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falling on the stone...

3/19/2019

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    Falling on the Stone…

And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.  (Matthew 21:44)

THE STONE IS CHRIST. The Scripture uses a stone to picture one coming to Him for salvation. (It’s a foundation or corner stone) And if you refuse to be broken upon the stone, then one day that stone will fall upon you in judgment. If you come to Christ as the unchangeable, unmovable stone, it will not break. You will break. You must break. Your will must break. Your allegiance must break from self to Christ.

ALL WHO COME TO CHRIST, must come in brokenness and submission of their will to Him as Savior and Lord. It’s not enough that you come to Him as Savior. He is Lord and you must come to Him as Savior and Lord. That is so important that at the very beginning of the book of Acts, Peter proclaimed to the whole nation of Israel: Therefore, let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.  (Acts 2:36)

SINCE GOD HAS MADE HIM BOTH LORD AND CHRIST, I have no authority from God to present Christ as being less than whom the Father has made Him to be. I do not have permission from God to present Him as anything less than Savior and Lord. He is both Lord and Christ and I must tell you that He is both Lord and Christ.

WHEN THE PHILIPPIAN JAILOR asked what to do to be saved, Paul told him: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.” (Acts 16:31).

THE SETTING OF THE STONE in verse in Matthew 21:44 is broader than to an individual. Jesus was preaching to the chief priests and Pharisees who were leaders of the Jewish Temple. Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?  (Matthew 21:42)

Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them.  (Matthew 21:42-45)

THE JEWISH NATION HAD BEEN THE KEEPER OF GOD'S MESSAGE of salvation. Israel had been God’s rock to the rest of the world. But Israel was in the process of blindly rejecting their promised Messiah and were about to put Him to death. God was about to take His message of salvation from Israel and give it to another nation, a new nation, the Church that was about to be formed.

THE CHURCH WOULD BE A NEW "NATION" that would proclaim God’s message to the Gentiles. The church would not be given Israel’s property and land. The church would be given Israel’s mission of preaching the gospel of the crucified Christ who was raised from the dead.

McGee SUMMARIZES IT LIKE THIS: “The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof"—that is, taken from the Jews and given to the church. "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light" (1Peter 2:9).

THE CHURCH IS THAT "HOLY NATION." But this transaction did not annul or make void God’s promises He made to Abraham and to the nation of Israel. This is temporary until one day Israel will repent and all the promises made to Israel will be fulfilled. Israel did not become the church. The church did not become Israel. The church did not inherit the land God gave to Israel.

THE CHURCH DID NOT INHERIT THE PROMISE God made to David that God would build him a house. The church did not assume the promise God made to Israel through the prophet Daniel. The church did not take the place in the Book of Revelation that connects with Daniel to explain the end time judgments and the establishment of Israel in its restored state.

MacARTHUR COMMENTS: Christ is "a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense" to unbelievers (Isaiah 8:14; 1Peter 2:9). And the prophet Daniel pictures Him as a great stone "cut out of the mountain without hands," which falls on the kingdoms of the world and crushes them (Daniel 2:44-45). Whether a ceramic vessel "falls on" a rock or the rock "falls" on the vessel, the result is the same. The saying suggests that both enmity and apathy are wrong responses to Christ, and those guilty of either are in danger of judgment."

IN SUMMARY: God temporarily removed the preaching that had belonged to Israel and gave it to the newly-formed Church. To bring that about, the Temple was destroyed, and the blood sacrifices ceased. The Jewish priesthood ceased to exist. For two thousand years, Israel was dispersed throughout the world. In 1948, Israel declared itself to be a nation and U. S. President, Harry Truman was the first national leader (against the advice of his State Department) to recognize Israel as a nation.

THIS WAS A FULFILLMENT OF PROPHECY in that God was gathering Israel back to the land from all the nations of the world. Harry Truman’s mother had drilled into Harry Truman: “Be good to the Jew, Harry.” Little did she know how much she was fulfilling prophecy when she was raising her little son in Missouri.

JOHN MacARTHUR WRITES: "I will gather. God pledged to restore exiled Israelites to their ancient soil. Cf. similar promises in Jeremiah 16:14-15 and chapters 30-33. The land in view was literally Palestine, being contrasted with all the other countries (Jeremiah 23:3), thus assuring that the regathering would be as literal as the scattering.

"The restoration of Judah from Babylon is referred to in language which, in its fullness, can only refer to the final restoration of God's people ("out of all countries," cf. Jeremiah 23:8), under Messiah. "Neither shall they be lacking" indicates that no one will be missing or detached. These are prophecies yet to be fulfilled. Cf. Jeremiah 32:37-38; Isaiah 60:21; Ezekiel 34:11-16. (MacArthur Study Bible)

THERE IS ABROAD THE ERRONEOUS DOCTRINE IN SOME CHURCHES TODAY known as “Replacement Theology.” That is, that the church replaced Israel and all of God’s promises to Israel were revoked. On that basis, they claim that Israel is illegally occupying the land of Israel today. This is a serious mistake.

GOD HAS NOT REVOKED HIS LONG-TERM PROMISE to Israel. Jesus, the Jewish messiah is going to reign upon the Throne of David for one thousand years. Ezekiel’s temple will be built in Jerusalem that will be used during the thousand years. (Before that, another temple will be built and function during the Tribulation Period of seven years.)

BUT RIGHT NOW, THE CHURCH (not all the visible denominations), the Body of Christ, is the proclaimer of God’s Gospel of salvation and will be until Christ returns and in the twinkling of an eye calls up His Church to be with Him. We are grafted into Israel.

IN 1983, DR. DAVID HOCKING preached a series of messages over the radio Biola Hour entitled: What the Bible Says About ISRAEL AND ITS LAND. Several years later, I got his permission to reprint his booklet. Barbara typed off the booklet and we posted it on http://www.biblewalking.com/whose-is-the-land.html It is the best 12-fact statement I’ve seen on what the Bible says about Israel and its land.

Read Through the Bible in a Year
March 20, 2019 – WEDNESDAY
A.M.  Joshua 1-3   P.M. Luke 1:57-80
(Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)
 
Good Verses to Memorize:
I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.  So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.  Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.  (1Corinthians 3:6-9)

Song for Today:
The Holy Hills of Heaven (5:49) (Gaither Group)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXrL-Z44KHc
 Wait a few seconds. You may have to wait for an ad.

Health Tip:
Promorphogenic. A fairly new word, meaning to bestow benefit on the same kind. A few years ago, some vitamin manufacturers began adding glandular substances to their vitamin-mineral compounds. They added trace amounts of certain animal glands, like liver, thyroid, kidneys, etc. Some researches claimed to have discovered that when you include liver, for example, in your diet, your liver gets the first take on the incoming liver. If you eat kidney from an animal, your own kidney gets first-take on the use of it. I don’t know how strong the proof is, but the idea goes way back, hundreds of years.

 Dr. Max Gerson gave desiccated liver tablets to his cancer patients to strengthen the liver for combating cancer.  From my study of Gerson’s work, I began taking 2 tablets of desiccated beef liver a day. I still take it. It’s from Argentina cleaner-air, grass fed cows. The tablets are too large to swallow, so I chew them. Not tasty but do-able.

 Forty years ago, a doctor prescribed Armour Thyroid for me to make up for deficient thyroid hormone. Several doctors told me it was superior to the synthetic thyroid that is currently prescribed because the Armour thyroid contained some “first cousins” to the thyroid that enhanced its effectiveness.
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The counter claim is that the batches of pig thyroid vary too much and is not as precise in dosage strength as the synthetic. Anyway, the supply has dried up and it is not available now. Armour Thyroid (was made by the Armour Meat Packing Company from pork thyroid.) For several years I bought Armour Thyroid from Mexico but last year I lost that connection. It cost me $30 per year and now the synthetic Synthroid is about $60 per year. Ω
 
 
 
 
 

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a jew writes for jews

3/17/2019

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            A Jew Writes for Jews
And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose and followed him. And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners?  But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.  (Matthew 9:9-12) 
AS SHIPS PLIED BACK AND FORTH ACROSS THE SEA OF GALILEE, they carried freight from one town to another. They could not come ashore at just any place. There were ports where they tied up and took on freight or set off freight. At these ports, tax collectors collected taxes on the freight being loaded or unloaded. Matthew (Levi) was at the Capernaum port, collecting taxes.

MATTHEW'S OTHER NAME WAS LEVI. (Mark and Luke call him “Levi.”) He became a tax collector for the Romans. All Roman tax collectors were despised by the Jews, but the Jewish tax collectors were especially, bitterly despised by their fellow-Jews. They were traitors to their nation. They were in partnership with the Romans who crucified anyone who resisted them. Sometimes the Roman soldiers left the crucified bodies hanging in public to rot or to be picked by vultures, reminding everyone: “This could happen to you.” Tax collectors were very much a part of this picture in the minds of the people. Traitors! The lowest of the lowest!

A TAX COLLECTOR PAID THE ROMANS A FEE for the privilege of collecting taxes. Whatever they could squeeze out of the people above what the Romans appointed as the rate of tax was extra profit. Thieves! Robbers! Jewish tax collectors were called “publicans.” Matthew Levi was an ostracized, despised man, worthy to be spit upon, and worse.

JEWISH RABBIS HELD THAT THERE WAS NO HOPE FOR A TAX COLLECTOR. They were excluded from all religious fellowship including the Temple and Synagogue. Their money was considered tainted and it defiled anyone who accepted it. They could not serve as a witness in any court of law. The people classed them on the level of thieves and harlots.

BUT JESUS SWAM UPSTREAM AGAINST THIS MASSIVE, deep-seated hatred of tax robbers. Jesus made himself a friend of sinners, even of the tax collectors and the worst of sinners. He set a new precedent among the Jews by accepting and associating with the tax collectors. He ate with them (Mark 2:16), He offered salvation to one of them: Zacchaeus (Luke 19:9), and He even chose a tax collector (Matthew) as one of His twelve disciples (Matthew 9:9).
 
HOWEVER, AT THIS TIME IN MATTHEW'S LIFE, he may not have been a typical tax collector. Some writers believe he had been baptized by John. Then came also publicans to be baptized, and said unto him, Master, what shall we do?  And he said unto them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you.  (Luke 3:12,13) (Soldiers also came to John and asked him what they should do.)  Some suggest that as many as 11 of Jesus’ disciples had been baptized by John. None of them were baptized again under Jesus’ ministry, even though Jesus submitted Himself to the baptism of John.

WHEN JESUS COMMANDED MATTHEW TO FOLLOW HIM, Matthew immediately got up and began following Him. When Matthew writes about this encounter with Jesus, he lightly passes over it with one short reference. McGee comments: “Luke tells us that Matthew made a great dinner in honor of Jesus (see Luke 5:27-29). Matthew invited many of his publican friends to this dinner because he wanted them to know the Lord Jesus Christ also. (McGee) Would Jesus go eat with such a collection of low-life buzzards and thieves? He did. Does God love sinners? He does. Does God condone the sin of sinners? He does not.

WHY DID JESUS CHOOSE MATTHEW, THE TAX COLLECTOR, to be one of His disciples? I’ve wondered about this. I would not have chosen him. Surely, he would be a liability, a hole in the bottom of the gospel boat! No one could have felt that way anymore than Matthew himself. But Jesus could see potential in men that no one else could see. He was willing to work WITH men and work ON men to shape them into His choice tools.

AND JUDAS? JUDAS DEMONSTRATED that regardless of the love and grace offered to men, they must repent and turn to God as their Savior and Lord. Judas is a picture of the many church members today who have never repented of their sins and have never truly turned to the Lord.

WHEN JESUS SAID TO MATTHEW, “Follow me,” it was done! As the Gospel song: It’s Real says: “…then like sparks from smitten steel. Just so quick salvation reached me, O bless God, I know it’s real.”  And surely, Matthew could never have imagined that he would be the one chosen by the Lord to write the bridge document between the Jewish nation of Israel and the dispensation of Grace and the new Church Age! Not just any document: THE BRIDGE DOCUMENT!

THERE HAD TO BE A JEWISH DOCUMENT WRITTEN TO THE JEWISH PEOPLE and Matthew was the one to do it! Who knew the Jewish people better than this low-down, Jewish tax collector? And oh, what God had done in his heart! He was the one to write it! No one can know what God is making until He is finished with it! Matthew would write a well-documented thesis of how Jesus Christ of Nazareth was the long-awaited, promised Jewish messiah who had been promised since the days of Moses and spoken of by numerous respected prophets. But, as a nation, Israel had rejected their “Sent One.”

A FEW IN ISRAEL REALIZED WHAT THE NATION HAD DONE and wondered what God would do to Israel. This was the nation that had so often rejected Jehovah God and centuries earlier, the northern ten tribes had been destroyed by the Assyrian army to the north. Then, 150 years after that, the Babylonians destroyed the Jewish Temple and the city of Jerusalem and the southern kingdom of Judah began her 70 years of captivity in Babylon. So, what might they expect from God if they had rejected their promised Messiah and crucified Him on a Roman cross?

THEY HAD DECIDED THEY WOULD NOT HAVE JESUS RULING OVER THEM. Much like Americans today who are killing a thousand babies a day in the womb and have legalized the primary sin that destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities of the plain. America is saying: “Our lips are our own. This man, Jesus, shall not rule over us.” But God warns: The LORD shall cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaketh proud things: Who have said, With our tongue will we prevail; our lips are our own: who is lord over us?  (Psalm 12:3-4)

SO, IN ISRAEL A FEW WERE BOUND TO BE ASKING: “What will God do to us?” God was giving them 40 years to think about what they had done and if they did not repent, there would fall upon them the most severe penalty that had ever been sent upon them.

IN A SHORT TIME, IN FORTY YEARS, from the time of the crucifixion and resurrection of the CHRIST, the magnificent Jewish Temple would be gone! Destroyed! The city of David: Jerusalem would lie in ruins, leveled to the ground just like Jesus said would happen! And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.  (Matthew 24:2)
 
 A MILLION JEWS WOULD LIKE DEAD IN A RIVER OF BLOOD when the Army of Titus would come into the city during the Passover Feast. I have read some reports that the Holy Spirit warned the Christians to leave Jerusalem and they escaped the bloody purge. This link reports a modern-day re-examination of that report and concludes it is probably accurate. https://www.preteristarchive.com/Bibliography/1998_scott_flee-pella.html

IN 40 YEARS, THE TEMPLE SYSTEM OF WORSHIP, the entire priesthood, the farms that raised sacrificial lambs, the industry that undergirded the ancient Jewish system of worship would be gone. GONE!

BUT BEFORE THAT WAS TO HAPPEN, MATTHEW WOULD WRITE THE BOOK that would show how Jesus, whom they had crucified, fulfilled the writings of the prophets from Moses to Malachi. Not just any book. It would be the Gospel According to Matthew. Let’s look at some of the features of the short book Matthew would write.

THE PURPOSE OF THE BOOK would be to show that the messianic promises made to David’s line are fulfilled in Jesus. Jesus was the legal heir to the throne of David as measured by the genealogy through His legal father: Joseph. (The genealogy in Luke 3:23-28 was traced through the bloodline of his mother, Mary to the throne of David.) Matthew traces Jesus’ genealogy back further to Abraham: Genesis 12:3; 13:15;  22:18. Matthew quotes from the Old Testament more than 60 times, emphasizing that Christ was the fulfillment of all of those promises.

BY CONTRAST, LUKE GOES ALL THE WAY BACK TO ADAM to show that Christ was the Savior of all humanity, and not just of the Jews. Matthew’s purpose was somewhat narrower: to demonstrate that Christ is the King and Messiah of Israel.

MAC-ARTHUR POINTS OUT IN MORE DETAILl how Matthew was primarily Jewish in his viewpoint. “He usually cites Jewish custom without explaining it, in contrast to other gospels (cf. Mark 7:3; John 19:40). He constantly refers to Christ as “the Son of David” (1:1; 9:27; 12:23; 15:22; 20:30; 21:9,15; 22:42,45).

“MATTHEW EVEN GUARDS JEWISH SENSIBILITIES REGARDING THE NAME OF GOD, referring to “the kingdom of heaven” where the other evangelists (Mark, Luke, John) speak of “the kingdom of God.” All of the books major themes are rooted in the Old Testament and set in light of Israel’s messianic expectations.

“MATTHEW'S SIGNATURE PHRASE: “’the kingdom of heaven’” occurs 32 times in his book and nowhere else in Scripture.

“THE REJECTION OF ISRAEL'S MESSIAH IS ANOTHER CONSTANT THEME in this gospel. In no other gospel are the attacks against Jesus portrayed as strongly here. From the flight into Egypt to the scene at the cross, Matthew paints a more vivid portrayal of Christ’s rejection than any of the other evangelists. In Matthew’s account of the crucifixion, for example, no thief repents, and no friends or loved one are seen at the foot of the cross. In his death, He is forsaken even by God (27:46). The shadow of rejection is never lifted from the story.

“YET MATTHEW PORTRAYS HIM AS A VICTORIOU KING who will one day return “on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (24;30). (MacArthur Study Bible)

CHURCH: Matthew mentions “church” twice and but none of the other evangelists (writers of the gospels) mention “church.”  “Church” occurs 80 times in the King James Bible. “Church” does not appear anywhere in the Old Testament. It occurs twice in Matthew. The other 78 times occurs in the Book of Acts and forward through Revelation.

BARBARA AND I HAVE BEEN READING and studying the book of Matthew in our morning devotions together. The book is so interesting that I thought you might like to share in it. Ω

Read Through the Bible in a Year
     MARCH 18, 2019 – MONDAY         
A.M.  Deuteronomy 31-32   P.M.  Luke 1:1-23
(Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)

Good Verses to Memorize:
But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. 21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.  (Matthew 1:20-21)
 
Song for Today:
Jesus, What a Friend of Sinners (4:05) (Samonte- A-Cappello Choir)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdtAtC99rH0    
 (You may have to turn up the volume or delete an ad.)
 
Health Tip:
Miller’s Bran and Applesauce. According to David Reuben, M.D., we need at least 24 grams of fiber a day to comply with the design of our body. (30 grams are better) Less than 24 grams of daily fiber endangers us to several diseases. On page 84 of his book: SAVE YOUR LIFE DIET, he lists nine ways to get your daily fiber down. #6: Mix it with applesauce. After trying it with water and juice, I tried it with applesauce. The winner!
 
TWICE A DAY: In a small glass bowl, put two heaping tablespoons of miller’s bran. (Dirt cheap, health food store) Add heaping four tablespoons of unsweetened applesauce. Stir well and let set 5-10 minutes. Eat as a snack or eat as a side dish. With applesauce you can also add two heaping tablespoons of chia seeds. Stir and let set 5-10 minutes. Try psyllium seeds instead of bran or chia seeds. DRINK PLENTY OF WATER! I bought a half-gallon of good unsweetened applesauce at Audie’s for $1.89. (You can also add the bran to soup or bread.) I think the bran does the best and Dr. Reuben was satisfied with it.
 
If you’re just beginning a fiber supplement, expect it to be “windy” for a few days until your body adjusts. You may want to begin with one heaping teaspoon of miller’s bran and two heaping teaspoons of apple sauce and gradually increase it. Find your own used copy of Dr. Reuben’s book, SAVE YOUR LIFE DIET, at Amazon Books, or Google the book title and find another source. Dr. Reuben watched his own father die of colon cancer and then began a search in medical literature. After reading over 600 medical papers and articles by 500 medical writers, he wrote his own book in 1975. Ω
 
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THE HEREDITY OF THE KING

3/14/2019

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        The Heredity of The King  
The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.  (Matthew 1:1) And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ. So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations.  (Matthew 1:16-17)
 
I’M GOING TO "BORROW" THE EXCELLENT SUMMARY of the beginning of the book of Matthew from Warren Wiersbe, who was the pastor of Moody Memorial Church in Chicago for several years and a noted author of Bible commentaries and well-known Bible conference speaker. I heard him in Bible conferences at Tennessee Temple Schools while I was a student there in the early 1950’s.

“IF A MAN SUDDENLY APPEARS AND CLAIMS TO BE A KING, the public immediately asks for proof. What is his background? Who pays homage to him? What credentials can he present? Anticipating these important questions, Matthew opened his book with a careful account of the birth of Jesus Christ and the events that accompanied it. He presented four facts about the King.

                          “THE HEREDITY OF THE KING (Matthew 1:1-25)

“SINCE ROYALTY DEPENDS ON HEREDITY, it was important for Jesus to establish His rights to David’s throne. Matthew gave His human heredity (Matthew 1:1-17) as well as His divine heredity (Matthew 1:18-25).

                              “HIS HUMAN HEREDITY (Matthew 1:1-17).

“Genealogies were very important to the Jews, for without them they could not prove their tribal memberships or their rights to inheritances. Anyone claiming to be “the Son of David” had to be able to prove it. It is generally concluded that Matthew gave our Lord’s family tree through His foster father, Joseph, while Luke gave Mary’s lineage (Luke 3:23).
“Many Bible readers skip over this list of ancient (and, in some cases, unpronounceable) names. But this “list of names” is a vital part of the Gospel record. It shows that Jesus Christ is a part of history; that all of Jewish history prepared the way for His birth. God in His providence ruled and overruled to accomplish His great purpose in bringing His Son into the world.

“THIS GENEALOGY ALSO ILLUSTRATES GOD'S WONDERFUL GRACE. It is most unusual to find the names of women in Jewish genealogies, since names and inheritances came through the fathers. But in this list we find references to four women from Old Testament history: Tamar (Matthew 1:3), Rahab and Ruth (Matthew 1:5), and Bathsheba “the wife of Uriah” (Matthew 1:6).

“MATTHEW CLEARLY OMITTED SOME NAMES FROM THIS GENEALOGY. Probably, he did this to give a systematic summary of three periods in Israel’s history, each with fourteen generations. The numerical value of the Hebrew letters for “David” equals fourteen. Matthew probably used this approach as a memory aid to help his readers remember this difficult list.

“BUT THERE WERE MANY JEWISH MEN WHO COLD TRACE THEIR FAMILY back to King David. It would take more than human pedigree to make Jesus Christ “the Son of David” and heir to David’s throne. This is why the divine heredity was so important.

                                     “HIS DIVINE HEREDITY (Matthew 1:18-25).
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“MATTHEW 1:16 AND MATTHEW 1:18Matthew 1:16 and Matthew 1:18 make it clear that Jesus Christ’s birth was different from that of any other Jewish boy named in the genealogy. Matthew pointed out that Joseph did not “beget” Jesus Christ. Rather, Joseph was the “husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.” Jesus was born of an earthly mother without the need of an earthly father. This is known as the doctrine of the Virgin Birth.

“EVERY CHILD BORN INTO THE WORLD IS A TOTALLY NEW CREATURE. But Jesus Christ, being eternal God (John 1:1, John 1:14), existed before Mary and Joseph or any of His earthly ancestors. If Jesus Christ were conceived and born just as any other baby, then He could not be God. It was necessary for Him to enter this world through an earthly mother, but not to be begotten by an earthly father. By a miracle of the Holy Spirit, Jesus was conceived in the womb of Mary, a virgin (Luke 1:26-38).

“SOME HAVE RAISED THE QUESTION THAT PERHAPS MARY WAS NOT A VIRGIN. They say that Mathew 1:23 should be translated “young woman.” But the word translated virgin in this verse always means virgin and cannot be translated “young woman.”

“BOTH MARY AND JOSEPH BELONGED to the house of David. The Old Testament prophecies indicated that the Messiah would be born of a woman (Genesis 3:15), of the seed of Abraham (Genesis 22:18), through the tribe of Judah (Genesis 49:10), and of the family of David (2Samuel 7:12-13).

"MATTHEW'S GENEALOGY TRACED THE LINE THROUGH SOLOMON, while Luke’s traced it through Nathan, another one of David’s sons. It is worth noting that Jesus Christ is the only Jew alive who can actually prove His claims to the throne of David! All of the other records were destroyed when the Romans took Jerusalem in a.d. 70.

“TO THE JEWISH PEOPLE IN THAT DAY, betrothal (engagement) was equivalent to marriage — except that the man and woman did not live together. They were called “husband and wife,” and, at the end of the engagement period, the marriage was consummated. If a betrothed woman became pregnant, it was considered adultery (Deuteronomy_22:13-21). But Joseph did not punish or divorce Mary when he discovered she was with child, for the Lord had revealed the truth to him. All of this fulfilled Isaiah 7:14.

“BEFORE WE LEAVE THIS IMPORTANT SECTION, we must consider the three names assigned to God’s Son. The name Jesus means “Saviour” and comes from the Hebrew name, Joshua (“Jehovah is salvation”). There were many Jewish boys with the name Joshua (or, in the Greek, Jesus); but Mary’s Boy was called “Jesus the Christ.”

THE WORD CHRIST MEANS "ANOINTED;" The word Christ means “anointed”; it is the Greek equivalent of Messiah. He is “Jesus the Messiah.” Jesus is His human name; Christ is His official title; and Immanuel describes who He is — “God with us.” Jesus Christ is God! We find this name “Immanuel” in Isaiah 7:14 and Isaiah 8:8.

“THE KING, THEN, WAS A JEWISH MALE WHO IS ALSO THE DIVINE SON OF GOD. But, did anybody acknowledge His kingship? Yes, the magi from the East came and worshiped Him.
                            THE HOMAGE TO THE KING (Matthew 2:1-12)

“WE MUST CONFESS HAT WE KNOW LITTLE ABOUT THESE MEN. The word translated “wise men” (magi) refers to a group of scholars who studied the stars. Their title connects them with magic, but they were probably more like astrologers. However, their presence in the biblical record is not a divine endorsement of astrology.

“GOD GVE THEM A SPECIAL SIGN, a miraculous star that announced the birth of the King. The star led them to Jerusalem where God’s prophets told them that the King would be born in Bethlehem. They went to Bethlehem, and there they worshiped the Christ Child.

“WE DO NOT KNOW HOW MANY MAGI THERE WERE. From the three gifts listed in Matthew 2:11, some people have assumed there were three kings from the Orient, though this is not certain. But when their caravan arrived in Jerusalem, there were enough of them to trouble the whole city.

“KEEP IN MIND THAT THESE MEN WERE GENTILES.. From the very beginning, Jesus came to be “the Saviour of the world” (John 4:42). These men were also wealthy, and they were scholars — scientists in their own right. No scholarly person who follows the light God gives him can miss worshiping at the feet of Jesus. In Jesus Christ “are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3). In Him dwells “all the fullness of the Godhead bodily” (Colossians 2:9).

“THE MAGI WERE SEEKING HE KING, but Herod was afraid of the King and wanted to destroy Him. This was Herod the Great, called king by the Roman senate because of the influence of Mark Antony. Herod was a cruel and crafty man who permitted no one, not even his own family, to interfere with his rule or prevent the satisfying of his evil desires. A ruthless murderer, he had his own wife and her two brothers slain because he suspected them of treason. He was married at least nine times in order to fulfill his lusts and strengthen his political ties.

“It IS NO SUPRISE THAT HEROD TRIED TO KILL JESUS, for Herod alone wanted to bear the title “King of the Jews.” But there was another reason. Herod was not a full-blooded Jew; he was actually an Idumaean, a descendant of Esau. This is a picture of the old struggle between Esau and Jacob that began even before the boys were born (Genesis 25:19-34). It is the spiritual versus the carnal, the godly versus the worldly.

“THE MAGI WERE SEEKING HE KING;he magi were seeking the King; Herod was opposing the King; and the Jewish priests were ignoring the King. These priests knew the Scriptures and pointed others to the Saviour, but they would not go to worship Him themselves! They quoted Micah 5:2 but did not obey it. They were five miles from the very Son of God, yet they did not go to see Him! The Gentiles sought and found Him, but the Jews did not.”(Warren Wiersbe)
​
Read Through the Bible in a Year
MARCH 15, 2019 – FRIDAY         
A.M.  Deuteronomy 26-27   P.M.  Mark 15:1-26
(Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)

A Good Verse to Memorize:
Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.  (Psalm 119:11)
 
 
SONG FOR TODAY:
Keep on The Firing Line(2:43) (Calv. Mem. Ch. Men’s Ensemble)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2wSORRwBzA  
 (You may have to turn up the volume or delete an ad.)
 
Health Tip: Eating Raw. Eat as much raw as you can of fruits, vegetables, sprouts, micro greens (one stage beyond sprouts- 2” or so high) and fresh vegetable juice. If these are not available, you may wish to try some of the vege powders. Go for color. Home-grown sprouts in a big-mouth qt. or half-gallon jar (mung beans, green lentils, sunflower, alfalfa) and mini-greens (broccoli, kale) are winners. Raw carrot and sour apple juice have been my choice for 30+ years.
 
“Raw” translates into energy. Takes time. Anything but Snicker bars takes time. Any animal product is going to cost more than plant food and is harder to digest. Protein? Cows and horses get their protein from green plant stuff. Bible eating was mostly plant food except special occasions. Cut way-back on sugar and salt.  I’m not a health professional. I read and do. Google makes information easier and cheaper than when I began health-reading fifty years ago. Ω
 
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jesus in matthew

3/13/2019

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             Jesus in Matthew… 
And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
 
Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, (Isaiah 7:14)) saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.  (Matthew 1:21-23)
 
IN THE PAST, we have given much attention to Jesus in the Old Testament. All the gospel preaching an evangelizing the first 30 years of the church was done with Old Testament scriptures. There were no New Testament writings for almost 30 years. It is also important for us to look at how Jesus was presented in each of the New Testament gospels, beginning with Matthew.
 
RECENTLY, AN EMAIL WAS SENT TO ME REGARDING A WEBSITE whose spokesman seemed to be puzzled that there were four gospels. I read the whole thing and the problem was the man’s shallowness. He meant well, I’m sure, but he was making a big mistake because he had not done his homework. Homework is sometimes…work.
 
IN SOME MATTERS THE BIBLE IS SIMPLE so that simple people can grasp it. But like the laws of math and physics, some things in the Bible require that we roll up our sleeves and spend some hours in study. It’s like when our cows used to come to the barn at the end of the day to be fed and milked, I never had a cow to milk herself. I always had to do a “hands on” thing to fill the bucket with milk. God designed it that way. God also designed it so that we must study the Bible to get the milk and meat from it. (2Tim.2:15)
 
WHEN PHILIP WAS DIRECTED OF THE HOLY SPIRIT to leave a revival and go by foot into a sparsely populated area, it might have seemed to be shortsighted. But God does not waste words and does not waste His servants. And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert.
 
And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship,  Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet.
 
Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot. And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.  (Acts 8:26-31)
 
THE FOUR GOSPELS ARE NOT WRITTEN TO TAKE UP SPACE; were not written because the writers could not “quite get it together.”  The four Gospels were written as four distinct portraits of how Christ related to four different groups or types of people.
 
“THE FOUR GOSPELS PRESENT A FOURFOLD VIEW of the life of Christ.  With the exception of scant references by Tacitus and Josephus, our entire knowledge of the life of Jesus is from these gospel accounts. The early accounts probably were passed on verbally in the Aramaic language and then recorded in Greek manuscripts between A.D. 60 and 90. All four Gospels build upon genuine historical tradition and preserve different aspects of it.
 
“THE BASIC PURPOSE OF THE GOSPELS is to present the gospel message, the Good News of the Redeemer-Savior. They present Jesus as the Messiah of Israel, the Son of God, and the Savior of the world. The Gospels were written so that their readers would come to believe in Christ and receive eternal life (cf. John 20:31). They view Jesus as the Lord of Glory who is presently alive and active in heaven.”
 
“THE ORDER OF THE GOSPELS has been generally recognized by the church throughout its history. The Gospel of Matthew occupies first place in all extant witnesses to the text of the four Gospels. Matthew’s emphasis on the Old Testament preparation for the Gospel makes it an ideal “bridge” from the Old to the New Testament.
 
“MATTHEW, THE HEBREW TAX COLLECTOR, writes for the Hebrew mind. Mark, the travel companion of Paul and Peter, writes for the Roman mind. Luke, Paul’s physician-missionary, writes with the Greek mentality in view. John’s gospel is different by nature from the other three. It is an interpretation of the facts of Jesus’ life rather than a presentation of its facts in historical sequence.” (From: The King James Study Bible.)
 
WITH THE ABOVE AS AN INTRODUCTION, we will explore some of the features of the Gospel According to Matthew. It will be a survey and not an exhaustive study. Morning Minute is partly a quick-stop morning devotional, but sometimes it leans into heavier Bible study which is desperately needed today. This is one of those heavier studies. Please stay with us.  Ω

Read Through the Bible in a Year
MARCH 14, 2019 – THURSDAY         
A.M.  Deuteronomy 23-25   P.M.  Mark 14:51-72
(Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)

A Good Verse to Memorize:
Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.  (Psalm 119:11)
  
Song for Today:
God Bless America (:53) (Calv. Ch. Sch. 1st,2nd Grade )
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJKqYHMQUEU
 (You may have to turn up the volume or delete an ad.)
 
Health Tip:
Fruits and Vegetables at the front. After water and fiber, we need to think about fruits, vegetables. Then come beans/peas, grain and a small amount of safe animal protein (if that’s on your list). If it’s salmon, stick to wild, cold-water salmon (our favorite). Sardines packed in water are a staple for me, with Texas Pete hot sauce and “Hint of salt” Triscuits (whole wheat crackers). Chicken should be free-range without growth hormones and anti-biotics. Beef should be grass-fed. If you’re rich, eat animal products like you’re poor: “now and then.” That’s the way they did it in the Bible. https://hcscchurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/food.pdf  Ω
 
 
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and these words...

3/11/2019

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             And These Words…    
Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which the LORD your God commanded to teach you, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go to possess it:  That thou mightest fear the LORD thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son's son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged.  (Deuteronomy 6:1-2)
 
And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.  And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. (Deuteronomy 6:5-7)

WHEN GOD SPEAKS OF "THESE WORDS," we notice He did not say: “these ideas” or “these suggestions” or “these talking points.” These words. When God says “these words” it makes the message clear and to the point. It is easy to understand. We are to love God supremely and obey Him. We are to teach our children in our home what God told us.

“THE EMPHASIS IS ON OBEDIENCE. There are actually only two classes of people in the world: those who love God and those who hate God. The heart attitude of people is evidenced by their obedience or disobedience. Listen to Deuteronomy 5:29: "O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!"
Through the prophet Isaiah, God had this to say: "Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men" (Isaiah 29:13).

DO YOU REMEMBER HOW HE PROPHET SAMUEL rebuked King Saul? "And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams" (1Samuel 15:22).

WHEN THE LORD JESUS GAVE HIS COMMISSION TO SIMON PETER, He asked only one question, "Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me?" (John 21:16).

THE MOST WONDERFUL THING IN HEAVEN will be to see the Lord Jesus and realize fully that He loves me and that He gave Himself for me. But the next best thing in heaven is going to be that I will love everybody, and everybody is going to love me. Now that, my friend, is going to make heaven a very wonderful place!” (McGee)

Read Through the Bible in a Year
MARCH 12, 2019 – TUESDAY         
A.M.   Deuteronomy 17-19 
P.M.  Mark 14:1-25
(Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)

A Good Verse to Memorize:
Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.  (Psalm 119:11)
  
Song for Today:
Great Is Thy Faithfulnes (2:09) (Calv. Ch. Sch. 1st,2nd Grade )
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Va2X6fJRVY4&t=15s
 ( You may have to turn up the volume or delete an ad.)

Health Hint:
Our first two concerns in food are water and fiber. (My opinion)
Catherine Saxelby, is a certified nutritionist and writer of the Food Watch blog. https://foodwatch.com.au/blog/carbs-sugars-and-fibres/item/fibre-7-most-asked-questions.html  
 
 
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drawing nigh to god

3/10/2019

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                            Drawing Nigh to God 
Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up. James 4:8-10
 
WHEN I LOOK AT THESE VERSES, I always think of Anna and Simeon who frequented the Temple in Jerusalem prior to and during the birth of Jesus. Anna and Simeon are in our photos today. They were looking for the coming of the Promised One that Moses and other prophets wrote about. Not everyone was looking for the Promised One. Anna and Simeon were different.

GOD REVEALS HIMSELF THROUGH HIS WORD, through His creation, through His people, through His various gifted and special-called ones, and through the things He allows or causes to happen. But, it’s up to the individuals as to what they do with God’s outreach to them. For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.  (Hebrews 4:2)
 
JESUS TALKED ABOUT THE VARIATION OF FRUIT resulting from the seed of the sower. And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.  
(Mark 4:20)
 
THE POPULAR LEFT BEHIND SERIES OF BOOKS by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins sold over 80-million copies, according to Wikepedia. These books dealt with the return of Jesus Christ to earth and the days before and during the seven-year Tribulation Period. If 80-million Americans read those books, America had its memory triggered for a few months. Some were entertained and some drew near to God,… for a while. It reminds us of the early interest Jesus gathered in His ministry, only to have some of those same people turn against Him as a mob and shout at the Roman authorities to crucify Him!
 
THOUSANDS OF CHURCHES IN AMERICA CLAIM TO BELIEVE AND PREACH THE BIBLE in one form or another. However hard the efforts are being made to interest unchurched people, it doesn’t appear to be turning many toward the Bible. The message of James on drawing nigh to God is relevant to church goers and non-church goers, alike. Perhaps no one needs the message worse than the children who are growing up in “Bible-believing” churches. Survey after survey shows that 60% of the young people who are growing up in Bible-believing churches are leaving their church by the time they graduate from high school. That withdrawal is hardened when they go through college.
 
THE BOOK OF JAMES WAS PROBABLY THE FIRST NEW TESTAMENT BOOK and it appeared about 30 years after Christ rose from the dead.  Strangely enough, it was not a book about evangelism. It has been dubbed the “Proverbs of the New Testament.” The Bible tells us how to go to Heaven and it tells us how to live on earth while we’re waiting on our trip to Heaven. James is a book on how to live on the earth as a Christian.
 
IS IT STRANGE THAT ONE OF THE PROMINENT THEMES of this first New Testament book is about drawing nigh to God? Christians drawing nigh to God? It comes right after the verse that tells us to “resist the devil.” We live in a world of moral rot and poison ivy and living like a Christian is of paramount importance to God. It is not always the easy thing to do and to succeed at living the Christian life, we must have the power of God.
 
“IT IS SAID THAT ONE TIME, MARTIN LUTHER THREW AN INKWELL AT THE DEVIL. Somebody might say that was a crazy thing to do, but it is not if you are resisting the Devil. James tells us that the way to resist the Devil is to draw near to God. The Devil will flee from you, because he doesn't like God as company. The Devil will not get to you unless you get too far away from God. A wolf never attacks a sheep as long as it is with the rest of the sheep and with the shepherd. And the closer the sheep is to the shepherd, the safer it is. Our problem is that we get too far from God.”(McGee)

THE VERSES RIGHT AFTER VERSE EIGHT SOUND POETIC, but they are not intended to be poetic and empty. Cleanse your hands, purify your heart, mourn and weep and let our laughter be turned into mourning and our joy into heaviness. What he is really after is the humbling of the heart; submission to God. This was the key issue in 2Chronicles 7:14: If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.  (2Chronicles 7:14)
 
WHETHER IT IS OLD TESTAMENT OR NEW TESTAMENT, the issue is the same: humbling the heart. It is not nearly as important to God that we be fantastic Bible scholars as being humble Bible scholars. If that’s the issue, then we might as well get with the program, you think? But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.  (James 4:6)
 
PETER WROTE ABOUT THIS: Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:  (1Peter 5:5-6)
 
LET'S BE ALL THE BIBLE SCHOLAR  WE CAN BE, but first things first: humble our hearts so God can unlock his grace to us. Grace is getting good things we don’t deserve. But, we lock the door against the grace of God when we stiffen our hearts in pride and rebellion. This is how it works, so again, let’s get with the program. Seek His face. Surrender. Draw nigh to God on His terms. That’s the only thing that works.
 
Read Through the Bible in a Year
MARCH 11, 2019 – MONDAY         
A.M.  Deuteronomy 5-7   P.M.  Mark 12:1-27
(Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)

A Good Verse to Memorize:
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.  (Isaiah 53:6)
 
Song for Today:
Give Me Jesus (2:59) (Calv. Mem. Ch. Adult Choir )
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHpv4jsIlcM  
 (Turn up the volume.  You may have to delete an ad.)
 
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does it matter to you what god thinks about it?

3/7/2019

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Does It Matter to You What God Thinks About It?
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.  (Isaiah 53:6)
 
WHAT IS SIN LIKE? This is what sin is like: Our own way pitted against God’s way. Sin is living independent of God. If God had not laid out a superior way, our way might not look so bad. Popular crooner, Frank Sinatra sang: “I Did It My Way…” and America loved it! Went wild over it! Thousands of people bought their own private copy of the song so they could play it over and over again.
 
WELL, WE ARE ENTITLED TO OUR OWN IDENTITY and our own private collection of things. But we can become obsessed over everything being our way. “Our way or the highway.” It’s one thing to say, “My way and not your way.” It’s quite another thing to say, “My way but not God’s way.”
 
GOD SAID OF ABRAHAM: For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.  (Genesis 18:19)
 
TODAY'S TEXT PRESSED IN ON ME at least fifty years ago. The basis of all sin is having my way and disregarding what God has said. We tend to be selectively deaf toward God. The devil asked Eve in the Garden of Eden: Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?  (Genesis 3:1)
 
WHAT'S IT GOING TO HURT IF YOU TAKE A BITE of a special fruit from a special tree? The only thing wrong with it is that God said, “don’t do it!” That’s a whole train load of reasons not to do it! There doesn’t have to be any other reason than: “God said “don’t do it.” It may be that God has led you to do something or not do something. That’s your whole world! You don’t know of anything bigger than that.
 
MY GOOD FRIEND, PAUL FERGUSON, boxing champion and evangelist, told me God told him he would be an evangelist. He would never be a pastor. But Paul wanted to work on the railroad and be a local pastor so he could be at home with his boys growing up. The contest went on for several months. One night the overhead lights went out where Paul was switching railroad cars. While he was waiting for the lights to come back on, something picked him up and set him over several feet. A loaded coal car rumbled by in the dark where he had been standing.
 
HE THOUGHT HE WAS STANDING BETWEEN TWO RAILROAD TRACKS, but he had been standing between the rails of A RAILROAD TRACK! Immediately, God spoke to him in his spirit as clearly as if He had spoken into his ear: “The next time, I won’t pick you up.” That settled it! Paul fell to his knees and surrendered to be an evangelist. (You can find a used copy of the book “Paul Ferguson The Fighter” at Amazon Books.) Paul was determined to have his way instead of God’s way. That had to change.
 
THE BOTTOM LINE IS: “Does it matter to you what God thinks about it?” It is human nature to reason things out, so our sin is not too bad, at least it’s not any worse than somebody else’s wrong doing. It’s ok to be slightly bad if it’s not stinkin’ bad. Same old game; it doesn’t matter what God thinks about it. “Hath God said?” Living independent of God is the essence of all sin. ALL SIN!
 
WELL, MY FRIEND, we don’t know what is coming down the road tomorrow right where we’re standing. The telephone rings, someone knocks on the front door, the doctor comes back into the room with test results in his hand. You simply cannot afford to not care what God thinks about it. Anything! Everything! Stuff going on in your life that maybe nobody knows about. Does it matter to you what God thinks about it? Ω
 
Read Through the Bible in a Year
MARCH 8, 2019 – FRIDAY         
A.M.  Deuteronomy 5-7   P.M.  Mark 12:1-27
(Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)

A Good Verse to Memorize:
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.  (Isaiah 53:6) 
 
Song for Today: 
Have Thine Own Way Lord (1:41) (Heber Vega – Acapella )
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSnBbgsecD4&list=RDjSnBbgsecD4&start_radio=1&t=56
 (Wait several seconds. You may have to delete an ad.)

Health Tip:
Plantar Warts. These warts form on the bottom of your feet. They are contagious and very troubling. I once ended up on crutches for several months waiting for the skin to slowly grow back, shrinking the hole that was formed from the surgery. Some people report getting rid of them by soaking in vinegar and then covering them with duct tape. Here is a report from Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/plantar-warts/symptoms-causes/syc-20352691

Here’s an excellent article at The People’s Pharmacy on plantar’s warts.
https://www.peoplespharmacy.com/2019/03/04/can-you-cure-your-plantar-warts-with-hot-water/?utm_source=The+People%27s+Pharmacy+Newsletter&utm_campaign=b630feb97d-MC_D_2019-03-05%26subscriber%3D1&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_7300006d3c-b630feb97d-215154885&goal=0_7300006d3c-b630feb97d-215154885&mc_cid=b630feb97d&mc_eid=b917424292   
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saved to the uttermost...

3/6/2019

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                 Saved To the Uttermost…
    Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.  (Hebrews 7:25)
 
HOW LONG WILL WE BE SAVED? Might we mess up and get kicked out? That’s what this verse is about. Christ can save people “from” the roughest side of town, from solitary confinement in the worst prison. But that’s not what this verse is about. It’s not about “from” the uttermost. It is about “to” the uttermost. That’s all you need to get fixed in your mind today.
 
WHEN YOU GET SAVED, He is able to keep on saving you ‘till the day of your death on earth. Then, He is able to keep on sustaining you throughout eternity because He is the high priest that never dies. He is our peace. He is our security. He is our sacrificial lamb. He never ceases to be all those things.

"HE EVER LIVETH." It says, first of all, that Christ is not dead, but He is living. Right at this very moment He is alive. We emphasize the death and resurrection of Christ, but we ought to go beyond that. We have to do with a living Christ. We know Him no longer after the flesh. We know Him today as our Great High Priest at God's right hand. My friend, that is where we need to put the emphasis. He died down here to save us, but He lives up there to keep us saved. (McGee)

"HE IS ABLE ALSO TO SAVE THEM TO THE UTTERMOST that come unto God by him." He is able to keep on saving you. "To the uttermost" means all the way through. He is able to save us completely and perfectly. He is the Great Shepherd who up to this very moment has never lost a sheep. Do you want to know something? He never will lose one. If you are one of His sheep, you may feel like you are going to be lost, but He is up there for you and He is watching over you. (McGee)

“WHEREFORE [BECAUSE HE IS THE EVER-LIVING, UNCHANGING HIGH PRIEST], He is able also to save them to the uttermost [completely, forever] that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them.” It is unfortunate that this verse is often read, “He is able to save from the uttermost” instead of “to the uttermost.” To be sure, it is true that Christ can save any sinner from any condition; but that is not the import of the verse. The emphasis is on the fact that He saves completely, forever, all who put their faith in Him. Because He is our High Priest forever, He can save forever. (Wiersbe)

JESUS IS ALSO OUR SHEPHERD. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one.  (John 10:27-30)
 
PAUL JOINS IN, stating that Christ will continue to do a good work in us. Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: (Philippians 1:6)
 
PAUL TELLS TIMOTHY THAT CHRIST IS ABLE TO KEEP HIM. For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.  (2Timothy 1:12)
 
JESUS SAYS WE HAVE PASSED FROM DEATH UNTO LIFE: Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.  (John 5:24)
 
 Read Through the Bible in a Year
MARCH 7, 2019 – THURSDAY         
A.M.  Deuteronomy 3-4   P.M.  Mark 11:20-33
(Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)

A Good Verse to Memorize:
Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.  (Psalm 119:11)
  
Song for Today:
There Is a Fountain (4:39) (Gaither-Vestal Goodman)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PasK3ZFAOPE
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Health Tip:
Intrinsic Factor and Other Stomach Features: (Intrinsic Factor: technical definition) is a glycoprotein secreted by parietal (humans) cells of the gastric mucosa. In humans, it has an important role in the absorption of vitamin B12 (cobalamin) in the intestine, and failure to produce or utilize intrinsic factor results in the condition pernicious anemia.”

TRANSLATED: this stuff enables us to absorb vitamin B-12 out of our food. The absence or deficiency of B-12 damages the nerves in our bodies. Severe shortage of B-12 is called “pernicious anemia.” This type of anemia is called “pernicious” because it was once considered a deadly disease. People who have no intrinsic factor can still get B-12 into their body by holding “soft” B-12 tablets under the tongue, or by taking B-12 shots. B-12 is one of the factors of body energy.

WITHOUT INTRINSIC FACTOR we cannot convert blood gastrin into stomach acid. For five-plus years I had very little stomach acid but didn’t know it. Finally, I found a doctor who had me swallow a radio capsule that measured the acid in my stomach and transferred the signal to a printing device across the room that printed a graph for the doctor to read. He prescribed acid tablets to be taken before meals. That helped a lot, but it was not the whole story.

NOT LONG AFTER THAT, Helicobacter Pylori, a stomach bacterium, was discovered and proven by an unheard-of doctor. The big-name doctors had missed it. It changed the whole medical profession’s view of the way it looks upon stomach ulcers. Another doctor, my gastroenterologist in Chattanooga, gave me an anti-biotic plus Pepto-Bismol to clear it up. The anti-biotic went deep and the Pepto-Bismol treated the surface of the stomach. When that healed, I had more stomach acid than I knew what to do with. Question: If I had had enough stomach acid, might the acid have killed the Helicobacter Pylori?

FROM MY HARVARD HEALTH NEWSLETTER, I had already learned, according to World Health Organization of the United Nations, that world-wide, there is a strong connection between stomach ulcers and stomach cancer. (There is also a strong connection between acid reflux and cancer of esophagus.) The World Health Organization surmised that the connection between stomach ulcers and stomach cancer lies in the continual healing process of damaged stomach tissue, which occurs more than with normal tissue maintenance. When a new cell misfires in its formation and becomes cancerous, it establishes a cancer in that area which then grows into full-blown cancer.

LATER,I DEVELOPED ACID REFLUX and began taking Prilosec to shut down the acid. I went to the drug store and bought the tablet form so I could cut it in half. 10mg keeps the acid at bay, but I take acid capsules with my cooked meals to aid digestion. I’m not finished with this problem. I’m not content to continue taking even a small amount of acid-blocker (Prilosec). Getting off it will send an avalanche of acid pouring out and will burn the esophagus. Been there, done that.

DOCTORS ACROSS AMERICA DON'T SEEM TO KNOW WHAT TO DO with acid reflux. Some doctors will look you in the eye and tell you that stomach acid is not necessary. I don’t believe them. God made no mistake in putting acid in the stomach. It kills many kinds of bacteria in the stomach and aids the stomach in digesting minerals and protein. There’s reason to believe that bone health/strength is dependent on good stomach acid. Be aware of this controversy among doctors and read for yourself on Google. Type in “stomach acid” and see what you find. You may want to begin your search with this link: https://riordanclinic.org/2014/03/why-your-stomach-acid-is-important/  Ω
 
 
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March 06th, 2019

3/6/2019

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       Not by Bread Alone…    
And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.  (Deuteronomy 6:6-7)
 
And he humbled thee, and suffered (allowed) thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.  (Deuteronomy 8:3)
 
Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungered. And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.  (Matthew 4:1-4)

McGEE SAYS IT BEST: “Mount Sinai is in Horeb. It was a journey of eleven days from Horeb to Kadesh-barnea, which was the entrance point into the Land of Promise. Israel spent thirty-eight years wandering when it should have taken them only eleven days to get into the land. Why? Because of their unbelief.

“THEIR MARCHING WAS TURNED TO WANDERING, and they became just strangers and pilgrims in that desert. Because they were slow to learn, they wandered for thirty-eight years in that great and terrible wilderness.

“WE ALSO ARE SLOW TO LEARN, FRIENDS. I think we would characterize ourselves by saying we have low spiritual I.Q.'s. It seems as if the Lord must burn down the school in order to get some of us out of it!"

OUR TEXT FOR TODAY IS MOSTLY IN DEUTERONOMY. Moses is getting ready to die (Deuteronomy 34:5,6) and he is preparing the nation for his departure. He gathers them all together and he talks to the whole nation. He rehearses the history of the Israelites up to that present time. Deuteronomy is known as the “second law.” “ Deuter” is a variation of “duo” and “duet” (two people playing or singing a song). Moses is rehearsing the law with them before he leaves. Jesus quoted Deuteronomy more than any book of the Old Testament.
 
AGAIN, I QUOTE McGEE: “In that same area I stood on Mount Nebo—I have pictures which I made there—and I actually could see the city of Jerusalem from that elevation. What I saw did not look like a promised land at all. It looked like a total waste, and this reveals what has happened to that land down through the centuries. When Moses looked at it, I think he was seeing a green and a good land. Today it is a desert. It looks like the desert area of California and Arizona.”

THEIR FIRST CONCERN WAS BREAD AND NOT GOD and that is where the human race has been and is where we are today. It’s a hard thing for us to put God first. And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.  But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. (Matthew 4:3-4)
 
IN TEACHING HIS DISCIPLES WHERE TO FOCUS, Jesus said: Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?  (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) He was not condemning our working for food and clothing but that we are not to be obsessed with thinking about nothing else.
 
OUR HEAVENLY FATHER ALREADY KNOWS, is already concerned about our basic need for food and clothing. That being the case, we are to first of all seek the kingdom of God and His way of doing things and then as we work, things will turn out ok.
 
…for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.  (Matthew 6:31-34)
 
WE TURN TOWARD PHILIPPI AND PAUL MAKES A BASHING STATEMENT about some people there who claimed to be Christians but lived more like dogs: Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so (mark those who are not living right) as (since) ye have us for an ensample. (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:  Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, (they talk about nothing else but their sinful lifestyle) who mind earthly things.)  (Philippians 3:17-19) It’s the bread thing again.
 
OVER AGAINST THE BREAD THING, is putting God first according to His instructions. Today, God does not have us under the ceremonial and civil laws of the Hebrews. Jesus fulfilled the role of the sacrificial lambs and goats and bull calves. He did that on the cross. But we do remain responsible to God for the moral code of the law of Moses.
 
ONE DAY A MAN ASKED JESUS: Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.  (Matthew 22:36-40)
 
SO, DID GOD DO AWAY WITH HIS COMMANDMENT to love Him and to love each other? I don’t think so. Loving God and loving each other is still the thing to do. That was never the way to be saved. It was always the way to live on the earth. Jesus brought Deuteronomy 8:3 up into Matthew 4:4 and said man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. The lesson here is to put God first and bread second. Ω

Read Through the Bible in a Year
MARCH 6, 2019 – WEDNESDAY         
A.M.  Deuteronomy 1-2   P.M.  Mark 11:1-19
(Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)

A Good Verse to Memorize:
Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.  (Psalm 119:11) 
 
Song for Today:
Thy Word Have I Hid in My Heart (1:41) (Cedarmont Kids)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UuMu1tzzN4&list=RD8UuMu1tzzN4&start_radio=1
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Health Tip:  
“Collagen is the long-chain of amino acids that builds our skin, connective tissue and bones but cannot be absorbed through our diet. It is made primarily of three amino acids— proline, hydroxyproline and glycine—which gives it unique functional properties different from all other proteins. This also makes it the most important structural protein in the body.”(Further Food.com) Read More…

AS WE AGE, WE LOSE COLLAGEN, (the “hold-you-together-stuff”) it shows in our skin and our joints deteriorate. We can boil bones or animal hides and eat the collagen gel that forms. But that’s a chore and it’s not totally free. The best way to get collagen into our bodies is to buy the Collagen Peptides powder that has been processed from animal bones and hides, especially from cows (bovine). It takes a daily two-scoops to get enough to make a difference. And,…it’s pricey: $25.00 for 10 ounces (14 servings) or $43.00 for 20 ounces, (28 servings).

SO, IF YOU DECIDE TO PERSUE THIS ROUTE, it will cost $43.00 per month. You can cut the cost in half by taking one scoop a day and be pleased that you are doing something about it, even if it’s not the ideal dose.
 
 
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a bible base for prayer

3/5/2019

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              A Bible Base for Prayer   
●It pleased Darius (Persian king-today’s Iran) to set over the kingdom an hundred and twenty princes, which should be over the whole kingdom; And over these three presidents; of whom Daniel was first: that the princes might give accounts unto them, and the king should have no damage.
 
●Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm. Then the presidents and princes sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find none occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him. Then said these men, We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the law of his God. (Daniel 6:1-5)
 
●Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.  (Daniel 6:10) (As you know, Daniel spent a night with the lions after this)
 
●And when he (the king) came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel: and the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions?  (Daniel 6:20) This is a great stone to put in your Bible base for prayer.
 
MY GRANDMOTHER (my mother’s mother) named me after this Daniel. She also ordered me a Bible story book from a radio ad. The front cover of the book pictured Daniel in the lions’ den. Before I started school in the first grade, I began preaching behind a little table that was in my grandmother’s living room.
 
IN THE 2ND GRADE, Miss Vaughn had us reciting John 3:16 every morning and after Christmas we added the next verse. But I still didn’t know the Lord and the next year we moved. I wanted to be accepted by some foul-mouthed boys in the new school so I practiced cussin’ so I could be one of the bunch.
 
YOU SEE, IT'S NOT ENOUGH TO HAVE A BIBLE IN THE HOUSE or to know John 3:16. We must be born again. We must experience the new birth. The Spirit of God has to convict us of our sin, and we must repent, turn away from our sin and accept Jesus as our Savior and Lord. That happened to me in October of 1943. We do not suddenly become perfect, but we suddenly are facing in a new direction and begin following after God as He gives us His light to do so.
 
AFTER THE NEW BIRTH, we begin to grow in grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Growing in Christ continues the rest of our lives on earth. To grow in Christ, we feed on the Word of God as we hear it, read it, study it, memorize it, meditate on it and obey it.
 
THE KING KNEW THAT DANIEL SERVED GOD CONTINUALLY. Daniel didn’t strut and crow about his faith in God. He worked hard at his job to the best of his ability and he prayed regularly on his knees with his window open. People probably heard him praying, day after day.
 
WE WOULD DO WELL TO STUDY ALL THE PEOPLE IN THE BIBLE WHO PRAYED; study what they said in their prayers and study how God reacted to their prayers. We would do well to build a collection of memorized Bible verses on prayer. Long term, a reasonable goal would be a hundred verses on prayer. These are special verses that are repeated and reviewed until they just spill out of our mouths without effort. Until the prayer verses are memorized, write them on paper or half-3x5 cards and read them aloud.
 
SINCE I GOT SAVED AT AGE, NINE, I HAVE MEMORIZED VERSES OFF AND ON through the years. It’s time for me to review all my verses again, so that’s my next project. I like the neon green cards, so I’m going to write all my verses in black on neon green cards cut in half, and have Barbara listen to them and correct me when I miss a word. I’ll be working on them all year.
 
NEON GREEN IS EASY TO FIND IF I LAY THEM DOWN SOMEWHERE. For me, reviewing 50-100 verses a day is about right. I have the time to do that. The verses that are rusty will be laid in a separate stack and I will go over them five times a day and write them five times a day until they are easy to recall. You’re welcome to join me.
 
YOU KNOW MORE VERSES THAN YOU THINK YOU DO if you have been reading your Bible and have been listening to sermons for a while. Write the verses on cards that you are most familiar with. Look them up in the Bible and “round out” the verses if you don’t know all the words in them. Review them until they are easy to recall. Put the easy verses in a separate stack and review them again every month for a year. This will build your faith and enrich your thinking process and you will have more to share with people you meet.
 
THIS IS YOUR BIBLE BASE FOR PRAYER. Some of the verses you will pray back to the Lord when you pray. “Now, Lord, you said in your Word, etc., etc.” If you are 80 years old, that’s ok. I’m 84 and still know my name and address and my phone number. So, get you some cards and have the store cut them in half for you; find a good rubber band and away you go! I’ll be sending out some verses along for you to consider putting on cards.  Ω
 
Read Through the Bible in a Year
MARCH 5, 2019 – TUESDAY         
A.M.  Numbers 34-36   P.M.  Mark 10 :32-52
(Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)

A Good Verse to Memorize:
Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.  (Psalm 55:17)
 
Song for Today:
Dare to Be a Daniel (1:41) (Mennonite Male Chorus)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=My9rYr8xzng
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Health Tip: 
ADEK are the four vitamins that are fat-soluble. These vitamins mix with fat and not with water. Of course, you need water for swallowing. If you take one or all these vitamins, you should first have some fat in your stomach. A tsp of peanut butter will do fine, out of the spoon or between two crackers. The fat in your stomach will draw the enzyme: lipase to your stomach and a small amount of acid. Altogether, the ADEK vitamins will digest much better. All the other vitamins are water-soluble. Just take them with an 8oz glass of water to dilute them and help them to get into your blood.
 
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    Author

    Dan Carr is a "retired" pastor, writer, teacher and continues to write at this website. This blog and other articles are e-mailed free to anyone who wants them. Go to: 
    http://www.biblewalking.com/
    contact-us.html.  

    Dan and Barbara live 
    at Flat Rock, AL between Chattanooga, TN and Huntsville, AL. on Sand Mtn.
    We enjoy gardening, reading, church, family and friends.

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