Biblical salvation is God's way of providing his people
deliverance from sin and spiritual death through repentance and faith in His
Son, Jesus Christ. But to have protection we must choose Gods way first in all
of our affairs in life. Our value system, the things we are involved in, the
way we spend our time. This is sometimes very difficult for numerous reasons
and comes with maturity in Christ through the Word. Have you been tempted to
the point of succumbing to sin? We all have from time to time. Jesus Christ the
God-Man, who experienced the ultimate
trials even unto death, knows the depth of what we His children suffer. He is
our example in the scriptures as to how we can overcome temptation.
Hebrews 2:17-18,
"Therefore He
had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that He might become a
merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation
for the sins of the people. For because He himself has suffered when tempted, He
is able to help those who are being tempted."
Psalm 37:39-40,
"The salvation
of the righteous is from the Lord; He is their stronghold in the time of
trouble. The Lord helps them and delivers them; He delivers them from the
wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in Him."
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the core of
Christianity and the single most important historical event in history! It’s very unfortunate that people have missed the
"evidence" of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. The one supreme act
of God to mankind that binds those who follow Christ. People may have head-knowledge
by reading the bible, but the heart and connection to the evidence is missing
in their studies. The evidence for Jesus’ bodily resurrection is
overwhelming. The Lord himself declared: “Destroy this temple, and in three
days I will raise it up.” Subsequently, an inspired apostle informs us: “He
spoke of the temple of his body” (Jn. 2:19-21). Note: Raise it up … his body.
This is too plain to misunderstand. Only a perverse mind would so twist the
Scriptures as to conclude that the resurrection was merely “spiritual.” The
bodily resurrection of Jesus is the best-attested fact of human history.
From Apostle Paul, 1 Corinthians 15:3-8,
"For I
delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died
for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was
raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared
to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred
brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen
asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to
one untimely born, he appeared also to me."
Short list of Evidence of Jesus resurrection:
1. The Execution of Jesus - He was clearly dead on the
cross or stick, whatever you want to call it historically. Witnesses and
historians of the day have recorded Jesus did in fact die in crucifixion. The
American Medical Asso., has done a historical study of his death as it unfolds
in scripture in medical terms .
2. The Empty Tomb - Everybody in the ancient world agreed
the tomb was empty. The disciples or grave robbers didn't take him out, none of
them had the means. The Roman guards didn't remove him. How would it have been
taken out? Nobody knows because there is not one single written word in all of
ancient reporting that remotely suggests it was taken out. If it was removed
there would have been an accounting because nobody could have kept a secret
about a fake resurrection.
3.There were Eyewitnesses - Over 515 of them after he
rose from the dead while reappearing to many disciples and townspeople before
he was taken up to heaven. Lives were transformed, people even accepted
persecution and died for their new found faith in Christ as the Son of God.
4.Early written Records - Within 24-36 hours of his
resurrection, we have the recording of his life, ministry, death, burial and
resurrection as spoken by our scripture reading above. We have over 28,000
manuscripts of the New Testament all written within 50 years of Jesus
resurrection. This would be as low as 80 AD. The time lines closest secular
manuscript to its original is Pliny the Newcomers at 750 years, Aristotle's at
1400 years in which these number in only the hundreds!
5. The Emergence of the Church - Beginning in Acts chapter 2 to present day, the Lords church is and will remain until the end of
the age. This alone is self evident of the truth of the resurrection of Jesus
Christ. How can one honestly and with proof explain this truth away as a lie? No man can withhold a lie whether written or spoken for any length of time until it is revealed, especially 2000 years to date. The exposure of such a great deception would have been made known to the world.
The thousands of first-century people who became followers of Jesus were in a much better position to evaluate the reality of the resurrection event, than are modern critics. In view of these considerations, the New Testament
accounts of Christ’s resurrection are demonstrated to be highly credible. And
the explosive growth of the first-century Christian movement is ample testimony
to the power of that evidence.
There is more to God's grace than we can ever know. This lesson will help you discover His grace and its biblical meaning
based upon His Word, the Bible.
From a human perspective, the prolific neurosurgeon Dr.
Ben Carson said it best about Wisdom and where it comes from -
"There are a
lot of people with technical abilities, and there are a lot of people who have
knowledge who don't necessarily have wisdom. The technical and knowledge skills
are things that can be acquired, but wisdom comes from God, and it has to be sought
and asked for."
Apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 1:27-30,
"But God chose
what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the
world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world,
even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human
being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ
Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God."
And in…
Ephesians 1:16-17,
“Do not cease to
give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our
Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the spirit of wisdom and
revelation in the knowledge of Him” Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!
“For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has become His counselor?”
“Or who has first given to Him And it shall be repaid to him?”
For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen
One of the most celebrated man-made doctrines today in Christendom is the so-called sinners prayer.
If you have adopted this practice, are thinking about it to invite Jesus into your heart, we encourage you to first hear and read along with these lessons coming strictly from scripture.
The bible student must always remember - "The sum of your Word is Truth" (Psalm 119:160). And, "Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." (Matt 4:4). In other words, God doesn't always reveal the full and complete truth on a subject in one scripture text or context. One must read and understand ALL (sum total) that God has to say about a subject over many scriptures in order to understand the whole truth He is communicating in His Word. This to be able to make a sound and biblical decision or adjustment in ones walk with the Lord...
Have you ever heard this from people when they are
talking about the bible? "I just don't understand what the bible means,
its so confusing and hard to understand."
My guess is these people haven't
gotten to the point of honestly desiring to understand and end up pushing it
aside. We live in an instant gratification world and God doesn't work that
way. Gods word is not a history book of the past. It's His "living
word" full of life in the present. It is alive as much as you are about to
read the following because Jesus conquered death and lives today.
Here is a pearl of wisdom from Gods word that might help.
Proverbs 2:1-6,
"My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my
commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your
heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice
for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden
treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge
of God. For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and
understanding."
And...
1 Peter 1:24-25,
"For all flesh is like grass and all its glory like
the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of
the Lord remains forever.”
Make a little time everyday even if it’s just 15 minutes
to read Gods word. If you will do this every day for 1 month, your life will
change for the better, God guarantees it...
Welcome to Scriptures Weekly. Do you open your heart and
apply the Word of God in your life? We often read and hear the Word of God yet
we aren't listening. We hear it but we forget to actually listen to learn how
to draw closer to God. Preaching and studying the Bible is the delivery of His
Word, but the most important aspect is doing the Word in our lives. Take time
and really listen to Gods Holy Word so you’re not distracted in applying His
will to your life. Be a doer, not just a hearer.
The Apostle Paul says,
Romans 12:2,
“Do not be
conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that
by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable
and perfect.”
And...
James 1:22-23,
“But be doers of
the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer
of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural
face in a mirror.”
Is your heart engaged when reading and listening to Gods
Word? May many blessings come your way when studying Gods Word.
