9/25/13

From Gary... Indulgence has consequences


I am guessing this is called "rainbow cake".  As good as name as any for this beautiful creation.  Are those gum balls on top?  Looks like it!!!  I would like to think that each layer is flavored as well as colored!!!  Can you imagine the taste: Strawberry, orange, lemon, lime, blueberry and grape in both the cake and the frosting!!!  And don't forget the gum balls!!! One piece of this "little beauty" must be about 150 weightwatchers points (that is about three days food intake for me)!!!  As mouth watering as this dessert appears, I just don't want it bad enough to pay that price for it.  And I am glad I can say that!!! Now, as tasty as this might be, it is probably not very good for me- too much sugar and other refinements.  But what if something WAS very good for me; no wonderful beyond imagining- what then; would I pay the price to achieve it???  Here is how one person handled that choice...

Matthew, Chapter 19
  16  Behold, one came to him and said, “Good teacher, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?” 

  17  He said to him, “Why do you call me good?  No one is good but one, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” 

  18  He said to him, “Which ones?” 

Jesus said, “‘You shall not murder.’ ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ ‘You shall not steal.’ ‘You shall not offer false testimony.’   19  ‘Honor your father and mother.’  And, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” 

  20  The young man said to him, “All these things I have observed from my youth. What do I still lack?” 

  21  Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”   22 But when the young man heard the saying, he went away sad, for he was one who had great possessions.  23 Jesus said to his disciples,“Most certainly I say to you, a rich man will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven with difficulty.   24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of God.”

Jesus gave this young man a choice- riches or the kingdom of Heaven.  He chose poorly.  The comforts of life can be very alluring; detrimentally so.  Frankly, most of the things in this world that seem wonderful are not.  Things can bring you down very easily.  Think and act spiritually; riches, like that wonderful looking cake, may seem to be the end of all things, but there is a danger of destruction associated with them.  The saying: "A moment on the lips means forever on the hips" applies.  Giving in to desire has consequences, even for the religious among us (and make no mistake- this rich young man was religious).  But, the good news is... I can still imagine how wonderful that cake is and lose weight!!!

ps. If my weight watchers group leader is reading this... no, I am not going to have cake today!!!  I intend on being very good- got to reach that 100 pound mark for sure!!!

From Ben Fronczek.... Are You A Happy Christian?

Are You A Happy Christian

Are You A Happy Christian?   (Reading Luke 14:15-24)
Today I have a personal question to ask. Are you a happy person?  Would you consider yourself to be happy and joy filled person more than 90 percent of the time?  Here’s a good test of this, if I were to ask others, maybe family members or those closest would they say that you aa\re happy person, what would they say about how joy filled you are?
Well you may be thinking, ‘Well I’m a happy Christian most of the time; that is when I’m not rushing around like a chicken with it’s head cut off. Or, when I’m not upset with my husband or my wife or my kids or the people I work with, or when I’m not feeling angry at those crazy drivers out there. Or, when I’m not having a personal pity party, or when someone purposely hurts my feelings.
So how much time does that leave you to be really happy and joy filled?
Do you realize that one of the very reasons why Jesus came into this world and died for you on the cross of Calvary is because the Heavenly Father and Jesus Himself wanted you to be happy and full of joy?
In Philippians 4 the Apostle Paul wrote, 4 Rejoice in the Lord always (always). I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
When I read verses like this I can’t help but believe that Paul learned the secret of being truly happy. If you know anything about Paul’s life as a Christian it was anything but easy. Later in verses 12 and 13 he writes,          12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content(happy) in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”
Paul joy and strength was totally rooted in knowing and believing in Jesus. His happiness depended less on waiting for others to make him happy, or for situations to make him happy, or events to make him truly happy because things may not happen the way you want them to happen and people will let you down.  Rather his inner peace and joy was rooted and grounded in someone who would never let him down; Jesus and all that He promised those who love and follow Him.
In Galatians 5:22 Paul wrote that  “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness…”   I think happiness and joy is one of the evidences of our spiritual conversion in Christ.
So what’s the problem? Why are so many of us so unhappy?
Abraham Lincoln once said, “People are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.”  Centuries before Lincoln, the Roman Emperor Marcus Antonius said, “No man is happy who does not think himself so.”  The English journalist Roger L ‘Estrange said it best when he said, “It is not the place, nor the condition, but the mind alone that can make anyone happy or miserable.” Solomon wrote “As a Man thinketh in his heart, so is he.”
So it’s all in our head, but all too often we are guilty of thinking wrong or what I call ‘stinkin thinkin’.   To often we think we will be happier if we get what we want, or run from where we are to someplace else, or if we try to look like or be someone different than who we are.
Usually when we get the things that we want or crave, we are happy for a short time but it’s never enough and we find our self looking to get something else. And if we run away from our problems thinking things are going to be better someplace else, that new found happiness is short lived. Why? Because we cannot escape our self and our own negative attitudes.
Jesus said that He came that we may have life and have it to the full (or more abundantly).  And so if you don’t accept Jesus and what He has provided whether you be a Christian or not you are going to find an empty hole in you spirit and soul. Faith in Jesus and what is promise to us because of what He did for us is the key to unlocking that happiness and joy that our soul craves.
It must make God sad when we don’t take advantage of the great blessings and happiness and peace He has made available to us.
In the Parable of the great banquet  (Luke 14:15-24) we read that a certain man goes out of his way to prepare this great party and feast at much expense to himself and then invites his friends and neighbors to come and enjoy this feast with him. My wife and I use to entertain more and we use to have big picnics during the summer and we’d invite as many friends and relatives that would come. We enjoyed entertaining people in this manner and we wanted to show them a good time and feed them some good food. Well as the story goes no one he initially invited wanted to go to this guy’s feast. They all came up with various excuses as to what they could not attend.
When his servants reported this to him we read that he was upset. I can understand.  He was probably more hurt especially since he went through all that trouble and expense to show these people a good time but they chose to do something different. I would be hurt a little if my wife and I put on this big picnic and bought all kind of great food and only s few we invited showed up.
Well as the story goes the man sent out his servants to find any and everyone they could find, even if he did not know then, to come to his feast.
Now I believe that this parable is letting us know how God feels when we don’t take advantage of the great blessings He has provided us with. He has provided us with so many blessings. He offers us abundant life, joy, peace of mind, an inheritance equal to that of His Son Jesus, yet many Christians seem oblivious or forget those blessings and promises. And just like the man in the story was disappointed, I can’t help but believe God is disappointed when we when He see us miserable and sad, and depressed and hears us whining and complaining, even coming up with all kinds of excuses as to why we don’t take advantage of what He wants to give us.
Just as a reminder I want to share with you some of those things which He has provided you and me with.
2 Peter 1:3-4 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”
In other words, because of His glory and excellence, and love for us, He has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share in His divine nature and that will help you escape the corruption of this world. (When you put on Christ you put on God!
Romans 6:23 says  “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” That’s a pretty awesome promise!
In John 14:15-19 Jesus said,  “If you love me, keep my commands.  And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you know Him, for He lives with you and will be in you.  I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.  Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.  On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.”
Jesus told us that He would send His Spirit into Christians and he Spirit will help us, lead us into truth, teach us, convict us when we mess up, and would be with us forever. In Romans 8:26-27 Paul told us that the Spirit also helps us to pray.
In Philippians 4:7 we are told that if we pray the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard our heart and mind in Christ Jesus.
In Romans 8:35 we are told that nothing will separate us from the love of Christ.
In 1 Corinthians 10:13 we are told that God won’t let me be tried or tempted beyond what I can endure.  And that in Romans 8:28 All things work together for my good.
In 2 Corinthians 9:8 we are told that God is able to make all grace abound to me and you, so all our needs will be met.  We are in God’s favor!
We are promised an awesome inheritance in Ephesians 1:14 Col. 1:12
In Ephesians 3:12 we are also told that we can approach God with freedom and confidence.
In Hebrews 2:18  we are told that Jesus will help me if I’m tempted.
In James 1:5 James tells us that if we ask for wisdom from God, He will give it to us.
James also told us that If we draw near to God, He will draw near to us. James 4:8
John said that God will continue to forgive and cleanses us of new sin, if we confess those sins to Him.   1John 1:9
John also wrote that When Jesus re-appears, we will be made like Him. 1 John 3:2
Peter wrote that A new heaven and earth await you and me, which is called the ‘home of righteousness’. 2 Peter 3:13
God has also given you and me eternal life as a Christian. 1 John 5:11
These are just a few of the many promises given to those of us who are Christians.  So what it comes down to is you have a choice. You can choose to be happy, feel good and rejoice because of who you are in Christ, because you are God’s sons and daughters, because has set heavenly glory before you and want to richly bless you in your daily life, or you can choose to be miserable, sad, angry, depressed or filled with self pity always complaining about every little thing.  The choice is yours. (As a man thinketh …) One way leads to that abundant life God sent His son to give you. The other is a sad and unhappy way of life with may occasional good moments.
The key is what you believe; what and who you have faith in.
Make a decision everyday when you get up to rejoice in the Lord and what He has provided and called us to. When you wake up in the morning, have a meeting with yourself. Make a decision to be a more positive happy person for that day and ask God to help you. It may be hard the first few days, but as you keep making a decision each day and ask for God’s help you will become a happier person.
 Also remember and acknowledge and thank God for His love and many promise He has made to bless you. Think about these things throughout the day and your life will. And one day you will be able to say like Paul, I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”

From Jim McGuiggan... Matthew 4:17: The Baptist: Last Call to a Nation

Matthew 4:17: The Baptist: Last Call to a Nation

The ministry of John the Baptist was a failure. Well, that can’t be true because a ministry carried out faithfully can never be a failure, and John did his job magnificently. But he wouldn’t be the first prophet that worked toward a goal and didn’t gain that specific goal. Jeremiah preached for over forty years, calling his nation to repentance, and had to watch them going off into exile because they wouldn’t heed. Josiah began a spirited renewal that was too little too late. Christ tied Israelite leaders to their confession that their fathers slew the righteous and the prophets (Matthew 23:29-36, see Matthew 5:12 and Stephen’s stinging rebuke in Acts 7:52, "Was there ever a prophet your fathers didn’t persecute...?").
In sending John, God said that he was sending someone to get them to heed the law of Moses, someone to turn the hearts of the people back toward God and one another (Malachi 4:4-5). If they would not pay attention they would experience the terrible day of the Lord and the land would be smitten with a curse (4:4-5, compare Matthew 3:7-10 and "the wrath to come"). Malachi 4 offers assurance to the receptive and judgement to the impenitent and that’s what John offers in Matthew 3:7-11-12.
God’s call through John was righteous and the response he looked for from the nation was righteousness. It didn’t matter that he knew they would eagerly rush to John and then wander away again. The offer was genuine and the rejection by the leadership and those they led was a real choice.
John was sent to prepare the nation to receive the Christ (see Malachi 3:1; 4:4-5 and Isaiah 40:3). Had they received the Christ as John urged them to do (John 1:19-34; 3:22-30) John would have gained his immediate aim. In that respect John’s ministry was a "failure"; but it was a glorious "failure" and that’s no failure.
His ministry was set in the context of a nation that was unfaithful to God, a nation that dishonoured the Torah. The book of Malachi is a sustained critique of such a nation for such a crime. See especially chapter 3:3-7. The people are called in 4:4 to "remember the law of my servant Moses, the decrees and laws I gave him at Horeb for all Israel." Malachi 3:3 tells us that this turning from God and his decrees was not a new thing—it happened since the days of their fathers. (Compare Jeremiah 32:30-33 and Isaiah’s blistering remark in 48:8.)
So whatever we might think of the Jewish people in Palestine when John appeared, they needed—as a people—to turn to God in repentance and he had come to call them back to the Torah.
When he first appeared there was an initial flocking to his preaching and baptism. But like Josiah’s work, it was too little too late. He ended up with his own little group of disciples and presumably the populace drifted away from his message, the way many disciples drifted off from the message and person of Jesus Christ (compare John 6:66). We’re sure of this, that when Herod threw John in prison there was no uproar even though the people were sure he was a prophet. And when he was murdered there were no mass demonstrations mounted.
It was when Christ heard that John was thrown into prison (Matthew 4:17) that his own ministry formally began. The Baptist’s imprisonment seemed to be the signal for the beginning of Christ’s own ministry that would inexorably move toward his own death. It would appear that John was Israel’s last hope under the terms of the Mosaic covenant and when that failed the enactment of new covenant began in the ministry of the Lamb himself. In his flesh (compare Romans 7:4 and Ephesians 2:14-16) the Mosaic structure was brought down and with it "Israel after the flesh" as a nation covenanted to God via the Mosaic covenant came to an end. God’s covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—which pre-dated Sinai—remained intact so Israel as their descendants were not excluded from God’s love and care. But the covenant of Sinai had served its multiple purposes—even in its "failure" (Hebrews 8:7 and Romans 8:3).
With the Baptist the curtain was coming down on the Sinai covenant and the last word of the prophets that called the nation to be faithful to that covenant was spoken. Now was the moment of crisis—the Messiah had come. Compare Matthew 11:12-14.

©2004 Jim McGuiggan. All materials are free to be copied and used as long as money is not being made.

Many thanks to brother Ed Healy, for allowing me to post from his website, the abiding word.com.

From Mark Copeland... Ephesians: Introduction To The Epistle (1:1-3)


                     "THE EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS"

                   Introduction To The Epistle (1:1-3)

INTRODUCTION

1. Have you ever heard of "Hetty" Green, known as "America's Greatest
   Miser"?
   a. She died in 1916, and left an estate worth over $100 million
   b. Yet, it is said that...
      1) She ate oatmeal cold, because it cost to heat it
      2) Her son's leg was amputated, because she delayed too long
         looking for a free clinic
   c. Sounds crazy, doesn't it?
      1) For someone who had such great assets, to go through life
         miserable
      2) Living the life of a pauper, when great wealth was at her
         disposal

2. But the same could be said of many Christians today...
   a. For in Christ Jesus, we have countless spiritual blessings! - cf. 
      Ep 1:3
   b. However, many of these blessings go unused
      1) Blessings that are wonderful, but unappreciated by many
      2) Resulting in some Christians living what Thoreau would call 
         "lives of quiet desperation"

3. God would have us to know about these blessings, or spiritual 
   "riches", and in the New Testament one book in particular describes 
   many of them . . .
   a. It is the book of Ephesians
   b. One expressed purpose of the book is that we might know "what are 
      the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints" - cf. 
      Ep 1:18

4. Lest we become the spiritual equivalent of "Hetty" Green, we begin a
   series devoted to the Epistle to the Ephesians, in which we plan to
   "mine" for the riches that are ours in Christ Jesus

[In Ep 1:1-3, Paul addresses the brethren at Ephesus and begins
immediately to speak of our "spiritual blessings".  Let's first more
closely consider...]

I. THE AUTHOR (1:1a)

   A. PAUL...
      1. Formerly, "Saul of Tarsus", the persecutor of the church - Ac 9:1-2
      2. But who became the "apostle to the Gentiles" - Ac 9:15

   B. AN APOSTLE OF JESUS BY THE WILL OF GOD...
      1. His apostleship was not of his own choosing - cf. Ga 1:1
      2. He knew it was by the grace of God that he had been so called 
         - Ep 3:8a
      3. And his charge?  To "preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable
         riches of Christ" - Ep 3:8b

   C. WHOSE WORK HAD BROUGHT HIM TO EPHESUS...
      1. First, for a short stay - Ac 18:19-21
      2. Then for over two years, one of his longer periods of service
         in one place - Ac 19:1-10
      3. He also met with the Ephesian elders at Miletus - Ac 20:17-38

   D. WRITING NOW AS "AN AMBASSADOR IN CHAINS"...
      1. At the time Paul wrote this epistle, he was awaiting trial in
         Rome - cf. Ep 3:1; 4:1; 6:20
      2. This epistle was written about the same time as Colossians,
         Philippians, and Philemon, approximately 60-62 A.D.
      3. I.e., during the time period briefly described in Ac 28:30-31

[Now for a few thoughts on...]

II. THE RECIPIENTS (1:1b)

   A. THE SAINTS WHO ARE IN EPHESUS...
      1. The recipients of this letter were called "saints"
         a. The word "saint" means "one who has been set apart"
         b. It is related to the word "sanctified" which means "set 
            apart"
         c. ALL Christians were called saints in the New Testament, for
            in Christ Jesus even the vilest sinners are "sanctified" 
            upon their conversion - cf. 1Co 6:9-11
      2. The recipients of this letter were those brethren "in Ephesus"
         a. This is called into question by some, for in a few
            manuscripts "in Ephesus" is omitted
         b. For a detailed examination of this question, cf. New 
            Testament Commentary, Exposition Of Ephesians, William 
            Hendriksen, Baker Book House, pp. 56-61
         c. Hendricksen's conclusion:  this letter was written to the 
            churches of Ephesus and surroundings
      3. Historical background concerning the work in Ephesus can be 
         found in Ac 18:19-28; 19:1-41; 20:17-38
      
   B. AND FAITHFUL IN CHRIST JESUS...
      1. This describes the character of those "saints" in Ephesus
      2. They are "faithful in Christ Jesus"; that is, they trusted in 
         Him for their salvation - cf. Ep 1:13
      3. They were "faithful" in another sense, also, in that they were
         trustworthy in their stand for the truth - cf. Re 2:1-3, 6
      4. However, they were to be later rebuked for leaving their "first
         love" - Re 2:4-5

[To these "faithful saints", Paul give his customary greeting in which
he prays for grace and peace to come upon them from God and Jesus (1:2).

With the very next verse, Paul begins to praise God for the blessings we
have in Christ, which reveals to us...]

III. THE THEME:  THE BELIEVER'S RICHES IN CHRIST (1:3)

   A. THE SOURCE OF OUR BLESSINGS (RICHES)...
      1. They come from "the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ"
      2. As revealed later, they come to us a result of the "riches" 
         of . . .
         a. God's grace - Ep 1:7
         b. God's glory - Ep 1:18
         c. God's mercy - Ep 2:7
      3. As James wrote, "every good gift and every perfect gift is from
         above, and comes down from the Father of lights" - Jm 1:17

   B. THE SCOPE OF OUR BLESSINGS (RICHES)...
      1. They include "every" spiritual blessing; not just a few, but 
         every single one!
      3. Blessings that are "spiritual" in nature; unlike many of the 
         blessings to the nation of Israel of old, which were but 
         material
   
   C. THE SPHERE OF OUR BLESSINGS (RICHES)...
      1. First, they are "in the heavenly places"
         a. Lit., "in the heavenlies", a phrase found only in Ephesians 
            - 1:3; 2:6; 3:10; 6:12
         b. Referring to the spiritual realm, as opposed to the physical
      2. Secondly, they are "in Christ"
         a. It has been counted that this phrase "in Christ" occurs 27 
            times in this epistle
         c. Emphasizing that it is only by being "in" Christ that one 
            can have access to "every" spiritual blessing

[With verse three, then, we have the "theme" of this epistle stated, and
one would do well to think of it as the "key verse".

Before we close this introduction to Ephesians, it may be helpful to
consider the following outline of the book as presented in "The Bible
Exposition Commentary", Volume 2, Warren W. Wiersbe, p. 7...]

IV. A BRIEF OUTLINE

   A. DOCTRINE:  OUR RICHES IN CHRIST (chapters 1-3)
      1. Our spiritual possessions in Christ (1:4-14)
         a. From the Father (1:4-6)
         b. From the Son (1:7-12)
         c. From the Spirit (1:13-14)
         -- First Prayer:  for enlightenment (1:15-23)
      2. Our spiritual position in Christ (2:1-22)
         a. Raised and seated on the throne (2:1-10)
         b. Reconciled and set into the temple (2:11-22)
         -- Second Prayer:  for enablement (3:1-21; with verses 2-13 as 
            a parenthesis)

   B. DUTY:  OUR RESPONSIBILITIES IN CHRIST (chapters 4-6)
      1. Walk in unity (4:1-16)
      2. Walk in purity (4:17-5:17)
         a. Walk not as other Gentiles (4:17-32)
         b. Walk in love (5:1-6)
         c. Walk as children of light (5:7-14)
         d. Walk carefully (5:15-17)
      3. Walk in harmony (5:18-6:9)
         a. Husbands and wives (5:18-33)
         b. Parents and children (6:1-4)
         c. Masters and servants (6:5-9)
      d. Walk in victory (6:10-24)

CONCLUSION

1. In our next lesson, we will begin our study of this Epistle to the
   Ephesians in earnest, noticing immediately some of those
   "unsearchable riches of Christ"

2. But as we have already seen, the "sphere" in which these blessings
   (riches) are to be found is "IN Christ".  How does one get "into"
   Christ?

The answer is found in Ga 3:26-27, where we learn that those who have
been "baptized into Christ have put on Christ".  Are you in Christ...?


Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2011