Jacob The Heel Catcher - Spiritual Adultery
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The Miracle of God’s Word
Proverbs 27:19
As in water face answereth to face, so the heart of man to man.
When looking into the water, the reflection of a man’s face is revealed to himself. In the same manner the heart of man reflects who he is (Proverbs 23:7). The heart of man is made up of his soul and spirit, and is deeper than we will ever know. We cannot know our own hearts (Jeremiah 17:9), but we can surely come to the realization that we need a new one because the one we are born with is far lost and desperately wicked.
Our issues in this life cannot be blamed on others, as the Lord has told us to guard our own heart because out of IT are the issues of life (Proverbs 4:23). Jesus Christ came to die so that we could be forgiven of our sins, delivered from our sins, and so that we could become entirely New Creatures In Christ. This involves receiving a new heart, and a new spirit (Ezekiel 36:26, 2 Corinthians 5:17). Everyday is a new day when you are walking with the Lord, as His mercies are tender and new just for you!
Seeking God in His Word and experiencing Him through faith in the sacrifice of Christ!
Seeking God in His Word and experiencing Him through faith in the sacrifice of Christ!
Pastor Curtis
Proverbs 27:19
As in water face answereth to face, so the heart of man to man.
When looking into the water, the reflection of a man’s face is revealed to himself. In the same manner the heart of man reflects who he is (Proverbs 23:7). The heart of man is made up of his soul and spirit, and is deeper than we will ever know. We cannot know our own hearts (Jeremiah 17:9), but we can surely come to the realization that we need a new one because the one we are born with is far lost and desperately wicked.
Our issues in this life cannot be blamed on others, as the Lord has told us to guard our own heart because out of IT are the issues of life (Proverbs 4:23). Jesus Christ came to die so that we could be forgiven of our sins, delivered from our sins, and so that we could become entirely New Creatures In Christ. This involves receiving a new heart, and a new spirit (Ezekiel 36:26, 2 Corinthians 5:17). Everyday is a new day when you are walking with the Lord, as His mercies are tender and new just for you!
Seeking God in His Word and experiencing Him through faith in the sacrifice of Christ!
Seeking God in His Word and experiencing Him through faith in the sacrifice of Christ!
Pastor Curtis
The Miracle of God’s Word
Proverbs 27:20
Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied.
What a thought! The statement that hell and destruction are never full reveals to us that no matter how many folks are going to hell, and Jesus said most would (Matthew 7:14), that they will never fill up. The lost and unregenerate person can only fill the appetite which hell and destruction long to fill up in the hearts of men.
Only those who come to God through faith in Jesus Christ and His atoning sacrifice on the cross find the satisfaction that He alone can give them. Jesus Christ becomes EVERYTHING that we will ever need no matter what it might be. We are complete in Him (Colossians 2:10), therefore as He is becoming EVERYTHING to us, we are learning to abide satisfied in Him (Proverbs 19:23).
Seeking God in His Word and experiencing Him through faith in the sacrifice of Christ!
Pastor Curtis
Proverbs 27:20
Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied.
What a thought! The statement that hell and destruction are never full reveals to us that no matter how many folks are going to hell, and Jesus said most would (Matthew 7:14), that they will never fill up. The lost and unregenerate person can only fill the appetite which hell and destruction long to fill up in the hearts of men.
Only those who come to God through faith in Jesus Christ and His atoning sacrifice on the cross find the satisfaction that He alone can give them. Jesus Christ becomes EVERYTHING that we will ever need no matter what it might be. We are complete in Him (Colossians 2:10), therefore as He is becoming EVERYTHING to us, we are learning to abide satisfied in Him (Proverbs 19:23).
Seeking God in His Word and experiencing Him through faith in the sacrifice of Christ!
Pastor Curtis
Bread Crumbs “When Only God Will Do!”
In the life of the believer it is necessary to come to understand that God desires to do far more for His people than we realize. Far too often we take on the simple tasks of life as if we have the capacity to foresee all the nuances in every situation. We are often confronted with things that range far beyond our grasp of comprehension, even when it involves some of the most elementary tasks in life. God desires to be involved in all that we do and all that we encounter. So the believer must begin to develop a sensitivity to the inner presence and voice of God that abides within the heart of every true Christian. God wants us to lose our stubborn self-sufficiency and become dependent upon His guidance and leading for every daily decision. He is aware of the immediate dangers and the future pitfalls that lie hidden from our ability to see, just around the corner of life. We must come to grasp the simple truth that in every choice we make, it would be far better for us if we were to approach it with a consistent attitude that declared, only the mind of God will do!
John 8:29 - And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.
Pastor Loren Larson
Loren Larson Ministries
In the life of the believer it is necessary to come to understand that God desires to do far more for His people than we realize. Far too often we take on the simple tasks of life as if we have the capacity to foresee all the nuances in every situation. We are often confronted with things that range far beyond our grasp of comprehension, even when it involves some of the most elementary tasks in life. God desires to be involved in all that we do and all that we encounter. So the believer must begin to develop a sensitivity to the inner presence and voice of God that abides within the heart of every true Christian. God wants us to lose our stubborn self-sufficiency and become dependent upon His guidance and leading for every daily decision. He is aware of the immediate dangers and the future pitfalls that lie hidden from our ability to see, just around the corner of life. We must come to grasp the simple truth that in every choice we make, it would be far better for us if we were to approach it with a consistent attitude that declared, only the mind of God will do!
John 8:29 - And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.
Pastor Loren Larson
Loren Larson Ministries
The Miracle of God’s Word
Proverbs 27:21
As the fining pot for silver, and the furnace for gold; so is a man to his praise.
The fining pot heats up and melts silver just as the furnace does to gold. This illustration is compared to a man and how he deals with the praise he is given by others. When a man is praised by others, if in humility he will acknowledge it as the gift of God, the Lord can be exalted through it, but if the praise puffs the heart up, there will be many problems and a fall. Men were not created for, nor can we handle praise and fame, as all the praise has always been reserved for our faithful Lord!
Jesus Christ was tried and tempted by the greatest evil and darkness of all, yet He remained faithful to His Father so that you and I, through faith in Him, could receive of THAT faithfulness. Yes, we acknowledge that God uses us, but the emphasis is always on God working in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure (Philippians 2:13). God only honors what God does!
Seeking God in His Word and experiencing Him through faith in the sacrifice of Christ!
Pastor Curtis
Proverbs 27:21
As the fining pot for silver, and the furnace for gold; so is a man to his praise.
The fining pot heats up and melts silver just as the furnace does to gold. This illustration is compared to a man and how he deals with the praise he is given by others. When a man is praised by others, if in humility he will acknowledge it as the gift of God, the Lord can be exalted through it, but if the praise puffs the heart up, there will be many problems and a fall. Men were not created for, nor can we handle praise and fame, as all the praise has always been reserved for our faithful Lord!
Jesus Christ was tried and tempted by the greatest evil and darkness of all, yet He remained faithful to His Father so that you and I, through faith in Him, could receive of THAT faithfulness. Yes, we acknowledge that God uses us, but the emphasis is always on God working in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure (Philippians 2:13). God only honors what God does!
Seeking God in His Word and experiencing Him through faith in the sacrifice of Christ!
Pastor Curtis
Your Word for Today
"I do not frustrate the Grace of God: for if Righteousness come by the Law, then Christ is dead in vain (Gal. 2:21).
Many Believers think that because we are now living in the Dispensation of Grace, then Grace is an automatic thing. It isn’t! As the Holy Spirit through the Apostle here boldly proclaims, it is most definitely possible to “frustrate (throw away) the Grace of God,” which means to stop its action in our life.
The Grace of God is simply the Goodness of God extended to undeserving Believers. Christ is its Source, and the Cross is its means. It is superintended, totally and completely, by the Holy Spirit.
The word “frustrate” is from the Greek word “athetio,” which means “to do away with something laid down, presented, or established; to act towards anything as though it were annulled, to thwart the efficacy of anything, to nullify, to make void.”
The idea is this:
When a Believer attempts to live for the Lord by means of works, of adhering to law, indeed of any form, which means he is not living by Faith, Faith in Christ and the Cross, then such a Believer is “frustrating the Grace of God.” In other words, he stops its flow, without which no Believer can successfully live for the Lord.
The Holy Spirit bluntly says through the Apostle that “Righteousness” cannot come by the Law. In other words, it is impossible.
What did the Apostle mean by that?
Most modern Christians dismiss this Passage, thinking that because we are now living in the Dispensation of Grace, then Law is no longer a problem. But I would remind the Reader that Paul was living in the Day of Grace, and yet the Holy Spirit knew it was necessary to give this admonition.
Why?
When Paul spoke of “Law,” he was either speaking of the Law of Moses or else any type of law devised by anyone, which purports to help one live for God. And that is the problem of the modern Church! It is not so much the Law of Moses that is presently the problem, but rather laws made up by Churches or individuals. If it’s not Faith in Christ and the Cross, and that alone, then, in some way, it’s Law. That being the case, all Righteousness is stopped, because no Righteousness can come by law, whether God-devised or man-devised. If it can, then Jesus didn’t need to come down here and die on a Cross.
So, we are told in this one Verse of Scripture that it is “Jesus Christ and Him Crucified,” or it is nothing!"
— Donnie Swaggart (taken from the “Word for Every Day”)
Donnie Swaggart
"I do not frustrate the Grace of God: for if Righteousness come by the Law, then Christ is dead in vain (Gal. 2:21).
Many Believers think that because we are now living in the Dispensation of Grace, then Grace is an automatic thing. It isn’t! As the Holy Spirit through the Apostle here boldly proclaims, it is most definitely possible to “frustrate (throw away) the Grace of God,” which means to stop its action in our life.
The Grace of God is simply the Goodness of God extended to undeserving Believers. Christ is its Source, and the Cross is its means. It is superintended, totally and completely, by the Holy Spirit.
The word “frustrate” is from the Greek word “athetio,” which means “to do away with something laid down, presented, or established; to act towards anything as though it were annulled, to thwart the efficacy of anything, to nullify, to make void.”
The idea is this:
When a Believer attempts to live for the Lord by means of works, of adhering to law, indeed of any form, which means he is not living by Faith, Faith in Christ and the Cross, then such a Believer is “frustrating the Grace of God.” In other words, he stops its flow, without which no Believer can successfully live for the Lord.
The Holy Spirit bluntly says through the Apostle that “Righteousness” cannot come by the Law. In other words, it is impossible.
What did the Apostle mean by that?
Most modern Christians dismiss this Passage, thinking that because we are now living in the Dispensation of Grace, then Law is no longer a problem. But I would remind the Reader that Paul was living in the Day of Grace, and yet the Holy Spirit knew it was necessary to give this admonition.
Why?
When Paul spoke of “Law,” he was either speaking of the Law of Moses or else any type of law devised by anyone, which purports to help one live for God. And that is the problem of the modern Church! It is not so much the Law of Moses that is presently the problem, but rather laws made up by Churches or individuals. If it’s not Faith in Christ and the Cross, and that alone, then, in some way, it’s Law. That being the case, all Righteousness is stopped, because no Righteousness can come by law, whether God-devised or man-devised. If it can, then Jesus didn’t need to come down here and die on a Cross.
So, we are told in this one Verse of Scripture that it is “Jesus Christ and Him Crucified,” or it is nothing!"
— Donnie Swaggart (taken from the “Word for Every Day”)
Donnie Swaggart
Bread Crumbs “Goin’ Home!”
Jesus told His disciples that He was going away. But He also informed them that His leaving had a tremendous purpose. He stated that He was going back to heaven to prepare a place for all of His disciples. This world that we live in is not all that we have to look forward to. For each and every believer, Christ has already designed, built, and furnished a home in the heavens, specifically for each of us. I am sure that the design is something that all of us will enjoy. I am not a betting man but I would even wager that every single place He builds is a unique, one-of-a-kind construction, furnished with things the mind simply cannot conceive of. The neighborhood’s going to be pretty good too! No crime, no hate, no riots, no politics, no false religion, and no unbelievers. Finally I will be somewhere where everybody wants to be and would not dream of ever leaving. He said He’s gone away to get that special place ready for us. And if it's true that He went to do that, then it is also true that He’s coming back, that where He is, I might also forever be. Come quickly, Lord Jesus!
John 14:2-3 - In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. (3) And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
Pastor Loren Larson
Loren Larson Ministries
Jesus told His disciples that He was going away. But He also informed them that His leaving had a tremendous purpose. He stated that He was going back to heaven to prepare a place for all of His disciples. This world that we live in is not all that we have to look forward to. For each and every believer, Christ has already designed, built, and furnished a home in the heavens, specifically for each of us. I am sure that the design is something that all of us will enjoy. I am not a betting man but I would even wager that every single place He builds is a unique, one-of-a-kind construction, furnished with things the mind simply cannot conceive of. The neighborhood’s going to be pretty good too! No crime, no hate, no riots, no politics, no false religion, and no unbelievers. Finally I will be somewhere where everybody wants to be and would not dream of ever leaving. He said He’s gone away to get that special place ready for us. And if it's true that He went to do that, then it is also true that He’s coming back, that where He is, I might also forever be. Come quickly, Lord Jesus!
John 14:2-3 - In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. (3) And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
Pastor Loren Larson
Loren Larson Ministries
The Miracle of God’s Word
Proverbs 27:22
Though thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar among wheat with a pestle, yet will not his foolishness depart from him.
No amount of punishment can change the heart of a fool, because the fool is saying in his heart there is no God (Psalm 53:1), and as long as someone says there is no God, foolishness will control their life. There is no escape outside of acknowledging the reality of God through faith in the Son He sent to die for the sins of the world. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came to deliver every man, woman, boy and girl from sin, and from all of its foolishness! I’m so glad to be free today!
You can be free today from sin, its guilt, shame and all the foolishness which it brings to our lives. You can spend your lives on Jesus Christ because He spent His on you! Oh let us worship the Lamb today and forever!! I will not be ashamed of my Lord because He is not ashamed of me!
Seeking God in His Word and experiencing Him through faith in the sacrifice of Christ!
Pastor Curtis
Proverbs 27:22
Though thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar among wheat with a pestle, yet will not his foolishness depart from him.
No amount of punishment can change the heart of a fool, because the fool is saying in his heart there is no God (Psalm 53:1), and as long as someone says there is no God, foolishness will control their life. There is no escape outside of acknowledging the reality of God through faith in the Son He sent to die for the sins of the world. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came to deliver every man, woman, boy and girl from sin, and from all of its foolishness! I’m so glad to be free today!
You can be free today from sin, its guilt, shame and all the foolishness which it brings to our lives. You can spend your lives on Jesus Christ because He spent His on you! Oh let us worship the Lamb today and forever!! I will not be ashamed of my Lord because He is not ashamed of me!
Seeking God in His Word and experiencing Him through faith in the sacrifice of Christ!
Pastor Curtis
Your Word for Today
“O foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ has been evidently set forth, crucified among you? (Gal. 3:1).
The phrase, “O foolish Galatians,” is an expression of surprise mingled with indignation. The word “foolish” is from the Greek word “anoetos,” which means “stupidity that arises from deadness and impotence of intellect.” In other words, he was telling them, “You know better than to throw over the Gospel of Grace, which you have been taught and which you received, for this perverted gospel.”
The word “bewitched” is from the Greek “baskaino,” and refers, in a sense, to being hypnotized. It’s the same as a snake transfixing a rodent with its eyes, and the rodent looking into the snake’s eyes, unable to move. It refers to a “power of evil.” In other words, the unscriptural message being preached by the Judaizers, which repudiated the Cross, had a bewitching effect to it, because of the power of the Devil.
That is the reason that Believers accept the false messages of the “Word of Faith” doctrine, the “Government of Twelve” doctrine, the “Purpose Driven Life” doctrine, etc.
There is, however, one difference, in then and now:
The Galatians had had Paul as their teacher originally; therefore, they had most definitely been brought incorrectly. So they were leaving, or at least some of them were, the Message of the Cross for a perverted message, which causes the Apostle to refer to them as “fools.” Presently, most modern Believers have absolutely no knowledge regarding the Cross and Sanctification. They have heard messages only on the Cross as it regards Salvation.
In fact, one of the favorite sayings among Believers who are truly Born-Again, and rightly so, is, “Jesus died for me.” Beyond that, however, they have no idea how the Cross plays into their daily living. As a result, they are perfect targets for false doctrine, i.e., “the bewitched eye.” Continuing to speak of the modern Church, even when the Cross is preached to them, it is little received by most, hence, Jesus saying, “Because straight is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leads unto life, and few there be who find it” (Mat. 7:14).
Just the other day over the SonLife Radio Network, a dear Brother who is a member of Family Worship Center gave his testimony. He had been brought out of the “Government of Twelve” doctrine. He mentioned that he and his wife had recently listened to some of the tapes of the things demanded of them while they were in that particular doctrine. He exclaimed how ridiculous some of the demands were that were placed on them — demands which were totally unscriptural. His summation was, “How stupid we were to have put up with that for even one hour!”
Is the Holy Spirit through Paul also saying too many today, “O foolish Believers. . . .”
To the Galatians, Paul preached Christ and Him Crucified so powerfully, so strongly, under such an anointing, that it was like Jesus had been “crucified among you.”
Over the SonLife Radio Network, owned by Jimmy Swaggart Ministries, the Lord has strongly demanded that I teach the Cross until He tells me to do otherwise. And that we shall do!”
— Donnie Swaggart (taken from the “Word for Every Day”)
Donnie Swaggart
“O foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ has been evidently set forth, crucified among you? (Gal. 3:1).
The phrase, “O foolish Galatians,” is an expression of surprise mingled with indignation. The word “foolish” is from the Greek word “anoetos,” which means “stupidity that arises from deadness and impotence of intellect.” In other words, he was telling them, “You know better than to throw over the Gospel of Grace, which you have been taught and which you received, for this perverted gospel.”
The word “bewitched” is from the Greek “baskaino,” and refers, in a sense, to being hypnotized. It’s the same as a snake transfixing a rodent with its eyes, and the rodent looking into the snake’s eyes, unable to move. It refers to a “power of evil.” In other words, the unscriptural message being preached by the Judaizers, which repudiated the Cross, had a bewitching effect to it, because of the power of the Devil.
That is the reason that Believers accept the false messages of the “Word of Faith” doctrine, the “Government of Twelve” doctrine, the “Purpose Driven Life” doctrine, etc.
There is, however, one difference, in then and now:
The Galatians had had Paul as their teacher originally; therefore, they had most definitely been brought incorrectly. So they were leaving, or at least some of them were, the Message of the Cross for a perverted message, which causes the Apostle to refer to them as “fools.” Presently, most modern Believers have absolutely no knowledge regarding the Cross and Sanctification. They have heard messages only on the Cross as it regards Salvation.
In fact, one of the favorite sayings among Believers who are truly Born-Again, and rightly so, is, “Jesus died for me.” Beyond that, however, they have no idea how the Cross plays into their daily living. As a result, they are perfect targets for false doctrine, i.e., “the bewitched eye.” Continuing to speak of the modern Church, even when the Cross is preached to them, it is little received by most, hence, Jesus saying, “Because straight is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leads unto life, and few there be who find it” (Mat. 7:14).
Just the other day over the SonLife Radio Network, a dear Brother who is a member of Family Worship Center gave his testimony. He had been brought out of the “Government of Twelve” doctrine. He mentioned that he and his wife had recently listened to some of the tapes of the things demanded of them while they were in that particular doctrine. He exclaimed how ridiculous some of the demands were that were placed on them — demands which were totally unscriptural. His summation was, “How stupid we were to have put up with that for even one hour!”
Is the Holy Spirit through Paul also saying too many today, “O foolish Believers. . . .”
To the Galatians, Paul preached Christ and Him Crucified so powerfully, so strongly, under such an anointing, that it was like Jesus had been “crucified among you.”
Over the SonLife Radio Network, owned by Jimmy Swaggart Ministries, the Lord has strongly demanded that I teach the Cross until He tells me to do otherwise. And that we shall do!”
— Donnie Swaggart (taken from the “Word for Every Day”)
Donnie Swaggart
Bread Crumbs “The Burden Bearer”
There are times in life where the situations we face are just too difficult to bear. The load feels so much greater than our perceived ability to carry it. Our hearts are discouraged, our minds are confused, and our willpower is all played out. It is in times like these, when the burden is more than we can bear, that a true friend shows their true colors. They know that they cannot eliminate this burden from our beings altogether. They know that the suffering we are enduring is something they cannot change. So they do what they can do to make the crushing load a little lighter. They come alongside and love us, speaking an encouraging word to us. They might hold our hands or just give a silent hug and a warm smile. Perhaps they take on some of our responsibilities just to allow us the chance to catch our breath. These are the burden bearers that make life bearable when we are too beaten down to carry on. Like Simon who helped carried the Cross of our Lord, they enable us to complete our journey. They cannot change the facts that surround us, but they do give us the temporary strength by which we may finish our course. Are you a burden bearer?
Galatians 6:2 - Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.
Pastor Loren Larson
Loren Larson Ministries
There are times in life where the situations we face are just too difficult to bear. The load feels so much greater than our perceived ability to carry it. Our hearts are discouraged, our minds are confused, and our willpower is all played out. It is in times like these, when the burden is more than we can bear, that a true friend shows their true colors. They know that they cannot eliminate this burden from our beings altogether. They know that the suffering we are enduring is something they cannot change. So they do what they can do to make the crushing load a little lighter. They come alongside and love us, speaking an encouraging word to us. They might hold our hands or just give a silent hug and a warm smile. Perhaps they take on some of our responsibilities just to allow us the chance to catch our breath. These are the burden bearers that make life bearable when we are too beaten down to carry on. Like Simon who helped carried the Cross of our Lord, they enable us to complete our journey. They cannot change the facts that surround us, but they do give us the temporary strength by which we may finish our course. Are you a burden bearer?
Galatians 6:2 - Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.
Pastor Loren Larson
Loren Larson Ministries
The Miracle of God’s Word
Proverbs 27:23
Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look well to thy herds.
The child of God is called to be diligent with his business as well as respected as a person of integrity. The minister is to know the state of the flock he has been given the oversight of, and to watch over them. This is done through the preaching and teaching of God’s Word in the context of Christ and Him crucified. Some will always need more teaching than others and some will not remain faithful to sound doctrine, but nevertheless the minister must remain faithful to feed the flock of God.
Jesus said that unless we eat His flesh and drink His blood, we will have no life within us (John 6:53). This He spoke of as having faith in His sacrifice at Calvary as the Lamb of God. The only Way the child of God can taste and see that the Lord is good (Psalm 34:8) is if he is tasting the same death that Christ tasted by grace (Hebrews 2:9), as this is where we are trusting the Lord or we are not trusting Him. Trust in Christ’s work at the cross for you and you will then find yourself laying hold of Eternal Life. His name is Jesus!!
Seeking God in His Word and experiencing Him through faith in the sacrifice of Christ!
Pastor Curtis
Proverbs 27:23
Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look well to thy herds.
The child of God is called to be diligent with his business as well as respected as a person of integrity. The minister is to know the state of the flock he has been given the oversight of, and to watch over them. This is done through the preaching and teaching of God’s Word in the context of Christ and Him crucified. Some will always need more teaching than others and some will not remain faithful to sound doctrine, but nevertheless the minister must remain faithful to feed the flock of God.
Jesus said that unless we eat His flesh and drink His blood, we will have no life within us (John 6:53). This He spoke of as having faith in His sacrifice at Calvary as the Lamb of God. The only Way the child of God can taste and see that the Lord is good (Psalm 34:8) is if he is tasting the same death that Christ tasted by grace (Hebrews 2:9), as this is where we are trusting the Lord or we are not trusting Him. Trust in Christ’s work at the cross for you and you will then find yourself laying hold of Eternal Life. His name is Jesus!!
Seeking God in His Word and experiencing Him through faith in the sacrifice of Christ!
Pastor Curtis
Your Word for Today
"This only would I learn of you, did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by the hearing of Faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now made perfect by the flesh? (Gal. 3:2-3).
There are two methods proposed here: One is man’s way; the other, God’s Way. Man’s way is the activity of law and works; God’s Way is the hearing of the Gospel and believing it. These two methods are opposed; and the answer to the question of Galatians 3:2 is that the Spirit is not received by legal works of any nature, but by listening faith, so to speak. In fact, “works” and “faith” are the keywords of Galatians 3:1-14. These two words set forth the opposing principles of Salvation by merit and Salvation by Grace.
In Galatians 3:3, the Apostle asks the question, “Are you to such a degree rational? Having begun your Christian life in dependence upon the indwelling Spirit, are you now being brought on to the state of spiritual maturity by means of self-effort?”
The words, “made perfect,” are from the Greek “epiteleo,” which means “to bring something to the place where it is complete.”
In preaching a message of law-obedience, the Judaizers caused the Galatian Christians to abandon the position of Grace and to put themselves in the sphere of law, both of the Judaizers’ system of legalism and that of the Old Testament economy. Regrettably, this is the type of message, i.e., law-obedience that is mostly being preached today.
In the Old Testament Mosaic Law, there was no provision for an indwelling Spirit Who would sanctify the Believer as that Believer trusted Christ and what He did at the Cross. As a result, the Galatians were turning away from the teaching and the reality of the Ministry of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Believer in this dispensation of Grace, Who works exclusively within the parameters of the Finished Work of Christ; instead, they were starting to depend upon self-effort in an attempt to obey an outward legalistic system of works.
Thus, these Christians who had begun their Christian lives in dependence upon the Holy Spirit now were depending upon self-effort to continue in them the work of Sanctification which the Holy Spirit had begun. In answer to that, Paul says, “How foolish to think that you can bring yourselves by this manner to a state of spiritual maturity in your Christian lives. That is the work of the Spirit, which He carries out in your life solely by your Faith evidenced in Christ and the Cross. Only He can do that for you.”
To make the idea, hopefully, simpler, consider this:
Believers are saved by Faith, which refers to Faith in Christ and what Christ did at the Cross. That alone is the basis of one’s Salvation. Nothing else must be interjected into that Finished Work. Further, Believers are sanctified, which refers to living a Godly, Holy life, solely by maintaining their Faith in Christ and the Cross, which then allows the Holy Spirit to perform His Work of Christlikeness and His Fruit within our lives (Gal. 5:22-23).
The Apostle asks, “Are you so foolish? You began in the Spirit, which came to you simply by Faith in Christ, and now do you think that you can come to maturity by ‘the flesh’?” The answer is a resounding “No!”'
— Donnie Swaggart (taken from the “Word for Every Day”)
Donnie Swaggart
"This only would I learn of you, did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by the hearing of Faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now made perfect by the flesh? (Gal. 3:2-3).
There are two methods proposed here: One is man’s way; the other, God’s Way. Man’s way is the activity of law and works; God’s Way is the hearing of the Gospel and believing it. These two methods are opposed; and the answer to the question of Galatians 3:2 is that the Spirit is not received by legal works of any nature, but by listening faith, so to speak. In fact, “works” and “faith” are the keywords of Galatians 3:1-14. These two words set forth the opposing principles of Salvation by merit and Salvation by Grace.
In Galatians 3:3, the Apostle asks the question, “Are you to such a degree rational? Having begun your Christian life in dependence upon the indwelling Spirit, are you now being brought on to the state of spiritual maturity by means of self-effort?”
The words, “made perfect,” are from the Greek “epiteleo,” which means “to bring something to the place where it is complete.”
In preaching a message of law-obedience, the Judaizers caused the Galatian Christians to abandon the position of Grace and to put themselves in the sphere of law, both of the Judaizers’ system of legalism and that of the Old Testament economy. Regrettably, this is the type of message, i.e., law-obedience that is mostly being preached today.
In the Old Testament Mosaic Law, there was no provision for an indwelling Spirit Who would sanctify the Believer as that Believer trusted Christ and what He did at the Cross. As a result, the Galatians were turning away from the teaching and the reality of the Ministry of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Believer in this dispensation of Grace, Who works exclusively within the parameters of the Finished Work of Christ; instead, they were starting to depend upon self-effort in an attempt to obey an outward legalistic system of works.
Thus, these Christians who had begun their Christian lives in dependence upon the Holy Spirit now were depending upon self-effort to continue in them the work of Sanctification which the Holy Spirit had begun. In answer to that, Paul says, “How foolish to think that you can bring yourselves by this manner to a state of spiritual maturity in your Christian lives. That is the work of the Spirit, which He carries out in your life solely by your Faith evidenced in Christ and the Cross. Only He can do that for you.”
To make the idea, hopefully, simpler, consider this:
Believers are saved by Faith, which refers to Faith in Christ and what Christ did at the Cross. That alone is the basis of one’s Salvation. Nothing else must be interjected into that Finished Work. Further, Believers are sanctified, which refers to living a Godly, Holy life, solely by maintaining their Faith in Christ and the Cross, which then allows the Holy Spirit to perform His Work of Christlikeness and His Fruit within our lives (Gal. 5:22-23).
The Apostle asks, “Are you so foolish? You began in the Spirit, which came to you simply by Faith in Christ, and now do you think that you can come to maturity by ‘the flesh’?” The answer is a resounding “No!”'
— Donnie Swaggart (taken from the “Word for Every Day”)
Donnie Swaggart
Bread Crumbs “Stay True”
Everywhere we turn today it seems as if someone is telling us about a product or an event that will “change our lives.” If we will just invest a little money in this or that our lives will be made so much better! Take this once a day! Put this in your kitchen! You need one of these in your bathroom! No bedroom is complete without this! The promises come swift and sure guaranteeing wholeness, wealth, and satisfaction. I have found that the only thing that is truly of value are the truths found in God's Word. Day by day I search through the passages of scripture as God's Spirit ministers to the need of my heart. It is not always easy to find the answers that I need. But I know if my heart is right and if I stay in tune with the Holy Spirit, I will be sure to find my way through this “maze” we call life. So do not be fooled by the empty promises that one hears about constantly. These cannot deliver what they promise. However, I have found the true prescription for spiritual and temporal success. Keep your nose in the book and your heart in the heavens.
Romans 8:14 - For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
Pastor Loren Larson
Loren Larson Ministries
Everywhere we turn today it seems as if someone is telling us about a product or an event that will “change our lives.” If we will just invest a little money in this or that our lives will be made so much better! Take this once a day! Put this in your kitchen! You need one of these in your bathroom! No bedroom is complete without this! The promises come swift and sure guaranteeing wholeness, wealth, and satisfaction. I have found that the only thing that is truly of value are the truths found in God's Word. Day by day I search through the passages of scripture as God's Spirit ministers to the need of my heart. It is not always easy to find the answers that I need. But I know if my heart is right and if I stay in tune with the Holy Spirit, I will be sure to find my way through this “maze” we call life. So do not be fooled by the empty promises that one hears about constantly. These cannot deliver what they promise. However, I have found the true prescription for spiritual and temporal success. Keep your nose in the book and your heart in the heavens.
Romans 8:14 - For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
Pastor Loren Larson
Loren Larson Ministries
The Miracle of God’s Word
Proverbs 27:24
For riches are not forever: and doth the crown endure to every generation?
The Lord says there can be wisdom to apply to our hearts if we will allow Him to teach us that our days are numbered (Psalm 90:12), which means we aren’t going to be here forever. We are just passing through as the people of God, and no matter what we have achieved, obtained, loved or hated, we will be leaving it all behind very soon.
Today is our opportunity to lay up treasure in heaven for ourselves, and while it is still called “Today” for us, we need to be hearing from the Lord and walking according to His will which is His Word. When our faith remains in Christ and His atoning sacrifice, the Holy Spirit will then legally (Romans 8:2) be allowed to give us the wisdom to run this race one more day! May the Lamb of God be praised today, as He holds the only riches or crowns that I’m interested in! Hallelujah!!
Seeking God in His Word and experiencing Him through faith in the sacrifice of Christ!
Pastor Curtis
Proverbs 27:24
For riches are not forever: and doth the crown endure to every generation?
The Lord says there can be wisdom to apply to our hearts if we will allow Him to teach us that our days are numbered (Psalm 90:12), which means we aren’t going to be here forever. We are just passing through as the people of God, and no matter what we have achieved, obtained, loved or hated, we will be leaving it all behind very soon.
Today is our opportunity to lay up treasure in heaven for ourselves, and while it is still called “Today” for us, we need to be hearing from the Lord and walking according to His will which is His Word. When our faith remains in Christ and His atoning sacrifice, the Holy Spirit will then legally (Romans 8:2) be allowed to give us the wisdom to run this race one more day! May the Lamb of God be praised today, as He holds the only riches or crowns that I’m interested in! Hallelujah!!
Seeking God in His Word and experiencing Him through faith in the sacrifice of Christ!
Pastor Curtis
Your Word for Today
“Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the Law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree: That the Blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the Promise of the Spirit through Faith (Gal. 3:13-14).
The Law assured Righteousness to all who perfectly obeyed it (Gal. 3:10), but condemned to death all who failed to give it that perfect obedience. Such an obedience was impossible to man, for he is morally imperfect, and moral imperfection cannot possibly render moral perfection. Christ redeemed the Believer from that doom because He suffered it Himself on the Believer’s behalf, and thus at Calvary affirmed the authority of that Law and vindicated its justice and goodness.
The Law has nothing to do with Faith (Gal. 3:12), for it teaches that he who practices its requirements lives by doing them. Christ in His Life perfectly obeyed all its commands, and in His Death discharged all its claims, and the merits of both His Life and Death are credited to the Believer in Him as though the Believer himself had performed them.
The word “redeemed” in the Greek is “exagorazo,” which means “to redeem from slavery, to purchase from off the auction block.” It carries the idea that such deliverance involves cost of some kind, effort, suffering, or loss to the one who effects the deliverance. It conveys the figure of a ransom. Men needed a ransom, for the law had left them prisoners under sentence of death. In fact, there are three Greek words for “redeemed” or “redemption.” They are:
1. “Agorazo”: This word means “to purchase from the slave market” (I Cor. 6:20).
2. “Exagorazo”: This word means “to purchase out of the slave market, never to be put up for sale again in any slave market,” which is the word of our present Text.
3. “Lutroo”: This root means “ransom money used to liberate a slave.” The idea is, “such a price has been paid that demons, devils, angels, Heaven, or Hell will never be able to say in eternity future that the price was insufficient” (I Pet. 1:18; Tit. 2:14).
The “curse of the law” is that which the legalistic passages of the Mosaic Law pronounced upon those who did not perfectly obey its demands. The Law pronounced a blessing and a curse. But the blessing proved barren, for the Law made no allowance for human sin and frailty. The curse, which involved the wrath of a righteous God, brought condemnation upon the offender. From this hopeless state of condemnation in which the sinner was not only helpless to redeem himself but helpless to satisfy the just demands of the law and thus find acceptance with God, Christ redeemed us by satisfying the just demands of the law which we broke, paying the penalty in our stead, leaving a Holy God free to bestow mercy on the basis of justice satisfied (Wuest).
Christ was “made a curse,” which means that He was not actually cursed by God.
The phrase, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree,” is taken from Deuteronomy 21:23. Any Jew who committed a heinous crime was first stoned to death and then hung upon a tree as a sign that he was cursed by God. When Jesus died on the Cross, He had to atone for the worst sins that could be imagined — in fact, all sin, and even the cause of sin. Inasmuch as He Himself had never sinned, and He, therefore, could not be cursed by God in that capacity, He had to be made a curse, which He was, as a Substitute on our part. It was the curse of the Mosaic Law that descended on Christ, subjecting Him to the death of a malefactor. The death of Jesus satisfied the legal demands of the Law, and, as our Substitute, when we identify with Him in His Death, in which He paid our penalty, the curse of the Law is likewise removed from us; consequently, the Cross of Christ is where our Redemption took place, and did so in totality (Col. 2:14-15).
Due to the curse being lifted on all Believers, the “Blessing of Abraham,” which is “Justification by Faith,” is given to all who believe, which includes the reception of the Holy Spirit, all through Faith — Faith in the Cross of Christ.”
— Donnie Swaggart (taken from the “Word for Every Day”)
Donnie Swaggart
“Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the Law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree: That the Blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the Promise of the Spirit through Faith (Gal. 3:13-14).
The Law assured Righteousness to all who perfectly obeyed it (Gal. 3:10), but condemned to death all who failed to give it that perfect obedience. Such an obedience was impossible to man, for he is morally imperfect, and moral imperfection cannot possibly render moral perfection. Christ redeemed the Believer from that doom because He suffered it Himself on the Believer’s behalf, and thus at Calvary affirmed the authority of that Law and vindicated its justice and goodness.
The Law has nothing to do with Faith (Gal. 3:12), for it teaches that he who practices its requirements lives by doing them. Christ in His Life perfectly obeyed all its commands, and in His Death discharged all its claims, and the merits of both His Life and Death are credited to the Believer in Him as though the Believer himself had performed them.
The word “redeemed” in the Greek is “exagorazo,” which means “to redeem from slavery, to purchase from off the auction block.” It carries the idea that such deliverance involves cost of some kind, effort, suffering, or loss to the one who effects the deliverance. It conveys the figure of a ransom. Men needed a ransom, for the law had left them prisoners under sentence of death. In fact, there are three Greek words for “redeemed” or “redemption.” They are:
1. “Agorazo”: This word means “to purchase from the slave market” (I Cor. 6:20).
2. “Exagorazo”: This word means “to purchase out of the slave market, never to be put up for sale again in any slave market,” which is the word of our present Text.
3. “Lutroo”: This root means “ransom money used to liberate a slave.” The idea is, “such a price has been paid that demons, devils, angels, Heaven, or Hell will never be able to say in eternity future that the price was insufficient” (I Pet. 1:18; Tit. 2:14).
The “curse of the law” is that which the legalistic passages of the Mosaic Law pronounced upon those who did not perfectly obey its demands. The Law pronounced a blessing and a curse. But the blessing proved barren, for the Law made no allowance for human sin and frailty. The curse, which involved the wrath of a righteous God, brought condemnation upon the offender. From this hopeless state of condemnation in which the sinner was not only helpless to redeem himself but helpless to satisfy the just demands of the law and thus find acceptance with God, Christ redeemed us by satisfying the just demands of the law which we broke, paying the penalty in our stead, leaving a Holy God free to bestow mercy on the basis of justice satisfied (Wuest).
Christ was “made a curse,” which means that He was not actually cursed by God.
The phrase, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree,” is taken from Deuteronomy 21:23. Any Jew who committed a heinous crime was first stoned to death and then hung upon a tree as a sign that he was cursed by God. When Jesus died on the Cross, He had to atone for the worst sins that could be imagined — in fact, all sin, and even the cause of sin. Inasmuch as He Himself had never sinned, and He, therefore, could not be cursed by God in that capacity, He had to be made a curse, which He was, as a Substitute on our part. It was the curse of the Mosaic Law that descended on Christ, subjecting Him to the death of a malefactor. The death of Jesus satisfied the legal demands of the Law, and, as our Substitute, when we identify with Him in His Death, in which He paid our penalty, the curse of the Law is likewise removed from us; consequently, the Cross of Christ is where our Redemption took place, and did so in totality (Col. 2:14-15).
Due to the curse being lifted on all Believers, the “Blessing of Abraham,” which is “Justification by Faith,” is given to all who believe, which includes the reception of the Holy Spirit, all through Faith — Faith in the Cross of Christ.”
— Donnie Swaggart (taken from the “Word for Every Day”)
Donnie Swaggart