Posts Tagged ‘Bible’

The Word 7.17.11

Let us arise this morning with praise on our lips and continue to exalt the Lord throughout the day. He preserves us every day and shows us the path of life through his presence.

Psalm 16 (ESV)

1 Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.
2 I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;
I have no good apart from you.”

3 As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones,
in whom is all my delight.

4 The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply;
their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out
or take their names on my lips.

5 The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup;
you hold my lot.
6 The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.

7 I bless the Lord who gives me counsel;
in the night also my heart instructs me.
8 I have set the Lord always before me;
because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices;
my flesh also dwells secure.
10 For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol,
or let your holy one see corruption.

11 You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

The Word 6.5.11

I love the first two verses of this psalm.  Let them be true of our lives. Let them be our prayer to God each and every day.

Psalm 9:1-20 (ESV)

1 I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart;
I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.
2 I will be glad and exult in you;
I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.

3 When my enemies turn back,
they stumble and perish before your presence.
4 For you have maintained my just cause;
you have sat on the throne, giving righteous judgment.

5 You have rebuked the nations; you have made the wicked perish;
you have blotted out their name forever and ever.
6 The enemy came to an end in everlasting ruins;
their cities you rooted out;
the very memory of them has perished.

7 But the Lord sits enthroned forever;
he has established his throne for justice,
8 and he judges the world with righteousness;
he judges the peoples with uprightness.

9 The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.
10 And those who know your name put their trust in you,
for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.

11 Sing praises to the Lord, who sits enthroned in Zion!
Tell among the peoples his deeds!
12 For he who avenges blood is mindful of them;
he does not forget the cry of the afflicted.

13 Be gracious to me, O Lord!
See my affliction from those who hate me,
O you who lift me up from the gates of death,
14 that I may recount all your praises,
that in the gates of the daughter of Zion
I may rejoice in your salvation.

15 The nations have sunk in the pit that they made;
in the net that they hid, their own foot has been caught.
16 The Lord has made himself known; he has executed judgment;
the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands. Higgaion. Selah

17 The wicked shall return to Sheol,
all the nations that forget God.

18 For the needy shall not always be forgotten,
and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever.

19 Arise, O Lord! Let not man prevail;
let the nations be judged before you!
20 Put them in fear, O Lord!
Let the nations know that they are but men!

The Word 5.29.11

I read Psalm 8 over a week ago and it has stuck with me ever since. It says so many things for such a short passage. Who is God? He is the Creator. Like an artist on a blank canvas, God painted the heavens and the earth into existence with beauty and purpose. Who are human beings in comparison to such a God? We may think that the world revolves around us. Some men or women have the power to do mighty things on the earth. Yet, who can say that they created everything that exists?

Humility is the proper attitude for men and women who were created by God, given power by God, and owe everything to Him. God needs nothing and therefore he did not have to create us. However, he not only created us but he gave us a seat of honor. Humanity is the crown jewel of creation. We are stewards over the earth and representatives of God to everything in it. It is a blessing that elicits praise when considered daily. Thank you God for blessing me when I do not deserve to be blessed. Thank you for making me in your image so that I might know you. And thank you for reminding me of the reality of my place in this world and your goodness toward man.

Psalm 8:1-9 (ESV)

8:1 O Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.
2 Out of the mouth of babies and infants,
you have established strength because of your foes,
to still the enemy and the avenger.

3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
4 what is man that you are mindful of him,
and the son of man that you care for him?

5 Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned him with glory and honor.
6 You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;
you have put all things under his feet,
7 all sheep and oxen,
and also the beasts of the field,
8 the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,
whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

9 O Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!

A Personal Confession on Revelation

We would know nothing of God if he had not revealed himself to us. Theologians have placed God’s self-disclosure into two categories: general and special revelation. God first revealed himself in the created order. We look at the world and realize that it had to have come from someone or something much greater than ourselves. Christians believe that God created everything that exists. Therefore, everything bears the fingerprints of the Maker. Secondly, God revealed himself in more direct and specific ways. He became a man and lived among us. He has spoken audibly to individuals, appeared in dreams and visions, performed miracles, and given prophecy. God has given us His Word, the Scriptures, in order to give us greater knowledge and guide us into a deeper relationship with himself.

With that brief preface, I give you my personal confession on the revelation of God.

I believe that God has revealed himself to us in the created order. God gave us an awareness of his existence by creating us in his own image. God clearly displays his power and divine nature in his creation. He holds the world and everything in it together through the Son. Every activity of life reveals his presence and provision. Every authority on earth testifies to the overarching authority of the living God (Genesis 1:26-27; 2 Corinthians 5:18-20; Psalm 19:1; Romans 1:19-20; Hebrews 1:3; Acts 14:15-17; Romans 13:1).

I believe that sin limits our ability to know God through the created world. Nature is tainted by sin and does not clearly reflect the goodness of God. In our sin, we suppress the truth about the existence of God and do not give him credit for the creation of the world. We fail to acknowledge him as God by elevating the creation above the Creator. Every person needs renewed vision in order to see God more clearly in creation and a renewed mind in order to understand him properly (Romans 8:20-22; Job 25:5; Psalm 14:1; Romans 1:18-23, 25; Exodus 32:1-6; Acts 17:16).

I believe that God entered into human history and revealed himself to us in special ways that go beyond nature. In the past, God made himself known by direct action in the world, audible words and prophecy, the written law, visions and dreams, miracles, and even visible appearances. The height of God’s self-revelation is the person of Jesus Christ, the Son of God and the incarnate Word. Today, God continues to speak to us through the Holy Scriptures (Job 12:23; Exodus 19:9; Jeremiah 37:2; Exodus 34:1-28; Genesis 15:1; John 11:38-44; Exodus 33:23;  Hebrews 1:1-3; 2 Timothy 3:16).

I believe that the Bible is the Word of God consisting of the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments. The Bible is both fully human and fully divine. Through the Holy Spirit, God inspired human authors to write the Bible consistent with their personalities and traits. The Bible is true and fully reliable. The truthfulness of Scripture is rooted in the nature of God and the testimony of the Spirit. The Bible is the final and highest authority on all matters that it addresses (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21; 1 Corinthians 10:11; Proverbs 30:5; Numbers 23:19; John 16:13-14; 17:17; Psalm 19:7-9; Hebrews 3:7).

I believe that the Bible provides everything that we need for salvation and good works. The Bible is clear in what it teaches. It is a sufficient guide and provision for every area of life. The Scriptures are powerful and able to expose our deepest thoughts and intentions. The Bible provides a sure foundation for our lives through the truth of its words. God authored the Scriptures with every generation in mind. The Word of God was faithfully preserved and handed down to us so that we might know God truly (2 Timothy 3:15-17; Romans 1:16, 10:9-13; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4; Psalm 119:105, 130; Hebrews 4:12-13; 2 Peter 1:19; Matthew 22:31; 1 Peter 1:23-25; Jude 1:3).

The Word 5.22.11

I do not have a burning desire to say much about the Harold Camping rapture prediction at this moment. I may change my tune later in the week as I think about it more. A simple Google search will turn up plenty of reading material on the matter. Timothy Dalrymple has some thoughts on Harold Camping and his predictions. For now, I’ll simply leave you with this passage from Matthew about the end of the age and the return of Christ. Always be careful to test every teaching against the inspired word of Scripture.

Matthew 24:3-51 (ESV)

3 As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age?” 4 And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. 5 For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.

9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. 10 And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. 11 And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. 12 And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

15 “So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, 18 and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. 19 And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! 20 Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. 22 And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. 23 Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24 For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you beforehand. 26 So, if they say to you, ‘Look, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. 27 For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28 Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.

29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

32 “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. 34 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

36 “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. 37 For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, 39 and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. 42 Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

45 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? 46 Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. 47 Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. 48 But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ 49 and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards, 50 the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know 51 and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.


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