Saturday, December 24, 2016

Husbands

I haven’t created enough Bible studies on Marriage.  I have a book called “Different by Design” by John Macarthur.  Below is what it looks like, along with the main part that I took away from it.




“When you are content with any food, and offering, any raiment, any climate, any society, any solitude, any interruption by the will of God;
That is dying to self.” – Author Unknown

The above quote stuck with me since around 1999. Dying to self is the main thing I'd say to aspiring husbands and those considering divorce. I’m nowhere near perfect, but whenever I was selfless enough to “die to self”, my wife adores me (don't tell her). The whole poem is as follows:

“When you are forgotten, neglected, or purposely set at naught, and you don't sting or hurt with the oversight, but your heart is happy being counted worthy to suffer for Christ;
That is dying to self.
When your good is evil spoken of, when your wishes are crossed, your advice disregarded, your opinion ridiculed, and you refuse to let anger rise in your heart or even defend yourself, but take it all in patient, loving silence;
That is dying to self.
When you lovingly and patiently bear any disorder, any irregularity, any annoyance; when you can stand face to face with waste, folly, extravagance, spiritual insensibility, and endure it as Jesus did;
That is dying to self.
When you are content with any food, and offering, any raiment, any climate, any society, any solitude, any interruption by the will of God;
That is dying to self.
When you never care to refer to yourself in conversation or record your own good works or itch after commendation, when you can truly love to be unknown;
That is dying to self.
When you can see your brother prosper and have his needs met, and can honestly rejoice with him in spirit and feel no envy, nor question God, while your own needs are far greater and you are in desperate circumstances;
That is dying to self.
When you can receive correction and reproof from one of less stature than yourself and can humbly submit, inwardly as well as outwardly, finding no rebellion or resentment rising up within your heart;
That is dying to self.” – Author Unknown

Bible Verses

I have a long list of Scriptures, but first, I want to get to the 1’s that applied to me the most. I blame myself for any marital shortcomings because I persuaded her into pre-marital sex.  She grew to overlook trust issues, & eventually saw my committment to God.  The following are the aspects that are the hardest for me because they’re not natural for me.

I had to be more loving and gentle because the “fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness” in Galatians 5:22. Does my wife see me as full of peace? Do my expressions to her seem gentle (as in tender love)? Am I loving (enough) toward her (in her opinion)?

Love bears all & endures all in 1 Corinthians 13:7, “Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.” So, have I shown her that I’m willing to do anything for her trust & security.

Ephesians 5:28-29, “So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church.”

There’s a lot more verses below. But the main part is above. Am I willing to prove to my wife that she is worth far/way more than anything walking the planet?

More verses

1 Corinthians 7:27, “Art thou bound unto a wife? seek not to be loosed. Art thou loosed from a wife? seek not a wife.”

“That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children” in Titus 2:4.

1 Peter 3:7, “Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.”

Proverbs 31:28, "Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.”

Colossians 3:18-21, “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them.  Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.  Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.”

Titus 2:1-8, “But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine: That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience. The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;  That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,  To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.  Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded.  In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity, Sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you.”

"And He (Jesus) answered and said unto them, 'Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder'." - Matthew 19:4-6

“Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.”  – Genesis 2:24

“Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.” – 1 Corinthians 7:2

Monday, November 16, 2015

Law, Covenant, & Testament 3

What is a testament?
Answer - Will, desire, or the details that capture the qualities of someone or something.
See Hebrews 9:16-17.

What is the old testament?
Answer: The old testament sealed the old covenant by sacrificial offerings.
See Hebrews 9:18-24.

What is the new testament?
Answer: The new testament sealed the new covenant by Jesus' sacrificial offering.
See Mark 14:24; Hebrews 9:28,18-24.

Are those who are under the both testaments connected in Christ?
Answer: Yes.
See Hebrews 9:15.

Conclusion - Law, Covenant, and Testament (parts 1-3)

2 types of laws were changed after Jesus death & resurrection:
Laws that penalized us (i.e. sin offerings). See Deuteronomy 31:26; Colossians 2:14.
Laws that foreshadowed Christ (i.e. Sanctuary items). See Hebrews 9:1-15; Luke 24:44-46.

So, God wants us to obey Him in all things (by faith).

Law, Covenant, & Testament 2

What's a covenant?
Answer - an agreement; committment.


What's the old covenant?
Answer - The agreement in which people commit to obey God by their "own works".  This overlooks how God empowers "obedience by faith" (aka righteousness).

See Exodus 19:3-8.

What's the new covenant?
Answer - The new agreement by which people get God to work in them & through them by faith. Meaning, God empowers their "obedience by faith" (aka righteousness).
See Hebrews 8:6-10.

Law, Covenant, & Testament

What gives us salvation?
Answer - God's power by faith. See 1 Peter 1:5; Romans 1:16.


What is the new law?
Answer - The law of faith. See Romans 3:27; Galatians 2:20; 1 Thessalonians 5:24.

What is the old law?
Answer - The law of works. See Leviticus 18:5; Galatians 3:12; Romans 10:5.
* Note: Works = "do", meaning trying to obey without the God's power by faith.

Does "the law of faith" exclude commandment keeping?
Answer - No. See Romans 3:31; 16:25-26; 1 Timothy 1:5-9.

Monday, September 21, 2015

Wine in Scripture 2

Scripture says what wine to avoid, & what wine to consume. Drinking "in moderation" is like evil spirits "in moderation".
Natural fermentation produces a low alcoholic content without extra additives. Until "granulated sugar", strongly alcoholic wine was rare. To make wine strongly alcoholic like what we have today (10%-15%), we must add a lot of sugar & yeast. 


True or False - The blood alcohol legal limit is .08%.

True, so the smallest amounts of alcohol makes us drunk. And now we know better, so there is no excuse for being under the influence of any spirit but God’s.  

In context, Scripture is consistent, & never approves of the slightest intoxication from cover to cover. Already, we know that the 2 biggest ingredients to boost fermentation, yeast & sugar, were not present in large enough quantities to naturally make the strong wine we have today. 

Meaning, even alcoholic wine during Biblical times cannot compare to any wine you can buy. Sometimes Scripture refers to acceptable wine as alcohol used to purify their water (from their wells), & sometimes it's grape juice. 

The luxury of running water compared to the germ-filled wells of Bible times should paint a clear picture. They basically only had 2 options to drink, water & wine, which were consumed by adults and children alike.
So, focus on what is stated (not what's not). Isaiah 65:8 doesn't even hint at getting drunk, alcohol, nor fermentation. Focus on the opposite with words like "cluster" & "new". 

You'd only try to think this Isaiah 65:8 wine is fermented if you've been misled to add inserts to the verse that aren't actually written...& that would be distorting the Word of God.

For further study, see Proverbs 23:29-35; Isaiah 5:1-2; Matthew 26:29; and Genesis 49:12. 
I pray that correct doctrine be spread In Jesus’ name. 

Wine in Scripture

The bottomless pit might include the excuses for eating & drinking practices.  I used to blurt, "Jesus made wine", & it’s jolting how quick I was to quote Scriptures that I hardly studied.
TRUTH or False - Jesus got people drunk.
Let’s look again at John 2:1-11.  The governor of the feast, tasted his drink, and told the groom, "…every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now."
I love the Original King James Version because it positions words purposely, almost strategically.  Does John say anyone was drunk at all?  They definitely drank their fill, but from the text alone, it is a stretch to say that their wine was even alcoholic.  
Jesus was here on a mission, so before turning Jesus into a bartender, keep reading. "Well drunk" means the guests had plenty to drink…& that’s all folks!
“Wine” appears 231 times in Scripture:


The New Testament, translated from Greek, uses two words for “wine” (both fermented & unfermented). 
GLEUKOS: Sweet wine, fresh juice 
     Acts 2:13  -- Unfermented
OINOS: Wine (generic) 
     Matthew 9:17 -- unfermented
     Ephesians 5:18 -- fermented.

The Old Testament has 3 Hebrew words for “wine”. 
YAYIN: Intoxicating, fermented wine (Genesis 9:21).
TIROSH: Fresh grape juice (Isaiah 65:8; Proverbs 3:10).
SHAKAR: Intoxicating, intensely alcoholic, strong drink (Numbers 28:7).
cont >>>


Monday, June 15, 2015

The Beast

By my research, Bible prophecy symbolizes and defines pieces of a puzzle.

A "mark" is synonymous with a memorial & a seal. Frontlets between the eyes (forehead) & hand are connected like faith & works. See "The Infamous Mark" later.
1) Truth or False - World History supports the same order of 4 kingdoms from Babylon to Rome as is prophecied (or foretold) in the Bible.
Truth - click the arrow below for proof.



My research includes over 35 clues that depict Rome as the 4th beast. 

2) Truth or False - Daniel 2 foretells Babylon as the 1st of 4 successive kingdoms. 

Truth - Babylon's king has a vision, and in verse 38, God's message is, "Thou art this head of gold." 

The names of the 4 kingdoms (or countries) are listed at the bottom of this page.

* Definitions: Metals = Kingdoms (or countries) in Daniel 2:38-40

Daniel 7 signifies the same succession of kingdoms as Daniel 2, but whereas these countries are metals in Daniel 2 Beasts in Daniel 7.

* Definitions: Beasts = Kingdoms (or countries) in Daniel 7:17, 18, 23



Revelation 17:3, 7 support the idea that since a Woman is a church, & Rome is the Beast, then the Catholic Church would "sit upon & be carried by"...Rome.

I - Babylon 603 B.C. to 539 B.C. "The Gold Kingdom " - Lion
II - Medes-Persians 539 B.C. to 331 B.C. "The Silver Kingdom” - Bear
III - Greece 331 B.C. to 168 B.C. "The Brass Kingdom " - Leopard
IV - Rome 168 B.C. to 476 A.D. "The Iron Kingdom " - Beast (cont.) >>>>