fund the taking of innocent lives by rescinding the Hyde Amendment. It appears the President and his associates aren't interested in unity if it prevents the full and immediate embrace of a culture of death.

Second, President Biden has used an executive order to further the outrageous demands of the LGBTQ movement. His order calls for males to be allowed to enter private spaces for women, such as locker rooms and showers, and to fully participate on female sports teams. The shocking text of the order also suggests that health care plans should be required to cover surgical gender "transition" procedures, and medical professionals should be forced to perform them.6 This atrocity is not only an affront against God's biological design of men and women, who are created in His image, it also decimates equal opportunity for women in sports and violates the conscience of health care providers. Notably, there is no mention of freedom of conscience or religious accommodations required by the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. This should outrage all citizens, people of faith, and proponents of freedom.

Third, President Biden has wiped out the Trump administration's 1776 Commission,7 an advisory commission established to "enable a rising generation to understand the history and principles of the founding of the United States in 1776, and to strive to form a more perfect Union." The 1776 Commission was born out of a need to combat the revisionism that is happening across our nation, most notably through The New York Times' "1619 Project," which presented an "unbalanced, one-sided account" that "left most of the history out," according to Pulitzer Prize-winning Civil War historian, James McPherson.8 How could any citizen, let alone the chief elected official of this nation, object to this noble goal? Understanding our country's history is essential to understanding its present day, and necessary in charting the course for its future. The fact of the matter is that America's history is under relentless attack.

None of this has taken most Bible-believing Christians by surprise. We saw this coming like a freight train, and we prayed that God would somehow deliver America one more time. Clearly, He has another plan for us, and there is no turning back. But as we strive to honor God, we cannot remain silent as our government seeks to call good evil, and evil good. I urge you to let your voices be heard in your communities, and to contact your state and federal legislators. If we don't stand up and protect our children and grandchildren, who will? Indeed, this is a "for such a time as this" moment for all believers. We cannot allow our voices to be silenced during a time of crisis, when our country needs to hear from us most. Our task is harder now than ever, but it is also more urgent than ever. Our resolve must remain strong. As long as I have breath, I will stand against what is wrong and be a voice for what is right. I pray that people of faith will stand with me in the days ahead.

I want to end with the words of my dear friend, Rabbi Jonathan Cahn, who has a unique gift of seeing things from a biblical and historical perspective. He sent this powerful message to our new President. I urge you to read his entire statement with discernment. I passionately agree with what he said. Here is a transcript of the Rabbi's message.
 

232 years ago, in the first ever presidential inauguration, the nation's first president addressed a jubilant multitude, and a nation that was united in shared values and a common hope in America's future. In that first ever presidential address, George Washington gave the newborn nation a prophetic warning. He said this: "The propitious smiles of heaven cannot be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right that heaven itself has ordained." In other words, if America followed the ways of God, His eternal rules of order and right, the blessings of God would remain upon it, but if America should ever depart from the ways of God, that His blessings would be removed from the land.

And now, January 20th, 2021, another presidential inauguration takes place in the nation's capital city, named after that first president, [and] has become a military zone. For the first time in American history, a presidential inauguration is devoid of people. Instead of a jubilant crowd, 25,000 American troops stand guard over the National Mall, in which flags stand in for the missing people, and barbed wire surrounds the halls of American government. There is no war, there is no overt threat from beyond its borders. Rather, the threat comes from within. Division infects the land as does a plague that has kept its citizens masked and locked in their houses, as the nation's functioning has been in large part, paralyzed.

For months, America's cities have seen protests and riots, and doors and windows shuttered, and buildings set on fire, and the nation's most revered edifice of government, the Capitol building, taken over by an angry mob, with the nation's leaders fleeing for safety.

And so, the prophetic warning that was given on that day of that first inauguration, the smiles of heaven, are being removed from the land. And so, the question must be asked, have we then disregarded the eternal rules of order and right that heaven has ordained? America, as did Ancient Israel at the height of its prosperity, has turned away from God. We've driven Him out of our public squares, out of the schools of our children, out of our culture, out of our lives, and as did Ancient Israel, in place of His absence, we've let in other gods and served them. We've rejected His ways, and embraced the ways of immorality. We've called evil good, and good evil. And as did Ancient Israel, we've lifted up the most innocent among us, our babies, and shed their blood. Israel sacrificed thousands of its children. We've sacrificed millions, tens of millions, unborn children, who are not here this day, this inaugural day, because we took their lives, and their silent screams ascend to heaven and their blood is on our hands.

We've passed down rulings from Washington, D.C., that war against the internal laws of heaven on human life, human nature, gender, marriage, we've indoctrinated our children against the ways of God. We have done as we were warned not to do, and then we wonder why the blessings of heaven are being removed from our land. When judgment came to Ancient Israel, it manifested in the form of an enemy attack, a strike on the land, a wake-up call. It came to America on September 11th, 2001. Then it came to the very place where George Washington stood and prayed on the day of America's first presidential inauguration.

The biblical template of national judgment then ordains a period of years in which the nation is given the chance to return to God, or else head to judgment. In the case of Ancient Jerusalem, that period, from that first enemy strike to the year when the greater shakings began, was 19 years. From the strike on American soil in 2001 to the 19th year, brings us to the year 2020, the year when the great shakings began.

The danger that this window of time is drawing to an end is now upon us. We stand in a most critical moment. Mr. President, President Biden, you have called for unity and peace, but how can a nation have unity and peace when it wars against the very foundation on which it stands? How can a nation have unity and peace when it has turned against the God Who brought it into existence? And it has turned. The nation that once led its school children in prayer and taught them of His Word, now declares such prayers and teachings to be forbidden, and now instructs its children against the ways of God. How can that nation have unity and peace? How can we have unity and peace in America if we have no unity and peace with God? We are a house divided against itself, and a house divided against itself cannot stand.

Mr. President, how can you place your left hand on the Bible, the Word of God, and then with your right hand sign laws into existence that war against His Word? How can you place one hand on the Word that ordains human life as sacred and in the image of God from conception, and then with the other hand sign laws into existence that will promulgate the killing of that human life, of those children? How can you invoke the name of God in your oath and lay your hand upon His Word, and then implement laws that will suppress the going forth of His Word, that will censor His Word and those who advance it? You plan to enact laws that will disregard the distinction between male and female, man and woman. Did not the warning of our first president involve that very thing, if we disregard the eternal rules of order that heaven itself has ordained?

You plan to enact laws that will specifically neutralize the protection of religious freedom. You plan to strike down the Hyde Amendment so that more children will be murdered, and those Americans who recognize abortion as murder will be forced to support the act of murder with their taxes. And you plan to empower the act of killing unborn children, not only within the borders of America, but throughout the world to the end, that yet more rivers of blood will flow. How does one do such things and name oneself as a believer in God and a follower of Jesus? How does one sign the sign of the cross and then sign decrees that rage against what God has so clearly set forth in His Word, concerning life and death, holiness and sin, righteousness and immorality, good and evil?

To you, Mr. President, and all who have joined you in this agenda, from the Vice-President, to the leaders of the Senate and the House, and all who sit in halls of power and have embraced this agenda, heed this warning. This day will pass. The applause of men will fade. This administration will inevitably be over. This world will pass away, but you will stand before God and give account, for it is written in His Word that we will each stand before God and give account. And on that day, all the power you once wielded will be gone, and all of the world's approval and praises will have faded away, and all the fame and glory you received will amount to nothing.

In the day when the book of history is closed and the book of life is opened, none of that will matter. It will be you and Him, and you will be required to give account of what you have done. Did you follow the will and Word of God, or did you not? If you pursue these things, then you did not, and the blood of children will be on your hands, and then will come eternal life or eternal judgment. The voice of God calls out to you and to all, to turn and follow Him with all your heart, Who gave all His heart and life that you might be saved.

As for America, the problem is not social, or economic, or cultural, or political, the problem is ultimately spiritual, and so must be the answer. America has turned away from God, and its only hope is that it returns to God. Choose true greatness and lead in that return, or continue in this departure from God to destruction and judgment. As for those of you who love this nation and are burdened and fearful for its future, America's only hope is revival, return. Without it, the nation is lost, and revival only comes through repentance and return.

It's time to pray as never before that return and revival would come, but it's time not only to pray for revival, but to choose revival, to choose to live in revival now. And for that, we must each commit to return to God, to put away from our lives that which must be put away, and take up that which must be taken up, and walk in His ways and live in His spirit as we have never done before. "For the eyes of the Lord search to and fro throughout the entire earth, looking for the one whose heart is completely His, to show Himself mighty on their behalf." Let us be that people, and revival will come.

And if the darkness must come, whether by persecution, or disorder, or disintegration, or apostasy, do not fear, for God is still on the throne, and the darkness cannot overcome the light, but only magnify it. And if the darkness should grow darker, then it's time for the lights of God to shine even brighter, for it is no longer the time of the candle in the day, it is now time for the candle in the night. We are now the candle in the night that shines against the darkness and lights up the night, the world with its radiance. We pray that the civilization that was established and consecrated to be a city on a hill, America, would once again shine with a light that once illumined it, but whether or not it does, it is time that each of us shine with a light of His glory.

It is time to live unhindered, uncompromised, unbound, bold, and all out on fire and mighty in the power of the living God, for thus says the Lord, "Arise and shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you." Deep darkness shall cover the earth, but the glory of God shall rise upon you. In the name above every name that is named, the name of Yeshua Hamashiach, Jesus the Messiah, the Way, the Truth, and the Life, the King above all kings, the Lord of all, the Hope of the ages, and the answer to every life, the Star of Jacob, the Prince of life, the glory of Israel, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the Name that will remain above all names when all is passed away, Yeshua, Jesus, the same yesterday, today and forever. Amen.9


Thank you, Rabbi Cahn. Your powerful words remind me of a historic quote from Thomas Jefferson who wrote, "I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just." Given our utter depravity, I wonder how we can escape judgment by the Almighty. But when I am tempted to despair, I recall the comforting words of the Prophet Habakkuk in Ancient Israel. He wrote, "Lord, I have heard of your fame. I stand in awe of your deeds. Lord, repeat them in our day. In our time, make them known. In wrath, remember mercy." (Habakkuk 3:2)

We must pray fervently and continuingly for our country.

Sincerely,

 

Signature

 

1. https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/pelosi-schumer-priorities-speech-elections-risk-grover-norquist
2. https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2021/01/25/rule-by-decree-joe-biden-sets-record-for-executive-orders-in-first-week/
3. https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/29/politics/biden-executive-orders-climate-health-care-coronavirus-immigration/index.html
4. ibid
5. https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/28/memorandum-on-protecting-womens-health-at-home-and-abroad/
6. https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/20/executive-order-preventing-and-combating-discrimination-on-basis-of-gender-identity-or-sexual-orientation/
7. https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/20/executive-order-advancing-racial-equity-and-support-for-underserved-communities-through-the-federal-government/
8. https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-1619-project-gets-schooled-11576540494
9. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrCtoQUXnmc&feature=youtu.be

This letter may be reproduced without change and in its entirety for non-commercial and non-political purposes without prior permission from Family Talk. Copyright, 2021 Family Talk. All Rights Reserved. International Copyright Secured. Printed in the U.S. Dr. James Dobson’s Family Talk is not affiliated with Focus on the Family.

See you next blog,

Ted

Sunday, February 7, 2021

Who Are We In Christ?

 Men do not become sinners by sinning... but as members of the human race, we are sinners by birth. We were born in sin and the wages of sin is death. We are born with a sin nature because we are of the ancestry of Adam. It was because of his one transgression that death entered the world, causing death to be passed on to all humanity.


Adam sinned, and where there is sin there is death. It was this one sinful act in the garden of Eden that brought death upon the entire human race. Adam is the federal head of the human race and his one transgression placed deadly condemnation upon all men. We are able to recognise that we are sinners, because the Law of God exposes our sinfulness... but it was Adam's SINGLE transgression, his ONE act of disobedience, his FIRST transgression, that brought the sentence of death upon you and on me.


In this passage, Paul wants to make it crystal clear that it was Adam's one transgression through which sin entered the world. It was that one single sin by which the whole of the human race was condemned to death. We are all imputed with sin because of his one sin. God's judgement on Adam's one trespass was passed to ALL men. Everyone is born a sinner. We are all born with a sin nature. All are all born, "dead in trespasses and sin," because of his one act of disobedience in the garden of Eden... such that all his offspring, including you and me, are condemned to death simply by being born!!


On the face of it, this seems very unfair. Why should I be condemned because of Adam's one transgression? Why should I pay the price for Adam's fall? Why can't I be accountable for my own sin and pay my own debt? Why could I not have the opportunity to try to live a sinless life so that I will not be subject to the consequences and outcome of Adam's ONE transgression? Why should I receive the death penalty because of Adam's transgression?


But when viewed from God's perspective, we find a very different picture emerging and see an outflow of His mercy, grace, goodness, and kindness. God alone is good and His law is perfect... but to try to live a perfect life in an increasingly sinful world would inevitably fail. The Law of God makes it painfully obvious that sinless perfection in a fallen world is utterly impossible... and the inevitable result would be sin, death, and hell, for each of Adam's progeny.


However, by God's amazing grace, we have the opportunity to identify with the actions, consequences, and outcome of another Man - a PERFECT MAN, a GOOD Man, the Man Christ Jesus!!


God in His grace gave His only begotten Son to be born into the human race and take upon Himself the punishment that fallen man deserves. As the second Person of the Trinity, He was GOOD. And as the God the Son in human form, He lived a perfect, sinless life. He came to fulfil God's perfect Law and live a perfect life on our behalf - taking upon Himself the punishment for sin that we justly deserve.


He came to identify with our humanity! He came to pay the full price for all sin! He came to be made sin for us! He came to take upon Himself the curse of the Law that we justly deserve... which proclaims each of us as 'guilty', and sentences each of us to death. The unattainable Law proclaims its deadly condemnation on all of us. Jesus came to present Himself as the ONE perfect Sacrifice on behalf of all men. By paying for our sin, we can be declared righteous by faith. His redemption is therefore available to everyone, by faith. All we have to do is to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for the salvation of our soul.


Jesus Christ came as our sinless Kinsman-Redeemer to die ONCE for ALL upon the Cross. He came so that by His ONE act of righteousness ALL who believe in Him would be identified with HIS righteousness - and be released from the consequences of our sin and sinfulness. He came to offer each one the free gift of salvation, which by God's grace becomes ours by faith in Him. He came so that by grace through faith, ALL who believe on His name might be set free from the actions, consequences, and outcomes of our sin-filled lives!!


The transgression of Adam, which caused death to be passed onto all men, is very different from the amazing, abundant, glorious, and eternal life that is offered to all men as a free gift of grace. By faith in Jesus, we have been made a new creation. By faith in Him, we are born into the family of God. By faith in Him, we are made children of God, and by faith in Him we have become joint-heirs with Christ.


We have transferred from being IN ADAM to being IN CHRIST. We have changed from being dead in sin to being alive in Him. We have been given the indwelling Holy Spirit and have access to the throne of grace for help in time of need. Men do not become sinners by sinning... but as members of the human race, we are sinners by birth. We were born in sin and the wages of sin is death. We are born with a sin nature because we are of the ancestry of Adam. It was because of his one transgression that death entered the world, causing death to be passed on to all humanity.


Adam sinned, and where there is sin there is death. It was this one sinful act in the garden of Eden that brought death upon the entire human race. Adam is the federal head of the human race and his one transgression placed deadly condemnation upon all men. We are able to recognise that we are sinners, because the Law of God exposes our sinfulness... but it was Adam's SINGLE transgression, his ONE act of disobedience, his FIRST transgression, that brought the sentence of death upon you and on me.


In this passage, Paul wants to make it crystal clear that it was Adam's one transgression through which sin entered the world. It was that one single sin by which the whole of the human race was condemned to death. We are all imputed with sin because of his one sin. God's judgement on Adam's one trespass was passed to ALL men. Everyone is born a sinner. We are all born with a sin nature. All are all born, "dead in trespasses and sin," because of his one act of disobedience in the garden of Eden... such that all his offspring, including you and me, are condemned to death simply by being born!!


On the face of it, this seems very unfair. Why should I be condemned because of Adam's one transgression? Why should I pay the price for Adam's fall? Why can't I be accountable for my own sin and pay my own debt? Why could I not have the opportunity to try to live a sinless life so that I will not be subject to the consequences and outcome of Adam's ONE transgression? Why should I receive the death penalty because of Adam's transgression?


But when viewed from God's perspective, we find a very different picture emerging and see an outflow of His mercy, grace, goodness, and kindness. God alone is good and His law is perfect... but to try to live a perfect life in an increasingly sinful world would inevitably fail. The Law of God makes it painfully obvious that sinless perfection in a fallen world is utterly impossible... and the inevitable result would be sin, death, and hell, for each of Adam's progeny.


However, by God's amazing grace, we have the opportunity to identify with the actions, consequences, and outcome of another Man - a PERFECT MAN, a GOOD Man, the Man Christ Jesus!!


God in His grace gave His only begotten Son to be born into the human race and take upon Himself the punishment that fallen man deserves. As the second Person of the Trinity, He was GOOD. And as the God the Son in human form, He lived a perfect, sinless life. He came to fulfil God's perfect Law and live a perfect life on our behalf - taking upon Himself the punishment for sin that we justly deserve.


He came to identify with our humanity! He came to pay the full price for all sin! He came to be made sin for us! He came to take upon Himself the curse of the Law that we justly deserve... which proclaims each of us as 'guilty', and sentences each of us to death. The unattainable Law proclaims its deadly condemnation on all of us. Jesus came to present Himself as the ONE perfect Sacrifice on behalf of all men. By paying for our sin, we can be declared righteous by faith. His redemption is therefore available to everyone, by faith. All we have to do is to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for the salvation of our soul.


Jesus Christ came as our sinless Kinsman-Redeemer to die ONCE for ALL upon the Cross. He came so that by His ONE act of righteousness ALL who believe in Him would be identified with HIS righteousness - and be released from the consequences of our sin and sinfulness. He came to offer each one the free gift of salvation, which by God's grace becomes ours by faith in Him. He came so that by grace through faith, ALL who believe on His name might be set free from the actions, consequences, and outcomes of our sin-filled lives!!


The transgression of Adam, which caused death to be passed onto all men, is very different from the amazing, abundant, glorious, and eternal life that is offered to all men as a free gift of grace. By faith in Jesus, we have been made a new creation. By faith in Him, we are born into the family of God. By faith in Him, we are made children of God, and by faith in Him we have become joint-heirs with Christ.


We have transferred from being IN ADAM to being IN CHRIST. We have changed from being dead in sin to being alive in Him. We have been given the indwelling Holy Spirit and have access to the throne of grace for help in time of need. By faith, we are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, so that we may proclaim the excellencies of Him Who has called us out of darkness into His marvellous light. All that is needed is faith in Christ Jesus for the forgiveness of our sin - to Whom be all praise and glory, not only in this life but in the ages to come.


My Prayer

Heavenly Father, as I come to reflect on Your plan of salvation and consider my own sinfulness and Your glorious gift of grace, whereby my sin has been forgiven and debt has been paid, I lift my hands in awe, wonder, and praise, for Your goodness and grace. Thank You that Christ's own resurrected life has been breathed into me and I am clothed in His own perfect righteousness. I marvel at Your loving kindness to me and all the children of men, and pray that I may live to Your praise and glory. In Jesus' name, AMEN.


Source: https://dailyverse.knowing-jesus.com/romans-5-15 so that we may proclaim the excellencies of Him Who has called us out of darkness into His marvellous light. All that is needed is faith in Christ Jesus for the forgiveness of our sin - to Whom be all praise and glory, not only in this life but in the ages to come.


My Prayer

Heavenly Father, as I come to reflect on Your plan of salvation and consider my own sinfulness and Your glorious gift of grace, whereby my sin has been forgiven and debt has been paid, I lift my hands in awe, wonder, and praise, for Your goodness and grace. Thank You that Christ's own resurrected life has been breathed into me and I am clothed in His own perfect righteousness. I marvel at Your loving kindness to me and all the children of men, and pray that I may live to Your praise and glory. In Jesus' name, AMEN.

Knowing Jesus is the beginning of wisdom

See you next blog,

Ted

Depend Fully On Jesus

 https://info.truthforlife.org/private-worship-1?ecid=ACsprvts0k5VftayoMvIszLlZmJur8gvo_lfsYjM0mXix61w9WSYAQ_QiPX9R46CaoW8LXho-uf3&utm_c...