BECAUSE OF THE LORD GOD WE LIVE MOVE AND EXIST

Proclamation:

“For in Him we live and move and have our being.  As some of your poets have said, ‘We are His offspring.’”  Acts 17:28 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written by Luke, the physician, under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  Luke records that Paul and Silas had to leave Thessalonica because after they preached that Jesus was the Messiah, the non-believing Jews had formed a mob there and were looking for them. (Acts 17:1-10)  They went to Berea but the non-believing Jews from Thessalonica heard that they were preaching there and came to Berea and stirred up the crowd against them. (Acts 17:10-15)  Paul then went to Athens and noticed that the city was full of idols and was disturbed. (Acts 17:16-18)  While there he found an altar with the inscription, “To The Unknown God”, and he preached to them about Him. (Acts 17:22-23)  While he was speaking to them he said that it was because of The Lord God that we live, move, and have our very being.

Application:

There are a lot of intelligent and well educated people who believe in scientific things but do not believe in Jesus, The Christ, or His death, burial, and resurrection.  They do not believe that God created the earth and all things therein. (Revelation 10:6)  They do not believe that man was made from the dust of the earth and God breathed into him the breath of life and he became a living soul. (Genesis 2:7)  It is because of The Lord God that we live, move, and have our being.  When we die, our soul will return to The Lord (2 Corinthians 5:6-8) and our bodies will return to the dust from which it came. (Genesis 3:19, Psalm 104:29, and Ecclesiastes 12:7)  Our souls will not die but will spend eternity somewhere. (Matthew 25:46)  Where will you spend eternity?

THE BREATH OF LIFE

Proclamation:

"The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being." Genesis 2:7 (NIV)

Explanation:

These Holy Spirit inspired words of God were thought to have been written by Moses even though he was clearly not present when the events occurred.  The title of the first book of The Old Testament, Genesis, in Greek means “origins” while the Hebrew translation means “in the beginning.”  After creating the heavens and the earth by speaking them into existence, (Genesis 1:1-8) God then created man. (Genesis 1:26-27)  God created man from the dust of the earth but man did not become a living being until God breathed into him the breath of life. (Genesis 2:7)

Application:

God gave us our most precious gift, the breath of life.  One day each of us will have to give it back to Him.  The dust of the earth and the minerals that make up our physical bodies will one day return to the dust of the earth. (Job 34:15 and Psalm 104:29)  The breath of life, which is the spirit within our bodies, will return to The Lord God who gave it to us. (Ecclesiastes 12:7)  This life is short and it will soon be over. (James 4:14)  We should live our lives, our temporary existence here on earth as living souls, as if we value and appreciate God for giving us the opportunity to exist.  We should thank God for all that we have and for every blessing that we have received, and we should live our lives like we are grateful to Him for being alive and having the breath of life.  Our spiritual soul will live forever, but not our physical bodies.  Just how and where our soul will spend eternity will depend upon our relationship with Jesus, The Christ. (John 3:16 and Revelation 20:10 and 15)  The choice is ours, please choose wisely.

We Can't Please Man And Please God

"Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God?  Or am I trying to please men?  If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ."  Galatians 1:10 (NIV)

In his letter to the Galatian Christians, the Apostle Paul said that if he were trying to win the approval of men, he would not be a servant of Christ. Paul knew that he could not please God and man at the same time.

Today, we need to know and understand that we cannot please God and please man at the same time.  Paul said the same thing to the Christians in Thessalonica. (1 Thessalonians 2:4)  We can only please, follow, and serve only one or the other.  No man can serve two masters. (Matthew 6:24 and Luke 16:13)  We must choose who we will serve and try to please. (Joshua 24:15)   The carnal mind of man is at enmity with God (Romans 8:7), and anyone who wants to be friends with the world, and please man, is an enemy of God. (James 4:4)  Unless a man submits to God, he is controlled by his sinful nature, and those controlled by their sinful nature cannot please God. (Romans 8:8)

Life Here Is Short Heaven Is Forever

"For everything in the world, the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does, comes not from The Father but from the world.  The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever."  1 John 2:16-17 (NIV)

The Apostle John told the Christians that all of the things of this world are coming to an end, but he that obeys the will of God will abide with God forever.  All of the worldly things are temporary and will vanish.  All that which is of God will continue eternally. 

When the fullness of time has come, there will be a new heaven and a new earth, for the current ones will have passed away.  (Revelation 21:1)  The soul of man will still be around and will continue to exist, in one place or another, because the soul comes from God.  (Genesis 2:7 & Ezekiel 18:4)  Only those who believe in Jesus, The Christ, will spend eternity with God.  (John 14:6)  Where will your soul spend eternity?