The Holy Spirit Leads Us In The Way Of Victory.

Jesus was ‘persecuted’. We will be ‘persecuted’ - ‘all who desire to live a godly life will be persecuted’ (John 15:20; 2 Timothy 3:12). We have no guarantee that life will be easy. In all our difficulties, ‘the Spirit of truth’ directs our attention to Jesus our Saviour (John 15:26; 16:13-15). Whatever our problems, we draw encouragement from Jesus’ words: ‘In the world you have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world’ (John 16:33). Here, we have realism and faith. The world is trying to squeeze us into its own mould (Romans 12:2). Sometimes, we feel like faith is slipping away. Sometimes, we feel like giving up. What are we to say to all this? ‘Who is it that overcomes the world but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?’ - This is our faith’ (1 John 5:4-5).

Bible Reading Notes At "The Promises Of God" Blog

At "The Promises of God" blog, you will find Bible reading notes on numbers , Psalms , john, Colossians, and Ephesians.

A Life Of Mission

You've heard the phrase, "on fire for the Lord." There was a real difference between the healed man and his critics. He had just received his sight, and, with it, he received a mission. straightaway, he was seeking to win his critics for Christ: "Do you too want to become His disciples?" (John 9:27). the healed man was on fire for the Lord. His critics were also on fire, but they burned with a very different fire. They were burning with the desire to have Jesus killed. They did not know who Jesus was (John 9:29), because they did not want to know Him. they refused to recognize what the Lord had done for the blind man. In the face of such unbelief, we, who must continue to give our testimony: "He opened my eyes" (John 9:30). We must pray for our critics - "Open their eyes, Lord, and let them see Jesus."

A Life Of Wholeness

When the blind man received his sight, he received wholeness. Until that day, his life was incomplete. He could not see. When Jesus touches our lives, He makes us whole. Closely connected with the word, "wholeness", is the word, "holiness." There is no wholeness without holiness. Our lives are incomplete if we are not walking in the way of holiness. There's a children's chorus which says, "I'm walking on the King's Highway." What does this mean? - The King's Highway is the Highway of holiness. In Isaiah 35:8, we read about the Highway of Holiness: "And a highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Holy Way (Revised Standard Version) or the way of holiness (Authorized Version)." We are walking on the King's Highway when we are walking on the Highway of Holiness. Whenever we think of the love of Jesus, we must also think of His holiness. Jesus, our loving Saviour, is also Jesus, the holy Son of God. Jesus' love is a holy love. It is not a gushy, sentimentalized thing. His love is holy. It is filled with moral strength, strength of character. If we are to show the love of Christ to the world, we must also show His holiness. living as men and women who are different, men and women who have been changed by the holy love of Christ.

A Life Centred On Jesus

When the blind man was asked, "How were your eyes opened?" (John 9:10), he began his answer with the words, "The Man called Jesus" (John 9:11). Jesus was at the centre of the man's life. The Christian life is a life of looking to Jesus, a life of seeing Jesus. When we say, "I once was blind, but now I see", what we are really saying is this: "Now, I'm looking to Jesus. Now, my eyes are fixed on Him." Once our eyes have been opened to see Jesus, we must keep on praying, "Open our eyes, Lord. We want to see Jesus." The more we see Jesus, the more He will rise in our estimation, the more He will be exalted in our eyes. We see this in the case of the healed man. In John 9:11, he speaks of "the Man called Jesus." In John 9:17, he says, "He is a prophet." In John 9:35-38, he confesses his faith in Jesus Christ as "the Son of God" (Authorized Version) or "the Son of man" (Revised Standard Version). The expression, "the Son of man", should not be seen as a weakening of our faith in Christ as the Son of God. Notice what Jesus says, in other places, about "the Son of man"- "The Son of man must be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life" (John 3:14-15); "The Son of man will be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill Him; and when He is killed, after three days, He will rise" (Mark 9:31); "They will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory" (Matthew 24:30). Is Jesus becoming more and more precious to you? Is He coming to mean more and more to you? True Christian growth is marked by a growing love for Jesus.

A Life Of Love

There's a Gospel song , which contains these fine words: "Love lifted me. When no-one but Christ could help, love lifted me." This is the believer's testimony - "Love lifted me." What no-one else could do, Christ has done for us. He alone is able to lift us out of our sin, because He alone is our Saviour. Only Christ can give us new life, since He alone is the risen and living Lord. Later on, in this Gospel song, we find the words: "Jesus completely saves. He will lift you by His love." This is the believer's message. When we have been lifted by the love of Christ, we have more than a personal testimony. We have a message to share with others. We give our testimony, "Love lifted me", and we say to others, "He will lift you by His love." This is precisely what the healed man did . In John 9:25, he gave his personal testimony. In John 9:27, he invited his critics to follow Jesus - "Do you too want to become His disciples?" Here is a model for us to follow. We have become disciples. We must now seek to make disciples. In love, Christ has drawn us to Himself. In love, He uses us to reach out to others.

"The Word Was Made Flesh and Dwelt Among Us" (John 1:14): Part Two.

It is not suggested that the Bible does not require to be interpreted. By virtue of its finitude, human language is inadequate in its reference to God. To acknowledge the limitation of human language does not, however, lead inevitably to the demythologizing of the New Testament. That would also require a negative dogmatic assumption concerning the capacity of God to enter the human scene in a manner that is beyond human understanding. It may be more consistent as well as more Biblical, to acknowledge the limitation of human understanding in its reference to God and His activity in history. A recognition of this limitation would not lead to a bold demythologizing of the Gospel. It would lead to a humble faith in God and His amazing work of salvation. Christian theology must, therefore, be cautious of the idea of ‘the myth of God Incarnate.’ Those who think in terms of ‘the myth of God Incarnate’ appear to be more concerned with the question, “What can modern man believe? rather than the question, “What is the Christian Gospel?” To allow the first question to swallow up the second is to destroy the essential connection between the present proclamation of the Gospel and the historical foundation upon which that proclamation is built.

Keep Your Eyes On Christ - The Lamb Of God Who Takes Away The Sin Of The World.

Jesus Christ is the Word of God. He is the Beginning. He is also the End (John 1:1-3; Revelation 21:6). He is ‘the Word... made flesh’. ‘We have seen His glory’(14). This is only the beginning. When He returns, we shall see His glory - ‘we shall see Him as He is’(1 John 3:2). From Him, there is creation (John 1:1-3). From Him, there is salvation (John 1:12-13). In Him, we receive the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit (John 1:29, 32-34). He is the Word of God, the Lamb of God and the Son of God (John 1:1, 29, 34). When we look at Jesus Christ, we see God - ‘the Word was God’(John 1:1), ‘No one has ever seen God; the only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has made Him known’(John 1:18). Do you want to know what God is like? - Look at Jesus (John 14:9). What do we see when we look at Him? - ‘the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world’(John 1:29).

Let Us Worship Christ – Our Lord And Our God.

From the heights of heaven and the depths of suffering, ‘God... has spoken to us by His Son’ (Hebrews 1:1-2). Jesus Christ is God’s ‘Word’ to us. He is ‘the Word’ who came from heaven: ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God’. He is ‘the Word’ who came to earth: ‘the Word became flesh and dwelt among us...’ (John 1:1-14). In heaven, He is worshipped by angels: ‘Let all God’s angels worship Him’(Hebrews 1:6). On earth, ‘He suffered death, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone’(Hebrews 2:9). We see the greatness of Christ in both His heavenly glory and His saving grace. None can compare with Him. He is our Lord. He is our Saviour. We consider all that He has done for us - ‘the nail marks in His hands...’- and we worship Him - ‘my Lord and my God’(John 20:19-20,24-28).

Links For Notes On 1 & 2 Kings, Esther, John, Acts, Hebrews And 1, 2 & 3 John

2 kings

esther

John

Acts

hebrews

1 john

2 john

3 john

Jesus Christ Gives The Holy Spirit To All Who Trust Him.

As we come to Christ, confessing Him as God's Son and trusting Him as our Saviour, we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (v.33). Christ gives the Holy Spirit to all who trust Him. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we are enabled to confess Christ before men and to live as His witnesses. We can learn a great deal about what the Holy Spirit seeks to do in our lives, as we look at four of the first followers of Jesus - (1) John the Baptist (v. 36), (2) Andrew (v. 41), (3) Peter (v. 42), (4) Nathaniel (v. 51). First, in our witnessing for Christ, we are to point people to the Saviour of sinners. Second, we are to give our personal testimony - "We have found the Messiah." He has fulfilled the meaning and purpose of our lives. Third, we are to give the testimony of transformed lives, lives which are founded on Christ, the Rock of our salvation. Fourth, we are to live and speak as a people of hope, looking to Christ who is our Hope of glory.

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This is the third and final post in a series on John 1:19-51.

The Son Of God Became The Lamb Of God.

In the opening chapter of John's Gospel, we read much about John the Baptist, but our main focus of attention is to be on the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God who became the Lamb of God. In this chapter, Jesus is described as both "the Son of God" and "the Lamb of God" (vs. 34, 49 / vs. 29, 36). This is the story of Jesus Christ. The Son of God became the Lamb of God. The story of Jesus Christ takes us from Bethlehem to Calvary. It tells us the story of how the Son of God became the Lamb of God. Coming in faith to Jesus Christ, we acknowledge Him to be both the Son of God and the Lamb of God.

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This is the second post in a series on John 1:19-51.

The Lamb Of God Who Takes Away The Sin Of The World

The story of Jesus Christ begins with the words, "In the beginning" (John 1:1). The Old Testament prophets paved the way for Jesus Christ. They spoke of His coming. According to John 1:45, Jesus Christ is "Him of whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote." When we come into the New Testament, we find that the first preacher is not Jesus the Saviour. It is John the Baptist. John was the forerunner of Christ. He was the last in a long list of men sent from God to prepare the way of the Lord. John was not the Son of God. He was the Lord's messenger, pointing his hearers to the Son of God. John was not the Lamb of God. He was the preacher who directed attention to the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29).

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This is the first post in a series on John 1:19-51.

God's Glory, Our Joy

"What is the chief end of man?" - "Man's chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. " Notice the order - first, God's glory and, then, our joy. The hymn, "Amazing grace", contains a fine combination of receiving from the Lord and giving glory to Him - "I once was lost, but now am found, was blind, but now I see ... singing God's praise." These words provide us an echo of the words of Luke 18:43, where we read of a blind man receiving his sight, following Jesus and praising God. Have you received God's salvation? Have you begun to glorify God? Having received God's salvation, having begun to glorify God, let us go on to follow Jesus, "living together in justice and peace, caring for the world and for each other.
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This is the eighth and final post in a series, based on John 1:14-18.

Bringing Joy To The Heart Of The Lord

We receive joy from the Lord. There is, however, another joy. It is the joy which we bring to the Lord when we come to Jesus: "there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents" (Luke 15:10). We come to Jesus and we receive the joy of the Lord. We come to Jesus, and we bring joy to the heart of the Lord. Christ asks us, "Do you want to receive joy?" He also asks us, "Do you want to bring joy to the heart of God?" We may answer the first question selfishly, concerned only with what we can get out of Christ. The second question challenges us to seek God's glory rather that simply seeking our own pleasure.
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This is the seventh post in a series, based on John 1:14-18.

How Do We Receive Blessings From Jesus Christ?

We receive His blessings by receiving Him. The Lord Himself is among us. He is speaking to us through His Word. His Spirit is bringing Christ to us. The Lord is giving us a glimpse of His glory. Jesus stands among us as the risen Lord. He invites us to begin a new life with Him. Jesus comes to us with the Gospel. He comes to us with Good News. That's what the word, "Gospel", means - Good News! A little girl was asked if she had ever received Good News. She said that she received Good News when she received the "Yes" replies to the birthday party invitations she had sent to her friends. This little girl's answer tells us something very precious about the Lord's love for us. We receive joy when we come to Jesus: !"If I come to Jesus, He will make me glad."
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This is the sixth post in a series, based on John 1:14-18.

The Joy Of The Lord

The joy which the Lord gives is described as "unutterable and exalted joy" or "joy unspeakable and full of glory" (1 Peter 1:8). The joy and the peace of the Lord becomes ours when the glory of the Lord breaks through into our lives. "Heaven came down and glory filled my soul when, at the Cross, the Saviour made me whole. My sins were washed away and my night was turned to day. Heaven came down and glory filled my soul."
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This is the fifth post in a series, based on John 1:14-18.

Jesus Gives Us His Joy. He Is Our Joy.

There is no true joy apart from the Lord Jesus. He is our joy. He is our peace. We do not rest in our feelings. We trust in the Lord. Jesus is the real reason for our rejoicing. Without Him, we have nothing. Without him, we live defeated lives. The joy is not there. The peace is not there. Why? - Because Jesus is not there. When Jesus is in our lives, everything has changed. Our circumstances may remain the same. Scripture speaks about the "various trials" we must face (1 Peter 1:6). Through Christ, we are able to face these trials with joy - a joy that is not superficial, a joy which is deeply and securely grounded in the peace which comes from knowing that the Lord Himself is there with us, no matter how difficult life may be.
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This is the fourth post in a series, based ob John 1:14-18.

What Does Jesus Christ Give To Us?

"And from His fullness have we all received, grace upon grace" (John 1:16). "Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ" (John 1:17). In grace, God pours blessings into our lives. They are blessings which we don't deserve. How does He do this? He brings Gospel truth to our attention. He speaks to us the Gospel promises, inviting us to come and receive the Saviour and the blessings which come with Him. The Lord's blessings are very precious. Think of the joy which He gives to us. Think of the peace which He brings into our lives. We rejoice in God's gifts. More than that, however, we rejoice in the Giver. "My goal is God Himself, not joy, nor peace, nor even blessing, but Himself, my God."
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This is the third post in a series, based on John 1:14-18.

Who Is Jesus Christ?

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (John 1:1). "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14). Jesus Christ is described as "the Word." What do we use words for? We use words to communicate with one another. We use words to speak to one another. What does it mean to say, "Jesus Christ is the Word"? It means this - God is speaking to us. God is communicating Himself to us. He is not a God who keeps His silence. In Jesus Christ, God speaks to us. He introduces Himself to us as the God who is "full of grace and truth" (John 1:14). If we are to get to know God, we must come to Him by way of Jesus Christ (John 1:18). Jesus is the Way to God the Father. He is the true and living Way. Through Christ, we are brought to a true knowledge of God and a living experience of God.

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This is the second post in a series, based on John 1:14-18.