Botts Home Bible Study - 10.24.11
Tonight we studied the Holy Bible by looking at John Chapter 1, the fourth book found in the New Testament, focusing on the first 19 verses. Please review this presentation at your own pace and feel free to post comments or questions. I hope you find this inspirational and beneficial. Peace and Blessings.
MTC Quote
"Children look at a challenge and see all the opportunities for success,
Adults look at a challenge and see all the opportunities for failure." Jesus instructed his disciples to "become as little children" (Matthew 18:3) otherwise they would not enter the kingdom of heaven. I am more than a conqueror because I can exercise the faith of a child.
Adults look at a challenge and see all the opportunities for failure." Jesus instructed his disciples to "become as little children" (Matthew 18:3) otherwise they would not enter the kingdom of heaven. I am more than a conqueror because I can exercise the faith of a child.
Abomination
The word abomination appears 76 times in the KJV; of the 76 uses of the word abomination it is only used pertaining to homosexuality twice - Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13. Deuteronomy 22:5 says a woman that wears something pertaining to a man or vice versa is an abomination. 1 Samuel 13:4 describes an occasion when Saul order his son Jonathan to betray a treaty Israel made with the Philistine in order to gain a military advantage; that betrayal is described as an abomination. The sons of Korah write in Psalm 88:8 that God has made them to be an abomination because of their current afflicted state. Proverbs 6:16 -19 describe seven things that are an abomination before the Lord; homosexuality is not listed among them. In Deuteronomy 25:15-16, Proverbs 11:1, 20:10 and 23 using divers measures is considered an abomination. Divers measures refer to dishonest and unjust business practices, fraud and dishonesty. The bible contains more scripture describing dishonest business practices as an abomination than it does homosexuality. Does this mean that homosexual relationships are acceptable to the Lord, no it does not. Romans 1:26-32 and 1 Corinthians 6:9 make it clear that same sex relationships are considered a sexual sin, however it is not something that in and of itself is so wicked that is worthy of special consideration, not more so than for example emphasis on the absolute need to be completely honest and forthright in our business practices and the management of our finances. God is as concerned with us not cheating on our taxes as he is the purity of our sexual relationships. As it pertains to abominations by far the two categories of sin characterized more than anything else in the Bible as an abomination are idolatry and eating that which was previously considered unclean, nothing else even comes close. God spends more time, particularly in the Torah or Old Testament, describing the need for a proper diet and avoiding the consumption of unclean things more than He does describing proper human relationship. Is this because God is not concerned with proper human relationship, certainly not, God is extremely concerned in fact He was so aware of our needs for community that after he created Adam, realizing that he would not do well on his own and there did not exist a proper companion for him amongst the animal kingdom God created a wife for Adam from Adam’s body to symbolize God’s desire to be intimate with humanity. There is no doubt that proper human relationship; the only environment for physical intimacy is between one man and woman, married to each other. However, before there can be proper and effective relationship with another person, there must be proper relationship between the created and the creator, between each individual and God. That is why idolatry and diet are so important to God. We must honor God and honor ourselves before we can hope to honor someone else. Our focus as the body of Christ should be on helping people establish an intimate relationship with God first and then to respect and honor their own mind, body and spirit.
More Than A Conqueror Devotional #18
John 3:14 – 15 “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.”
The Old Testament tells a story of a curse that befell the people of Israel due to their sin. In the book of Numbers the 21st chapter we read the story of the Israelites traveling through the wilderness by way of the Red Sea, encompassing the territory of Edom. The Israelites are having a difficult time with the journey and are growing weary of the travel and are desirous of more variety in the diet, other than the manna the Lord has provided. The people of Israel begin to complain and speak vile of both God and Moses. As a result of their sin and rebellion the Lord sent many serpents into the camp of Israel and these serpents bite and kill many Israelites. The people humble themselves before Moses and beg him to beseech the Lord on their behalf to save them from the serpents. The Lord instructed Moses to fashion a brass serpent and place it on a pole and everyone that looks upon it will be saved and healed from the bite of the serpent; to say it another way they will be spared the penalty of death as a result of their sin. Moses obeys the Lord command and as a result everyone that was bitten who also looked upon the serpent was healed. (Number 21:5-8)
What an interesting illustration that Jesus would use during the course of his dialogue with Nicodemus. Having read the other three books of the Gospel that serve as the beginning of the New Testament we can conclude that when Jesus refers to the “Son of man being lifted up” that he is referring to his pending crucifixion and resurrection. However, to draw a parallel between himself and a brass statue that Moses constructed in the wilderness is a very curious illustration. Partly we can gleam that because of Nicodemus’ theological pedigree, being that was a Pharisee Jesus knew he would right understand the comparison. In order for the Israel to not be destroyed entirely they had to look upon this serpent that was raised up in the wilderness for their salvation and therefore in order for the world to be saved from the sin that has entered into it Jesus Christ must be raised up that all those that “look” upon him and believe will be saved from their sin. It wasn’t the brass statue that brought about the healing and salvation in the wilderness it was the belief the people of Israel had in their God to save them through whatever means He would see fit. Similarly Jesus being raised was is an awesome miracle and showed forth the awesome power of the Lord God Almighty, however many of have died in sin since Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, the power of salvation is not only in the miracle, but our belief in Jesus and his power to save.
We are more than conquerors today because God loved us all so much that he would come to earth by taking on the personhood of his only son, Jesus Christ that if we would only believe in the miracle of Jesus, the God man that was and only man to be fully God and fully man at the same time to be the propitiation for our sin. Jesus came for no other than to suffer a brutal death at the hands of those he came to save and to be raised up before the entire world so that if we would look upon him we could be saved. Jesus Christ, the savior of the world, will you choose to believe.
The Old Testament tells a story of a curse that befell the people of Israel due to their sin. In the book of Numbers the 21st chapter we read the story of the Israelites traveling through the wilderness by way of the Red Sea, encompassing the territory of Edom. The Israelites are having a difficult time with the journey and are growing weary of the travel and are desirous of more variety in the diet, other than the manna the Lord has provided. The people of Israel begin to complain and speak vile of both God and Moses. As a result of their sin and rebellion the Lord sent many serpents into the camp of Israel and these serpents bite and kill many Israelites. The people humble themselves before Moses and beg him to beseech the Lord on their behalf to save them from the serpents. The Lord instructed Moses to fashion a brass serpent and place it on a pole and everyone that looks upon it will be saved and healed from the bite of the serpent; to say it another way they will be spared the penalty of death as a result of their sin. Moses obeys the Lord command and as a result everyone that was bitten who also looked upon the serpent was healed. (Number 21:5-8)
What an interesting illustration that Jesus would use during the course of his dialogue with Nicodemus. Having read the other three books of the Gospel that serve as the beginning of the New Testament we can conclude that when Jesus refers to the “Son of man being lifted up” that he is referring to his pending crucifixion and resurrection. However, to draw a parallel between himself and a brass statue that Moses constructed in the wilderness is a very curious illustration. Partly we can gleam that because of Nicodemus’ theological pedigree, being that was a Pharisee Jesus knew he would right understand the comparison. In order for the Israel to not be destroyed entirely they had to look upon this serpent that was raised up in the wilderness for their salvation and therefore in order for the world to be saved from the sin that has entered into it Jesus Christ must be raised up that all those that “look” upon him and believe will be saved from their sin. It wasn’t the brass statue that brought about the healing and salvation in the wilderness it was the belief the people of Israel had in their God to save them through whatever means He would see fit. Similarly Jesus being raised was is an awesome miracle and showed forth the awesome power of the Lord God Almighty, however many of have died in sin since Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, the power of salvation is not only in the miracle, but our belief in Jesus and his power to save.
We are more than conquerors today because God loved us all so much that he would come to earth by taking on the personhood of his only son, Jesus Christ that if we would only believe in the miracle of Jesus, the God man that was and only man to be fully God and fully man at the same time to be the propitiation for our sin. Jesus came for no other than to suffer a brutal death at the hands of those he came to save and to be raised up before the entire world so that if we would look upon him we could be saved. Jesus Christ, the savior of the world, will you choose to believe.
More Than A Conqueror Devotional #17
Exodus 33:11 "And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face as a man speaketh unto his friend..."
What a great privilege and honor to be in communion with the Lord to such a degree that His conversance with you would be described as fact to face. This is what it means to be in relationship with the Lord; to commune with Him such that He would describe it as friendship. For many believers this is a foreign concept, to be “friendly” with God. All too often we are given a picture of the Almighty as this uncompassionate ruler that smites and punishes and judges when in fact what our God truly desires is a relationship. God is not spooky or aloof or distant in fact the psalmist describes Him as being a very present help when we are in need (Psalm 46:10). God is did not create humanity in His image and likeness so that He could draw away from us or keep us at arm’s length. No in fact just the opposite, God is so consumed with humanity that the angles cannot comprehend is obsession with us, they openly ponder “what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them” (psalm 8:4NLT). God is so utterly smitten by us that He willing participated in the human experience through His only son Jesus.
We are more than conquerors today because God is our friend. Like any good friend, God does not force Himself onto us. He does not demand our attention, rather stand arms open wide waiting for day when we will accept the free gift of His salvation offered through Jesus Christ.
What Cancer Cannot Do
It cannot cripple Love
It cannot shatter Hope
It cannot corrode Faith
It cannot destroy Peace
It cannot kill Friendship
It cannot suppress Memories
It cannot silence Courage
It cannot invade the Soul
It cannot steal Eternal Life
It cannot conquer the Spirit
-Author Unknown
In fact...Cancer has brought families together in a powerful display of Love, it has given us Hope in people who pulled together to help out, built our Faith in a God that has given our loved ones Peace; Cancer has given us an opportunity to meet new people and reunite old Friendships, it has given a reason to build amazing Memories, and has unleashed indescribable Courage from within to fight and raise awareness of this terrible disease. Cancer is a thorn that has brought our very Souls to the throne of Christ begging for mercy and forgiveness, it has made us painfully aware of the need for Eternal Life and finally Cancer has awakened our Spirits.
Often God gives us an opportunity to get closer to him, however, that opportunity is, many times, hidden in a cloud of rain and thunder.
Psalms 18 10-12 tells us “He parted the heavens and came down; dark clouds were under his feet. He mounted the cherubim and flew; he soared on the wings of the wind. He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him— the dark rain clouds of the sky. Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced, with hailstones and bolts of lightning.”
Most people run at the sight of the storm, they take cover in buildings and with friends and family…but it is IN THE MIDST of this very storm that God is coming to save us…verses 13-19 of the same chapter say:
“The Lord thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded. He shot his arrows and scattered the enemy, with great bolts of lightning he routed them. The valleys of the sea were exposed and the foundations of the earth laid bare at your rebuke, Lord, at the blast of breath from your nostrils. He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters. He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me. They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the Lord was my support. He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me.”
Our brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, parents and children who have been stricken with these terminal illnesses were chosen by our Creator, our Great Physician to carry out a mission here on earth: bring souls to Christ…So many of us have come to Christ on the back of one illness or another. I mourn my family and my friends, my heart is wrenched each time I see them suffer, yet and still I MUST Praise my Lord and Savior Jesus for the opportunity to know Him.
Their disease, our loss is a storm we cannot weather alone; only in the arms of Christ can we wake to see the Joy of the Morning. If only we could get it together, if only we didn’t need a disaster to draw us closer to Christ or even to each other…can you imagine the health and prosperity we could enjoy?
This Wednesday will mark 8 years without my big brother…his heart literally broken by a heart attack…how ironic, his death has been an attack on my heart every day since and every single day I must remember that I still breathe because God has allowed me to survive, that I still Love because God is mending a broken heart in me, that I am NOT ALONE and neither are you.
Won’t you consider your relationship with Christ today? Will you take a moment to go to Him in a prayer of thanksgiving for the eyes it took to read this note or the mind that at this moment may be dismissing your need for Him? Will you recognize that we are More Than Conquerors today and everyday in Christ? Or will he need to send yet another cloud and storm for us to remember that He is God?
It cannot shatter Hope
It cannot corrode Faith
It cannot destroy Peace
It cannot kill Friendship
It cannot suppress Memories
It cannot silence Courage
It cannot invade the Soul
It cannot steal Eternal Life
It cannot conquer the Spirit
-Author Unknown
In fact...Cancer has brought families together in a powerful display of Love, it has given us Hope in people who pulled together to help out, built our Faith in a God that has given our loved ones Peace; Cancer has given us an opportunity to meet new people and reunite old Friendships, it has given a reason to build amazing Memories, and has unleashed indescribable Courage from within to fight and raise awareness of this terrible disease. Cancer is a thorn that has brought our very Souls to the throne of Christ begging for mercy and forgiveness, it has made us painfully aware of the need for Eternal Life and finally Cancer has awakened our Spirits.
Often God gives us an opportunity to get closer to him, however, that opportunity is, many times, hidden in a cloud of rain and thunder.
Psalms 18 10-12 tells us “He parted the heavens and came down; dark clouds were under his feet. He mounted the cherubim and flew; he soared on the wings of the wind. He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him— the dark rain clouds of the sky. Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced, with hailstones and bolts of lightning.”
Most people run at the sight of the storm, they take cover in buildings and with friends and family…but it is IN THE MIDST of this very storm that God is coming to save us…verses 13-19 of the same chapter say:
“The Lord thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded. He shot his arrows and scattered the enemy, with great bolts of lightning he routed them. The valleys of the sea were exposed and the foundations of the earth laid bare at your rebuke, Lord, at the blast of breath from your nostrils. He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters. He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me. They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the Lord was my support. He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me.”
Our brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, parents and children who have been stricken with these terminal illnesses were chosen by our Creator, our Great Physician to carry out a mission here on earth: bring souls to Christ…So many of us have come to Christ on the back of one illness or another. I mourn my family and my friends, my heart is wrenched each time I see them suffer, yet and still I MUST Praise my Lord and Savior Jesus for the opportunity to know Him.
Their disease, our loss is a storm we cannot weather alone; only in the arms of Christ can we wake to see the Joy of the Morning. If only we could get it together, if only we didn’t need a disaster to draw us closer to Christ or even to each other…can you imagine the health and prosperity we could enjoy?
This Wednesday will mark 8 years without my big brother…his heart literally broken by a heart attack…how ironic, his death has been an attack on my heart every day since and every single day I must remember that I still breathe because God has allowed me to survive, that I still Love because God is mending a broken heart in me, that I am NOT ALONE and neither are you.
Won’t you consider your relationship with Christ today? Will you take a moment to go to Him in a prayer of thanksgiving for the eyes it took to read this note or the mind that at this moment may be dismissing your need for Him? Will you recognize that we are More Than Conquerors today and everyday in Christ? Or will he need to send yet another cloud and storm for us to remember that He is God?
MTC Profile
II Corinthians 12:9-10
“…My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness…for when I am weak than am I strong.”
The names included in the following profiled have been changed for confidentiality purposes
A couple of months ago my wife and I had the pleasure of visiting with a friend of ours, Margret, who has been battling ovarian cancer for quite some time. She has had her entire uterus removed and is still very ill. This woman is naturally petite, but radiation treatments and experimental drugs have ravished her already diminutive frame. At any rate we went to visit with her because the Lord had put Margret on my heart very strong one Sunday during morning worship service at my church. I heard the Lord speak to me and say that if I went to visit this young woman and pray with her that He would show himself. Well needless to say that was all the motivation I needed. My experience has been that Margret is typically very quiet and reserve, although those that are closer to her see her more expressive side, I haven’t. On this particularly occasion she was rather talkative; trying her best to be a good patient. You know how when someone is really tired and worn-out, but because you are there they put on their best face and try to be responsive, that’s what she was doing. My wife and I could see that she was tired and weak, but Margret remained engaged for our sakes. As we sat in the hospital and shared some small talk with our friend I kept trying to steer the conversation toward Jesus, I was eager to pray for her and see what the Lord would do, however with all the foot traffic in and out of her room; technicians, nurses, specialists, etc, it was all we could do to maintain the small talk, much less move into prayer. However the Lord provided us with a small window and as I started in there was this twinkle in Margret’s eyes and she began to perk up and get energized. It was almost as if she knew where we were going and immediately started to share one of the most profound testimonies I had ever heard. You see my wife and one Margret’s friends, Lucy were very close, and when my wife came to Christ she invited Lucy to our church. Lucy started to grow in the Lord and found her own church home to attend. In turn Lucy started witnessing and sharing Christ with Margret. And so for the last several months this small woman who has been battling cancer came to know the Lord in the midst of her war. She said with a smile that right now at this point in time in her life she has more peace than she has ever had. Even now I find myself still getting chocked up. She hadn’t been healed, the Lord didn’t spare her from this terrible disease, yet in the face of all that she had been through she could smile because in her weakness she found true strength in Christ.
We are more than conquerors today because real strength lies in our weakness. Our friend Margret found peace in Christ because she could not be strong on her own, she found her strength in Christ and it is that complete and utterance dependence on the Lord that has given her a peace that exceeds beyond what anyone could understand or imagine. II Corinthians 12:9-10 has been my favorite passage of scripture for a long time. The idea of being able to rejoice in the midst of pain and hurt and despair, recognizing that real strength comes from Christ and not from me and that those occasion when my natural strength has abated me I can be strong in Christ. This is what a relationship with Christ is all about understand that without Him I am lost and weak and hopeless, but with Him all things are possible and I can have real strength. Not measured by how much I can lift or how fast I can run, but by what I am able to withstand in the face of overwhelming adversity I can stand because of Christ in me.
The last report I received was that Margret was doing better, she just celebrated her 30th birthday a couple of weeks ago and the doctors did not expect her to make it to see Christmas. I praise Jesus for showing himself to us that day. He did not heal her cancer yet, but we learned what real strength looks like and that day the Lord showed Himself inside our friend.
“…My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness…for when I am weak than am I strong.”
The names included in the following profiled have been changed for confidentiality purposes
A couple of months ago my wife and I had the pleasure of visiting with a friend of ours, Margret, who has been battling ovarian cancer for quite some time. She has had her entire uterus removed and is still very ill. This woman is naturally petite, but radiation treatments and experimental drugs have ravished her already diminutive frame. At any rate we went to visit with her because the Lord had put Margret on my heart very strong one Sunday during morning worship service at my church. I heard the Lord speak to me and say that if I went to visit this young woman and pray with her that He would show himself. Well needless to say that was all the motivation I needed. My experience has been that Margret is typically very quiet and reserve, although those that are closer to her see her more expressive side, I haven’t. On this particularly occasion she was rather talkative; trying her best to be a good patient. You know how when someone is really tired and worn-out, but because you are there they put on their best face and try to be responsive, that’s what she was doing. My wife and I could see that she was tired and weak, but Margret remained engaged for our sakes. As we sat in the hospital and shared some small talk with our friend I kept trying to steer the conversation toward Jesus, I was eager to pray for her and see what the Lord would do, however with all the foot traffic in and out of her room; technicians, nurses, specialists, etc, it was all we could do to maintain the small talk, much less move into prayer. However the Lord provided us with a small window and as I started in there was this twinkle in Margret’s eyes and she began to perk up and get energized. It was almost as if she knew where we were going and immediately started to share one of the most profound testimonies I had ever heard. You see my wife and one Margret’s friends, Lucy were very close, and when my wife came to Christ she invited Lucy to our church. Lucy started to grow in the Lord and found her own church home to attend. In turn Lucy started witnessing and sharing Christ with Margret. And so for the last several months this small woman who has been battling cancer came to know the Lord in the midst of her war. She said with a smile that right now at this point in time in her life she has more peace than she has ever had. Even now I find myself still getting chocked up. She hadn’t been healed, the Lord didn’t spare her from this terrible disease, yet in the face of all that she had been through she could smile because in her weakness she found true strength in Christ.
We are more than conquerors today because real strength lies in our weakness. Our friend Margret found peace in Christ because she could not be strong on her own, she found her strength in Christ and it is that complete and utterance dependence on the Lord that has given her a peace that exceeds beyond what anyone could understand or imagine. II Corinthians 12:9-10 has been my favorite passage of scripture for a long time. The idea of being able to rejoice in the midst of pain and hurt and despair, recognizing that real strength comes from Christ and not from me and that those occasion when my natural strength has abated me I can be strong in Christ. This is what a relationship with Christ is all about understand that without Him I am lost and weak and hopeless, but with Him all things are possible and I can have real strength. Not measured by how much I can lift or how fast I can run, but by what I am able to withstand in the face of overwhelming adversity I can stand because of Christ in me.
The last report I received was that Margret was doing better, she just celebrated her 30th birthday a couple of weeks ago and the doctors did not expect her to make it to see Christmas. I praise Jesus for showing himself to us that day. He did not heal her cancer yet, but we learned what real strength looks like and that day the Lord showed Himself inside our friend.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)