Sunday, May 23, 2010
Bulletin Archive April,May,& June
Sunday
Bible Truths
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Remnant Informer Presents The Supremacy Of Scripture
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Word of the day
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When Mistakes are Made
Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. Isa_55:7.
Though a veil hangs over the future, you have a knowledge of the Lord's mercies in the past. Allow no difficulties to discourage you. You have passed through trials, and you will be called to pass through trials again. You have had to pass through experiences not altogether agreeable, and these experiences may be repeated. Temptations have come to you, and temptations will come to you again.
We know not what is before us; but we know that we have the privilege of committing our souls to God, as unto a faithful Creator. Let us thank God that we have a refuge in trial. Let us remember that Christ is a present help in every time of need. The promises of God's Word are rich and full and free. God is with us; He cares for us.
God is revealed to us in Christ. Our Saviour is the image of the invisible God. Oh, how near to heaven we may be. "He that hath seen me hath seen the Father," Christ declared.
Let us allow no worldly business to absorb our energies. Let us allow nothing to occupy the place that God should fill. We must have periods of rest, times set apart for meditation and prayer and for spiritual refreshing. Christ went about doing good, healing all manner of sickness and forgiving all sins, comforting the mourners, banishing sorrow by His presence. Let us behold Him--the very compassion and lovingkindness of God Himself.
Let us seek the Lord. . . . Never forget that you are God's little children. Refuse to worry about what you cannot help. If you make mistakes, go to the compassionate Saviour and ask Him for forgiveness. Tell Him that you want to follow His will. Be polite to God. Remember that He cares for you, and that He will be a present help in every time of need. His "tender mercies are over all his works."
It is our privilege to open our hearts and let the Saviour in. Let us praise Him for the brightness of His presence. Let us carry the sunshine of His love on our countenances and bring it into our words. Then His joy will be in us, and our joy will be full. . . .
The breath of the higher life is to be breathed into our lifework. This will bind us to one another, and to God. The love of Christ needs to come into our experience. Then we shall love one another as Christ has loved us.--Letter 81, May 8, 1903, to Dr. D.H. Kress and wife. (Dr. Kress was director of the Sydney Sanitarium.)
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Devotional
My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers
A Better Way to Live
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Bible ?
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Bible ?
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Remnant Informer Presents Did Jesus Have Older Brothers?
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Monday
Bible Truths
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Word of the day
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Preparation for Heaven
For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it? 1Co_4:7.
It is that man may obtain the life that measures with the life of God that the Lord breaks up his worldly ambitious projects, which, if permitted to engross the mind, would unfit him for the future world.
God is testing every one of us. He entrusts us with talents, to see whether we will be thoroughly unselfish in the use we make of them. He tells us plainly, "He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much" (Luk_16:10). "And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own?" (verse 12).
Let us remember that we are to be tried by the laws of Christ's kingdom. We are not our own to do with ourselves as we please. We have been bought with a price, and the laws of Christ's kingdom, the ten holy precepts, present the standard that we are to reach. God is jealous of His law. He test every man, to see whether he will obey or not.
Man sinned, and death is the penalty of sin. Christ bore the penalty, and secured for man a period of probation. In this time of probation we are now living. We have been given an opportunity to prove ourselves of value in the sight of Him who gave His only begotten Son that we should not perish, but have everlasting life.
One is our Master, even Christ. We are to remember that we are His blood-bought heritage. God's will is to become our will. Physical, mental, and spiritual gifts have been placed in our possession. In the Bible, God's will is plainly made known. God expects every man to use his gifts in a way that will give him an increased knowledge of the things of God, and will enable him to make improvement, to become more and more refined, ennobled, and purified.
In this world men and women are to fit themselves to take their place among the nobility of heaven. In this world they are to prepare for translation into the courts above. Those who take up this work as the Bible directs, will, through the grace of Christ, become examples of what all must be who enter in through the gates into the city.--Letter 80, May 8, 1903, to Dr. J. H. Kellogg.
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Devotional
My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers
A Better Way to Live
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Q & A on Doctrine
The book, Seventh-day Adventists Answer Questions On Doctrine was written to answer specific questions asked by certain scholars and representatives of other Christian denominations as to what we believed on certain major doctrinal points. Thus it does not cover the full spectrum of SDA thought, but only those areas in which other Christians wanted explanation of things they had heard about our beliefs.
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Two Edged Sword Presents State Of The Dead/Soul Sleep Part 1 Man Is Mortal God Is Immortal
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TUESDAY
Bible Truths
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Remnant Informer Presents Sola Scriptura
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Word of the day
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May 8
Satan's Attack Against God's Memorial
In vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. Mat_15:9, NKJV.
The enemy has worked in the religious world to deceive people into the belief that the law of God can be set aside. He has had long years of experience in this work, for he began with our first parents, using his powers to cause them to distrust God. If he could interpose himself between their souls and God, he knew that he would succeed. The prospect of becoming gods, knowing good and evil, was pleasing to Adam and Eve, and they yielded to the temptation.
In receiving a knowledge of good and evil, human beings feel that they are gaining much; but they do not understand the purposes of Satan. They do not understand that they are taken in his snare when they tamper with the law of God. The enemy knows that if the church can be controlled by political enactments, if it can be led to unite with the world, it virtually acknowledges him as its head. Then the authority of human-made commandments will work to oppose the rule of the government of heaven. Under the leadership of Satan there are those who will dispense with the righteous, holy enactments of God concerning the Sabbath, the observance of which is to be a sign between God and His people forever.
Satan's plan has taken with the religious world. He has created an order of things entirely his own, making void the law of God. Through his deceptive working he has gained in the professedly Christian world that which he thought to gain in heaven-an abrogation of the laws of Jehovah. Through the Roman power he has worked to remove God's memorial, and has erected a memorial of his own to sever God from His people. Today the Protestant world is estranged from God by its acceptance of a spurious sabbath. Not one iota of sacred authority can they find for doing this; yet, full of zeal, they assert that the Lord's memorial given at creation should be ignored, despised, trampled upon, and the first day of the week take its place.
No deeper wound could be inflicted on God than to ignore His holy day, and place in its stead a spurious sabbath that bears no mark of sanctity. God gave the Sabbath to the world to be set apart for His name's glory. He says: “It is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctify you. . . . Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant.”-Signs of the Times, Nov. 22, 1899.
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Devotional
My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers
A Better Way to Live
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Spirit of Prophecy
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Wait for God's Answer
It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord. Lam_3:26.
There are precious promises in the Scriptures to those who wait upon the Lord. We all desire an immediate answer to our prayers, and we are tempted to become discouraged if our prayer is not immediately answered. Now my experience has taught me that this is a great mistake. The delay is for our special benefit. Our faith has a chance to be tested to see whether it is true, sincere, or changeable like the waves of the sea. We must bind ourselves upon the altar with the strong cords of faith and love, and let patience have her perfect work. Faith strengthens through continual exercise.
We must pray more and in faith. We must not pray and then run away as though afraid we should receive an answer. God will not mock us. He will answer if we watch unto prayer, if we believe we receive the things we ask for, and keep believing and never lose patience in believing. This is watching unto prayer. We guard the prayer of faith with expectancy and hope. We must wall it in with assurance and be not faithless, but believing. The fervent prayer of the righteous is never lost. The answer may not come according as we expected, but it will come, because God's word is pledged.
We need a calm waiting upon God. The need of this is imperious. It is not the noise and bustle we make in the world which proves our usefulness. See how silently God works! . . . Those who desire to labor with God have need of His Spirit every day; they need to walk and labor in meekness and humility of spirit, without seeking to accomplish extraordinary things, satisfied to do the work before them and doing it faithfully. Men may not see or appreciate their efforts, but the names of these faithful children of God are written in heaven among His noblest workers, as scattering His seed in view of a glorious harvest.
Wait for the Lord, not in fretful anxiety, but in undaunted faith and unshaken trust.
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Wensday
3 Angel's Club
3 Angel's Video
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Remnant Informer Presents I Hate Ellen G. White?
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3 Angel's Book Shelf
FOX's BOOK of MARTYRS
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The Persecution of Dr. Constantine
Dr. Constantine, an intimate acquaintance of the already mentioned Dr. Aegidio, was a man of uncommon natural abilities and profound learning; exclusive of several modern tongues, he was acquainted with the Latin, Greek, and Hebrew languages, and perfectly well knew not only the sciences called abstruse, but those arts which come under the denomination of polite literature.
His eloquence rendered him pleasing, and the soundness of his doctrines a profitable preacher; and he was so popular that he never preached but to a crowded audience. He had many opportunities of rising in the Church, but never would take advantage of them; for if a living of greater value than his own was offered him, he would refuse it, saying, "I am content with what I have"; and he frequently preached so forcibly against simony, that many of his superiors, who were not so delicate upon the subject, took umbrage at his doctrines upon that head.
Having been fully confirmed in Protestantism by Dr. Aegidio, he preached boldly such doctrines only as were agreeable to Gospel purity, and uncontaminated by the errors which had at various times crept into the Romish Church. For these reasons he had many enemies among the Roman Catholics, and some of them were fully determined on his destruction.
A worthy gentleman named Scobaria, having erected a school for divinity lectures, appointed Dr. Constantine to be reader therein. He immediately undertook the task, and read lectures, by portions, on the Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Canticles; and was beginning to expound the Book of Job, when he was seized by the inquisitors.
Being brought to examination, he answered with such precaution that they could not find any explicit charge against him, but remained doubtful in what manner to proceed, when the following circumstances occurred to determine them.
Dr. Constantine had deposited with a woman named Isabella Martin, several books, which to him were very valuable, but which he knew, in the eyes of the Inquisition, were exceptionable.
This woman having been informed against as a Protestant, was apprehended, and, after a small process, her goods were ordered to be confiscated. Previous, however, to the officers coming to her house, the woman's son had removed away several chests full of the most valuable articles; among these were Dr. Constantine's books.
A treacherous servant gave intelligence of this to the inquisitors, and an officer was despatched to the son to demand the chests. The son, supposing the officer only came for Constantine's books, said, "I know what you come for, and I will fetch them to you immediately." He then fetched Dr. Constantine's books and papers, when the officer was greatly surprised to find what he did not look for. He, however, told the young man that he was glad these books and papers were produced, but nevertheless he must fulfill the end of his commission, which was to carry him and the goods he had embezzled before the inquisitors, which he did accordingly; for the young man knew it would be in vain to expostulate, or resist, and therefore quietly submitted to his fate.
he inquisitors being thus possessed of Constantine's books and writings, now found matter sufficient to form charges against him. When he was brought to a re-examination, they presented one of his papers, and asked him if he knew the handwriting? Perceiving it was his own, he guessed the whole matter, confessed the writing, and justified the doctrine it contained: saying, "In that, and all my other writings, I have never departed from the truth of the Gospel, but have always kept in view the pure precepts of Christ, as He delivered them to mankind."
fter being detained upwards of two years in prison, Dr. Constantine was seized with a bloody flux, which put an end to his miseries in this world. The process, however, was carried on against his body, which, at the ensuing auto da fe, was publicly burnt
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Sermons
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Remnant Informer Presents: Relationships 101
As Always
I Stand By The Word
God Bless!
Written By Robert Davis
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Thursday
Remnant Informer
Babylon Lingo
Revelation 13:1-3 “And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. 2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. 3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.”
Revelation 17:3-5 “So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. 4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: 5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.”Revelation 14:7-12 “Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. 8 And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. 9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, 10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: 11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. 12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.”
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Babylon Lingo Presents: The Untouchables
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drakōn lēros
Revelation 12:15-17Rev 12:15 And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. 16 And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth. 17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
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drakōn lēros Presents: THE SECRET RAPTURE - IS IT SCRIPTURAL?
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Matthew 7:15-17Mt 7:15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. 16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? 17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
Mark 13:22-24Mk 13:22 For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall show signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect. 23 But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things.
Reclaiming Sabbath
Exodus 20:8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it
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Reclaiming Sabbath Presents 35 Reasons I Keep The Sabbath
Reflections Of A Lifetime
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Reflections Of A Life Time Distractions Psalm 119:15
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Truth On Trial
(CREATED BY ROBERT DAVIS)
I STAND BY THE WORD
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Truth On Trial Presents: Fabricated Quotes? Popes Claiming To Be God? Part 1
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The Top Ten
Exodus 20:1-26Ex 20:1 And God spake all these words, saying, 2 I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: 5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; 6 And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. 7 Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. 8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.Ex 20:12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. 13 Thou shalt not kill. 14 Thou shalt not commit adultery. 15 Thou shalt not steal. 16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. 17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's
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Q&A # 4 Was Any Other Days Made Holy Or A Day Of Rest By God?
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Entertainment Derangements
http://entertainmentderangements.blogspot.com/
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Entertainment Derangements Presents The Puppet Master Part 1
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Remnant Informer Bulletin Archives
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Friday
Bible Truths
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Bible Truths The Parable of the Lost Coin
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Word of the day
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The Importance of Strict Temperance
Blessed art thou, O land, when . . . thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness! Ecc_10:17.
The lesson from the experience of these [Hebrew] youth is one which we would all do well to ponder. Our danger is not from scarcity, but from abundance. We are constantly tempted to excess. But those who would preserve their powers unimpaired for the service of God must observe strict temperance in the use of all His bounties, as well as total abstinence from every injurious or debasing indulgence.
Right physical habits promote mental superiority. Intellectual power, physical strength, and longevity depend upon immutable laws. There is no happen-so, no chance, about this matter. Heaven will not interfere to preserve men from the consequences of the violation of nature's laws. There is much of truth in the adage that every man is the architect of his own fortune. While parents are responsible for the stamp of character, as well as for the education and training which they give their sons and daughters, it is still true that our position and usefulness in the world depend, to a great degree, upon our own course of action.
Let old and young remember that for every violation of the laws of life, nature will utter her protest. The penalty will fall upon the mental as well as the physical powers. And it does not end with the guilty trifler. The effects of his misdemeanors are seen in his offspring, and thus hereditary evils are passed down, even to the third or fourth generation. . . .
We are suffering for the wrong habits of our fathers, and yet how many take a course every way worse than theirs! Every year millions of gallons of intoxicating liquors are drunk, and millions of dollars are spent for tobacco. Opium, tea, coffee, tobacco, and intoxicating liquors are rapidly extinguishing the spark of vitality still left in the race. . . .
The use of intoxicating liquor dethrones reason, and hardens the heart against every pure and holy influence. . . .
There is need now of men like Daniel--men who have the self-denial and the courage to be radical temperance reformers. Let every Christian see that his example and his influence are on the side of reform. Let ministers of the gospel be faithful in instructing and warning the people. And let all remember that our happiness in two worlds depends upon the right improvement of one.--Signs of the Times, Feb. 11, 1886.
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Devotional
My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers
A Better Way to Live
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Lighter Notes
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Remnant Informer Presents Something We Can All Learn!
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Two Edged Sword
Topics
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Two Edged Sword Presents:God's Law Part 1 God's Law Before Mount Sinai
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Magazine Rack
Amazing Facts
AmazingFacts.tv
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Wedlock Becoming Unholy Deadlock
http://www.amazingfacts.org/Television/AmazingFactsPresents/tabid/77/ctl/PlayMedia/mid/411/MDID/5173/Default.aspx
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Signs of the times
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May 2010
Re-sparking the passion
Amy and Alex usually looked forward to their wedding anniversary dinner at their favorite restaurant. But this time, it was different. They stared at the menu and the walls. There is nothing much to say, and the night is long and tedious. In fact, they were both relieved when the night was finally over.
Amy and Alex’s experience isn’t unique. In fact, many couples experience times when the fire in their relationship loses its heat and the relationship becomes boring and ordinary. The usual “get-up-and go” gets up and goes, and the couple feels empty and lonely. The energy and passion that shaped their early years seems to have disappeared. Passion is very important for a strong and vibrant relationship. Dr. Robert Sternberg from Tufts University suggests that it is one of three key ingredients of love. “Passion is the hot component of love,” says Sternberg. “It’s what fuels relationships, and keeps them going and exciting.” Sternberg also admits that passion can wane. “The challenge in any relationship is to keep the passion going, because the normal tendency is that as life becomes more predictable and routine, . . . passion sometimes dies.”
Routines in life are important for keeping everyday life manageable. We leave for work at a regular time, the kids catch the school bus at the same time each morning, and the weekly racquetball game is always Thursday night at 6:45 p.m. Here, however, lies the risk for our love lives, because emotional connection and sexual intimacy can also get caught up in the pattern of routine. Connecting with our partner can easily become just another thing to have to fit into an already busy week.
Relight my fire
What can couples do when they feel they have lost that lovin’ feelin’? How can Amy and Alex shift their “business as usual” marriage with its lack of excitement and pizzazz back to the time when it was full energy and vitality?
If we knew our home was at risk of fire, we would do everything we could to prepare for an emergency: we would remove any rubbish lying around, clean the gutters, and buy fire hoses. If we knew our car was at risk of breaking down, we would visit the mechanic, go to auto repair classes, and keep a few spare parts in the garage. It’s the same with our marriages. When we know that boredom and loss of passion are a risk to the health of our relationship, we need to take intentional steps to avoid that scenario. Following are some suggestions:
1 Renew a sense of romance. Amy and Alex need to take charge and not just drift along with life’s everyday demands. It’s about taking the initiative and creating opportunities for emotional and physical intimacy. “Many couples don’t create any opportunities for fun,” writes marriage counselor Paul Bogacs. “When you ask them what they have done in the last week that was fun for both of them, so few of them can list anything at all. Some say they went to the movies, but that doesn’t allow the couple to effectively talk or share together.”
2 Build the relationship. This is about sustaining a sense of respect and honor for each other. It’s about each holding the other as the most important person in their life and advertising that, publicly declaring their love and appreciation for each other. When you introduce your partner to others, don’t just call her “the wife” or “the hubby.” This is the chance to say, “Have you met my princess?” or “Let me introduce you to my number one!” This affirms your partner and also helps to reinforce the value of your relationship. Goodwill, trust, and faithfulness are also vital for building your shared love. In her book called Safe Haven Marriage, Sharon Hart Morris speaks of the vital importance of “Heart Trust” which she describes as the sort of trust that means no matter what, your spouse will always value you and care for you. “This is the deepest level of trust the human heart can give or receive,” says Morris.
3 Learn to “hear” each other’s feelings and emotions. This also lies at the core of a healthy love life. Research shows that marital satisfaction is highly correlated with whether a person perceives their spouse to be emotionally and psychologically available to them. It means each partner responding in such a way that the other feels understood, validated, and cared about. You know you can readily share what’s on your heart—your thoughts, feelings, needs, and desires—without fear of criticism, rejection, or disinterest.
4 Avoid recycling the past. Couples need to keep a strong focus on the present and maintain a warm positive attitude about their relationship. The research by psychologist John Gottman clearly demonstrates that couples who regularly criticize each other will be at a much greater risk for divorce. Gottman shows that we need to offset the effects of one negative statement we make about our partner with five positive comments. Regularly using criticism and contempt in our relationships will guarantee a loss of passion and warmth and build negativity and loneliness.
5 Learn to manage difficulties. David Olsen, founder and president of Prepare/Enrich, says that all newly married couples need to see conflict as inevitable in marriage, but it doesn’t have to be the nasty negative kind that we so often imagine. The healthiest marriages can handle some heavy conflicts because the partners have learned to deal with their differences in ways that make it possible for each one to respect the other. They attack the issue, not the person. It’s about staying on track, staying focused, and knowing when to pause for clarity, when to stop talking and simply listen, and when to say, “I am sorry, I got it wrong.”
6 Sustain Sexual Satisfaction. This is an area of love life in which most would be willing to pursue some homework! Marriage counselors suggest that a couple’s sexual relationship is a thermometer of their overall relationship. If it’s all pretty quiet in the bedroom for an extended period, it may suggest a deeper unresolved emotional issue such as stress, depression, or worry. The problem may also be caused by a health issue that needs attention. Or it may simply mean that the sexual relationship has become too predictable. As one woman told a counselor, “I need to make an S.O.S. emergency call on our sex life. It’s the same old stuff!”
For many couples there’s no surprise, no creativity, no laughter and fun. There’s little lead-time, just the usual “Are you awake?” This area of a relationship needs specific planning and genuine creative flair. We need to discover how we can convey a message that our physical love has a high priority. Jesus’ statement, “Give and it shall be given unto you,” needs to apply also to sexual relationships. We need to change our focus from, “What am I getting out of this relationship?” to “What can I give to this relationship?”
7 Get a regular checkup. Just as it’s a good idea to get the car checked out every 10,000 miles or so, and just as we get our health checked every year, so it would be good for couples to do a marital checkup at least once a year. They need to discuss their marriage long enough to ask important questions such as, How are we doing as a couple? How confident are we that we’re on the right track? Are we satisfied with all aspects of our relationship— our levels of spiritual, recreational, emotional, and physical intimacy? And, do we feel strong and confident, or are there some areas where we feel vulnerable? Answering questions such as these can be real eye openers that can play an important role in minimizing the risk of taking each other and the relationship for granted.
Any relationship that has grown a little cold will usually have some embers somewhere that may simply need some gentle fanning to get the fires burning again. Don’t rely on just any ordinary breeze, though. Take charge of the task, dedicate the energy and focus it requires, and you may be surprised how soon you’ll be sitting around your relational fire toasting marshmallows and getting smoke in your eyes!
Nobody to blame
Alan and Jenny had reached a point in their relationship where they knew they had to either take control and make some hard decisions or face the reality of a lost marriage. “It was hard work,” says Jenny, “but every minute was worth it.”
“We finally realized just how much we loved each other,” says Alan, “but we also recognized how much we’d taken things for granted. We figured we’d always be there for each other, so we just went along, caught up in work, our kids, and building our financial security. But we almost lost everything!”
Jenny and Alan decided to focus on three things. They made sure they connected emotionally every day for at least 30 minutes, sharing emotions and feelings and listening to each other’s concerns and worries. They set out to delete any criticism (“put-downs”) from their communication. To facilitate this, each agreed to pay a $5 fine for any put-down, and the money went into a “Jenny and Alan Night-out Fund.” They also worked hard at keeping their sexual relationship creative and fresh, with each of them taking responsibility for initiating fun times and surprises.
“We realized we owned responsibility for keeping the heat in our love life. We couldn’t blame anybody else, nor could we blame lack of time or lack of anything at all,” Jenny said.
http://www.signstimes.com/
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It Is Written
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God Among Us
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God Among Us
SERIES: Pillar of Faith #3 of 7
2007-09-23
PRODUCTION #: 1093
SPEAKER: Shawn Boonstra
The wilderness sanctuary is one of the most enigmatic structures ever built. Just what was it that the
ancient Israelites were trying to achieve as they carried this temple made of tents around the desert?
Why was it considered such a sacred object?
Years ago, the Sears company started advertising the perfect kit house. Now, this wasn’t just a prefab
home like the kind you see today. It was actually a complete kit that you ordered through the catalog. It
came with everything you needed to assemble the home of your dreams, in as many as 30,000 pieces.
Between 1908 and 1940, Sears sold more than 100,000 mail order buildings, including houses,
apartment buildings and even barns. One entire town was ordered by the Standard Oil Company to
provide housing for employees.
According to one CBS news story, a Sears housing kit came with 750 pounds of nails, 27 gallons of paint
and varnish, 460 pounds of window weights, 27 windows, 25 doors and a 75-page instruction book.
Sears and Roebuck claimed that a man of average ability could put it all together in about 90 days.
These remarkable homes were wildly popular for a while because they were inexpensive and easy to
assemble.
By following the instruction manual and doing the labor yourself, you might just save between $500
and $2,000, which was nothing to sneeze at at the turn of last century. In fact, it was called “instant
equity.” Some people have even called it “sweat equity,” which is something that a lot of homeowners in
today’s housing market would still love to have.
Of course, Sears and Roebuck didn’t really invent this idea. Long before they started shipping mail
order houses, other people had done it. It is just that Sears did a better job of promoting the product,
and they quickly skyrocketed to the top of the industry.
Today, a lot of people across America get excited when they notice a Sears and Roebuck stamp on the
lumber in their attic, because even though most of the homes were assembled by amateurs, they were
very well built. Owning a well-built Sears home has become something of a novelty. Yet the idea of a kit
home that came with detailed instructions is really nothing new. In fact, you’ll find mention of
something like it in a story that begins several thousand years ago.
The Bible tells us that as the children of Israel were making their way back to the promised land; they
were led by a mysterious cloud that would take on a different appearance depending on whether it was
night or day. In that cloud was the literal presence of God. Listen to what the Bible says (Exodus 13:21-
22):
“And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by
night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: He took not away the pillar
of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.”
Years earlier, God had made a solemn covenant with Abraham that his descendants would come back to
the land of Canaan after a lengthy stay in Egypt. On the night that God made that covenant, He
revealed himself to Abraham as a smoking furnace and burning lamp. Abraham had witnessed the very
presence of God, and now that his descendants were ready to return to the land of promise, God
revealed Himself again, but this time as a pillar of fire. It was His visible symbol that He would not
forget His people nor forsake them, even though they were about to enter into one of the most trying
times of their national existence.
What’s really interesting is that the Apostle Paul reveals exactly who was leading Israel in that cloud. In
his first letter to the Corinthian church, he mentions something that comes as a surprise to many
TV Program
his first letter to the Corinthian church, he mentions something that comes as a surprise to many
people when they first read it. He says it was none other than Jesus Christ who led Israel through the
desert. Here is what he writes (1 Corinthians 10:4):
“And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual rock that followed
them: and that rock was Christ.”
You see Jesus didn’t start his existence in the New Testament era. The startling truth is that He has
always been there. In fact, the Bible reveals that He is the member of the Godhead who actually created
everything in the first place. Listen to this. Writing about Jesus, the disciple John said (John 1:10):
“He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.”
Later on in the New Testament, in the book of Colossians, we read this (Colossians 1:16):
“For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and
invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers; all things were
created by him, and for him.”
And then there is this passage, found in the opening verses of the Book of Hebrews (1:1-2):
“God, who at sundry times and in diverse manners, spake in time past unto the fathers by
the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed
heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds.”
The breathtaking truth is that Jesus has always been here with us. It was Jesus who took a lump of
inanimate clay and breathed the first breath of life into it. It was Jesus who put Adam to sleep and
created a wife for him, and so it was Jesus who also first dreamed up the institution of marriage. It was
Jesus who came to the garden in the cool of the evening to talk with our first parents. And don’t forget
that Jesus told us, “Before Abraham was, I am.” So, we also know it was Jesus who appeared to Moses
in the burning bush. All through the Old Testament there is a burning presence that can’t resist the
company of the human race. That presence is Jesus Christ.
When the human race fell into sin, Christ’s family on earth—the family He had created for His own
pleasure—was destroyed. His heart aches to put that family back together. I remember a young lady
who came to one of my evangelistic meetings a few years ago. She was only 15 years old when she made
that all-important decision to give her life to Christ, and the day before her baptism, she told me a
terrible story.
“Pastor,” she said, “my mother threw me out of the house when I was only 10 years old. I’ve been living
on the streets, surviving by my wits for the last five years, and I don’t have a family.”
The tears welled up in her eyes, and I have got to admit that they welled up in mine, too. A lot of people
were being baptized that day, and they all had family and friends to invite to the big event. But young
Teresa had nobody. “You know though, Pastor, it’s okay,” she said, “because I have a new family now.
This church is my family and Jesus is my family, and I think I know what it’s been like for Jesus all
these years to be missing me.”
I think she hit the nail right on the head. When Jesus came looking for Adam in the garden, calling his
name, I don’t believe it was with vengeance in mind, or that He would have wiped us all out that day. I
believe Jesus called out for Adam with tears in His voice, because His human family had just been
devastated by sin and rebellion. And from that moment on, Jesus never lost His desire to be present
with us. We couldn’t live in His direct presence anymore, because sin can’t exist in the presence of God.
But He was always there, veiled just enough to keep His perfect holy presence from destroying us. As
the children of Israel struck out for the land of promise, he was there with them, as a “pillar of fire by
night, and a pillar of cloud by day.”
But the Bible tells us that He wasn’t content to just be near his people; He wanted to be with them. So,
speaking to Moses, God asked for something very special in Exodus, chapter 25 (Exodus 25:1-9):
“And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them. According to all that I
shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof,
shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof,
even so shall ye make it.”
“Moses,” God said, “here’s what I want. I want to dwell among my people, and I want you to make me a
sanctuary.”
Now, if you think about this, it is a pretty surprising development. The children of Israel had already
done more than their share of bellyaching, and to think that God would want to draw even closer to
them speaks volumes about the kind of loving and forgiving God He is. He didn’t feel as if He was close
enough to His people.
Just before this amazing request, when God summoned Moses to come and get the Ten
Commandments, He manifested His presence as a consuming fire on the top of Mt. Sinai. The Israelites
were not allowed anywhere near the mountain when this was going on, because the holy presence of
God would have destroyed them as sinners.
Now the heart of God craved an even closer relationship with them and there were important things
that He wanted to teach them about Himself. So, he asked for a sanctuary in the middle of their camp.
But when Moses built it, he wasn’t allowed to get creative; it had to be done just right.
It was the ultimate kit house, to be built exactly as described by God, using precisely the materials that
God asked for. God actually showed Moses the specific Out of prints and there was a good reason for
that. The whole thing was meant to be a special object lesson that would reveal the plan of salvation in
vivid detail—hundreds of years before Christ walked this earth as a human being.
By studying the sanctuary, the children of Israel could learn something about Jesus before He arrived in
the flesh.
“Thy way, O God,” says the book of Psalms, “is in the sanctuary.”
To this day there is still a lot you can learn just by studying the house that God custom ordered for
Himself.
That first sanctuary was completely portable, designed to be taken down and carried through the desert
when the presence of God started to lead the children of Israel to a new location. It consisted of three
basic sections: an outer courtyard, where animal sacrifices took place on a daily basis; the Holy Place
into which the priests carried the blood of sacrificial animals every day; and the most holy place, the
innermost chamber where the presence of God would take up residence between the two cherubim, on
top of the Ark of the Covenant.
Now, if you studied the Old Testament sanctuary and its rituals carefully, you’ll notice that it lays out in
minute detail the entire plan of salvation. It actually predicts everything that Jesus would do to secure
the salvation of the fallen human race, which only proves that the sanctuary was not a manmade
design. In fact, it was a replica of something that already existed in the courts of heaven. A heavenly
sanctuary.
Speaking of Jesus, notice how the author of the book of Hebrews describes his role in the heavenly
sanctuary (Hebrews 8:1-2):
“Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who
is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; A minister of the
sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.”
The Bible clearly teaches that there is a sanctuary in heaven, one that God built, and not man.
Furthermore, it teaches us that Jesus is our high priest in that sanctuary, offering His own blood for
human sins, instead of the blood of animals. In the next chapter, the Bible points out this very fact. The
blood of animals was used to cleanse away sin in the Old Testament sanctuary, but the blood of Christ
is used to cleanse our sins in the heavenly sanctuary. Here is what it says (Hebrews 9:22-24):
“And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no
remission. It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be
purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For
Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true;
but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us.
There is quite a bit more on this subject in the eighth and ninth chapters of the book of Hebrews, but it
all boils down to this: all of the animal sacrifices, all of the rituals in the Old Testament, pointed to
Jesus Christ. The blood of all those millions of animals never actually saved anybody, it just pointed
forward to the day that God’s own Son would shed His blood to save humanity.
The reason that Jesus wanted to build the sanctuary was very simple. He wanted his people to catch a
glimpse of what was going on behind the scenes of the universe to save them. He wanted them to
become intimately acquainted with Him and to understand what it was that He was going to do for
them. So, He brought a little piece of heaven down to earth. He had Moses build a replica of the
sanctuary in heaven, and He took up residence right there in the middle of the camp of Israel. He was
sending a very clear signal that His greatest desire was to live among His people, and give them access
to His throne, even though they had forfeited all rights to heaven by sinning.
See here is how the whole thing worked: Sinners would take an innocent animal, often a lamb, and
bring it to the outer court of the tabernacle. There they would place their hands on the lamb’s head,
confessing their sins over it, and then they would be required to take a knife and cut the throat of the
animal. Now, it had to be that way so that the sinner would understand that his sins had killed that
lamb. Symbolically, his sins were then transferred to the lamb and the lamb was considered to have
died in the sinner’s place.
Now think about this. If the sanctuary and its services are an object lesson about Jesus, they reveal
something pretty remarkable. Throughout the Bible, Jesus is referred to as a lamb. In fact, it happens
nearly 30 times in the Book of Revelation, a clear indication that all of the sacrificial lambs of the Old
Testament pointed to Jesus. John the Baptist, when he saw Jesus for the first time, said (John 1:29):
“Behold, the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”
The prophet Isaiah, predicting what Christ would do for us at the cross, said, “He is brought as a lamb
to the slaughter.”
So Jesus is the lamb, and if the sins of Old Testament believers were symbolically transferred to an
innocent lamb before it was sacrificed, that teaches us that our sins are transferred to Jesus when we
confess them. That’s why Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:21 that “Jesus was made to be sin for us.” As He
hung on calvary’s cross, He was volunteering Himself to be the sacrificial lamb for the sins of the world.
He stood in your place, just like the little lambs in the Old Testament stood in the sinner’s place.
You know, I have often tried to imagine the pain of taking an innocent animal’s life, knowing that it
was not for food or other necessities that the animal had to die. It would die because I had sin. It was a
graphic reminder that sin is not trivial.
Sin cuts us off from the presence of God and that creates a very serious situation. Listen, the Book of
Colossians teaches us that Jesus is not only the Creator, but He is also the one who holds it all together.
Now we have already seen this passage, but let’s read a little more in Colossians 1:16 it says:
“For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and
invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were
created by him, and for him. He is before all things, and by him, all things consist.”
“All things”, it says, “consist by Jesus Christ.” That means that God is the glue that holds our universe
together. Modern scientists have been working hard to find something they call the “god particle” or the
“theory of everything.” They are trying to explain what seems to be competing sets of physical laws.
One set that governs big things like galaxies and solar systems and a completely different set of physical
laws that explains tiny things like atoms and subatomic particles.
Now, they are convinced that there has to be rhyme and reason to our universe, and a single formula, a
single theory, must exist that explains how it all holds together. And you know something? They are
absolutely right. There really is rhyme and reason to our universe. There really is a single explanation,
and it rests squarely in the hands of God.
The Bible teaches us that Jesus holds the keys to the mysteries of the universe. He is the one who
“holds it all together," and that creates a rather difficult problem for sinful human beings. The Book of
Isaiah says in chapter 59 that our sins have separated us from God. They have driven a wedge between
us and Him, and if He is the one who holds everything together, and He is the one who gives us the
divine spark of life.
divine spark of life.
When we cut ourselves off from God, we can’t expect to go on living. And of course, that is exactly what
the Bible teaches in the book of Romans—“the wages of sin is death.” Every lamb that was sacrificed
was a painful reminder of how serious the consequences of sin really are.
On a regular basis, sinners had to take the life of an innocent lamb. I can’t believe that was easy, no
matter how many times they had done it. If it were just a matter of putting food on the table, you could
always reassure yourself that you were killing the lamb for a good reason. But if the only reason was
your sin, it would have a pretty profound impact on you.
You know, its become pretty popular to suggest that your salvation is free, that it doesn’t cost anything.
Well, according to the Bible, that is not quite true. You will never be able to buy your salvation, and
there’s nothing you can do to earn it. But it still cost the Son of God everything He had.
Once the lamb was slain, the blood was carried inside the sanctuary to the first compartment, which
was called the holy place. There a priest would sprinkle the blood in the presence of God. And that
painted a vivid picture of the time when Jesus would present His own blood before the throne of
heaven as an atonement for your sins. Listen to what the Bible says (Hebrews 10:19-22):
“Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a
new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his
flesh; and having an high priest over the house of God; let us draw near with a true heart in
full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies
washed with pure water.”
Let me tell you what that means for you. Today, you can step boldly into the throne room of God, even
though you are a sinner, because Jesus has paved the way. He is both the sacrificial lamb and heaven’s
great high priest. His innocent blood, shed as a member of our human race, has made it possible for
you to come closer to the presence of God in the holiest place in the universe. Why would Jesus make
that possible?
Your company, your presence, is the thing He craves the most. Look at the sanctuary of God and ask
yourself, “What kind of God would pour Himself out for you like this?” And then ask yourself just one
question: “Can I think of any good reason not to step into his presence right now?”
The story of Jesus’ gift at the cross is the most amazing story ever told. To know that it was portrayed
hundreds of years ahead of time in the sanctuary is reassurance that God has always had a plan for you.
Why don’t we pray together?
PRAYER:
Father in heaven, as we look at the sanctuary you asked Moses to build, it fills us with a sense of awe. It
shows us how much you care and how much you long to be in our presence. Today, we want to accept
the gift of Jesus at the cross. We want Him to represent us in the courts of heaven. So, we ask you to
forgive us, and to pull us closer into your presence, for we pray it in Jesus’ name, amen.
Scriptures Used in “God Among Us”
“And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a
pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day,
nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.”
—Exodus 13:21-22
“And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them: and
that rock was Christ.”
—1 Corinthians 10:4
“He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.”
—John 1:10
“For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible,
whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers; all things were created by him, and
for him.”
—Colossians 1:16
“God, who at sundry times and in diverse manners, spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
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hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom
also he made the worlds.”
—Hebrews 1:1-2
“And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them. According to all that I shew thee,
after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make
it.”
—Exodus 25:1-9
“Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on
the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true
tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.”
—Hebrews 8:1-2
“And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but
the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ is not entered into the holy
places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the
presence of God for us.”
—Hebrews 9:22-24
“Behold, the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”
—John 1:29
“Jesus was made to be sin for us.”
—2 Corinthians 5:21
“For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible,
whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and
for him. He is before all things, and by him, all things consist.”
—Colossians 1:16
“Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and
living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; and having an
high priest over the house of God; let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having
our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.”
—Hebrews 10:19-22
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In the Study of Nature
Speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee. Job_12:8.
The childhood and youth of Christ were spent in humble circumstances, under conditions that were favorable to the development of a sound constitution. His life was passed mostly in the open air. He drank of the pure streams of water, and ate the fruit of the gardens. He passed up and down the steep mountain paths, and through the streets of Nazareth, as He went to and from His place of toil to His home. He enjoyed the varied notes of the birds as they caroled forth their praise to their Creator. He took delight in the beauty of the flowers that decked the fields. He noted with joy the glory of the heavens, the splendor of sun, moon, and stars, and looked upon the rising and setting sun with admiration. The book of nature was open before Him, and He enjoyed its tender lessons. The everlasting hills, the olive groves, were favorite places of resort where He went to commune with His Father. He was filled with divine wisdom, and through the study of nature, and by meditation upon the communion with God, His spiritual powers were strengthened.
The Redeemer of the world passed up and down the hills and mountains, from the great plain to the mountain valley. He enjoyed nature's beautiful scenery. He was delighted with the fields glowing with the beautiful flowers, and in listening to the birds of the air, and uniting His voice with them in their happy songs of praise.
In the life of Christ, His childhood and youth, there is a lesson for the youth of today. Christ is our example, and in youth we should contemplate God in nature,--study His character in the work of His hands. The mind is strengthened by becoming acquainted with God, by reading His attributes in the things which He has made. As we behold the beauty and grandeur in the works of nature, our affections go out after God; and . . . our souls are invigorated by coming in contact with the Infinite through His marvelous works.
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Devotional
My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers
A Better Way to Live
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Spirit of Prophecy
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Glorious Possibilities Before Us
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. Php_2:5.
How glorious are the possibilities set before the fallen race! Through His Son, God has revealed the excellency to which man is capable of attaining. Through the merits of Christ man is lifted from his depraved state, purified, and made more precious than the golden wedge of Ophir. It is possible for him to become a companion of the angels in glory, and to reflect the image of Jesus Christ. . . . Yet how seldom he realizes to what heights he could attain if he would allow God to direct his every step!
God permits every human being to exercise his individuality. He desires no one to submerge his mind in the mind of a fellow mortal. Those who desire to be transformed in mind and character are not to look to men, but to the divine Example. God gives the invitation, "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus." By conversion and transformation men are to receive the mind of Christ. Every one is to stand before God with an individual faith, an individual experience, knowing for himself that Christ is formed within, the hope of glory. . . .
As our example we have One who is all and in all, the Chiefest among ten thousand, One whose excellency is beyond comparison. He graciously adapted His life for universal imitation. United in Christ were wealth and poverty; majesty and abasement; unlimited power, and meekness and lowliness, which in every soul who receives Him will be reflected. . . .
O that we might more fully appreciate the honor Christ confers upon us! By wearing His yoke and learning of Him, we become like Him in aspiration, in meekness and lowliness, in fragrance of character, and unite with Him in ascribing praise and honor and glory to God as supreme. Those who live up to their high privileges in this life will receive an eternal reward in the life to come. If faithful we shall join the heavenly musicians in singing with sweet accord songs of praise to God and to the Lamb.
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When Mistakes are Made
Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. Isa_55:7.
Though a veil hangs over the future, you have a knowledge of the Lord's mercies in the past. Allow no difficulties to discourage you. You have passed through trials, and you will be called to pass through trials again. You have had to pass through experiences not altogether agreeable, and these experiences may be repeated. Temptations have come to you, and temptations will come to you again.
We know not what is before us; but we know that we have the privilege of committing our souls to God, as unto a faithful Creator. Let us thank God that we have a refuge in trial. Let us remember that Christ is a present help in every time of need. The promises of God's Word are rich and full and free. God is with us; He cares for us.
God is revealed to us in Christ. Our Saviour is the image of the invisible God. Oh, how near to heaven we may be. "He that hath seen me hath seen the Father," Christ declared.
Let us allow no worldly business to absorb our energies. Let us allow nothing to occupy the place that God should fill. We must have periods of rest, times set apart for meditation and prayer and for spiritual refreshing. Christ went about doing good, healing all manner of sickness and forgiving all sins, comforting the mourners, banishing sorrow by His presence. Let us behold Him--the very compassion and lovingkindness of God Himself.
Let us seek the Lord. . . . Never forget that you are God's little children. Refuse to worry about what you cannot help. If you make mistakes, go to the compassionate Saviour and ask Him for forgiveness. Tell Him that you want to follow His will. Be polite to God. Remember that He cares for you, and that He will be a present help in every time of need. His "tender mercies are over all his works."
It is our privilege to open our hearts and let the Saviour in. Let us praise Him for the brightness of His presence. Let us carry the sunshine of His love on our countenances and bring it into our words. Then His joy will be in us, and our joy will be full. . . .
The breath of the higher life is to be breathed into our lifework. This will bind us to one another, and to God. The love of Christ needs to come into our experience. Then we shall love one another as Christ has loved us.--Letter 81, May 8, 1903, to Dr. D.H. Kress and wife. (Dr. Kress was director of the Sydney Sanitarium.)
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Preparation for Heaven
For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it? 1Co_4:7.
It is that man may obtain the life that measures with the life of God that the Lord breaks up his worldly ambitious projects, which, if permitted to engross the mind, would unfit him for the future world.
God is testing every one of us. He entrusts us with talents, to see whether we will be thoroughly unselfish in the use we make of them. He tells us plainly, "He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much" (Luk_16:10). "And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own?" (verse 12).
Let us remember that we are to be tried by the laws of Christ's kingdom. We are not our own to do with ourselves as we please. We have been bought with a price, and the laws of Christ's kingdom, the ten holy precepts, present the standard that we are to reach. God is jealous of His law. He test every man, to see whether he will obey or not.
Man sinned, and death is the penalty of sin. Christ bore the penalty, and secured for man a period of probation. In this time of probation we are now living. We have been given an opportunity to prove ourselves of value in the sight of Him who gave His only begotten Son that we should not perish, but have everlasting life.
One is our Master, even Christ. We are to remember that we are His blood-bought heritage. God's will is to become our will. Physical, mental, and spiritual gifts have been placed in our possession. In the Bible, God's will is plainly made known. God expects every man to use his gifts in a way that will give him an increased knowledge of the things of God, and will enable him to make improvement, to become more and more refined, ennobled, and purified.
In this world men and women are to fit themselves to take their place among the nobility of heaven. In this world they are to prepare for translation into the courts above. Those who take up this work as the Bible directs, will, through the grace of Christ, become examples of what all must be who enter in through the gates into the city.--Letter 80, May 8, 1903, to Dr. J. H. Kellogg.
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Devotional
My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers
A Better Way to Live
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Q & A on Doctrine
The book, Seventh-day Adventists Answer Questions On Doctrine was written to answer specific questions asked by certain scholars and representatives of other Christian denominations as to what we believed on certain major doctrinal points. Thus it does not cover the full spectrum of SDA thought, but only those areas in which other Christians wanted explanation of things they had heard about our beliefs.
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Two Edged Sword Presents State Of The Dead/Soul Sleep Part 1 Man Is Mortal God Is Immortal
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TUESDAY
Bible Truths
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Remnant Informer Presents Sola Scriptura
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Word of the day
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May 8
Satan's Attack Against God's Memorial
In vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. Mat_15:9, NKJV.
The enemy has worked in the religious world to deceive people into the belief that the law of God can be set aside. He has had long years of experience in this work, for he began with our first parents, using his powers to cause them to distrust God. If he could interpose himself between their souls and God, he knew that he would succeed. The prospect of becoming gods, knowing good and evil, was pleasing to Adam and Eve, and they yielded to the temptation.
In receiving a knowledge of good and evil, human beings feel that they are gaining much; but they do not understand the purposes of Satan. They do not understand that they are taken in his snare when they tamper with the law of God. The enemy knows that if the church can be controlled by political enactments, if it can be led to unite with the world, it virtually acknowledges him as its head. Then the authority of human-made commandments will work to oppose the rule of the government of heaven. Under the leadership of Satan there are those who will dispense with the righteous, holy enactments of God concerning the Sabbath, the observance of which is to be a sign between God and His people forever.
Satan's plan has taken with the religious world. He has created an order of things entirely his own, making void the law of God. Through his deceptive working he has gained in the professedly Christian world that which he thought to gain in heaven-an abrogation of the laws of Jehovah. Through the Roman power he has worked to remove God's memorial, and has erected a memorial of his own to sever God from His people. Today the Protestant world is estranged from God by its acceptance of a spurious sabbath. Not one iota of sacred authority can they find for doing this; yet, full of zeal, they assert that the Lord's memorial given at creation should be ignored, despised, trampled upon, and the first day of the week take its place.
No deeper wound could be inflicted on God than to ignore His holy day, and place in its stead a spurious sabbath that bears no mark of sanctity. God gave the Sabbath to the world to be set apart for His name's glory. He says: “It is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctify you. . . . Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant.”-Signs of the Times, Nov. 22, 1899.
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Devotional
My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers
A Better Way to Live
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Spirit of Prophecy
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Wait for God's Answer
It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord. Lam_3:26.
There are precious promises in the Scriptures to those who wait upon the Lord. We all desire an immediate answer to our prayers, and we are tempted to become discouraged if our prayer is not immediately answered. Now my experience has taught me that this is a great mistake. The delay is for our special benefit. Our faith has a chance to be tested to see whether it is true, sincere, or changeable like the waves of the sea. We must bind ourselves upon the altar with the strong cords of faith and love, and let patience have her perfect work. Faith strengthens through continual exercise.
We must pray more and in faith. We must not pray and then run away as though afraid we should receive an answer. God will not mock us. He will answer if we watch unto prayer, if we believe we receive the things we ask for, and keep believing and never lose patience in believing. This is watching unto prayer. We guard the prayer of faith with expectancy and hope. We must wall it in with assurance and be not faithless, but believing. The fervent prayer of the righteous is never lost. The answer may not come according as we expected, but it will come, because God's word is pledged.
We need a calm waiting upon God. The need of this is imperious. It is not the noise and bustle we make in the world which proves our usefulness. See how silently God works! . . . Those who desire to labor with God have need of His Spirit every day; they need to walk and labor in meekness and humility of spirit, without seeking to accomplish extraordinary things, satisfied to do the work before them and doing it faithfully. Men may not see or appreciate their efforts, but the names of these faithful children of God are written in heaven among His noblest workers, as scattering His seed in view of a glorious harvest.
Wait for the Lord, not in fretful anxiety, but in undaunted faith and unshaken trust.
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Wensday
3 Angel's Club
3 Angel's Video
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Remnant Informer Presents I Hate Ellen G. White?
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3 Angel's Book Shelf
FOX's BOOK of MARTYRS
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The Persecution of Dr. Constantine
Dr. Constantine, an intimate acquaintance of the already mentioned Dr. Aegidio, was a man of uncommon natural abilities and profound learning; exclusive of several modern tongues, he was acquainted with the Latin, Greek, and Hebrew languages, and perfectly well knew not only the sciences called abstruse, but those arts which come under the denomination of polite literature.
His eloquence rendered him pleasing, and the soundness of his doctrines a profitable preacher; and he was so popular that he never preached but to a crowded audience. He had many opportunities of rising in the Church, but never would take advantage of them; for if a living of greater value than his own was offered him, he would refuse it, saying, "I am content with what I have"; and he frequently preached so forcibly against simony, that many of his superiors, who were not so delicate upon the subject, took umbrage at his doctrines upon that head.
Having been fully confirmed in Protestantism by Dr. Aegidio, he preached boldly such doctrines only as were agreeable to Gospel purity, and uncontaminated by the errors which had at various times crept into the Romish Church. For these reasons he had many enemies among the Roman Catholics, and some of them were fully determined on his destruction.
A worthy gentleman named Scobaria, having erected a school for divinity lectures, appointed Dr. Constantine to be reader therein. He immediately undertook the task, and read lectures, by portions, on the Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Canticles; and was beginning to expound the Book of Job, when he was seized by the inquisitors.
Being brought to examination, he answered with such precaution that they could not find any explicit charge against him, but remained doubtful in what manner to proceed, when the following circumstances occurred to determine them.
Dr. Constantine had deposited with a woman named Isabella Martin, several books, which to him were very valuable, but which he knew, in the eyes of the Inquisition, were exceptionable.
This woman having been informed against as a Protestant, was apprehended, and, after a small process, her goods were ordered to be confiscated. Previous, however, to the officers coming to her house, the woman's son had removed away several chests full of the most valuable articles; among these were Dr. Constantine's books.
A treacherous servant gave intelligence of this to the inquisitors, and an officer was despatched to the son to demand the chests. The son, supposing the officer only came for Constantine's books, said, "I know what you come for, and I will fetch them to you immediately." He then fetched Dr. Constantine's books and papers, when the officer was greatly surprised to find what he did not look for. He, however, told the young man that he was glad these books and papers were produced, but nevertheless he must fulfill the end of his commission, which was to carry him and the goods he had embezzled before the inquisitors, which he did accordingly; for the young man knew it would be in vain to expostulate, or resist, and therefore quietly submitted to his fate.
he inquisitors being thus possessed of Constantine's books and writings, now found matter sufficient to form charges against him. When he was brought to a re-examination, they presented one of his papers, and asked him if he knew the handwriting? Perceiving it was his own, he guessed the whole matter, confessed the writing, and justified the doctrine it contained: saying, "In that, and all my other writings, I have never departed from the truth of the Gospel, but have always kept in view the pure precepts of Christ, as He delivered them to mankind."
fter being detained upwards of two years in prison, Dr. Constantine was seized with a bloody flux, which put an end to his miseries in this world. The process, however, was carried on against his body, which, at the ensuing auto da fe, was publicly burnt
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Sermons
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Remnant Informer Presents: Relationships 101
As Always
I Stand By The Word
God Bless!
Written By Robert Davis
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Thursday
Remnant Informer
Babylon Lingo
Revelation 13:1-3 “And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. 2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. 3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.”
Revelation 17:3-5 “So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. 4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: 5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.”Revelation 14:7-12 “Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. 8 And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. 9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, 10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: 11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. 12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.”
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Babylon Lingo Presents: The Untouchables
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drakōn lēros
Revelation 12:15-17Rev 12:15 And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. 16 And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth. 17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
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drakōn lēros Presents: THE SECRET RAPTURE - IS IT SCRIPTURAL?
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Matthew 7:15-17Mt 7:15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. 16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? 17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
Mark 13:22-24Mk 13:22 For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall show signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect. 23 But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things.
Reclaiming Sabbath
Exodus 20:8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it
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Reclaiming Sabbath Presents 35 Reasons I Keep The Sabbath
Reflections Of A Lifetime
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Reflections Of A Life Time Distractions Psalm 119:15
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Truth On Trial
(CREATED BY ROBERT DAVIS)
I STAND BY THE WORD
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Truth On Trial Presents: Fabricated Quotes? Popes Claiming To Be God? Part 1
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The Top Ten
Exodus 20:1-26Ex 20:1 And God spake all these words, saying, 2 I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: 5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; 6 And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. 7 Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. 8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.Ex 20:12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. 13 Thou shalt not kill. 14 Thou shalt not commit adultery. 15 Thou shalt not steal. 16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. 17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's
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Q&A # 4 Was Any Other Days Made Holy Or A Day Of Rest By God?
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Entertainment Derangements
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Entertainment Derangements Presents The Puppet Master Part 1
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Remnant Informer Bulletin Archives
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Friday
Bible Truths
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Bible Truths The Parable of the Lost Coin
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Word of the day
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The Importance of Strict Temperance
Blessed art thou, O land, when . . . thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness! Ecc_10:17.
The lesson from the experience of these [Hebrew] youth is one which we would all do well to ponder. Our danger is not from scarcity, but from abundance. We are constantly tempted to excess. But those who would preserve their powers unimpaired for the service of God must observe strict temperance in the use of all His bounties, as well as total abstinence from every injurious or debasing indulgence.
Right physical habits promote mental superiority. Intellectual power, physical strength, and longevity depend upon immutable laws. There is no happen-so, no chance, about this matter. Heaven will not interfere to preserve men from the consequences of the violation of nature's laws. There is much of truth in the adage that every man is the architect of his own fortune. While parents are responsible for the stamp of character, as well as for the education and training which they give their sons and daughters, it is still true that our position and usefulness in the world depend, to a great degree, upon our own course of action.
Let old and young remember that for every violation of the laws of life, nature will utter her protest. The penalty will fall upon the mental as well as the physical powers. And it does not end with the guilty trifler. The effects of his misdemeanors are seen in his offspring, and thus hereditary evils are passed down, even to the third or fourth generation. . . .
We are suffering for the wrong habits of our fathers, and yet how many take a course every way worse than theirs! Every year millions of gallons of intoxicating liquors are drunk, and millions of dollars are spent for tobacco. Opium, tea, coffee, tobacco, and intoxicating liquors are rapidly extinguishing the spark of vitality still left in the race. . . .
The use of intoxicating liquor dethrones reason, and hardens the heart against every pure and holy influence. . . .
There is need now of men like Daniel--men who have the self-denial and the courage to be radical temperance reformers. Let every Christian see that his example and his influence are on the side of reform. Let ministers of the gospel be faithful in instructing and warning the people. And let all remember that our happiness in two worlds depends upon the right improvement of one.--Signs of the Times, Feb. 11, 1886.
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Devotional
My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers
A Better Way to Live
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Lighter Notes
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Remnant Informer Presents Something We Can All Learn!
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Two Edged Sword
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Two Edged Sword Presents:God's Law Part 1 God's Law Before Mount Sinai
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Magazine Rack
Amazing Facts
AmazingFacts.tv
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Wedlock Becoming Unholy Deadlock
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Signs of the times
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May 2010
Re-sparking the passion
Amy and Alex usually looked forward to their wedding anniversary dinner at their favorite restaurant. But this time, it was different. They stared at the menu and the walls. There is nothing much to say, and the night is long and tedious. In fact, they were both relieved when the night was finally over.
Amy and Alex’s experience isn’t unique. In fact, many couples experience times when the fire in their relationship loses its heat and the relationship becomes boring and ordinary. The usual “get-up-and go” gets up and goes, and the couple feels empty and lonely. The energy and passion that shaped their early years seems to have disappeared. Passion is very important for a strong and vibrant relationship. Dr. Robert Sternberg from Tufts University suggests that it is one of three key ingredients of love. “Passion is the hot component of love,” says Sternberg. “It’s what fuels relationships, and keeps them going and exciting.” Sternberg also admits that passion can wane. “The challenge in any relationship is to keep the passion going, because the normal tendency is that as life becomes more predictable and routine, . . . passion sometimes dies.”
Routines in life are important for keeping everyday life manageable. We leave for work at a regular time, the kids catch the school bus at the same time each morning, and the weekly racquetball game is always Thursday night at 6:45 p.m. Here, however, lies the risk for our love lives, because emotional connection and sexual intimacy can also get caught up in the pattern of routine. Connecting with our partner can easily become just another thing to have to fit into an already busy week.
Relight my fire
What can couples do when they feel they have lost that lovin’ feelin’? How can Amy and Alex shift their “business as usual” marriage with its lack of excitement and pizzazz back to the time when it was full energy and vitality?
If we knew our home was at risk of fire, we would do everything we could to prepare for an emergency: we would remove any rubbish lying around, clean the gutters, and buy fire hoses. If we knew our car was at risk of breaking down, we would visit the mechanic, go to auto repair classes, and keep a few spare parts in the garage. It’s the same with our marriages. When we know that boredom and loss of passion are a risk to the health of our relationship, we need to take intentional steps to avoid that scenario. Following are some suggestions:
1 Renew a sense of romance. Amy and Alex need to take charge and not just drift along with life’s everyday demands. It’s about taking the initiative and creating opportunities for emotional and physical intimacy. “Many couples don’t create any opportunities for fun,” writes marriage counselor Paul Bogacs. “When you ask them what they have done in the last week that was fun for both of them, so few of them can list anything at all. Some say they went to the movies, but that doesn’t allow the couple to effectively talk or share together.”
2 Build the relationship. This is about sustaining a sense of respect and honor for each other. It’s about each holding the other as the most important person in their life and advertising that, publicly declaring their love and appreciation for each other. When you introduce your partner to others, don’t just call her “the wife” or “the hubby.” This is the chance to say, “Have you met my princess?” or “Let me introduce you to my number one!” This affirms your partner and also helps to reinforce the value of your relationship. Goodwill, trust, and faithfulness are also vital for building your shared love. In her book called Safe Haven Marriage, Sharon Hart Morris speaks of the vital importance of “Heart Trust” which she describes as the sort of trust that means no matter what, your spouse will always value you and care for you. “This is the deepest level of trust the human heart can give or receive,” says Morris.
3 Learn to “hear” each other’s feelings and emotions. This also lies at the core of a healthy love life. Research shows that marital satisfaction is highly correlated with whether a person perceives their spouse to be emotionally and psychologically available to them. It means each partner responding in such a way that the other feels understood, validated, and cared about. You know you can readily share what’s on your heart—your thoughts, feelings, needs, and desires—without fear of criticism, rejection, or disinterest.
4 Avoid recycling the past. Couples need to keep a strong focus on the present and maintain a warm positive attitude about their relationship. The research by psychologist John Gottman clearly demonstrates that couples who regularly criticize each other will be at a much greater risk for divorce. Gottman shows that we need to offset the effects of one negative statement we make about our partner with five positive comments. Regularly using criticism and contempt in our relationships will guarantee a loss of passion and warmth and build negativity and loneliness.
5 Learn to manage difficulties. David Olsen, founder and president of Prepare/Enrich, says that all newly married couples need to see conflict as inevitable in marriage, but it doesn’t have to be the nasty negative kind that we so often imagine. The healthiest marriages can handle some heavy conflicts because the partners have learned to deal with their differences in ways that make it possible for each one to respect the other. They attack the issue, not the person. It’s about staying on track, staying focused, and knowing when to pause for clarity, when to stop talking and simply listen, and when to say, “I am sorry, I got it wrong.”
6 Sustain Sexual Satisfaction. This is an area of love life in which most would be willing to pursue some homework! Marriage counselors suggest that a couple’s sexual relationship is a thermometer of their overall relationship. If it’s all pretty quiet in the bedroom for an extended period, it may suggest a deeper unresolved emotional issue such as stress, depression, or worry. The problem may also be caused by a health issue that needs attention. Or it may simply mean that the sexual relationship has become too predictable. As one woman told a counselor, “I need to make an S.O.S. emergency call on our sex life. It’s the same old stuff!”
For many couples there’s no surprise, no creativity, no laughter and fun. There’s little lead-time, just the usual “Are you awake?” This area of a relationship needs specific planning and genuine creative flair. We need to discover how we can convey a message that our physical love has a high priority. Jesus’ statement, “Give and it shall be given unto you,” needs to apply also to sexual relationships. We need to change our focus from, “What am I getting out of this relationship?” to “What can I give to this relationship?”
7 Get a regular checkup. Just as it’s a good idea to get the car checked out every 10,000 miles or so, and just as we get our health checked every year, so it would be good for couples to do a marital checkup at least once a year. They need to discuss their marriage long enough to ask important questions such as, How are we doing as a couple? How confident are we that we’re on the right track? Are we satisfied with all aspects of our relationship— our levels of spiritual, recreational, emotional, and physical intimacy? And, do we feel strong and confident, or are there some areas where we feel vulnerable? Answering questions such as these can be real eye openers that can play an important role in minimizing the risk of taking each other and the relationship for granted.
Any relationship that has grown a little cold will usually have some embers somewhere that may simply need some gentle fanning to get the fires burning again. Don’t rely on just any ordinary breeze, though. Take charge of the task, dedicate the energy and focus it requires, and you may be surprised how soon you’ll be sitting around your relational fire toasting marshmallows and getting smoke in your eyes!
Nobody to blame
Alan and Jenny had reached a point in their relationship where they knew they had to either take control and make some hard decisions or face the reality of a lost marriage. “It was hard work,” says Jenny, “but every minute was worth it.”
“We finally realized just how much we loved each other,” says Alan, “but we also recognized how much we’d taken things for granted. We figured we’d always be there for each other, so we just went along, caught up in work, our kids, and building our financial security. But we almost lost everything!”
Jenny and Alan decided to focus on three things. They made sure they connected emotionally every day for at least 30 minutes, sharing emotions and feelings and listening to each other’s concerns and worries. They set out to delete any criticism (“put-downs”) from their communication. To facilitate this, each agreed to pay a $5 fine for any put-down, and the money went into a “Jenny and Alan Night-out Fund.” They also worked hard at keeping their sexual relationship creative and fresh, with each of them taking responsibility for initiating fun times and surprises.
“We realized we owned responsibility for keeping the heat in our love life. We couldn’t blame anybody else, nor could we blame lack of time or lack of anything at all,” Jenny said.
http://www.signstimes.com/
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It Is Written
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God Among Us
CURRENT EPISODE
God Among Us
SERIES: Pillar of Faith #3 of 7
2007-09-23
PRODUCTION #: 1093
SPEAKER: Shawn Boonstra
The wilderness sanctuary is one of the most enigmatic structures ever built. Just what was it that the
ancient Israelites were trying to achieve as they carried this temple made of tents around the desert?
Why was it considered such a sacred object?
Years ago, the Sears company started advertising the perfect kit house. Now, this wasn’t just a prefab
home like the kind you see today. It was actually a complete kit that you ordered through the catalog. It
came with everything you needed to assemble the home of your dreams, in as many as 30,000 pieces.
Between 1908 and 1940, Sears sold more than 100,000 mail order buildings, including houses,
apartment buildings and even barns. One entire town was ordered by the Standard Oil Company to
provide housing for employees.
According to one CBS news story, a Sears housing kit came with 750 pounds of nails, 27 gallons of paint
and varnish, 460 pounds of window weights, 27 windows, 25 doors and a 75-page instruction book.
Sears and Roebuck claimed that a man of average ability could put it all together in about 90 days.
These remarkable homes were wildly popular for a while because they were inexpensive and easy to
assemble.
By following the instruction manual and doing the labor yourself, you might just save between $500
and $2,000, which was nothing to sneeze at at the turn of last century. In fact, it was called “instant
equity.” Some people have even called it “sweat equity,” which is something that a lot of homeowners in
today’s housing market would still love to have.
Of course, Sears and Roebuck didn’t really invent this idea. Long before they started shipping mail
order houses, other people had done it. It is just that Sears did a better job of promoting the product,
and they quickly skyrocketed to the top of the industry.
Today, a lot of people across America get excited when they notice a Sears and Roebuck stamp on the
lumber in their attic, because even though most of the homes were assembled by amateurs, they were
very well built. Owning a well-built Sears home has become something of a novelty. Yet the idea of a kit
home that came with detailed instructions is really nothing new. In fact, you’ll find mention of
something like it in a story that begins several thousand years ago.
The Bible tells us that as the children of Israel were making their way back to the promised land; they
were led by a mysterious cloud that would take on a different appearance depending on whether it was
night or day. In that cloud was the literal presence of God. Listen to what the Bible says (Exodus 13:21-
22):
“And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by
night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: He took not away the pillar
of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.”
Years earlier, God had made a solemn covenant with Abraham that his descendants would come back to
the land of Canaan after a lengthy stay in Egypt. On the night that God made that covenant, He
revealed himself to Abraham as a smoking furnace and burning lamp. Abraham had witnessed the very
presence of God, and now that his descendants were ready to return to the land of promise, God
revealed Himself again, but this time as a pillar of fire. It was His visible symbol that He would not
forget His people nor forsake them, even though they were about to enter into one of the most trying
times of their national existence.
What’s really interesting is that the Apostle Paul reveals exactly who was leading Israel in that cloud. In
his first letter to the Corinthian church, he mentions something that comes as a surprise to many
TV Program
his first letter to the Corinthian church, he mentions something that comes as a surprise to many
people when they first read it. He says it was none other than Jesus Christ who led Israel through the
desert. Here is what he writes (1 Corinthians 10:4):
“And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual rock that followed
them: and that rock was Christ.”
You see Jesus didn’t start his existence in the New Testament era. The startling truth is that He has
always been there. In fact, the Bible reveals that He is the member of the Godhead who actually created
everything in the first place. Listen to this. Writing about Jesus, the disciple John said (John 1:10):
“He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.”
Later on in the New Testament, in the book of Colossians, we read this (Colossians 1:16):
“For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and
invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers; all things were
created by him, and for him.”
And then there is this passage, found in the opening verses of the Book of Hebrews (1:1-2):
“God, who at sundry times and in diverse manners, spake in time past unto the fathers by
the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed
heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds.”
The breathtaking truth is that Jesus has always been here with us. It was Jesus who took a lump of
inanimate clay and breathed the first breath of life into it. It was Jesus who put Adam to sleep and
created a wife for him, and so it was Jesus who also first dreamed up the institution of marriage. It was
Jesus who came to the garden in the cool of the evening to talk with our first parents. And don’t forget
that Jesus told us, “Before Abraham was, I am.” So, we also know it was Jesus who appeared to Moses
in the burning bush. All through the Old Testament there is a burning presence that can’t resist the
company of the human race. That presence is Jesus Christ.
When the human race fell into sin, Christ’s family on earth—the family He had created for His own
pleasure—was destroyed. His heart aches to put that family back together. I remember a young lady
who came to one of my evangelistic meetings a few years ago. She was only 15 years old when she made
that all-important decision to give her life to Christ, and the day before her baptism, she told me a
terrible story.
“Pastor,” she said, “my mother threw me out of the house when I was only 10 years old. I’ve been living
on the streets, surviving by my wits for the last five years, and I don’t have a family.”
The tears welled up in her eyes, and I have got to admit that they welled up in mine, too. A lot of people
were being baptized that day, and they all had family and friends to invite to the big event. But young
Teresa had nobody. “You know though, Pastor, it’s okay,” she said, “because I have a new family now.
This church is my family and Jesus is my family, and I think I know what it’s been like for Jesus all
these years to be missing me.”
I think she hit the nail right on the head. When Jesus came looking for Adam in the garden, calling his
name, I don’t believe it was with vengeance in mind, or that He would have wiped us all out that day. I
believe Jesus called out for Adam with tears in His voice, because His human family had just been
devastated by sin and rebellion. And from that moment on, Jesus never lost His desire to be present
with us. We couldn’t live in His direct presence anymore, because sin can’t exist in the presence of God.
But He was always there, veiled just enough to keep His perfect holy presence from destroying us. As
the children of Israel struck out for the land of promise, he was there with them, as a “pillar of fire by
night, and a pillar of cloud by day.”
But the Bible tells us that He wasn’t content to just be near his people; He wanted to be with them. So,
speaking to Moses, God asked for something very special in Exodus, chapter 25 (Exodus 25:1-9):
“And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them. According to all that I
shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof,
shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof,
even so shall ye make it.”
“Moses,” God said, “here’s what I want. I want to dwell among my people, and I want you to make me a
sanctuary.”
Now, if you think about this, it is a pretty surprising development. The children of Israel had already
done more than their share of bellyaching, and to think that God would want to draw even closer to
them speaks volumes about the kind of loving and forgiving God He is. He didn’t feel as if He was close
enough to His people.
Just before this amazing request, when God summoned Moses to come and get the Ten
Commandments, He manifested His presence as a consuming fire on the top of Mt. Sinai. The Israelites
were not allowed anywhere near the mountain when this was going on, because the holy presence of
God would have destroyed them as sinners.
Now the heart of God craved an even closer relationship with them and there were important things
that He wanted to teach them about Himself. So, he asked for a sanctuary in the middle of their camp.
But when Moses built it, he wasn’t allowed to get creative; it had to be done just right.
It was the ultimate kit house, to be built exactly as described by God, using precisely the materials that
God asked for. God actually showed Moses the specific Out of prints and there was a good reason for
that. The whole thing was meant to be a special object lesson that would reveal the plan of salvation in
vivid detail—hundreds of years before Christ walked this earth as a human being.
By studying the sanctuary, the children of Israel could learn something about Jesus before He arrived in
the flesh.
“Thy way, O God,” says the book of Psalms, “is in the sanctuary.”
To this day there is still a lot you can learn just by studying the house that God custom ordered for
Himself.
That first sanctuary was completely portable, designed to be taken down and carried through the desert
when the presence of God started to lead the children of Israel to a new location. It consisted of three
basic sections: an outer courtyard, where animal sacrifices took place on a daily basis; the Holy Place
into which the priests carried the blood of sacrificial animals every day; and the most holy place, the
innermost chamber where the presence of God would take up residence between the two cherubim, on
top of the Ark of the Covenant.
Now, if you studied the Old Testament sanctuary and its rituals carefully, you’ll notice that it lays out in
minute detail the entire plan of salvation. It actually predicts everything that Jesus would do to secure
the salvation of the fallen human race, which only proves that the sanctuary was not a manmade
design. In fact, it was a replica of something that already existed in the courts of heaven. A heavenly
sanctuary.
Speaking of Jesus, notice how the author of the book of Hebrews describes his role in the heavenly
sanctuary (Hebrews 8:1-2):
“Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who
is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; A minister of the
sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.”
The Bible clearly teaches that there is a sanctuary in heaven, one that God built, and not man.
Furthermore, it teaches us that Jesus is our high priest in that sanctuary, offering His own blood for
human sins, instead of the blood of animals. In the next chapter, the Bible points out this very fact. The
blood of animals was used to cleanse away sin in the Old Testament sanctuary, but the blood of Christ
is used to cleanse our sins in the heavenly sanctuary. Here is what it says (Hebrews 9:22-24):
“And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no
remission. It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be
purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For
Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true;
but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us.
There is quite a bit more on this subject in the eighth and ninth chapters of the book of Hebrews, but it
all boils down to this: all of the animal sacrifices, all of the rituals in the Old Testament, pointed to
Jesus Christ. The blood of all those millions of animals never actually saved anybody, it just pointed
forward to the day that God’s own Son would shed His blood to save humanity.
The reason that Jesus wanted to build the sanctuary was very simple. He wanted his people to catch a
glimpse of what was going on behind the scenes of the universe to save them. He wanted them to
become intimately acquainted with Him and to understand what it was that He was going to do for
them. So, He brought a little piece of heaven down to earth. He had Moses build a replica of the
sanctuary in heaven, and He took up residence right there in the middle of the camp of Israel. He was
sending a very clear signal that His greatest desire was to live among His people, and give them access
to His throne, even though they had forfeited all rights to heaven by sinning.
See here is how the whole thing worked: Sinners would take an innocent animal, often a lamb, and
bring it to the outer court of the tabernacle. There they would place their hands on the lamb’s head,
confessing their sins over it, and then they would be required to take a knife and cut the throat of the
animal. Now, it had to be that way so that the sinner would understand that his sins had killed that
lamb. Symbolically, his sins were then transferred to the lamb and the lamb was considered to have
died in the sinner’s place.
Now think about this. If the sanctuary and its services are an object lesson about Jesus, they reveal
something pretty remarkable. Throughout the Bible, Jesus is referred to as a lamb. In fact, it happens
nearly 30 times in the Book of Revelation, a clear indication that all of the sacrificial lambs of the Old
Testament pointed to Jesus. John the Baptist, when he saw Jesus for the first time, said (John 1:29):
“Behold, the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”
The prophet Isaiah, predicting what Christ would do for us at the cross, said, “He is brought as a lamb
to the slaughter.”
So Jesus is the lamb, and if the sins of Old Testament believers were symbolically transferred to an
innocent lamb before it was sacrificed, that teaches us that our sins are transferred to Jesus when we
confess them. That’s why Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:21 that “Jesus was made to be sin for us.” As He
hung on calvary’s cross, He was volunteering Himself to be the sacrificial lamb for the sins of the world.
He stood in your place, just like the little lambs in the Old Testament stood in the sinner’s place.
You know, I have often tried to imagine the pain of taking an innocent animal’s life, knowing that it
was not for food or other necessities that the animal had to die. It would die because I had sin. It was a
graphic reminder that sin is not trivial.
Sin cuts us off from the presence of God and that creates a very serious situation. Listen, the Book of
Colossians teaches us that Jesus is not only the Creator, but He is also the one who holds it all together.
Now we have already seen this passage, but let’s read a little more in Colossians 1:16 it says:
“For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and
invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were
created by him, and for him. He is before all things, and by him, all things consist.”
“All things”, it says, “consist by Jesus Christ.” That means that God is the glue that holds our universe
together. Modern scientists have been working hard to find something they call the “god particle” or the
“theory of everything.” They are trying to explain what seems to be competing sets of physical laws.
One set that governs big things like galaxies and solar systems and a completely different set of physical
laws that explains tiny things like atoms and subatomic particles.
Now, they are convinced that there has to be rhyme and reason to our universe, and a single formula, a
single theory, must exist that explains how it all holds together. And you know something? They are
absolutely right. There really is rhyme and reason to our universe. There really is a single explanation,
and it rests squarely in the hands of God.
The Bible teaches us that Jesus holds the keys to the mysteries of the universe. He is the one who
“holds it all together," and that creates a rather difficult problem for sinful human beings. The Book of
Isaiah says in chapter 59 that our sins have separated us from God. They have driven a wedge between
us and Him, and if He is the one who holds everything together, and He is the one who gives us the
divine spark of life.
divine spark of life.
When we cut ourselves off from God, we can’t expect to go on living. And of course, that is exactly what
the Bible teaches in the book of Romans—“the wages of sin is death.” Every lamb that was sacrificed
was a painful reminder of how serious the consequences of sin really are.
On a regular basis, sinners had to take the life of an innocent lamb. I can’t believe that was easy, no
matter how many times they had done it. If it were just a matter of putting food on the table, you could
always reassure yourself that you were killing the lamb for a good reason. But if the only reason was
your sin, it would have a pretty profound impact on you.
You know, its become pretty popular to suggest that your salvation is free, that it doesn’t cost anything.
Well, according to the Bible, that is not quite true. You will never be able to buy your salvation, and
there’s nothing you can do to earn it. But it still cost the Son of God everything He had.
Once the lamb was slain, the blood was carried inside the sanctuary to the first compartment, which
was called the holy place. There a priest would sprinkle the blood in the presence of God. And that
painted a vivid picture of the time when Jesus would present His own blood before the throne of
heaven as an atonement for your sins. Listen to what the Bible says (Hebrews 10:19-22):
“Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a
new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his
flesh; and having an high priest over the house of God; let us draw near with a true heart in
full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies
washed with pure water.”
Let me tell you what that means for you. Today, you can step boldly into the throne room of God, even
though you are a sinner, because Jesus has paved the way. He is both the sacrificial lamb and heaven’s
great high priest. His innocent blood, shed as a member of our human race, has made it possible for
you to come closer to the presence of God in the holiest place in the universe. Why would Jesus make
that possible?
Your company, your presence, is the thing He craves the most. Look at the sanctuary of God and ask
yourself, “What kind of God would pour Himself out for you like this?” And then ask yourself just one
question: “Can I think of any good reason not to step into his presence right now?”
The story of Jesus’ gift at the cross is the most amazing story ever told. To know that it was portrayed
hundreds of years ahead of time in the sanctuary is reassurance that God has always had a plan for you.
Why don’t we pray together?
PRAYER:
Father in heaven, as we look at the sanctuary you asked Moses to build, it fills us with a sense of awe. It
shows us how much you care and how much you long to be in our presence. Today, we want to accept
the gift of Jesus at the cross. We want Him to represent us in the courts of heaven. So, we ask you to
forgive us, and to pull us closer into your presence, for we pray it in Jesus’ name, amen.
Scriptures Used in “God Among Us”
“And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a
pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day,
nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.”
—Exodus 13:21-22
“And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them: and
that rock was Christ.”
—1 Corinthians 10:4
“He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.”
—John 1:10
“For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible,
whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers; all things were created by him, and
for him.”
—Colossians 1:16
“God, who at sundry times and in diverse manners, spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
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hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom
also he made the worlds.”
—Hebrews 1:1-2
“And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them. According to all that I shew thee,
after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make
it.”
—Exodus 25:1-9
“Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on
the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true
tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.”
—Hebrews 8:1-2
“And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but
the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ is not entered into the holy
places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the
presence of God for us.”
—Hebrews 9:22-24
“Behold, the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”
—John 1:29
“Jesus was made to be sin for us.”
—2 Corinthians 5:21
“For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible,
whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and
for him. He is before all things, and by him, all things consist.”
—Colossians 1:16
“Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and
living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; and having an
high priest over the house of God; let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having
our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.”
—Hebrews 10:19-22
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In the Study of Nature
Speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee. Job_12:8.
The childhood and youth of Christ were spent in humble circumstances, under conditions that were favorable to the development of a sound constitution. His life was passed mostly in the open air. He drank of the pure streams of water, and ate the fruit of the gardens. He passed up and down the steep mountain paths, and through the streets of Nazareth, as He went to and from His place of toil to His home. He enjoyed the varied notes of the birds as they caroled forth their praise to their Creator. He took delight in the beauty of the flowers that decked the fields. He noted with joy the glory of the heavens, the splendor of sun, moon, and stars, and looked upon the rising and setting sun with admiration. The book of nature was open before Him, and He enjoyed its tender lessons. The everlasting hills, the olive groves, were favorite places of resort where He went to commune with His Father. He was filled with divine wisdom, and through the study of nature, and by meditation upon the communion with God, His spiritual powers were strengthened.
The Redeemer of the world passed up and down the hills and mountains, from the great plain to the mountain valley. He enjoyed nature's beautiful scenery. He was delighted with the fields glowing with the beautiful flowers, and in listening to the birds of the air, and uniting His voice with them in their happy songs of praise.
In the life of Christ, His childhood and youth, there is a lesson for the youth of today. Christ is our example, and in youth we should contemplate God in nature,--study His character in the work of His hands. The mind is strengthened by becoming acquainted with God, by reading His attributes in the things which He has made. As we behold the beauty and grandeur in the works of nature, our affections go out after God; and . . . our souls are invigorated by coming in contact with the Infinite through His marvelous works.
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Devotional
My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers
A Better Way to Live
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Spirit of Prophecy
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Glorious Possibilities Before Us
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. Php_2:5.
How glorious are the possibilities set before the fallen race! Through His Son, God has revealed the excellency to which man is capable of attaining. Through the merits of Christ man is lifted from his depraved state, purified, and made more precious than the golden wedge of Ophir. It is possible for him to become a companion of the angels in glory, and to reflect the image of Jesus Christ. . . . Yet how seldom he realizes to what heights he could attain if he would allow God to direct his every step!
God permits every human being to exercise his individuality. He desires no one to submerge his mind in the mind of a fellow mortal. Those who desire to be transformed in mind and character are not to look to men, but to the divine Example. God gives the invitation, "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus." By conversion and transformation men are to receive the mind of Christ. Every one is to stand before God with an individual faith, an individual experience, knowing for himself that Christ is formed within, the hope of glory. . . .
As our example we have One who is all and in all, the Chiefest among ten thousand, One whose excellency is beyond comparison. He graciously adapted His life for universal imitation. United in Christ were wealth and poverty; majesty and abasement; unlimited power, and meekness and lowliness, which in every soul who receives Him will be reflected. . . .
O that we might more fully appreciate the honor Christ confers upon us! By wearing His yoke and learning of Him, we become like Him in aspiration, in meekness and lowliness, in fragrance of character, and unite with Him in ascribing praise and honor and glory to God as supreme. Those who live up to their high privileges in this life will receive an eternal reward in the life to come. If faithful we shall join the heavenly musicians in singing with sweet accord songs of praise to God and to the Lamb.
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