IT IS WITHIN US

PROCLAMATION

“I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.”  2 Timothy 1:5 (NIV)

 

EXPLANATION

These words were written by the apostle Paul, under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God, to Timothy, his son in the ministry, to provide him with directions and instructions. (1 Timothy 1:2)  Paul begins this second letter to Timothy with a self-introduction and Christian salutation. (2 Timothy 1:1-2)  He thanks God and says that he prays for him day and night.  He also says that he longs to see him again. (2 Timothy 1:3-4)  Then Paul tells Timothy that the sincere faith in God which he saw in his grandmother and in his mother, he now sees in him. (2 Timothy 1:5)  He encourages him to fan the flame, the gift of God which is within him, which gives him power, love, and self-discipline. (2 Timothy 1:6-7)  Paul tells him not to be ashamed of God or of him in his current situation chained in prison. (2 Timothy 1:8-14)  He ends this first chapter talking about those who were loyal and disloyal to him. (2 Timothy 1:15-18)

 

APPLICATION

Most of us acquired our religious beliefs as children from our parents.  Their instructions, guidance, directions, and examples left a significant imprint on us.  We may have rebelled as teenagers and went our own different way as adults, but most of us retained our childhood training.  As we read and study The Bible for ourselves and grow in knowledge and holiness, we find that some of the things which we were taught were not Bible based.  None of us will ever be perfect, but when we know better, we should do better.  The moment that we accepted Christ, we received the indwelling of The Holy Spirit of God and became babes in Christ.  Our growth in Christ requires an active effort on our part but the foundation is already within us.

 

THE HOLY SPIRIT IS WITHIN US

PROCLAMATION

“Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves.  Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you, unless, of course, you fail the test?”  2 Corinthians 13:5 (NIV)

 

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.  In this the last chapter of Second Corinthians, Paul tells them that he plans to visit them in order to personally address the incorrigible members among them who did not respond to his repeated warnings. (2 Corinthians 13:1-2)  He exhorts them to examine themselves.  Then he asked them a rhetorical question, “Do you not realize that Christ Jesus in you?”  He ends by telling them to strive for full restoration, to encourage one another, to be of one mind, and to live in peace. (2 Corinthians 13:11)

APPLICATION

As believers we are saved.  Unfortunately, even though we are believers in Christ, we still sin.  When we fall back into sin, we do not lose our salvation; we just interrupt the fellowship that we have with Christ.  That is why we should frequently ask to be forgiven because we sin daily.  Remember, in addition to our actions, our sinful behavior, we can sin with our words (Matthew 15:18) and with our thoughts. (Proverbs 23:7 and Matthew 5:28)  There are also sins of omission as well as sins of commission.  We all need to check ourselves regularly and confess our sins.  When we pray, we should ask God to forgive us, cleanse our heart and mind, and renew a right spirit within us. (Psalm 51:1-4 and 10)  The Holy Spirit of God is within us (Ezekiel 36:27) and our behavior should exhibit the fruit of The Spirit. (Galatians 5:22-23)  Our life, our walk, and our talk should be different after we accepted Christ than it was beforehand.  It does not matter how long we have been in Christ, we should all be growing in knowledge and holiness. (2 Peter 2:18)  The only things that do not grow are things that are dead.  We should strive to be more Christ-like each day.  People should be able to see The Christ in us.

  

YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN

PROCLAMATION

“Jesus answered, ‘Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.  Flesh gives birth to flesh, but The Spirit gives birth to spirit.  You should not be surprised at My saying, ‘You must be born again.’ ” John 3:5-7 (NIV)

 

EXPLANATION

These words are from the gospel, the good news regarding Jesus, The Christ, according to the Apostle John and written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  In this chapter, John records the conversation between Jesus, The Christ, and a Pharisee and Jewish leader named Nicodemus. (John 3:1-2)  He questioned Jesus because he wanted to know how a man can be born again when he is old? (John 3:3-4)  Jesus answered him by saying that a man must be born twice, first be born of water, physical birth, and then born spiritually by The Holy Spirit of God. (John 3:5)  Nicodemus still did not understand what Jesus told him. (John 3:9)  The Apostle John then records the lengthy explanation that Jesus gave to Nicodemus which includes the most frequently quoted verse in The Bible, John 3:16.

 

APPLICATION

Being “a good person” or being “religious” is not enough to enter the kingdom of God.  We must be a born again believer.  We must be spiritually born of The Holy spirit of God.  When we accept Christ as our personal Savior, we immediately receive the indwelling of The Holy Spirit. (Ezekiel 11:19 and 36:27)  At that moment we become a new creature, a new person, (2 Corinthians 5:17) we are born again.  To convert someone from their unbelief, The Word of God, delivered by a man of God, is used by The Holy Spirit of God to change their heart. (Ezekiel 36:26)  Baptism by water does not save anyone.  It is just an outward demonstration of an inner transformation.  One must believe in their heart that Jesus, The Christ, is The Son of God and He was raised from the dead in order to be saved. (Romans 10:9)  Do you remember your spiritual birthday?

JESUS THE CHRIST IS THE SON OF GOD

PROCLAMATION

“Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and The Spirit descending on Him like a dove.  And a voice came from heaven: ‘You are My Son, whom I love; with You I am well pleased.’ ”  Mark 1:10-11 (NIV)

EXPLANATION

These words are from the gospel, the good news regarding Jesus, The Christ, according to Mark, who was not one of the twelve apostles.  Mark was a companion Simon Peter (1 Peter 5:13) and the cousin of Barnabas, (Colossians 4:10) a close associate of Paul.  The gospel according to Mark is presented differently than the gospel according to Matthew.  The gospel of Matthew was addressed primarily to the Jews and presented Jesus as The Messiah, The King of the Jews.  However, the gospel of Mark was addressed primarily to the Romans and presented Jesus as a good humble worker and The Servant of God.  Mark begins chapter one with a quote from the prophet Isaiah regarding a voice crying in the wilderness saying prepare for The Lord. (Isaiah 40:3 and Mark 1:2-3) There is no presentation of the genealogy of Jesus because the ancestry of a servant was not important to the Romans.  He presents John, the baptizer, then details the baptism of Jesus. (Mark 1:9-13)  Afterwards, Mark focused more on what Jesus did and not so much on what He said.

APPLICATION
Baptism is one of only two ordinances Christ left for us.  The other one is The Lord’s Supper, or The Holy Communion.  With respect to baptism, Jesus, The Christ, was sinless and did not need repentance.  He was baptized by John because it was appropriate to do it in order to fulfill all righteousness. (Matthew 3:15)  As Jesus came up out of the water God, The Father, spoke and identified Him as God, The Son, and sent God, The Holy Spirit, to Him as a visible sign in the form of a dove. (Matthew 3:13-17, Mark 1:10-11, Luke 3:21-22, and John 1:31-34)  Today our baptism by immersion in water is an outward sign to the world of our inner transformation.  The water does not save us or transform us.  The change which occurs in us due to the indwelling of The Holy Spirit of God within us after we believe, confess, repent, and accept Christ as our Savior.

THE TEMPLE OF THE LORD GOD

PROCLAMATION

“The Word of The Lord came to Solomon: ‘As for this temple you are building, if you follow My decrees, observe My laws and keep all of My commands and obey them, I will fulfill through you the promise I gave to David your father.  And I will live among the Israelites and will not abandon My people Israel.’”  1 Kings 6:11-13 (NIV)

EXPLANATION

It was during the fourth year of his reign as king, that Solomon began to build the temple of The Lord. (1 Kings 6:1)  The Lord God let King Solomon know that building this temple for The Lord did not excuse him from following, observing, keeping, and obeying laws of God.  The temple was built in relative quiet and silence, as if working on it was a religious exercise, there was no hammering, sawing, or chiseling done at the site of the temple. (1 Kings 6:7)  The entire inner sanctuary was overlaid with gold. (1 Kings 6:19-22)  It took them seven years to complete building the temple. (1 Kings 6:38) 

APPLICATION

This temple, which King David wanted to build, (2 Samuel 7:2 and 7:12-13) that King Solomon built was to be the resting place for the arc of the covenant of The Lord. (1 Kings 6:19)  It was not intended to be a house for The Lord God to live in.  The Holy Spirit of God is omni-present, He is everywhere all at the same time.  The body of each believer is a temple of God and The Holy Spirit of God dwells within each of us. (John 14:17 and 1 Corinthians 3:16)  We should be very careful regarding how we treat God’s temple. 

YOU WILL RECEIVE POWER AND YOU WILL BE WITNESSES

Proclamation:

“But you will receive power when The Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”  Acts 1:8 (NIV)

Explanation:

These are the words of Jesus, The Christ, as recorded by Luke, the physician, under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  After His resurrection, Jesus spoke these words to His disciples just before His ascension to heaven. (Acts 1:6-9)  Jesus told them not to leave Jerusalem until they had been baptized by The Holy Spirit. (Acts 1:4-5)  He said that they would receive power when The Holy Spirit came upon them and they would be witnesses for Him.

Application:

These 120 men and women (Acts 1:14-15) in the upper room did not receive The Holy Spirit until the day of Pentecost. (Acts 2:1-4)  Today, we do not have to wait.  We receive The Holy Spirit of God the very moment that we believe and accept Christ as our Lord and Savior.  We also receive spiritual power to be witnesses for Christ because The Holy Spirit dwells within each of us. (Ezekiel 36:26-27)  Although we did not physically walk with Christ, or directly witness His death, burial, and resurrection, we have heard the account of those who did and we have believed. (John 20:29)  Unfortunately, our old human nature is still within us and we must choose to do the right thing and obey The Lord God. (Romans 7:19-23)   We have the power but we must choose to walk the walk with Christ.  We need to pray for Him to help us to let our light so shine before men that they may see our good works and give God glory. (Matthew 5:16)

THE HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD IS THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH

Proclamation:

“But when He, The Spirit of Truth, comes, He will not speak on His own; He will speak only what He hears, and He will tell you what is yet to come.  He will glorify Me because it is from Me that He will receive what He will make known to you.”  John 16:13-14 (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 words which Jesus spoke to His disciples to explain why He was leaving them and what it would mean for them.  Jesus said that after He left them, The Holy Spirit would come and guide them into all truth, (John 16:13) teach them, and increase their understanding.  What The Spirit will reveal to them would not be anything new, He will help them recall and understand the things which Christ spoke to them. (John 14:26 and 16:14-15)  Jesus told them that He would soon leave and they would lament and be sorrowful for a while but their grief would soon turn to joy. (John 16:19-20 and 22)

Application:

Jesus, The Christ, had to leave.  His death was necessary to pay for our sins.  Additionally, while He was wrapped in flesh, He could only be in one place at a time, but His Holy Spirit could be everywhere all at the same time.  The Holy Spirit can guide us and teach us, each one of us as we need it, all at the same time.  We know that The Holy Spirit is working within us when we are glorifying God.  However, The Holy Spirit of God only dwells within those of us who believe in Jesus, The Christ, and have accepted Him as our personal savior. (John 14:17, Romans 8:11, 1 John 3:24 and 4:13)

IF WE BELIEVE THEN THE LORD GOD IS WITH US

Proclamation:

“With my mouth I will greatly extol The Lord; in the great throng of worshipers I will praise Him.  For He stands at the right hand of the needy, to save their lives from those who would condemn them.”  Psalm 109:30-31 (NIV)

Explanation:

The words of this psalm were written by King David under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  In the first half of this psalm he addressed what his enemies had done to him, and what he would like to have happen to them. (Psalm 109:1-20)  Then he described himself (Psalm 109:22-25) before stating what he would like for The Lord God to do. (Psalm 109:26-29)  Then David ended the psalm by stating that would praise The Lord and declare His greatness before the congregation of believers.   His last statement in this psalm was that The Lord God would stand beside the needy and protect them from those who would harm them. (Psalm 109:30-31)

Application:

We should praise The Lord God privately and publicly.  We are all in need of something which only He can provide or supply.  He is our refuge and strength, and He is always present in both good times and times of trouble. (Psalm 46:1)  With The Lord by our side, we will not be moved or defeated. (Psalm 16:8)  He is our keeper and our protector. (Psalm 121:5)  He will never leave us or neglect us. (Hebrews 13:5)  He is worthy of all of our praise.

NEW HEART AND SPIRIT IN THE NEW YEAR

Proclamation:

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you …”  Ezekiel 36:26 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words came to the prophet Ezekiel as a prophecy from The Lord and were recorded by him under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  The people of God had sinned, been conquered, and scattered.  Ezekiel was told to tell the people that God said He would bring them back together and cleanse them from their impurities. (Ezekiel 36:24-25)  God was going to replace their hard hearts and give them new ones.

Application:

If we want things to be better for us in 2017 than they were in 2016, then we need to do things differently in the New Year than we did in this year.  We cannot expect to get different results if we keep doing the same things that we did in the past.  Yet we still insist upon doing things our way.  Just like the children of Israel, we have not kept all of His statutes and commandments.   We are not supposed to act like the worldly people which are around us.  We are in this world but not of it. (John 8:23 and 18:36)  We are different, we have been set apart and we should act like it. (Leviticus 20:26)  When we accepted Christ as our personal savior, we became new creatures. (2 Corinthians 5:17)  We need to ask God to forgive us, cleanse us and to put a new heart and a new spirit in us, or to renew His Spirit within us, so that we may be more Christ-like in the New Year.  The more obedient we are to His Holy Word in the future, the more we will be blessed (Deuteronomy 28:1-14) and the better things will be for us in 2017.

A CHANGED LIFE

Proclamation:

“… As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.  He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?’  ‘Who are you, Lord?’ Saul asked.  ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ He replied…”  Acts 9:1-9 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by Luke, the physician and frequent traveling companion of the Apostle Paul.  The Apostle Paul, while he was still being called by his given name, Saul, had a life altering encounter with The Lord on his way to Damascus.  He had gotten letters from the high priest which authorized him to arrest any believer that he encountered.  On his way there, a light from heaven blinded him and then he heard a voice from heaven. 

Application:

After he had an encounter with The Lord, Paul’s life changed from being a zealot persecutor of Christians to being a zealot for The Lord.  He changed from a persecutor to a preacher.  The experience humbled him and changed how he saw the world and how he saw himself.  When you have a personal encounter with Christ, you cannot continue to live your life as you did beforehand.  You become a new creature, not perfect, but definitely different. (2 Corinthians 5:17)  Paul lost his sight for three days.  (Acts 9:17-18)  The experience for each believer is different and the change that we undergo is unique for each for each of us.  The people who knew us beforehand should notice a change in us afterwards.  When we do sin we no longer enjoy it as much and we feel guilty afterwards.  Some things we no longer do, some things we do differently, and some things we still struggle with letting go.  If we cannot identify the change in our life, then we should question ourselves regarding our belief in Christ.

DO IT IN THE NAME OF JESUS

Proclamation:

"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts ... Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly ... And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of The Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God The Father through Him." Colossians 3:15-17

Explanation:

These The Holy Spirit of God inspired words were written by the Apostle Paul to the believers in Colossi.  Paul wanted them to have faith and let God rule their lives.  He wanted them to keep The Word of God in their hearts and let it guide their thoughts, words, and actions.  He wanted them to do all that they did in the name of Jesus so that God The Father would be glorified.

Application:

In this mean, stressful, hateful, war torn world in which we live, the only peace of mind we can enjoy is when we have the peace of God in our hearts.  Only if we believe in, and live by The Word of God can we praise God and give thanks to Him regardless of our situation in life.  As believers, The Holy Spirit of God dwells within us and if we let Him control us, then our words and actions would give God glory.  We have been blessed and the power of God has been shared with us to allow us to do things in the name of The Lord Jesus, The Christ. (2 Timothy 1:7)  We should do our best at whatever we do since all of our work is for The Lord and not for man. (Colossians 3:23 and 1 Peter 4:11)  May The Good Lord make us worthy of His calling, and that by His power may He bring to fruition our every desire for goodness and every deed prompted by faith.  May the grace of God enable us to behave in such a way that the name of The Lord Jesus is glorified by what we say and do. (2 Thessalonians 1:11-12)

Knocked Down But Not Destroyed

"We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed;  perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned;  struck down, but not destroyed.  We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body."  2 Corinthians 4:8-10 (NIV)

These Holy Spirit inspired words were written by the Apostle Paul to the believers in The Church at Corinth in order to provide them with words of encouragement during difficult times.  He told them that even though things were bad for them at that time, they were knocked down, but not knocked out.  He told them that because they had Christ within them, The Lord God who raised Jesus up from the dead, would also raise them up. (2 Corinthians 4:14)

We need to understand that we have already been assured of the victory. (1 Corinthians 15:57 and 1 John 5:4)  Satan and his demons may attack us, and we may fall, stumble into sin, or get knocked down by the storms of life, but we will not stay down. (Psalms 37:24)  The Lord God said that He will never leave us or forsake us. (Hebrews 13:5)  We are more than conquerors through Jesus, The Christ. (Romans 8:37)  So, we may be hard pressed, but we will not be crushed.  We may get knocked down, but we will not be destroyed.  We have The Spirit of The Lord God within us, and we will rise up again.