Fear Not, 34

~ The Israelites Were Given God’s Peace an Eighth Time ~

God does not want His children living in fear.  “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue” (2 Peter 1:2-3).

“Fear not,” or its equivalent, is recorded many times in Scripture—ALN will post one “fear not” each week during this calendar year.

This Week’s Verse  ~  “Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your descendants from the east, and gather you from the west” (Isaiah 43:5).

The Foundation Of Peace  ~  “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?  The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid” (Psalm 27:1).

The Solution If You Lack Peace  ~  “Great peace have those who love Your law, and nothing causes them to stumble” (Psalm 119:165).  “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You” (Isaiah 26:3).  “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).

Summary  ~  “No Christ = No Peace” versus “Know Christ = Know Peace”

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

NOTES:

(1)     The current TOP 10 ALN posts are listed at the very bottom of this home page.

(2)     There is an INDEX of all ALN posts accessed by scrolling down the left column.

(3)     You may LINK to any ALN posts on your own blog or website. 

(4)     You may COPY any ALN post, but please credit ALN as the source by prominently displaying the following statement:  Reprinted from “Abundant Life Now,” a free blog which offers inspiring moments, thought-provoking comments, and solid Biblical insight at http://RobertLloydRussell.blogspot.com/ .

3 More Sinners, 3of3

~ Justifying Jews ~

NOTE:  Be sure to see the chart at the bottom of this post!

In the Gospel of John chapter 8 we find three more distinct types of sinners. 

Passage  ~  John 8:31-59

Group  ~  Jewish professors of faith in Christ

Contact  ~  Questioning Jesus’ teachings

Problem  ~  Blind, proud, slaves

The question is not, “Are you a sinner?”

but rather, “What kind of sinner are you?”

Location  ~  In the Temple

Key Teaching / Lesson  ~  Faith alone saves—but saving faith is not alone

Result  ~  They were antagonized by the truth.

Miscellaneous  ~  They lied in verse 33 (they had been in physical bondage and still were in spiritual bondage)

SUMMARY CHART 

	A Wild Woman	Proud Pharisees	Justifying Jews
Passage	John 8:1-11	John 8:12-32	John 8:31-59
Person / Group	An adulterous woman.	Pharisees (religious leaders)	Jewish professors of faith in Christ
Contact	Brought to Jesus by the self-righteous	Questioning Jesus’ teachings	Listening to Jesus’ teachings
Problem	Immoral, despised	Moral, respected	Blind, proud, slaves
Location	Mt. of Olives	In the Temple	In the Temple
Key Teaching / Lesson	“all have sinned”	Jesus is God	Faith alone saves—but saving faith is not alone
Result	She was given a new opportunity to live right	Many believed in The Messiah	They were antagonized by the truth.
Miscellaneous	They tried to stump Jesus but they were stumped.	Jesus predicts His departure	They lied in v. 33 (they had been in physical bondage and still were in spiritual bondage)

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

NOTES:

(1)     The current TOP 10 ALN posts are listed at the very bottom of this home page.

(2)     There is an INDEX of all ALN posts accessed by scrolling down the left column.

(3)     You may LINK to any ALN posts on your own blog or website. 

(4)     You may COPY any ALN post, but please credit ALN as the source by prominently displaying the following statement:  Reprinted from “Abundant Life Now,” a free blog which offers inspiring moments, thought-provoking comments, and solid Biblical insight at http://RobertLloydRussell.blogspot.com/ .