3/21/13

From Gary... Water, Sound and the Power of GOD



AND


I was wondering what most people were watching on You-tube and looked at the top ten; most were a complete waste of time and some not even fit to post on this site.  But, the links did lead me to the top ten science videos and so I came to the one that I labeled " A Science Experiment".  This video is amazing; I didn't know sound and water could behave like that!!!!  Then, I remembered the movie: The Ten Commandments, where Moses parted the Red Sea and the Scripture from Exodus that describes this.  If you haven't already clicked on the two links above, please do so NOW before you read any further.

Good, these provide a little insight into the truth....

READ BOTH The Exodus and Genesis chapters please...  (I know its a long read, but its worth it!!!)

Exodus, Chapter 14  (World English Bible)

  1 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,  2 “Speak to the children of Israel, that they turn back and encamp before Pihahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, before Baal Zephon. You shall encamp opposite it by the sea.  3 Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, ‘They are entangled in the land. The wilderness has shut them in.’  4 I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will follow after them; and I will get honor over Pharaoh, and over all his armies; and the Egyptians shall know that I am Yahweh.” They did so. 

  5  It was told the king of Egypt that the people had fled; and the heart of Pharaoh and of his servants was changed towards the people, and they said, “What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?”  6 He prepared his chariot, and took his army with him;  7 and he took six hundred chosen chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt, and captains over all of them.  8 Yahweh hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued after the children of Israel; for the children of Israel went out with a high hand.  9 The Egyptians pursued after them: all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen, and his army; and overtook them encamping by the sea, beside Pihahiroth, before Baal Zephon. 

  10  When Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them; and they were very afraid. The children of Israel cried out to Yahweh.  11 They said to Moses, “Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you treated us this way, to bring us out of Egypt?  12 Isn’t this the word that we spoke to you in Egypt, saying, ‘Leave us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians?’ For it were better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.” 

  13  Moses said to the people, “Don’t be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of Yahweh, which he will work for you today: for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you shall never see them again.  14 Yahweh will fight for you, and you shall be still.” 

  15  Yahweh said to Moses, “Why do you cry to me? Speak to the children of Israel, that they go forward.  16 Lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go into the midst of the sea on dry ground. 17 Behold, I myself will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall go in after them: and I will get myself honor over Pharaoh, and over all his armies, over his chariots, and over his horsemen.  18 The Egyptians shall know that I am Yahweh, when I have gotten myself honor over Pharaoh, over his chariots, and over his horsemen.”  19 The angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from before them, and stood behind them.  20 It came between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Israel; and there was the cloud and the darkness, yet gave it light by night: and the one didn’t come near the other all the night. 

  21  Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and Yahweh caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all the night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.  22 The children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand, and on their left.  23 The Egyptians pursued, and went in after them into the midst of the sea: all of Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen.  24 In the morning watch, Yahweh looked out on the Egyptian army through the pillar of fire and of cloud, and confused the Egyptian army.  25 He took off their chariot wheels, and they drove them heavily; so that the Egyptians said, “Let’s flee from the face of Israel, for Yahweh fights for them against the Egyptians!” 

  26  Yahweh said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the waters may come again on the Egyptians, on their chariots, and on their horsemen.”  27 Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it. Yahweh overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.  28 The waters returned, and covered the chariots and the horsemen, even all Pharaoh’s army that went in after them into the sea. There remained not so much as one of them.  29 But the children of Israel walked on dry land in the midst of the sea, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand, and on their left.  30 Thus Yahweh saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore.  31 Israel saw the great work which Yahweh did to the Egyptians, and the people feared Yahweh; and they believed in Yahweh, and in his servant Moses. 

AND

Genesis, Chapter 1 (World English Bible)

  1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.  2 The earth was formless and empty. Darkness was on the surface of the deep and 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, the first 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 seeds, and fruit trees bearing fruit after their kind, with their seeds 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 their seeds 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 to mark seasons, 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 abound with 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. 


This thing in common to all this is God and the power HE HAS over all things.  He speaks and it happens, period!!!!  And if by just speaking, God could create all things, then isn't it reasonable to consider that HE could give Moses the power to move water??? Who knew that sound could make water reverse its flow?  Until today, NOT ME!!!  Is it then such a far fetched idea that both Genesis Chapter 1 and Exodus Chapter 14 are TRUE???? Those who choose to disbelieve God do so because they want to; as for me today's little science video just reinforced what I already knew--- God works miracles!!!!  I wonder, what will it take to make a believer out of you???????

From Gary V. Womack... Living Hope




LIVING HOPE

1 Pet. 1:3-21 A living hope whose faith is aimed at an incorruptible inheritance

vs. 3 A living hope - not dead, but an 
        expectation of its object.

vs. 7 Faith must be tested to determine its
        genuineness.

vs. 8 Faith is based on HOPE - an expectation
         not a wish

I may hope to win a million dollars in the lottery. But I don't expect to win because I haven't played the lottery. I don't have a reason to hope because it is not based on an active participation (faith). In reality, I have no hope of winning.

Heb. 11:1 Hope (expectation) for that which is 
                unseen is based on evidence that 
                gives reason for hope.

"Faith is the substance (essence, litv) (assurance, 
               alt) (substantiation) of things [being] 
               hoped for (or, confidently expected), the 
               evidence (or, confident assurance, or, 
               proof ) of things not seen."

Example

vs. 3 "By faith we understand (or comprehend ) that the worlds [ages] (universe) were framed (prepared / thoroughly completed) by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which are visible."

Gen. 1:1 "In the beginning God created the heavens 
               and the earth."

Importance - Not a passive faith or an indifferent 
                     hope.

vs. 6
"But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him."

The testing of our faith

Jas. 1:2-3 Trials prove or test our faith. Faith 
                must be proven by action.

Jas. 1:22-25 Continuing in our conviction by 
                    action - obedience

Jas. 2:14-20 Faith that is not substantiated by 
                    works is dead.

Example - Abraham Gen. 22:1-19 
                                 cf Heb. 11:17-19

Jas. 2:21-24 Abraham acted upon his conviction  
                    against the unseen:

The raising of the dead which had never been done before Without previous evidence of such, Abraham acted on trustIn God's power
The immutability (unchangeableness of His word promises His mercy

Mt. 3:1-10 Jews boasted in Abraham - They 
                 couldn't ride on Abraham's coat tails,
                 but needed to prove their faith in 
                 obedience as he did.

Heb. 4:12 Word of God is living (not dead) &
                 powerful

It has the power to discern 
                             [kritikos] = be critical [from krites
                             = judge, discriminate

Compare

Acts 2:37 it pricked the hearts of those on Pentecost



INVITATION­

Is our hope an expectation that is built upon an active faith?


Acts 22:16 "And now why are you waiting? Arise 
                   and be baptized, and wash away your 
                   sins, calling on the name of the Lord."

Acts 2: 21 Hosea quoted: "And it shall come to 
                 pass that whoever calls on the name of 
                 the Lord shall be saved."

Acts 2:38 "Then Peter said to them, 'Repent, and 
                let every one of you be baptized in the 
                name of Jesus Christ for the remission of 
                sins; and you shall receive the gift of the 
                Holy Spirit."

From Jim McGuiggan...For troubled hearts


For troubled hearts

What did Jesus say to his troubled disciples in the first phrases of John 14:1? He uses tarassestho and pisteuete and these two words complicate matters a bit. The first word is a present imperative and the second one is either indicative or imperative.
Does he say, "Don’t let yourself be troubled" or "Stop letting yourself be troubled"? The first would suggest that they are to keep agitation from entering and the second would suggest that they were already storm-tossed and were to stop it. In light of the context, tarassesthoprobably means, "Stop letting your hearts be troubled." They had reason to worry because in the upper room that night he told them of worrying things. He is to be betrayed, he is going away and they can’t come, Peter is going to deny him, they will all be scattered and he will be delivered over to the enemy. These are men that had left all they had and put their lives in his hands and now he tells them these things. Worried? Well of course they’re worried! And yet Jesus tells them, "Stop worrying." He isn’t bullying them here—that’s not in his character. Nor is he being glib—he’s not the kind that looks at someone’s crucifixion, smiles and calls it "a challenge".
Yes, but whatever his tone he is speaking to men who have reasons to worry and telling them to stop it. Grant that he isn’t bullying them or implying that they’re wimps, isn’t it a bit naive, given the circumstances and the nature of human nature? Well, whatever we might think hedidn’t think so. He knew life and people better than we do and still called troubled men to stop being troubled. (Or did he?) He doesn’t deny that there are grounds for troubling but he insists that there are grounds for putting an end to it or at least for keeping it in its place.
We’ve all said to some poor hurting soul, "Don’t worry...because..." We weren’t making light of their trouble and we weren’t ordering them. The form of the words is an "order" but the intent is not raw command. And with the "because" we give them grounds to put the anxiety and pain in its place.
In speaking of faith he uses pisteuete which can mean they are called to believe or that they already believe. He might have meant, "Believe in God believe also in me." But since the Greek word may be indicative rather than imperative he might have meant, "You believe in God and you also believe in me." The first rendering would say something like, "Put your trust in God and in me" and the second would say something like, "You already trust in God and in me." While these two ways of hearing him are distinct and lead us in different directions we don’t need to see them as conflicting.
It’s clear that they had believed in God before he came along and it’s clear that their faith in God has been and is being reshaped since he has come along. It is not the case that they do not believe in God because in John 17 Christ describes them as genuine believers in God. So if he calls them to "believe in God" he is not calling them to something brand new. He is calling them to allow that faith to have its way! "Keep on trusting God and me!" is the sort of thing we should have in mind.
I think that we should understand the passage something like this, "Don’t let the turmoil you feel control you. The trust you have in God and me is well placed so make that the controlling reality in your lives."
He is not asking them (or us) to deny what we feel because he himself was willing to confess that he had experienced just what they were going through (John 12:27 and see 11:33). He is calling on them (and us) to act on the profounder truths and realities that are just as real and more powerful than their fears and the consequent inner turmoil.
There aren’t many things more irritating than these idiotic people who haven’t suffered a serious setback in their entire lives coming to a devastated heart and spewing out glib advice. But there are those who do worse (I think) when they insist that if we truly trust God we will not experience turmoil! Wouldn’t you think that with a Bible in their hand and even a pinch of common sense they’d stop pouring out drivel?
Faith doesn’t obliterate the possibility of fear—it can put it in its place. There are things we have in life and relationships that we cherish and when we’re in danger of losing them we become anxious. That is no crime! It is no sin to experience heartbreak and most of the time our deep sense of loss is a measure of the depth and genuineness of our love. Do you think Gethsemane was a stage play? No, Christ didn’t promise to obliterate fear or anxiety or pain or loss in this life—these are realities inextricably connected with a fallen world—but he insisted that there were other realities that could and would and should dethrone our heart-wrenching cares. "Don’t let the turmoil you feel control you. The trust you have in God and me is well placed so make that the controlling reality in your lives."
Is it difficult? For some poor high strung souls in awful circumstances how could it not be hard? But it's far from impossible for thousands of those very people are taking Christ at his word and showing us how to do it. Well, showing us it can be and is being done. The power of pain is real but so is the power of the Story, so is the power of the one that is at the heart of the Story. "In the world you have trouble," he said, "in me you have peace." We win our way through not by grunting and sweating, it isn't a matter of willing it and if we believe enough we'll make it. It's listening to the Story, hearing the Story, reading the Story and believing him who is the Story. If it were otherwise, wouldn't I have told you? he goes on to say.

©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... Peter's Denial Of Jesus


                        "THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW"

                   Peter's Denial Of Jesus (26:69-75)

INTRODUCTION

1. Among the things Jesus suffered, was the indignity of Peter's 
   denial...
   a. Three times, with increasing intensity, Peter denied knowing
      Jesus - Mt 26:69-75
   b. Peter denied knowing Jesus, despite being with Jesus:
      1) From the beginning of His earthly ministry - Mt 4:17-19
      2) At the healing of his own mother-in-law - Mt 8:14-15
      3) On the Sea of Galilee, walking on the water - Mt 14:22-33
      4) On the mount, seeing Jesus with Moses and Elijah - Mt 17:1-13

2. How did Peter come to deny his Lord and Savior?
   a. What forces were at work, that led to his cowardly deed?
   b. Might they be forces we face today, encouraging us to do the
      same?

[From "Peter's Denial Of Jesus", there are important lessons to be
gleaned. Indeed, Peter himself can help us to avoid making the mistakes
he made when he writes as one who knows the dangers before us. For
example, we note first of all that...]

I. PETER WAS BETRAYED BY PRIDE

   A. HE BOASTED HE WOULD NEVER DENY JESUS...
      1. Proudly proclaiming that even if all left Jesus, not him! 
         - Mt 26:31-33
      2. In so doing, Peter took the first step in falling away - Pro
         16:18
      3. We can also be overconfident in our service to God - cf. 1Co 10:12

   B. PETER LATER COMMANDED HUMILITY...
      1. To be clothed with humility - 1Pe 5:5
      2. To humble ourselves before God - 1Pe 5:6

[Peter learned the hard way about the danger of pride. Will we learn
from the mistake of Peter, and value the importance of humility? Next,
notice that...]

II. PETER WAS BESIEGED BY LAZINESS

   A. HE KEPT FALLING ASLEEP...
      1. At a time when he needed to be watchful - Mt 26:36-46
      2. His laziness therefore led to lack of preparation
      3. The same thing can happen to us!
         a. Without diligent preparation, we too can be unprepared 
            - cf. Lk 21:34-36
         b. More often than not, we gradually "drift away" because we
            are too lazy to "give the more earnest heed" - cf. He 2:1-3

   B. PETER LATER ENJOINED DILIGENCE...
      1. Commanding vigilant resistance against the devil - 1Pe 5:8-9
      2. Calling for diligence that we might:
         a. Grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus - 2Pe 1:5,10
         b. Be found in peace, without spot and blameless - 2Pe 3:14

[Do we allow simple laziness to keep us from careful preparation? Do we
fail to attend services, study God's Word, or even pray, because of
laziness? If so, how can we hope to stand up for Jesus when put to the
test? As we continue, we observe that...]

III. PETER WAS BESET BY COWARDICE

   A. HE FOLLOWED JESUS AT A DISTANCE...
      1. Peter still followed Jesus - Mt 26:58
      2. But now that Jesus was unpopular...
         a. He stays far enough away so not to be identified with Him
         b. He was unprepared to face the challenge of ridicule and
            persecution
      3. Might we be guilty of trying to follow Jesus, but with 
         cowardice?
         a. Ashamed to be seen carrying a Bible?
         b. Ashamed to be seen giving thanks?
         c. Ashamed to be seen with other Christians?

   B. PETER LATER EXHORTED GLORIFYING GOD...
      1. Charging us not to be ashamed, but to glorify God - 1Pe 4:16
      2. Thinking not of what things mean to us, but what they mean to
         God! - cf. Mt 5:16

[With cowardice keeping him at a distance from his Lord, Peter was a
prime candidate for succumbing to what came next...]

IV. PETER WAS BELEAGUERED BY WORLDLINESS

   A. HE WAS INFLUENCED BY THE WORLD...
      1. By sitting with the servants of the High Priest, and warming
         himself by their fire - Mt 26:58; Mk 14:54
      2. Ashamed to be seen with Christ, it was easy to mingle with
         those of the world and enjoy their comforts
      3. But one cannot be "comforted by the fire" of the world, and
         not be "burned"!
         a. E.g., close contact with things that can harm has an effect
            - cf. Pr 6:27-29
         b. So we cannot flirt with the world and walk away untouched
            - 1Co 15:33

   B. PETER LATER CALLED FOR US TO BE OTHER-WORLDLY...
      1. To live as sojourners and pilgrims, abstaining from fleshly
         lusts and with honorable conduct among the nations - 1Pe 2:
         11-12
      2. To look for that new heavens and new earth, being diligent to
         be found by Christ in peace, without spot and blameless - 2 Pe 3:13-14

CONCLUSION

1. When Peter concluded his second epistle, he did so with a warning...
   a. To beware lest you fall from your own steadfastness - 2Pe 3:17
   b. To grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ - 2Pe 3:18

2. These admonitions come from one who was well qualified to speak...
   a. For he knew how easy it was to fall through such things as:
      1) Pride
      2) Laziness
      3) Cowardice
      4) Worldliness
   b. But he also knew how to grow in grace through such things as:
      1) Humility
      2) Diligence
      3) Glorifying God
      4) Living as strangers and sojourners

Yes, we know that Peter, though he denied Jesus three times and wept
bitterly, received grace when forgiven by Jesus and permitted to
fulfill his role as an apostle (cf. Jn 21:15-17).

If we have been guilty of letting our Lord down, look to Him for the
grace to repent and grow that only He can bestow!

Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2011

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