Myth, 99

 ~ Bible Study Is For Scholars ~

Myth  ~  Sometimes newcomers to the Bible are overwhelmed and develop the belief that its study is best left to the professionals, Pastors, seminary Professors and so on.  This can also develop into believing you need to attend a Bible School or Seminary to effectively study the Bible.

Reality  ~  Nothing could be further from the truth.  The best teacher of the Word of God is the Spirit of God who indwells all believers. 

Scripture  ~  Jesus said, “These things I have spoken to you while being present with you.  But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.  Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.  You have heard Me say to you, ‘I am going away and coming back to you.’  If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, ‘I am going to the Father,’ for My Father is greater than I” (John 14:25-28).

“There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.  Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience.  For the Word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:9-12).

Comment  ~  Don’t expect to understand all of Scripture in a short period of time.  There are strong academic theological scholars who have spent their entire lives studying the Word of God and yet find they have not yet grasped its totality. 

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog.

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3 Phase Redemption

 ~ Location – Look – Lord ~

That prolific writer, anonymous, has said that the entire story of redemption is summed up in three lines of Scripture. 

“Where Is The Lamb of God?” (location)  ~  “So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.  Then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off.  And Abraham said to his young men, ‘Stay here with the donkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you.’  So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and the two of them went together.  But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, ‘My father!’  And he said, ‘Here I am, my son.’  Then he said, ‘Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?’  And Abraham said, ‘My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.’  So the two of them went together” (Genesis 22:3-8).   

“Behold! The Lamb of God!” (look)  ~  “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, ‘Behold!  The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!  This is He of whom I said, “After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.”  I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water.’  And John bore witness, saying, ‘I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him.  I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, “Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.”  And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.’  Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples.  And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, ‘Behold the Lamb of God!’” (John 1:29-36).           

“Worthy Is The Lamb of God!” (Lord)  ~  “Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice: ‘Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom, and strength and honor and glory and blessing!’  And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: ‘Blessing and honor and glory and power be to Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever!’  Then the four living creatures said, ‘Amen!’  And the twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped Him who lives forever and ever’ (Revelation 5:11-14).

Redemption  ~  The root idea of redemption is to redeem.  We are God’s property by reason of His creating us.  Since sin entered the world we are estranged from Him.  By accepting His provision we can be redeemed (bought back – think pawn shop) and so we are become His possession in a meaningful way.

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

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Groans

 ~ 5 Groans In Scripture ~

The Sinner’s Groan (for deliverance)  ~  “Now it happened in the process of time that the king of Egypt died.  Then the children of Israel groaned because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry came up to God because of the bondage.  So God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.  And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God acknowledged them” (Exodus 2:23-25). 

The Savior’s Groan (in sympathy)  ~  “Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, ‘Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.’  Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled.  And He said, ‘Where have you laid him?’” (John 11:32-34).

The Spirit’s Groan (of witnessing)  ~  “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses.  For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.  Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God” (Romans 8:26-27).

The Saint’s Groan (for emancipation)  ~  “For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.  For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked.  For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life.  Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee” (2 Corinthians 5:1-5).  

“Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.  For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees?  But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance” (Romans 8:23-25).

Creation’s Groan (for glory)  ~  “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.  For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God.  For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.  For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now” (Romans 8:18-22).

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog.

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