by MIMADMIN | May 7, 2015 | Articles
“There He made for them a fixed rule, and there He put them to the test. He said, ‘If you will heed the LORD your God diligently, doing what is upright in His sight, giving ear to His commandments and keeping all His laws, then I will not bring upon you any of the diseases that I brought upon the Egyptians, for I the LORD am your healer.'” Exodus 15:25-26 Here God calls attention to the nature of conditional promises; they are tests God gives His people to see if they will be obedient. Note that God says this is both a command and a promise. When He makes a conditional promise that you consider essential, it becomes in your mind a command; you feel forced to meet the conditions affixed to what you deem essential. Conditional promises are, by their nature, tests in that they are dependent upon the performance of the person to whom the promise was given. As you know, the word “if” identifies the promise as conditional; if you fail to meet the conditions then you fail to obtain the promise. Grace is an unconditional promise, for God knows that we fail His tests. I cannot think of one test that I, or the nation of Israel, ever passed. Without God’s gracious unconditional promises I would be void of hope. God may test you with conditional promises and commands, but without His unconditional promise of grace, you would...
by MIMADMIN | May 7, 2015 | Articles
“He said to them, ‘Where is your faith?'” Luke 8:25 KJV Returning to Jesus’ hometown, Mark 6:5-6 KJV records, “And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them. And he marvelled because of their unbelief. And he went round about the villages, teaching.” Jesus did not lack ability to heal. Rather, the whole of the New Testament teaches that in order for a person to receive what God offers, he must have faith. Jesus offered to His generation physical healing, evidenced by the whole of the narrative of His life. The lack was on the part of the people who evidenced an absence of faith. To our generation He offers eternal life, but in order for us to receive it, we must believe. “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?”John 11:25-26 KJV Of those Jesus healed in His public ministry, Scripture records only a few (like the demon possessed man in Mark 5) who wanted more of Jesus than just temporal healing. When you seek from the Savior eternal life, are you in reality seeking it in hopes of obtaining temporal gain? God, who knows your motives, will not grant eternal life as a means of acquiring temporal benefit. Faith is critically important, but it must be faith properly...
by MIMADMIN | May 7, 2015 | Articles
“And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.” 2 Timothy 2:2 Dawson Trotman, the founder of The Navigators, use to say that it takes four generations to ensure spiritual reproduction: “you, me, faithful men, others also.” First you reach your “Timothy,” and then teach him how to reach others. Then you must teach him how to teach others to reach others. When you have accomplished that, spiritual reproduction is operational. In the following verses Paul gives a trilogy of illustrations on what it means to be committed to this vision. The soldier illustrates the need not to become entangled. The athlete illustrates the need to play by the rules: the end cannot justify the means. The farmer illustrates that you reap what you sow. Spiritual reproduction means that you reproduce after your own kind, whether you want to or not. Therefore what you are becomes critically important as you invest in others. You have reception and transmission. You see the importance of reception in the words, “hearing” and “many witnesses.” You see transmission in the words “commit thou to others also.” Every follower of Christ must view himself as a link between generations. Reception is the privilege, transmission the...
by MIMADMIN | May 7, 2015 | Articles
“King Zedekiah sent for the prophet Jeremiah, and…said to Jeremiah, ‘I want to ask you something; don’t conceal anything from me.’ Jeremiah answered the king, ‘If I tell you, you’ll surely kill me; and if I give you advice, you won’t listen to me.’ Thereupon King Zedekiah secretly promised Jeremiah on oath: ‘As the LORD lives who has given us this life, I will not put you to death or leave you in the hands of those men who seek your life.'” Jeremiah 38:14-16 If a man knew the future, would it make any difference regarding how he lived? Zedekiah the king asks the prophet Jeremiah, “Tell me the future and I promise that I won’t get angry,” but he did not commit to doing what God said. In fact, the king ignored what Jeremiah told him. Men are fascinated with the future, seeking to ascertain what lies ahead, but with no intention of it making a difference in how they live. If a man knew that there are eternal consequences for temporal behavior, would it alter his value system? Throughout the New Testament God warns that present investments make an eternal difference. [1] Most Christians, however, view their relationship with Christ like a life insurance policy; they “buy” the policy to protect their future and then proceed to live life conforming to the values of the world instead of the values of God. Jeremiah told Zedekiah what he could expect, but Zedekiah refused to listen to God’s prophet. Are you like Zedekiah, or do you invest your life in conformity with the Word of God? [1] Cf., e.g., Matthew 6:19-20; 1Corinthians...
by MIMADMIN | May 7, 2015 | Articles
“And when they came to Nachon’s threshingfloor, Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen shook it. And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God.” 2Samuel 6:6-7 King Saul, in battle with the Philistines, lost the Ark of the Covenant. After a series of events, the Ark ended in the home of Abinadab and stayed there twenty years. When David became king, he sent for the ark and en route to the Tabernacle, Uzzah, the son of Abinadab sought to save the Ark as it fell off the cart when the oxen stumbled. When Uzzah touched the Ark, God killed him. God said, “And you shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, to carry the ark by them. The poles shall remain in the rings of the ark; they shall not be taken from it.” The Lord further instructed that “the sons of Kohath shall come to carry these, but they must not touch the holy things, lest they die.” It may have seemed like an obscure command with no seeming significance and easily forgotten, but it was important to God. Uzzah sought to help the Lord by protecting the Ark. No doubt he had a pure motive. Still, God killed him. Many New Testament commands appear to be unimportant and the breaking of them inconsequential. You may even think you do God service by ignoring commands that offend your reason. No matter how...
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