All The Counsel of God

Bible Reading: Hebrews 4:1-16.
Aim: To exhort each other to do 14 things.

1. Let us Fear lest a promise being left us of entering into his rest any of us come short of it. Heb 4:1.
2. Let us Labour to enter God’s rest. 4:11.
3. Let us Hold fast our profession. 4:14.
4. Let us Come boldly to the throne of grace in prayer. 4:16.
5. Let us Go on unto perfection. 6:1.
6. Let us Draw near with a true heart. 10:22.
7. Let us Consider one another to provoke to love and good works. 10:24.
8. Let us Lay aside every weight and the sin which doth so easily beset us. 12:1.
9. Let us Run with Patience the race that is set before us. 12:1.
10. Let us Have Grace whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. 12:28.
11. Let Brotherly Love continue. 13:1.
12. Let your conversation be without covetousness. 13:5.
13. Let us go forth unto him without the camp ……, bearing his reproach. 13:13.
14. Let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually. 13:15.
    From – Answers – Keith Piper

ADVOCATE

(1 John 2:1)
 Introduction:
o An advocate, according to the dictionary, is in its most general sense, “one that pleads the cause of another, esp. before a tribunal or judicial court.”
o This is precisely the sense that the Word of God presents the Lord Jesus Christ in (1 Jn. 2:1).
o The picture that the Bible paints is that of a courtroom and all the major characters are there –
• The defendant is the sinner – [you and I];
• The prosecuting attorney (or the “accuser” – Rev. 12:10; Job 1:9-11) is Satan, who brings the accusations of the sinner before the Judge, God the Father.
• And the Advocate’s job is to defend the sinner in the “eternal courtroom.”
o What are some of the qualifications of a good advocate? And how well does Jesus Christ fit the description of an adept defense attorney?
 I. THE ADVOCATE MUST BE RIGHTEOUS
o It is important to note that this passage, where the word “advocate” is used, is the only passage where Jesus Christ is called “the righteous.”
o It is critical that the advocate be, in all ways, righteous (2 Cor. 5:21).
 A. He must be righteous to actually discern the truth.
o Jesus Himself, in his illustration about correct judgment, says that unless a man is himself free from the deceitfulness of sin, he cannot see clearly to properly discern the sins of another, and be in a good position to help him. (Matt. 7:5)
 B. He must be righteous to speak truthfully, and speaking truthfully is critical to the defense of the defendant.
o He must not flatter to sway the court; he must not succeed in this case by some cunning sleight of hand maneuver in the trial, but by exposing the facts truthfully; otherwise, the victory is not real at all.
o Jesus never had a word of guile in His mouth. (1 Pet. 2:22; Isa. 53:9).
 C. He must be righteous and without sin to truly understand the power and ramifications of the sin of the defendant. (Heb. 4:15).
o It is often thought in this day that the only way to know the power of sin is to give in to it.
• (Oscar Wilde said, which summarizes the philosophy of the day, “The only way to get rid of the temptation is to yield to it.”), but the truth is just the opposite.
• You don’t know the true power of the wind by lying down on the ground, you realize its true force by standing up to it.
• The way to truly know the force of an enemy’s army is be fighting against it, not by surrendering.
o Jesus Christ, because He never sinned, because He followed every temptation all the way through until He was the Victor, is the only One Who can fully understand sin
• And therefore the only One Who can fully defend the man charged with sin.
 D. He must be righteous to let all the hearers know that, He in seeking the justice and righteousness of the case for righteousness sake, is not a hypocrite.
o He must, in His righteousness, quiet all the hecklers and people who are accusing Him of being insincere. (Jn. 8:46)
 II. THE ADVOCATE MUST TRULY UNDERSTAND THE LAW UNDER WHICH HE FUNCTIONS
o A. Jesus Christ grew up with, and under, the Law. (Gal. 4:4; Lk. 2:27)
o B. His life was an adherence to, and a fulfillment of, the law. (Matt. 5.17)
o C He was known by all of His peers to have been familiar with it (even from His youth, Lk. 2:46-48), and He customarily read it to all. (Lk. 4:16)
 III. THE ADVOCATE MUST CARE FOR SAFETY OF HIS CLIENT
o A. Jesus shows earnest concern for the client’s life. (Jn. 10:10)
o B. Jesus is very defensive about the protection of his clients. (Jn. 10:28,29)
o C. Since He cares, and the defendant knows it, the defendant can freely tell Him all the problems and concerns that relate to the case. (1 Pet. 5:7)
 IV. THE ADVOCATE MUST KNOW ABOUT EVERY RELEVANT
 PERSON, AND EVERY RELEVANT CASE THAT SURROUND, AND
 CAN HELP HIM IN, HIS CASE
o A. He knows His clients by name. (Jn. 10:3)
• (See also 2 Tim. 2:19; Acts 15:8,18)
o B. The knowledge of His clients is one of trust and intimacy. (Jn. 10:14)
o C. He has all of the facts at His disposal. (Prov. 15:3; Heb. 4:13)
o D. He knows the details of every case, and can skillfully sift the positive facts from the negative ones.
• Concerning all of the seven churches in Revelation, Jesus Christ proclaims, I know thy works,” and goes on to analyze each one’s works objectively in the light of God’s word. (Rev. 2:2,9,13,19; 3:1,8,15)
 V. THE ADVOCATE MUST BE WISE TO THE TRICKS AND STRATEGIES OF THE PROSECUTING ATTORNEY
o In the Bible, Satan is pictured as the prosecutor, or the “accuser” (Rev. 12:10).
• Since Jesus knows the hearts of all, He knows every plan of attack that Satan is going to use, and, when defending us, utilizes this knowledge to His advantage at every turn.
• We are told to watch out for the wiles of the devil, and to be wary of his tricks and schemes (1 Pet. 5:8; 2 Cor. 2:11).
• Imagine how well our Advocate knows about them!
 VI. THE ADVOCATE MUST KNOW THE GROUND ON WHICH TO REST HIS PLEA FOR SUCCESS
o The “propitiation” is mentioned directly in context with Jesus Christ and His role as the Advocate.
• His propitiation is the faultless ground on which Christ rests His case for us.
• With this plea, He will never, and can never, lose a case.
o “Propitiation” is the atoning sacrifice offered to appease the wrath of God. – Websters Dictionary
 A. The propitiation is powerful in scope (1 Jn. 2:2) –
o It is powerful enough for any and all who will come to Christ.
 B. The propitiation is powerful in love (1 Jn. 4:10,11).
o Christ’s propitiation is one of the highest expressions of His love toward us.
 C. The propitiation is powerful in its foundation.
o There is nothing stronger than the blood of Christ. (Romans 3:25)

Tithing is an Old Testament law. Under the law, the Israelites were commanded to give not merely one-tenth, but much more of all their cattle and crops to the Lord. The Levites (of the tribe of Levi) were appointed by God to receive the tithes, and they in turn paid one-tenth to the High Priest. Then during certain feasts the law demanded a second tithe of their crops. This was commanded under the law. (Read Leviticus 27:30-34.)

The New Testament plan of giving unto the Lord is one that is determined by the heart. Jesus Himself pointed out that the tithe should be paid, but tithing is by no means your whole duty to God. In Matthew 23:23, we read, “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cum min, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.” This plan for giving is clearly set forth as we can see by the following Scriptures: “Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him … ” (1 Corinthians 16:2); “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7).

There can be no doubt but that Christians under grace should give as much, if not more, than the Israelites gave under the law. But our giving must be according to the heart. If it is not given from our heart, it will be done ” … grudgingly, or of necessity … ” which is hateful to God, for God loves a “cheerful giver.”

Many believers are afraid to trust the Lord. They say that they are too poor to tithe and to give to the Lord’s work. But God’s Word promises that if we honour Him, He will honour us. God is no man’s debtor. In Deuteronomy 8:18, we read, “But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is He that giveth thee power to get wealth … “ If we believe John 3:16, we should just as readily believe this. You remember the Lord with your tithes and offerings, and He will remember you.

Proverbs 3:9-10, “Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.” Proverbs 11:24-25, “There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdest more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty. The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.”

Malachi 3:10, “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.” (Also carefully read Luke 6:38; Acts 20:35; and 2 Corinthians 9:6.) God has worked out the system of tithing whereby His people may prosper. In 3 John 2, we read, “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.” We all agree that God is able to help us in our physical and spiritual needs. We can trust Him to prosper us financially for His own glory. The test is, are we willing to believe what God says He will do?

Five Blessings You Will Receive

1. The joy you have from knowing that you are a partner with God. Your reward will be given in Heaven when you see the Saviour face to face.
2. The amount of money you have for the Lord’s work.
3. The thrill of seeing your own needs met with the nine-tenths you have left.
4. The deepening of your love for the Lord, and your entire spiritual life will prosper.
5. The ease of going from one-tenth to a larger amount in order to further the Lord’s work.

DOES IT MATTER?
It does to God and His work. In Nehemiah 13:10-11, we read, “And I perceived that the portions of the Levites had not been given them; for the Levites and the singers, that did the work, were fled every one to his field. Then contended I with the rulers, and said, Why is the house of God forsaken? And I gathered them together, and set them in their place.” The work of God is team-work. Some are called to preach the Gospel. Others are called to give in order that the Gospel might go forth.

We give Thee but Thine own
Whatever the gift may be.
All that we have is Thine alone,
A trust, O Lord, from thee.

The Gospel Standard

A baby can enjoy this world, but only on the baby level. It is also true that Christians can enjoy Heaven on the baby level, but it is not what God wants for any of us. He desires that we enjoy, not only Heaven, but life right now on the adult, mature level.
No normal Christian wants to remain a babe in Christ. He wants to grow up to become a mature believer. This is a God-given desire which finds its basis in the promises of God. Our Lord said, “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness:for they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6).

This is what Paul is talking about when he says, “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection … “ (Philippians 3:10). We learn through Scripture to know much about Christ, but there is a difference between knowing about Him – knowing that we are members of His body and other glorious truths -and knowing Him in a personal way through fellowship.

We learn that in Him dwells all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. The fulness of God dwells in Him and He dwells in us. We learn to know Him by His wonderful name, ” … l AM … “ (Exodus 3:14). ” .. .I AM … ” – what? “I am all that my people need,” so we can finish the sentence with our own need. “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:32). Christ, therefore, is everything that we need to make us mature and useful in the Christian life. We learn all this in His Word, but the command is to “Study … “ (2 Timothy 2:15).

What an inspiration it is to study with others who are hungry and thirsty! This is the best recipe for keeping young. Try it!

Coffee breaks are very popular these days. Why not invite a neighbor or two in for a cup of coffee or tea or a glass of lemonade and study your Sunday school lesson together. This is a small beginning, but “great oaks from little acorns grow.” You can never know the help and the joy that a time spent with the Word can mean to you until you do it. Time? The devil will always see to it that we have no time for the Word if we let him. We must make time for the best things. “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness … ” (Matthew 6:33). Those who have formed this habit find they are better mentally, physically, and spiritually.

The Gospel Standard

Bible Reading: Job 9:2-35.
Aim: To teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts to the wisdom of soul winning, to teaching others God’s word, and living like Christ.
Introduction: The Bible compares our life to many things. Why? So that we may realize how short our life is, and how important it is for us to number our days (ie: to plan our life)so that we have the maximum impact on the world for Christ. In order to show us how short our life is, God compares our life to several things:

1. A Vapour. “Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow For what is your life? Itis even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.” James 4:14. All our plans depend on our life continuing. But what a frail and uncertain thing our life is. Who can build any solid plans on the permanence of a vapour or a mist? A vapour is a mist that is dissipated by the rising sun. “O remember that my life is wind….As the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away: so is he that goeth down to the grave.” Job 7:7,9. “For he remembered that they were but flesh, a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again.”Ps.78:39
   Notice that:
   1) As a vapour or wind passes away quickly, so does the life of man.
   2) As we cannot stop a cloud or wind, so we cannot hinder the speedy motion of our days.
   3) As a cloud comes to its height and then vanishes, so does our life and our full strength.
2. A Flower. “Man that is born of a woman is of few days and full of trouble. He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down.” Job 14:1,2. “For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away. But the Word of the Lord endureth forever.” I Peter 1:24,25. Man’s life is compared to a fading flower. Many things describe a flower such as having sweet smell, beauty, variety of colour, and softness to touch. Job discusses none of these, but only of its cutting down. Note the following truths about it’s cutting down:
   a)A flower is often cut down or cropped in it’s budding. Many people are cut off in the flower of life by i) Natural death by sickness, or ii) Accidental death by violence, murder, road accidents etc.
   b) A flower if not cut off, soon withers away and is gone. The “Queen of the Night” flower blooms in one night, gives a beautiful fragrance, and is dead and withered by morning.
   c) As the owner of flowers knows best when to crop then, so God knows the best time when to crop off or take away by death any of his choice flowers.
3. A Swift Post. “Now my days are swifter than a post: they flee away, they see no good.” Job 9:25.
   a) As a postman rides swiftly, in a hurry, so man’s life passes away swiftly.
   b) A postman of years ago would

• ride on the swiftest of horses,
• he would change horses at every stage to keep up the speed,
• he would take a morsel of food at each stop, then speed on,
• he would only go to bed at the end of his journey,
• all people would give way to the post rider.

4. A Swift Ship. “They are passed away as the swift ships.” Job 9:25,26.
Watching a ship at sea, we notice how it passes very quickly, reminding us of our lives & opportunities.

5. An Eagle. “As the eagle that hasteth to the prey.” Job 9:26.
An eagle is a very swiftly flying bird, but when it hastens to catch its prey, it makes the greatest speed. The life of man is compared to an eagle hurrying to catch her prey when hunger adds swiftness to her wings. So it is with swiftness that our days pass away. What have you done for Christ with your life?

6. A Weaver’s Shuttle. “My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle.” Job 7:6.
a) A weaver’s shuttle is an instrument of very swift motion.
b) When the weaver has finished his web, he cuts off the thread. So it is that when a man has run the length of his days appointed by God, his life is cut off.

7. A Shadow. “He fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not.” Job 14:2.
David said: “our days on the earth are as a shadow and there is none abiding.” I Chronicles 29:15.
Man’s life today is short compared to human lifespan before Noah’s flood.
Man’s life is much shorter compared to God’s eternity. This is a great motive for us to
redeem our time.
Conclusion:
a) Our days on earth are few.

b) Our days on earth are uncertain.

c) The shortness of our life shows the folly of living only for material things as did the rich man in Luke 12:16-21 who said “Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink and be merry.” (v.19).
“The fool and the brutish person perish, and leave their wealth to others. Their inward thought is, that their houses shall continue forever…This their way is their folly.” Psalm 49:10,11,13.

d) Our minds must be focused on eternity “knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and enduring substance.” Hebrews 10:34.

e) The shortness of life motivates us to use all our labours to get people to heaven, to teach the Bible, to plant churches, to train preachers, be at peace among ourselves, and live holy lives pleasing to God.

Let us be “redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” Ephesians 5:16.
“Redeem the time” means “to buy it up, rescue it from loss, improve every opportunity.”

THE ANSWER BOOK
KEITH PIPER

Probably not many of us see enough sunrises to enter into their secrets. I am not parading myself as an early riser, for I miss more sunrises than I see, but some that I have seen will abide in my heart forever. There is something about darkness giving way to light, the mystery of a new day being born, the eastern sky aflush, and then aflame, that lingers in the soul.
Sick people can tell us much about sunrises, for they have passed many a restless night longing for the break of day. They know what the Psalmist meant when he said, “My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning …” (Psalm 130:6). They understand Job when he said, “When I lie down, I say, When shall I arise, and the night be gone? and I am full of tossings to and fro unto the dawning of the day?” (Job 7:4).
One who has passed sleepless morning hours may learn to “… meditate on thee in the night watches” (Psalm 63:6), to pray if he cannot sleep. He begins to understand why the saintly fathers rose early for a session with God. He knows why the New England Pilgrims prayed at sunrise.
Again, one thinks of Jacob wrestling with the angel and crossing Peniel at sunrise, limping but having power with God and men. Especially does one think of the Saviour, who, “… rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed” (Mark 1:35). Evidently He found it good to wait on God while the world was waiting for the sunrise.
We are told that during Paul’s experience in the storm at sea “… they cast four anchors out… and wished for the day” (Acts 27:29). We are passing through one of the worst moral and spiritual hurricanes in history; multitudes are at sea, and many are wishing for the day. Whether on beds of pain or bowed down with sorrow or burdened with the uncertainty of today and dread of tomorrow, millions were never so weary of the night and so anxious for the day. Never have so many been homesick for Heaven. They have cast their anchor safe and sure and are waiting till the day dawns and the shadows flee away. “… weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning” (Psalm 30:5).
But so many dear souls are not sure about the sunrise. There is small comfort in a vague hope that “everything will turn out all right.” There is little solace in a mere optimism that “something will turn up.” Neither will dreams of a better world, a brotherhood of man welded together by politicians and diplomats, satisfy the soul.
In the account of one of the appearances of our risen Lord, it is stated, “… when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore …” (John 21:4). The Christian is looking for morning, but to him sunrise means Son-rise, it is the Son that brings the morning. “… to depart, and to be with Christ … ” (Philippians 1:23) is daybreak for the saint. Then he says good night here and says good morning up there.
I am thinking of another sunrise that is due some tomorrow. It is the sunrise the Saviour promised when He said, “… I will come again … ” (John 14:3 ). It is the sunrise promised at His ascension, “… this same Jesus … shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go …”(Acts 1:11 ). It is the sunrise Paul promised when he wrote, “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God …” (1 Thessalonians 4:16). It is the sunrise that Peter promised when he said, “… the chief shepherd shall appear.” (1 Peter 5:4). It is the sunrise promised by John when he wrote, “… when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3 2). Christ is both Son and Sun, both Son of God and Sun of righteousness, of whom it was said that He should ” … arise with healing in his wings …” (Malachi 4:2). He was called “… the dayspring from on high …” (Luke 1:78), and Peter tells us to “… take heed …” unto prophecy ” … until the day dawn and the day star arise in your hearts” (2 Peter 1:19). For the Son-rise, for the return of Christ, the world is waiting. Ruined by sin, it has never been happy and never will be until He shall reign whose right it is.
THE PHYSICAL WORLD IS WAITING FOR THE SUNRISE
“For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now” (Romans 8:19-22). This world of tooth and claw, of thorn and thistle, of sweat and blood is a world that crashed because of sin. The animals that cringe in fear, the birds that furtively look around with every step they take, all proclaim a reign of terror that started with Adam and shall end when the Saviour shall redeem the earth, when the lion and lamb shall lie down together. The Scriptures describe such a blessed state, “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed· ‘their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea” (Isaiah 11:6-9). Here is a picture of a world which we have never seen, but which we shall see after sunrise, when the night is past and the day has dawned.
THE POLITICAL WORLD IS WAITING FOR THE SUNRISE
The politicians do not know it, of course. They would try to make the day dawn by their efforts around conference tables, but the hope of a better day rests with only One, the Lord of Glory. Only in Christ can you ?ring men together. Capital and labour have no trouble when they meet m the Lord. When Boaz saluted his labourers by saying, “… The LORD be with you …”, and they answered, “… The LORD bless thee” (Ruth 2:4), they gave us then and there the only solution of the labour problem. When both parties love the Lord, they have no trouble. They have most trouble when starry-eyed idealists try to solve their problems. The rich man and the poor meet in Christ: there a Joseph of Arimathea stands on equal footing with fishermen disciples. The learned and unlearned meet in Christ, and an uneducated D. L. Moody can work with renowned scholars and theologians bound by a common love. National lines melt in Him, with whom “… there is neither Greek nor Jew … bond nor free … ” (Colossians 3:11).

The scattered pieces of this bleeding world can never be put together by any conference of experts. Only the return of our Lord holds the answer. There may be armistices and breathing spells while fresh confederacies form, but Christ alone will bring an end to dictators, just as He will bring an end to death and disease and depravity and the devil.
THE CHRISTIAN WORLD IS WAITING FOR THE SUNRISE.

“And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body” (Romans 8:23). The people of God are looking for the Lord. Certainly that was the New Testament attitude, not only readiness but also expectancy, anticipation. They were not merely looking for something to happen, they were looking for Someone to come, “… to wait for his Son from heaven …” (1 Thessalonians 1:10). ” … unto them that look for him shall he appear…. ” (Hebrews 9:28), that is the note of early Christianity. The Christian who understands his Bible is looking for the sunrise because he is looking for the Sun! Men may call him a pessimist, but he is looking for morning, not night. He has the brightest outlook of all, for he is looking for a day when there shall be no night. He has the happiest hope in all the world, for he anticipates a day when all tears shall be wiped from our eyes. He has the surest hope, for back of it is the authority of God’s Word.

We are looking for “Sunrise Tomorrow,” and it might be today! For indeed “The night is far spent, the day is at hand …” (Romans 13:12).
Vance Havner

Genesis 1:13 – “And the evening and the morning were the third day.”

This is the first verse in the Bible that doesn’t mention God. It “just happens” to be verse thirteen, the number of rebellion. Genesis. 14:4 -“Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled.”

Genesis 1:16 – “And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.”

The greater and lesser lights are the sun and the moon, which picture Christ and the church. Consequently, both Christ and the church are called the “light of the world” Matthew 5:14 – “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.” John 8:12 – “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”. The church “rules” (spiritually) during the present church age night Luke 12:38 – “And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.”. Christ will rule during the coming millennial “day” (II Peter 3:8 – “But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.”) after He returns.

Genesis 1:20 – “And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.”

The first mention of “life” involves water explaining why physical birth is a water birth (John 3:5 – “Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”; Proverbs.5:.15-18 -“Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well. Let thy fountains be dispersed abroad, and rivers of waters in the streets. Let them be only thine own, and not strangers’ with thee. Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth.” Isaiah 48:1 – “Hear ye this, O house of Jacob, which are called by the name of Israel, and are come forth out of the waters of Judah, which swear by the name of the LORD, and make mention of the God of Israel, but not in truth, nor in righteousness.”). To be “born of water has nothing to do with baptism.

Genesis 1:1: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”
Notice how God’s first sentence declares that atheism, pantheism, polytheism, fatalism, materialism and evolution are all dead wrong. It is taken for granted that God exists, that He is one God (as opposed to “gods” or “the gods”), that He had a specific plan of creation, that He is personally involved with His creation (read Genesis 1:1-31 ), that He created all matter, and that all of this happened suddenly, rather than evolving over billions of years. Genesis 1:1 is God’s rebuke to the so-called theory of evolution.

Genesis 1:2: “And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.”
What happen in Genesis 1:2 is further described 2 Peter 3:5-6, “For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:” Note “waters” in Genesis 1:2.
Many Bible scholars are mistaken when they claim the flood in 2 Peter 3:5-6, is a reference to the flood of Noah.

I believe as Christians none of us like going through trials. However, what the words of God teach us is the times of severest trial have always been seasons of blessing to the people of God. The more fiercely the fires of persecution burn the stronger has faith waxed. So, too, it should be, and often has been, in individua lives. Opposition should cast us back more and more upon God. Persecution results in separating us from the world. Suffering ought to refine. The experience of the Psalmist was, “Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept Thy Word” (Ps. 119:67). May it prove true of writer and reader that “the more we are afflicted” the more shall we “grow” in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord.

The scriptures is full of examples that support the principal “the times of severest persecution and trial have always been seasons of blessing.”

Regarding the children of Israel in bondage in Egypt, the words of God say in Exodus 1:12, “But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew….”

There arose great persecution over Stephen and result the believers were scattered and in Acts 11:19-21, the words of God say “Now they which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen travelled as far as Phenice, and Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to none but unto the Jews only. And some of them were men of Cyprus and Cyrene, which, when they were come to Antioch, spake unto the Grecians, preaching the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them: and a great number believed, and turned unto the Lord.”

The of the greatest of example of this principle is Joseph, the son of Jacob. He was hated by his brothers. They sold him into slavery in Egypt. He was falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife and placed in prison. Through all this Joseph becomes very powerful in Egypt and hold a position in Egypt second only to Pharoah. Joseph saves his father, his brothers, and their family from starvation and a place is provided for Joseph and his family to live in the best place in Egypt, the land Goshen. After all is said and done Joseph tells his brothers, “But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.” Genesis 50:20

My dear friend try to remember when going through a trial that God’s has allowed it. He is still in control, trust in Him, draw closest to Him and wait for the blessing.

Written by Isaac Watts

Did you know that “Joy to the World” was not written as a Christmas carol? In its original form, it had nothing to do with Christmas. It wasn’t even written to be a song.

Isaac Watts, who wrote “Joy to the World,” was one of the great hymn writers in church history, and nothing shows that better than the fact that he wrote one of his most famous hymns by accident. In 1719, Watts published a book or poems in which each poem was based on a Psalm. But rather than just translate the original Old Testament texts, he adjusted them to refer more explicitly to the work of Jesus as it had been revealed in the New Testament.

One of those poems was an adaptation of Psalm 98, “Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise. Sing unto the LORD with the harp; with the harp, and the voice of a psalm. With trumpets and sound of cornet make a joyful noise before the LORD, the King. Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. Let the floods clap their hands: let the hills be joyful together Before the LORD; for he cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall he judge the world, and the people with equity.”

This Psalm looks forward to the day when the Lord will come to judge the world in righteousness. ln this hymn, Watts reinterpreted the Psalm to rejoice in the coming of the Christ as our Lord and Saviour.

More than a century later, the second half of this poem was slightly adapted and set to music to give us what has become one of the most famous of all Christmas carols, “Joy to the World.”

This hymn was sung to various tunes for many years. Then in 1839, Lowell Mason, a banker who happened to be quite interested in church music, published the tune that we now associate with “Joy to the World.”

Watts wrote some 600 hymns altogether and is considered to be the father of Christian hymnody. His hymns include such favourites as “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” and “O God, Our Help in Ages Past,” but the favourite of favourites is “Joy to the World.

The Gospel Standard