THE REMNANT OF BELEIVERS

PROCLAMATION

“In that day the remnant of Israel, the survivors of Jacob, will no longer rely on him who struck them down but will truly rely on The Lord, The Holy One of Israel.”  Isaiah 10:20 (NIV)

EXPLANATION

After the prophet Isaiah predicted the coming of The Messiah, he told them of The Lord’s wrath which would befall them. (Isaiah 9:8-21 and 10:1-19)  Then he told them that not all of them would be destroyed.  A remnant of the people of Israel would survive the Assyrian attack and captivity, and they would return to The Lord God Almighty. (Isaiah 10:20-22)  It does not matter what the Israelites had done, or gone through, or how many times they had turned away from Him, there was always a remnant that remained faithful to The Lord.  Isaiah also told them that after The Lord had punished Israel, He would destroy the Assyrians whom He had used to punish them. (Isaiah 10:23-34)

APPLICATION

Although today we frequently turn away from The Word of God and sin, as believers we will be punished but not utterly destroyed.  There will always remain that faithful few who will do right  and continue to worship The Lord God.  He punishes us, but His anger will soon end and then He will turn His wrath on those who oppressed and wronged us. (Psalm 30:5 and Isaiah 10:25)  We may be knocked down, but we will not be utterly destroyed. (2 Corinthians 4:9)  He punishes us when we are wrong because He loves us. (Hebrews 12:6)  So, let us remember to thank Him and to praise His name for we are still here, and we have been spared from death and destruction. (Psalm 30:4, 106:1, 107:1, 118:1, 136:1, and 136:26)

IN CHRIST WE BECOME A NEW CREATURE

Proclamation:

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come; the old has gone, the new is here.”  2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)  The King James Version (KJV) of The Bible for this verse reads: “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

Explanation:

These words were written by the apostle Paul, under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God, to the believers in the church at Corinth.  Paul begins this chapter with a discussion of believers waiting for their new heavenly body. (2 Corinthians 5:1-5) He says that while they are present in the body they are absent from The Lord, but he would rather be absent from the body and present with The Lord. (2 Corinthians 5:6-8)  He also tells them that we must all stand before the judgment seat of Christ and receive that which is due us based upon what we did while we were in the body, whether what we did was good or bad. (2 Corinthians 5:10)  Then he states that if any man has accepted Christ, he is a new creature; the old things he used to be and do have passed away, and all things are now new.  This is because God has reconciled us onto Himself through Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:17-19)  He ends the chapter by saying that we are ambassadors for Christ, who had no sin but became sin for us, so that we might become righteous in the sight of God. (2 Corinthians 5:20-21)

Application:

We were totally sinful before we accepted Christ into our life.  We knew nothing but sin.  After we accepted Christ, we received The Holy Spirit of God which dwells within us, pushed our sinful nature aside, and changed our life.  When we became a new creation, we identified our self with Christ and not with the world.  However, we did not completely lose our sinful worldly nature, and from time to time we struggle with letting it regain control of us. (Romans 7:19-21)  We will not lose our salvation when we sin but we break the fellowship with Christ. (Psalm 51:12)  We have within us the capacity to do that which is right, but we have to choose to follow the right path because God gave us the ability to choose. (Joshua 24:15)  He said whosoever will, let him come. (Revelation 22:17)  We must choose to live by new principles, exhibit new behavior, and speak different words.  We have been given a new heart and there should be some outward display of this. (Ezekiel 36:26)  We should have new affections, new appetites, new behavior, new desires, new ideas, and a new outlook on life.  If you are still doing all of the same old things, you should question yourself and change.

BELIEVERS ARE FORGIVEN OF EVERY SIN THROUGH JESUS THE CHRIST

Proclamation:

“Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you.  Through Him everyone who believes is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain under the Law of Moses.”  Acts 13:38-39 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written by Luke, the physician, under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  Luke records that The Holy Spirit directed Barnabas and Saul, who is also called Paul, to leave Antioch and go to Pisidian Antioch by way of Cyprus. (Acts 13:1-13)  There on the Sabbath they went to the synagogue and sat.  After the reading of the law the leaders of the synagogue asked them to speak. (Acts 13:14-15)  Paul stood up and preached the gospel, and he ended with the above two versus. (Acts 13:16-39)  Afterwards, he was asked to speak again the next Sabbath and Jews got jealous when almost everyone in the city gathered to hear him. (Acts 13:42-47)

Application:

Those of us who believe in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, The Christ, are forgiven of all of our sins.  We are no longer under the Law of Moses, we are under the God’s grace.  This applies not only the Jewish believers, but to the Gentile believers also. (Acts 13:46-48)  The Law of Moses cannot save anyone, only those of us who are covered by the blood of Jesus can be saved and have our sins forgiven. (1 John 1:7)

JESUS THE CHRIST PRAYED FOR ALL BELIEVERS

Proclamation:

“My prayer is not for them alone.  I pray also for those who will believe in Me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as You are in Me and I am in You.  May they also be in Us so that the world may believe that You sent Me.”  John 17:20-21 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were spoken by Jesus, The Christ, and recorded by the Apostle John under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  In this chapter, John records the prayer which Jesus prayed for His disciples and for all future believers.  As Jesus neared the end of His earthly ministry, He prayed for His disciples. (John 17:1-3)  He made it clear that He was not praying for all of the people in the world, He was just praying for His people. (John 17:9-10)  Jesus also made it clear that He was not just praying for His disciples alone, but also for all of the people who would hear their message and believe in Him. (John 17:20-21)  He also prayed that they would be with Him where He would be. (John 17:24)

Application:

Once we became a believer, this prayer that Jesus prayed also applied to us.  He prayed that God, The Father, would keep us safe and protected from the evil one. (John 17:15)  He also prayed that The Father would love us as He loved Jesus Himself. (John 17:26)  It is also important to note that He prayed that there would be unity among the believers, and that we would be as one, the unity of the church. (John 17:21)  The more we bicker with other believers, the less likely that the world will see Christ in us.  We need to show more love towards our fellow believers.  Three times Jesus repeated this command for us to love one another. (John 13:34, 15:12, and 15:17)  Jesus prayed for us because He knew that we would need God’s help to make it in this world.  We need to pray for ourselves and for each other that we might be more loving towards one another.

HEAVENLY PROTECTION

Proclamation:

“If you say, ‘The Lord is my refuge,’ and you make The Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent.  For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways;” Psalm 91:9-11 (NIV)

Explanation:

This psalm was written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by an unknown human author.  The psalmist states that those who know The Lord and love Him and follow His word will be protected by His angels.  No harm will come to them or their home.

Application:

Those of us who trust in The Lord will be under His protection.  He will assign guardian angels to watch over us and to protect us.  Believers will have not just one guardian angel but angels will be assigned to us and “they” will protect us. (Psalm 91:12)  As the song says, "O to be kept, by Jesus ..." He can keep us safe from all hurt, harm, and danger.

BELIEVERS WHO MOURN WILL BE COMFORTED AND BLESSED

Proclamation:

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted."  Matthew 5:4 (NIV)

Explanation:

This is the second of the beatitudes which Jesus taught to His disciples, and the surrounding crowd, in His Sermon on The Mount as recorded by the Apostle Matthew.  Jesus said believers who mourn will be blessed and comforted.

Application:
At the death of a loved one we mourn.  We grieve because we feel that someone we love has been taken away from us.  We should be able to say as Job said, The Lord gives to us and The Lord takes away from us, blessed be The Lord. (Job 1:21)  We know that when a believer dies, they are absent from the body and present with The Lord. (2 Corinthians 5:6 and 5:8)  We mourn, we weep, and we cry because we are human and we have suffered a loss.  We know that in this life there is a time for everything, including a time to mourn and weep. (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)  Believers also know that weeping may endure for a season, but joy is coming. (Psalms 30:5)  He will comfort us while we mourn, and bless us during and after the time of mourning. (John 14:16 and 2 Corinthians 1:4)   

The Truth Will Set You Free

"To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, 'If you hold to My teaching, you are really My disciples.  Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.' "  John 8:31-32 (NIV)

The Apostle John recorded these words which Jesus spoke to the Jews in the crowd in the temple at Judea during the Feast of the Tabernacles.  The unbelieving chief priests and the Pharisees, who wanted to kill Jesus (John 8:37 and 8:40) had sent the temple guards to arrest Jesus, (John 7:32), but they had returned impressed by the way in which Jesus spoke. (John 7:45-47)  Some of the Jews who heard Jesus believed in Him, and some did not. (John 7:12)  These words He spoke to the believers in the temple.

Jesus said to the believers that they will know "the truth" and "the truth" will set them free.  This "truth" is generally believed to mean the facts about Jesus, and the things that He taught.  Jesus said "I am The Way, The Truth, and The Life". (John 14:6)  Believers who obey and practice The Word of God are set free from the control of sin and from the penalty of sin by Jesus. (Romans 6:23)  Verse 32 could have been written "Then you will know The Truth, and The Truth will set you free."

There Is No Condemnation For Those Who Are In Christ

"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of The Spirit of Life set me free from the law of sin and death."  Romans 8:1-2 (NIV)

In his letter to the believers in The Church at Rome, the Apostle Paul told them that all believers were set free from the penalty of sin.  He said they were no longer condemned because Jesus died as a sin offering and He condemned the sin in sinful man who believes. (Romans 8:3)  

Those of us who believe are free from the penalty of sin through Jesus, The Christ, but are not free from sinning.  Since all unrighteousness is sin, anything that we do which does not give glory to God is a sin. (1 John 5:17)  However, if we live our lives according to The Spirit of God, we will think more often about the things that God desires. (Romans 8:6)  The unsaved person has a sinful mind, is controlled by their sinful nature, and frequently thinks about sinful things.  Their sinful thoughts and actions are hostile towards God and they cannot please God. (Romans 8:7-8)  Believers are not controlled by a sinful nature, they are controlled by The Spirit of God and their desire is to do that which is pleasing to God. (Romans 8:9-10)  If we are not trying to please God, then who are we trying to please?  If The Spirit of God is within us, then we will live, as best we can, by The Word of God. (Romans 8:11)  When we mess up, we will fess up, we will get up, and we will pray for His help continue to walk the Christian walk.

The Resurrection And The Life

"Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies;"  John 11:25 (NIV)

The Apostle John captured the words of Jesus, The Christ, as He spoke to Martha after the death of her brother Lazarus.  This is the fifth of the seven great "I AM" statements which Jesus spoke.  He said "I AM the resurrection and the life".  Jesus basically said that He is life, He is the giver of life, and He has the power of life over death.  He said that all who have faith in Him will have eternal life after the physical death.

Like Martha and her sister Mary, most Christians today believe in spiritual life after physical death on judgement day.  However, what we do not recognize is that The Lord God is the power of life.  The breath of life is His, it came from Him (Genesis 2:7), it belongs to Him, and it will return to Him.  Many have died for short periods of time and come back to life, none were dead as long as Lazarus, but they were miracles of God none the less.  It was not modern medicine, if it were, then no one who could afford health care would die.  Each night we sleep in the very image of death, and it is God that wakes us up each day.  But, the power of the resurrection is unique unto Christ.  Lazarus did not get up from the dead on his own, it was the power of God that raised him from the dead. (John 11:42-44)  When Jesus died, He laid down His life and He picked it back up again as He said that He would. (John 10:17)  Jesus said "All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth." (Matthew 28:18)  That included the power of life and the power over death.  All who believe in Him, although we may die, we will live again.

The Bread Of Life

"Then Jesus declared, 'I am the bread of life.  He who comes to Me will never go hungry, and he who believes in Me will never be thirsty.' "  John 6:35 (NIV)

The Apostle John recorded these words of Jesus as He spoke to the crowd.  This is the first of the seven great "I AM's" which Jesus spoke referring to Himself and His purpose.  Jesus is "the bread of life", The Living Word of God.  Jesus was using a metaphor and He was speaking of a spiritual implication, while the people could comprehend Him literally and physically.  Remember, "I AM" is how God referred to Himself when He spoke to Moses through the burning bush. (Genesis 3:14)

When Jesus taught His disciples and the people, He frequently used parables and metaphors.  He knew that those who did not believe would not understand. (Matthew 13:13, Mark 4:12, & Luke 8:10)  We know that wisdom and understanding come from God. (Psalms 111:10, Proverbs 2:6 & Proverbs 9:10) 
As we come to Jesus, and accept Him as our Savior, we take of Him, we consume Him, we begin to digest His Word, and His Holy Spirit indwells us and we become a part of Him.  When three times He told the Apostle Peter to "feed My sheep", He meant for Peter to share The Word of God with the people of God. (John 21:15-17)   We need to be fed "the bread of life", and we need it on a regular basis.  That will sustain us and The Lord will provide all that we need.  We need to eat "the living bread" (John 6:51) and drink "the living water (John 4:10-11) as part of a healthy diet for our soul. 

We Are To Be God's Witnesses

"Come and listen, all you who fear God; let me tell you what He has done for me."  Psalms 66:16 (NIV)

After telling the people to shout for joy, and to sing praises unto The Lord, King David tells them to listen as he tells them what The Lord has done for him.

God has blessed all of us and He has blessed us in different ways.  Each of us is unique and each of us has been blessed in a unique series of ways.  No one can tell our individual story about what The Lord has done for us, the way we can tell it.  There are things that God has done for us that no one knows but us and God Himself.  Each of us has been called by God to be a witness for Him, and to tell people about the good things that He has done.  Just as called His disciples to witness and spread the gospel (Matthew 28:19-20 & Luke 24:48), and just as He called the Apostle Paul to be a witness (Acts 22:14-15), The Lord has called others, and He has called each one of us for this purpose. (Acts 26:16)   We are to be His witnesses to the world, telling them about Jesus and the good things that He has done for us.

The Purpose Of Life To Live To God's Glory

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."  1 Corinthians 10:31 (NIV)

In his letter to the believers in Corinth, the Apostle Paul told them that they should do everything that they do, eat, drink, or whatever, to the glory of God.

The non-believer will never really know or fully understand their purpose in life.  Man was created for the purpose of fellowship with God. (1 Corinthians 5:5)  Since the fall of man in the garden of Eden, the only way that we can maintain good fellowship with God now is to do that which is pleasing to Him, do things which give Him glory. (1 Peter 4:11)  Everything that we do, whatever it is, should be done in such a way as to give God glory. (1 Corinthians 10:31)  However, the first thing we must do is confess (Philippians 2:11) and believe. (Romans 10:9-10)  As believers, because of our sinful human nature, it is difficult for us to maintain a good fellowship with God.  Because we sin, we fall out of fellowship with God.  We do not lose our relationship, we just mess up the fellowship.  Therefore, we must continually confess our sins, ( 1 John 1:9), and we must pray and change our sinful behavior. (2 Chronicles 7:14)  Then we will be able to fulfill our purpose and live our life to the glory of God.

Our Sins Have Been Forgiven By Jesus

"I write to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of His name."  1 John 2:12 (NIV)

The Apostle John, who referred to himself as "the disciple whom Jesus loved" (John 13:23, 19:26, 21:7, & 21:20), who wrote so that men would believe that Jesus is God, said here that the sins of all believers had been forgiven because of Jesus, The Christ. 

Jesus paid the price for the sins of all mankind, past, present, and future, so that we are free from the penalty of sin.  (1 John 2:1-2)  This does not mean that we are free to sin without paying any consequences.  To give no regard to the commands in The Word of God would be to live as if we did not love The Lord. (John 14:15 & 15:10)  If we believe and confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

We Have Guardian Angels

"Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?"  Hebrews 1:14 (NIV)

The unknown author of the book of Hebrews states that in heaven the angels worship God. (Hebrews 1:6)  But they do not always stay in heaven, sometimes angels are sent to earth to minister to the believers.

We have all heard the term "guardian angel" but we may have some misunderstanding as to exactly what they do.  First of all, Bible scholars disagree on whether we each have one (Finis Jennings Dake & Thomas Nelson) or several (Matthew Henry & John MacArthur) guardian angels.  However, they all agree that the angels do not stay with us, they are sent by God for a particular purpose or mission to serve and minister to the believers on an as needed basis. (Psalms 91:11)  Angels are spirits, without bodies, yet they can assume bodies and appear in them when God pleases.  Sometimes it is possible that we have entertained angels without being aware of it. (Hebrews 13:2)  Be careful how you treat other children of God, they have guardian angels too. (Matthew 18:10)  As the song goes, "All day and all night, the angels keep watching over ..." us.  God sends angels to care for us, as we need it, because He loves us and we believe in Him.  Believers always have God's help when they need it.

Sealed By The Holy Spirit And Awaiting To Be Delivered

"And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation.  Having believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession, to the praise of His glory."  Ephesians 1:13-14 (NIV)

In his letter to the Ephesian Christians, the Apostle Paul told them that from the very moment that they believed the gospel, they were saved and sealed by The Holy Spirit, and that they belonged to God just as he did.  They were all just waiting to be redeemed and possessed by God.

As Christians, we are already bought and paid for, Jesus paid it all.  The Holy Spirit has already wrapped us up and sealed us.  We are now just awaiting delivery to our Father in heaven.

Righteousness By Faith To All Who Believe

"This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." Romans 3:22-24 (NIV)

The Apostle Paul told the Christians in Rome that the righteousness that was imputed to them comes from God through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe in Him, because we have all sinned and we must be justified by His grace.

We are not "innocent" of sin, we have been declared "not guilty" because Jesus paid the price for all of us who believe in Him and it is by His grace that we are justified and declared righteous. We ought to thank Him every day for what He did for us.

The Blood Of Christ Still Works

"In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. It was necessary, then, for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; He entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God's presence. Nor did He enter heaven to offer Himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. Then Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But now He has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of Himself. Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and He will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him." Hebrews 9:22-28 (NIV)

Without the shedding of blood, there can be no forgiveness of sin. The unknown author relates the Old Testament animal sacrifices for the atonement of sin repeated annually by the High Priest with the sacrifice of Christ for the forgiveness of sin once and for all.

For believers, the blood of Jesus covers all of our sins. Our salvation is only possible because of the blood of Jesus, who was without sin, was shed for the remission of our sins.

God's Promise To Believers

"This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares The Lord. I will put My laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be My people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, 'Know The Lord,' because they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more. By calling this covenant 'new,' He has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear." Hebrews 8:10-13 (NIV)

Here the unknown author is quoting Jeremiah 31:31-34 regarding the "new covenant." This covenant was made with the people of God. It is a promise which is based upon a spiritual change within the believer. The new covenant bring with it the forgiveness of sins. The first covenant was written in stone and failed because the people turned away from God. The new covenant will be written in the hearts and minds of believers and is not dependent upon human
behavior.

The new covenant promises us forgiveness of our sins. Once we confess our sins, and believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and accept Christ as our personal savior, we are saved. (Romans 10:9-10) Our wickedness and sins are forgiven. (1 John 1:9) Once saved, we will be judged based upon what we did that gave God glory and that will determine our rewards. 1 Corinthians 3:13-15 states, "Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss; but he himself shall be saved." Believers will be saved and rewarded based upon their works.

The Blessed Seed Of Abraham

"You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." Galatians 3:26-29 (NIV)

The Apostle Paul told the Christians in Galatia that because they believed in Jesus Christ that they were also part of the seed of Abraham, and that the covenant that God made with Abraham regarding his seed also applied to them.

Because we also believe in Jesus Christ today, we are also part of the seed of Abraham and God's promise to him also applies to us. We shall share in the blessings that God promised to Abraham and to his seed.

The Truth Will Set You Free From Sin

"To the Jews who had believed Him, Jesus said, 'If you hold to My teaching, you are really My disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.' They answered Him, 'We are Abraham's descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can You say that we shall be set free?' Jesus replied, 'I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin ... I know you are Abraham's descendants. Yet you are ready to kill me, because you have no room for my word ... 'If you were Abraham's children,' said Jesus, 'then you would do the things Abraham did. As it is, you are determined to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. You are doing the things your own father does' ... You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies ... He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God." John 8:31-47 (NIV)

Even though the people wanted to kill Him for what He was saying, Jesus continued to teach the truth. To the Jews who were descendants of Abraham physically, their behavior revealed them to be the devil's descendants. The devil is the father of lies and there is no truth in him.

Jesus spoke the truth. We must hear the truth, believe the truth, and live the truth, if we want to be free from the penalty of sin. Those of us who belong to God can hear what He says, and we endeavour to do what He says. Our words and deeds reveal who is our real father.