You have been placed into a room of total darkness. Inside with you are others; friends, family and even your enemies. You have other senses of touch, smell and hearing that you utilize to some degree of success, so much so that you are almost oblivious to the reality of the darkness you are within. But still there lingers the darkness of much uncertainty, fears, loneliness, death, the unknown and even your own destructive ways that your conscience has revealed to you. How comforting it would be to have someone close by who could miraculously see through the darkness, someone who is acquainted with the place so that they could advise you of the unseen realities of this place and guide you through your journey.
Then, miraculously, an offer is revealed to you for this continual everlasting companionship that would satisfy your needs of: knowing the reality of the unseen, life, advice and guidance, and the inward comfort of love and acceptance. The darkness of the certainty of death, the reality of the condemnation of the conscience of your heart and the awaiting punishment were exposed to you by the Light. You turn your heart from the ways that appose this companionship with this savior and join yourself to him freely. You are granted the gift of forgiveness of your transgressions and New Life over death because Someone paid your penalty for you. Your heart is captured.
Wow, there is even more. Not only does this new found companion know the place, he created it! What an advantage. He even has power over your unseen enemies. So, the question for you is; will you ignore the reality of the presence of this companion that has been freely given to you. Will you continue in the habits of survival and defense that you developed in the past through your own inadequate senses or will you acknowledge his presence and walk with him, following his every step, talking with him, listening to him, receiving his affections and giving him yours.
I John 1
“This is the message he has given us to announce to you: God is light and there is no darkness in him at all. 6 So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness. We are not living in the truth. 7 But if we are living in the light of God's presence, just as Christ is, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from every sin.”
I Corinthians 6
“…the person who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. …don't you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God?”
Philippians 2
1 “If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one heart and purpose.”
John 14
“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor, who will never leave you…He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth.”
Titus 3
“He saved us, not because of the good things we did, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins and gave us a new life through the Holy Spirit.”
James 4
“You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely? 6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."
Galatians 5
“If we are living now by the Holy Spirit, let us follow the Holy Spirit's leading in every part of our lives.” Or “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.”
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Wednesday, February 7, 2007
God and Science
Concerning the thought that “If science is true then God is not”, it would seem that apologetics (a branch of theology devoted to the defense of the divine origin and authority of Christianity, systematic argumentative discourse in defense) would be necessary to “prove” this untrue.
However, God’s existence cannot be “proven” to man by man merely academically. Therefore, since this is not an academic matter, how do we address this idea?
Knowledge of God is revealed miraculously to man through the power of God’s Spirit not in the power of intellectual argument from one man to another:
John 16:8
“…he will convince the world of its sin, and of God's righteousness, and of the coming judgment.”
His Spirit seeks to convince the world of sin, righteousness and the coming judgment through his Word:
II Peter 1:”20
20 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophets themselves 21 or because they wanted to prophesy. It was the Holy Spirit who moved the prophets to speak from God.”
II Timothy 3:16
16 “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true…”
God desires to be known. The message is to mans’ hearts and beyond man's full mental comprehension:
Isaiah 55:6-13
6 “Seek the LORD while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near. 7 Let the people turn from their wicked deeds. Let them banish from their minds the very thought of doing wrong! Let them turn to the LORD that he may have mercy on them. Yes, turn to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. 8 "My thoughts are completely different from yours," says the LORD. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. 9 For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. 10 "The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry. 11 It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it. 12 You will live in joy and peace. The mountains and hills will burst into song, and the trees of the field will clap their hands! 13 Where once there were thorns, cypress trees will grow. Where briers grew, myrtles will sprout up. This miracle will bring great honor to the LORD's name; it will be an everlasting sign of his power and love.”
Ephesians 3:19
19 May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it. Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
Where does man go off course? Childlike humility is lacking. Man has not generally submitted in humility to his limited knowledge of things as compared to the eternity of his God given existence which will be experienced eternally for what it may be for each person individually upon the certainty of death. The truth is this; what man individually has done with Christ here in this physical life will determine what that that experience will be after death.
I Corinthians 1:27
“…God deliberately chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise….”
Matthew 18:2-4
2 “Jesus called a small child over to him and put the child among them. 3 Then he said, "I assure you, unless you turn from your sins and become as little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. 4 Therefore, anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.”
So, man in his pride and limited knowledge thinks he can either prove or disprove to himself the existence of God because of intellectual arguments of science. Is this truly a genuine question man has regarding God's existence or has he in defense of his desire for his sinful fleshly appetites and his resistance to authority fabricated this idea that “God is not” simply as a vain attempt to excuse himself from the reality of God's existence.
Romans 1:19-22, 25
19 “For the truth about God is known to them instinctively. God has put this knowledge in their hearts. 20 From the time the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky and all that God made. They can clearly see his invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse whatsoever for not knowing God. 21 Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn't worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. The result was that their minds became dark and confused. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became utter fools instead…25 Instead of believing what they knew was the truth about God, they deliberately chose to believe lies. So they worshiped the things God made but not the Creator himself, who is to be praised forever. Amen.”
Psalm 53:1
Only fools say in their hearts, "There is no God."
Are we using scripture to prove scripture here? We are not. Truth exists and the burden of the power to convict man of truth does not rest upon man. The power to convict man of the truth of these Words rests upon the creator of truth and he has chosen to do so through the power of his Spirit. Notice how Psalm 53:1and Romans 1:19 declare that the issue is not academic but of the heart. So seek the truth with your heart and listen to the truth with your heart as well.
Romans 10: 9-11
8 Salvation that comes from trusting Christ – which is the message we preach – is already within easy reach. In fact, the Scriptures say, "The message is close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart." 9 For if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved. 11 As the Scriptures tell us, "Anyone who believes in him will not be disappointed."
Jeremiah 29:11-13
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."
However, God’s existence cannot be “proven” to man by man merely academically. Therefore, since this is not an academic matter, how do we address this idea?
Knowledge of God is revealed miraculously to man through the power of God’s Spirit not in the power of intellectual argument from one man to another:
John 16:8
“…he will convince the world of its sin, and of God's righteousness, and of the coming judgment.”
His Spirit seeks to convince the world of sin, righteousness and the coming judgment through his Word:
II Peter 1:”20
20 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophets themselves 21 or because they wanted to prophesy. It was the Holy Spirit who moved the prophets to speak from God.”
II Timothy 3:16
16 “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true…”
God desires to be known. The message is to mans’ hearts and beyond man's full mental comprehension:
Isaiah 55:6-13
6 “Seek the LORD while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near. 7 Let the people turn from their wicked deeds. Let them banish from their minds the very thought of doing wrong! Let them turn to the LORD that he may have mercy on them. Yes, turn to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. 8 "My thoughts are completely different from yours," says the LORD. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. 9 For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. 10 "The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry. 11 It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it. 12 You will live in joy and peace. The mountains and hills will burst into song, and the trees of the field will clap their hands! 13 Where once there were thorns, cypress trees will grow. Where briers grew, myrtles will sprout up. This miracle will bring great honor to the LORD's name; it will be an everlasting sign of his power and love.”
Ephesians 3:19
19 May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it. Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
Where does man go off course? Childlike humility is lacking. Man has not generally submitted in humility to his limited knowledge of things as compared to the eternity of his God given existence which will be experienced eternally for what it may be for each person individually upon the certainty of death. The truth is this; what man individually has done with Christ here in this physical life will determine what that that experience will be after death.
I Corinthians 1:27
“…God deliberately chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise….”
Matthew 18:2-4
2 “Jesus called a small child over to him and put the child among them. 3 Then he said, "I assure you, unless you turn from your sins and become as little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. 4 Therefore, anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.”
So, man in his pride and limited knowledge thinks he can either prove or disprove to himself the existence of God because of intellectual arguments of science. Is this truly a genuine question man has regarding God's existence or has he in defense of his desire for his sinful fleshly appetites and his resistance to authority fabricated this idea that “God is not” simply as a vain attempt to excuse himself from the reality of God's existence.
Romans 1:19-22, 25
19 “For the truth about God is known to them instinctively. God has put this knowledge in their hearts. 20 From the time the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky and all that God made. They can clearly see his invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse whatsoever for not knowing God. 21 Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn't worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. The result was that their minds became dark and confused. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became utter fools instead…25 Instead of believing what they knew was the truth about God, they deliberately chose to believe lies. So they worshiped the things God made but not the Creator himself, who is to be praised forever. Amen.”
Psalm 53:1
Only fools say in their hearts, "There is no God."
Are we using scripture to prove scripture here? We are not. Truth exists and the burden of the power to convict man of truth does not rest upon man. The power to convict man of the truth of these Words rests upon the creator of truth and he has chosen to do so through the power of his Spirit. Notice how Psalm 53:1and Romans 1:19 declare that the issue is not academic but of the heart. So seek the truth with your heart and listen to the truth with your heart as well.
Romans 10: 9-11
8 Salvation that comes from trusting Christ – which is the message we preach – is already within easy reach. In fact, the Scriptures say, "The message is close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart." 9 For if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved. 11 As the Scriptures tell us, "Anyone who believes in him will not be disappointed."
Jeremiah 29:11-13
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."
Tuesday, February 6, 2007
Impressed by the strength and accomplishments of man?
God is not impressed.
From Psalm 147
"The strength of a horse does not impress him; how puny in his sight is the strength of a man. Rather, the LORD's delight is in those who honor him, those who put their hope in his unfailing love."
If God is not impressed with man's strength (personal abilities, accomplishments, power...) why would we be impressed?
Look at the fleeting "mighty power" of King Nebuchadnezzar,
From Daniel 4
"'Just look at this great city of Babylon! I, by my own mighty power, have built this beautiful city as my royal residence and as an expression of my royal splendor.' 31 "While he was still speaking these words, a voice called down from heaven, 'O King Nebuchadnezzar, this message is for you! You are no longer ruler of this kingdom. 32 You will be driven from human society. You will live in the fields with the wild animals, and you will eat grass like a cow. Seven periods of time will pass while you live this way, until you learn that the Most High rules over the kingdoms of the world and gives them to anyone he chooses.' 33 "That very same hour the prophecy was fulfilled, and Nebuchadnezzar was driven from human society. He ate grass like a cow, and he was drenched with the dew of heaven. He lived this way until his hair was as long as eagles' feathers and his nails were like birds' claws."
And King Saul,
From Isaiah 16
"Now the Spirit of the LORD had left Saul, and the LORD sent a tormenting spirit that filled him with depression and fear."
Do we honor man as if he is not subject to God' s divine power? God alone deserves ALL the Glory. Are we impressed where God is not? Does our esteem of man reveal our own misplaced honor and admiration for where the value of humanity belongs. We tend to want to rest that honor upon man himself whose very life is but a vapor?
God is not impressed with our "great" feats, our "great" knowledge, our "great" whatever. Even though we cannot stir his attention by our own "loftiness" that we ourselves applaud, his love for us is unfailing and he sought us out through the Cross. Actually, he is intensely jealous for us!
From James
"...do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely?"
Surrender, trust in Him, repent, embrace Him and honor Him in your humility with your heart and life.
From Psalm 147
"The strength of a horse does not impress him; how puny in his sight is the strength of a man. Rather, the LORD's delight is in those who honor him, those who put their hope in his unfailing love."
If God is not impressed with man's strength (personal abilities, accomplishments, power...) why would we be impressed?
Look at the fleeting "mighty power" of King Nebuchadnezzar,
From Daniel 4
"'Just look at this great city of Babylon! I, by my own mighty power, have built this beautiful city as my royal residence and as an expression of my royal splendor.' 31 "While he was still speaking these words, a voice called down from heaven, 'O King Nebuchadnezzar, this message is for you! You are no longer ruler of this kingdom. 32 You will be driven from human society. You will live in the fields with the wild animals, and you will eat grass like a cow. Seven periods of time will pass while you live this way, until you learn that the Most High rules over the kingdoms of the world and gives them to anyone he chooses.' 33 "That very same hour the prophecy was fulfilled, and Nebuchadnezzar was driven from human society. He ate grass like a cow, and he was drenched with the dew of heaven. He lived this way until his hair was as long as eagles' feathers and his nails were like birds' claws."
And King Saul,
From Isaiah 16
"Now the Spirit of the LORD had left Saul, and the LORD sent a tormenting spirit that filled him with depression and fear."
Do we honor man as if he is not subject to God' s divine power? God alone deserves ALL the Glory. Are we impressed where God is not? Does our esteem of man reveal our own misplaced honor and admiration for where the value of humanity belongs. We tend to want to rest that honor upon man himself whose very life is but a vapor?
God is not impressed with our "great" feats, our "great" knowledge, our "great" whatever. Even though we cannot stir his attention by our own "loftiness" that we ourselves applaud, his love for us is unfailing and he sought us out through the Cross. Actually, he is intensely jealous for us!
From James
"...do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely?"
Surrender, trust in Him, repent, embrace Him and honor Him in your humility with your heart and life.
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