» 2016 » November November 2016 – Benville Baptist

  John 8:58 “And Jesus said unto them, Verily verily I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.”

      Often (if we listen closely) we will hear people say that “Christ was” such-and-such. Speaking as if He has come and gone and is no longer around or alive and active. On television (sometimes even Christian-based programs) we hear people speak of Christ as if He no longer exists.

      But our Lord , the Son of the Living God is still alive today! It was He who said “let there be light”. It was He who told Noah to build the ark. It was He who told Abram “get the out of thy country”. It was He who spoke to Moses out of the bush. It was the Son, the Word, who communed with the priests and prophets throughout the millennia in the Old Testament. The Son’s work did not begin in Bethlehem; and more importantly His existence did not begin there!

      John said  “In the beginning was the Word (God, the Son)”! And the word “was” in John 1:1 means “exist[ing]”. In other words, He did not begin at what we know as the beginning (the creation of the universe); He already WAS before then.

      The Son of God had no beginning; and He will have no end. He is eternal. That is why He is called  “I AM”. He never “was” -existed in the past, but no longer living-. And He will never reach an end of living. Our Savior’s story did not end at the cross. But even more encouraging and exciting; His story didn’t end when He left this world! He is alive at this very moment. Just like He was alive at the creation.

      Before creation “I AM”. Before Abraham was, “I AM”. And He said to the Apostle John -and by extension, to all mankind- “Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen. Our Lord is eternal. We do not worship a dead man; but a living God and a living Savior.

 

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One night I had a dream of God saying over and over Isa. 59:59. During my morning prayer I asked God to give me a word or a subject to bring devotion the night my pastor was out of town. The word “Prodigal” flashed thru my mind. I told God “Every person has heard a sermon on the prodigal son”. God said to me “I said “Prodigal”, I did not say anything about the prodigal son”.

This is the first sermon I every wrote from the World Book Dictionary,, for the word prodigal is not in the Bible The World Book Dictionary defined prodigal two ways

First it said “Wasted”. It gave me examples such as time; money; trees; food; gas; and many more.

The second way this word was used is “Abundant; exceeding abundant; to give or yield lavishly.

The sentence they used to explain was “God is prodigal in His mercies”.

1 Tim. 1:14 says And the grace of our LORD was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. God is prodigal with faith and love.

Eph. 3:20 says Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power that worketh in us. God is prodigal in His power.

Ex. 34:6 says …The LORD. The LORD God,merciful and gracious, longsuffering and abundant in goodness and truth. God is prodigal in goodness and truth.

Then I remembered my dream. I thought that maybe God just wanted me to go to Isa. 59, for Isa 59:59 is not in the Bible. Isa. 59:1 says Behold, the LORD’S hand is not shortened that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: but your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you.

Has sin separated you from God? His hand is still reached out, His ears are not heavy that He cannot hear. God is prodigal in love.

Is there no joy, no peace, or no happiness? Come home to the Prodigal Father.

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James 4:7-8 KJV
[7] Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. [8] Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

Thinking about all the times I have heard someone say to me “resist the devil and he will flee”. That sounded good to me, so I would try it. I would resist and then I would lose, then I would resist only to lose again. Then one day I thought I would look that verse up for myself, and I found what was missing.  You see you and I are not strong enough to resist our own lust much less the Devil. The part I was missing and most miss is that before we can resist we MUST be in submission to God.

 

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  “And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God.”

  Act 9:20 

 

     Here is the beginning of the ministry of Saul (soon after known as Paul the Apostle). The name Saul was a dreadful name to the early Christians in Judea. Saul was well known for “Breathing out threatenings and slaughter” against the early church.  

     He later would say that he was more zealous in this work than any of his peers. (The Greek word for “breathing out” in Acts 9:1 means- what we would in modern English call- his “driving force” that is, what he lived to do; what gave him a reason to get out of bed in the morning. We must take note that it was a raging, fiery bloodlust that burned in Saul’s heart.) Saul loved his work. And he felt a job-well-done satisfaction each time a disciple of Christ was executed or jailed. Saul hated the Christians and the church. 

     But then, Saul came to know Christ! Christ met Saul on the road to Damascus and there he became a new creature! This man who zealously hated Christians had now become saved. What a difference Christ can make in a person. Saul was changed from within by Christ Jesus. (Read Acts chapter 9 to see the details of Paul’s conversion.) 

     After meeting with the disciples and resting a few days; Saul began to preach. He didn’t know much about being a Christian at the time (he would be  taught by the Lord a short time thereafter) but he DID KNOW that Christ had made a difference in his life. And he did know that he had been saved from hell.  

     Straightway he preached Christ! Christian: you do not have to be well studied, or a theologian, or any sort of expert on the Bible to preach (witness for) Christ! All you need to know is that Jesus has made the difference and that it is He who has saved you. All you need to know is that you were lost and on your way to hell; but then you were told about Christ and accepted Him as savior. You don’t need to be an “expert” (though you very well need to study and rightly divide God’s Word). All you need to do is present the Gospel to others. That is our primary duty as Christians: To witness for Christ. Do not be afraid to tell others about Jesus. You already know all you need to in order to witness.

 

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And he removed from thence, and digged another well; and for that they strove not: and he called the name of it Rehoboth; and he said, For now the LORD hath made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land. (Genesis 26:22 KJV)

Needing rest, have you ever traveled passing through cities with motels saying “No Vacancy?” It is not so with Christ There is room for all and room to spare

In Gen 26 22, Isaac dug a well and named it Rehoboth (Rekh-o-both’) meaning that God has made room for us

Christ, is He who promised us if we drink of the water that He shall give, we will thirst no more, John 4 14 reads, “Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give shall never thirst but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life

Rehoboth – There is room at the cross for you

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…choose you this day whom ye will serve;… but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. (Joshua 24:15 KJV)

Election Day, a day we get to decide the next leader of this great country. I got to thinking about choices. We all make decisions, some are insignificant like whether to put creamer in your coffee or drink it black. We are faced with a today, not the election (I believe that is an important decision, GO VOTE!) But Joshua in his farewell address to Israel, He reminds them of some of their history that brought them to this place (it really is true, “those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” He challenges His people to make to most important decision that each had to make.  One thing I want you to know IT IS YOUR DECISION, no one can decide for you. Joshua said choose you this day whom you are going to serve. God gives us all free will. Who will you chose today, it is you choice but you will have to live with your choice. Now I have to go vote…

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