A NEW START- CHARLES WOODRUFF

I decided to post today a revised article titled A New Start  which is designed to speak to the unconverted as well as the converted. It is not a long article, but says some things that need saying. I, and a number of my friends are praying for revival. We believe we must have it for survival in these perilous times. We have heard of places where there is revival, but in the states in recent years most have proven to be "not of the Spirit, but of the flesh". God is not going to bless fleshly efforts. From what the Bible teaches, and what history teaches, the sovereign God sends a refreshing when He chooses; but usually beforehand He prepares men to receive it. We need to beseech Him in these wicked days. Maybe you would say "we don't need reviving".Can you honestly look at the activity in most churches in our day, and say that they have all they need? So often, it is a show of the flesh. Doesn't your church need revival?

Can we honestly that we don't need God desperately in light of the increased catastrophes such as the Japanese earthquake/tsunami, and all the violent tornadoes just recently here in the USA;  the fires in Texas and other states; and even our world wide economic situation, which is affecting almost all countries.  Much of this caused by the various events such as the Middle East turmoil, the BP oil spill, and so many other events Don't you sense the extreme urgency of the hour, and our desperate need of God? Well, I certainly do!

When I visited the grave of George Whitefield, that mighty evangelist, greatly used of God  in The Great Awakening, I prayed "Lord, please do it again". He is buried under the pulpit in the South Church in Newburyport, Massachusetts. I was there  about 1982. I wanted to cry "Can these dry bones live"? I know Whitefield was a man like all of us, but a man that undoubtedly God designed to use. A man who said," I'd rather burn out than rust out!" He certainly did that, as some others did who served God.

Can we cry with the words of that old gospel song, Old Time Power,  written by Charles Tillman:  "Oh Lord send the power just now". You know what the rest is, don't you? "And baptize every one". Call it a baptism!. Call it a filling! Call it a pouring out! Call it whatever you think it should be called, but we need the Holy Ghost! We need God! May He graciously hear our cries for revival.
                                                           THE NEW START 

There was much talk about "change" in the election year of 2008. Some said "we are getting a new start" because George Bush will retire as president, and we will now have Barack Obama. I have been alive long enough to know that change does happen. I have seen much change in my own lifetime. Yet, as a Christian, I see that, sadly, much of the change has not been good. That has certainly been the case with Obama. As far as new starts; I have seen a few of these too.

Actually, in our lives we start over every day. For many of us, today will be no different from tomorrow. That is also sad, because there is not much worse in life than "getting in a rut". This is especially true if you are in the "rut" of sin. One of the worst things about sin is that you are born in it, and you cannot change that. We are told in Romans 3:23 "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God". Every human being is a sinner. You may not want to admit it, but you know it is true. One proof -- have you ever broken one of the Ten Commandments? Maybe you don't even know what they are. They are found in Exodus chapter 20. One of them is "You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain" (Exodus 20:7). Broken that one? Or what about this one "You shall not commit adultery" (Exodus 20:14). Broken that one? Okay, there are eight more. You have broken at least one; likely more than one. What does the Bible say about this? "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law (James 2:10, 11). So based on this, wouldn’t you agree that YOU are a sinner? May as well admit it, because you are!

Perhaps you have even tried to change from being a sinner. You have tried to make that new start, but have been unable to do so. You are not alone. Millions are there with you. You can't change yourself from a sinner to a saint. You do not have this power. (By now the average person has turned me off, maybe saying "he just wants to give us this Bible stuff, but I don't want to hear it, it is just "kid stuff"). You may even say the Bible is not true. I will give you one example to prove its truthfulness. It is a truth that man would "change immediately” if it were possible to do so. Hebrews 9:27 says "And as it is appointed unto man once to die, and after this the judgment." You cannot deny the first part of this verse and be considered rational. Everyone knows that we all die -- it is just a question of when. Now, you know that the first part is true, so why not the second part "after this the judgment”? People do not want to believe that, but the Bible has told us why men have to die, as Romans 6:23 says "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” It is because of sin. The same Bible that tells why we die tells us that God may give us eternal life. Many have testified over the centuries that God indeed has given them this eternal life. Some were executed!

You cannot buy this life. You cannot just pick it up on your own. You cannot just change, or make a new start and acquire this life by your own efforts. You cannot earn it, or make a deal to get it. Yet it is obtainable. I can't give it to you! No preacher, or priest, or pope, or rabbi, or guru can give it to you! There is only one that can give it to you. "The gift of God is eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ". It is a gift to those whom He chooses, yes, those whom He has chosen "from the foundation of the world". (See Ephesians 1:4). You ask how you may know that you are one of these. If you are interested in this change, this salvation; it is likely that God has put the desire in your heart. There is nothing I can find in the Bible about a sinner who wants to be saved whom God will not save. If He has moved in your inner being (your heart), to draw you, and made you willing to confess and forsake your sins (even those sins you love dearly); I can tell you "that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9). There is the answer for your new start in life, right from God's word. My friend, it still works in the 21st century. Christ died to pay the price nearly 2000 years ago, and in our time many scoff at God; but He still saves to the uttermost those who come to Him. If He has convicted your heart, why not ask Him to save you? Yes YOU!  He can, and He will do it, if you ask Him with true repentance.

If you still have questions, and are interested, read the entire book of Romans--slowly. It is only 16 chapters. I have read it many times, and it is the heart of gospel truth. It can change your mind and heart about God. If you still want to ask questions please email me at oursong2000@yahoo.com, and I will assist you if I can. God bless you, Charles

THE WORD ABOVE ALL

BY CHARLES WOODRUFF
 (The following article I wrote in 2007, and placed it on Cybermeditations as a very early effort. Upon reading it again, I felt there are some things that need to be repeated. So with a little "tweaking", here it is again. I always want my emphasis to be the Word of God above all other writings, of any sort.)


“Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto according to thy word” (Psalm 119:9).
“Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee” (Psalm 119:11).

What shall we study and meditate on? There are many books in the world -- some are good, some are bad. This is true of sermons you can hear and read -- some are good, some are bad. We could suggest, as some have, that you read nothing other than the Bible. Yet being men and women in a modern world, we are not likely to limit ourselves to that, especially if we are good readers. God gave us a desire for knowledge in many areas, and we sometimes fulfill that by reading.

A number of years ago, in another state, I was asked to preach in a particular church on several different occasions. I suppose I was 39 or 40 then, and the pastor there was considerably younger than myself. I got to know him pretty well, and stayed with him and his young family each time I was in the area. He told me that he read at least one of Charles Spurgeon’s sermons every day. I said, “Very commendable. Spurgeon was a great preacher and left us a great body of work." This pastor also put a Spurgeon sermon in his church paper each week. He had it all organized very neatly. It was very helpful.

The last time I was there, I met another young couple from his church that was staying in the pastor’s home until their house got repaired. They seemed like a nice couple. A short time later I got word that this pastor fell into sin with the other woman, and left his lovely wife and two little children for the other woman.Two homes were broken up! A ministry was destroyed! All because of sin!

What brought about this awful situation? This minister was surely not following the teachings of Spurgeon when he did this! You can’t blame Spurgeon for this, for he was a godly man. It does show that no matter how much a person is claiming to follow sound doctrine, he can err if he is not obeying God’s word. Spurgeon preached the word. Some others he read from like Arthur Pink also preached the word. He read his Bible regularly. But it doesn’t matter. He could have been reading John Wesley every day. Or J.C. Philpot. Or David Wilkerson. Or Billy Graham, or whoever. There had to be something much deeper to this than which ministers were influencing him. This minister himself studied, and preached the word. He seemed to have good Bible knowledge. Why did he put another black mark on the cause of Christ? “But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul“ (Proverbs 6:32). We are all flesh and blood, and I have to say “but for the grace of God there go I”.

However, there is an answer. Many, as James says, are only hearers (or readers), of the word. “Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves” (James 1:22). You see, it is not enough to just hear, or read, or be religious, the word must be in the heart to cause the manifestation of doing good works. James also said:
“ …To him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin” (James 4:17).

This man knew all this. Everyone thought him to be a true brother---- God alone knows that for sure. He surely does not appear to be God’s chosen, unless he repents. Beloved, as the verse I quoted at the beginning says, we must hide God’s word in our hearts. As our theme verse says, it is a lamp to guide our path. But we must be doers of the word. Remember in Ephesians, that great scripture mountaintop, it says: “For by grace are ye saved. Through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:8-10).

IF THERE BE NO RESURRECTION

BY CHARLES WOODRUFF

You don't have to wait until Easter Sunday to meditate on this wonderful truth: "Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live" (John 11:25).   It is really unbelievable, and even a little disheartening that some professing Christians only go to church on special occasions; some only at Easter. Sadly, I was once in that terrible slough of despond for a while that now seems far too long. It is wonderful to celebrate the resurrection of Christ, which is one of the central doctrines of the Christian faith. Tied into so-called Easter Sunday, are a lot of pagan traditions, including the name Easter taken from the goddess Eastre of Anglo-Saxon paganism. Don't let that divert you from celebrating the resurrection of Christ!  We should  do that every Lord's Day. As a matter of fact, we should do that every day!

Over the years I have written only 3-4 special pieces for this time of the year, and preached on it several times. I was impressed to do the following, and after comparing it with one I wrote five years ago, I had a laugh.  It dealt with exactly the same theme, but with a little different slant. Oh well, I hope you think it is worthy of sharing. I want it to be an encouragement and blessing. As we look around us, we need the comfort of Christ. We had a physical storm here last night. Much worse are the spiritual storms we are now in. Don't look at the clouds, my friends. Look up ! For your redemption draws near!

“Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised. And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.” (1 Corinthians 15:12-17)

I gave you these six verses so you would have the context. But, what I want to emphasize, at least at the start, is the most urgent message in these verses; the absolute necessity of the bodily resurrection. Without it the entire Christian faith is nothing! It is a fabrication; a fantasy! Why would this be true? Because Jesus Christ would still be dead, and not our living saviour.

                                                                                                                                                     

The summation of all that Paul tells us here is: “If there be no resurrection--Christ is not risen--and you are yet in your sins” What a horrible concept for those of us who have trusted in Jesus Christ. There are many who believe that the whole gospel is, at best, a fairy tale; something made up by man, like Peter Pan, or Pinocchio. There are many who will be attending churches on Easter Sunday morning this month that have no concept of what it is supposed to mean. I say “supposed to mean” because Easter is a misnomer. It came from pagan origins. It is important to distinguish the biblical doctrine of resurrection from the pagan customs associated even with modern day Easter. What do colored eggs, and bunny rabbits actually have to do with the resurrection of Christ? It is something that the enemy has thrown in to “muddy the water”.

The major point Paul was making should be crystal clear. The resurrection is real! The risen Jesus is crystal clear. Saul of Tarsus (later to be called Paul) met him while a religious, but unsaved Jew. He was a Pharisee on the Damascus road, on the way to persecute Christians. Contrary to his expectations, he had his life transformed, in an instant!  Not only was his name changed, but Saul, the person, was changed irrevocably on the inside. This was the power of the resurrected, living, Christ. Much later in Paul’s life, in his letter to the Philippian church, he said: “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.” (Philippians 3:10-11)

After meeting Christ, Paul, for the rest of his life preached the resurrected Christ, and desired each day to know Him and the power of His resurrection. So he knew, as we must, that any other faith is vain. It is not “have faith in some kind of god”; “have faith in yourself”; “have blind faith”. It is only faith in the living Christ, who said at the tomb of Lazarus, whom He raised from the dead; “I am the resurrection and the life; he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live; And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believeth thou this?” (John 11:25, 26) Do we really believe it? Ironically, just as I was writing these words, a carload of so-called Jehovah’s Witnesses came to my driveway. The lady who was sent to the door was so obviously one of their cult. She had her twisted New World Translation in one hand, and one of the JW pamphlets full of lies in the other. I immediately told her that I was a Christian.  I told her the truth; that Jesus Christ is the living Jehovah, manifested in the flesh. (See 1Timothy 3:16). That He died for sinners, and rose from the dead (See I Corinthians 15:1-9), and that that she needed Him as her saviour. I also told her that those who die without Him will go to hell (which place they deny is real, but please read John 3:36). She made a hurried exit from my door. Sometimes I will talk with them at length, but did not think it wise today with two of my grandchildren here. All of them would have likely tried to come in, and while I was dealing with one, some of the rest might cleverly approach my grandkids. Please! Please! Don’t let you loved ones who are not grounded Christians discuss anything with them! They are totally contrasted to everything I am preaching today! They twist the Bible and distort it. I did tell the lady I would pray for her, and I meant it. I do pray for her. She is lost! She needs the resurrected Christ!

The central message of the Christian faith involves the resurrection. I don’t care what your denomination is; what your family heritage might be; whether you have been confirmed, sprinkled, immersed, took a catechism class, or whatever you have done; if you do not have this resurrected Christ in your life, you are lost!  If your church is not preaching the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, they are not preaching the gospel! (Look again at 1 Corinthians 15:1-10). Anything else is a false religion; a false gospel. In our introductory verse we read: “But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:13, 14)  

      I am convinced that the majority of churches of whatever persuasion are not preaching the true               gospel in our day. It is considered out of date by many. Other things have to be taught, and dubious methods used to build a “successful” church, it is believed. It isn’t really truth, if it is not Bible truth!  It is not the gospel if it is not the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. In Galatians any other gospel is condemned. Those who preach any other are under anathema (a curse). “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.”(Galatians 1:6-9)

      How is it with you, dear friend? Do you believe the word of God? Do you believe the resurrection is real? Do you believe in your heart that God raised Him from among the dead? If you are going to be a true Christian, you must believe this with all your heart. Do you, or have you just been playing church? That won’t do. True faith acts toward the living Christ. It must!

 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:9,10).

OH, THE HUMANITY!!

BY CHARLES WOODRUFF

On May 6, 1937, at Lakehurst, New Jersey Naval Air Station, while attempting to land, the German dirigible, Hindenburg, upon arriving from Frankfurt, burst into flames and crashed, killing 36 people, and injuring many others. Radio reporter, Herbert Morrison cried out “Oh, the humanity!” Those words became famous. We could have cried the same thing a few years later on the morning of December 7, 1941 when Japanese bombers attacked Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; destroying, or severely damaging much of the US Navy’s ships anchored there, and bringing America into World War Two. 2402 were killed,  and 1282 wounded. Oh, the humanity!

On September 11, 2001  (Now known as 9-11), four aircraft were hijacked by terrorists at Boston, two knocking down the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York, killing 2753 people. One also in Washington , DC, crashing into the Pentagon with extensive damage, and killing 184 people. Then the one (Likely planning to hit the US Capitol, or the White House), that crashed instead, through the efforts of some passengers who gave their lives, in rural Pennsylvania, near the town of Shanksville. The crash killed all 93 people aboard. All totaled that day, almost 3000 people, excluding the hijackers. We say again, Oh, the humanity!

Just a little over one year ago, on January 12, 2010 there was the Haiti earthquake that devastated that poor country. Some estimates say that 316,000 were killed, and 500,000 were injured. Then just last month, on April 7, 2011 in Japan the devastation of a major offshore earthquake, with the resulting tsunami, and another part still going on now as I write (the nuclear plants leaking radiation). So far the known dead are around 13,000 people, around 5,000 injured and 15,000 missing. So far, it is the worst disaster in 2011. Oh, the humanity!

So many tragic events, reminding us that this is not a perfect world. There are a number of other events I could mention such as Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans on August 29, 2005. The total in the US killed was at least 1836 and many thousands injured. The worst disaster was the Indian Ocean earthquake/tsunami on December 26, 2004, and  killed over 230,000 people in 14 countries. The largest  number was in Indonesia. Oh, the humanity!

Humanity without Christ is a lost humanity. This is in spite of Rob Bell’s heretical teaching of universalism that everyone will ultimately be saved. There is no hell, he says in his book, Love Wins, which has just been published. That is not what the Bible, God’s book, says. You see, there is such a thing  as sin, and scripture says “The wages of sin is  death.”(Romans 6:23) This is why all these people; all this humanity, had to die--because of sin‘s penalty. This is true even though many of these  people may have been Christian people. They had to die. Someone has said it well “The mortality rate for humans is at 100%! ” We all die eventually. Oh, the humanity!

Many people today don’t believe in sin. But the Bible says of sin in 1 John 2:1,2  “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:  And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” This is the apostle John talking to the “little children”, and he  says to them “sin not”. He is not writing to the lost here, but the believing “little children” He says  “don’t sin, but if you do sin, you have an advocate, an attorney to plead your case.” Guess who the lawyer is? The same one that died for these “little children”; Jesus Christ, the righteous! You see, we are not to walk in sin “that grace may abound”. We are to be a separated people. We are to “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the father is not in him.” (1 John 2:15) That being all true, why should we expect God to ultimately save us when we go against his teaching? Why does Jesus Himself say more about hell than He ever did about heaven? If He is going to save everyone anyway, why does he need to be the “little children’s” lawyer?

God will help us. Remember Ebenezer?  “Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Ebenezer, saying, Hitherto hath the LORD helped us.”(1 Samuel 7:12). God will help us also, if we are His children. But, the unrepentant, the ungodly, the rebellious, the promoters of filth, both John and Paul tell us their fate.  “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,  Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God” 1Corinthians 6:9,10). It is sad, but people go to hell. Oh, the humanity!

Rob Bell is wrong! It is not eternal bliss, but eternal damnation. You may say “What about the last part of the two earlier verses you quoted; ‘but also for the sins of the whole world’” ? To answer that is not difficult. John was like all the disciples, a Jew. To the nation of Israel, it was unthinkable (except for a few proselytes) that all the world was a target for God’s teaching. So the word “world” here expands the scope of out reach. The gospel is for “all the world” Matthew 28:19, 20, Mark 16:15, John 3:16. In other words, people from every nation, every kindred,  and every tongue will be saved. A great multitude that no man can number, but not every single human who ever lived! Far from it! Jesus told us of some that were in hell while he was on earth. He told us there was weeping and gnashing of teeth there. The worm does not die as it did in the fires of Jerusalem’s garbage dump; Gehenna. The fire was never quenched.. It is everlasting destruction. It is eternal.  “And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire" (Revelation 20:14,15). You need an advocate, my friend! But, before He can be your advocate, He must first be your saviour and Lord!. We need to get back to this old gospel that the Puritans preached! That Whitefield preached! That Spurgeon preached! My dear friend, In times like these, you need a saviour! He is the only hope for humanity! Turn to Him!

NOTES FROM MY BIBLE-PART FOUR

BY CHARLES WOODRUFF

I can’t  stop now! Here are a few more notes from one of my old Cambridge Wide Margin KJV Bibles purchased in 1970. Some of you dear friends seem to be enjoying them, so here are more.

In Matthew 3:10; John the Baptist was an “axe man preacher.” Today we use the two-edged sword of the gospel; justice and mercy, in God’s word.

John the Baptist had One Weapon (Hebrews 4:12; Jeremiah 23:29) <I obtained >

John the Baptist had One Warning (John 1:23; John 1:29)              < these from my late friend, >

John the Baptist had One Walk (Matthew 11:11; Mark 1:2-7)        < Pastor Billy Kanoy >

In John chapter one, this was not the first time John had seen Jesus: they were cousins. But this was the first time he really saw Christ, the Lamb of God (John 1:36)

The devil quotes the Scriptures when it serves his purpose. In Matthew 4:6, he omits a portion. (Read carefully Psalm 91:11, 12)

(I will quote this one fully) For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. O LORD of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee. (Psalm 84:11, 12)  This verse I claimed as the Lord’s promise to guide me in the work of an evangelist. God help me to always meet the conditions. What the Lord decides; the Lord guides; and the Lord provides. Amen!

“If Paul and Silas had been ordered east instead of west, someone from India or Africa might be having to come over here (to America) to evangelize us.” (D.L. Moody)    (Read Acts 16:6-10)

PROCRASTINATION:

“Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian” (Acts 26:28). The words spoken by King Agrippa must ring in his ears in hell forever. Almost is still lost without God. Almost is to be worse than never to have heard the gospel.

On Romans 8:28-29: “My faith is a reflection of God’s eternal purpose. We are expected when we come to Christ.”  (D. L. Moody)

COMMUNION

On 1 Corinthians 11:23-31: the bread and the cup have three great purposes; 1) To show the Lord’s death (remembrance) 2) Till He come (anticipation)  3) Examine ourselves (examination)

In communion we are: 1) Looking backward 2) Looking upward 3) Looking inward.

THE BETTER COVENANT  

On Hebrews 8:6-13; the reason for the faults in the old covenant was not failure on God’s part, but on Israel’s part. Note: He found fault with them (verse 8). They could find none with Him!

The new covenant was better because of:  1) Better promises 2) A better sacrifice (Hebrews 10:10-12)   3) A better hope (Hebrews 7:19)  4) A better priesthood (Hebrews 7:24).

FAITH

On Hebrews 11:1-3; There are basically five kinds of faith; 1) Temporary Faith. It seems Jesus was alluding to this kind of faith in Matthew 13:20-21.  2) Spurious faith. In Acts 8:13-24, read the story of Simon. At least in the beginning, his faith was spurious (false), though many believe he actually repented after Peter’s blistering rebuke. He surely should have!  3) Demon’s faith. In James 2: 17-20; especially verse 19. We see that demons not only believe, but tremble!

 4) Orthodox faith--but dead. In Matthew 23:2-11, Jesus spoke of the Pharisees. They were orthodox; they sat in Moses’ seat. i.e.. they taught what was prescribed in the law, but they were dead. They ridiculed and hated the very One they needed to give them life; Jesus Christ.

5) Miraculous faith-- the true, genuine, faith. A God given faith.  (Ephesians 2:8,9). This is what is discussed so clearly in Hebrews chapter 11; the faith chapter. You might want to read it also.

(I added some additional commentary on this one. All in italics)

Some of you may remember the note I found in my very first Bible, which I received at eight years old, after I professed Christ and was baptized.  The note was written beside 1Thessalonians 5:16-23. I pondered its meaning for a while, for it was written there about 1953. I knew my Sunday School teacher had said it, but didn’t remember why. It simply said “Rx” (you know, like a prescription). So when I figured it out, I wrote a three part message on it. If you want to see what it was about, it is on this site.  It will be in the section beginning March 9, 2010; a little over a year ago, so you will have to scroll down to it. Read part one first, then the other two. I think you will like it, but I know I am making you work for it. It is Bible exposition which I hope you will enjoy. I want you to check out all our blogs anyway, so please find it and read it. This was about the first “note from my Bible”. I have made a lot more since then.

In the wonderful book of Philippians, Christ is exalted throughout. Here are some of the places.

1) Preach Christ-Philippians 1:18;                                 2) Life is Christ-Philippians 1:21;

3) With Christ-Philippians 1:23;                                    4) In Christ-Philippians 2:1, 5;  

5) For Christ-Philippians 3:7;                                        6) Like Christ-Philippians 3:20, 21;                          

7) Through Christ-Philippians 4:13;
8) By Christ-Philippians 4:19; 
9) Christ is Lord! Philippians 2:11                                 10) Day of Christ-Philippians 2:16

Friend, do you know Him as Lord and Savior? I pray that you do, and if not, I pray that the Almighty Sovereign of the universe will awaken you. (Please see Ephesians 2:1, 5 and 5:14)