READINESS

 READINESS

[Jesus plainly explained, declaring] “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” … Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ … “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. (ESV, John chapter 3)

  As a Boy Scout I heard and still practice BE PREPARED. In my home library (By this I mean books scattered throughout.) I have books on how to fix things and how to prevent problems, recently adding Popular Mechanics ESSENTIAL SURVIVAL GUIDE, “The only book you need in any emergency.”

  But viewing such helps with reality, I ask what good is surviving if in the end a person is eternally lost spiritually?

EBB4

CANON - ING

 CANON – ING

  2Timothy 2:15-17 Study earnestly to present yourself approved to God, a workman that does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth. But shun profane, vain babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness. And their word will eat like a gangrene; among whom are Hymeneus and Philetus, [and Joel Osteen et al, critiquing file available upon request]

  2Timothy 4:1-4 Therefore I solemnly witness before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who is going to judge the living and the dead according to His appearance and His kingdom, preach the Word, be instant in season and out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine. For a time will be when they will not endure sound doctrine, but they will heap up teachers to themselves according to their own lusts, tickling the ear. And they will turn away their ears from the truth and will be turned to myths. 

  “canon” comes from the rule of law to determine if something is up to standard measure. For the professing Christian claiming they believe in the Word living (Jn.1:1) and written, the Bible (Jn.17:17; 1Thes.2:13) is that by which we do, or should, measure all things. All things meaning ALL THINGS.

  Relying on otherwise or mixing in other than sound doctrine is not relying on God’s Truth (Jn.17:17).    

  Doing so is chasing after personal desires in opposition to trusting the Lord; “thy will be done.”

  The opposition list is long and continually developing. It includes Facebook talisman (“Touch the _____), horoscopes, feel-good prosperity preachers and their wives, and a multitude of other misleading things. This includes a number of religious denominations.

  Reading and studying the Word equips us to recognize things good or bad whether personal (internal) or impersonal (external). Note Psalm 119.

  Let us live as Job, able to confidently say, “… let me be weighed in an even balance so that God may know my uprightness.” (Job 3:16)

EBB4

PSALMS

 

A STUDY OF THE PSALMS Dr. Jim Eckman INTRODUCTION • Title: The Hebrew title for this biblical book is Tehillim (“Praises”), songs of praise to God in public worship. The English title, Psalms comes from the Greek term psalmos, which translates song or praise. • Authors: David is the most common author of the 150 psalms (73-75), with other authors being the sons of Korah (11), Asaph (12), Solomon (2) and Moses (1). • As a hymnbook: The Psalms take the fundamental themes of Old Testament theology and turn them into songs of worship and praise. 1. There is one true God 2. The creation of the world and the fall of humanity 3. The Covenant of God with His people—to save them and through them to bring His light to the rest of the world. 4. Covenantal loyalty and obedience of God’s people 5. Eschatology—the coming Messiah, son of David, and His ultimate rule over all things. • Curses: The Psalms are filled with the call for curses on the enemies of God. These are to be understood as calls for God to avenge Himself, His name and His people. They are just and they are righteous, never vengeful. • Literary figures of speech: 1. Metaphor—a comparison. “The Lord is my shepherd. 2. Simile—a comparison using the words like or as. “He is like a tree planted by streams of water.” 3. Personification—human attributes are given to something nonhuman (e.g., animals, objects). “Light and truth” in Psalm 43. 4. Hyperbole—language of exaggeration. “My tears have been my food day and night.” • Structure: The standard Hebrew text divides the Psalms into five books. 1. Book 1—Psalms 1-41 2. Book 2—Psalms 42-72 3. Book 3—Psalms 73—89 4. Book 4—Psalms 90-106 5. Book 5—Psalms 107-150. Psalm 1: The Life That is Blessed I. The Way of the Righteous, 1-3 • The righteous lead an untarnished life, v. 1 • The righteous love to meditate on God’s Word, v. 2 • The righteous have success in life, v. 3 II. The Way of the Ungodly, vv. 4-6 • The life of the ungodly is worthless, v. 4 • The ungodly will not survive the judgment, v. 5 III. The Judgment: The righteous and the ungodly, v. 6 PSALM 2: The Coronation of God’s Son I. The source of the Rebellion, vv. 1-3 II. The response to the Rebellion, vv. 4-6 III. The King’s decree, vv. 7-9 IV. The call to Wisdom, vv. 10-12 PSALM 3: Confident Faith in the Midst of Adversity I. Adversity (and adversaries) cause the believer to focus on God’s plan, vv. 1-3 II. Confidence in God results from God’s present protection through answered prayer, vv. 4-6 III. Praying to the LORD produces deliverance from adversity, 7-8 PSALM 4: Safe and Secure in God’s Love I. God brings relief to His people, v. 1 II. Faith in God brings enablement to deal with antagonists, vv. 2-5 III. The faithful find joy in God’s provision of peace and security, vv. 6-8 PSALM 5: Deliverance from Deception I. The righteous pray and watch with confidence, vv. 1-3 II. The righteous pray with confidence as God deals with wickedness, vv. 4-7 III. The righteous pray with confidence that God will deliver them and judge the wicked, vv. 8-12 PSALM 6: A Prayer for Deliverance I. The chastened believer can only appeal to God, vv. 1-7 • The prayer for relief, vv. 1-3 • The appeal to God’s loyal love, vv. 4-5 • The expression of grief to the Lord, vv. 6-7 II. The confessing believer can expect deliverance from chastening, vv. 8-10 PSALM 7: Confident Trust in the LORD I. Those who trust in the Lord can expect deliverance, vv. 1-2 II. The righteous must be innocent to appeal for God’s vindication, vv. 3-9 III. Confidence in God is renewed when God foils the wicked, vv. 10-16 IV. The righteous sing praises to the Lord, v. 17 PSALM 8: The Majesty of the LORD I. Praise for the LORD’s majesty, v. 1b II. Praise for the LORD’s power and grace, vv. 1b-8 III. Praise for the LORD’s majesty, v. 9 PSALM 9: Confident Praise to God I. Praise to the Sovereign and Eternal Judge of the world, vv. 1-12 II. The Sovereign LORD will judge the wicked and fulfill the hopes of the oppressed, vv. 13-20 PSALM 10: God Defends the Helpless I. The faithful live in a world of oppression, vv. 1-11 II. The faithful can pray to God for help, vv. 12-15 III. The faithful have confidence that God will vindicate them, vv. 16-18 PSALM 11: Holding Fast to Faith in God I. God’s people hold fast to their faith, even when the social order is threatened, vv. 1-3 II. Their faith is in a God who is sovereign and who loves righteousness and hates wickedness, vv. 4-7 PSALM 12: Truth in a World of Deception I. In a time of deception and fraud, God’s people can only turn to Him, vv. 1-4 II. The LORD promises to deliver in times of tyranny, v. 5 III. The words of the LORD are faithful and a source of truth and comfort. vv. 6-8 PSALM 13: The Cry of the Afflicted I. Oppressed believers who feel abandoned by God must cry out to Him, vv. 1-2 II. Oppressed believers pray to God so that things do not get worse, vv. 3-4 III. Oppressed believers pray to God with confidence (in His loyal love), vv. 5-6 PSALM 14: The Folly of the Fool I. Humanity denies God and follows its perverse and corrupting ways, vv. 1-3 II. Perverse humanity persecutes the righteous, not knowing that God will defend them, vv. 4-6 III. The righteous long for that day of deliverance, v. 7 PSALM 15: The Worthy Worshipper I. God’s people examine their lives before worship, v. 1 II. God wants righteousness for His people, vv. 2-5

A THOUGHTFUL QUESTION

 

A THOUGHFUL QUESTION

 

For the Christian, is there really such a thing as “The morning after Christmas.”?

EBB4

WHAT ARE THE BASICS OF JESUS' TEACHINGS?

 

GotQuestions.org: What are the basics of Jesus’ teachings?

 

  The basics of Jesus’ teaching are profound yet simple enough for a child to understand; they are spiritual yet relevant to everyday life. Basically, Jesus taught that He was the fulfillment of messianic prophecy, that God requires more than external obedience to rules, that salvation comes to those who believe in Christ, and that judgment is coming to the unbelieving and unrepentant.
  Jesus Christ taught that everyone needs salvation and that a person’s station in life has no bearing on his or her value to God; Christ came to save people from all walks of life. Neither does anyone’s past sins play a part in his ability to receive forgiveness, and Jesus encouraged His followers to forgive others the same way (Matthew 18:21–35; Luke 7:47). Zacchaeus was a rich tax collector who was undoubtedly despised by everyone in his hometown (Luke 19:7), but Jesus spent time with him. Jesus said, “Today salvation has come to this house” (Luke 19:9). The reason? Zacchaeus had trusted in Jesus, demonstrated by the fact that he repented of his past sins and pledged himself to a life of charity (Luke 19:8). “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost,” Jesus said to the critical observers (Luke 19:10). He didn’t care who that “lost” person was, rich or poor, male or female, beggar or king. Everyone needs to be born again (John 3:3).
  Jesus also taught the way to God is by faith, not through good deeds. He praised faith (Luke 7:9) and challenged those who relied on their works (Matthew 7:22–28). A rich young ruler once asked Jesus, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” (Mark 10:17). Jesus responded with a question: “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone” (Mark 10:18). Christ was not denying His deity or His own goodness, but He knew this young man didn’t recognize Jesus as the Messiah. In His question, Jesus was pointing out that whatever this man thought made someone “good” was false, because no one can do anything to make himself good enough to inherit eternal life (John 14:6). The Jewish religious leaders at the time of Christ shared the young ruler’s perspective, teaching that keeping the Law of God could make one acceptable before God. There are scores of people still today who mistakenly think their “good” life and “good” deeds will be enough to get them into heaven.
  Jesus told this young rich man he must give up all of his wealth and follow Him (Mark 10:21). Jesus said this not because charity makes one righteous but because He knew the young man’s god was money. The young man only thought he was keeping the Law; greed was his undoing. He turned away from Jesus in sadness because “he had great possessions” (Mark 10:22). Christ taught that He alone is the source of eternal life. If someone wants to inherit eternal life, he must follow and worship Christ alone (John 6:45–51; 8:31; 10:27; 15:4, 14).
  At the core of Jesus’ teaching is the good news of the coming of the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom is mentioned over fifty times in the Gospels. Many of Jesus’ parables were about the Kingdom (Matthew 13:3–9; 13:24–30; 13:31–32; 13:33). As a matter of fact, Jesus said He was sent for the purpose of preaching the coming of the Kingdom (Luke 4:43).
  Jesus taught that the Kingdom of God had begun on earth with His ministry. The proof was evident: in fulfillment of prophecy, the blind were made to see, the dead were raised, and sins were forgiven. But Jesus also taught that there is an aspect of the Kingdom that is yet to come (Luke 9:27). His Kingdom is growing and someday will be visibly present (Luke 13:18–21). In what is commonly called “The Lord’s Prayer,” Christ said to pray for God’s Kingdom to come (Matthew 6:10). Jesus taught His followers to remember their calling: they are instruments of God’s grace as they share the good news of Christ’s coming. The more people become subjects of King Jesus, the more His Kingdom is visible to the world.

WHY DID JESUS COME?

 GotQuestions.org: Why did Jesus come? What was and continues to be His mission?

  Several times in Jesus’ life, He shows that He was a man on a mission. He had a purpose, which He intentionally fulfilled. Even at a young age, Jesus knew that He “must be about [His] Father’s business” (Luke 2:49, KJV). In the last days of His earthly life, Jesus “resolutely set out for Jerusalem,” where He knew He would be killed (Luke 9:51). It could be said that the fundamental mission of Christ’s time on earth was to fulfill God’s plan of saving the lost.
  Jesus put it this way in Luke 19:10: “The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Jesus had just been criticized for going to the house of a “sinner.” Jesus responded by affirming His mission was to save people who needed saving. Their reputation for sinfulness was not a reason to avoid them; rather, it was a reason to seek them out. Many times during Christ’s ministry, He sought to forgive those whom the self-righteous leaders of the day shunned. He sought out and saved the woman at the well and the Samaritans of her town (John 4:39–41), the sinful woman with the alabaster jar (Luke 7:37), and even one of His own disciples, Matthew, who had been a tax collector (Matthew 9:9).
  In Matthew 9, once again Jesus was criticized for “eating with tax collectors and sinners” (verse 11), and once again Jesus responded by stating His mission: “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners” (verse 13). Jesus’ goal was to save. It was a goal that He reached: “I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do” (John 17:4).

  All through the Gospels, we see Jesus call to repentance and forgive the worst of sinners. No one is too sinful to come to Him. In fact, He goes after those who are lost, as the parables of the lost sheep and lost coin show (Luke 15:1–10). In the story of the prodigal son, Jesus teaches that God will always welcome with open arms those who come to Him with a repentant heart (Luke 15:21–22; cf. Isaiah 57:15). Even today, Jesus continues to seek and save those who humbly place their faith in Him (Matthew 11:29; 18:3–4; Revelation 3:20).

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Jesus did not come or continue working to make us better persons or the world a better place!! EBB4

DAILY PONDRANCE

 DAILY PONDRANCE

Psalm [ESV] 118:24 This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. 

Romans 14:5-6a One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord.

Thinking, praying, waiting.

EBB4