Is Repentance and Faith like choosing from a Menu?

I was listening to a preacher and he preached on 1Thessalonians 1:4, where the Bible says, knowing brothers, beloved by God, your election.' It was obvious that this preacher was not reformed because he gave the final decision to man in regards to his salvation.

He gave an illustration to attempt to prove his position that God provides the way for salvation, but man by his autonomous freewill chooses whether God can save them or not.

The illustration when something like this. When you go to a restaurant, you have a menu, the menu is provided, but you by your freewill decide whether to have something from that menu. 

There is a serious problem with this illustration. Let us take a look at that in this post.

First of all, whether you are saved or not saved, you can look at a menu and decide whether to have something from that menu. You do not need to be regenerated to be able to choose to have something from the menu. Just go to a restaurant and you will see many unregenerate people choosing their meals from the menu without any problems.

What about salvation? Can an unregenerate man choose salvation like he is ordering a bowl of soup at a restaurant or five chicken wings with ketchup? 

What does the Bible say. First let us look at what Jesus said in John 3:3 LITV, Jesus answered and said to him, Truly, truly, I say to you, if one does not receive birth from above, he is not able to see the kingdom of God. 

What is the Lord Jesus saying here? Look at the words, if one does not receive birth from above, he is not able to see the kingdom of God. Notice, without a spiritual birth, you cannot see the kingdom of God. This speaks of the unregenerate man who has a heart of stone, a heart that hates God. The Lord Jesus Christ says that this man cannot even see the kingdom of God. This man needs to be regenerated before he can see the kingdom of God—this man needs to be born from above before he can see spiritually. How can a person come to the Lord Jesus Christ spiritually blind with a heart of stone that opposes God? The Lord Jesus is clearly telling us they cannot. 

When you go to verse 5, the Lord Jesus talks about being born from above saying, Jesus answered, Truly, truly, I say to you, if one does not receive birth out of water and Spirit, he is not able to enter the kingdom of God (LITV), which contradicts anyone who believes that faith comes before the new birth, believing that a person enters the kingdom of God and then is born from above, which is opposite to what the Lord teaches here in His Word.

So is repentance and faith like choosing from a menu? ABSOLUTELY NOT!

The Judgment, Mercy and Grace of God!

There are some Christians who cannot accept and will not accept that the Bible teaches that God chose only to give His Son for an Elect people and not for all people—that comes from having a view of God that because God is love, God has to give His Son for every individual who has ever lived. But you have to answer the question, why does God have to give His Son for every individual who has ever lived—God is not obliged to give His Son to anyone—if God wants to give His Son for only one person, God is righteous to do so—God has that right to do that. God does not owe anybody anything except judgment and an eternity in hell for the sins we have committed against Him. No one can demand salvation from God—we do not have that right, for the Bible says in Romans 3:23 LITV, for all sinned and fall short of the glory of God. That is why it is called grace.  

So you see that salvation is by God’s mercy and grace in and through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ—for His took the judgment of God for those who will put their faith in Him—it is a gift from God’s gracious hand. God has the right to whom He wants to by the good pleasure of His will to provide that gift of His mercy and grace to save them and to bring them into His family and make them sons and daughters of God. 

You might say that is not fair—why do you say that, for those whom Christ did not die for, they will continue to wilfully reject him as Lord and Saviour and they will receive what they deserve as a Christ rejecter, not mercy and grace but judgment and eternity in hell—they are only getting what they deserve—they are receiving their wages for their sin, For the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23a LITV). God is not be unloving when He passes over someone, no, He is a righteous and holy God who must judge them who reject Christ—God is love, absolutely, which means that God loves that which is right and holy and good, thus he must punish sinners who die in their sins without the Lord Jesus Christ—but for them whom God extended His love to by his mercy and grace through and in His Son the Lord Jesus Christ, are loved by God in His Son, for Christ took their sins for them on the Cross and paid their sin debt in full and was buried and rose from the dead for their justification—they have been clothed in His righteousness.

If you are not a true believer in Christ, God commands you to repent and come to faith in Christ (see Acts 17:30-31)—if you disobey and continue rejecting Him, then there is no mercy or grace after death, only judgment, for the Bible says in Hebrews 9:27 LITV, And as it is reserved to men once to die, and after this judgment. Come to the Lord Jesus Christ, and if you do, it is because of the mercy and grace of God in Christ Jesus our Lord, and if you do not, it is because you wilfully reject Him. 

Only Boast in God!

The Lord Jesus Christ says,  "All that the Father gives Me shall come to Me, and the one coming to Me I will in no way cast out." (John 6:37 LITV)- The Lord Jesus Christ said that. In Ephesians 1:4 LITV the Bible says, "according as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, for us to be holy and without blemish before Him in love." The Bible says that Jesus came to save His people from their sins-Matthew 1:21 LITV, "And she will bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins."- Notice what the Bible says, "His people"- that is very specific- "His people." That is why Jesus came, to accomplish the salvation of His people- John 6:39 LITV, "And this is the will of the Father sending Me, that of all that He has given Me, I shall not lose any of it, but shall raise it up in the last day." 

The Lord Jesus Christ says in John 10:26-28, "But you do not believe for you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish to the age, and not anyone shall pluck them out of My hand."

A man comes to repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ because it is the result of the regenerating work of God- The Bible says in John 3:3 LITV, "Jesus answered and said to him, Truly, truly, I say to you, if one does not receive birth from above, he is not able to see the kingdom of God."- John 3:5 LITV, "Jesus answered, Truly, truly, I say to you if one does not receive birth out of water and Spirit, he is not able to enter the kingdom of God."

God is very clear in His Word, He is in complete control of salvation- Man has nothing to boast about himself- only to boast in God. The Bible says in Ephesians 2:8-9 LITV, "For by grace you are saved, through faith, and this is not of yourselves; it is the gift of God; not of works, that not anyone should boast."

Husband and Wife are One Flesh

“But answering, He said to them, Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning "created them male and female"? And He said, "For this reason a man shall leave father and mother, and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh." So that they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, let not man separate.” (Mat 19:4-6, LITV)

Marriage is a special relationship from God, which is between one man and one woman. Husband and wife always need each other because they are husband and wife-they are never separate. The Lord Jesus Christ says that husband and wife are one flesh-God sees them as one, not two, but joined together as one flesh. The husband belongs to the wife, and the wife belongs to the husband. The Bible says, “The wife does not have authority of her own body, but the husband. And likewise also the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife.” (1Cor 7:4, LITV)

Marriage is a unique and special relationship from the Lord. There is no other relationship on this earth where two become one flesh-only the relationship of husband and wife.

Husband and wife are never independent from each other, just like the head is never independent from the body. The head needs the body, and the body needs the head. You can never separate them, they need each other. The same for husband and wife-they always need each other.

Husband and wife are to love each other and cultivate that love for each other, and work together in the roles they have been given by God taught in the Bible- the husband as the head of his wife (Ephesians 5:22-23), and the wife as the helper to her husband (Genesis 2:18). They are to function in a way which pleases God, and glorify the Lord Jesus Christ.

Mr. Fearing Comforted (part of the sermon) by C. H. Spurgeon

Prayerful not Fearful

The Bible says in Philippians 4:6 LITV, ‘Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and by petition with thanksgivings, let your requests be made known to God.’

What are we to pray? The Bible says, ‘by prayer and by petition.’  Petition can be defined as praying to God about something specific in Christ Jesus. The Lord God commands His people for their good for specific prayers to be made known to Him. When it says, ‘known to Him’, it does not mean God does not know, and we must inform Him, so He can know—obviously it does not mean that.

The Lord Jesus said in Matthew 6:8 LITV, ‘Then do not be like them, for your Father knows what things you have need of before you ask Him.’ What the Bible is saying in Philippians, the Father wants to hear these things from His people—He wants to know them from them. God wants us to depend on Him, recognizing He is our God, our Heavenly Father, who provides our every need, every time. Everything we have which is good, has come from the Lord’s hands—We receive nothing good, unless it is by the will of God, and from His good hand. We are to rely on Him. Of course, God uses means, absolutely, but as we live for Him according to the Word of God, we are not to be anxious, but come to our Lord and trust Him, stand on His word, and have peace in Christ.

Notice Paul wrote, ‘Let your requests be made known to God.’ What does Paul the apostle mean? The word, ‘request’, refers to the specific details of the petition. In our prayers, we bring our petitions to God—His people are to pray a specific thing to God, and then pray about the details of that specific thing—the specific details about that petition.

For example, Let us go Ephesians 1:16-23, and we can see Paul do exactly this. Paul the apostle prays, v. 16 LITV, ‘I also do not cease giving thanks on your behalf, making mention of you in my prayers’, then we see his petition, a specific prayer in v. 17,

that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the full knowledge of Him,

Then we see the request, the details of the petition, v. 18, ‘the eyes of your mind having been enlightened, for you to know what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints’, and he continues after v. 18. This is how we are to pray—commanded by the Lord in Philippians 4.

Now, there is another aspect of prayer, and that is thanksgivings. Very important aspect of prayer. Notice what Paul wrote, ‘but in everything by prayer and petitions with thanksgivings, let you request be made known to God.’ This is an expression of thanks or gratitude for all the things the Lord has done for us and is doing. It is thankfulness from the heart for His mercy and grace to us in Christ Jesus. The Greek word holds thanksgiving in the upmost importance. This thankfulness will guard our hearts from whining and complaining before the Lord. All that we have comes from the Lord, we do not deserve anything, but because of His love for us, He has given to us the greatest and most precious gift of all, the Lord Jesus Christ. His people would have to admit, there is always something to give thanks to God for, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ, and all we have received in Him. We are to give thanks to God, because without the mercy and grace of God, we would not have Christ. His people are to be thankful to God in Christ Jesus, for all our spiritual and temporal blessings.

Another scripture, we see that it is God will for us to be thankful to Him in Christ Jesus. 1Thessalonians 5:18 LITV, ‘In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus toward you.’ Notice the apostle Paul wrote, ‘in everything give thanks.’ God is always good to His people—in everything in Christ Jesus. God is good to His people not only in good times, but God is good to them in hard times; God is good to them in everything. God is good to His people.

Paul the apostle when he wrote Ephesians was in bonds, but he had a thankful heart and grateful heart. His people are not to forget to be thankful in all things, because our God is always good to us in all things. Every good thing is from God, and without Him, we would not even be here. It is God’s will that we (His people) find joy in prayer in Christ Jesus in every condition of life, with a grateful heart.

Also notice, when Paul wrote, ‘be made known to God.’ We are only to pray to God, and no other. To pray to any other except to God is a despicable sin. If a brother and/or sister is praying for you to God, no problem, because they are still praying to God, and we saw Paul doing that in Ephesians, but we are never to pray to anyone else except God—we are only to pray to the true and living God, in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The Lord is commanding His people here in Philippians 4, to let Him know our petitions and requests, with thanksgivings to Him. This command is in the present tense, which means this command is always present—we are to keep praying to Him and not lose heart, for the Bible says in 1Thessalonians 5:17 LITV, ‘Pray without ceasing.’ Prayer is a conversation, it is how we speak to our God in Christ, who hears us perfectly, knows us perfectly, understands us perfectly, cares for us perfectly, and responds to us perfectly, knowing what is best for us perfectly. If we pray according to His will, He will do it, but if not, we can know, He knows what is best for us perfectly, and He can be fully trusted in all things, for He is perfect—God is always faithful to His Word. God is perfect in all His ways—He is our sovereign God. There is no other like our Lord, for He is the one true living God.

Let us finish these two scriptures about the prayers of His people:

Proverbs 15:8 LITV, ‘The sacrifice of the wicked is a hateful thing to Jehovah, but the prayer of the upright is His delight.’

1Peter 3:12 LITV, ‘because the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against any doing evil things.’

Two Resurrections

In Revelation 20:4c-6 LITV, the Bible says,

And they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one having part in the first resurrection. The second death has no authority over these, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and will reign with Him a thousand years.

There are some Christians who believe that all people are resurrected at the same time, but the Bible does make a distinction between the category of the first resurrection, and the second resurrection. What does the Bible say about the first resurrection?

The first resurrection does not include, for example, one being raised back to mortal life to face death again later on, like Lazarus or the son of Nain, for they were raised not to immortality, but raised again to mortal life, and they died again sometime later on. When we speak of the first resurrection, we speak of resurrection unto everlasting life, which means to immortality, which means no longer subject to death.

Who was the first risen from the dead when we speak of the category of the first resurrection? The first was the Lord Jesus Christ.

The apostle Paul said in 1Corinthians 15:13 LITV, ‘But if there is not a resurrection of the dead, neither has Christ been raised.’ The reason those in Christ can have confidence in Him that there will be a resurrection unto everlasting life, is because our Lord and Saviour has risen from the dead. Amen. For Paul says in v.20-23 LITV,

But now Christ has been raised from the dead; He became the firstfruit of those having fallen asleep, For since death is through man, also through a Man is a resurrection of the dead; for as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive, But each in his own order, Christ, the firstfruit, afterward those of Christ at His coming.

The Bible says in 1John 3:2 LITV,

Beloved, now we are the children of God, and it was not yet revealed what we shall be. But we know that if He is revealed, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him as He is.

The category of the first resurrection begins with the resurrection of Jesus, our Lord and Saviour, because without Him, there will be no resurrection unto life, but because Jesus rose from the dead, we in Him, are part of the first resurrection. The One who gives eternal life, the Lord Jesus Christ, was raised for our justification, will resurrect His people from the dead to everlasting life, and we shall be like Him—which means to be made perfect like Him—because we shall see Him as He is. We will receive a glorified body like our Lord and Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, because we are His people, whom He has saved.

Then we see the Bible talks about some Old Testament saints were raised after the resurrection of the Lord.

The Bible says Matthew 27:52-53 LITV,

And the tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, And coming forth out of the tombs after His resurrection, they entered into the holy city and were revealed to many.

Notice in v. 53—they came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection. After the resurrection of their Lord and Saviour, some Old Testament saints who had died, where raised, and came out of the grave—and were seen by many in Jerusalem. Now, by the context which this is written, they did not rise from the dead like Lazarus or the son of Nain, where they still had mortal life, and would die again later on, but they were resurrected to everlasting life, after the resurrection of their Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ; they conversed with men for a short time in Jerusalem—as proof of a perfect resurrection for them who belong to Christ.

So these OT saints who were raised, were part of the first resurrection. Then we see in scripture, the snatching away, or what is called the ‘Rapture’. This is seen in 1Thessalonians 4:13-18. This is the time when Christ will come for His Church, and the dead in Christ will rise first, and in v. 17 LITV,

Then we who remain alive will be caught up together with them in the clouds to a meeting with the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord.

This is part of the first resurrection, where the second death has no hold on us.

Then we have the two witnesses in the Book of Revelation, which is during the tribulation period, when the two witnesses of God will be killed, but will be resurrected and be taken up to Heaven. The two witnesses will witness about their Lord and Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, and will be killed, they will be put to death for their witness. Revelation 11:7 LITV, ‘And when they complete their witness, the beast coming up out of the abyss will make war with them, and will overcome them, and will kill them.’

Then the Bible tells us in Revelation 11:11-12 LITV,

And after three days and a half, a spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood on their feet. And great fear fell on the ones beholding them. And they heard a great voice out of Heaven saying to them, Come up here. And they went up into heaven in the cloud. And their enemies saw them. 

These two witnesses are part of the first resurrection.

The rest of the Old Testament saints, and the tribulation saints which are put to death in the tribulation period, will be part of the first resurrection, which the second death has no hold on them.

The Bible says in Revelation, 20:4b LITV,

and the souls of the ones having been beheaded because of the witness of Jesus, and because of the Word of God, and who had not worshiped the beast not its image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand. And they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

All the saints of God throughout the ages, saved by the Lord Jesus Christ, all will be part of the category of the first resurrection unto everlasting life. The second death has no authority over them. They who are part of the category of the second resurrection, is a resurrection unto death, the second death, which is an eternity in hell.

The second resurrection is the category for them who are without the Lord Jesus Christ—those who rejected Him. These people will have eternal damnation. Notice what the Bible says in Revelation 20:5a LITV, ‘But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were ended.’ They will be raised to stand at the Great White Throne judgment. The Bible says in Rev. 20:13 LITV, ‘And the sea gave up the dead in it. And death and Hades gave up the dead in them. And they were each judged according to their works.’

Everyone who is part of the second resurrection, will stand at the Great White Throne judgement, and in Rev. 20: 14 LITV, the Bible says,

And death and Hades were thrown into the Lake of Fire. This is the second death. And is anyone was not found having been written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the Lake of Fire.

The first resurrection is to everlasting life, and the second resurrection is to eternal damnation. Those in the category of the second resurrection, the second death has power over them, and they will be lost forever.

So we can see clearly the two categories of resurrection. The first resurrection, and the second resurrection. Thanks be to God, if you are a true believer in Christ, you will be part of the first resurrection, the resurrection unto everlasting life, because true Christians are in Him, the One who rose from the dead, who has conquered death and sin, and the grave, and defeated the enemy. Brothers and sisters in Christ, may we be continually thankful to the Lord for His grace in the Lord Jesus Christ, to be thankful to the Lord for His salvation in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Let us be thankful to the Lord, for our names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, that the second death has no authority over us. Thank the Lord for our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

May we ever be thankful to our God, and look to God to help us to be ever more thankful to Him, for He has done so much for us, and above all, has given to us the most precious and greatest gift of all, the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

The Grace of God in Salvation

What did Abraham discover? Salvation respects the glory of God. The Bible speaks in Romans 4:2 LITV, For if Abraham was justified by works, he has a boast, but not with God.

If Abraham was saved by his works and not by the grace of God alone, Abraham could boast and glory in his own salvation. Abraham could say, I contributed to my salvation, or I did this or I did that, but Abraham did not receive righteousness by works, but the Bible says, And Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness- God receives the glory. Abraham glorified God because he believed God. To believe God brings glory to God. The best thing we can do to glorify God is to believe God. Always remember, we only believe God because of the grace of God.

The Bible says in 1John 5:10 LITV, The one believing in the Son of God has the witness in himself. The one not believing God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the witness which God has witnessed concerning His Son.

In simple terms, If a person believes not in the Lord Jesus Christ, that person is calling God a liar. No matter what the person does, if he or she does not believe in the true and living God, they cannot glorify God. The greatest thing a person can do to glorify God is to believe God. The Bible teaches that Biblical faith pleases God, because it glorifies God. The Bible says in Hebrews 11:6 LITV, But without faith it is impossible to please God. For it is right that the one drawing near to God should believe that He is, and that He becomes a rewarder to the ones seeking Him out. Again, to believe God, delights God, it glorifies God.

Understand that faith is not God authenticating it to me then I will believe, absolutely not, that is not faith. Faith reacts to the nature and the character of God. True faith believes in God because He is God. True faith believes God according to His Word (the Bible) and calls Him not a liar. 

If a person was saved by contributing by his own works, he would receive glory for that and take away glory from God, but when God saves by His grace in the Lord Jesus, that person receives no glory, and God receives all the glory as He should. We are not saved by our works, but by His work in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 2:8-9 LITV, For by grace you are saved, through faith, and this not of yourselves; it is the gift of God; not of works, that not anyone should boast. When a person preaches a gospel of faith and works, they are preaching another gospel, they are doing the work of Satan. The apostle Paul said in Galatians 1:8 LITV, But even if we, or an angel out of Heaven, should announce a gospel to you beside what we preached to you, let him be accursed. Strong language used by Paul. To believe in any other gospel, is a wicked sin against Almighty God.

Why do so many people want to work their salvation? The answer is pride. They would rather work their way to heaven, than humbly come before the Lord and recognize that they are helpless without Him, and need the grace of God.

Imagine, if a person wanted to buy a new house for someone that was worth a lot of money, say, one million pound; Imagine before He gave the keys to him, the man said to him, I cannot allow you to pay for all this house, let me put something towards it. So, the man reached into his pocket and gave him 50 pence. The other man paid almost one million pound, and he paid 50 pence. Then one day, his friends came around the house and they said to him, You have a nice house, and he said to them, Yes, me and the another man bought it. Do you see how ridiculous that sounds? To add to the grace of God is to destroy the glory that God deserves.

A person goes to heaven with an empty hand, for Christ did it all; We pay nothing, He has paid it all. In my hand no price I bring, simply to thy cross I cling. When a person gets saved, God receives all the glory. There is nothing we can add to salvation. God will not share His glory with anyone else, and to bring our works into salvation, is an attempt to take away from God, which is a wicked sin.

Anyone who is depending on their works to play a part in their salvation, will not end up in heaven because they have not believed in Christ, the righteousness of God, where righteousness can only be found, and the forgiveness of sins. Christ said, It is finished. Christ has paid the sin debt in full for those who put their faith in Him, to save them by His perfect work. God said in Isaiah 64:6 LITV, But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as a menstruous cloth. God will not accept our filthy rags. The justice of God is only satisfied in the Lord Jesus, and what He has done. There is no middle ground. The Lord Jesus said in John 8:24 LITV, Therefore, I said to you that you will die in your sins. For if you do not believe that I AM, you will die in your sins.

There are many in this generation who are walking pompously to hell. There are people who think they are to good to be damned. There is no one too good to be damned, because there is no one good, but God. The Bible says in Romans 3:12 LITV, All turned away, they become worthless together, not one is doing goodness, not so much as one. The Lord Jesus said that No one is good except One, God! (Matthew 19:17b LITV). There is no one in heaven boasting about their part in salvation, they will not be there, they will be in hell, but only those boasting in the Lord Jesus Christ will be there, the One who paid for their sin for their salvation, when He laid down His Life on the Cross, and was buried, and raised for their justification. All glory goes to Him.

Abraham believed in God, and it was counted for righteousness, and the same for every true believer in the Lord Jesus Christ- we have received the perfect righteousness of Christ. Praise the Lord! A believer in Christ does good works because they are saved, not to get saved.  A believer in Christ is saved unto (which means for) good works. The Bible says in Ephesians 2:10 LITV, for we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God before prepared that we should walk in them. The Bible says in Hebrews 10:38 LITV, But the just shall live by faith.

True Saving Faith in Christ

The Bible is very clear that a person is saved by the Grace of God alone through faith alone in Christ alone- The Bible says in Ephesians 2:8-10 LITV For by grace you are saved, through faith, and this not of yourselves; it is the gift of God; not of works, that not anyone should boast; for we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God before prepared that we should walk in them,  nothing we do, not by our works of righteousness, for the Bible says our works of righteousness are like a menstruous cloth in the sight of the Holy God, for the Bible says in Isaiah 64:6 LITV But we are all as the unclean thing , and all our righteousnesses are as a menstruous cloth. And we all fade as a leaf, and like the wind our iniquities take us away.  A believer is saved by the perfect Work of Christ, by His death, burial and resurrection - The Bible says in 1Corinthians 15:1-4 LITV But, brothers, I reveal to you the gospel which I preached to you, which you also received, in which you also stand, by which you also are being kept safe, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you in the first place what I also received, that Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised the third day, according to the Scriptures, - When a person come to Christ, he/she receives Christ's perfect righteousness, which is imputed to their account, which is shown in Romans 3:22 LITV even the righteousness of God through faith of Jesus Christ toward all and upon all those believing; for there is no difference, - A believer is declared righteous by God in the righteousness of Christ. The Bible says in Romans 4:8 LITV Blessed are those whose lawlessnesses are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed the man to whom the Lord will in no way charge sin."  Christ has paid the sin debt fully for every believer in Him.

The Bible also teaches that nobody would ever come to the Lord Jesus Christ unless born from above (which means a spiritual birth). The Bible says in John 3:3 LITV Jesus answered and said to him, Truly, truly, I say to you, if one does not receive birth from above, he is not able to see the kingdom of God.  The Bible tells us in the same chapter, this is a work of the Holy Spirit- John 3:5-7 LITV Jesus answered, Truly, truly, I say to you, if one does not receive birth out of water and Spirit, he is not able to enter into the kingdom of God. That receiving birth from the flesh is flesh, and that receiving birth from the Spirit is spirit. Do not wonder because I told you, You must receive birth from above. If the Holy Spirit does not work in this way in an individual, a person will continue to hate God- continue to reject Christ- for the Bible says in Jeremiah 17:9 LITV The heart is deceitful above all things, and it is incurable; who can know it?  The Bible says in Romans 3:11 LITV There is none that understands, there is "not one that seeks after God. 

So, the Bible teaches a sinner is saved by Grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, and not by any works we do, but the Bible also says that a person who has true saving faith, will produce good fruit- good fruit will come forth. The Bible says in Philippians 1:6 LITV being persuaded of this very thing, that the One having begun a good work in you will finish it until the day of Jesus Christ. 

The Bible says in 1John 3:9-10 LITV Everyone who has been begotten of God does not sin, because His seed abides in him, and he is not able to sin, because he has been born of God. When the Bible says, 'does not sin' and 'not able to sin', it means one who is born again does not habitually practice sin, and he/she is not able to habitually practice sin like they did before salvation- it does not mean sinless perfection, for the Bible says in 1John 1:8 LITV If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us, but speaks of practice, which is seen in verse 10, By this the children of God and the children of the Devil are revealed: Everyone not practicing righteousness is not of God; also the one not loving his brother.  A person who is habitually practicing sin is not saved- they have never known the Lord Jesus Christ- never been saved. The Bible says that Christians are a new creation- 2Corinthians 5:17 LITV So that if anyone is in Christ, that one is a new creation; the old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new! 

Obviously, when a person comes to Christ, they are a babe in Christ, and they need to mature in the faith- even matured Christians will continue to be sanctified through their Christian life, which will be completed at glorification- the Bible says in 1John 3:2 LITV Beloved, now we are the children of God, and it was not yet revealed what we shall be. But we know that if He is revealed, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him as He is, but God continues to work in the lives of His people in Christ, like we have already seen in Philippians 1:6, through His Word 2Timothy 3:16-17 LITV Every Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, so that the man of God may be perfected, fully furnished for every good work, by the power of the Holy Spirit John 14:26 LITV but the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He shall teach you all things and shall remind you of all things that I said to you. 

To conclude, a saved person does not look to their works for salvation, but to whom they have their faith in for salvation, the Lord Jesus Christ, but when a person comes to repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and trust in Him alone to save them by His death, burial and resurrection, the good fruit will naturally come, not to get saved, but because they are saved, and be evident of a regenerate person in Christ, who has a true saving faith in God, who is now a spiritual man (having the Spirit), and not a natural man (without the Spirit of God). 

What about Baptism?

When it comes to baptism, there are two main positions amongst evangelicals, infant (baby) baptism and believers baptism. Infant baptism is and I quote from the Westminster Larger Catechism Question 166, titled, Unto whom is baptism to be administered A. Baptism is not to be administered to any that are out of the visible church, and so strangers from the covenant of promise, till they profess their faith in Christ, and obedience to him, but infants descending from parents, either both, or but one of them, professing faith in Christ, and obedience to him, are in that respect within the covenant, and to be baptized.

Believers baptism is and I quote from the Baptist Confession 1689 Chapter 29 Of Baptism, Paragraph 2, Those who do actually profess repentance towards God, faith in, and obedience to, our Lord Jesus Christ, are the only proper subjects of this ordinance.

When we look at the two above, they are not in agreement when it comes to infant baptism. Those who believe in infant baptism believe that an infant without professing faith in Christ can be baptised, but those who believe in believers baptism believe that only those who profess faith in the Lord Jesus Christ can be baptised. 

Notice what it says in regard to the infant and the New Covenant from the WLC above- I quote, but infants descending from parents, either both, or but one of them, professing faith in Christ, and obedience to him, are in that respect within the covenant- they believe an infant with at least one parent professing faith in Christ, and obedient to Him, automatically places the infant within the New covenant, so they are to be baptised. 

Notice also that in the BCF above that, and I quote, Those who do actually profess repentance towards God, faith in, and obedience to, our Lord Jesus Christ, are the only proper subjects of this ordinance. An infant (a baby) is not able to profess repentance towards God, faith in, and obedience to, our Lord Jesus Christ (which those who believe in infant baptism would agree) should then not be baptised- for baptism is for believers only. 

I am a reformed Baptist, so my position on baptism is believers baptism, which is clearly taught in the Bible. Nowhere in the New Testament will you ever find an infant being baptised, only those who came to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. 

First, I want to look at the Great Commision found in Matthew 28:19-20. The Bible says, Going, then, disciple all nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things, whatever I commanded you. And, behold, I am with you all the days until the completion of the age. Amen. (LITV)

Notice that the Lord Jesus Christ commanded- Going, then, disciple all nations- What this means is to make disciples of all nations, and then Jesus commands, baptizing them (the disciples) into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit- which refers to water baptism. Notice the order, first a disciple, which means a saved person (a believer), and then as a disciple (a saved person), be baptised. Christ is commanding disciples to be baptised- be saved and be baptised. That is believers baptism. 

But there are other verses I would like to bring to your attention, which again clearly shows that the only people within the New Covenant are believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. 

The verses are found in Jeremiah 31:33-34. The Bible says, But this shall be the covenant that I will cut with the house of Israel: After those days, declares Jehovah, I will put My law in their inward parts, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. And they shall no longer each man teach his neighbor, and each man his brother, saying, Know Jehovah. For they shall all know Me, from the least of them even to the greatest of them, declares Jehovah. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sins no more. (LITV)

In Jeremiah 31:33-34, it speaks about the New Covenant that will replace the Old Covenant. And in v.34, look at what God says about those who are within the New Covenant, God says, And they shall no longer each man teach his neighbor, and each man his brother, saying, Know Jehovah (Yahweh), Then God tells us why- For they shall all know me, from the least of them even to the greatest of them, declares Jehovah. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sins no more

Notice God says- For they shall all know me, from the least to the greatest. Those who are within the New Covenant know God, and as God says, And they shall no longer each man teach his neighbor, and each man his brother, saying, Know Jehovah. (Yahweh) For they shall all know me, from the least of them even to the greatest of them, declares Jehovah. (Yahweh) All who are within the covenant will know God, they have a personal relationship with God, which means that the only ones who are within the covenant are true believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, for they are the only ones who know God. An infant (a baby) is not able to come to repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ- they are not able to understand the gospel message, thus they do not know God, and need to know God to be within the New Covenant, for God says, they shall all know me. 

Infants are to be raised according to the Bible, and teaching them about the true God and His saving gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ from the Bible, and praying to God that He would save them by His grace through and in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. 

So, when we come back to baptism, baptism is for them who are within the New Covenant, and not for infants (baby). The only way for them to be within the New Covenant will be for them by the grace of God, come to repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Then as a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, and only then, should they be baptized in obedience to the command of Christ. 

A Bondslave of The Lord Jesus Christ

The Bible says in Romans 1:1 LITV, Paul, a slave of Jesus Christ, a called apostle, separated to the gospel of God. 

Here we see Paul wrote as a humble servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul here does not exalt his apostleship to the Christians in Rome, but Paul humbled himself. Noticed Paul is first a slave (bond slave) of the Lord Jesus, and second a called apostle. For Paul to be a called apostle, he first needed to be called as a bond-slave. When we (Christians) look at ourselves as a bond-slave, it will humble ourselves before the living God, because we are bond-slaves, and the Lord Jesus is our Master. 

I want to focus on the word, “slave”. The word “slave” is the Greek word, “doulos”, and the basic implication of this word-described one who is bound to another. Paul the apostle was connected to the Lord Jesus Christ. The word “doulos” can be translated, as some translations do, a bond-slave. Paul the apostle was humbled when he said, “a slave of Jesus Christ.”

In the Old Testament, there was a law about being a bond-slave. This is found in the Book of Exodus 21:1-6. The Bible teaches in Exodus 21:5-6 that a bond-slave is a slave who has been set free, but loves his master, refuses to go free, and remains with his master to serve him forever.  The servant, without force, and with joy, serves his master because He loves him. Paul understood this wonderful truth that sets you free. The bond-slave of Jesus Christ is free indeed. Paul understood that true liberty is being a bond-slave of the Lord Jesus, His Master, and our Master. The Lord Jesus had set him free, and that freedom was in the Lord Jesus. Paul loved his Master and he would never want to be separated from his Master, the Lord Jesus, but to remain with His Master, and serve Him forever. 

This is true for every true believer. Anybody who professed to believe in Christ, but walked away from Him, was never saved- for a true bond-slave has been saved by Grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, and will serve Him forever.  A true bond-slave of the Lord Jesus is saved by grace and kept by grace. All true believers are bond-slaves of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Bible in 1Corthians 7:22-23 LITV says, For the one called a slave in the Lord is a freed man of the Lord. And likewise, the one called a free man is a slave of Christ. 23, You were redeemed with a price; do not become slaves of men.

Notice what Paul wrote, "For the one called a slave in the Lord is a freed man of the Lord. And likewise, the one called a free man is a slave of Christ", and then he wrote, "You were redeemed with a price."  Paul is referring to a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, who has redeemed us with a price, which was Christ laying down His Life for us, and because He did, believers have been set free, and no longer slaves to sin and the devil, but a slave to Him, the Lord Jesus Christ, who treats us and loves us perfectly. Christians have been set free to love Him because He first loved us, and to serve Him, and to rejoice in Him forever more. To be a bond-slave of the Lord Jesus Christ means to be completely and entirely for the service of our Lord, which means in all that we do. 

There will be times when a true bond-slave of the Lord Jesus Christ will let their Master down, but when they do, they are displeased, and have no pleasure in what they have done because their desire is to please Him, their Master Jesus, in all things. The Bible says in 1Corinthians 10:31 LITV, Then whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all things to the glory of God. 

Never forget brothers and sisters in Christ, we are a bond-slave of the Lord Jesus Christ, the same as Paul was. We are to be humble as Paul was, like we see here in Romans 1:1, when he began to write this letter. A bond-slave of the Lord Jesus Christ is to delight in his Master's Word, which is the Bible, to serve Him and obey Him in the way they are to live as Christians according to the Word of God, and to please the One they serve, just like with Paul the apostle. 

What a wonderful thing to know the Lord Jesus, and to be His bond-slave, and to want to serve Him and obey Him and glorify Him, because we love Him, the One who made us His own because He first loved us by His grace. May the Lord help by His grace as we serve Him, our Good Master, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Rejecting the Witness of God

Many people go around saying they believe in God, but they reject and do not believe in the Lord Jesus Christ found in the Bible. The Apostle John in his first epistle makes it very clear concerning this matter. In 1John 5:10 LITV, he wrote, 'The one believing in the Son of God has the witness in himself. The one not believing God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the witness which God has witnessed concerning His Son.'

Notice the apostle wrote, 'The one not believing God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the witness which God has witnessed concerning His Son.'

The Bible says, 'The one not believing God has made Him a liar.' When a person does not believe the witness that God has given about His Son, that person is calling God a liar. Think about this: If someone calls somebody else a liar, he or she obviously does not believe what that person is telling them. It would be a contradiction in terms to say, 'I believe in God, but I do not believe the witness that God has given about His Son.' If a person does not believe in the Son, then that person is literally saying, 'I do not believe (trust) in God but reject Him.' To reject and not put your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ of the Bible and not trust in Him alone to save you by His death, burial and resurrection, means to reject God, and call Him a liar!

More Apologetics! The Jehovah's (false)👎 Witnesses

One of the false doctrines of the Jehovah's Witnesses is that Jesus is the first created being of Jehovah. They teach that Jesus is Michael the archangel, who was on this earth just as a man, not as the God-man. 

First of all, the Bible teaches that the Lord Jesus Christ is fully God (His eternal nature) and fully man (the nature He took on when He came to this earth), but One person, the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the God-man. The Bible says in John 1:14a LITV, And the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us.

I would like to look at 3 verses in the Bible that clearly teach that the Lord Jesus Christ is God- one verse is in the Old Testament, and two verses in the New Testament. The first verse we can find in Isaiah 45:23 LITV~ The Bible says, 'I have sworn by Myself, the word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, that to Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.'  The Lord God says, 'That to Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear'.

When we go to our next 2 verses in the New Testament found in Philippians 2:10-11 KJV- The Bible says, that at the name of Jesus "every knee should bow," of heavenly ones, and earthly ones, and ones under the earth, and "every tongue should confess" that Jesus Christ is "Lord," to the glory of God the Father'.

We clearly see the Deity of the Lord Jesus. God says in Isaiah 45:23, That to Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear, and in Philippians 2:10-11, we see that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow and every tongue should confess that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 

What applies to Yahweh God in Isaiah 45:23, applies exactly the same to Jesus Christ in Philippians 2:10-11, for Christ Jesus is Yahweh God with the Father and the Holy Spirit, and because He is God, every knee will bow before Him and confess Him as Lord, to the glory of God the Father, even them who reject Christ and will spend eternity in hell.

KJV 1John 5:7?

In this blog post I want to briefly look at the King James Bible. First of all, this is not an attack on the KJV Bible, but to give an understanding of the Greek text for which the KJV is based upon, which is the Greek New Testament of Erasmus.

Erasmus produced five editions of his Greek New Testament, translating them in both Greek and Latin. Erasmus had only about half a dozen Greek manuscripts in his possession, and they were around the 10th to the 12th century. Compare that to what is available today, with over 5600 Greek manuscripts, and some even dating back as early as the 2nd century. For the Book of Revelation, the end part was missing, which was Revelation 22:16-21, so Erasmus back translated Revelation 22:16-21 from Latin to the Greek for his Greek New Testament.

In 1519, Erasmus did his 2nd edition of his Greek New Testament, where he made some corrections from the first edition, while having the Roman Catholic Hierarchy on his back, complaining about how he had worded in his Greek New Testament regarding 1John 5:7 to 8, for it did not match with their official translation which was the Latin Vulgate, for In Erasmus' first edition, 1John 5:7-8, read, For there are three that bear witness: 8 the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one. This was different to the Latin Vulgate, which read,  For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. 8 And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.

This reading of 1John 5:7 to 8 in the Latin Vulgate was based on late copies- for this reading would not get into the Latin Vulgate until hundreds of years after it was completed. These words found in the Latin Vulgate were not found in any Greek manuscripts until one popped up, a made to order Greek manuscript for Erasmus.

Erasmus said he would not include this reading found in the Latin Vulgate unless he had a Greek manuscript with this reading. A made to order Greek manuscript was produced, with the Latin Vulgate reading included, and eventually found its way to Erasmus, and was included in his third edition. 

Interestingly, the made to order Greek manuscript for Erasmus which added in the Latin Vulgate reading of 1John 5:7, was corrected by Erasmus because the Greek was badly written. These words were not found in any other Greek manuscript until this one materialized.

As a matter of fact, there are only a few Greek only manuscripts which are known, to have this reading found in the KJV for 1John 5:7, and they are late manuscripts.  It is clear that the wording which is found in the KJV for 1John 5:7, which was based on the Erasmus' Greek New Testament, was not the original reading, but clearly a Latin addition.

Also, to add, the Majority Text does not match the Textus Receptus in regards to 1John 5:7-8, but the Majority text says, like many modern translations say, For there are three that bear witness: 8 the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one. The rendering of 1John 5:7 in the TR is a Latin addition, and the Majority text has the original and correct reading. 

Now, do not get the idea this is an attack on the Trinity, absolutely not, I believe the Bible teaches the Trinity, God is Triune, but as one person said, the Trinity does not live or die on 1John 5:7. We have many places in the Bible where it teaches the Trinity, the Trinity is a Biblical doctrine, but this verse is not one of them, for the verse as written in the KJV has been proven to be a Latin addition and not an original reading.

The Storms of Life

Let us look in Mark 6, from v. 45, when Jesus walked on the water. The Lord Jesus had just fed the five thousand men, plus women and children—so probably maybe closer to twenty thousand— with five loaves of bread and two fish. There was a big crowd. Many people there.

And in v. 45 LITV, the Bible says 'And at once He constrained His disciples to enter into the boat, and to go before to the other side, to Bethsaida, until He should dismiss the crowd.'

Jesus was going to send the people away, and Jesus made His disciples to get into a boat, to sail across the Sea of Galilee to the other side, and Jesus went into the mountain to pray. The Bible says, 'And taking leave of them, He went away to the mountain to pray.' (v. 46 LITV)

Then it carries on to say that the boat was in the midst of the sea when Jesus was still on land, and the disciples were distressed in the rowing, for the wind was against them; they were in the middle of a storm, and the sea was high. The Bible says in v. 46-48 LITV,  

And taking leave of them, He went away to the mountain to pray. And it becoming evening, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and He alone on the land. And He saw them being distressed in the rowing, for the wind was contrary to them. And it was about the fourth watch of the night when He came toward them, walking on the sea. And He willed to go by them. 

So we see that the Lord Jesus told them to go over the Sea of Galilee, and while the disciples sailed across, they got caught up in a storm, and struggled to row the boat. They had to face a storm, and it was not a very nice storm. The disciples were facing a storm which was against them, and must have seemed like to the disciples that the storm was pulling them under. 

Firstly, that shows us (as Christians) a truth here. We as Christians are not immune to the storms of life.  The Redeemed can go through the storms of life, and not because of the consequences of sin. The disciples were obedient to the Lord, being in the will of God. They were in the place where the Lord Jesus clearly put them. Jesus told them to sail over the Sea of Galilee, and Jesus was not caught off guard by the storm. He knew the storm was coming, and His disciples would be in the middle of this storm. Amen.

Now, there can be times when we (Christians) are in a storm because of the consequences of sin, and this is clearly seen in the Bible. What about Jonah, when he went through a storm because he disobeyed God. Jonah attempted to run from God, being out of the will of God, being in the wrong place, and he faced and went through a storm, being swallowed by a great fish. He was there for being out of the will of God. Jonah found himself going through this time of adversity. 

But here in Mark 6, they were facing the storm not because of sin, but because they were obeying the Lord; they were in the right place, being in the will of God. The same for us in our Christian life, we can face adversity (the storms of life) when we are obeying the Lord, doing the will of God, being in the right place, the place where God wants us to be. Amen. Another example from the Bible would be Paul the apostle, when he was in the Philippian prison, Paul was in the will of God, he was in the place where God wanted him to be, doing the will of God, but going through a time of adversity.  

What is the reason for this? The reason is the Lord Jesus Christ is working on his people. The Bible says in Romans 8:28 LITV, 'But we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to purpose.'

Then in the next verse it tells us the purpose—to be conformed to the image of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord is spiritually enlarging us in Christ Jesus, conforming us to His image.

Yes, we can grow in the light times, when the storm is calm, but there are certain things which can only be discovered in the dark (the storms of life). There are things in the storms of life we will discover, enlarging us spiritually. It is not because God does not love us, it is because He does love us, and it is not because God does not care, it is because God does care for us. These times will strengthen us in the Lord. The Lord loves us too much to allow us to remain still, but He is making His people more like the Lord Jesus Christ, in our words, thoughts and deeds, and in that, Jesus our Lord is glorified. God is glorified.  Amen. 

Again in v. 46-48 LITV, the Bible says,  

And taking leave of them, He went away to the mountain to pray. And it becoming evening, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and He alone on the land. And He saw them being distressed in the rowing, for the wind was contrary to them. And it was about the fourth watch of the night when He came toward them, walking on the sea. And He willed to go by them. 

The Lord Jesus, as we have discovered, put His disciples into the middle of the storm, and Jesus had a purpose for doing what He did. Now we will see what Jesus was doing for them while they were in the storm. While they were in a storm, the Lord Jesus was interceding for them on the mountain. The Lord Jesus was watching and interceding for them. When the Lord Jesus puts His people into a storm, He will never leave His people, nor forsake them, just like we see here with His disciples. So the second thing we see—Jesus was interceding for them.

Thirdly, Jesus had His eyes upon them. Notice what it says in v. 48 LITV, the Bible says, 'And He saw them being distressed in the rowing, for the wind was contrary to them.'  The Lord Jesus saw them being distressed in the rowing, for He could see them, but they could not see the Lord Jesus. When believers in the Lord Jesus are going through the storms of life, when adversity comes, the Lord Jesus always has His eyes upon them. He loves His people, and cares for His people, and will always provide for His people when they are going through a storm. The Lord Jesus Christ never leaves nor forsakes His people, for His people are His redeemed, and always will be. 

We also see here that Jesus intercedes for His people. Understand that Jesus intercedes for them who are His. He interceded for His people here, and the Lord Jesus intercedes for all His people (Christians), wherever they may be on this earth. The Bible says in Hebrews 7:25 LITV, ' From this also He is able to save to perfection those who come to God through Him, ever living to intercede on their behalf.'

If you are a believer, be blessed to understand and to know, that every Christian has the intercessory work of the Lord Jesus Christ before the Father in Heaven. The Lord Jesus Christ represents His people before the Father. We need His intercessory work. The intercessory work of the Lord Jesus Christ is based on His finished work; His death, burial and resurrection. The very reason His people will endure to the end, and reach the shores of eternity, just like His followers reached the shore here, is because the Lord Jesus Christ intercedes for us, based on His finished work for our salvation. The Lord Jesus can never, and will never fail in His intercessory work.

So not only does the Lord Jesus put us (Christians) in the storms of life at times, to conform us (His people) to His image, the Lord Jesus has His eyes upon us, intercedes for us, providing for us, whatever we go through, even when we fail Him, He will not fail us in His intercessory work—just like we see with Peter when he failed the Lord Jesus when he denied the Lord Jesus Christ—for the Bible says that Jesus prayed for him, knowing that Peter would fall, praying for Peter to come back up again, which Peter did, and was used by the Lord in a great way, and Peter was kept by the Lord until the end. Thank the Lord for His intercession before the throne in Heaven. 

Lastly, we see that Jesus came to them. We have already seen that Jesus was with them all the way, His eyes were upon them, and He was interceding for them, and then we can also see the Lord Jesus Christ came to them at the perfect time, and He calmed the storm. The Bible says in v. 48 LITV, 'And it was about the fourth watch of the night when He came toward them, walking on the sea. And He willed to go by them.' Jesus came to them. In v.51a LITV the Bible says, 'And He went up to them into the boat, and the wind was cut off.' The same for all His people, He will come to us at the right time (never too late, never too early) and He will calm the storm, and get us through to the other side. He is a faithful God. He is faithful to His Word. 

Brothers and sisters in Christ, we can trust Him whatever may come. Let us trust Him whatever we face, whether prosperity or adversity, we can trust our Lord because He is the one true God, who is the God of truth, and His Word is truth. Let us trust Him—Let us stand on His Word. 

Notice what the Lord Jesus says to them. He says in v. 50, 'For all saw Him, and were troubled. And immediately He spoke to them and said to them, Have courage. I AM! Do not fear.' Notice Jesus said to His disciples, 'Do not fear.' When we go through the storms of life, God wants us to experience His peace which has been given to His people in Christ, and not be fearful. Notice what Jesus said in this same verse, 'Have courage. I AM! Do not fear.' Let us not be fearful when we go through the storms of life, for we serve the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the I AM.  We belong to Him. The Lord Jesus Christ can always be trusted in all things. The Lord Jesus has already given to His people the greatest gift of all, Himself. We serve a faithful God. Always remember, even when things do not go the way we would like them to go, or our prayer is not answered the way we asked, God can always be trusted, because He is faithful to His Word, and He will always do the right thing, just like we have seen here in Mark 6. Amen.

I will finish with this scripture in Isaiah 51:10 LITV, 

Who among you fears Jehovah, obeying the voice of His servant, who walks in darkness, and no light is in him? Let him trust in the name of Jehovah, and lean on his God. 

Let there be Light!

There are Christians who believe in prevenient grace, which means God gives this prevenient grace to every individual, to all people, for them to be able to come to the Lord Jesus Christ, while still having a heart of stone, being dead in trespasses and sins. They believe a person can come to Christ being in a spiritually dead state.

The problem with prevenient grace is it is found nowhere in the Bible. The Bible teaches that a person who is dead in trespasses and sins can not come to the Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible says in Romans 3:11 LITV, There is none that understands, there is not one that seeks after God. In 1Corinthians 2:14 LITV, the Bible says. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he is not able to know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

The Bible teaches that a person needs to be born from above, to be regenerated by God to even see the kingdom of God, and enter the kingdom of God. John 3:3 LITV, says, Jesus answered and said to him, Truly, truly, I say to you, if one does not receive birth from above, he is not able to see the kingdom of God. Notice that without being born from above, a person cannot even see the kingdom of God. Then in John 3:5 LITV, Jesus answered, Truly, truly, I say to you, if one does not receive birth out of water and Spirit, he is not able to enter into the kingdom of God. One must be born from above to able to see and to enter into the kingdom of God.

When God regenerates a person, when they are born from above, God takes out the heat of stone and gives unto that person a heart of flesh, they are raised to spiritual life, and the will of that person is changed by God, which will result in that person wanting and coming to the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. The Bible says in John 6:37 LITV, All that the Father gives to Me shall come to Me, and the one coming to Me I will in no way cast out.

When we go to Ephesian 1:4 LITV, the Bible says, according as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, for us to be holy and without blemish before Him in love. He chose us means God chose His elect people, and then says, in Him, which refers to Christ. God chose His elect people in Christ, and then it tells us when God did this, the Bible says, before the foundation of the world. God chose His people in Christ Jesus in eternity, even before Genesis 1:1, when the Bible says, God created the heaven and the earth. And then the verse says, for us which means His elect people, to be holy and without blemish before Him in love. v.4 speaks about God choosing a people for Himself in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ- God has chosen whom He will extend His saving grace to, in His Son the Lord Jesus Christ.

Then in v. 5 LITV, the Bible says, predestinating us, again referring to the elect, to adoption through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will. The ones whom God has elected in Christ Jesus for salvation, God has predestined to be placed into the position of sons through Christ Jesus. Notice what is said at the end of the verse, according to the good pleasure of His will. Not according what God saw down the corridors of time what we would do, but by the good pleasure of His will.

Now let us go to in Genesis 1:3 LITV, and the Bible says, then God said, Let light be! And there was light. Here we see that God created light on the first day of creation, and it was good. Everything that God does is good. In Genesis 1:3, when it speaks of light, it is speaking about the physical creation, physical light, which God created on the first day.

Now let us go to in 2Cor. 4:6 LITV. Notice what it says in v. 6,  Because it is God who said, "Out of darkness Light shall shine," who shone in our hearts to give the brightness of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Notice what Paul wrote here, Because it is God who said, “Out of darkness Light shall shine”- this is referring to what God did in Genesis 1:3, when God said, Let there be light, when God created the physical light on the first day of creation. Then we see Paul moves on to write about the spiritual light that God gives in the same verse, v. 6 LITV, when Paul wrote, who shone in our hearts to give the brightness of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Just like God did in creation, when God said, Let there be light at the appointed time of His choosing, God does that spiritually for His elect people at the appointed time of His choosing, God says let there be light, and there will be light, and they will come to the Lord Jesus Christ and receive the salvation which He accomplished for them.

God has to bring light to a person in darkness, and when God does bring light to a person in darkness, they will no longer be blind but be able to see, having been regenerated, born from above, having now been given a heart for God, will come to godly repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, and be saved by the grace of God in His Son.

When God says, Let there be light in sinner’s life, that person will come to Christ, not forcibly, but willingly. They will desire to come to Christ Jesus, and they will come to Christ, because God said, Let there be light. If God does not bring light to a person in their lifetime, that person will continue in darkness, always continuing to have pleasure in unrighteousness and not in the truth, and will continue to reject Christ not forcibly, but wilfully, and will die in their sins without Christ and get what they rightly deserve, which is the just judgment of God, and they will spend eternity in hell.

When the Lord divided between the light and the darkness in creation in Genesis 1:3, God also divides His own people from the people in the kingdom of darkness, because the people of God enter into the kingdom of Light. This is the work of the Lord.

The Saved and The Lost

The saved believe God, but the lost call God a liar. 

1John 5:10 LITV, The one believing in the Son of God has the witness in himself.  The one not believing God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the witness which God has witnessed concerning His Son.  

The saved are thankful to God, but the lost are thankless to God.

1Thessalonians 5:18 LITV, In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus toward you. 

Romans 1:21a LITV Because knowing God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful.

The saved worship and serve the Creator, but the lost worship and serve the creation.

John 4:23a LITV, But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. 

Romans 1:25 LITV, who changed the truth of God into the lie, and worshiped and served the created thing more than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

The saved have pleasure in righteousness, the lost have pleasure in unrighteousness.

1John 3:7-8a LITV, Little children, let no one lead you astray; the one practicing righteousness is righteous, even as that One is righteous. The one practicing sin is of the Devil, because the Devil sins from the beginning.

The saved practice obedience to God, the lost practice disobedience to God.

John 14:21 LITV, He that has My commandments and keeps them, it is that one who loves Me; and the one that loves Me shall be loved by My Father, and I shall love him and reveal Myself to him. 

Colossians 3:6 LITV, on account of which the wrath of God is coming on the sons of disobedience, 

The saved say evil is evil and good is good, but the lost say evil is good and good is evil.

1Thessalonians 5:15 LITV, See that no one returns evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue the good, both towards one another and towards all.

Isaiah 5:20 LITV, Woe to those who say to evil, good; and to good, evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

The Inheritance given by God

Ephesians 1:11-14 LITV

Notice what Paul wrote, in whom we also have been chosen to an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of the One working all things according to the counsel of His own will. Notice the word ‘We’. The word “we”refers to all Christian believers. We know this because after v. 11, Paul wrote in v.12, for us to be to the praise of His glory, the ones who had previously trusted Christ, referring to Jewish believers in Christ, and in v. 13, in whom also you, hearing the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom also believing you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, referring to Gentile believers in Christ, and then v. 14, who is the earnest of our inheritance. “We” in v. 11 refers to all true believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, whether Jew or Gentile believer in the Lord Jesus, we are one in Christ, and both are heirs according to the promise of God.

Because we have election, we have redemption, and because we have redemption, we have been given an inheritance. All this was predetermined in the very mind of God before the foundation of the world. Paul emphasizes the master planning of God from eternity, to choose and redeem a people for Himself, and to give them a heavenly inheritance in the Lord Jesus. 

Notice the words, being predestinated according to the purpose of the One….. This is referring to the Father. This inheritance was predestined by the Father in His Son. God set the boundary and limited to His elect people in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Not only are the people of God elected for Salvation, but also predestined to an inheritance. It was predetermined by God. Notice the words in v. 11 according to the purpose of the One working all things according to the counsel of His own will. It is according to God, not man. The word "will" is the same word in v. 1 (thelema), which means a thing willed. It was the very will of God. It was in the very heart of God, His pleasure, the desire of God’s heart. He is the source of this work. The author of this work, the one who writes the story. The Lord is the One who puts it into progress, and the Lord is One who will bring it to completion. This was done by the Lord’s own direction and will, no other gave Him advice, nor direction, nor by the will of another, no one persuaded Him, nor inspired Him, nor made an effort on Him, nor gave Him any reason to do what He did, but all done by His Grace. The Inheritance has been establised by God to give to His people, and may we never forget to praise Him for His goodness in the Lord Jesus Christ, His Son. 

Look at the word, “working” in v. 11. It is the Greek word, “energeo”, and it is where we get the English word, “energy”.  God never plans something, and then try and to work out how to accomplish the plan, but He predestined, and by His omnipotence, fufills whatever He predestined. In v. 14,  the Bible says that the Holy Spirit is the earnest of our inhertance, which means He has been given to us as a guarantee, what we have in part, we will receive in full.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, Our Father loves you and me with a measureless, eternal, and perfect love. We will be with Him. Nothing can change that, it is all fixed and secured in the Victorious One, our Lord and Saviour, Christ Jesus. No man could stop creation, nor the incarnation, nor the crucifixion, nor the resurrection, nor our salvation, and nothing can stop our glorification, nothing can stop us from being with Jesus. Heaven is a real place, but what makes heaven, heaven, the Lord Jesus Christ. Being with Him makes all what we have in Him, special, and without Him they would be empty. Jesus is in heaven, and we will be with Him. Amen.