Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Fear God Not Man

Proverbs 29:25 The Fear of Man Brings a Snare
Gen 12:11-13 Abraham feared Egypt would kill him for his wife
Gen 20:2,11 Abraham feared Abimelech king of Gerar would kill him for his wife.
Gen 26:7 Isaac feared Abimelech king of Gerar that he would kill him for his wife Rebecca
Ex 32:22-24 Aaron made gold calf for fear of the people.
1 Sam 15:24 Saul kept things under ban because of fear of the people.
1 Sma 27:1,11 David killed many for fear of Philistines.
1 Kings 19:3 Elijah flees Jezebel for fear of his life.
Isaiah 57:11 People worry and are fearful so lie, do not remember God.
Matt 10:28 Do not fear those who kill the body but unable to kill the soul but ather fear Him who is able to destroy both body and soul in hell.
Matt 15:12-14 don't be concerned what religious people say
Matt 26:69-74 Peters's denials at Christ's time before the crusifiction.
John 3:2 Nicodemes was afraid of cohorts, so came to Jesus at night.
John 9:22 Parents of former blind man lied to not be thrown out of synagogue.
John 12:42 Many even rulers believed, but would not confess Christ because of fear of being thrown out of synagogue.
John 19:12,13 Pilate did not release Jesus for fear of mob.
Gal 2:11-13 Cephas withdrew from Greeks for fear of Jews.
2 Tim 4:16,17 All deserted Paul but the Lord stood with him.
Gal 1:10 you can't please God and man at the same time.

Read through Hebrews 11 and ask what these people would have done if instead of having faith in God they feared man. If we fear man our faith in God is stopped.

Many times the opposite action of faith is to act in fear.
The opposite thought to faith is unbelief.

So let us not be those who want to save our life and fear man. Let us give our life to Jesus and fear Him.

Monday, December 27, 2010

Hold Fast to Hope

Heb 10:23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering for He who promised is faithful.

Holding fast our confession allows us to dwell with Christ and to partake of Christ. So confession ties in with abiding of John 15:7. We can hold fast because Jesus is our High Priest in heaven. Confession is part of living by faith.

Partaking with Christ causes us to be assured of His promise to us. Our confession of faith flows from our belief. Our obedience in confessing the gospel, to many, glorifies God.

Heb 3:6 Christ was faithful as a Son over His house, whose house we are if we hold fast our confidence and boast of hope firm until end.
Heb 3:14 For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end.
Hebrews 4:14 Since Jesus is our High Priest in heaven, let us hold fast our confession.
Revelation 3:11 Jesus is coming quickly, hold fast what you have so that no one will take your crown.
Romans 11:22 Kindness and severity of God, to those who fell severity, but to you God's kindness otherwise you will also be cut off.
Hebrews 3:1 Jesus is the apostle and High Priest of our confession
2 Cor. 9:13 The will glorify God for your obedience to your confession of the gospel.
1 Tim 6:12 Fight the good fight of faith, take hold of eternal life to which you were called and you made the good confession to many.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Faith is Kept

2 Timothy 4:7
Through many trials and disappointment there would be reasons to chuck our faith in Christ. But these reasons would not be good reasons. Many though give up on Christ, because life does not go as they wish.

    Jesus did not come to have a good life, He came to rescue us (Mark 10:45) from the wrath to come (1 Thes. 1:10) He came with a purpose.
    In the same way we do not keep faith by focusing on ourselves, but we focus on following Jesus.

    Keep our eyes on Him and live for His purpose, as Jesus lived for the purpose of the Father. John 7:16

2 Tim 1:14 Guard through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us the treasure which has been entrusted to your.
Proverbs 23:23 Buy truth and do not sell it, get wisdom and instruction and understanding.
Luke 8:15 Seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast and bear fruit with perseverance.
1 Tim 6:20 guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding worldly and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called knowledge.
Rev 3:8 "I know your deeds. Behold, I have put before you an open door which no one can shut, because you have a little power and have not denied My name."
Rev 3:10 "Because you have kept the word of My perseverance. I also will keep you from the hour of testing, . . ."

Let the Holy Spirit show us what would come against our faith. And guard against that. Buy truth by spending time studying and learning the Bible as it's taught by the Holy Spirit. Keep at your works of faith with perseverance. Stay away from worldly and empty chatter which is counter productive. Persevere in keeping the Lord's word to you.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

In Jesus the Promises are yes and Amen

2 Corinthians 1:20 For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes; therefore also through Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us.

Don't neglect prayer. Sometimes I go through my day

and neglect prayer. Yet it is prayer that brings

the promises to life. Jesus answers prayer. Prayer

is talking to God

In Him = abiding. To abide in Jesus is to let the

Word of God richly dwell within. Col 3:16 And to

abide is also to do the Word of God. But it's not

doing it before abiding. It is doing it because of

abiding.

Just as Jesus did as the Father led, so we can

follow as Jesus leads.

Then we can say with assurance "so be it", to the

promise.

The context of this verse is instructive.
v 19 the word of God is yes, it is ture.
v21,22 we are established in Christ
we are anointed by the Father
we are sealed by the Holy Spirit.

It is in unity with God, (includes the Father, Son

and Holy Spirit), that God's promises will come

alive.

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Fight for Faith

1 Tim 6:12 Fight the good fight of faith.
1 Cor 9:24-27 Competing to win the prize
Our goal is to win
we are to compete
exercise self control and train
have an aim.
Don't fight aimlessly. Have an opponent
Train your body.
Don't serve your body, train your body to serve you.
Phil 1:30 Experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me.
1 Tim 1:18 by the prophecies previously made we fight the good fight.
2 Tim 4:7 "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith;"

the fight is in my mind. Am I gong to believe God and His word or am I going to back down in fear? From this fight I reach out in works for God. Works from faith is righteousness. Works to please man is religious.

I win the fight in my mind through prayer, Bible meditation and Bible study.

1 Peter 2:11
"Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul."
We war against fleshly lusts which war against us.

Who and What do I fight? The world, the flesh and the devil.
When do I fight? All the time.
Why do I fight? To live for Jesus. To live a righteous life. To live in the spirit and not the flesh.
How do I fight? with my mind also through prayer, Bible meditation, and Bible study.

We fight by using the shield of faith.
We fight by standing. Which is accepting the promises of God over circumstances.


Not all we do is a fight. So the many things in the Christian life are not all fighting. For instance, I am not fighting when I am resting in God's presence.

The fight is when there is opposition to what I am doing. Faith is a promise that is not realized in the flesh currently. So the fight is to get it there, or to believe till it comes.

Solider - defense and offense
farmer - planting watering and waiting
athlete - training, competing, winning

Take hold of eternal life
Living in the kingdom of God and not just in this earth. Colosians 1:13 The fight to get beyond the flesh to the Spirit of God. Take hold is acting on the promises.

Humility in fighting. God normally flips everything upside down weakness is strength, the poor are the ones rich in faith, he who loses his life for Christ's sake will save it etc.

Much of the fight is in the mind.

Stand using the armor
Stand believing the promises of God

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Faith grows as we serve without considering ourselves.

Luke 17:6-10
Faith grows as we serve without considering ourselves. As a slave is doing what was commanded there should be no special reward.

It is like being appreciated for putting socks in the drawer. We should do things because that is what we are supposed to be doing. It should be a matter of course.

1 Cron 29:14-16 Who are we, we are nothing, to offer to God what He has supplied for us to give.
Job 22:2,3 Does God get anything from our ability
Job 35:6,7 What does our righteousness or sin do for God or against God.
Psalm 16:2,3 I have no good besides God.
Matt 25:37-40 Serving the needy without making note of how important it is.
1 Peter 5:5 Have the attitude that God will exalt us in due time.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Faith is Now

Hebrews 11:1 "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen."
Faith is Now
It's not put off till some other time.
Faith is now or its not at all.

Heb 4:11 diligent to enter rest, and not disobey and fall.
Heb 2:1 Pay closer attention to what you have heard to, and not drift away.
Heb 12:15 No one come short of the grace. No root of bitterness defiles
Heb 12:25 Don't refuse Him who is speaking, you won't get away with it.

If there is an action to go with faith, faith will act.

Today is the day of salvation. You can't have faith for salvation and not receive Christ as your savior. If you have faith you will be saved. Today is the day of salvation 2 Cor. 6:2