July 30, 2006

• Here is the rest of Friday’s Bible study, continued from yesterday. Pastor Don mentions his testimony during this portion of Bible study. If you want to read it, it is included in the book mentioned above.

  
  

  Isaiah 46

  
  

  Isaiah 46:1-3 Bel bows down, Nebo stoops: Their idols were on the beasts and on the cattle. Your carriages were heavily loaded, a burden to the weary beast. They stoop, they bow down together; They could not deliver the burden, but have themselves gone into captivity. Listen to Me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, Who have been upheld by Me from birth, who have been carried from the womb:

  
  

  From birth God is a covenant keeping God. Pastor Don talked about infant baptism, and stated that infant dedication is biblical - one example is Jesus being brought to the temple, but baptism is more than sprinkling on of water, but whole immersion symbolizing the death, burial, and resurrection. It has to be a voluntary action of the heart, made by someone who is old enough to know the decision they are making. God requires simple obedience as a token that there is something in you. Often the obedience is a bit inconvenient (i.e. wet clothes from baptism), but the action symbolizes something deep within your heart.

  
  

  In our church baptism, is followed by baptism of the Holy Spirit, and then Holy Communion.

  
  

  Pastor Don talked about communion and how it relates to the Jewish wedding ceremony, where, after the covenant marriage contract was drawn up that detailed all the groom was to do in preparation for the bride, the bride was called into the room and her acceptance of the groom was sealed by sharing the cup of wine and eating bread. She was then betrothed to the groom and awaited his coming to take her as a bride once the marriage contract requirements were met.

  
  

  When we take holy communion we are accepting all the promises that Jesus has for us, and we are his betrothed, waiting for his coming to take us to the marriage supper of the Lamb. We belong to Jesus now, and He belongs to us, we are not to court other idols.

  
  

  Isaiah 46:3-4 Listen to Me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, who have been upheld by Me from birth. Who have been carried from the womb; Even to your old age, I am He, and even to gray hairs (Pastor Don mentioned partially bald heads too) I will carry you! I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you.

  
  

  Just a side note, besides the obvious that God is there for us all the time, upholding us. It mentions that God will DELIVER us, in order to need to be delivered you have to be in a position to need being delivered – that is a pretty good indication that our lives will not always be smooth sailing, and we will need to lean on God and be delivered by Him. There are going to be some traps that we fall prey to, some pits we fall into, and some troubles in our lives.

  
  

  Verses 5-9 To whom will you liken Me, and make Me equal and compare Me, that we should be alike? They lavish gold out of the bag, and weigh silver on the scales; they hire a goldsmith, and he makes it a god; they prostrate themselves, yes, they worship. They bear it on the shoulder, they carry it and set it in its place, and it stands; from its place it shall not move. Though one cries out to it, yet it cannot answer nor save him out of his trouble. Remember this, and show yourselves men; Recall to mind, O you transgressors. Remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God and there is none like Me.

  
  

  So often we forget all the things that God has done in our lives or try to rationalize it as chance, or good fortune. But so often God has delivered us, and we need to remember that. (Heather’s note: when we are faced with a problem we need to remember what God has done in our lives, and remind our problem and satan what a great God we have). The idols are made by human hands and are impotent to help us, only a living God, who is sovereign holds power over our troubles. It is to the living God we must come.

  
  

  Verse 10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done. Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand. And I will do all my pleasure.”

  
  

  The reality is, whether we like what God does or says, He is God. Whether we like the way life turns out, we do not want God to be different. We accept God as He is, and know that He is God, there is no other. God is sovereign. Pastor Don says that when he dies and goes to heaven he may ask God why this situation occurred the way it did, and he knows that God has a good reason that encompasses more than what Pastor Don would know in the flesh. We will see that God had everything in control, and that there was a purpose for everything we don’t understand now. Much of what needs doing, if we are patient we will see occur. There is a supernatural aspect that we don’t realize is behind the scenes. Our weapon is the prayer of agreement.

  
  

  One woman talked about how she bumped into a woman from her past that she used to study yoga with. This woman is now a Buddhist. And she is taking massage from someone else in our church. Pastor Don pointed out that the masseuse and she should get together and pray a prayer of agreement about this woman’s salvation. For where two are three are gathered in His name, He is present. God knows the end from the beginning, and there are interconnections that we don’t always know in or physical being.

  
  

  Then we were talking about how God intervenes in our lives, protecting us in dangerous situations. Pastor Don went to Hebrews 1:1-4 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed  heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right and of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.

  
  

  There are cults out there that claim that Jesus is only the Archangel Michael, or an angel like Moroni, and deny His divinity. They are in error. Here it clearly shows that Jesus is more than an angel.

  
  

  Hebrews 1:5-7 For to which of the angels did He ever say: “You are My Son, Today I have begotten you?” And again: “I will be to Him a Father, And He shall be to Me a Son?” But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says: “Let all the angels of God worship Him.” And of the angels He says, “Who makes His angels spirits and His ministers a flame of fire.”

  
  

  How many of our ministers are such flames of fire – many fizzle out, seeking to blend in with culture. This shows that angels are not the same as Jesus, and then we got into a discussion of ways angels have intervened in our lives.

  
  

  Isaiah 46:11 Calling a bird of prey from the east, the man who executes My counsel, from a far country. Indeed I have spoken it I will also bring it to pass. I have purposed it. I will also do it.

  
  

  God is in charge, and we need to recognize this in our lives.

  
  

  Then we started talking about Jehovah Witnesses and how they come to the door, how do we deal with that?

  
  

  1 John 4:1-3 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you now the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that, Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.

  
  

  If a person’s theology denies the divinity of Jesus, and denies that Jesus is God, but also came into the flesh, died and resurrected for our sins, it is a counterfeit theology.

  
  

  1 John 4:4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

  
  

  2 John 7-11For many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. Look to yourselves, that we do not lose those things we worked for, but that we may receive a full reward. Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him; for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds.

  
  

  Someone asked what it meant by greet and Pastor Don told her that it meant something entirely different from a simple “Hi.” In those days visitors met at a table and often a person would come to the table and and the master of the home would pour him a glass of wine. If the master then takes the empty glass and turns it upside down, the meeting is over. If the cup overflows in that the master pours more wine into the glass, again and again it means that the guest is greeted and welcome.

  
  

  But the answer to this person’s question was not to let them in your house, but to meet them on the doorstep if need be and not take their literature. Before Pastor Don’s wife got saved, Pastor Don would go to church and like clockwork the Jehovah Witnesses would drive up and talk with his wife. He finally, after consulting his pastor at the time, told her to talk with them outside. Then when He was home, he would say, I’ll give you five minutes, but then you have to listen to me for five minutes. He would look at his watch and say “go” and the person usually did not take five minutes.

  
  

  Pastor Don would then share his testimony, about how God healed him from a disease after the doctor had told him to go home and set his affairs in order. He then told the person to wait, and went in and got the doctor’s records, and showed them to the person. The JW kid was so impressed and Pastor Don told him I’ll take your literature if you take mine. By that time the elder in the car came up to see what was going on. The kid tells his elder about the testimony and the elder decides to talk with Pastor Don. The kid says, he’ll listen for five minutes, but you have to listen to him and he has a fantastic testimony. Pastor Don told the kid he could come back as the elder had taken the kid by the arm and retreated to their car. Pastor Don doesn’t seem to get JW’s anymore at his house.

  
  

  Pastor Don says that you should not argue Bible theology with them because they are schooled in that and can argue toe to toe with you. But rather share your testimony, share how God is moving in your life, how real God is, what a relationship you have with God. They do not have that in their theology and they cannot argue against your testimony.

  
  

  Then Pastor Don reminded us that the Spirit and the Word must agree. If there is something in our tradition that does not agree with the Word, we must change our actions to comply with the Word of God. If someone is preaching, or teaching and something grates against your spirit, check things out to make sure that the teaching is Biblical. Your Spirit will protect you from unsound theology.

  
  

  It was getting to be about 3:00 so we had to stop. Most of us would have loved to continue on. Before I got saved, I never knew how exciting Bible studies are. The Word is so rich and fun to learn.

  
  

  Hope you have a blessed Sunday. I get to drive Katherine to a Field Hockey camp in Pennsylvania, about 2 1/2 hours away. She is psyched.

  
  

  Have a great day.
  Heather

  • 12:07 am
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