God Works Today

You may not think that a sin laden lad from Germany would work the works of God around the world. George Muller's life is a testimony to the powerful, saving work of God. By God's grace through Jesus Christ, God's children walk closely with Him in fellowship as they live by faith according to His Word. The God of the Bible is the same yesterday, today, and forever and He is faithful to those who faithfully live out His Word. Last night as a family we watched this Christian documentary on George Muller: http://youtu.be/Plr9NNF1wn0. It was a great encouragement. I highly recommend you see it. You will be convicted and encouraged. By God's grace may His church needs wake up and fully live for their risen Saviour, Jesus Christ. He is coming again (Eph. 5, 1 Thess. 5 etc.)!

Saving Sovreignty

What is Jesus' view of evangelism?

We must remember that salvation is a mighty work of God. It always has been this is all throughout the the OT and continues on in the NT through the Person and the work of Christ. John chapter 6 tells us of Jesus' interactions with false and real disciples; the elect and the non-elect. He graciously offers the gift of salvation (see John 6). The unbelieving crowd only want to satisfy their earthly hunger not their eternal. How does Jesus respond to their rejection of Him? He said, "'It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life. 64 But there are some of you who do not believe.' For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who it was that would betray Him. 65 And He was saying, 'For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father.'”

Please read John 6. Like Christ, we are instruments of God offering the message of salvation, but He is the One Who predestines and saves (Rom. 8:28-30). May we rely on Him in obedience and leave the results in His hand.

John MacArthur's sermon series on John 6 on this topic is excellent: http://www.gtycanada.org/resources/sermons/scripture/john

New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). (Jn 6:63–65). LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation. (Ex. 15, Isaiah)Is. This may seem like an odd question, but 

What Are We Talking About?

Our God is holy and awesome (Ps. 111)! He is the blessed Creator (Rom. 1:25) Who has given us every spiritual gift in heavenly places (Eph. 1) and every good given and every perfect gift (Jas. 1)!

Do we often speak of His glories with one another? Or are our conversations more earthly than heavenly. We are part of Jesus' kingdom. Let us live as slaves of Him, bringing glory to Him in our speech. Perhaps instead of complaining or making small talk about things that are fleeting, let us consider our words wisely, making the best use of our time. Let us build one another up and glorify our God!

Revealing Christ - Jn. 1:6-8

John 1:6-14

The Deity of Jesus Christ

    1      In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

    2      He was in the beginning with God.

    3      All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.

    4      In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.

    5      The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

The Witness John

    6      There came a man sent from God, whose name was John.

    7      He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him.

    8      He was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light.

    9      There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man.

  10      He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.

  11      He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.

  12      But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,

  13      who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

The Word Made Flesh

  14      And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Last time we learned about Christ in vv 1-5. Now we'll take a closer look at the one who testified to Him in vv 6-13 (specifically vv 6-8).

Verse 6: "There came a man": the Greek word for "came" is "ginomai," which means, "be, become, take place." This could be translated, "came into being." John the Baptist didn't walk onto the scene,  he, man, came into being through Christ (v 3) and was foreordained in God's plan. Starting in verse 6, there's a switch from talking about Christ, God in human flesh (v 14), to man.

"Sent from God, whose name was John": How did God send him? Let's look at some OT passages where we'll pick up on two things: 1. God had promised Jesus, the Messiah or Anointed One in the OT 2. Before He came, God would send a messenger. These things are mentioned by the prophets Isaiah and Malachi. 

Isaiah 40:1-5 says,

1 “Comfort, O comfort My people,” says your God.

    2            “Speak kindly to Jerusalem;

And call out to her, that her warfare has ended,

That her iniquity has been removed,

That she has received of the Lord’s hand

Double for all her sins.”

    3            A voice is calling,

“Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness;

Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God.

    4            “Let every valley be lifted up,

And every mountain and hill be made low;

And let the rough ground become a plain,

And the rugged terrain a broad valley;

    5            Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed,

And all flesh will see it together;

For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

Malachi 4:5-6:

"5 Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. 6 He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse.” Malachi is the last book in the OT. He is the last prophet to speak of Messiah before the years of silence. The one who'd come in the spirit and power of Elijah is the next prophet to speak, the messenger who came before Messiah. Scripture reopened. He came in a special way. His parents couldn't have any children. One day, as Zecharias was performing his priestly service in the temple, "...an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense. 12 Zacharias was troubled when he saw the angel, and fear gripped him. 13 But the angel said to him, 'Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will give him the name John. 14 You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. 15 For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother’s womb. 16 And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God. 17 It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” (Lk. 1:11-17). This is John the Baptist. His ministry was baptizing. People got baptized to signify repentance of sin and the need for cleansing. John did this to prepare way for Jesus, who cleanses sin. John means, "Yahweh is gracious." God is so gracious in sending His Son!

Verse 7:

"He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light." "Testify" in the Greek is, "martyreo": to be a witness; to give evidence, like in a courtroom. John testified about the Light, Jesus, "so that all might believe through him."

It is my prayer that your faith in Christ will increase through seeing Him revealed in this book.

All verses from The New American Standard Bible.