Category: Blog Posts (Page 45 of 91)

The Promise Of The Kingdom

February 22, 2019 / Dan Beaty / 0 Comments

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First the Kingdom Part 6, The Promise of the Kingdom

One of the great blessings of my life was to be born into a family of believers, and into a church family that values the Scriptures in both the Old and New Testament. They understood how the New Testament was concealed in the Old, and how the Old Testament was revealed in the New. To put it in another way, Christ was concealed in the Old and revealed in the New!

Even if one decides to start their reading of the Bible at the beginning of the New Testament, this will become evident. In the Gospel according the Matthew there are so many references to events in the narrative that fulfilled the prophecies of the Old Testament. I submit that the New Testament cannot be fully understood and appreciated — that Christ Himself cannot be fully understood and appreciated without the foundation that was laid in the these ancient scriptures, which Jesus referred to as the Word of God, and that Jews today recognize as their Bible.

When John the Baptist and Jesus came preaching, “Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand,” the people of their day already had a sense of anticipation and enthusiasm built in them for the Kingdom. The prophets of ancient times had planted the seeds for that anticipation. Looking back we have the advantage of understanding their perspective better, but more importantly we have God’s perspective of the message that John and Jesus brought!

We have looked at the “Original Blessing” that the Creator spoke over the Creation and the humans He created. Then we saw how David, the King of Israel wondered how humanity could be worthy of this high calling to rule the creation and be reflections of God’s divinity. This is the context within which the entire Bible was written. In the Old Testament there is the promise and the mystery concerning how it will be fulfilled, and the New Testament is where the fulfillment begins to come into view.

First let us look at some of the outstanding promises found back there.

From the fall of Adam and Eve, things became progressively worse. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord, and was warned of the great flood that was to come upon the whole earth. (Genesis 6:8, 13).

After the Lord saved Noah and his family along with all the animals in the ark, He renewed the Original Blessing to be fruitful and to multiply.

Genesis 8:20-21:

Then Noah built an altar to the LORD, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. The LORD smelled the soothing aroma; and the LORD said to Himself, “I will never again curse the ground on account of man, for the intent of man’s heart is evil from his youth; and I will never again destroy every living thing, as I have done.”
NASU

Genesis 9:1-2:

And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, ” Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth. “The fear of you and the terror of you will be on every beast of the earth and on every bird of the sky; with everything that creeps on the ground, and all the fish of the sea, into your hand they are given.”
NASU

So while sin had entered in and death because of sin, God was still intent upon blessing us! As we continue, the plan to fulfill that blessing is revealed a little more each time. Until then He reassures us that a cataclysmic judgment to destroy every living thing will never happen again!

In Genesis chapter 12 we see the call of God to Abram, who would later be called Abraham.

Now the LORD said to Abram,

“Go forth from your country,
And from your relatives
And from your father’s house,
To the land which I will show you;
And I will make you a great nation,
And I will bless you,
And make your name great;
And so you shall be a blessing;
And I will bless those who bless you,
And the one who curses you I will curse.
And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. “ (Genesis 12:1-3)
NASB

Abram believed God and followed Him. Little did he know how these promises would come to pass. This was an early indication that the full original blessing might still be available. Abram would both be blessed and a blessing! He was to be fruitful and multiply in the way God had originally planned. Of course we know that things were not perfect for him and his descendants. This is still the time of promise.

Isaac would be born to Abraham and Sarah in their old age, and Abraham’s faith would be tested through him. Abraham proved willing to obey God by offering his promised son, and would make a powerful prophecy himself. He declared that the LORD would provide Himself a sacrifice instead of Isaac, and 2,000 years later God would provide His only Son Jesus to sacrifice for our sins to restore the Original Blessing to humanity!

Abraham’s descendants were to be as innumerable as the sands of the seashore and the stars of heaven! This foreshadowed the 2 groups that would inherit his faith. Those descendants that were born from the natural process and followed in his footsteps, and those who would come later through Christ and their trust in Him! (Galatians 3:16, 26-29; Ephesians 2:11-22)

This great nation of both Jews and gentiles is God’s instrument for blessing all the families of the earth. It is a nation that incorporates every member in the world-wide Body of Jesus Christ! Do you see yourself as a recipient of a blessing, but also as a blessing to the nations of the world? If not, maybe you need to dig into the Old Testament a bit more!

We hope you will stay tuned until the next installment, as we continue to explore the wonderful promises presented from Genesis through Malachi! It is easy if you simply “like” Living Truth on Facebook, or subscribe to our blog at livingtruth.com

What is Man?

February 5, 2019 / Dan Beaty / 0 Comments

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First the Kingdom, part 5: What is Man?

Around three thousand years ago, David, king of Israel, looked up at the night sky and wondered about our existence. He knew that we are just a small part of this great universe God created. And yet this great God had a purpose in mind for humanity. David eloquently wrote:

What is man that You take thought of him,
And the son of man that You care for him?
Yet You have made him a little lower than God,
And You crown him with glory and majesty!
You make him to rule over the works of Your hands;
You have put all things under his feet, (Psalms 8:4-6) NASU

Even though the human race had fallen short of the glory of God from the beginning, King David was aware of God’s original blessing recorded in the opening verses of Genesis. Knowing the goodness, mercy and power of His God, David understood that His plan was not defeated when Adam and Eve sinned. He also knew of the promise that in the end all things would ultimately be under the feet of a people who would come to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ!

The descendant of the serpent who deceived the first man and woman would figuratively bruise the heal of their descendant Jesus Christ, who would come to bruise the serpents head. (Genesis 3:15) This signifies the victory and restoration of the authority that was lost in the fall. Not only would Christ win the victory for Himself, but for us all!

The writer to the Hebrews looked at David’s question and found an answer.

For He did not subject to angels the world to come, concerning which we are speaking. But one has testified somewhere, saying,

“WHAT IS MAN, THAT YOU REMEMBER HIM? OR THE SON OF MAN, THAT YOU ARE CONCERNED ABOUT HIM? “YOU HAVE MADE HIM FOR A LITTLE WHILE LOWER THAN THE ANGELS;YOU HAVE CROWNED HIM WITH GLORY AND HONOR,AND HAVE APPOINTED HIM OVER THE WORKS OF YOUR HANDS; 8 YOU HAVE PUT ALL THINGS IN SUBJECTION UNDER HIS FEET.”

For in subjecting all things to him, He left nothing that is not subject to him. But now we do not yet see all things subjected to him.

But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone.

For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings. For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father; for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying,

” I WILL PROCLAIM YOUR NAME TO MY BRETHREN,IN THE MIDST OF THE CONGREGATION I WILL SING YOUR PRAISE.” (Hebrews 2:5-12)

Can you grasp this? can you believe it? Jesus tasted death for us all and is bringing many sons and daughters to glory, calling us His brothers and sisters — His family! We are ONE! The Early Church Father Irenaeus understood this when he wrote of: “the only true and steadfast Teacher, the Word of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, Who did, through His transcendent love, become what we are, that He might bring us to be even as Himself!”

Before Him, Paul the apostle wrote these words:

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich. (2 Corinthians 8:9)

To this day we see the devastating result of the fall of Adam. Murder, rape, poverty, war, hatred, greed — all proof of the fact that satisfaction cannot be found when Christ is missing in our lives. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and yet God has not forgotten His purpose for humanity. That purpose from the beginning was for us to reveal the full glory of God in these physical bodies!

Instead of living in fear and being subjected to the elements, our destiny is to rule and reign with Christ over this earth in His authority! That authority only comes to those who live in harmony with the authority of God Who made us. That harmony with God can only come through the work of Christ on the Cross. There He not only paid the debt for our sins but He also made the way for us to ascend with Him into heavenly places by the power of the Holy Spirit!

It is by grace that we are forgiven and also by grace that we live in victory over our sins! Salvation in Biblical terms is having freedom to live to the glory of God!

Jesus made a statement once concerning our spiritual eyesight. He said if the eye is single or clear that the entire body will be filled with light! But if the eye is dark and evil, the entire body will be full of darkness. (Matthew 6:22-23).

It is time for us to begin seeing God, His light, and our purpose in Him more clearly. It is time to become single-minded and focused on the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus! Instead of looking back to our failures, we need a single eye towards the wonderful destination we have in Him! This may sound too easy, but a change in focus can change your life. Your entire being can be filled with light according to Jesus! Even now, as we set our sights toward the glory of God, we can begin to live in that glory, beauty and victory.

Believers in Christ have what is called the Beatific Vision. That is the knowledge that death is not the end, and that the glory of heaven awaits us when our bodies pass away. However, we must not forget the reason we are in these bodies now!

In Titus 2:11-14, Paul writes:

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, 12 instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds. NASU

In this very present age we have a life to live to the glory of God. We really do not have time for sin! As we look ahead to the glorious appearing of Christ, we also look for Him to progressively transform us into the image of God, which was planned by Him from the beginning.

There is so much talk today about great faith. Having faith to be healed, faith to be prosperous etc. What about having the faith that God can live in us to the same degree that he did in His Only Begotten Son, Jesus? What about believing that He can receive what He had planned for us from the very beginning, in this life, in these very bodies? Is that so hard for Him?

This is the full purpose of God’s saving us by grace, through faith. It is God:
Who has saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,

That we might: live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age. (Ephesian 2:8, 2 Timothy 1:9, Titus 2:11-14)

While setting goals this high might seem arrogant to some, it is actually the ultimate in humility! While my mind and my experiences might tell me that the high calling of God in Christ Jesus is impossible, I can submit in humility to God’s great power and wisdom to believe the Gospel of the Kingdom, which promisses this wonderful future! We are predestined to become conformed to the image of Jesus Christ! ( Romans 8:19). With human beings this is impossible, but ALL THINGS are Possible WITH GOD!

This kind of humility is also in line with Christ’s command to advance the Kingdom of God by teaching all nations how to observe everything He had commanded His first disciples. Instead of going forward in doubt and even anticipating failure, we can have the confidence that the Gospel of the Kingdom will work powerfully in the earth, because all authority was given to Jesus who commissioned us! (Mattew 28:19)

As I stand here I realize I am preaching to my self.

Father in Heaven gives us a greater vision and strengthen us in Your Word, in order that we can ultimately give greater joy and pleasure to You!

In Jesus Name, Amen.

Apprehended by God: The Apostle Paul

January 28, 2019 / Dan Beaty / 2 Comments

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Today I would like to talk about the life of the great apostle and missionary Paul, who wrote much of what we call the New Testament in the Bible. At the time of writing his letter to the Philippian church, he had been arrested in Rome, and yet this letter was full of encouragement and even joy.

In fact he uses the word “rejoice” 10 times in this small letter! In chapter 3 of Philippians, he begins with:

“Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you. “

Then he follows with a warning:

“Watch out for those dogs, those men who do evil, those mutilators of the flesh. For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship God in the Spirit, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh — though I myself have reasons for such confidence.”

Here he was referring to the teachers who were trying to impose Jewish laws upon gentile Christians. After that he explains how he was once one of the them!

“If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless.”

You may have heard the story of Paul. Soon after the resurrection Jesus ascended into heaven and poured out the Holy Spirit upon the disciples in Jerusalem. This led to thousands of people repenting and believing in Christ. Paul, who was then known as Saul of Tarsus, was among those who sought to crush the movement which they considered heretical. He believed that he was actually doing service to God as he sought out, and imprisoned the followers of Jesus!

But God had other plans. Saul was on his way to Damascus, to find and arrest Christians, when the Ascended Christ appeared to him in a great and blinding light. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” When he asked, “Who are you Lord?” The answer came, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.”

Finally Saul asked, “Lord, what would you have me to do?” Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and it shall be told to you what you must do.”

This was the great turning point in his life. He would soon meet with those whom he sought to harm, and become filled with the Spirit of God. Eventually Saul become known as Paul, a greater advocate for the Gospel of Jesus Christ than he ever was for the teachings of the Pharisees, and faith in his own good works.

Listen to these powerful words in Philippians 3:7-11:

“But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ — the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.

I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.”

If you want to know what motivated Paul, and what motivates great evangelists, missionaries, and the most devoted believers in Christ, here it is. They want to know Jesus more…..

Verse 12:
“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.”

Paul did not consider himself a prisoner of Rome, but a prisoner of Jesus Christ. He was not really apprehended by Caesar, but by Jesus. He knew God had a purpose for his life, and was single-mindedly focused upon that purpose.

We have all been apprehended by Christ Jesus. We are not here by accident. He wants you! He wants you and I for a reason, a purpose, and you and I can only find satisfaction in pursuing that purpose. Whatever He has for you to do will bring joy to Him, it will bless others, and will give you a sense of fulfillment. Paul was able to endure hardship for he knew he was helping to advance the Kingdom of God on the earth. We can also endure anything as well while we follow Christ.

Philippians 3:13-14:

“Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

There may be things in your past that haunt you, or limit you today. Consider Paul, who took part in the deaths of believers, and sought to destroy the church that he later came to love. By the power of the Holy Spirit in him, Paul was able to rise above his past. He learned to set aside the daily distractions and stay focussed on the higher purpose of knowing Christ and the power of His resurrection more fully!

It is time to forget about the failures of the past, and begin to focus our efforts on the future that God has in mind for us. Distractions and discouragements will come, but the joy of the Lord is our strength, and that joy is in knowing Him!

Heavenly Father, we thank You for laying hold of us and giving us a purpose. We know that purpose wil glorify You and bring blessing and peace to others. We offer our hearts, our time and energy to that end, In Jesus Name, Amen!

Category: Blog Posts (Page 45 of 91)

The Promise Of The Kingdom

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