living word magazine issue 2 sept 2011

8/4/2019 Living Word Magazine Issue 2 Sept 2011

1/12

NG WORD GOING DEEPER INTO GODS WORD Issue 2 September 201

Livi

ngWo

rdMagazin

e9/11/2011Going Deeper into Gods Word

Issue 2 September 2011


2/12

GOING DEEPER INTO GODS WORD | (SEPT 201

LivingWord

Bible Studies Online UK

GOING DEEPER

INTO GODS WORD

BLESSED IS THE NATION WHOSE GOD IS THE LORD PSALM 33:12 (AV) ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

Remembering 9/11

The tragedy and the triumph!by Mathew Bartlett

Ill never forget what I was doing on

9/11/01 when I first heard of the attackon the Twin Towers, New York. Like

many Pastors in the UK, I have to do my

own building maintenance. My good

friend Robert (a former British solider)

and I had been putting in new ceilings

and lights in the bathroom area of our

church. We came home for lunch,

because I needed to find some more

tools. Robert phoned me: you should

see what has just happened in America!

A jumbo jet has crashed into a

skyscraper! Only as news continued to

come in did it become clear that this was

more than a terrible accident, it was a

deliberate attack by terrorists.

We were shocked, sickened, and

horrified, unable to believe that anyone

could do this. What kind of diabolical

mind would plan something like that?

What kind of warped maniac would

deliberately fly a jet into a building to kill

thousands of innocent people?

zaphod2008

The End of the World is Nigh? (Pg 12) So

Jesus didnt show up on 21st May?

(c) 1SandraRBarba

The Lords Plans and Mine (Pg.10) God ha

a purpose for every life.

Cover photo Ground Zero Paulojrainho US Flaphoto chhobi

As time went on, amidst the tragedy, a

redeeming truth began to emerge from

the wreckage. The courage and

selflessness shown by the emergency

services that day appeared as a ray of

hope emerging from the darkness.

If the hatred of men has caused the

disaster, the love of men and women now

began to redeem the situation. Many

risked all, and hundreds gave all, paying

the ultimate price to save others. This ray

of hope spread to other American people,

so that although the country was in

mourning, it was not in defeat.

The cover page shows the cross which

was erected at ground zero, from the

rubble of the towers. It became a symbol

of hope, a message to the world that

Americas spirit was unconquered.

BELIEVERS GLORIOUS FUTURE

It is because of Christ that believers

have a glorious future! Those who

trust Christ, the Son of God, to be

their Lord and Savior will have

eternal life and dwell with him

eternally.

Ill never forget what I was doing on

9/11/01 when I first heard of the attack

on the Twin Towers, New York. Like

many Pastors in the UK, I have to do

my own building maintenance. My

good friend Robert (a former British

solider) and I had been putting in new

ceilings and lights in the bathroom

area of our church. We came home for

lunch, because I needed to find some

more tools. Robert phoned me: you

should see what has just happened in

America! A jumbo jet has crashed into

a skyscraper! Only as news continuedto come in did it become clear that

this was more than a terrible accident,

it was a deliberate attack by terrorists.

We were shocked, sickened, and

horrified, unable to believe that

anyone could do this. What kind of

diabolical mind would plan something

like that? What kind of warped maniac

would deliberately fly a jet into a

building to kill thousands of innocent

people?


3/12


(c) Walter Arce

When they buried the Lord Jesus in a

cold and desolate tomb, and sealed him

in with a stone, his disciples may have

thought that it was all over.

But Jesus Christ was not defeated by the

cross. He rose from the dead in victory,

having conquered sin, death and hell.

Because of his complete victory, Jesushas been highly exalted and now sits at

the right hand of God, with all powers

made subject to him in heaven and on

earth.

It is because of Christ that believers have

a glorious future! Those who trust Christ,

the Son of God, to be their Lord and

Savior will have eternal life and dwell

with him eternally.

One day, very soon, he will return to this

earth to reign as King of Kings and Lordof Lords. There will be no more violence,

hatred or war when Jesus reigns, only

peace and love forever.

Today, ten years after the

September 11th

attacks,

America still mourns its dead

and remembers the past, but

it can look forward to the

future. It can choose to lay the

foundations of love and

justice for the nextgeneration. It can decide once

and for all that the only power

which conquers hate is the

power of perfect and selfless

love.

PLEASE SEND US YOUR PHOTOS

We would like to send our Christian

greetings to you via our magazine!

Please forward your photos (Hi Res

if possible) to us at:

[email protected]

We hope to publish 2 or 3 each

month.

We also would love to receive Bible

study articles from our readers to

include in the magazine and/or

blog

Sorry, we cannot offer paymentfor your photos or articles

Read our Living Word Magazine

blog:

http://livingwordmagazine.com

Readers photos

Lets pray for each other.Greetings to Indian Pastors Jeevan Prasad (left) and Samuel

John (right)

Greater love has noman than this, that aman lay down his life

for his friends
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://livingwordmagazine.com/http://livingwordmagazine.com/http://livingwordmagazine.com/mailto:[email protected]


4/12


The Person & Work

of the Holy Spiritby Derek R. Williams. Image Photoquest

This Month: Part 2.His Work.Having learned about the Person of the

Holy Spirit we realize that He does not

carry out our wishes, but rather we

should obey and carry out His!

The Holy Spirit is given to carry out thework, plan and purposes of God in our

lives, and in order for him to do so, we

must submit ourselves under His

control.

Let us consider several aspects of the

work of the Holy Spirit:

a) To Testify of Christ

The Holy Spirit bears witness to the

world that Jesus is the Christ the Son of

God who came to give His life as a

ransom for many (John 15:26).

Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would

convict men: of the sin of unbelief; of

the righteousness which God offers

them in Christ (Rom. 10:3-4); and of

judgment to come.

Christ has judged and broken the

power of Satan that all men might

believe and be saved, so that if men

reject Christ, they will find themselves

under judgment. The Holy Spirit makes

this truth real to the human soul.

b) To Regenerate and Quicken theBeliever.

Once we were dead in trespasses and

sins and walked according to this world

and the god of this world (Eph. 2:1-3).

Now in Christ we are "born again",

having received a new spiritual life,

which is the life of Christ within us.

c) To Sanctify the Believer

It is the Holy Spirit that separates us to

God and from the evil habits which

formerly enslaved us that we might serve

the Lord in holiness (1Pet. 1:2).

God has predestinated us to be

conformed to the image of His Son (Rom.

8:29), and the Holy Spirit's work of

changing us into the image of Christ (a

work called sanctification) is an ongoing

process, which will be completed whenChrist comes again.

d) To Indwell the Believer

In the Old Testament, the scriptures

often refer to the Holy Spirit coming upon

men (e.g. Judges 3:10, 6:34, 14:6, and 1

Sam. 16:13). The prophets spoke as the

Holy Spirit moved upon them.

It was at the commencement of the New

Covenant, when the Lord Jesus Christ

was baptized by John, that the Holy Spiritcame and dwelt within Him in fullness

(John 1: 32).

It is God's purpose that this same fullness

which indwelt his Son should indwell all

of God's people throughout the Church

age and forevermore. He dwells in

believers individually (1 Cor. 6:19) and

collectively as a body (1 Cor. 3:17 - where

YOU is plural).

Many promises were given in the OldTestament concerning the manner of the

coming of the Spirit, which Jesus referred

to as the "promise of the Father."

The first promise of the outpouring of the

Holy Spirit was given by Isaiah the prophe

(Isaiah 32:15) where he says that His

coming will make the useless, empty,

barren places fruitful to the extent that th

fruit trees will be so numerous as to be lik

a forest.

If we replace the word "'places"' with"'people"' we will have the correct picture

of, in the first instance, the people of God

without the Holy Spirit, and secondly wit

Him.

As we read in Joel 2, the promise of the

Father is not confined to a select few but

to as many who will seek and ask for the

Holy Spirit (Luke 11:13)

MORE STUDIESON THE HOLY SPIRIT

For our series The Theology of Pentecost

visit the editors blog at:

http:/biblecommentaries/wordpress.com/

ARTICLES BY:

Mathew Bartlett
http://biblecommentaries.wordpress.com/http://biblecommentaries.wordpress.com/


5/12


PRAY FOR CHANGE

Jesus Himself promised to send the Holy

Spirit (Luke 24:49 and Acts 1:8) and it is the

Father that sends Him (John 14:26). He

arrived in Person on the day of Pentecost

(Acts 2:4).

There is however a condition that has to be

fulfilled in order to receive this promise andthat is we must first accept the Lord Jesus

Christ as our own personal Savior (Acts

2:38), for then the Holy Spirit can come

upon us, for He only ever comes upon the

Jesus living in us.

Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would indwell

His followers, and he referred to the

experience of receiving the Holy Spirit as

the Baptism in the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8)

The word baptize means to immerse or

submerse completely, so it is not a part ofus that receives the Holy Spirit, but the

whole body soul and spirit of believers are

indwelt (1Cor. 3:16).

How do we receive this baptism of the Holy

Spirit? If we are saved, then on God's side

there is nothing to stop us receiving,

Jesus tells us that if we "'ask"', "'seek"' and

"'knock"' (Luke 11: 9-13) He will not fail to

fulfill his promise.

Jesus also told the disciples that they wereto wait until they received the Holy Spirit.

So, we receive the Holy Spirit by claiming

the promise by faith.

The baptism of the Holy Spirit is not

received by everybody in the same way. On

the day of Pentecost He came upon the

disciples as a "mighty wind" and "cloven

tongues of fire" (Acts 2:2-3)

Yet the believers in Samaria and at Ephesus

received the Holy Spirit by the laying on of

hands (Acts 8:17; 19: 6-7), whilst Cornelius

and his household were baptized as Peter

was speaking (Acts 10:44).

In every case recorded in Acts, when

believers received the Holy Spirit there was

a miraculous evidence of his indwelling, a

miracle peculiar to the New Testament:

"speaking in tongues".

e) To Teach, Guide and Reveal Truth tothe Believer.

There is no one that can find out or

teach themselves concerning the word

or things of God, for the things of God

can only be made known to us by

revelation (1Cor. 2:13).

The Holy Spirit is given to instruct us in

the things of God (Neh. 9:20). We

have no need to be taught by men for

He is our teacher (1John 2:27).

When as Christians we are called to

give an account of ourselves before

men or to give a reason for the hope

we have in Christ, it is the Spirit that

will give us the right words to speak

(Luke 12:12).

It is He that brings the words of Christ

back to our memories (John 14:26).

Because He is the Spirit of Truth it is

only the truth of God that he can give

to us, nothing false (John 16: 13). From

this verse we also learn that He is our

guide in the Lord's work (Acts 13:2 and

Acts16:6). The fact that we are guided

by the Holy Spirit is proof that we are

sons of God.

For as many as are led by the

Spirit of God, they are the sons of

God. (Rom 8:14).

The Comforter,which is theHoly Ghost,whom the

ather will send

in my name, heshall teach youall things and

bring all thingsto your

remembrance,whatsoever I

have said untoyou.

(John 14:26AV)

16%Number of Americans who read the Bible every day

41%Number of Americans who NEVER read the Bible.


6/12


David's plea in Psalm 4 for God to hear his

cry is based upon the fact that God had

heard him in the past and, had liberatedhim when he was in distress.

Whatever our need, God is able to set us

free.

For if the Son shall set you free,you shall be free indeed

(John 8:36)

From evil spirits (Luke 11:14) From sickness and infirmity (Luke

13:11-12).

From controlling passions, desiresor habits (Rom. 8:2). As we grow

in Christ, so this will become more

evidenced in our lives, as we feed

the new nature and this becomes

stronger, so we will be more able

to overcome the old nature (John

8:34-36)

From the bondage of having toobserve religious rules in order to

obtain a righteousness before

God (Gal. 5:1). From fear (1 John 4:18). From the guilt of past sin (Heb.

9:14).

If the sin was committed beforewe became Christians then

remember we are now new

creations in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17-18).

If we sin as Christians, we mustconfess our sins to God (1 John

1:9).

The Lyrics of LifeEveryday truth from the book of Psalms. Photo Brad Calkins

Christ's mission was to proclaim

freedom for the captives (Isa. 61:1).

He fulfilled this (Acts 10:38).

His reference to the acceptable year of

the Lord referred to the Jubilee year,

when every Hebrew slave was to be

released.

Note: Teaching on "curses" etc.

There has been a teaching around in

some Christian circles which alleges that

even though someone has received the

Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior, theyare still bound by so called ties or curses

left over either from their previous way

of life or (even more bizarrely) from

previous generations, and that these

need to be broken. Such "generational

curses" teaching forms the basis of

Derek Princes' famous yet erroneous

book "Blessings and Curses".

The scripture makes it categorically

clear that when we receive the Lord

Jesus Christ as our Savior, the moment

we are born again, we are newcreations.

The old has gone, for we have died with

Christ and have risen again with him to

newness of life. Whatever curses or

bondages there may have been before

we came to Christ, they are broken the

moment that we receive him as our

Savior for now we are IN CHRIST

(Rom. 8:1).

The LiberatedLife.

Hear me

when I call, OGod of my

righteousness!You have

liberated mewhen I was in

distress.

Psalm 4:1


7/12


(c) James Steidl

This is a theme running throughout

scripture. It is called "justification by faith".

God was David's righteousness, for we

could translate this verse "God my

righteousness".

When David called upon God for his help,

he was not trusting in his own

righteousness. He knew that he was a

sinner just as we all are (Rom. 3:23). He

knew that of himself he was ungodly and

unrighteous (Rom. 3:10). David knew thatall his righteous acts were like filthy rags

(Isa. 64:6).

Because we are all sinners, the scripture

tells us that no one will be counted as

righteous by their own works or by their

observance of the law (Rom. 3:19-20).

So Christ died for the ungodly and the

unrighteous (Rom. 5:8 and 1 Pet. 3:18).

He did this so that all who believe might

receive God's gift of righteousness by faith.Like David we have no righteousness of our

own, we have received the righteousness of

God, as a gift through faith in Christ (Rom.

3:21-22 and Rom. 4:5-8).

Abraham also is set forth as an example in

the scriptures of a man who did not work to

obtain righteousness, but received the gift

of the righteousness of God by faith ( Rom.

4:1-5). This righteousness is not earned but

given by grace.

Liberty or Responsibility?

Being justified by faith we have

tremendous freedom as believers. Yet it is

not freedom to do as we please, but

freedom to choose what pleases HIM

Christians are warned not to misuse their

liberty in Christ. Peter warns against using

it as a cloak of maliciousness. Liberty is not

an excuse to break the law, for whilst Christ

has set us free, we are not at liberty to

oppose the ruling power (1 Pet. 2:13-16).

In the OT, Balak, the enemy of Israel,

sought for a heathen prophet named

Baalam to place a curse upon Israel. But

God intervened and stopped him, and

this is what Balaam said:

GOD TURNED BALAAMS CURSE TO A

BLESSING

How can I curse one whom God has

not cursed, or how can I denounce

one whom the LORD has not

denounced? For there is no spellagainst Jacob, nor is there any

divination against Israel. At this time

it must be said of Jacob and of Israel,

'Look at what God has done!'

(Numbers 23:8&23)

Of course, the life that we lived before

we came to Christ will have its effects, as

will periods when we are backslidden.

But the Lord is gracious. There may be

deep hurts that will need to be healed.

As we open more to the Lord, God can

heal those hurts. There may be

problems which we need to overcome

by His grace. What we thought would be

impossible for us to do He enables us to

do e.g. loving someone who has hurt us

or who does not return our love.

The teaching that a man is still bound

after Christ as saved him is blasphemy,

since it makes nothing of what Christ did

for us upon the cross. What Christ has

done cannot be undone. Eccl. 3.14

We are not to use our liberty as an

opportunity to indulge the appetites

of the flesh (Gal. 5:13). Instead we

are to serve one another in love.

Paul emphasizes that we are not to

use our liberty in a way that would

weaken or offend other believers.

For example, eating pork in front of

a converted Jew might well be an

exercise of my liberty, but if it

offends my brother, then I am not

acting in love, and so it then

becomes a misuse of my liberty.

Liberty is the possession of every

believer in Christ! Yet libertyalways

brings responsibility. So lets realize

that we are free, and live a life of

freedom, but lets never forget our

responsibilities to God and to each

other.

It is because Christ has set mefree, that I owe Him all.

(c) Webdata

O God of my righteousness!


8/12


BUY THE WHOLE BOOK FOR JUST $

Our In Depth Study.Revelation 7.by Derek R. Williams. Photo Godfer

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by

Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The Chosen People of GodPause for the Sealing of Israel v1-8.

1. "After these things I saw four angels

standing at the four corners of the earth,

holding the four winds of the earth, that

the wind should not blow on the earth, on

the sea, or on any tree."

After witnessing the result of the

opening of the sixth seal there is a pausebefore the seventh is opened. Four

angels are sent to hold back the

devastating forces of judgement,

depicted by the four winds, so that

nothing on earth is harmed.

2-3. "Then I saw another angel ascending

from the east, having the seal of the living

God. And he cried with a loud voice to the

four angels to whom it was granted to

harm the earth and the sea, saying, "Do

not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees

till we have sealed the servants of our God

on their foreheads."

Another angel ascends from the east,

the sun rising, having the seal, or signet

ring, of the eternal God in his hand. He

shouts to the four angels who had been

given the authority and power to restrain

the winds and withhold them from

harming the earth, sea and trees until

the people of Israel who remain faithful

to God are secured from harm in the

midst of the judgements that will followby setting a seal on their foreheads to

show that they are His servants (Rev.

14:1; 22:4). This is not a literal seal, seen

by men, but an heavenly one that only

God and His heavenly host will see

(compare Ex. 28:36 - 38).

4. "And I heard the number of those who

were sealed. One hundred and forty-four

thousand of all the tribes of the children of

Israel were sealed:"

John does not say that he saw the

number being sealed, or that he counted

them, but that he heard that it was one

hundred and forty-four thousand.

5- 8. "of the tribe of Judah twelve

thousand were sealed; of the tribe of

Reuben twelve thousand were sealed; ofthe tribe of Gad twelve thousand were

sealed; of the tribe of Asher twelve


Naphtali twelve thousand were sealed; of

the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand

were sealed; of the tribe of Simeon twelve

thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Levi

twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe

of Issachar twelve thousand were sealed;

of the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand

were sealed; of the tribe of Joseph twelve


Benjamin twelve thousand were sealed."

This number was made up of 12,000 from

each of the tribes of Israel. It must be

noted that Joseph is mentioned as

representing the two half tribes of

Manasseh and Ephraim, although

Manasseh is referred to separately, whilst

Dan is not listed at all. There are two

main schools of thought concerning this.

One is that Dan is excluded because they

were the most idolatrous tribe. Secondly

that the entry of Manasseh separately

was a copy error that occurred because

of the practice of abbreviating, thus Dan

was wrongly written as Man: and taken

to be Manasseh. Whatever the case may

be, the elaborate listing of the tribes and

the numbers from each one and the use

of the phrase "sons of Israel" clearly

indicates that those seen in the vision are

literally Israelites and this is not a

symbolic reference to the Church. The

numbers 144,000 and 12,000, whilst they

could be taken literally could equally be

symbolic of a specific number.

What is certain is that a small

percentage of the present populat

of Israel, a remnant, would be sea

The Multitude of the Saved v9-

9. "After these things I looked, and

behold, a great multitude which no

could number, of all nations, tribes,

peoples, and tongues, standing bef

the throne and before the Lamb,

clothed with white robes, with palm

branches in their hands,"

The sealing of the 144,000 is clear

depicted as taking place on earth.

John now looks again to the heave

scene and sees a vast multitude of

people too great for anyone to cou

taken from all the races and tribes

earth. Every branch of mankindderiving from Shem, Ham and

Japheth, Noah's sons is represente

standing in front of the throne of G

and before the Lamb, the Lord Jes

Christ, dressed in the white robes

righteousness, justification and

holiness.

Kindle Versioonly $1.84 (o

ends 30/9/1

Paperbackpublished byPneuma Spri(158 pages) $11.99 (inclushipping)

Buy now from:www.biblestudiesonline.co

Books-for-Sale.html
http://www.biblestudiesonline.co.uk/Books-for-Sale.htmlhttp://www.biblestudiesonline.co.uk/Books-for-Sale.htmlhttp://www.biblestudiesonline.co.uk/Books-for-Sale.htmlhttp://www.biblestudiesonline.co.uk/Books-for-Sale.htmlhttp://www.biblestudiesonline.co.uk/Books-for-Sale.html


9/12


They were shouting with a mighty

voice, an expression of the greatness

of their joy and intense feeling of love

"Our salvation is due to our God

seated on the throne, and to the

Lamb" (Amp.N.T.)

11-12. "All the angels stood around the

throne and the elders and the four

living creatures, and fell on their faces

before the throne and worshiped God,

saying: "Amen! Blessing and glory and

wisdom, Thanksgiving and honour and

power and might, Be to our God forever

and ever. Amen."

Chapter 5:11 referred to a multitude of

angels, but here it is "all the angels"

together with the elders and the living

beasts who fall on their faces before

the throne to worship God. Amen! By

this they were strongly affirming the

truth of what had been uttered by the

multitude of the redeemed. They give

a sevenfold anthem of praise to the

glorious attributes of God. The

definite article should be placed in

front of each one, thus: the blessing,

adoration; the glory, praise and

worship; the wisdom, infinite supreme

knowledge; the power, ability and

abundance; the might, strength are toour God for ever and evermore. Amen.

13. "Then one of the elders answered,

saying to me, "Who are these arrayed in

white robes, and where did they come

from?"

One of the elders, representative of

the Church, as if anticipating a

question from John asks "Do you

know who these are, clothed in white,

and where they come from?" (Living

Bible). It is not that the elder expectedhim to know, but wished to inform

him.

14. "And I said to him, "Sir, you know."

So he said to me, "These are the ones

who come out of the great tribulation,

and washed their robes and made them

white in the blood of the Lamb."

John addresses the elder with the

respectful title of sir (lord), saying "Sir, you

know." John would not take it on himself to

reply even if he had an idea. The multitude

from all races, colours and tongues were

those who had been redeemed by theblood of the Lord Jesus Christ and came

out of the great tribulation triggered by

the opening of the five seals. (NOTE. The

KJV has "great tribulation" without the

definite article. Thus the verse does not

refer to one event but to all the events

connected with the opening of the five

seals. It is not to be confused with the so

called Great Tribulation of Daniel 12:1

which concerns the Jewish nation).

Eternal Service and Bliss v15-17.

15. "Therefore they are before the throne of

God, and serve Him day and night in His

temple. And He who sits on the throne will

dwell among them."

It is because the Lord Jesus Christ gave His

life as the sacrifice for sin and they are

washed in His blood and clothed in His

righteousness that this multitude are ableto stand before the throne of God and to

serve Him unceasingly day and night. "Day

and night" is a figure of speech in this

context meaning "continually" since there

is no night in heaven. The place of their

service is heaven. "His Temple" is not a

literal temple for Rev. 21: 22 says "God and

the Lamb are the temple": and God shall

dwell among them.

16. "They shall neither hunger

anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun

shall not strike them, nor any heat;"

The redeemed shall want for nothing

in heaven nor will they suffer as they

had on earth. This verse

encompasses all forms ofdeprivation including persecution

and suffering at the hands of men.

17. "For the Lamb who is in the midst

of the throne will shepherd them and

lead them to living fountains of

waters. And God will wipe away every

tear from their eyes."

The Lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ,

who is in the centre of the throne will

provide for them as the Good

Shepherd, guarding and keepingthem (the word "feed" means to

"tend as a shepherd"). He shall guide

them to the fountains of living

waters (Isaiah 49:10) i.e. the eternal

life of heavenly joy and bliss. God

shall blot out (Isaiah 25:8) all tears;

meaning that everything which has

given grief, sorrow, heartbreak or

disappointment will be erased and

swallowed up forever by His

presence.

They shall neither hunger

anymore nor thirst anymore;

the sun shall not strike them,

nor any heat.For the Lamb who

is in the midst of the throne will

shepherd themand lead them

to living fountains of waters.

(c) George Mureson


10/12


.

Mans Plans verses Gods Plans

The book of Proverbs is a collection of

wise sayings. King Solomon, in his life

time, is said to have quoted three

thousand proverbs, although only

nine hundred of them are recorded in

this book. The other proverbs are by

different people, some who are

named and others anonymous. Theword proverb means a description by

way of comparison.

One purpose of this book is to give

the reader skillful and Godly wisdom,

its a practical book and it bases

wisdom solidly on the reverential fear

of the Lord.

Many of the proverbs are optimistic

because God is in control. Because of

this, the reader is assured that he will

reap what he has sown. God cannotbe left out of the picture.

Each proverb has two parts, the first,

called in Hebrew, the Mashal. The

second, called the Nimshal. For

example:- Prov.1v7; The fear of the

Lord is the beginning of

wisdom(mashal); but fools despise

wisdom and instruction(nimshal).

So with this in mind, lets take a look

at Prov.19v21;

Many plans are in a mans mind,

but it is the Lords purpose for

him that will stand.

The Bible tells us that God has a plan

for the salvation of mankind and that

he formed this plan before the

foundation of the world. This plan hasbeen revealed over many centuries

through the scriptures. For example:

Gen.3v15; And I will put enmity

between you and the woman and

between your seed and her seed; and it

shall bruise your head and you shall

bruise his heel.

De.18v15; The Lord your God will raise

up unto you a prophet from the midst

of you, of your brethren, like unto me;

unto him shall you listen.

Ps.132v11; The Lord has sworn in truth

unto David; he will not turn from it; of

the fruit of your body I will set upon

your throne.

Is.7v14; Therefore the Lord himself

shall give you a sign; behold, a virgin

shall conceive and bare a son and shall

call his name Immanuel.

Is.49v6; And he said, it is a light thing

that you should be my servant to

raise up the tribes of Jacob and to

restore the preserved of Israel; I will

also give you for a light to the

Gentiles, that you might be my

salvation unto the end of the earth.

Mi.5v2; But you, Bethlehem

Ephratah, though you are littleamong the thousands of Judah, yet

out of you shall he come forth unto

me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose

going forth has been from of old,

from everlasting.

Ze.9v9 Rejoice greatly, o daughter of

Zion; shout, o daughter of Jerusalem.

Behold, your king comes unto you; he

is just and having salvation; lowly

and riding on an ass and on a colt the

foal of an ass.

God has demonstrated how His

plans stand firm, even when men

make their plans against Him, for all

the promises which He has made in

the scriptures were completely

fulfilled by the coming of Christ.

Ma.1v21; And she shall bring forth a

son and you shall call his name Jesus;

for he shall save his people from their

sins.

By Wesley Chick

God has a plan for

every individuals life

Read: Proverbs 3:5-6

& 19:21All scripture quotes from the Authorized

Version. Picture: SandraRBarba


11/12

GOING DEEPER INTO GODS WORD | (SEPT 2011)

But whilst God plans are for mans

benefit, mans plans have always

been against God. Man prefers to go

his own way and do his own thing,

thinking he knows better than God.

We read in the book of Genesis thatafter the flood, God told the people

to be fruitful and multiply and to

move around and populate the

earth. Then over time they rebelled

against God and we read in chapter

eleven that the people moved to a

place called Shinar and settled there.

We read And they said come, let us

build us a city and a tower whose top

reaches to the heavens; and let us

make a name for ourselves, lest we

be scattered over the whole earth

(Gen. 11:4). Then God came down tosee what was going on and he

confused their language and

scattered them all over the earth. So

with all their plans and schemes

against God, he had the last word!

Then turning to the New Testament,

we read in Luke 12 that Jesus told

the parable of the rich land owner.

He had just had a bumper harvest

and his barns were already quite full.

So after thinking about this, he

decided to have his barns pulled

down and to build even larger ones

where he could store his bumper

harvest. Then he planned to put his

feet up and take it easy, living off the

profits of his vast stores of fruit and

grain, eating, drinking and making

merry. Then we read in verse twenty

But God said to him. You fool! This

very night your soul will be required

of you; and all the things you have

prepared, whose will they be? Again,

the rich man had his plans, but Godhad the last word.

In James chapter four, we read there

of a presumptuous business man,

planning with his colleagues, that

they go to a certain city, spend a

year there doing their business and

hopefully make loads of money. But

in verse fourteen, we read Yet you

do not know the least thing about

what may happen tomorrow.

What is the nature of your life? You are

really but a wisp of vapor, a mist that is

visible for a little while and then

disappears into thin air. So we see that

people, companies and even

governments, may make their plans butits God who has the last word.

Consider these scriptures:

Ps.33v10+11; The Lord brings the counsel

of the nations to naught. He makes the

thoughts and plans of the people of no

effect. The counsel of the Lord stands

forever, the thoughts of his heart

through all generations.

Prov.16v1; The plans of the mind and

orderly thinking belong to man, but from

the Lord comes the wise answer of the

tongue.

Prov.16v9; A mans mind plans his way,

but the Lord directs his steps and makes

them sure.

So what about us, is it alright to make

our plans? Of course it is, especially in

the days we live, when the pace of life is

so hectic, we need to plan for

tomorrow, next week, next month or

next year. The difference is, that the

world out there, make their plans with

no thought of God in mind. Whereas

the Christian makes his or her plans

involving God in them.

Ja.4v15; You ought instead to say, if the

Lord is willing, we shall live and we shall

do this or that thing.

Of one thing we can be sure: God

is guiding our lives and directing

our plans, and in all things is

working for our good.

Ps.37v23; The steps of a good man

are directed and established by the

Lord when he delights in his way.

We worry for we do not know the

plans of the Lord in advance, but

we can be assured that he is fully

acquainted with his own plan for

our lives.

Jer.29v11+12; For I know the

thoughts and plans I have for you,

says the Lord, thoughts and plans

for welfare and peace and not for

evil, to give you hope in your final

outcome. Then you will call upon

me and you will come and pray to

me and I will hear and heed you.

So the next time we plan anything

and it doesnt work out as we

thought, instead of getting up

tight or anxious or even a little

angry, remember that God, in his

wisdom, knows best and has a

better plan for us.

As the chorus of the hymn says:

Stay still, stay still,

God is silently planning for

thee.


He plans for eternity.


God is silently planning for thee.


He plans for eternity.


12/12

GOING DEEPER INTO GODS WORD | (SEPT 2011)

PRINT COPY SUBSCRIPTIONS

For those who prefer to receive a

professionally printed copy of this

magazine by post, these are charged

at cost price, which for 12 issues

(including postage) is 28 (US$45

approx.) for 12 issues (UK or USA), 36

(Canada) or 52 (rest of the world).

Buy now at

www.biblestudiesonline.co.uk

Over to You!by YOU!

We invite Bible study articles from our

readers for publication in our magazine.

Space does not allow us to print all the good

articles we receive, but every article which

we deem suitable will be posted on our

blog:

http://www.LivingWordMagazine.com

Please note that we are not able to offer

payment for any articles posted either to

the blog or included in the magazine. A

photo of yourself adds interest for our

readers

Send your article to

[email protected]

Remember, we still publish Gospel

Illustrations and Sermon helps fortnightly at

www.biblestudiesonline.co.uk/blog

HELP US REACH MORE PEOPLE WITHLIVING WORD!

THERE ARE SEVERAL WAYS:

1. Put a link on the homepage ofyour website or blog to:

http://www.biblestudiesonline.co.

uk

2. Mention Bible Studies Online UKon your Twitter, Facebook or

other social networking pages.

Add a static link, as above, to your

wall or home page.

3. Post your comments to our blog.We will return the favor, and

comment meaningfully on your

blog, if you have one.

4. Send a FREE digital copy of thismagazine to ALL your friends and

contacts on Facebook or by email.

Contact Us

Editor: Mathew Bartlett

Living Word Magazine and Bible Stud

Online UK are ministries of Sharon Fu

Gospel Church. UK Reg. Charity No.

1050642www.sharonchurch.co.uk

Tel: (+44) 01495 753561

Lines open 9am-5pm Monday to Frid

(with answerphone).

The End is Nigh? Are You Sure?

And, behold, Icome quickly; and

my reward is withme, to give everyman according ashis work shall be.

(Rev 22:12 AV)

At the beginning of the year, I read Tom

Breen's article in the Washington Post

(3rd January 2011), about a group of

"Christians" spreading the word that

Jesus Christ will return and the world will

end on May 21st 2011. They used the

text of Acts 17:31 to justify their claims:

He has appointed a day on which He will

judge the world in righteousness by the

Man whom He has ordained. (Acts 17:31

NKJV).

It is now September 2011. Clearly, they

got their facts wrong!

It is quite right, of course, to believe that

Jesus will come again, for it is His right to

reign over all the earth. But as for

making predictions about the date, may I

remind the reader of what the Lord Jesus

Christ Himself said on this issue:

"Watch therefore, for you know

neither the day nor the hour in which

the Son of Man is coming." (Matthew

25:13 NKJV)

Reader, be ready, Jesus is coming! Be

ready always, for he could come

today. He will certainly come "as a

thief in the night". (1 Thessalonians

5:2 NKJV)

zaphod2008
http://www.biblestudiesonline.co.uk/http://www.biblestudiesonline.co.uk/http://www.livingwordmagazine.com/http://www.livingwordmagazine.com/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.biblestudiesonline.co.uk/bloghttp://www.biblestudiesonline.co.uk/bloghttp://www.biblestudiesonline.co.uk/http://www.biblestudiesonline.co.uk/http://www.biblestudiesonline.co.uk/http://www.sharonchurch.co.uk/http://www.sharonchurch.co.uk/http://www.sharonchurch.co.uk/http://www.sharonchurch.co.uk/http://www.biblestudiesonline.co.uk/http://www.biblestudiesonline.co.uk/http://www.biblestudiesonline.co.uk/blogmailto:[email protected]://www.livingwordmagazine.com/http://www.biblestudiesonline.co.uk/

living word magazine issue 2 sept 2011

Documents