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Post by nchrist on Oct 7, 2009 18:54:55 GMT -6
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For Questions Or Comments: berean@execpc.com _______________________________________________ October 7, 2009 GRACE AND DEBTby Cornelius R. Stam "Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt."But to him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness" (Rom. 4:4,5).As we look back at all the Old Testament types: the physical types, the narratives, the sacrifices, we exclaim: "The cross was not an accident, nor an afterthought on God's part: He had it in mind all the while." Surely Paul was right when he said of believers that "[God] hath saved us and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began" (II Tim. 1:9). It is on the basis of the cross, typified all through the Old Testament, that God now saves us by grace through faith alone, and the types show that this was indeed His eternal purpose. Furthermore salvation should be by grace through faith. As our text, above, declares: if man could earn his salvation it would be the payment of a debt, not the bestowal of a gift -- and God will never be indebted to anyone. He will never be in a position where He owes us, sinners, a debt. Nor will He ever allow us to disgrace ourselves and annoy others by our boasting about how we earned eternal life. But He can, on the basis of the penalty paid at Calvary, bestow salvation as a free gift. This is why we read: "The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus Christ, our Lord" (Rom. 6:23)."It is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast" (Eph. 2:8,9). God owed Abraham nothing, but seeing his faith He said, in effect: "This man believes Me; I will count his faith for righteousness" (Gen. 15:6). And this He still does for those who trust Him, only He has now revealed the basis for this action: Christ's payment for sins at Calvary. This is why, in Romans 4:5, He forbids works for salvation and declares that the believer's faith is "counted for righteousness."
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Post by nchrist on Oct 9, 2009 0:11:18 GMT -6
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For Questions Or Comments: berean@execpc.com _______________________________________________ October 8, 2009 THE PEACE OF GODby Cornelius R. Stam "Peace with God" is one thing; "the peace of God" is another. To enjoy the latter, we must first experience the former, for the peace of God, ruling in our hearts, is the result of "peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ." St. Paul declared by divine inspiration that "[Christ] was delivered for our offences and was raised again for our justification" and that "therefore, being justified by faith," we, who once were at enmity with God, may enjoy "peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 4:25; 5:1). The result of "peace with God" is "the peace of God," the peace that He gives to His own amid all the troubles of life. This is why the Apostle wrote to the Roman Christians: "Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing" (Romans 15:13).While only those who are at peace with God can -- and should know "the peace of God," it does not follow, however, that all those who are at peace with God necessarily enjoy "the peace of God." Believers can enjoy "the peace of God" only as they practice Philippians 4:6:
"BE CAREFUL [ANXIOUS] FOR NOTHING; BUT IN EVERYTHING, BY PRAYER AND SUPPLICATION, WITH THANKSGIVING, LET YOUR REQUESTS BE MADE KNOWN UNTO GOD."As we follow these instructions the promise which follows will certainly be fulfilled. "THE PEACE OF GOD, WHICH PASSETH ALL UNDERSTANDING, SHALL KEEP YOUR HEARTS AND MINDS THROUGH CHRIST JESUS" (Ver. 7).As believers in Christ "we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28 ). Therefore we should not be constantly overwhelmed and defeated by the adversities of life, but should heed the exhortation; "Let the peace of God rule in your hearts" (Colossians 3:15).
"NOW THE LORD OF PEACE HIMSELF GIVE YOU PEACE ALWAYS BY ALL MEANS" (2 Thessalonians 3:16).
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Post by nchrist on Oct 10, 2009 12:51:25 GMT -6
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For Questions Or Comments: berean@execpc.com _______________________________________________ October 9, 2009 BUY THE TRUTH AND SELL IT NOTby Cornelius R. Stam Every true Christian should understand that the truth costs. If you don't think so, make it your own, value it, defend it, stand for it, and see if it doesn't cost. Before you are through it may cost you far more than you had thought -- hours of ease and pleasure, friends and money. Yes, the truth costs. Salvation is gloriously free but the truth costs -- that is, if you want it for yourself. Many who know the truth won't buy it. They won't pay what it costs to say: "This is what I believe. This is my conviction." The truth isn't worth that much to them. But in Prov. 23:23 God's Word urges us: "Buy the truth"! Not, "Buy it if you can get it at a bargain; if the price is not too great." No, "Buy the truth"! Buy it at any price. It is worth far more than anything you can give in exchange for it. And when you have bought it: "sell it not." How many, alas, have bought the truth only to sell out again! For a while they valued and defended some God-given light from His Word, but presently they sold it again for something that seemed more valuable. Perhaps it was peace with others, or position, or popularity or some other temporal gain. They still gave mental assent to it but it formed no part of them. It was no longer a conviction. Such should read again the Spirit's counsel: "Buy the truth, and sell it not." He does not say: "Don't sell it unless you can get a very good price for it." He says: "Sell it not." Sell it not at any price. Buy it, no matter what it costs and when it is yours do not sell it for any price or under any consideration. It is because the truth is so little valued in this indifferent age, that many of God's people have become so spiritually powerless. They hold opinions instead of convictions, because they have given the infallible, unchangeable Word of God little place in their lives. God blesses and uses those who "buy the truth and sell it not."
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Post by nchrist on Oct 10, 2009 12:52:26 GMT -6
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For Questions Or Comments: berean@execpc.com _______________________________________________ October 10, 2009 A GOOD JOBby Cornelius R. Stam As Loren stood with his father, gazing at a beautiful Minnesota lake, the little four-year-old asked: "Daddy, who made this lake?" "God made it," replied his dad, "and God made those trees and all this beautiful scenery." There was a moment's silence. Then, placing his hands on his hips, little Loren said: "He sure did a good job!" Yes, He did, yet this scenery was nothing compared with the glory this earth will know when Christ returns to reign. If earth's rivers and lakes, its mountains and valleys, its landscapes and seascapes can now be so breath-taking, so awe-inspiring, what will be its beauty when prophecy is fulfilled and the curse removed! "The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them [God's people, Israel] and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.
"It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the Lord, and the excellency of our God."
"...for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.
"And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water..."
"And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away" (Isa. 35:1,2,6, 7,10).
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Post by nchrist on Oct 11, 2009 8:40:42 GMT -6
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For Questions Or Comments: berean@execpc.com _______________________________________________ October 11, 2009 IF HE BE ABLEby Cornelius R. Stam "Either his uncle... or any that is nigh of kin unto him of his family may redeem him, or, if he be able, he may redeem himself" (Lev. 25:49).Under Old Testament law one who had failed in business could sell himself, or be sold, into slavery, his master paying off his debts in lieu of salary. The slave could be redeemed, however, by his uncle or any near relative who could afford to pay off his debts, or, says our passage: "if he be able, he may redeem himself." "If he be able"! Significant qualification, for what bankrupt slave was ever able to redeem himself! In this way God would teach us an important lesson about salvation from sin. All of us have failed in business, as it were. We have amassed a huge debt of sin against God and our fellowmen, and have become morally and spiritually bankrupt. We have many who are "nigh of kin" to us, but they are unable to redeem us because they themselves are bankrupt sinners. There is One, however, who has an infinite store of righteousness with which to pay our debt and redeem us. Indeed, He did pay the penalty for all our sins when He, the Holy One, died in shame and disgrace as a sinner on Calvary's cross. He, the Lord Jesus Christ, is our blessed Kinsman Redeemer, for as Adam's children "are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same" (Heb. 2:14) that He might redeem Jew and Gentile; "made [for] a little [while] lower than the angels for the suffering of death ...that He by the grace of God, should taste death for every man" (Heb. 2:9). There are many, alas, who will not face up to their condition. They somehow think that they can still redeem themselves. To them God says: "Do it, if you are able!" To the rich young ruler who asked, "What must I do to inherit eternal life," the Lord said "You know the law... this do, and you will live." But who of us has perfectly kept the law of God? Who of us is not a repeated law-breaker in the sight of God? Who is able to redeem himself? Why not then turn from self to Christ, our rich Kinsman Redeemer, "In whom we have redemption, through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace" (Eph. 1:7).
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Post by nchrist on Oct 12, 2009 9:45:16 GMT -6
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For Questions Or Comments: berean@execpc.com _______________________________________________ October 12, 2009 THE BIBLE IS FOR YOUby Cornelius R. Stam As we examine the Bible one fact stands out with particular emphasis and clarity: The Bible was written for the people, for the populace at large, not for some special class among them. St. Paul addressed his epistles to both "laity" and "clergy": "To all that be in Rome" (Rom. 12), "unto the church... at Corinth... with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord" (I Cor. 1:2), "unto the churches of Galatia" (Gal. 1:2), "to all the saints... at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons" (Phil. 1:1), etc. When Paul proclaimed the gospel at Berea his hearers did not take even this great apostle's word for granted, but "searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so," and for this God called them "noble" (Acts 17:11). They were the true spiritual aristocracy of their day. Our Lord, when on earth, encouraged -- even challenged His audiences to "search the Scriptures" for themselves (John 5:39). Indeed, since God has revealed Himself and His plan of salvation in the written Word, we are responsible, each one for himself, to study the Scriptures. When Dives begged Abraham to allow Lazarus to go and warn his five brothers about the horrors of hades, Abraham replied: "They have Moses and the prophets, let them hear them," and when Dives urged that a word from Lazarus would be more effective, Abraham answered: "If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rose from the dead" (Luke 16:29-31). Do not depend upon your clergyman to interpret the Scriptures for you but see for yourself what they say, for "every one of us shall give account of himself to God" (Rom. 14:12), and it will not be enough in that day to say: "But my minister or priest told me..." You are responsible to "search the Scriptures" for yourself to "see whether those things are so."
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Post by nchrist on Oct 13, 2009 19:14:05 GMT -6
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For Questions Or Comments: berean@execpc.com _______________________________________________ October 13, 2009 THE VISITING PREACHERby Cornelius R. Stam Paul and Barnabas had seated themselves in the large synagogue in Pisidian Antioch. They were soon recognized as "clergymen," however, for "after the reading of the law and the prophets" they were asked whether either of them might have some word of "exhortation" for those who had gathered. These details are important, for as Moses, in giving the Law, had declared God's moral standards, the prophets had for centuries challenged the people to obey the Law and had warned them of the dire consequences of breaking its commands. Hence, in the synagogues passages were generally read from the Law and the prophets, and the religious leaders would then "exhort" the people to heed the prophets and obey the Law. Paul and Barnabas, the visiting preachers, therefore, were asked whether either of them had a "word of exhortation for the people." Paul responded to the invitation but, rather than merely exhorting his hearers to keep the Law, he proclaimed Christ, who in love had died for all lawbreakers, closing with these words: "Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this Man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins; and by Him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses" (Acts 13:38,39).How we need this message today! We may forever exhort one another to keep the Law, but who of us has not already broken it? Let us thank God, then, that He is a loving Savior as well as a just Judge and that as God the Son He paid for our sins Himself at Calvary so that we might be "justified freely by His grace." "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us" (Gal. 3:13).
"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved" (Acts 16:31).
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Post by nchrist on Oct 14, 2009 16:37:49 GMT -6
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For Questions Or Comments: berean@execpc.com _______________________________________________ October 14, 2009 THE ONE ESSENTIAL THINGby Cornelius R. Stam The place of the Word in the life of the believer is settled once and for all in the inspired record of one of our Lord's visits to the home of Mary and Martha (Luke 10:38-42). Commentaries on this passage generally point out that both Mary and Martha had their good points! This, of course, is true, but if we limit ourselves to this observation we rob the account of its intended lesson, for our Lord did not commend both sisters for their "good points." He reproved Martha and commended and defended Mary with regard to one particular matter. What, exactly, was Mary commended for? How often she has been portrayed as an example to us to spend more time with the Lord in prayer! But this is missing the point of the passage. Mary was not praying; she "sat at Jesus' feet, and HEARD HIS WORD." She just sat there, drinking in all He had to say. This was "the one essential thing" which Mary had "chosen" and which our Lord said was not to be "taken away from her." Thus, while prayer and testimony and good works all have their importance in the life of the believer, hearing God's Word is "the one essential thing" above all others. Indeed, let this "one thing" be given its rightful place and all the rest will follow naturally. It is granted, of course, that we must study the Word prayerfully and with open heart, or it will have disastrous, rather than beneficial results, but this only goes to place still further emphasis upon the supreme importance of the Word of God, which we seek, by sincere and prayerful study, to understand and obey.
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Post by nchrist on Oct 16, 2009 2:07:01 GMT -6
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For Questions Or Comments: berean@execpc.com _______________________________________________ October 15, 2009 WHAT SHALL WE DO?by Cornelius R. Stam When John the Baptist appeared as Christ's forerunner, God's chosen people had lived under the law of Moses for fifteen hundred years but had not kept it. Hence John's call to repentance and baptism for the remission of sins (Mark 1:4). John was in earnest, too, for when the thoughtless multitude came to him to be baptized, he sent them back, saying: "Bring forth fruits worthy of repentance" (Luke 3:7,8 ). Their lives were to be changed and they were to show it. When the people asked: "What shall we do, then?" he told them to live for others rather than for self (Luke 3:10,11). When the tax collectors asked: "What shall we do?" he demanded that they stop cheating the tax payers and live honestly (Vers. 12,13). When the soldiers asked: "What shall we do?" he told them to forbear violence, false accusation and bribery (Ver. 14). Clearly, righteousness was demanded under John's message. His hearers were to repent, be baptized, and bring forth the fruits of true repentance. When our Lord appeared, He proclaimed the same message as John (Matt. 3:1,2; 4:17). A lawyer asked: "What shall I do to inherit eternal life?" and He replied: "What is written in the law?" When the lawyer recited the basic commands of the Law, our Lord answered: "This do and thou shalt live" (Luke 10:25-28 ). God was still demanding righteousness. They were all under the Law (Gal. 4:4,5; Matt. 23:1,2; etc.). Some suppose this was all changed after Calvary by the so-called "great commission." This is not so. When, at Pentecost, Peter's hearers were convicted of their sins and asked "What shall we do?" Peter commanded them to "repent and be baptized... for the remission of sins" just as John had done (Mark 1:4; cf. Acts 2:38 ). He did not tell them that Christ had died for their sins. Paul was the first to say: "But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested... [We] declare His righteousness for the remission of sins" (Rom. 3:21-26). When the Gentile jailor fell on his knees and asked: "What must I do to be saved?" Paul replied: "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved" (Acts 16:30,31). This is God's message for sinners today, for "we have redemption through [Christ's] blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace" (Eph. 1:7).
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Post by nchrist on Oct 16, 2009 12:32:18 GMT -6
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For Questions Or Comments: berean@execpc.com _______________________________________________ October 16, 2009 PUZZLE OR PICTUREby Cornelius R. Stam Where "rightly dividing the Word of truth" (IITim.2:15) is concerned, our spiritual leaders are like a group of people, each one of whom holds a part or several parts of a jig-saw puzzle, but who fail to put them together and so never get to see the picture. One sees clearly that the so-called "Great Commission" was a Kingdom commission and not ours. Another sees that the "one baptism" of Ephesians 4:5 MUST be the DIVINE baptism which makes believers one in Christ. Another sees that Paul's apostleship was wholly distinct from that of the Twelve. Another sees that Romans 6:3,4 does not contain one drop of water. Another sees that the Christian's position is spiritual and heavenly in character. Another sees that the Body of Christ, the Church of today, was never prophesied -- even, that it did not begin at Pentecost with Peter and the eleven, but later, with Paul. But while each sees some component part of "the Mystery", Satan has used tradition to blind him to the rest. The result is that confusion continues to prevail and they still have a puzzle instead of a picture. If only they would put the pieces together! What a clear picture they would see of "the Dispensation of the Grace of God", and how eagerly they would join us in "THE PREACHING OF JESUS CHRIST ACCORDING TO THE REVELATION OF THE MYSTERY" (Rom. 16:25)!
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Post by nchrist on Oct 17, 2009 9:24:49 GMT -6
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For Questions Or Comments: berean@execpc.com _______________________________________________ October 17, 2009 TRUE REVIVALby Cornelius R. Stam In the days of Ezra the prophet, Israel was in much the same state as the Church today. Happily, however, some of the leaders became convicted that they had been neglecting the Word of God -- especially that part which was addressed to them: the law of Moses. As a result they built for Ezra a pulpit on which to stand and read the Scriptures to the people (Neh. 8:4). "From morning until midday" he read to them, while others mingled with the audience and "caused the people to understand."
"So they read in the book, in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense," with the result that "all the people went their way to eat, and to drink, and to send portions [gifts], and to make great mirth, because they had understood the words that were declared unto them" (Vers. 8,12).Similarly, after our Lord had explained the Scriptures to the two disciples on the way to Emmaus, they said to each other: "Did not our heart burn within us, while He talked with us by the way, and while He opened to us the Scriptures?" (Luke 24:32).Well-meaning groups and individuals have for decades been praying in vain for a true spiritual revival in the Church, but the only sure road to revival is a renewed interest in the Bible, and especially in what God there says to us in the Epistles of Paul. When we become convicted of our neglect of God's Word to us as found in the Epistles of Paul; when men of God "study" to "rightly divide" the Word and begin teaching it from the pulpit, a great spiritual revival will inevitably follow but, alas, most of God's people are too complacent, too satisfied with a shallow profession to enter into this blessed experience. However, as we study the Word of God for ourselves, and especially that part of His Word which applies particularly to us, we, like the Israelites of Ezra's day, will experience the joy of understanding God's love letter to us.
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Post by nchrist on Oct 18, 2009 15:06:03 GMT -6
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For Questions Or Comments: berean@execpc.com _______________________________________________ October 18, 2009 GOD'S REVELATION OF HIMSELFby Cornelius R. Stam Romans 1:18-20 declares that God has revealed Himself to man in creation. Not that we can learn His plan of salvation from creation -- far from it. But the creation: the glory of its star-studded heavens, the beauty of its flowers and sunsets, the sun and rain and crops to supply us with food, and the unchangeable laws of nature, all show forth, not only the existence of God, but His power, His love, His justice, so that man is a responsible being and, as Verse 20 says, "without excuse" for the deplorable condition in which he finds himself. A believer, talking with an atheistic evolutionist one day, took out his watch, looked at it and put it back into his pocket, saying: "I have a wonderful watch; it keeps perfect time; never misses a second." "What make is it?" the atheist asked. "Oh, no make," answered the Christian. "Well, who manufactured it?" "Oh, nobody; it just put itself together somehow." "Nonsense," said the atheist, "A watch can't just come into existence. Somebody had to design it and somebody had to manufacture it." "True," said the Christian, "yet you expect me to believe that this universe, with its billions of stars and planets, all working together in perfect order, just came about by itself; that it had no Designer, no Creator and no one who keeps it running? Isn't that nonsense?" No wonder Paul says that the godless are "without excuse," including even the vast majority of "religious" people, who salve their consciences by giving a small part of each week or each day to the performance of some religious rite but keep God out of their businesses, their politics, their social relationships -- their hearts. But thank God, as He has revealed His power and glory in creation, He has revealed His mercy and grace, His plan of salvation, in the Bible, where we read how "Christ died for our sins" (1 Corinthians 15:3), so that we might have "redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace" (Ephesians 1:7).
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Post by nchrist on Oct 20, 2009 16:50:04 GMT -6
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For Questions Or Comments: berean@execpc.com _______________________________________________ October 19, 2009 FORGIVENby Cornelius R. Stam "We have... the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace" (Ephesians 1:7).The climax of Paul's first recorded sermon is reached in Verses 38 and 39 of Acts 13, where he declares:
"Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this Man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins:
"And by Him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses."Thus God, through Christ, forgives and justifies those who believe. Nor is this all that was accomplished for us by the death of Christ at Calvary. There is also reconciliation, baptism by the Spirit into Christ and His Body, a position at God's right hand in the heavenlies and all spiritual blessings there. "The forgiveness of sins" must come first, however, and the above passage assures us that in Christ we have this -- not barely, but "according to the riches of His grace." Indeed, the next verse continues: "wherein He hath abounded toward us..." Thus Ephesians 2:2-7 declares that though we were once "the children of disobedience," and therefore "by nature the children of wrath," "God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us" has given us life and raised us from the dead, exalting us to "heavenly places in Christ..." His purpose in all this? "That in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus" (Verse 7). When God forgives us He no longer sees us in our poor selves, but in Christ, who took our place, dying for our sins on Calvary's cross. There He hung in our place that we might now stand in His -- "complete in Him" (Colossians 2:10).
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Post by nchrist on Oct 20, 2009 16:51:12 GMT -6
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For Questions Or Comments: berean@execpc.com _______________________________________________ October 20, 2009 "WITHOUT FORM AND VOID"by Russell S. Miller "I beheld the earth, and lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light" (Jeremiah 4:23).The reason that "the earth" was "without form, and void" in this passage is not because God had created it that way. Rather the "fury" of His wrath had "come forth like fire" upon Palestine (Jeremiah 4:1-31). But some supposed the "without form, and void" in Genesis 1:2 is the result of His judgment! But how can this be! Sin had not entered until Adam's fall (Genesis 3:1-24). Satan was still "Lucifer, son of the morning", and had not yet "fallen from heaven" (Isaiah 14:12-17; Ezekiel 28:13-19). Rather we believe that it is exactly as God's Word records creation: "...AND THE SPIRIT OF GOD MOVED UPON THE FACE OF THE WATERS" (Genesis 1:2).Thus, "In the beginning", upon the first day, when "God created the heaven and the earth" (Genesis 1:1) "without form, and void" (1:2), it was empty and desolate because He was not finished with His creation. And upon this "ocean" of His creative genius, He but spoke the words and His almighty power brought forth this beautiful earth in six successive days, as recorded in Genesis 1:1-31. "THUS THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH WERE FINISHED, AND ALL THE HOST OF THEM. And on the Seventh Day God ended His work which He had...created and made" (Genesis 2:1-3).Genesis One records the day by day account of the creation of heaven and earth. Otherwise "sin" would have "entered" the world before Adam which, of course, is not only unscriptural, but it is not even Pauline (Romans 5:12). However, as God commanded Nebuchadnezzar to march against Jerusalem, and the cities of Judah, in Jeremiah's day (Jeremiah 4:6,7), so the Great Commander of all the Hosts of Heaven shall issue a counter declaration of war upon all mankind for its rejection of Christ. Revelation 19:11-16 describes "the King of kings, and Lord of lords" riding upon "a white horse...and in righteousness He doth judge and make war". But for now God has "good news" for you. He loves you with an everlasting love. This is why He sent Christ to die for our sins on Calvary. The Apostle Paul preached that "the forgiveness of sins" (Ephesians 1:7) is based upon the shed blood of our Redeemer, Saviour, Creator, and Friend; the Lord Jesus Christ. "GOD IS FAITHFUL" and you can trust Him. He wants to save you from your sins. And, my friend, He will save you from "the wrath to come" also, if you will only believe Him (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 ).
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Post by nchrist on Oct 22, 2009 2:34:56 GMT -6
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For Questions Or Comments: berean@execpc.com _______________________________________________ October 21, 2009 THE CONFLICT BETWEEN THE OLD AND NEW NATURESby Cornelius R. Stam Concerning the conflict continually going on between the old and new natures in the believer, St. Paul says: "For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would" (Gal. 5:17).Regarding this conflict in his own personal experience, he writes: "For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do."
"For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: "But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members" (Rom. 7:19,22,23).It has been taught by some that we need not experience this continual strife between the old nature and the new. They say: "Get out of the 7th of Romans into the 8th." We would remind such that the Apostle Paul wrote Romans 7 and Romans 8 at the same sitting; that in the original language the letter goes right on without interruption -- without even a chapter division. Thus the same apostle who exclaims: "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 8:1) refers in the same letter, only a few sentences before, and in the present tense, to "the law of sin which is in my members," and freely acknowledges the present operation of that law in his members, as we have seen above. How then shall we get out of the 7th of Romans into the 8th? Paul experienced both at the same time, and so do we, for while we are free from the condemnation of sin, sin itself nevertheless continues to work within us, and we must constantly "mortify the deeds of the body" (Rom. 8:13).
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Post by nchrist on Oct 23, 2009 0:12:24 GMT -6
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For Questions Or Comments: berean@execpc.com _______________________________________________ October 22, 2009 THE SUPREME CRITICby Cornelius R. Stam About 1900 years ago St. Paul wrote to Timothy, with regard to the sacred Scriptures: "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness" (II Tim.3:16).This truth has been confirmed by overwhelming evidence, and those who have tried, through the centuries, to overthrow the Bible have been about as successful as a man trying to overthrow the Rock of Gibraltar with a pea shooter. Furthermore, the Word of God towers above the clergy as well as above the laity. The Bereans were called "noble" because they put the words of even the great Apostle Paul to the test of Scripture, to see if he taught anything contrary to it. That blessed Book is the Supreme Critic. If we overlook vital doctrine, it is the Book that will "teach" us. If we handle the Word deceitfully, it is the Book that will "reprove" us. If we go astray in our conclusions, it is the Book that will "correct" us. Where moral questions are involved, it is the Book that will "instruct us in righteousness." Well do we remember when we were first convicted by the Bible as the written Word of God -- and we have never ceased to thank God for the blessed results. This Book condemns men as sinners before a holy God, but presents salvation free and complete through the vicarious death of Christ at Calvary. "Christ died for our sins" (I Cor. 15:3).
"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved" (Acts 16:31).
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Post by nchrist on Oct 31, 2009 12:18:51 GMT -6
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For Questions Or Comments: berean@execpc.com _______________________________________________ October 26, 2009 HOW THE SPIRIT HELPSby Cornelius R. Stam "The Spirit... helpeth our infirmities" (Rom. 8.26).A chain is no stronger than its weakest link. If one link in a chain will hold one hundred pounds, another fifty, and another ten, the chain as a whole will hold ten pounds, no more. This is why James 2:10 says:
"For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all."Many people suppose that we will be saved or lost according to how good or bad we have been. This is not so. It is not a question of how good or bad we have been, but of whether or not we have sinned. A man need commit only one robbery to be a robber, burn only one house to be an arsonist, kill only one human being to be a murderer -- and commit only one sin to be a sinner. This is why the Word of God says that all are sinners. How wonderful to know that in grace "Christ died for our sins" and that by simple faith in Him we may be saved and fully justified before God! (Rom. 5:6,8,10). But born-again Christians find that the above principle is just as true of them as of the unbeliever. None of us is any stronger than his weakest point. Frightening, isn't it, especially when we consider that Satan constantly attacks us at our weakest point to wreck our testimony if he can. But here is where the believer can rejoice that "the Spirit ...helpeth our infirmities" (Rom. 8:26). He dwells within to help in time of need, so that we need not fail (Rom. 8:11,12). This does not mean, however, that He takes control of us without being called upon, as He did "when the day of Pentecost was fully come." Unlike the Pentecostal believers, we live under "the dispensation of the grace of God." What God provides by grace we must appropriate by faith. Thus in any given case we may have victory. Indeed it is concerning the weak brother in Christ that Paul declares by inspiration: "God is able to make him stand" (Rom. 14:4).
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Post by nchrist on Oct 31, 2009 12:19:43 GMT -6
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For Questions Or Comments: berean@execpc.com _______________________________________________ October 27, 2009 DO YOU UNDERSTAND?by Cornelius R. Stam This was the question Philip asked of the Ethiopian prince as he sat reading from Isaiah's prophecy (Acts 8:30), and it is a question which we should continually keep asking ourselves as we read the holy Scriptures. There are always those among God's people who do not much care whether or not they understand what they read if only it warms their hearts! To them the Bible is little more than a fetish. Taking only those Scriptures which appeal to them, and leaving the rest, they actually feel themselves quite spiritual and often talk about believing the Bible whether or not they understand it! But such "spirituality" is far from genuine, and such "faith" is blind and superstitious at best. While it is true that the Bible teaches many truths which we believe, although they are beyond our comprehension (such as its opening verse!), yet how can we believe what the Bible says unless we understand what it says? God would have us understand what we read and believe it intelligently. Indeed, true faith will want to know and understand more and more of God's Word. One who does not care whether or not he understands what God has said is not truly interested in knowing what God has said. His faith is based on his own will rather than on God's Word, for regardless of the meaning of Scripture, he will take any passage that suits his fancy and use it as he wishes. How great an emphasis God Himself places upon the importance of understanding His Word! On one occasion, when our Lord saw the multitudes, He "was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd; and He began to teach them many things" (Mark 6:34). And now that the secret of God's "eternal purpose" has been made known, how much more reason there is to study the Scriptures, with a view to understanding them! How Paul, by the Spirit, emphasizes this, as he writes of his prayers for the saints: "That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him:
"The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of His calling..." (Eph. 1:17,18 ).
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Post by nchrist on Oct 31, 2009 12:20:33 GMT -6
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For Questions Or Comments: berean@execpc.com _______________________________________________ October 28, 2009 IS GOD DEAD?by Cornelius R. Stam "As the Lord of hosts liveth, before whom I stand..." (I Kings 18:15).Is God dead? According to the above passage He certainly was not dead to Elijah, who knew Him intimately as the living God. The prophet had used similar phraseology on a previous occasion when he had declared to the wicked King Ahab: "As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word" (1 Kings 17:1).Elijah's prediction had come horribly true. For three years and six months there had been no rain nor even dew in Israel. Rivers and brooks were drying up. The land lay parched and cracked in the sun. There were no crops, nor any grazing land for the cattle and they had been dying like flies. The king himself had been brought down from his throne to search for a bit of green grass along the remaining streams "to save the horses and mules alive," lest they "lose all the beasts." The king's humiliation had in turn enraged the haughty Queen Jezebel, so that she hated Elijah with a deep and bitter hatred. Indeed, so intensely was the prophet hated by Ahab himself that the king had sent far and wide to find Elijah and had not given up until he had taken oaths from the heads of the surrounding nations that he was not to be found. It was under these circumstances that "the word of the Lord came to Elijah...saying, Go, show thyself unto Ahab..." (1 Kings 18:1). God was about to use the prophet to publicly expose the sham and impotence of Jezebel's god Baal. As the prophet went to look for Ahab he met Obadiah, the governor of the king's house, and said: "Go tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here" (1 Kings 18:8 ). Obadiah shuddered at these words and begged Elijah not to make him go. He knew the bitter hatred which the king harbored toward Elijah and he feared that while he went to convey the news the Spirit of God might take Elijah away to some other place. It was now, when it meant far more than it had meant three and a half years before, that Elijah replied: "As the Lord God of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, I will surely show myself unto him today" (1 Kings 18:15). As we know, he kept his word. Is all this now changed? Some say yes, that God died in Christ at Calvary and is now dead! They also deny, of course, that Christ rose from the dead. But if this be true, then the story of Elijah is but a stirring memory and the Christian today is actually an ambassador, a representative of no one!
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Post by nchrist on Oct 31, 2009 12:21:31 GMT -6
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For Questions Or Comments: berean@execpc.com _______________________________________________ October 29, 2009 JEHOVAH IS HIS NAMEby Russell S. Miller In Genesis 15:5,6, God told Abraham to look up and count the stars, for "So shall thy seed be", and Abraham "believed in the Lord; and He counted it to him for righteousness". But who is the "God" in whom Abraham believed, what is His name? When the Israelites were in the bondage of Egyptian slavery and Moses was commanded to deliver them out of Egypt, he also inquired about God's name: "...Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is His name?, what shall I say unto them? "And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and He said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you" (Ex.3:13,14).Now in Exodus 6:3, the Lord again spoke to Moses:
"And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by My name JEHOVAH was I not known to them".So it was Jehovah, the Lord God Almighty, in whom Abraham believed, the same Lord who "made Heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is" (Gen.1:1; Ex.20:11; Eph.3:9). In John 8:56 Christ spoke to the Jews of His day about Abraham's God: "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day: and he saw it, and was glad". How often in John's gospel the Lord speaks this truth, that "...Before Abraham was, I AM" (8:56; 6:35; 8:12; 10:7-11; 11:25; 14:6; 15:1-5). This is most interesting, because, in the darkness of that night of Christ's betrayal and arrest, they fell over "backward" upon hearing those two little words, "I AM" (John 18:5,6). The Eternal God was in their presence! And they could only arrest Him, as He voluntarily surrendered to God's purpose. So, Jehovah, of the Old Testament, is the Lord Jesus Christ, of the New Testament. In his epistles, the Apostle Paul relates that this same JESUS "took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: "And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross" (Phil.2:7,8 ).Thus, the Apostle points peoples of all nationalities to the Christ of Calvary's cross as the only means of salvation today: "For what saith the Scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. "Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. "But to him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness" (Rom.4:3-5).Jehovah means Saviour, Jesus Christ is our only Saviour, consequently, God will also "count" your "faith" for "righteousness", if you will simply believe what the Bible says about Jesus Christ: "Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins ... that He might be just, and the Justifier of him which believeth in JESUS" (Rom.3:24-26).
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