Friday, April 9, 2021

Christian Certainty

 

~ Certainty (not doubt) Is The Normal Christian Position ~ 


What Christians Are  ~  “For the message of the Cross is … to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18).  “I write to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake” (1 John 2:12).

What Christians Know  ~  We know that we have passed from death to life” (1 John 3:14a).  “Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him.  And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us” (1 John 3:24).  “This is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son” (1 John 5:11).  We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one” (1 John 5:19). 

What Christians Have  ~  “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7).  “Be imitators of God as dear children.  And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma” (Ephesians 5:1-2).  “We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren” (1 John 3:14a).

What Christians Expect  ~  “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2).  “And we have known and believed the love that God has for us.  God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him” (1 John 4:16). 

Blessed Assurance  ~  Consider the great Christian hymn:

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine
O what a foretaste of glory divine
Heir of salvation, purchase of God
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood

Perfect submission, all is at rest
I in my Savior am happy and blessed
Watching and waiting, looking above
Filled with His goodness, lost in His love

This is my story, this is my song
Praising my Savior all the day long
This is my story, this is my song
Praising my Savior all the day long

Closing Question  ~  To you have this Blessed Assurance?  If not, why not?  You can have complete confidence in the One who died on your behalf as payment for your sins!

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog.

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Thursday, April 8, 2021

Bible Answer, 83

 

~ Did You Get It Right? ~ 


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~~~~ bible answer ~~~~

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question:  Who served in an emergency as a barber?

answer:  Hanum  

“It happened after this that Nahash the king of the people of Ammon died, and his son reigned in his place.  Then David said, ‘I will show kindness to Hanun the son of Nahash, because his father showed kindness to me.’  So David sent messengers to comfort him concerning his father.  And David’s servants came to Hanun in the land of the people of Ammon to comfort him.  And the princes of the people of Ammon said to Hanun, ‘Do you think that David really honors your father because he has sent comforters to you?  Did his servants not come to you to search and to overthrow and to spy out the land?’  Therefore Hanun took David’s servants, shaved them, and cut off their garments in the middle, at their buttocks, and sent them away.  Then some went and told David about the men; and he sent to meet them, because the men were greatly ashamed.  And the king said, ‘Wait at Jericho until your beards have grown, and then return’” (1 Chronicles 19:1-5). 

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog.

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Wednesday, April 7, 2021

God Our Rock, 8

 

~ The Rock of Israel ~  


Introduction  ~  In Matthew 7:24-27 and Luke 6:47-49 Jesus relates the importance of building your house upon rock rather than sand.  This principle is even more critical when it comes to our spiritual life.  Each post in this series looks at a different Biblical passage which refers to our God as a Rock (not a complete list). 

Scripture  ~  “Now these are the last words of David.  Thus says David the son of Jesse; thus says the man raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel: ‘The Spirit of the Lord spoke by me, and His word was on my tongue.  The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spoke to me: “He who rules over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.  And he shall be like the light of the morning when the sun rises, a morning without clouds, like the tender grass springing out of the earth, by clear shining after rain”’” (2 Samuel 23:1-4).

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog.

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