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The Word Revealed

There are some who think, "Out with the old, and in with the new!" and apply this rationale to the Old and New Testament in the Bible.  All of God's word is important for us to read and study.  Since Jesus is the central figure in all Scripture, the Old Testament often points to the New and the New Testament builds on and expands upon the Old.  All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction and instruction in righteousness that God's people would be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work ( 2 Timothy 3:16-17 ). This week I read a passage in the Gospel of John that quoted from the book of Isaiah and provided insight by identifying Jesus as God he saw.  John wrote many did not believe Jesus was the Messiah or God in  John 12:37-41 :  " But although He had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in Him,  38  that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spok...
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Problem Waste

Today was the "Chemical CleanOut" day for our local council, and people are invited to go to the Sydney Motorsport Park to drop off what is considered "problem" waste.  There are many locations where used motor oil can be dropped off to be recycled for free, but I had some petrol contaminated oil that could not be recycled.  After church I went out of my way to swing by the motorsport park in the last hour to drop off the oil and a few old tins of paint that were left in our garage by the previous owners. As I drove away from the motorsport park--free of all chemical waste that had been sitting in my garage for years--I considered times previous I acquired items or waste products that were illegal to throw away and difficult to offload.  When I worked previously at a church, our storage area had become the dumping grounds for an incredible volume of paint that became my problem.  I remember when it became illegal in California to throw fluorescent tubes into dumpste...
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Take Pleasure in Christ

" You are worthy, O Lord, t o receive glory and honour and power;  f or You created all things,  a nd by Your will they exist and were created ." Revelation 4:11 John witnessed 24 elders worship the LORD God and proclaim His worthiness, having creating all things by His will as it pleased Him.  While the modern use of "pleasure" leans almost entirely into involving the gratification of fleshly desires and senses, Webster recognised it also means, " What the will dictates or prefers; will; choice; purpose; intention; command ."   Isaiah 44:28 is cited as an example:  "... Who says of Cyrus, 'He is My shepherd, a nd he shall perform all My pleasure,  s aying to Jerusalem, "You shall be built,"  a nd to the temple, "Your foundation shall be laid ."  God affirmed King Cyrus would gladly do all God's pleasure in fulfilling His command to send Jews back from captivity to Jersualem and provide materials to rebuild the templ...
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God's Good Word

I have been reading through the R.A. Torrey classic, The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit , and it is an illuminating resource with great benefit for all Christians.  One aspect I have enjoyed thoroughly is how Torrey illuminated the deity of the Holy Spirit by referencing Old Testament verses where God plainly spoke and the New Testament attributed the quote specifically to the Holy Spirit.  While the Old Testament is God's word, passages from the New Testament help us to understand more perfectly what was being said and to apply timeless truth personally. For instance, Isaiah 6:8-9 related when the prophet heard God speak:  " Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: "Whom shall I send,  a nd who will go for Us?" Then I said, "Here am I! Send me."  9  And He said, "Go, and tell this people: 'Keep on hearing, but do not understand;  k eep on seeing, but do not perceive .'"  The Lord (Adonay) spoke to Isaiah, and Paul attributed ...
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Changed by Christ

As Jesus and His disciples were near the temple in Jerusalem, they saw a man begging who was born blind.  Jesus spat on the ground, mixed it with dirt to make mud, smeared it on the blind eyes of the man, and told him to go and wash in the Pool of Siloam.  The text in John 9 says matter-of-factly he went, washed and came back seeing. When people who previously knew the man born blind saw him seeing, they could not believe it was the same person.   John 9:8-9 states, " Therefore the neighbors and those who previously had seen that he was blind said, "Is not this he who sat and begged?"  9 Some said, "This is he." Others said, "He is like him." He said, "I am he. "  Having eyes able to see completely changed the man's appearance to the point he was unrecognisable!  Some were convinced it was the same man, yet others insisted this man merely resembled him.  The man who was previously blind admitted he was indeed the man born blind, the ...
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Willingness and Persuasion

In a sermon on Hosea 8 , C.H. Spurgeon made an excellent point he saw no need for him to resort to worldly arguments in an attempt to "prove" to skeptics God wrote the Bible--though he could supply many persuasive reasons from the Scripture to demonstrate this.  He said, " I am a Christian minister, and you are Christians, or profess to be so; and there is never any necessity for Christian ministers to make a point of bringing forward infidel arguments in order to answer them. It is the greatest folly in the world. Infidels, poor creatures, do not know their own arguments till we tell them, and then they glean their blunted shafts to shoot them at the shield of truth again ."  Since faith in God and submission to Him is a matter of reason and the will, facts alone will not persuade a stubborn soul.  They will often choose to cling to blunted arguments than surrender their lives to Jesus Christ as LORD.  Praise the LORD what is impossible for mankind is possible wit...
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Do What God Says

Last night at Bible study we briefly discussed the interaction between Eve and Satan in the Garden of Eden.  As the devil questioned and denied the truth of God's word, they conversed without interruption.  One might think Adam was caught up in work elsewhere in the garden, and Satan decided to seize the opportunity to tempt Eve because her husband was away.   Genesis 3:6 shows this was not the case:  " So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate ."  It seems Adam was standing there with Eve and let her do all the talking--when he should have boldly spoken and affirmed the truth of all God said. Because Adam was unwilling to take a stand in the fear of God and obedience to Him, without a word he went along with Eve and ate from the single tree God forbade him to eat.  Looking back to th...
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