Esther Chapter 2

These are the notes from the second study from the Book of Esther. Esther chapter 2

2:1 ; *It’s been three years since the war party. King Ahasuerus failed to conquer Greece, and returns to Shushan in humiliation. Adding to his shame, he remembers the stupid law. Vashti still belongs to the King but wherever she’s being kept, her quarters would be more of a prison than a home. She can’t be thrown out for she’s the former Queen, and she can’t be tossed into the harem for the same reason. Xerxes problem, he doesn’t have a Queen beside him while he attempts to reorganize his kingdom and its defeated army. His kingdom is a shambles.

The most amazing thing? God sees all and knows all. There is nothing in the hearts of all mankind that God doesn’t know about. God even sees what is coming. Almighty God is without equal!

The king has concubines galore, but the throne needs a woman of beauty with a sound reputation, whom the court approves joined to the king with a proper setting. An already owned sex-slave cannot fill that position. Just like in chapter 1—two wrongs don’t make a right.

In ch 1, it was the wise men who instructed the king to write the law dethroning Vashti. Ch 2:2, it’s not even the wise men but his servants suggest gathering virgins for the king to choose a queen from.

So the order goes out to herd young women to the palace, like cattle. Conscripted by order, yanked from their homes and parents arms, many never to be seen by family again. They were essentially kidnapped for the king’s pleasure.

Can you imagine the crying? The terror? The sorrow that they will never be loved wives, or mothers? No homes, nor husbands or children to take care of? Only one can be Queen, the rest will be sex-slaves for the rest of their lives.

2:2-4. It’s not his wise men but his servants that advise him now. And this thing pleased the king. The thing being kidnapping beautiful girls. What do you think? (In a moral society, this would, should be, be sickening.)

2:5,6,7. God inserts Himself in between Xerxes idea & his implementing it. By inserting Mordecai into the palace, God has changed the outcome already.

2:5-6. God shows up! God is so amazing. Although never mentioned, Holy God appears regularly in the movement of different events and different lives. Something horrible is about to happen but Almighty God inserts His presence into the story.

It’s like Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians. God knew they would need powerful encouragement, as the persecution became very heavy in that city. God sent them a wonderful love letter through Paul’s hand. Thessalonians 2:7-12. You need God—God shows up!

Mordecai lives in the Capital city, and more importantly, he has retained his heritage. This is more proof of God appearance in this book---the choice of Mordecai as a devout Jew, strong in his faith and the pride of his heritage.

What can Christians express pride in? (Psalm 34:2, 44:8, 2 Corinthians 9:2, Galatians 6:14)

God told the Jews to always remember their families names and heritage. It seems Mordecai was born while his family was captives, as it was his great great grandfather who was carried away from Jerusalem when Nebuchadnezzar captured the city. (2 Kings 24:14) Kish must have been a mighty man in Jerusalem, because the best were taken during the first captivity. Kish was taken the same time as Daniel, but he wasn’t placed with Daniel with the eunuchs, as he certainly had children.(1st captivity Jeremiah 29:5-7) (Forbidden Marriage Due 7:1-3, Joshua 23:11-12, Ezra 9:1,2)

It seems Kish and his decedents kept their Jewish linage clean from inter marriage.

For some reason Mortdecai did not return to Jerusalem when Ezra and Nehemiah returned to rebuild. He and his family still reside in the capital Persian city of Shushan.

Esther has the same clean Jewish Lineage as Mordecai. And she is hauled off to the palace with the rest of the young girls. Her prospects of a Jewish family line ends. 

There is another young girl we know in the Bible whose family heritage was kept pure for an awesome reason. Who is that young girl? Mary. (Matthew 1:1-17)2

2:9 Esther’s character was different than any of the other girls in the harem. And her difference was noticed by the major guard of the woman, Hegai. He knew there was something different about her and he treated her with a greater respect than he did all the other women there.

2:8,9. Esther exposed the darkness of the king’s harem by her difference. Her personal holiness in a dark place made her godly character standout among the crowd, thus creating a different atmosphere around her. (2 Corinthians 4:7)

2:10, Esther is an ambassador of her people and of God. Daniel’s account was a historical fact in the Jew’s history of their captivity. There could not have been many that didn’t know how Daniel stood up for his Jewish heritage. But unlike Daniel, Esther kept her Hebrew blood a secret but she retained her learned character.

We may never have an opportunity to speak of our Christian heritage, but our character needs to be the higher standard. It doesn’t matter where we are, who we’re with, we have the mind of Christ, we have the power of God, we have the indwelling Holy Spirit. There needs to be something extraordinary about our holy conduct that even the ungodly will have to take notice.

What is holiness? What are some holy actions? Things Christians do or don’t do publically that sets them apart from the world?

Esther was different from the other women, and her difference gave her an edge in becoming Queen. Hegai was on the look-out for Queen qualities, it was part of his job. And by her more beautiful, composed, lady-like behavior, she expose the hidden things of darkness. She shined brighter in a room full of lesser characters.

Esther was beautiful but she went through the beauty treatments to make her gorgeous. Her beauty treatments went on for a year.

God says women are to shine with an inner beauty, which will shine through any mars of our outward frailties. We’re familiar with the woman of 1 Peter 3, and the Proverbs 31, woman)

We’re the Bride of Christ. We need an extraordinary interest in making ourselves beautiful in Christ.

We have a simpler beauty treatment with less stress. We’re already the Bride of the King. You want to be made beautiful? To have the inner beauty of the heart?

The Bible is your beauty treatment. Get into God’s word to be cleansed from the world. John 17: 17, Ephesians 5:22-27, Titus 3:5, Proverbs 31:17,18 & 30,

We have the Shulamite as our example also, of the love of God shining our beauty that no one else can comprehend. Loving God will draw out the beauty that only He can see in a woman.

You want to have a successful beauty treatment? Get into the word of God. Pray, read, fellowship, worship. Determine to make the effort to love the Lord with all your heart, your strength, your mind. You will be beautiful and others will see it. They may not understand it, but they will certainly see it.

2:21-23. When the trouble came, Mordecai and Esther were able to do the right thing, the right way, to have the right decision made to stop the wrong. This was just a foretaste of their work to come. And now God has Mordecai moved into the palace business district. He’s one of the movers’ and shakers in the palace politics. He’s gaining a reputation as a man of integrity. His peers trust his wisdom. They may hate him but they know he’s an honest man.

Christians need knowledge of the world. God says be as wise as serpents and gentle as doves. God says the serpent is crafty. Know the ins and outs of ruthlessness business, yet conduct business with different deliverance & purpose.

Esther and Mordecai from different positions, exposed the hidden darkness.(Ephesians 5:8-13.)

Lesson Points:

1. God knows the innermost secret hearts of all people.

2. Boast of your salvation in Christ

3. As the Bride of Christ, take an extraordinary interest in making yourself beautiful for Christ Jesus.

4. The Bible is your beauty treatment. Let God’s word cleanse you from the world.

*Historical information from Bible Knowledge Commentary & Commentary, study notes of J. Vernon McGee

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Video : The Angel That Visited The Shepherds Luke 2:9

This video is an excerpt from the sermon giving by Pastor David Ray Jr at Grace Bible Church, Sangerville Maine on Christmas Day, December 25th, 2016. This was part of his advent series on the visitations of the angels to various people during the amazing incarnation and birth of the Son of God, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The sermon title: "The Angel that Visited the Shepherds" from Luke 2:8-21

Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.
And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.
Then the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.'
'For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
And this will be the sign unto you; You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.'
And suddenly there with the angel a multitude of heavenly host praising God and saying,
"Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, goodwill
toward men!"
Luke 2:9-14

(Transcript of the video)

(Angels) They were aware that He’d laid those things aside for a little while, to come to earth to become one of us. To become a sacrifice really for us. You see, they also knew of the fall of man. They had been informed also that God was going to provide a way for the salvation for man. They knew about that. They knew the prophesy had been made that a Savior would come and that a sacrifice would be made. And they understood all of this and they were praising God because they were seeing God’s grace on display. They were thanking God for His indescribable gift. They were looking into the things… our salvation.

Peter talks about that, when he says that angels long to look into our salvation to try to understand. You see they never experienced the kind of salvation we can experience. They haven’t experienced the grace and mercy and forgiveness that we can experience.

You see, angels have never been forgiven. They’ve never been redeemed . And so they long to look into that. They’re interested in how God is working to save us and make salvation available to us.

You know, if the angels glorify God for this wonderful work, how much more should we raise up our voices and praise God for this wonderful work, and honor our Lord and Savior. It’s the greatest thing we can do with our life, is to live for the glory of God. 

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Video by Susan L. Estes

When the Majority Was Wrong (Numbers 13)

"Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said 'Let us go up at once and take possession for we are well able to overcome it.' But the men who had gone up with him said, 'We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we" Numbers 13:30 & 31.

Two men believed God when He said He would bring them into the promised land.

A million others saw giants and believed they were bigger than God.

Because the greater number failed to trust God, the entire group was denied access to the best blessings of God.

What a terrible thing when Caleb and Joshua were forced to go along with the majority when the majority was wrong.

Happens today doesn't it. Christians are forced into social corners when the majority of unbelievers create laws with the purpose of disobeying God.

Even worse, in the church,when one or two people propose an exciting evangelistic ministry and the majority of a congregation fail to believe God can do a mighty work among them to bring the lost to salvation.

The promised of salvation is there, yet many see the worldly obstacles instead of Almighty God's desire to save the lost.

"And when those who heard it said, "Who then can be saved?" But He (Jesus) said, 'The things which are impossible with man are possible with God" Luke 18:27.

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Jesus--Nazarene?, (Nazirite?) Originally posted May 2014

There is no evidence Jesus was ever under the law of the Nazirite though I have often heard Christians make the statement that He was a Nazirite. The Bible actually contradicts the idea of Jesus being a Nazirite because of the restrictions listed in the written Law.


So what does the Bible say about Jesus, the Nazarene?

Matthew 2: 23, Joseph moved his family to Nazareth, a village in the Galilean region thus fulfilling prophetic scripture, ‘He shall be called a Nazarene.’ Though Jesus lived in Nazareth, none of the prophecies concerning Jesus states He was to keep the Law of the Nazirite.

In His lifetime on earth, Jesus separated Himself unto the work of God in all aspects, thus more consecrated to God then those under the Law of the Nazirite.

• Law of the Nazirite

Numbers 6: 2, Anyone placing themselves under the Law of the Nazirite, separates themselves to God.

Numbers 6: 3, 4, 5, Anyone under a Nazirite vow separates themselves from wine or similar drink: vinegar wine, or fermented vinegar of any kind; no grape juice, fresh grapes or raisins. A Nazirite separates himself from all produce of the grapevine, seed to skin.

Numbers 6: 5, All the days of his vows, no razor shall touch his head.

Numbers 6: 6-8, All the days of his vows, he shall not go near a dead body.

Numbers 6: 9-12, If anyone under a Nazirite Vow is touched by; has touched, or unintentionally touches, a dead person, they must go through a special cleansing ritual preformed at the temple in sight of the priest.

• Jesus was a citizen of the town of Nazareth, hence a Nazarene.
• But NOT a Nazirite

John 2: 1-11, Jesus first miracle was to turn water to wine.

The Gospels record Jesus ate meals with many people, including enemies, but not once is it recorded anyone ever tempted Him to break a Nazirite Vow with wine, or other drink.

Luke 22: 17, 18, The bible records Jesus is the giver of the cup of wine that is the predecessor of our Communion Service. If Jesus had been under the Law of the Nazirite, He would never have touched any ‘fruit of the vine’.

Matthew 11: 19, If Jesus had been under the Law of the Nazirite, His enemies accusation of him being a drunkard and a glutton would have been accurate. By observing Him drinking anything fermented, they would prove Him a false teacher and a Hypocrite.

1 Corinthians 11:3-16, Only a man avowed under the Law of the Nazirite would let their hair grow for the length of their vow. All other Jewish men are to have their hair worn short. Jesus would have had short hair as a common man.

(Acts 18:18, The Apostle Paul took a Nazirite vow for a season.)

John 11, Jesus brings Lazarus back to life. (Mark 5:41, Jesus raises Jairus’ daughter. (Luke 7: 14, Jesus raises the widow’s son. (Mark 5: 1-17, Jesus goes to the region of Gadarene and drives out a legion of demons from a man living in a graveyard. 

The Law of the Nazirite forbade touching dead people, or being near the dead. Any such contact required a cleansing ritual. (Numbers 6: 9-12) Jesus never broke any of the OT Laws. There is no record of Him needing the required cleansing ritual after exposure to the dead.

Isaiah 53:2, The bible records Jesus wasn't someone who stood out in a crowd. Had He been under a Nazarite Vow, long hair would have made Him noticeable. The bible records Jesus was able to disappear in a crowd.

Judas identified Him with a kiss in the Garden of Gethsemane. A Nazirite would have been identifiable among the others. 

If God could say "This is My Beloved Son in whom I am well pleased," Jesus couldn't have been a Nazirite and break all these regulations of the Nazirite Vow clearly spelled out in the law given to Moses.

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Preach the Word, In Season & Out of Season

My Husband is in Hospice care, but thankfully he's still at home with me. His in-home care workers come 6 days a week to help me take care of him.

I had prayed some months ago that God would use our house as a place for the gospel to be told to people who come to visit. Specifically that my kitchen would be used for His glory and to somehow save the souls of some people who God would have me talk to.

God is SOOOOOO good! It is amazing how He answers prayers. While the need of my husband is sad, it seems to be the way God is using this time as the answer to my prayer. People are coming into our house where we can present Jesus' free salvation to them.

I had been still praying for that to happen, today God showed me He was willing to grant me the ability. Today, during the time my Husband and I share the Bible and prayer in the morning, I prayed for the salvation of the worker, and that God would help us/me be some way used today to introduce the woman to Jesus.

All of Husband's helpers know we are Christians, as they have all seen us pray together and read our Bibles.

I didn't want to speak during the woman's working time, as that means she would have to listen even if she didn't want to. But after I signed her voucher sheet at the end of her time, she began speaking about seeing angels and an experience she had while visiting a relatives' grave. She thought a dead relative had reached out to her from the grave when something unusual happened while at the grave side.

That was my opening! And she didn't have any more clients today so she stayed another 20 minutes.

After talking a bit about angels, I ended up at the passage of Luke 16 and Jesus' explaining about Lazarus and the Rich Man and how in the Afterlife, there's a gulf between the two eternal places, paradise and hell.
Jesus shows Lazarus is comforted and at peace, without worry, having trusted in God, while the rich man who trusted in his riches was in torment.
And the finality of Jesus' words that 'even if a man comes back from the dead, those who hear him will not believe.' But they have Moses and the prophets to learn from.

I explained as I understood it, that the dead do not have access to the living, nor does Paradise have access to Hell. The opposite is true that Hell has no access to Heaven.

And, although she refused to take an offered Bible tract, she said I had given her much to think about. And I know the Holy Spirit will use the Word to speak to her.

God says, "For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and shall proper in the thing for which I sent it" Isaiah 55:10,11.

The Word of God is how people hear the gospel. Jesus says so.

"For faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God" Romans 10:17.

(Jesus prayed to the Father) "Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. John 17:17.

"For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edge 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 5:12.

"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work" 2 Timothy 3:16,17.

GOD IS SO GOOD!

AMAZING GRACE!

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Notes From The Gospel of Luke, Part 2

Here are more notes and comments from my Bible reading in the Gospel of Luke, along with the expanded clarifications of my thoughts.

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Luke18 & 19

     Chapter 18 introduces us to a young man who comes to Jesus with a question of the value of his own righteousness.

     The rich young ruler is upset when he finds he cannot buy his salvation but that he must have a change of heart. And Jesus says this after he leaves:

     "For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God" 18:25.

     Then we meet Zacchaeus in chapter 19, a very rich man who proves a rich man can enter the kingdom of God because he met Jesus and understood his riches meant nothing at all for his salvation.

Margin Note for the conversion of Zacchaeus: Contrast the rich young ruler who thought keeping the law would save him. Zacchaeus met with Jesus and was saved.

Expanded: Unlike the rich young ruler who was upset because salvation wasn't obtained through his social status, Zacchaeus' was commended by Jesus for his life-changing faith

     "And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham" 19:9.

     Cross referenced Zacchaeus' story with Matthew 5:3.

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Luke 20:27-38 record the absurd question of the Sadducees about the resurrection.

     The Sadducees are the silliest cult that questions Jesus. They don't believe in the resurrection, the afterlife, spirits, or souls, yet they follow Jesus and pester Him about His knowledge of God? Whatever for?!

     Just like today. Born again Christians are followed by many who pester us about our faith in Jesus. They do not bother so much to question Buddhists, or Muslims, or witches, or Hindus, or Evolutionists about their faith or the origins of their religions. They ridicule, persecute and question the faith of Christians and attempt  to turn people from following Jesus.

     Notice Jesus' response to their question did not answer the Sadducees according to their religion, but He did speak Biblical truth to them, quoting Scripture.

     Matthew 4, Jesus answers Satan the same way--with Scriptural truth, quoting the Bible correctly. Not answering Satan according to his lies.

     Ephesians 6 says put on the armor of God and use the sword of the Spirit--the Word of God--The Scriptures. So does 2 Timothy 3:16, 17

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"Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was one of the twelve" 22:3

     What a sad verse. And after Satan used Judas, he destroyed him with so much guilt that Judas hanged himself. Matt 27:5)

     For many lost people today it's the same story. The same demons and Satan destroy people today with hate, anger, drugs, crime, murder, sex, possession and the like. And Satan even uses power and wealth sometimes to destroy people. After the demons are through sadistically playing with people as toys, they leave them broken and destroyed. If they haven't gotten them killed, then they bury them in so much guilt their former hosts kill or destroy themselves.

     And it all began in the Garden of Eden when Satan asked Eve to question God's love for her because God told her not to do something. Satan is still getting people to not believe God loves them.

But the Christian has a different perspective.

     "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood. but against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places" Ephesians 6:12.

    There are a lot of movies and books with the topic of demon possession. How interesting that many people will believe in demonic spirits possessing people to commit evil, yet they cannot accept the fact of God the Holy Spirit indwelling people to give them eternal life.

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Bonus: from Luke 9:12-17, the record of Jesus feeding the multitude

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Notes From the Gospel of Luke

Here are a few notes I've written in the margins of my Bible while reading the Gospel of Luke. I've also added further explanations for clarification.

Margin Notes From the Gospel of Luke

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"and this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day" Luke 2:37.

Margin Note: Anna was not a bitter old woman but a woman of faith.

Expanded: What a remarkable woman--God honored Anna by mentioning her faith in His Bible.

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"For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father's, and of the holy angels" 9:26.

Margin Note: Those who reject Jesus' salvation. --the unbelievers-- & cross reference: Hebrews 10:29-31.

Expanded: I have often seen this verse used as a threat on a few Social Media sites, mostly against Christians, that to prove you are not ashamed of Jesus you must Like/Share/Repost the meme. Which is absolutely silly.
     In reality, those in trouble with for being ashamed are unbelievers. It is speaking to those who reject Jesus as God and Savior. They will not be accepted by Jesus or the Father, and even the angels Jesus brings with Him, which are merely the servants of God.
     To be an embarrassment to God's lowly household servants is something of which to be ashamed!

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"And He was casting out a demon,... 11:14

No margin note but I do have this comment:
     This made me smile when I read it. It just struck me as so simple a thing for God to do and yet it was important for the Holy Spirit to record it in the Bible for us to understand the control that God has over the evil forces in this world.

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"He also spoke this parable: 'A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none' 13:6.

Margin note: Longsuffering/Patience & cross reference 2 Peter 3:9

Expanded: Luke 13:6-9 is the full parable of the fruitless fig tree and is a great picture of God's longsuffering toward us. His grace is immeasurable.

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"therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?" 16:11.

No margin note but this comment:
     In Luke16, Jesus unfolds the parable of the unjust steward and Lazarus and the rich man. I have heard sermons on each of these separately, yet, what I understand is they are teaching the same thing.
     The tying verses are "So the master commended the unjust steward because he had dealt shrewdly. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light. And I say to you, make friends for yourself by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail. they may receive you into an everlasting home" 16:8,9.
     God says Christians need to think shrewdly with the money we receive in this world, not as the unjust steward, but as good stewards toward the things of heaven.
     The rich man did many things for himself in this world before he died, yet it did absolutely nothing for him in the torments of hell fire.
     Think about how poor Lazarus carefully spent his money, even the tiny crumbs of what he could get begging. How he must have carefully used everything he bought, or received by the hand of anyone's donation.
     Bible teaching, God-fearing Churches today regularly work on very little finances, yet God says that we can actually use our gifts and tithes to our advantage and for the kingdom of God--and with Jesus' quote of Abrahams' and the rich man's words in vss 29-31, we know that preaching the gospel is the most important work for which we need to have finances.
     I think of Paul. He didn't enter a city with programs to feed the hungry, cloth the naked, or house the homeless--he entered a city with the purpose to preach the gospel. That was what his finances were for--the furtherance of the gospel!
     When people are saved after hearing the gospel--then God feeds them, clothes them and houses them. It just happens that way.

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What are some of the verses in Luke you have purposefully marked, or some notes you have written in your Bible?

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The Bible, a book like no other

This is an excerpt from chapter 2 of my EBook Squished! Why God Seemingly Destroys Our Fruit

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II. The Bible, a book like no other

“Then I said, “Behold, I come: In the scroll of the book it is written of me” (Psalm 40:7).

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Ever think about why you enter a building on Sunday or any other day of the week and, with a crowd of listening people, stay attentive to a man standing on a platform at the front of a large room and speaking from the Bible? Sounds crazy doesn’t it. What in us desires such dedication? Could we even describe it? As crazy as it sounds, Christians the world over do gather for mutual worship and to listen to godly men teach from the Bible.

Isn’t it amazing how simplistic worship of God is for His people? We know God loves us to frequently gather and listen to teaching of His word.

Wow! And that’s worship!

Have you ever thought about what we are listening to each week in a Bible-based sermon? What exactly do we hear? Are we merely listening with our ears, or our whole being, our soul and spirit?

We have something the earliest Christians didn’t have. Before God spoke through men to write down His words as the Bible we have today, God-fearing people had few copies of the written word, and contained the history of God mainly by memorization and recitation. Oral stories are great but do many of us actually study and retain the word of God when we hear it? Apart from the written word, how accurate is your knowledge about God? How much of the Bible can you tell to someone?

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Bible study:

“…it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed” (Luke 1:3,4).

Luke and his friend corresponded about Jewish history. Theophilus must have had bits and pieces of information and Luke wanted to set it straight for him to grasp the significance of it all. Luke and Theophilus had a detailed Bible study. Studying the Bible with a friend—what a wonderful privilege between Christian brothers and sisters.

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What if God didn’t give us any information about Himself and we had to find it on our own? Ever think about not having the Bible to tell us about God in today’s world? What if God had never given us the Bible, from where then would truth come?

What would happen to you if the Bible somehow disappeared, as if it never existed? Do you know enough about God to sustain your relationship with Him? How much Scripture have you memorized. How complete a picture do you have of God?

Is the only time you open your Bible is when you attend church service? What would you rely on if disaster struck? What comfort would you have if you had no access to Scriptures? Would you have to run to another Christian or your pastor for a word from God? What do you do if you lost the availability to that person to help you understand the will of God?

Scary thought isn’t it.

The Bible is a gift we should praise God for every day.

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Recognize Your Adversary For Life

"When you go with your adversary to the magistrate, make every effort along the way to settle with him, lest he drag you to the judge, the judge deliver you to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison. I tell you, you shall not depart from there till you have paid the very last mite” Luke 12: 58,59.

I had thought this verse was talking about the affairs of mankind toward one another. I see it now is about accepting or rejecting Jesus’ salvation. Wow! Scary!

Before salvation, our Adversary is the Lord. We’re the enemy of Jesus. "And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind, by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled" Ephesians 2:1.

The ‘going’ spoken of in Luke 58 is the life we live from birth to death. All mankind is born to stand before God someday, so we are all going toward the Magistrate, God the Father.

We are told to make every effort to get near Jesus. Obviously, Jesus makes every effort to get near to us. Though God came to earth to reconcile every sinful man to Himself, there still is the need for every man to go to Jesus for salvation. If you have doubts of your salvation, there's a verse for you.

"Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified" 2 Corinthians 13:5.

If you need to accept Jesus Christ, then ask Him to save you. Say something like this.

"Dear God, I am a sinner and the death in hell forever

is my fate without you.  I know You are Holy God.

You came to earth and died on the cross to save me

from the fate of my sins, Please, Holy God, forgive

me of my sins and save me for Yourself.

Thank You God for forgiving me, and

saving me. Amen."

(reference verses for this salvation prayer)

(Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23, John 3:16, John 14:6, Romans 10:9-11, Revelation 3:20, 1 John 5:13)

"But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers" 1 Peter 4:7. A simple prayer to God asking for forgiveness will erase the separation between you and Him because Jesus death on the cross took all the wrath of the fate of sin.  "and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven; having made peace through the blood of His cross" Colossians 1:20. So settle the differences with Jesus in this life.

God the Father is the Judge. Anyone not covered with the blood of Jesus is standing in front of the Judge in Revelation 21:11. "Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and heaven fled away. And there was no place found for them."

Anyone covered by the blood of Jesus has this promise from God, "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the Spirit"Romans 8: 1.

The unsaved and condemned have to face the officer and then into prison. "Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire" Revelation 21:14.

And they will be there until they have paid the very last mite! That is eternal death! ETERNITY!

How’s your witness to the lost around you? Do they know you’re a Christian? Do you look at them and see they need to make peace with their adversary now?

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The Strange & Worshipful Story-Luke Chapter 2

David Ray Jr.

This was the Introduction I wrote for the 2015 Christmas Program at Grace Bible Church, Sangerville, Maine. This wasn't read, because our Pastor, David Ray Jr., prepared a better opening.

However, this says much about God's plan to save all mankind from their sin. And if it hadn't been for the strange birth of God becoming a Man, we never would have had the Cross to celebrate at what we call Easter.

They Missed Christmas

Introduction:

Before God ever created the world, He knew everything that would happen on earth. He knew that man would sin and destroy the perfect world God created. Man would reject Him and rebel and sin would rule.  Because of this flaw, God had to destroy the sin and that meant destroying the sinners. But God so loved His wonderful creation, He had a plan to save everyone from their sins. That plan was that He would come and be destroyed in the place of all the people God lovingly created for His pleasure.

Over 2000 years ago, God fulfilled part of that plan when He became a man, born of a virgin and living here among us for 33 and a half years. Then He died the death that sin deserves so he could allow us back into His perfection again.

On the day we call Christmas, we remember the day that God came to earth. God came to earth as a small, poor baby and that was just the beginning of the life God planned for Himself. The story is strange and beautiful, full of worship, and anger, and love and murder. Several people knew and embraced the miracle of the first Christmas, and yet at the same time, many rejected it and missed Christmas.

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Thank you.

Obedience Is A Choice

*Before this idea became a reality, I thought I was okay; I was born again after all, but no, ‘fire insurance’ isn’t enough; He wants obedience.

“And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin. Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him” 

(1 John 3: 3, 4, 5, 6).

*S. L. Estes.Squished!  WestBowPress.

God wants my obedience

He enjoys my obedience

My obedience brings Him glory

In my Ebook Squished! Why God Seemingly Destroys Our Fruit, in Chapter 6 From Dregs To Pure, I explain God’s merciful and gracious deliverance of me from drugs, alcohol and suicide. Looking back, I am amazed from what God rescued me, leaving me with a new perspective on Jesus saying “the one who has been forgiven much, loves much.”(cf Luke 7:47)

 My closet has been cleaned, so to speak, of the things my old life would enjoy. That done, in my new position in Christ, I am more conscious of what my witness for Jesus looks like to unbelievers and those who knew me ‘when.”

Even as I come to understand the purification of my life, I am learning, even today, that my purification is something in which I need to be involved. While I may not have an urge to do the things I once did, I need to subdue the old nature that sometimes brings the memory and habits back with an all too familiar instinct.

As Paul said, my new knowledge toward the consciousness of others helps me control my choices and appetites. (cf 1 Corinthians 10: 29)

Peter says it well in his first letter, (paraphrase 1 Peter 4:4), as those with whom I partied now think I’m foolish or even brainwashed by religion and the church. On the other hand, I feel privileged to show my new freedom in Christ not to do those things even as I am saddened by their blindness and reviling. (cf 1 Peter 4:14)

Jesus has made me different. I cannot make this knowledge of His supernatural change in me disappear. I cannot tell my detractors that I’m a Christian because I decided one day to become a follower of Jesus and clean up my life so I could join a church. It didn’t happen that way.

God found a lost person, and when He called me, I answered Him. A sinner in need of salvation, I came to Him to have my sins washed away forever and ever.

In the verses of 1 John above, I am no longer able to habitually sin in the former way. I didn’t changed me. My Lord and Savior Jesus Christ changed me. I am striving to obedience and today that can be a day-to-day experience. But obedience is easier when I reflect on what God has done for me.

Glory to God. Amen.

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