4/29/12

What we know and what we believe...



This picture is a lie!  Even if you accept the Big Bang Theory, there is a moment in time where everything was in one place; formless and super hot!!!  So, everything was NOT there; only its raw materials.  Today, it is popular to believe the theory of Evolution.  Again, I say, the theory of Evolution!!!  It is a theory, NOT A FACT!!!  Science is the process of experimentation, i.e. running a repeatable experiment, collecting data and drawing consistent repeatable conclusions from that data.  Evolutionary theory is taught as fact, when in reality it is only conjecture.  To be fair, great minds have conceived this, BUT THAT DOES NOT MAKE IT TRULY SCIENTIFIC!!!  Great minds can be wrong!!! For thirteen hundred years humans believed the Earth was the center of the universe and that has been disproved.  Even today, with all our technical capabilities, it is commonplace to hear that a previous study is disproved and then later to find out our newest study is negated by an even newer one!!!  You believe the study that you have faith in, yes, faith!  At this point, it is appropriate to refer to the Bible, a book of faith.  Read on to see what God has to say about it....

  1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.  2 Now the earth was formless and empty. Darkness was on the surface of the deep. God’s Spirit was hovering over the surface of the waters.

  3 God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.  4 God saw the light, and saw that it was good. God divided the light from the darkness.  5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” There was evening and there was morning, one day.

  6 God said, “Let there be an expanse in the middle of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.”  7 God made the expanse, and divided the waters which were under the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so.  8 God called the expanse “sky.” There was evening and there was morning, a second day.

  9 God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered together to one place, and let the dry land appear;” and it was so.  10 God called the dry land “earth,” and the gathering together of the waters he called “seas.” God saw that it was good.  11 God said, “Let the earth yield grass, herbs yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit after their kind, with its seed in it, on the earth;” and it was so. 12 The earth yielded grass, herbs yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit, with its seed in it, after their kind; and God saw that it was good. 13 There was evening and there was morning, a third day.

  14 God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of sky to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years;  15 and let them be for lights in the expanse of sky to give light on the earth;” and it was so.  16 God made the two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He also made the stars.  17 God set them in the expanse of sky to give light to the earth, 18 and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. God saw that it was good. 19 There was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.

  20 God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of sky.”  21 God created the large sea creatures, and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed, after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind. God saw that it was good. 22 God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.”  23 There was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.

  24 God said, “Let the earth produce living creatures after their kind, livestock, creeping things, and animals of the earth after their kind;” and it was so. 25 God made the animals of the earth after their kind, and the livestock after their kind, and everything that creeps on the ground after its kind. God saw that it was good.

  26 God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the sky, and over the livestock, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”  27 God created man in his own image. In God’s image he created him; male and female he created them. 28 God blessed them. God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”  29 God said, “Behold, I have given you every herb yielding seed, which is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree, which bears fruit yielding seed. It will be your food.  30 To every animal of the earth, and to every bird of the sky, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food;” and it was so.

  31 God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. There was evening and there was morning, a sixth day.

The complex organization we see around us comes from God.  It isn't accidental or unplanned; there is a pattern and it comes from God.  The chances that things "just happened" are beyond astronomical, they are beyond belief.  I worked in laboratories for many decades and I can tell you that even the most intelligent chemist I have ever known designed experiments that failed and failed miserably.  And this person had an I.Q. of 190!!!!  We all have "faith" in something, whether it be science or God.  Science changes, God does not.... you choose... but choose wisely!!!

Apr. 29 Deuteronomy 13, 14


Apr. 29
Deuteronomy 13, 14

Deu 13:1 If there arise in the midst of you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and he give you a sign or a wonder,
Deu 13:2 and the sign or the wonder come to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, Let us go after other gods, which you have not known, and let us serve them;
Deu 13:3 you shall not listen to the words of that prophet, or to that dreamer of dreams: for Yahweh your God proves you, to know whether you love Yahweh your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
Deu 13:4 You shall walk after Yahweh your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and you shall serve him, and cleave to him.
Deu 13:5 That prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death, because he has spoken rebellion against Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to draw you aside out of the way which Yahweh your God commanded you to walk in. So you shall put away the evil from the midst of you.
Deu 13:6 If your brother, the son of your mother, or your son, or your daughter, or the wife of your bosom, or your friend, who is as your own soul, entice you secretly, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which you have not known, you, nor your fathers;
Deu 13:7 of the gods of the peoples who are around you, near to you, or far off from you, from the one end of the earth even to the other end of the earth;
Deu 13:8 you shall not consent to him, nor listen to him; neither shall your eye pity him, neither shall you spare, neither shall you conceal him:
Deu 13:9 but you shall surely kill him; your hand shall be first on him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people.
Deu 13:10 You shall stone him to death with stones, because he has sought to draw you away from Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
Deu 13:11 All Israel shall hear, and fear, and shall not do any more such wickedness as this is in the midst of you.
Deu 13:12 If you shall hear tell concerning one of your cities, which Yahweh your God gives you to dwell there, saying,
Deu 13:13 Certain base fellows are gone out from the midst of you, and have drawn away the inhabitants of their city, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which you have not known;
Deu 13:14 then you shall inquire, and make search, and ask diligently; and, behold, if it be truth, and the thing certain, that such abomination is done in the midst of you,
Deu 13:15 you shall surely strike the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, destroying it utterly, and all that is therein and its livestock, with the edge of the sword.
Deu 13:16 You shall gather all its spoil into the midst of its street, and shall burn with fire the city, and all its spoil every whit, to Yahweh your God: and it shall be a heap forever; it shall not be built again.
Deu 13:17 There shall cleave nothing of the devoted thing to your hand; that Yahweh may turn from the fierceness of his anger, and show you mercy, and have compassion on you, and multiply you, as he has sworn to your fathers;
Deu 13:18 when you shall listen to the voice of Yahweh your God, to keep all his commandments which I command you this day, to do that which is right in the eyes of Yahweh your God.
Deu 14:1 You are the children of Yahweh your God: you shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead.
Deu 14:2 For you are a holy people to Yahweh your God, and Yahweh has chosen you to be a people for his own possession, above all peoples who are on the face of the earth.
Deu 14:3 You shall not eat any abominable thing.
Deu 14:4 These are the animals which you may eat: the ox, the sheep, and the goat,
Deu 14:5 the hart, and the gazelle, and the roebuck, and the wild goat, and the ibex, and the antelope, and the chamois.
Deu 14:6 Every animal that parts the hoof, and has the hoof cloven in two, and chews the cud, among the animals, that may you eat.
Deu 14:7 Nevertheless these you shall not eat of them that chew the cud, or of those who have the hoof cloven: the camel, and the hare, and the rabbit; because they chew the cud but don't part the hoof, they are unclean to you.
Deu 14:8 The pig, because it has a split hoof but doesn't chew the cud, is unclean to you: of their flesh you shall not eat, and their carcasses you shall not touch.
Deu 14:9 These you may eat of all that are in the waters: whatever has fins and scales may you eat;
Deu 14:10 and whatever doesn't have fins and scales you shall not eat; it is unclean to you.
Deu 14:11 Of all clean birds you may eat.
Deu 14:12 But these are they of which you shall not eat: the eagle, and the vulture, and the osprey,
Deu 14:13 and the red kite, and the falcon, and the kite after its kind,
Deu 14:14 and every raven after its kind,
Deu 14:15 and the ostrich, and the owl, and the seagull, and the hawk after its kind,
Deu 14:16 the little owl, and the great owl, and the horned owl,
Deu 14:17 and the pelican, and the vulture, and the cormorant,
Deu 14:18 and the stork, and the heron after its kind, and the hoopoe, and the bat.
Deu 14:19 All winged creeping things are unclean to you: they shall not be eaten.
Deu 14:20 Of all clean birds you may eat.
Deu 14:21 You shall not eat of anything that dies of itself: you may give it to the foreigner living among you who is within your gates, that he may eat it; or you may sell it to a foreigner: for you are a holy people to Yahweh your God. You shall not boil a kid in its mother's milk.
Deu 14:22 You shall surely tithe all the increase of your seed, that which comes forth from the field year by year.
Deu 14:23 You shall eat before Yahweh your God, in the place which he shall choose, to cause his name to dwell there, the tithe of your grain, of your new wine, and of your oil, and the firstborn of your herd and of your flock; that you may learn to fear Yahweh your God always.
Deu 14:24 If the way is too long for you, so that you are not able to carry it, because the place is too far from you, which Yahweh your God shall choose, to set his name there, when Yahweh your God shall bless you;
Deu 14:25 then you shall turn it into money, and bind up the money in your hand, and shall go to the place which Yahweh your God shall choose:
Deu 14:26 and you shall bestow the money for whatever your soul desires, for cattle, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatever your soul asks of you; and you shall eat there before Yahweh your God, and you shall rejoice, you and your household.
Deu 14:27 The Levite who is within your gates, you shall not forsake him; for he has no portion nor inheritance with you.
Deu 14:28 At the end of every three years you shall bring forth all the tithe of your increase in the same year, and shall lay it up within your gates:
Deu 14:29 and the Levite, because he has no portion nor inheritance with you, and the foreigner living among you, and the fatherless, and the widow, who are within your gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied; that Yahweh your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do.

"THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW" Chapter Eleven by Mark Copeland

                        "THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW"

                             Chapter Eleven

While the apostles were fulfilling the limited commission, Jesus was
approached by emissaries from John the Baptist who received confirmation
that He was "The Coming One" (1-6).  Jesus revealed that John was "The
Messenger" foretold by Malachai and that many were inconsistent in their
opposition to both Jesus and John (7-19).  Jesus then rebuked cities
which did not repent at His teaching (20-24), and at the same time
extended a tender invitation to those who would accept His teaching
(25-30).

POINTS TO PONDER

   *  The relationship between Jesus and John the Baptist

   *  Why the day of judgment will be more tolerable for Tyre, Sidon,
      and Sodom than it will be for Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum

   *  The Savior’s tender invitation to those with troubled souls

REVIEW QUESTIONS

1) What are the main points of this chapter?
   - John’s disciples come to Jesus - Mt 11:1-6
   - Jesus’ discourse regarding John the Baptist - Mt 11:7-19
   - Woe to impenitent cities - Mt 11:20-24
   - The Savior’s prayer and tender invitation - Mt 11:25-30

2) Why did John send two disciples to Jesus? (2-3)
   - To confirm that Jesus was "The Coming One"

3) What evidence did Jesus offer to John’s disciples? (4-5)
   - His miracles, and the fact that the poor have the gospel preached
     to them

4) What two O.T. prophecies did Jesus say that John fulfilled? (10,14)
   - Mal 3:1 and Mal 4:5

5) Who did Jesus say would be greater than John the Baptist? (11)
   - He who is least in the kingdom of heaven

6) How did some people describe John and Jesus? (18-19)
   - John:  having a demon
   - Jesus:  a glutton, winebibber, and friend of sinners and tax
     collectors

7) Why did Jesus rebuke the cities of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and
   Capernaum? (20)
   - Because they saw His might works and yet did not repent

8) To whom did Jesus extend His invitation?  What did He expect in
   return? (28-30)
   - To all who labor and are heavy laden (by the guilt of sin)
   - To take His yoke upon them and learn from Him (become His disciple)