Friday 110124
Together, you and I, let’s open the Word and study what we’ve ALL been freely given. Use me to help you open up your Bible and search what God wants for us to hear. We’re only going follow what we find written in the Word that pertains to us and hopefully from what we find, we will be able to use it in our lives, not only for ourselves but hopefully for those that we love also.
The verses we are going to study tonight:
2 Timothy 3:16-17; Jonah 1:1-3; Romans 10:8-10, 13-14; Ephesians 2:8; 2 Corinthians 5:7; John 20:24-29; 1 Corinthians 10:13; Romans 3:21-31; Ephesians 6:16; Romans 12:3.
So, I am right now posting my study on ten (10) different sites on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings:
Facebook – whosoeverinhim Bible study
WordPress – lrabbe.wordpress.com
Weebly – whosoeverinhim.weebly.com
Wix – lrabbe2024.wixsite.com/my-site-2
Wix – lrabbe2024.wixsite.com/whosoeverinhim
Blogger – whosoeverinhim.blogspot.com
cw.center – whosoeverinhim.cw.center
Tumblr – www.tumblr.com/whosoeversblog
Webador – inhim.webador.com
Webador – free-4140862.webador.com
In my attempt to spread the MESSAGE of Jesus to the people in the 21st century, instead of releasing ten (10) different papers a week, I’m going to try to release one (1) paper on ten (10) different sites.
There are many verses in the Bible that can keep our minds busy with just thinking about the Words that have been written.
There are many books that God has given us to read so we can hear the Words that pertains to our daily lives.
But then there are books that we’ve been given that are there to make us think for ourselves about what has been written. One of those books is:
2 Timothy 3
vs16 ‘…All Scripture is inspired by God and beneficial for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness…’
vs17 ‘…so that the man or woman of God may be fully capable, equipped for every good work…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)
All Scripture has been Inspired by God, this is true, we know this because it has been written for us to see … but NOT all Scripture has been meant for us to F-O-L-L-O-W, because those letters aren’t found written anywhere.
The example I use to strengthen and back-up my previous statement is found in the book of Jonah, way back in the Old Testament.
Jonah 1
vs1 ‘…The word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying…’
vs2 ‘…Arise, go to Nineveh, the great city, and cry out against it, because their wickedness has come up before Me…’
vs3 ‘…But Jonah got up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. So he went down to Joppa, found a ship that was going to Tarshish, paid the fare, and boarded it to go with them to Tarshish away from the presence of the Lord…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)
God isn’t trying to teach us all that at the moment we hear God calling our names, we should run and get on a boat to Spain and run away so we can flea from the presence of God.
That’s simply foolishness.
In fact, we’ve been given the book of Jonah so that we could see what mistakes were made and we would be smart enough NOT to follow down the same road as Jonah did … in fact the entire OT has been written to us to be used as a roadmap, so we don’t make the same mistakes twice.
One of these books filled with usable information for us today in the 21st century, is found in Romans.
Romans 10
vs8 ‘…But what does it say? The Word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart – that is, the word of faith which we are preaching…’
vs9 ‘…that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved…’
vs10 ‘…for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)
As I do after every lesson, I again will end this lesson by telling ALL of y’all to keep your Bibles near you at all times. Download Bible apps onto your smartphones, tablets and your laptops. Keep the Word of God near you at all times so you are able to pick it up and hear God speaking to you.
But just downloading an app and sitting next to a Bible is not going to save you, my intention has always been, if the Bible is so close to a person, the odds of them opening it up and reading the Word is so much greater than for that person that’s only using the Bible, as a coaster in the evening on their nightstand near their bed.
Here are some more verses from Romans 10:
Romans 10
vs13 ‘…for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved…’
vs14 ‘…How then are they to call on Him in whom they have not believed? How are they to believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how are they to hear without a preacher…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)
We have been given the Word, let your own Bible be your preacher. Let your Bible teach you the Word as it has been written. Don’t put your trust, your future and your LIFE in the hands of another man, read the Word of God for yourself and LIVE.
We now are right near the middle of tonight’s lesson and once again, to me, the GREATEST verse in the Bible.
Ephesians 2:8 ‘…For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)
As powerful as the word CONFESS is in tonight’s lesson … we always MUST remember that it is because of our FAITH that allows us to confess.
It is our FAITH that keeps us believing in God and in all of the promises that He made to us.
2 Corinthians 5:7 ‘…for we walk by faith, not by sight…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)
To me, the most identifiable story that can be found in the Bible regarding to see and NOT to see is the following.
After Jesus was crucified, He appeared in front of the eleven remaining disciples (Thomas was present), and he purposely showed Thomas the holes in his hands, in his feet, and in his side and Thomas replied, ‘my Lord and my God.’
John 20
vs24 ‘…But Thomas, one of the twelve, who was called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came…’
vs25 ‘…So the other disciples were saying to him, we have seen the Lord! But he said to them, Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe…’
vs26 ‘…Eight days later His disciples were again inside, and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst and said, Peace be to you…’
vs27 ‘…Then He said to Thomas, place your finger here, and see My hands; and take your hand and put it into My side; and do not continue in disbelief, but be a believer…’
vs28 ‘…Thomas answered and said to Him, My Lord and my God…’
vs29 ‘…Jesus said to him, because you have seen Me, have you now believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)
Jesus is displaying what it means for us to have FAITH.
We believe, not because we can see, but we believe because of the FAITH that we have in Jesus Christ.
The GOOD NEWS that we have been shown in this story is:
We must believe in the things we do not see. This is the test of true faith, and we will be rewarded in heaven.
1 Corinthians 10:13 ‘…Every test that you have experienced is the kind that normally comes to people. But God keeps his promise, and he will not allow you to be tested beyond your power to remain firm; at the time you are put to the test, he will give you the strength to endure it, and so provide you with a way out…’ GNT (Good News Translation)
God, in His wisdom, gave us the Armor to protect us from the evil things, this world is going to use to attack us with. Things that may not be common to us.
But we should remember, the devil is not to be common to us either. We are to keep away from his evil ways.
Are we going to sometimes fail and fall short in the glory of God … of course we are, there are going to be those times when we fail. But all we have to do is remember that God already knows we’re not going to be able to do it on our own. All we have to do is ask for His help and He will be there.
Romans 3
vs21 ‘…But now we know how to become right with God. God has shown us the way that he will accept people as right with himself. This way is not part of the Law that he gave to Moses. But God’s Law and the messages of his prophets have told us about it…’
vs22 ‘…God accepts people as right with himself because Jesus Christ did what God wanted. God accepts every person who believes in Christ. It is the same way for everyone, whether they are Jews or Gentiles…’
vs23 ‘…All people have done wrong things. Nobody can be good and great, as God wanted them to be…’
vs24 ‘…But because God is very kind, he accepts us as right with himself. That is God’s gift to us. Jesus Christ has paid for our sins so that we have become free…’
vs25 ‘…God showed everyone that Jesus Christ died on the cross as a sacrifice for our sins. God forgives us if we trust in Jesus and the blood of his sacrifice. God did this to show clearly that he is always right and fair. In past times, God was patient. He did not punish people who did wrong things…’
vs26 ‘…He did this to show us today that he is completely right and fair. He accepts people as right with himself if they believe in Jesus…’
vs27 ‘…So then, nobody should be proud that they are good enough. Nobody becomes right with God because they have done good things. No! God accepts a person only if that person believes in Jesus Christ…’
vs28 ‘…So this is what we are saying. A person becomes right with God if they trust in Christ. It is not because they do the good things which God’s Law teaches…’
vs29 ‘…God is not God only for Jewish people. He is also God for the Gentiles. Yes! He is the God for all people…’
vs30 ‘…There is only one God. He will accept Jews as right with himself if they believe in Christ. He will also accept other people as right with himself if they believe in Christ…’
vs31 ‘…What does this show us about God’s Law which he gave to Moses? When we say that all people need to believe in Jesus, does that mean that God’s Law has no purpose? No! When we believe in Jesus, we are showing the true purpose of God’s Law…’ EASY (Easy English Bible)
Arm yourself in the comfort, knowing that God has already given us His Armor to wear for our protection.
Read about all of God’s Armor in Ephesians 6.
Ephesians 6:16 ‘…Let your faith be like a shield, and you will be able to stop all the flaming arrows of the evil one…’ CEV (Contemporary English Version)
When we read and study the Word of God, we are putting some of that armor on ourselves.
Romans 12:3 ‘…For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith…’ NASB (New American Standard Bible)
ALL of you, keep your Bibles open and continue to study the Word He has given us. Download Bible apps onto your smartphones, tablets and computers so you can take your Bibles with you everywhere.
I love every one of you. The day is coming when Jesus, Himself will teach us exactly what is all included in that one small simple four-letter word, spelled L-O-V-E.
Jesus, I pray that those ears and eyes, either listening or seeing this message today would be opened to the very fullest and allow Your love to come inside their lives and comfort them. Teach us Jesus. Protect us. We love You. Amen
InHIM. ><)))o>