What Does The Bible Say?
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?
Court of Final Appeal
From time to time we come to decisions and dilemmas. Sometimes it is hard to know which way is the right way to go. All people and churches have a Court of Final Appeals. This is where we go for our absolute final answer. Some do what ever their ‘heart' tells them. "I know what I feel in my heart," they say. But...
What Does the Bible Say?
Galatians 1:8-9 says... "But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if any one is preaching to you a gospel contrary to that which you received, let him be accursed."
Proverbs 16:25 says... "There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death."
Jeremiah 17:9 says... "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately corrupt; who can understand it?"
You can probably remember a time when you were really sure about something and later found out you were wrong. The truth is you can't trust your ‘heart'. But you can trust God's word. Let's make a "Thus Says the Lord" our Court of Final Appeal.
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?
Witchcraft
One day last week, I was in a bookstore and overheard a woman talking on her cell phone to her daughter. She was trying to decide which of two books on witchcraft to buy.
Many see the occult as a harmless hobby. Others see it as a natural religion. But...
What Does The Bible Say?
Deuteronomy 18:9-12 says... "When you come into the land which the Lord your God gives you, you shall not learn to follow the abominable practices of those nations. There shall not be found among you any one who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, any one who practices divination, a soothsayer, or an augur, or a sorcerer, or a charmer, or a medium or a wizard or a necromancer. For whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord; and because of these abominable practices the Lord your God is driving them out before you."
Galatians 5:19-20 says... "Now the works of the flesh are plain: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness, dissension, party spirit..."
Acts 19:19-20 says... "And a number of those who practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all; and they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver. So the word of the Lord grew and prevailed mightily."
In those passages, witchcraft and similar practices are called an abomination before the Lord. These are among the very sins that cost the Canaanites their life and land.
In the New Testament, sorcery is listed as a work of the flesh and those who practice such will not enter the kingdom of God.
When people in the city of Ephesus became Christians, they repented of their witchcraft and burned their books.
We should have nothing to do with the works of the darkness.
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?
Worry
All around us we are warned of trouble. Wars, sickness, financial crisis, personal problems are everywhere. We are tempted to worry.
What Does The Bible Say?
Matthew 6:25-34 says... "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O men of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?' or ‘What shall we drink?' or ‘What shall we wear?' For the Gentiles seek all these things; and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well. "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Let the day's own trouble be sufficient for the day.
From this sermon, Jesus teaches us not to worry because:
1. Birds and flowers don't worry and they have all their
Needs met.
2. Worry doesn't help. You can't live longer or grow taller
By worrying.
3. God knows what you need and takes care of you.
4. Your time is better spent doing what you can. Seeking
God.
5. You have plenty to do today; don't borrow trouble from
You see...this is our opportunity to trust God.
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?
In Christ
It has become a popular idea today that Christ is but one of many ways to God.
What Does The Bible Say?
Colossians 2:8-15 says... "See to it that no one makes a prey of you by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the universe, and not according to Christ. For in Him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily and you have come to fullness of life in Him, who is the head of all rule and authority. In Him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of flesh in the circumcision of Christ; and you were buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. And you, who were dead in trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, having cancelled the bond which stood against us with its legal demands; this He set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the principalities and powers and made a public example of them, triumphing over them in Him."
From this scripture we learn:
1. The whole fullness of Deity dwells in Him. Verse 9
2. You can come to fullness of life in Him. Verse 10
3. You put off the body of flesh in Him. Verse 11
4. You are buried with Him in baptism. Verse 12
5. You are raised with Him through faith. Verse 12
6. You are made alive together with Him. Verse 13
7. You have overcome the power of Satan in Him. Verse 15
Be careful whom you listen to. Some want to have you for dinner. Verse 8
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?
Baptism
A while back a fellow asked me, "Why do you guys make such a big deal out of baptism?"
What Does The Bible Say?
Romans 6:1-7 says... "What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the sinful body might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. For he who has died is freed from sin."
Acts 22:16 says... "And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on his name."
I Peter 3:21 says... "Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ."
These are only three of the passages that deal with baptism. You might want to read all of them. A concordance will help. But from these passages we learn:
1. Baptism puts us into Christ.
2. Baptism puts us into his death.
3. In baptism we are raised to walk in newness of life.
4. Baptism is where we are freed from sin.
5. Baptism washes away sin.
6. Baptism saves you.
God only has to say something once for it to be true. But we should pay close attention when he says something over and over.