₦airaland Forum

dalaman:
So the incestuous man Abraham is your model abi?

He's kind of "FAITH" is.

dalaman:
Expect christians like KingEbukasBlog to come and tell you that you are interpretating everything wrongly.

Of cause he's.

anonimi:
I am very sorry to say that you should not be sorry to share facts obtained from the Bible (and I suppose the Koran contains similar facts).
Cheers.
To those who are uncomfortable with the sordid truth, please consider:

https://bitsofwisdom.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/2-huge-lies_small.jpg

And your point is?

Seun:
I’m very sorry to have to say the following on this thread:
“The Abraham character of Genesis *married his half-sister and, twice, *pretended that they were not married and allowed other men to take her home for marriage. He thought God wanted him to slaughter his son like a ram and roast his body as a human sacrifice to God, and was ready to do it. He had sex with his wife’s female slave and got a son through her, then he sent her away with their innocent son to die in the hot desert when his wife got jealous. You should think twice about promoting such a character as a role model.”

* Corrections have been made to this post.

model
noun
1.
a three-dimensional representation of a person or thing or of a proposed structure, typically on a smaller scale than the original.
"a model of St Paul's Cathedral"
E dey related replica, copy, representation, mock-up, dummy, imitation, double, duplicate, lookalike, reproduction; More
2.
a thing used as an example to follow or imitate.
"the project became a model for other schemes"
The model OP is emphasising on was his "FAITH" .
2.Abraham was human just like anyone of us.hes not immune to errors.
We should "MODEL" he's Faith.

Abraham is our model.God wants to lead and guide us,as He did Abraham,into Canaan,a place full of idols and often in famine.In this place only a small parcel of land belongs to us. Here Satan is the ruler of everything,and little fruit is produced from the land. Everything in such an environment seems to speak contrary to God's promise,and it seems unlikely that God would have brought us to such a place. Is this what we get for leaving behind our old way of life, kindred,and country?Where is the land and the seed that God has promised?What did Abraham see in that day?He saw nothing.Year after year until he died,he only begot Isaac.Of the numerous descendants promised to him,who would be as many as the stars in heaven, the sands by the sea,and the dust on the earth,he only saw Isaac!When his wife died,he did not have one plot of land in which to bury her.He had to buy a burial ground.Is this what God had promised?Yet the father of our faith did not doubt.He knew what faith was and what it was to not live by sight.He followed God.Abraham can see now and will see the complete fulfillment of God's promises in the kingdom to come.Today is there anything that man can see and feel elated about?This is the way God leads every one of His faithful believers to take. Although we see and feel nothing today,the future will be full of spiritual land and descendants.

Romans8:30
Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.
Whosoever is predestined is "Save"

Can man be saved by doing good?The world's answer is YES. But God's answer in the Bible is NO!!The authority to decide our salvation is in the hand of God.Salvation is not according to our will.Our salvation is related to God,we cannot make any decision on our own.We cannot be saved just because we think we are.Nor can we be unsaved just because we think we are.Brethren,listen to the voice of God.You have to listen to what He has to say.Do not think that as long as you can do good,you will be saved.You have to know that this matter is decided by God.
Can morality save men?No. Absolutely no.Blessed is the man who knows this fact.Today men think that exhorting others to believe in Jesus is the same as exhorting them to do good.Little do they realize that exhorting men to believe in the Lord Jesus is really proving to them that they cannot do good.Even many believers do not realize that man is not saved by doing good. Their thought is to try their best to keep God's Word,attend services,offer money,help the church,and strive to be good, hoping that by so doing,they will be saved.Little do they realize that these things are all vain! These things do not help at all in the matter of their salvation.(Of course I do not mean that we should not keep God's Word, offer money, etc.I am saying that we cannot be saved by these things.)
It is most vain to argue and reason with man's words.Let us then turn to God's Word. Whatever God says is fixed."For we account that a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the law"(Rom. 3:28). The meaning of"works of the law"here is to try to do good. The law was enacted by God.It shows men what they ought to do.If a man could keep God's law,he would be the best person on earth.But God says here through the apostle that He has reckoned,that He is perfectly clear,that man is not justified by keeping the law and doing good. What is the meaning of justification?It means that God not only forgives your sins,but reckons you righteous.In other words,to be justified is to be saved.A justified person is a saved person.God teaches that you cannot be saved or justified by keeping the law.For this reason,my dear sinners,do not trust in your works,and do not think that you can be saved by doing good.Stop your own work! Confess that you are a hopeless sinner!Accept the Lord Jesus as your Savior,and you will be saved.
God is worthy of man's praise because His salvation of man is not based on man's good works. He says,"Where sin abounded, grace has superabounded" (Rom. 5:20).do you know that you are sinners?Does not your conscience condemn you?Do you not think that men such as you are helpless?Do not be deceived in thinking that you can be saved by doing good,or that you can be saved by joining a church,singing in a choir, praying,or attending services.Do not try to mend your transgressions by human ways. You are sinners,and no matter how much you mend yourselves, you are still sinners.It is like a black man.No matter how much he tries to put on powder or paints himself with white paint, he is still a black man.Do not try to do good by yourselves anymore!No matter how much you have sinned,the blood of the Lord is able to cleanse you. Come!
Mr. Spurgeon of England was an evangelist who was greatly used by the Lord.Once he said that if the Lord would save him only if he did good,he would never want to be a Christian.He gave an illustration.Suppose he had done many good things,and then presented this goodness before God and asked,"Since I have done so much good,can I be saved?"Since God is the God of all goodness,surely He would not approve of Spurgeon's goodness.He would shake his head and say,"You have not done enough!" Spurgeon said he would then go away in discouragement and would try to do better.After a few years,he would present his goodness before God again,asking God if his goodness was good enough, and if he could be saved.God would answer again,"You are still not good enough.You still cannot be saved."This could go on for two or three more times, and God would still not be satisfied. How then could he be saved?If God expected him to do good before he could be saved,He would probably never be satisfied,and Spurgeon would not be saved even if he worked himself to death.Is this not a pitiful thing? Spurgeon concluded that if God expected him to do good before he could be saved,then he would not want to be a Christian in the first place because he would find out after striving for many years on earth that God would not be satisfied with him and whatever he would have done would have been in vain.We have to thank the Father because we do not have to do good.All we need to do is to believe in God's Son,and we shall be saved.Although it is true that God is not satisfied with our works,and although it is true that we do not have any merit of our own,He is pleased in His Son, the Lord Jesus.He is satisfied with the righteousness that the Lord Jesus accomplished on the cross.Although we cannot and will not do good by ourselves, the minute we believe in His Son and accept the merit of His Son's shed blood on the cross, we will be saved.
Don't be deceived by Satan into thinking that you will be saved by doing good.You must realize that just as you cannot build a ladder that reaches heaven,you cannot secure God's salvation through doing good.We do not obtain God's justification through good works.Rather,we are "being justified freely by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 3:24). "If by grace,it is no longer out of works,otherwise grace is no longer grace" (11:6). Are not these two verses very clear? We are justified and saved by God, not because of works,but because of His own grace. Grace and work are two principles that are completely opposite.Grace means that God is willing to save whether a man is good or bad.Man is not worthy to be saved,but because of mercy,God gives him salvation freely.Work,on the other hand,is very different.Work means that only good people will be saved, while bad ones will perish.In other words,man has to do good to save himself,and all those who cannot save themselves will perish.We know that we are all sinners.Although we may not have committed the sins of murder or arson,our nature is corrupted,our thoughts and conduct are full of deceit.We are truly sinners! How can we be saved through works? Thank and praise God that He does not save us because of our work.He is saving us because of His free Grace,a Grace which we do not deserve.

The OP should bear in mind that even the churches in the bible has issues,
Churches in Corinthains,Galatains,and the seven churches in Asia all needs correction/perfection which takes time.
We should do more in advising and encouraging them and not criticising them.
The church perfection is a life time growth.

debolayinka:
Did you just say all? Please consult your bible once again before making assertions like this.

Yes
All the seven churches in Asia has issues,No?

They have same system of operation.
God is at one side ,his children at the other end then the intermediary class(the Priest,Pastor,etc) at the middle.manipulating spiritual things/maters.in the life's of he's children.

Ubenedictus:
what if the giver sets a reward for whoever receives his gift.


because that is exactly what God did, he gifted us salvation, he gifted us the ability and capacity for good works and then promised to bless us with more favour, more reward for simply receiving his gift and bearing its fruits.

that is the stupendous generously of God and I am surprised some one will prefer to reduce it because it doesn't square up with the musings of a 19th century lawyer called Calvin.


so yes, In Christ gift can turn to reward, not because we strictly merit it but because God has bound himself by promise to give it to us.

The Giver sets the gift as a reward??
Dude,take it easy na haba.

GALATIANS 5:24
Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

We have to see clearly that what is spoken of here is not a matter of experience(no matter what experience one may have)rather, it is a matter of divine fact."They who are of Christ Jesus"whether they be STRONG or WEAK"have crucified the flesh with its passions and its lusts."You may say that you are still sinning.But God says that you have been crucified on the cross.You may say that your temper is still with you.But God says that you have been crucified on the cross.You may say that your lust is very strong.But God says that your flesh has been crucified on the cross.Please do not look at your experience for now,pay attention first to what God has said to you. If you do not listen and believe in God's word but look at your own experience,you will never have the experience of the crucifixion of the flesh.Forget about your own feelings and experience. God said that your flesh has been crucified,and it is crucified. First listen to and believe God's word,then the experience will follow.God has said to you, "Your flesh has been crucified." You should answer and say, "Amen"That is right.My flesh has been crucified on the cross."If you do this,you will see that your flesh is truly crucified.
We have to realize that the Bible has never told us to crucify ourselves.Rather,it tells us that we are those who are crucified. We are not being crucified alone, but have been crucified together with the Lord Jesus(Gal.2:20,Rom. 6:6).Since we have been crucified together, the time that the Lord Jesus was crucified is the time that our flesh was crucified.Furthermore, our crucifixion is not a self-crucifixion.Rather,we were brought to the cross by the Lord Jesus at the time He was crucified.Hence,in God's eyes, our flesh has been crucified on the cross.This is something that has been clearly accomplished on God's side.It has been clearly accomplished and now it is a fact.Whether or not a man has the experience,God still says, "They"every believer"who are of Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh."The way for us to receive the experience of the crucifixion of the flesh is not by paying attention to our experience (which though good,should not be given too much place),but by believing in God's word.God says that our flesh has been crucified,and we believe that our flesh is indeed crucified.God says that our flesh has been crucified on the cross,and we acknowledge that what God says is true.If we do this,we will have the experience.We should first pay attention to God's fact, then to man's experience.

OP
So ones gift can turn to reward,right?

Like I said earlier in another thread.
"ANY DOCTRINE THATS NOT ROOTED IN CHRIST MUST SURELY FALL"
It's like in the parable of the sower.the seed that's not properly rooted will die.
Thank you Pastor for speaking the truth.

saintmark88:
The argument of the catholics is that God made her pure meaning he saved her at d point of her birth.....prepared her to be a vessel. So asking y she called God her saviour is pretty Dumb... because ultimately God saved her at her conception

Any scriptural backing to these?

Dnaz:
Holy thing to dwell in a dirty body?
How will it remain Holy?
MARY WAS PURE AND SINLESS whether it pains u or not
U can't change it.
Stop arguing about things that are beyond you

Comprehension is your problem.
Let me give you another chance to see
.luke1:47
and my spirit rejoices in God my SAVIOR!!
Her Savior?why would she need a SAVIOR if she holy.

Goshen360:
I wonder o....mixture of both old n new is just as dangerous as upholding some part of the old only when it's convenient. This is the biggest problem in today's churches.

Matt9:17
New American Standard Bible
"Nor do people put new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the wineskins burst, and the wine pours out and the wineskins are ruined; but they put new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved."
Old and new can't mix one has to go.

Ken4Christ:
And the New Law of grace says you should sell whatever you have and give to the poor - Luke 12:33. Have you ever done that. The early Church did it. A New Law that demands you liquidate your assets to help the poor will certainly not frown at 10% support for the ministers who brings message of life to you. Please, have a common sense. God's grace at work in you should cause you to give more and not less.

Dude you can't stand in between.its either you are trying to uphold the Law of Moses or you in brace Grace fully.
It's not a matter of paying/giving 10-100%,but of been lead by the Spirit.
Eg,you earn 100k a month,as a true Christain the Spirit will direct you on how you give/distribute the money.because the whole 100k belongs to God and not you.
Whosoever He directs you to give 5,10,20,50. or 100% you should do that as a true Christain

Luke1:35
And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that "HOLY"thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
The only "HOLY THING" in her was Christ!!!
Nothing more!!
Guys,comprehend.

Ken4Christ:
Yes, salvation is purely by grace and not of works. This is the requirements to get saved. But after you are saved, you are expected to do good works. Hence, Ephesians 2:10 says, "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them".

In addition Apostle Paul wrote, "Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works". (Titus 2:14). From this verse, we are not only expected to be involved in good works, we are supposed to be passionate about it. Failure to do that can make you lose your salvation.

Those who claim they are saved but are not involved in good works are those who "...profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.(Titus 1:16). "If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us". (2nd Timothy 2:12).

If you read carefully the letters our Lord Jesus wrote to the seven Churches in Asia minor, the emphasis was on works to each of the churches. And he warned them to repent and do the works they are supposed to do otherwise they will suffer the consequence.

The last letter which was addressed to the Church in Laodicians is of particular interest.

"He told them, I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth."(Revelation 3:14-15).

What do you suppose Jesus meant when he said, I will spue thee out of my mouth? This is as good as saying, I will completely reject you. That city is located in the present day Turkey which are predominantly now Muslims.

The letters Jesus wrote to these churches is also addressed to us. At the end of each letter, It says, "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches".

A believer who says I am saved by grace but completely passive towards the works of the kingdom can be likened to a wicked and unreasonable servant in the parable of the talent. And the Scripture says,

And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth - Matthew 25:30.

In Hebrews 10:25, Apostle Paul cautioned against habitual abstinence from Church meetings. He concluded that those who do that will fall under the judgment of God - Hebrews 10:26-31.

The message of grace has really been highly misunderstood. That you are saved by grace should even inspire you to serve God with zeal. If after your salvation, you are not ardently involved in a local Church, you have invariably nullified your salvation.

In summary, your good works does not save you but after you are saved, your good works preserves your salvation.

Bro you err not knowing the true meaning of Works and Grace,Reward and Gift.

Goshen360:
So u believe the law of Moses has been abolished? Interestingly, you hold onto only the tithe right?

Don't mind them.most don't even know the meaning of a LAW,not to talk about one given by God.all Gods requirements to bless His people are instituted in the Law by Moses.in the Old if an Israelis desire to be bless by God he/she must uphold Gods Law(in the Old everything was drafted in the Law)
But now,God has a new Law which is Grace.
Why can't our brothers wholly accept His new Law and forget the Old?

The Sixth Day:

Gen1:24And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. 25And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
26And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. 27So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. 28And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. 29And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. 30And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so. 31And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.



The work on the sixth day signifies the coming again of the Lord Jesus and His kingship.In the work on the sixth day God created Adam in His own image and charged Adam to rule over the whole earth.Five days of work had passed.All the things on earth were ready.All the objects in heaven were also set. The food and dwelling that man needed were all prepared one after another.Then God created man.The most important point in the creation of man is that he is created in the image of God. Man on earth is a representative of God.Man is God's expression. This relates to the Lord Jesus' coming again.
The Lord Jesus is the last Adam and the second Man.The first Adam was a type of Him.The first Adam was created in the image of God.Here we see a type of the coming of the Lord Jesus.When the Lord Jesus comes back,His Body, which is His church,will also be consummated.His whole church will become His image at the time He comes back.First John 3:2 says,"If He is manifested,we will be like Him."When the Lord Jesus appears again,His church will be fully like Him.Just as Adam was created in the image of God,the Body of the last Adam,the church,will also be fully like God when the Lord comes back.The Lord's second coming will cause every saint to take up His image,the image of a glorious body given by Him.
On the sixth day Eve was created as a counterpart of Adam.Eve is a type of the church.When the Lord Jesus comes back again,the church will be consummated and will be offered to Christ as His counterpart.She will rule with Christ over the world.Eve was created on the sixth day.The church will be consummated at the time the Lord comes back. The church will also become the Lord's counterpart when the Lord comes back.The creation of Adam and Eve on the sixth day is a clear reference to the events at the second coming of the Lord Jesus.
God not only created Adam and Eve,He made them to rule over the created world.All authority was committed to them.God does not rule over the world directly.Rather,He has committed the authority to rule over the world to Adam.When the Lord Jesus comes back again, He will set up the millennial kingdom on earth to rule over the whole world.Just as the creation of Adam in the preceding paragraph relates to the Lord's coming, the commissioning of Adam to rule over the world relates to His kingship.In the millennium God will hand over all authority to Christ and cause Him to rule.Philippians 2:9 says, "Therefore also God highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name."There are many other Scriptures that speak of God giving authority to Christ to be the King over all things and to rule over all things in the millennium.
Adam shared all his authority with Eve.Although it was Adam who directly ruled over the world,Eve helped Adam in being the ruler.When the Lord Jesus is King in the millennium,He will exercise His kingship.Yet the Bible repeatedly tells us that Christians are the Lord Jesus' Eve and that they will reign with Him and share in His glory.He will rule over all things,and in the same way,Christians will share in ruling over the world.Although there may be a difference of five or ten cities,our reigning with Him is an immutable fact.
The birth,death,resurrection, ascension,and life-giving of the Lord Jesus are the crucial elements in His work.If this is all that there is to His work, and if there is no second coming or reigning with Him,a Christian can only have hope in this age and will be poorer than all other men. The saints suffer today in the world.They will enjoy their blessing in the future in heaven! Heaven may be good,but it can never make up for the sufferings experienced by the saints in the world today.Consequently,the Lord Jesus must come back again to this world.In this world He was harassed,despised, persecuted,and crucified.In this world He will receive His glory in the future.It will not be on another planet in the heavens. When Christians suffer with the Lord today,they are suffering in the world. In the future they will also receive glory in the world. This is why the Lord Jesus' coming and His kingship are necessary for Himself and His saints.

Ranchhoddas:
Why would God favour one group of people over the other if he created all of them?

Romans9:15...For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
He's in charge.Hes the Potter and the world is He's Clay.Isaiah64:8...But now, O LORD, you are our father; we are the clay, and you our potter; and we all are the work of your hand.

The Fifth Day: Fish and Birds

Gen1:20And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. 21And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good. 22And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth. 23And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.

The work on the fifth day signifies the Lord Jesus as the Lord of life.In His work on the fifth day,God created many kinds of aquatic lives and birds.In the previous four days,God prepared the heaven and the earth as the habitation for the living creatures.Until this day there were no living creatures in the water and in the air.Although plants were included in the work of the third day,there was no trace of animals.The aquatic creatures were able to live in the water because God prepared the water on the first day.The birds were able to fly in the air because God prepared the air on the second day.Both birds and aquatic creatures have life.The only difference lies in their outward shape.The God-created birds and aquatic creatures are distinct from each other in man's eyes,they are clearly different. However,they possess the same life.They are only different in the outward shell of their life.Hence, the work of the fifth day is for life to take form.Some take their form in the water,while others take their form in the air.The work on this day is a type of the Lord Jesus as the life-giving Lord.
Life cannot create itself.All lives are created by God.God is the Creator of all life.No matter what outward form this life takes,it comes from God.After the Lord Jesus resurrected and ascended,His work has been to dispense life to people,so that those with His life may have it more abundantly.His ascension, typified by the work of the previous day,is for the purpose of becoming life to the saints. We can see this from Colossians 3:1-4,"If therefore you were raised together with Christ,seek the things which are above, where Christ is,sitting at the right hand of God." This speaks of resurrection and ascension. Following ascension,the Scripture continues,"Your life is hidden with Christ in God.When Christ our life..." From this we see that the work of Christ after ascension is to be our life,a life hidden in God.
The birds and the aquatic creatures are a type of the people in the world.Now we want to see how the birds and aquatic creatures correspond in significance to the life of the Christian.
Life is given by the Lord Jesus. The Lord has now ascended to heaven.His goal is for His saints to express His life in a practical way before He comes back.If a life does not have an outward form,that life cannot exist on this earth or have any experience on earth.Although outward form does not mean much,without such a form,there will be no way for life to be expressed.For this reason it is indispensable for life to "take form." The Lord Jesus wants His saints to work out a practical expression of the life which is derived from His death and resurrection on the earth. They have received life through the Lord's death and resurrection.Positionally,they have received a heavenly place. What they lack is a form on earth that expresses the Lord's life. This is the meaning of the work on this day.
The Lord Jesus is now training His disciples to take form on earth.As the birds express their life through their outward forms and as aquatic creatures express their life through their outward forms,the Lord Jesus desires that His saints express Him with a definite form on earth.The Lord desires His saints,wherever they are,to express His life through their forms.This life is the same life.But in their outward forms, there is a difference between birds and aquatic creatures. Birds and aquatic creatures receive the same life.But their forms are different.Hence, there are different expressions of the same inward life.All the life that the saints receive comes from the Lord Jesus,there was no difference in the beginning. However, because of differences in the saints' character,they express the Lord's life in different ways.We see this clearly in the parable of the sower.Although the same kind of seed is sown, although the life within the seed is the same,and although the fields are all good,eventually, some bear thirtyfold,some sixtyfold, and some a hundredfold.Everyone receives the same life from the Lord. There are different expressions to this life because the "outlets" of this life are different.
Hence, in the work of this day the Lord Jesus charges His saints to prove His life on earth and express His life through their character.This is very crucial. Unless we express the heavenly life practically on earth,the life, which we obtained through regeneration and is derived from the Lord's death,resurrection, and ascension,will not be firmly joined to us.
Life by itself cannot have any experience.The most important thing is to have outward form.A bird's life experiences the bird's living through the bird's outward form.For a saint to practically receive the Lord's life and express this life on earth is a kind of training.The experience of the birds and the aquatic creatures begins from the day that the life within them makes them a bird or an aquatic creature.From that day the birds and the aquatic creatures are able to live out their living and acquire experience.This relates to the training of the saints.The work of the Lord Jesus now is to train His saints in life.Before this training comes about,however, the saints must first be joined to the Lord's life!!

The Fourth Day: Sun, Moon, Stars

Gen1:14And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: 15And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. 16And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. 17And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, 18And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. 19And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

The work on the fourth day signifies the ascension of the Lord Jesus.On the fourth day God's work made the luminaries. He made the sun,moon,and stars.The work of the previous day was on earth.The work on this day was in heaven.The emphasis on this day is on heavenly things.The sun,the moon,and the stars are all heavenly things.God made the luminaries for several purposes. First,they "give light upon the earth"(Gen. 1:17).Darkness is the ordinary condition of the world, and light is the special condition of the world.Ordinarily the world is dark.This is why light has to shine.Otherwise,the world would sink into a long night.Second, the luminaries are to"rule over the day and over the night,and to divide the light from the darkness."They are not only for shining,but for ruling.The work on this day is a type of the ascension of the Lord Jesus.
All the works on this day were in heaven.This was unlike the first day,when the light was in the world.Although the light on first day was shining on the earth,the luminaries on the fourth day were in heaven.The light which comes to earth now has its source in heaven.This is ascension.
Malachi 4:2 tells us that Christ is the Sun of righteousness. Revelation12:1 tells us that Christ is the Sun.Psalm 19:5-6 says the same thing.In reading the Bible,we find the teaching that the sun is a type of Christ. We do not see it in the world,but in heaven.He has ascended to heaven for us and has appeared before God as our Mediator and Priest.
The work of this day signifies not only Christ,but His people as well,because the moon is a type of the church and the stars are a type of individual Christians. Based on the Lord's death and resurrection,the Lord has gained people to His own name.This is why we see the moon and the stars in the presence of the Lord. The moon does not have any light by itself; it merely reflects the light of the sun.In the same way the church does not have any light of its own,it merely reflects the light of Christ. Presently the believers "shine as luminaries in the world"(Phil. 2:15)they are like the stars.
The two things that we have to do now correspond to what we mentioned earlier. First, we have to reflect the light of Christ in this morally dark night.Second,we have to rule over the power of darkness with the light of our words and deeds.When the millennium comes,we will truly be kings and rule over all things.
The ascension of Christ concludes His work on earth.His ascension is based on His death and resurrection.The meaning of His resurrection is the victory over everything that belongs to Satan's kingdom.Ephesians 1:20-21 says, "Which He caused to operate in Christ in raising Him from the dead and seating Him at His right hand in the heavenlies,far above all rule and authority and power and lordship and every name that is named." We know that these things refer to Satan and his subjects.The Lord Jesus'ascension means that God has given Him a position that is higher than all the powers of Satan.His position in heaven is a Satan-overcoming position. Satan is under His feet; he has no chance to defeat Him because Jesus is now the Lord over all and has become the Head of all things.
Philippians 2:8-11 says that Christ passed through"the death of a cross.Therefore also God highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow,of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth,and every tongue should openly confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father."In His ascension the Lord Jesus received the highest place,a place that Satan and his evil spirits cannot touch.They also have to acknowledge the Lord Jesus as Lord and King.This kind of position is very crucial. If the Lord Jesus had not ascended, the effect of His death and resurrection on earth would have been affected.It is right for the Lord Himself to lead His people to this heavenly position.On the one hand,His people can shine for Him, and on the other hand, overcome the power of darkness that confronts them.This is what Ephesians 2:6 tells us.As the light of the sun overcomes darkness,the heavenly position of the Lord Jesus overcomes the devil's power of darkness.As the moon and the stars accompany the sun in the sky,Christians remain with the Lord Jesus in heaven.

The Third Day.
Gen1:9And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. 10And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good. 11And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. 12And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good. 13And the evening and the morning were the third day.


The work on the third day signifies the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.In His work on the third day God caused the waters under the heaven to be gathered together unto one place,made the dry land to appear,and caused the earth to bring forth grass, herbs,and trees.Originally the earth was covered by the deep waters,there was no sign of life,nor any life at all.The earth was buried deep under the judging water of God.Except for darkness,there was nothing else. Other than the billowing of filthy waves,there was not a shadow of land.Since the earth itself had disappeared,there was no earthly life.Then God began His own work. First,He caused the land to emerge out of the water. Second,He caused life to appear on the earth.The work on this day is clearly a type of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.
The words "the third day" are sufficient enough to prove that the work on this day is a type of resurrection.First Corinthians 15:4 says,"He has been raised on the third day."There are many places in the Scripture where the third day and resurrection are linked together.This is true not only in the New Testament,but in the Old Testament as well.Three days after the Passover,there is the feast for offering the firstfruits of the harvest.This refers clearly to Christ's resurrection three days after His death.In First Corinthians 15 there is a peculiar phrase,"He has been raised on the third day according to the Scriptures"(v. 4).The resurrection of the Lord Jesus on the third day was prophesied in the Scriptures, that is,in the Old Testament. Where can we find the third day? We do not have to look at all the places in the Old Testament.In Genesis 1,at the beginning of the Bible,we find the first"third day." We cannot help but consider this as a type of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.
Not only is the numerical designation"the third day," a type,but the work of the third day is also a proof to resurrection.The earth was once buried under the water. Verse 9 says,"Let the dry land appear." Formerly the earth was under the water,then it rose above the water.This is resurrection.The earth rose out of the tomb of the water.Once it was covered by water.Then it rose above the water and became higher than the water.This is a beautiful picture of resurrection.We can see this picture clearly at the time of baptism.When a man is baptized,his whole being is immersed into the water,and then he comes out of the water. Romans 6:4 and Colossians 2:12 tell us that baptism by immersion into the water is a symbol of death,burial,and resurrection. Hence,the land coming out of the water is a type of resurrection out of death and burial.
Isaiah 57:20 tells us that water represents sins."But the wicked are like the tossed sea, For it cannot be calm, And its waters toss up mire and mud."The land buried under the water is like the Lord Jesus buried in the tomb. The land did not remain under water forever.On the third day it rose from the water.This situation is like the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.Romans 6 clearly tells us about the relationship between the Lord Jesus' resurrection and sin."For the death which He died,He died to sin once for all,but the life which He lives,He lives to God"(v. 10). And,"knowing that Christ,having been raised from the dead,dies no more,death lords it over Him no more"(v. 9).As the land came out of the water,the resurrection of Christ disassociates Him from sin.
The work on the third day had two levels.Not only did the land come out of the water,but it also bore new life.This speaks of resurrection.Verse 11 tells us that the land brought forth all kinds of grass,herbs,and fruit-bearing trees.Formerly there was no life on the earth.On this day, however,life began to appear. Formerly death reigned.Now life came.God did not create life on the second day,or cause things to grow on the land on the fourth day.On this day,the third day, God created life.Romans 6:4 tells us that "we have been buried therefore with Him through baptism into His death, in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father,so also we might walk in newness of life." Without resurrection there would be no new life.New life comes after resurrection.Before the land emerged out of the water,no life could grow on the earth.There must first be the separation from the water before there can be the growth.There must first be resurrection before there can be life.After resurrection,life will surely follow.Without new life, resurrection is empty.Saints who pay attention to their spiritual progress should note this "FACT"
In the second level of the third day's work,the most important matter is the fruit.This is the natural result of resurrection.The goal of resurrection is to bear fruit.Otherwise,why did the land come out of the water?The land came out for the purpose of bearing fruit.The Bible is not silent concerning the relationship between resurrection and fruit-bearing.Romans 6:22 says,"But now, having been freed from sin and enslaved to God,you have your fruit unto sanctification." How can we be freed from sin? We are freed by identifying with the Lord in His death,burial,and resurrection. This is what Genesis 1:11-13 tells us.The result of this resurrection is fruit unto sanctification.Hence,fruit-bearing is the sure result of resurrection.This is not the only place that tells us this.Romans 7:4 also says, "You also have been made dead to the law through the body of Christ so that you might be joined to another,to Him who has been raised from the dead,that we might bear fruit to God."Without death,there is no resurrection and there is no fruit.The fruits that are for God come solely from dying and resurrecting with the Lord Jesus.The only fruit that counts before God is the fruit based on the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus.In God's eyes anything that has not passed through death and resurrection is of the old creation.It is condemned by Him and is not qualified to bear fruit.

The Second Day: Firmament

Gen1:6And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. 7And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. 8And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.

In the work of the second day, SEPARATION is a big item.This separation consists of two parts.In the first part,the firmament within the waters divided the waters.In the second part,the waters under the firmament were separated from the waters above the firmament. Is it not true that the cross is also composed of these two parts? When the Lord Jesus was crucified on the cross,He cried, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"(Matt. 27:46). This was His separation from God.But the Bible also says that He was cut off from the land of the living.This speaks of His separation from man.The work on the second day is the most crucial part in the redemptive work.
The firmament separated the waters.The cross of the Lord Jesus separated the people of the world. When He was crucified, His cross forever separated the two thieves.One went to Paradise,and the other went to Hades.Throughout their lives,the two had been sinning together.But during their last few minutes,one received the substitutional death of the cross of the Lord Jesus, and the other refused to accept.There was a separation of heaven and hell! This separation lasts forever.His cross separated the two thieves then,and in the same way it separates the whole world today. Actually,this separation does not happen only today.Throughout history His cross has separated all the people in the world into two kinds:the saved ones and perishing ones."For the word of the cross is to those who are perishing foolishness, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God"(1 Cor. 1:18).The cross divides salvation and perdition for man.The separation of perishing ones and the saved ones is based on nothing other than their attitude toward the cross.Only the firmament can separate the waters that are above from the waters that are beneath.In the same way only the cross can divide perishing ones and saved ones.
Furthermore,the firmament separates the waters that are above from the waters that are beneath so that the waters above cannot come down.The firmament stands in the middle. It prevents the waters above from coming down and mixing with the waters beneath,which would make them once again without form and void, and return them to the desolate condition.We have seen from Revelation 17 that the waters on the earth are a type of the worldly people.The waters above,however,typify something else.At the time of Noah the world fell into sin,and God judged it.He sent the rain and opened up the window of heaven,pouring down the waters from above.From this we see that the waters above are a type of the wrath,punishment,and judgment of God.If this is true,it is not hard to find the meaning of the firmament.The firmament holds back the waters above so that they will not come down to the waters beneath. It stands between the waters above and the waters beneath.This is the work of the cross.When the Lord Jesus was crucified on the cross,He stood in our place and bore our sins.He was our covering.The judgment, punishment, and wrath of God should have fallen upon and desolated us, making us the "deep." However, the Lord Jesus stood between us and God's wrath.When He was crucified on the cross,He allowed God's wrath to fall on Him and not on us.According to God's ordination,the wrath of God should abide upon us (John 3:36). But He has established Him as the bearer of our sins. "Jehovah has caused the iniquity of us all / To fall on Him"(Isa. 53:6).Thank the Lord for the firmament in the heaven that separates the waters above from the waters beneath!Thank the Lord for the cross of the Lord Jesus which separates the world from the wrath of God! Yet He has borne what we should have borne ourselves.This is salvation. This is the gospel.If the waters above are not separated from the waters beneath,the world would forever perish under water.If the Lord Jesus had not borne God's wrath on behalf of man,the world would forever be in desolation and hopelessness. This is the substitutional work of the cross.
The firmament was created by God.The decision was made by God,and the creation was also accomplished by God. Superficially, the Lord Jesus was crucified by the Jews and killed by the Gentiles.It seems that His life was taken by men.According to the Bible,however,He was not killed because He said that no one could take His life away from Him.His death was the judgment of God upon Him for all the sins of the sinners."But Jehovah was pleased to crush Him,to afflict Him with grief. When He makes Himself an offering for sin"(Isa. 53:10). The cross was God's direct work.It was not men who ill-treated Him.The Bible says, "This man,delivered up by the determined counsel and foreknowledge of God,you, through the hand of lawless men, nailed to a cross and killed" (Acts 2:23).
Among the six days of God's work,He considered that His work during all the other days was good.This was the only day when God did not say that what He had made was "GOOD"What God has not said is as meaningful as what He has said. The work on the second day was God's dealing with sin on the cross.God's wrath was manifested on the righteous One for the purpose of releasing the unrighteous ones.It was there that God made the sinless One sin for us and caused Him to suffer the punishment for sinners.It is very meaningful that He did not say that it was GOOD.God takes no pleasure in judging sin.He loves to give grace;He does not like to judge.
The deliverance of the cross is the basis of salvation.Without the substitution of the cross, Christ's birth is in vain.The whole world has sinned, and the wages of sin is death.Unless there is a Savior who will die on the sinner's behalf, no one will escape the judgment he deserves.If there had been only the birth of Christ, it would have been completely useless in saving sinners.What man lacks is a sin-bearing Savior,not a holy teacher.Only a vicarious Savior can deliver sinners from their sins.If there is no vicarious death,even resurrection will be useless,because without death there can be no resurrection and no need for resurrection. All the facts of salvation are based on the work of this day.If the waters had not been separated, there would have been no possibility for the land to appear.Even the shining of the light on the previous day would have been in vain.We should pay attention to this matter and never forget that the Lord Jesus died on the cross for us.

Gen1:3And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

Day(1)
The work of the first day signifies the birth of the Lord Jesus.On the first day God created light, and the light shone in the darkness.The face of the deep of the world was originally covered with darkness,but light came!!This was the first time light and darkness met.There was never such a state on this earth;this was the first time light came to the dark world.Clearly this typifies the birth of the Lord Jesus.When John spoke about the birth of the Lord Jesus and the incarnation of the Word,he said, "THE LIGHT SHINES IN THE DARKNESS, and THE DARKNESS DID NOT OVER COME IT"and "This was the true light which, coming into the world,enlightens every man" (John 1:5, 9).John clearly likened the birth of the Lord Jesus to light shining in darkness.When Zachariah spoke about the birth of the Lord Jesus, he also said, "Because of the merciful compassions of our God, in which the rising sun will visit us from on high" (Luke 1:78). Even the Lord Jesus Himself also compared His birth to the light shining into the world. He said, "For God did...send the Son into the world...the light has come into the world" (John 3:17, 19). These Scripture verses testify to us that God's work on the first day, calling light to shine into darkness,typifies the Lord Jesus becoming, at a later time, the true light to come into the world. Light came, yet what a pity that the world would not let Him shine upon them!
The work of the first day is the first step of the redemptive work. Without light coming into the world,God and man would never have the opportunity to meet. Without the Lord Jesus coming into the world,sinners would not be able to see God the Father, who is expressed by the only begotten Son.Now we can see how the work of the first day and the Lord Jesus' coming into the world are the same.
The shining of the light comes about through the work of the Holy Spirit. "And the Spirit of God brooded upon the face of the waters" (Gen. 1:2,).The same principle is true with incarnation. The angel told Mary,"The Holy Spirit will come upon you,and the power of the Most High will overshadow you;therefore also the holy thing which is born will be called the Son of God" (Luke 1:35).The Son of the Most High was born of the Holy Spirit. However,the world does not receive this conception of the Holy Spirit.Therefore, light was called for on the first day."And God said, Let there be light: and there was light"(Gen. 1:3).The Lord Jesus came to the world as light.Now let us look at another place in the Bible. When Simeon saw the Lord Jesus as a child, he said,"Now You release Your slave, Master, according to Your word, in peace;for my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared before the face of all the peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and the glory of Your people Israel" (Luke 2:29-32).Who wants to be enlightened by Him?
God declared that the light was good. "And God saw the light, that it was good" (Gen. 1:4). The first word which God spoke to our Lord Jesus Christ was, "This is My Son, the Beloved, in whom I have found My delight" (Matt. 3:17). Aside from His Son, no one can please the Father's heart because"those who are in the flesh cannot please God"
God always considers that this Light is good.Blessed are those who have God's view! Light and darkness are separated. "God divided the light from the darkness" (Gen. 1:4). Here we see a wonderful harmony in the record of the Bible. The book of Hebrews says that the Lord Jesus is "a High Priest...holy, guileless, undefiled, separated from sinners and having become higher than the heavens" (7:26). How different this man is from ordinary people! He is willing to share our human nature, yet He does not have the root of sin like us. Light is separated from darkness; Christ is distinct from sinners. God gave light a name. "And God called the light Day" (Gen. 1:5). Likewise, the name of Christ was given by God.His name was not given by Joseph and Mary.When He was still in His mother's womb, the angel told Mary, "You shall call His name Jesus, for it is He who will save His people from their sins" (Matt. 1:21). Before He was born, He had prophesied through the prophet, saying, "Jehovah has called me from the womb" (Isa. 49:1).

Learning Obedience.
Heb5:
8Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered 9and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him

All the people saw him walking and praising God. (Acts 3:9)

“In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk”; and he leapt. Simple in its terms, but very, very drastic and very utter in its action.Immediately the man in himself knew the glory of God. He,leaping up,praised and glorified God.He had got it in his own heart, in his own soul.He knew he was changed,he was in the good of God’s rest.... This man was a testimony which was the answer to every argument. Seeing the man there in the midst whole,they had to shut their mouths.There was no argument.It is all argument if it is doctrine,theory,teaching, interpretation of truth, but a living witness – you cannot argue against that.Your mouth is shut when you have a living person standing there right in the good of things.Are we closing the mouths of people?We shall not do it by the truth that we hold, teach,interpret, but we can do it by what we are, by being in possession of the goods. Are we that? Are you that?Are you going to be that?A real answer to every argument so that people say, “Well, look here,it is not the teaching they have taken on,the associations they have made: no, no,look at them; you know what they were, you know how little they counted,you know what cripples they were spiritually,you know what liabilities they were,you know how much they were without rest:but look now;they have the goods,they are in the good of things,they are counting, they mean something,and they are in rest,they are in joy,they are in satisfaction,they themselves are changed!”What can you say to that?You cannot say anything to that if you are going to be honest.
Dear friends,we are not to go out to try and pass over some teaching, some truth,to people. That will never convince.You and I are to be here as those who in themselves convince others because we embody His rest,we embody His peace,we embody His strength,and we count for something.We are responsible people,we are positive factors, we are assets,and the Lord is getting something by reason of us.That is how it must be. Is it like that?All this can be if we will go the way of this man, and say, “Yes,this has gone on long enough and it has to end, and to end,so far as my giving diligence is concerned,at once,and I do most truly by the grace of God take a deliberate and definite faith attitude toward the Lord Jesus for my complete deliverance and the setting of me upon my feet for His glory, for His praise!”I think there will be an issue, and I think it will be – “he,leaping up, stood upon his feet, praising and glorifying God.”May it be so with every one of us.
In Jesus name!!

Ucheamani:
[color=#990000][/color]


...just like Christmas

Easter,Xmas etc aren't biblical

Whatsoever that's not rooted in Christ
Has no tap root and will fall with time.