“THERE IS NO SENSE IN PRETENSE” — 7/21/2018

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[A Bible Study In Being TRUTHFUL In The Offering Of Our Service To GOD And To Others]

INTRODUCTION:

It is the OPINION of THIS particular Teacher that there are MANY persons, within this World, who amount to not much more than being PRETENDERS, in various areas of their lives.  Their desires are to be thought of, favorably, by the many persons with whom they come into contact, each day, even when their efforts expended speak far less favorably of them.  We discover them in every walk of life: they are the History teachers whose grasps, and conveyance, of history is far less a reality than actual historical events would serve to support: they amount to nothing more than revisionists.  They are the attorneys whose grasps of certain areas of legal matters, and precedence, leaves much to be desired, for their clientele.  This is frequently discovered, and borne out, much too late, during a trial situation, inside the Courtroom.  They are medical personnel who don’t really listen to hear the concerns of a number of their patients, but assume, and pretend, that they already have all the answers, before they really know the problems.  Perhaps they are the preachers whose in-depth comprehensions of The Holy Scriptures leave so much to be desired, as they “toy” with the ETERNITIES of those persons that are frequently left without the answers that are so vitally necessary for the support of their FAITH.

While these are, but, an handful of examples, that this Teacher has just provided, they are, by no means, meant to be the only ones that could be given.  Name the employment area, or other activities in which persons engage, and one can find examples of the TRUTH of the contention that has been set forth, by this Instructor.  It seems that people enjoy pretending, especially when it comes to dealing with the realities concerning themselves.  They seem to want to PRETEND that they know, and understand, more than they do, have done more than they have done, and that any condition of the state of lack is to be found in others, rather than in themselves.

The Word of GOD, The Holy Bible, greatly unlike so many other published books, that tend to want persons to think in terms of “I’M O.K.; YOU’RE O.K.”, Encourages BELIEVERS/CHRISTIANS to look at themselves through The EYES of HONESTY, and to SEE themselves as they are in reality. THIS Teacher wants you ALL to STOP believing the hype that others speak, and write, about you, that serves only to inflate your egos to the size of the GOODYEAR BLIMP!  It is the considerable NONSENSE that persons so often proliferate upon the pages of FACE BOOK, that, in most cases, can clearly be SEEN to be LIES, promulgated to twist persons’ heads, and inflate their egos, for some ulterior motives, as they tell us how “beautiful” we look, how “gorgeous” or “handsome” we are, and how we never “seem to age”, and more!  From THIS Teacher’s vantage point, at least, as it concerns so much of such, that it is most certainly TRUE that beauty is obviously in the eyes of the beholders.

Students, today’s Lesson is one that will encourage us to cast away the nihilism that seems to have engulfed the principles of many, even many of those within the ranks of the churches, today.  They NO LONGER appear to want to speak the TRUTH of matters, to anyone, but desire, instead, to be anodyne in their approaches, so as not to be offensive, even when such involves conveying The TRUTH of The WORD of GOD.  How UNFORTUNATE for ALL, as in their alacrity, and eagerness, to embrace the people, and things, of this WORLD, they become TRAITORS to The TRUTH of The WORD of THE ETERNAL GOD OF HEAVEN AND EARTH, and HIS Most Righteous Son.

“THERE IS NO SENSE IN PRETENSE” — 7/21/2018

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It is THIS Teacher’s desire that the Students of the Great Grace Bible Study Group will be those whose lives are steeped in The Righteousness [Right-Living] that Emanates from KNOWING The TRUTH of GOD’s Word, who choose to put GOD’s Word into action within their lives, so that they will be among those who truly realize that THERE IS NO SENSE IN PRETENSE.

May YAHVEH GOD, THE ONE TRUE AND LIVING GOD OF HEAVEN AND EARTH, Make us to be those who appreciate The Depth of The Spiritual Nature of this Righteous Concept.   Amen.

And now, today’s Lesson.

LESSON:

Matthew 23:13 “But woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for ye shut up The KINGDOM of HEAVEN against [from] men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer [allow/permit] ye them that are entering to go in.”

Students, we begin our Lesson with these words, spoken by our Master, Yeshua Ha Meshiach/Jesus The Messiah/Christ. These words pose a grave WARNING for those who hear them: WOE!  These words are to be indicative of the fact that something quite dangerous is extant in the situation that is under discussion; so, then, it is imperative that we begin to truly UNDERSTAND the situation, and the purpose, for which these words are being spoken.  DO NOT allow yourselves to place the situation, under discussion, into a time warp.  In other words, DO NOT attempt to limit these words to a period of time long past.  But, recognize that these words are just as applicable TODAY, as they were during that particular era in which they were spoken.

There were men, known as Pharisees, along with others with whom they closely associated, known as Sadducees, Essenes, and Scribes, who were strict Legalists, as it pertained to their regarding, and honoring, the words of what was known as The LAW of Moses, which was The TORAH: (Hebrew: The Law/Instruction/Direction), and, later The PENTATEUCH: (Greek: The Five Books), which were/are the inclusion of The FIRST FIVE BOOKS of The OLD TESTAMENT. These individuals promoted, to the people of the nation, a sense that they attempted to be adherents to ALL of The LAWS recorded, and particularly those listed within The BOOK of LEVITICUS. What would THIS Teacher like to have you recognize, as Students of the Great Grace Bible Study Group?  It is this: These men were not casual adherents to These Laws, but were, for the most part, STRICT ADHERENTS to Them.  For all intents, and purposes, they APPEARED to be those that took GOD’s WORDS, recorded by the Prophet, Moses, as seriously as Those Words could be taken. IF this WERE actually TRUE of them, then WHY would The Master say to them, so often, “WOE?”?!?  Of WHAT is The Master WARNING these men, and others who might be LIKE them, even today???  Let us see.

14 “Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence [pretense] make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation [condemnation]!”

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What do you SEE, here, Beloved?  Yeshua/Jesus says that these men KNOW, and are fully aware of the fact that they ARE NOT what they are meant to be [“…for a pretense…”]: they are PRETENDERS!  They ARE HYPOCRITES!  They are trying to perform a “Snow Job” on the people, in an attempt to obfuscate and make the people believe that they are men who are doing that which The TORAH(Hebrew) / PENTATEUCH(Greek) direct the people to do.  Let’s hear The Master tell us of some of the UNRIGHTEOUS things, practiced by these UNrighteous persons: They care absolutely NOTHING for those who are truly widows! (James 1:27; I Timothy 5:3)  On the contrary, they force them out of their houses, so that they might personally own them, or sell them to others for profit.

Matthew 23:15 “Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye compass sea and land to make one Proselyte [Convert], and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.”

Yeshua/Jesus tells us, through his statement to these men, that they are persons who are willing to travel any distance [“…compass sea and land…”] to do that which will cause another/others to believe as do they [Proselytes].  Then, these UNrighteous teachers/preachers will steep these unsuspecting persons in those things that are divergent to The TRUTH of The WORD of GOD [Holy Scriptures]!  It will become next to impossible to later Convert such persons to The TRUTH, once they have been held in the grips of such ERRONEOUS DOCTRINE and Dogma! Notice that The Savior refers to these men as “hypocrites”; why is this?!?  It is because they knowingly do what they do, without ever being fully knowledgeable of, or convinced that, they have factual evidence that what they do is, both, RIGHTEOUS and TRUE!  They do what they do simply in lockstep with others of their peers, who share similar erroneous beliefs, and practices.  Others who see, and know, what these persons do, become adherents of their UNrighteousness, and begin to follow their detestable leads.

16 “Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, ‘Whosoever shall swear by The Temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the Gold of The Temple, he is a debtor!’”

Yeshua begins to provide examples of some of the errant positions of which these persons are guilty of promulgating.  These persons are those who begin to attempt to parse the TRUTH of various situations.  In this instance, Yeshua uses The Temple as his example.  These persons act as though it might be appropriate, acceptable, and permissible, for one to use one area of The Temple, upon which to swear, while insisting that they must not swear by some other segment, or content, of that same building.  They completely IGNORE what is written in Matthew 5:34-37.  They attempt to TWIST the MEANING of the PURPOSE for The Temple’s existence: The RIGHTEOUS WORSHIP of YAHVEH GOD!!  They TAINT, for others, the PURPOSES of GOD!

17 “Ye fools and blind: for whether [which] is greater, the Gold, or The Temple that Sanctifieth the Gold?”

Should it not be OBVIOUS to us that the greater of the two is The TEMPLE, itself, which impacts upon that which comes within its walls?!?  Think in these terms: When a person enters a church building, is not what takes place within that building to CHANGE the very life of the one who enters into it???

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Matthew 23:18 “And, Whosoever shall swear by The Altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty.”

Once again, we find that these persons are attempting to place their own “Spin” upon what is to be The TRUTH of GOD.  The ALTAR, Which Is To REPRESENT YAHVEH GOD’s PRESENCE and HOLINESS Among the people, is actually being minimized and maligned through the actions of these UNrighteous individuals. These persons realize that what they are doing is UNACCEPTABLE to YAHVEH GOD, when compared to what is written within The Holy Scriptures, but they just DON’T CARE!  They are HYPOCRITES!  Today, there are MANY persons who do the SAME things, as they allow what is done within their various churches to become FAR LESS than that which YAH [THE HEAVENLY FATHER and Son] Have Intended to be that which is The TRUE Church of GOD.

19 “Ye fools and blind: for whether [which] is greater, the gift, or The Altar that Sanctifieth the gift?”

Again, we are presented with the following consideration: Which has the greater power, The ALTAR that DOES the Sanctifying, or that which is ultimately Sanctified by It?!?  Would not that which DOES the Sanctifying be GREATER than that which it Sanctifies?!?  Indeed, It Would Be! So, then, we have the following consideration:

20 “Whoso therefore shall swear by The Altar, sweareth by It, AND by ALL things thereon [upon it].”

Do you UNDERSTAND this verse, Beloved? The ALTAR Is clearly SUPERIOR, for It REPRESENTS The PRESENCE of YAHVEH GOD In the lives of the people, and Is That Which Is Meant To Sanctify whatever is placed upon It.  When one receives the MEANING of The ALTAR’s Existence, one receives that which is placed upon It, as well, for such is Its PURPOSE For Existing. Even more than this, the general PURPOSE of The ALTAR is also meant to REPRESENT a considerable PART of the overall PROCESS of CLEANSING, so as to cause what is placed upon It To Become CLEAN, and ACCEPTABLE As A SACRIFICE To A MOST HOLY GOD!

21 “And whoso shall swear by The Temple, sweareth by it, and by HIM That Dwelleth Therein.”

Now, we come to the issue of SWEARING, which, again, is a SIN that so MANY persons, including far too many of those that call themselves “Christians” and “Believers”, are GUILTY of committing.  Do they not KNOW the words of Matthew 5:34-37, which this Teacher shared with you, just a few minutes ago?  Do they not KNOW the SEVERITY of that which they do, when they swear?!?  THIS verse is telling us that WHENEVER a person swears, he/she is committing The INTEGRITY Of ALMIGHTY YAHVEH GOD To Attest To the TRUTH of whatever he/she is stating to others.  Either such a person is completely CLUELESS, concerning The Word of GOD, is an overt FOOL, for doing such an untenable thing, or he/she simply DOES NOT BELIEVE in GOD, at all!  One must decide WHICH of the three one has chosen to be.  It’s just that simple an issue.  Let us continue.

Matthew 23:22 “And he that shall swear by HEAVEN, swearth by The THRONE of GOD, and By HIM That Sitteth Thereon.”

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As a Teacher/Preacher of The Word of GOD, it is necessary that THIS Instructor must tell persons the TRUTH about themselves, even when it hurts, even as this Instructor must tell the TRUTH to himself, about himself!  NO ONE is allowed to slide! NONE of us is as good as he/she might THINK of himself/herself: be ASSURED of this fact!  Some will walk away, after hearing what this Teacher has just stated, either physically, or mentally, because they cannot seem to bear hearing The TRUTH about themselves!  Beloved, please understand that there is ALWAYS ROOM for improvement!  Do we not RECOGNIZE that we are in Christian Spiritual Boot Camp?!?  We are currently in TRAINING for The KINGDOM of HEAVEN!!!  This IS NOT a game that we are playing!  This IS NOT just “getting our church on” each week!  Each day of our lives, we are fighting for our ETERNAL LIVES!!!  Don’t those who insist that they are Christians/Believers UNDERSTAND this fact?!!?  WHY don’t they???

Matthew 23:23 “Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye pay Tithe of Mint and Anise and Cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of The LAW, Judgment, Mercy, and FAITH: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other [things] undone.”

Have you ever paused to inquire of yourselves what this verse MEANS, Students, especially when it speaks of the “weightier matters” of The LAW? And of what “LAW” is it speaking?  What LAW is it that more completely covers GOD’s Judgment, Mercy, and FAITH, for Man-Types?  Is it The TEN COMMANDMENTS?  MANY religious persons seem to THINK that this is the reference of this verse.  But, what do YOU think?!?  The reality is that one will NEVER really know about this area of inquiry UNTIL one has read, thoroughly, The BOOK of LEVITICUS, and particularly Chapters 17 through 20, and 23.  In addition, this Teacher hopes that, very soon, Christian Believers, all over the World, will STOP the NONSENSE of acting as though The OLD TESTAMENT Scriptures do not apply to today’s Christianity.  That is an absolutely absurd thought, and its ASSUMPTION is RIDICULOUSLY WRONG!!!  The PROBLEM, as THIS Teacher sees the matter, comes in the fact that preachers just DON’T UNDERSTAND, ARE NOT interested, or ARE NOT well-versed in, the application of The OLD TESTAMENT, and Its LAWS, to this NEW TESTAMENT Era.  One day, The Glorified Savior, Yeshua Ha Meshiach/Jesus The Messiah/Christ Will Return To this Earth, and He Will PROVE whether THIS Teacher’s contentions, about The Word of GOD, and The LAW, along with those comparatively few other Preachers/Teachers, who hold to the SAME TRUTH of The FAITH, as does THIS Teacher, have Been CORRECT all along.

24 “Ye blind guides, which strain at a Gnat, and swallow a Camel!”

Look at the words of our Master.  He calls these individuals “BLIND Guides”, because, while they are supposed to be those who KNOW The TRUTH of GOD’s Word, they are FAR from actually being such. They have the greatest problem [strain] while embracing that which is most insignificant, and least important [Gnat], only to easily accept that which they should hardly allow [Camel], at all.

Today, as an example of the point that is being made, so MANY churches are embracing the concept of Speaking In Tongues [S.I.T.], within their churches, because, they seem to feel that, somehow, it makes them “more Spiritual”.  They find it to be a fascinating concept, and wave it around, within their services, almost like a flag.  From THIS Teacher’s perspective, this can be considered to be a “Gnat”,

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because it is really not as important an issue as so many other issues regarding our SALVATION. On the other hand, many of these same persons will REJECT the keeping of The COMMANDMENTS (John 14:15), Which SHOULD BE considered to be a prime concern [Camel], and IS to be embraced.  As those who CLAIM to be the Children of GOD, we NEED to be more concerned about doing those things that ARE CLEARLY PLEASING To our GOD, and STOP so much of the PRETENDING to be that which we actually ARE NOT!  How are so many of us any DIFFERENT from the Scribes and the Pharisees?!

Matthew 23:25 “Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.”

As mentioned, just a moment ago, MANY persons, within the churches, are greatly into putting on a display, or an outward show, for others to witness.  They will attempt to dispute what this Teacher says, for they are frequently more the PRETENDERS OF The FAITH, than they are the CONTENDERS FOR The FAITH.  A part of THIS Teacher’s job is to get individuals to where they NEED to be, and away from where they are currently.

People tend to want that which is ostensible.  Like the Scribes and Pharisees, persons tend to emphasize that which will cause others to talk of favorable things about them, as opposed to them really being the genuine article, through and through.  They are the PRETENDERS of which this Lesson speaks, who are so very willing to go in the direction of whatever social and political winds blow in the particular directions they support, often without any display of a true moral compass. They want others to THINK highly of them, and often to see them as that which they ARE NOT, in reality! (Romans 12:3)  This is what Yeshua addresses as washing the OUTSIDE of the cup and platter; things that are visible to the eyes of others, while the INSIDE, which persons CANNOT see, remains full of that which is most UNdesirable [“…full of extortion and excess”].  Precious Hearts, let us recognize that The Master DID NOT simply say these things for only the Scribes and Pharisees to hear: He said them just as much for our benefits, as well.  IF we are truly the CHRISTIANS/BELIEVERS, that we CLAIM we are, we NEED to sincerely ask YAHVEH GOD To CHANGE us, From the inside out, and To MAKE of us That Which HE Desires, but which we so often only PRETEND is the situation.

26 “Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse FIRST that which is WITHIN the cup and platter, that the OUTSIDE of them may be clean also!”

Now, The Master tells those who might not truly be fully aware of their plights, what is to be done to CLEANSE themselves in this areas of their UNrighteous behaviors.  They must FIRST begin to look, penetratingly, at themselves, and to make an honest assessment of who they are, in reality. This is done by honestly comparing themselves, their beliefs, and their actions, to the contents of The Word of GOD [The Holy Bible], and NOT to do that which many of them so easily do: compare these areas to what others around them believe and are doing.  They must seek to PLEASE GOD, and NOT other Man-Types (Galatians 1:10), which, admittedly, is a very difficult thing to do. SECONDLY, they must determine to make the necessary CHANGES, to themselves, that are required to make them more LIKE

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Christ/Meshiach.  When these INTERIOR things have been done, one might, at that point, be more certain of the fact that one is CLEAN on the OUTSIDE, as well.

Matthew 23:27 “Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye are like unto whited [painted/white-washed] sepulchres [gravesites], which indeed appear beautiful outward[ly], but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness.”

REMEMBER, Beloved, that The Savior’s words are being directed to US as much as they are to the Scribes and Pharisees!  One might say that we are ALL rocking in the SAME boat! We ALL NEED to be CLEANSED, REGULARLY!!!  The CLEANSING of our hearts/minds/Spirits IS NOT to be viewed as being just a one time situation!  It IS NOT a “One And Done” situation!  It is to be viewed as ON-GOING!  We are NEVER so “Clean” that we no longer require Being WASHED By The HOLY SPIRIT of YAH (Ephesians 5:26-27).  This Condition TAKES AWAY so much of the PRETENSE that tends to take hold of our lives, as we Walk through so much of the unavoidable FILTH of this World and life (I Corinthians 5:7-13).  YAHVEH GOD, Through HIS Righteous Son, The Glorified Yeshua Ha Meshiach, Will JUDGE those UNrighteous persons OUTSIDE The BODY of CHRIST [The TRUE Church of GOD], but those of us WITHIN That BODY are to JUDGE ourselves NOW!!! (I Peter 4:17-18) This will begin to eradicate so much of the PRETENSE that SHOULD NOT, but currently does, exist within The BODY of BELIEVERS.

28 “Even so ye also OUTWARDLY APPEAR RIGHTEOUS unto men, but WITHIN ye are FULL of hypocrisy and Iniquity [SIN].”

Listen to these words, Beloved!  There is a WARNING in them, being issued TO US, and not merely to the Scribes and Pharisees!  Yeshua/Jesus begins to stress the reality of persons putting on a display for others to see, while NOT BEING genuine of Spiritual Character before GOD!  Need THIS Teacher tell you of just how GUILTY so many of us are in just this area alone?!?  MANY of us are completely phony-baloney when it comes to BEING what we SHOULD be; and the Truth is that we AREN’T trying to make the necessary CHANGES to become different!  Can we not SEE, from the words of this verse, that such is SIN [Iniquity]?!?

29 “Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because ye BUILD the tombs of the Prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the Righteous,”

Now, we, once again, enter into very deep Spiritual and Social Waters, Beloved.  What is the MEANING of THIS verse?  Yeshua addresses what is a very great Spiritual and Social reality for our own time, maybe even more that that of the period during the Scribes and Pharisees: PRETENDING that we are NOT really responsible for certain occurrences and developments that took place before we were born, came of age, or persist in their continuations.  Allow THIS Teacher to bring this reality into focus for our current time period, if you will.

As THIS Teacher has previously told you, as Members of the Great Grace Bible Study Group, there are NUMEROUS persons, today, who are willing to SHIFT their responsibilities for the continuation of

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certain Social Problems: according to them, it’s not their faults that certain things exist. They attempt to HIDE behind this EXCUSE, indefinitely: “It’s not on me!  I wasn’t there, and I didn’t do it!  Somebody else did it, and I’m not responsible; and I don’t intend to take the blame for it!”

Matthew 23:30 “And say, ‘If we had been in the days of our fathers [ancestors], we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the Prophets!’”

This verse represents religious people, today, saying: “If I had been back there, during that period, I wouldn’t have done that.  If I had witnessed that taking place, I would not have allowed that to happen!  I would have stepped in and done something!!!  While I don’t know what I would have done, at the time, I know that I would have done something!”  Have you not HEARD persons say things quite similar to this?  Of course you have!!!  We ALL have!  It is their weak attempts to HIDE OUT from their RESPONSIBILITIES to do what it is RIGHT for them to do, TODAY!  FORGET about YESTERDAY, for it is DONE, and CANNOT be undone!  Deal with TODAY, and make today RIGHT!  Do you not SEE that what people are saying, in many instances, TODAY, is quite the SAME as that which the Scribes and Pharisees were saying, during the time that Yeshua was here, upon the Earth? (Ecclesiastes 1:9-10)

31 “Wherefore, ye be WITNESSES unto yourselves, that ye ARE the CHILDREN of them which KILLED the Prophets.”

What Yeshua/Jesus is stating, in the words of THIS verse is as follows: “By your own admissions, you are saying that you REALIZE that there was a PROBLEM with what was done by your ancestors: they were UNRIGHTEOUS persons!  You HAVE NOT BEEN UNAWARE of what took place with them!  You HAVE KNOWN!  But, you DID NOTHING about changing the atmosphere that brought about such situations!  You DID NOT make any CHANGES to yourselves, or to the situation overall, where you could have, but continued to do as did your ancestors before you.  How, then, are you any better than were they?!?”

32 “Fill ye up, then, the measure of your fathers!”

Yeshua/Jesus continues: “Since you HAVE KNOWN about the discrepancies, but have done NOTHING about them, you were making an overt CHOICE.  Through your LACK of overtly denouncing it, and certain offsetting Righteous Actions that would follow, you, like your fore-parents, were CHOOSING to BE UNRIGHTEOUS!  So, then, my advice to you is that you CONTINUE to be as UNRIGHTEOUS as you will, in doing what your ancestors did in the past, and which you have accepted.  Continue to do it UNTIL my FATHER Decides that the time is up.  At that point, you will have FILLED UP the full measure of the entirety of the UNRIGHTEOUSNESS of yourselves, and that of your forefathers!  Does this amaze you?!!?”

33 “Ye Serpents! Ye generation of Vipers! How can ye escape The Damnation of Hell [Gehenna Fire]?!?”

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Yeshua goes on: “You are vile, and are like snakes, slithering around.  How can you dare to THINK, in your UNrighteous conditions, that you will escape my FATHER’s JUDGMENT and Eventual CONDEMNATION To Gehenna Fire, and total annihilation, in The LAST DAYS?!?”

Are you SEEING it, Beloved?!?  These persons’ UNrighteous LIVES and WORKS are currently JUDGING them! (Matthew 7:16-17)  So MANY Religionists, today, are AFRAID, and, at the very least, RELUCTANT, to CONFRONT UNRIGHTEOUS members of their own congregations with the TRUTH that THIS Teacher is now telling you!  They “dance” around the periphery of the UNrighteousness of those over whom they have oversight, rather than tackling it head-on!  THIS is among the many reasons WHY the churches DON’T really CHANGE in their characters!!!  Their pastors, often through their LACK of action, SUPPORT them in their WRONG-DOING, because they say little, or nothing, to them about their failures to adhere to genuine RIGHTEOUS STANDARDS!  When MANY of those pastors speak about such things, they PRETEND that such things are applicable to others, in other congregations, and other places, rather than to those within their own church congregations.  Are they not being hypocritical, in doing such things?!  Indeed they are!!

Matthew 23:34 “Wherefore [For THIS reason], behold, I send unto you Prophets, and Wise Men, and Scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your Synagogues, and persecute them from city to city:”

As it was during the days of Yeshua, upon this Earth, so it remains TRUE of today: YAHVEH GOD Sends, To the people of the nation, those FEW men (James 3:1), whom HE Has Truly CALLED, and EQUIPPED, Into HIS Pulpit Ministry, to tell the people of their many SINS, but FEW of them will listen to the TRUTH of the words that are spoken to them.  They will reject them, and will rebuff those persons who speak them.  Then, they will attack those who dare to tell them The TRUTH That YAH [THE HEAVENLY FATHER and Son] Have SENT those men to tell them.

35 “That upon you may come ALL the Righteous blood shed upon the Earth, from the blood of Righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, son of Barachias, whom ye slew between The Temple and The Altar.”

36 “Verily I say unto you, ‘All these things shall come upon THIS generation!”

In the year 66 AD, The Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed by the Roman Legions led by Titus.  In 70 AD, led by Roman General, Vespasian, under the orders of Emperor Nero, of Rome, for their rebellion against Roman authority, Judea was placed under complete Roman subjugation.  When The Temple’s destruction came, according to Yeshua’s Prophetic Words, not one stone of The Temple was left standing upon another.

37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the Prophets, and stonest them which Are Sent Unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings [for protection], and ye would not [allow me to do so]!”

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As we begin to wind down this Lesson, today, we listen as The Master sums up the TYPE of ATTITUDE that infects the hearts/minds of far more persons, within churches, as well as outside of them, today, than most individuals would ever like to admit to being true about themselves: “Thou killest the Prophets, and stonest them which Are Sent [By GOD] Unto thee…”.  Our Lord is continuing to tell us, TODAY, as He told those men, centuries ago, that there are persons who have the SAME ATTITUDES of PRETENDING that they are BETTER than they are, in actuality.  Rather than to seek to genuinely discover The TRUTH about themselves, and to CHANGE their hearts, and, therefore, themselves, they want to continue to PRETEND that they ARE NOT GUILTY of committing so many of those OFFENSIVE things of which they are completely at fault.

What does it MEAN when Yeshua states: “How often would I have gathered thy children together,…and ye would not”?  WHAT was The Master telling them, as well as us?!? Students, whenever persons gather things together, it is BECAUSE they obviously WANT to have, or to possess, them, for some reason.  Yeshua WANTED the people of the nation of Israel [Jerusalem/Judah], as His POSSESSIONS, from the very beginning of their existences (Deuteronomy 7:7-8).  THE HEAVENLY FATHER, and He, Had Tried, Throughout the centuries, To PERSUADE the people of Israel/Judah to BELIEVE and TRUST in THE FATHER, and eventually in The Son, as well, for their SALVATION, and eventual DELIVERANCE, but the people continued to refuse to do so [“…and ye would not.”].  All along, the people of Israel only PRETENDED to truly be The Children of GOD, and would wave this “status” much like a flag.  They WANTED others to KNOW about such a STATUS with YAHVEH GOD, that they only PRETENDED to possess!  Throughout the passing centuries, they continued to PRETEND!  They were even willing to give their lives, in a number of instances, to maintain this level of PRETENSE!  Today, this still remains TRUE of far too MANY Jewish Hebrew persons, within the nation of Israel, and throughout the entire WORLD.  They WILL NOT allow themselves to come to YAHVEH GOD, in TRUTH, Through BELIEF in HIS Most Righteous Son, The Glorified Yeshua Ha Meshiach/Jesus The Messiah/Christ.  They CONTINUE, adamantly, to DENY Him, as their Lord, Savior, Messiah, and Coming King!!!

Today, MANY of the churches of this World continue to PRETEND, to themselves, as well as to others, that the nation of Israel is, at least, on a path to becoming what it SHOULD BE before YAHVEH GOD, when that nation, and its people, are VERY FAR from being anywhere close to this, in TRUTH!  Today, as THIS Teacher writes this Lesson, the people of the nation of Israel continue to make it a most UNRIGHTEOUS nation!  THIS Teacher, like so MANY of today’s Religionists, would be a LIAR, IF THIS Teacher were to take the same position, regarding the nation of Israel, as do they.  THIS Teacher WILL NOT DO SO!!!  Is it because this Teacher DOES NOT LOVE the people of Israel?  A THOUSAND TIMES NO!!!  It is BECAUSE THIS Teacher DOES LOVE THEM, deeply, that this Teacher will dare to tell them The TRUTH That so many others will NOT tell them; The TRUTH That, alone, can ultimately SAVE them (John 8:31-32).  If only they would listen to, and hear, the words of their own Prophets, maybe they would come to UNDERSTAND!  But, they WILL NOT [“…but you would not”].

The churches SIN a GREAT SIN in NOT telling these people The TRUTH about the reality of the situation of their Status Before A HOLY and JUST GOD!  They are living, each day, on LIMITED

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TIME, and Walking upon DANGEROUS SPIRITUAL GROUND With YAHVEH GOD!  THERE IS NO SENSE IN PRETENSE: NOW is The DAY of SALVATION! (II Corinthians 6:2)

CONCLUSION:

Beloved Ones of GOD, YAHVEH GOD, and HIS Most Righteous Son, The Glorified Yeshua Ha Meshiach, CALLED THIS Teacher Into Servitude, within The Pulpit Ministry of The KINGDOM of HEAVEN, NOT to be liked, embraced, bragged about, admired, or to win friends, but to INFLUENCE the people that hear this Instructor’s words, regarding The KINGDOM of HEAVEN, and The RIGHTEOUSNESS [Right-Living] that it will take to get There!  Since THERE IS NO SENSE IN PRETENSE, can we become much more genuine in displaying, for the entire WORLD to see, The FAITH that we insist is within us?

Until next time, Beloved …

GOD AID US TO STOP PRETENDING AND TO START CONTENDING FOR THE FAITH.

AMEN

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“GAINING BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF ASPECTS OF THE BOOK OF COLOSSIANS” — 7/14/2018

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[A Study And Discourse On The TRUTH Regarding Areas Of The BOOK Of COLOSSIANS]

INTRODUCTION:

Today, it will be THIS Teacher’s intention to tackle an area of Holy Scriptures that it actually emotionally “pains” this Instructor to hear so MANY Religionists TWIST, in an effort to have this same area of Scripture support their ERRONEOUS ecclesiastical positions, doctrines, and dogma. They have frequently presented, on numerous occasions, THEIR positions; so, with this opportunity, THIS Teacher will, now, present THIS Teacher’s position on the same topical material.

Beloved of GOD, please allow this Teacher to make the following statement, and to follow it up with some questions: “It is quite DIFFICULT for someone to teach others about that which he has little, or no, real understanding.  GOD Has PROMISED To ENLIGHTEN The Spiritual Eyes of UNDERSTANDING of those that KEEP HIS RIGHTEOUS COMMANDMENTS.  So, then, is it not understandable that when persons deliberately CHOOSE to denounce HIS COMMANDMENTS, ignore THEM, along with insisting that certain Portions of HIS WORD have been made irrelevant to ‘Christians/Believers’, today, HOW, then, is it that those persons would expect YAHVEH GOD To REVEAL Greater Depth of The TRUTH of HIS WORD To them?!!?  It just WON’T happen!! They have only the teachings of other vacuous persons, such as themselves, to follow, and upon which to lean.  Through what they do, they are actually assisting in BREAKING The FAITH of those who WOULD otherwise Believe, IF those persons were only to HEAR The TRUTH told to them!”

On this occasion, it will be the thrust of THIS Teacher to attempt to CORRECT some of the MISUNDERSTANDING that is being foisted upon the UNsuspecting minds of those who are gullible to this erroneous and misinformed teaching, promulgated within the classrooms of their Seminaries and Bible Schools.  THIS Teacher asks only that Students of the Great Grace Bible Study Group PRAY, and ask YAH [THE HEAVENLY FATHER and Son] To OPEN their Spiritual Eyes of Understanding, and To GUIDE THIS Teacher, and all of them, so that we might, individually and collectively, Be Enabled to SEE The TRUTH of GOD’s WORD, much more clearly, rather than to embrace, and adhere, to so much of the ERRANT instruction that proceeds from the pulpits, and writings, of so many mis-informed, and ill-informed, persons, today.

The BOOK of COLOSSIANS, is one in which the Apostle, named Paul, presents to The Body of Meshiach/Christ [The TRUE Church of GOD], MANY Spiritual Truths that require noting.  It is TIME OUT for the jokes from the pulpits, the pretentiousness, the arrogance, the strutting, the posturing, and the hypocrisy, that barrages so many of today’s congregations, as well as our radio and television network programming, from those who identify themselves as “Ministers” of “The GOSPEL”, whose words are being sucked up like beverages through straws! REMEMBER, Beloved, that it is ONLY The GOSPEL Message IF it is a restatement of exactly The TRUTH That Yeshua Ha Meshiach/Jesus The Messiah/Christ, himself, brought to us!  It is LONG PAST TIME for us to become as SERIOUS as we could ever be, about this matter of The KINGDOM of GOD; for men, women, boys, and girls, all over the WORLD, are perishing in their SINS, and are without The HOPE of The KNOWLEDGE, That ONLY GOD Can Give To them, while so MANY Religionists are grasping for more, and continue to

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laugh their ways through this life! Will they Not Be JUDGED for their egregious SINS of contemptuousness, displayed toward The SERIOUSNESS of The TRUTH of GOD’s WORD?

May YAHVEH GOD Grant that THIS Teacher, along with each Member of the Great Grace Bible Study Group, will BE a TRUE BELIEVER/CHRISTIAN, one who takes EVERY WORD OF GOD to heart, so as to become a beneficial SLAVE/SERVANT of The Master.   Amen.

And now, today’s Lesson.

LESSON:

Colossians 1:12 “Giving Thanks Unto THE FATHER, WHICH [WHO] Hath Made us meet [Acceptable] to be partakers of The Inheritance of The Saints in LIGHT [Truth and Righteousness]:”

This verse presents Students of the Great Grace Bible Study Group with WHY THIS Teacher is so adamant, about those who CLAIM to be preachers/teachers of GOD’s WORD, being strict adherents to presenting The TRUTH, and NOT those that are engaged in vacillating, or flipping like a Pancake, while trying to support some long-held, untenable, religious position; and particularly when that position tends to be an erroneous one.  GOD’s Word Calls us SAINTS of LIGHT!  This MEANS that we WALK in The TRUTH!!!  Therefore, it is incumbent upon us to LEARN The TRUTH, so that we might be able to WALK in It.

13 “WHO Hath DELIVERED us from the power of Darkness, and Hath Translated [Transported / Placed] us Into The KINGDOM of HIS Dear Son:”

Do you UNDERSTAND this verse, Students?  It is sharing with us the fact that YAHVEH GOD Has Provided To us the MEANS through which we no longer have to Walk in the Deception of Spiritual Unrighteousness: we have been FREED from that Darkness! (Galatians 5:1)  Notice, however, that DARKNESS has POWER!  Do you SEE it???  Its POWER comes in its deceptive ability, as well as its entrapment to hold persons steadfastly within its grasp.   This is WHY it is so difficult, for a TRUE Minister of Righteousness to help to break the YOKES of MISUNDERSTANDING that weigh so heavily upon the necks of so many religious persons, as the words of I Corinthians 14:10 continue to ring so very true, for that period, as well as for our own time.  The TRUE BELIEVER/CHRISTIAN Has Been Taken, By GOD, and PLACED [Translated/Transported/Placed] Into The KINGDOM of HIS Dear Son, The Glorified Yeshua Ha Meshiach/Jesus The Messiah/Christ, but he/she still REQUIRES PROPER Instruction in The Things of GOD.

14 “In Whom [Yeshua/Jesus] we have Redemption through His BLOOD, even The Forgiveness of SINS:”

15 “Who Is The Image [An Exact Copy] of The INVISIBLE GOD, The Firstborn of EVERY creature:”

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Now, we begin to step into The Realm of HEAVENLY Events, Which Would otherwise be unknown to us, as The Apostle, named Paul, begins to tell us that about Which The Glorified Yeshua Ha Meshiach Has Taught him, By Revelation of the Spirit (II Corinthians 12:1-5, 7).

For those religious persons who would like to DENY that what THIS Teacher says about the “Express [Exact] Image” of Yeshua as being An EXACT COPY of THE HEAVENLY FATHER, this Instructor would like to direct your attention to the words of Yeshua/Jesus, spoken in John 14:7-9.  Do you not UNDERSTAND, Beloved, that Yeshua is saying that he LOOKS EXACTLY LIKE HIS FATHER, if one COULD physically SEE THE FATHER?!?  There is NO discernible difference!  Please DON’T attempt to spiritualize Philip’s request.  Philip WAS NOT speaking of Spiritual Things, but of the PHYSICAL!  He was desirous of actually SEEING GOD with his physical eyes!  Yeshua responded, directly, to that particular request.

Colossians 1:16 “For By Him Were ALL things CREATED, that Are IN HEAVEN, and that are IN Earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: ALL THINGS Were CREATED By Him, and For Him:”

If you listen to these words, through The EARS of your Spiritual UNDERSTANDING, you will, of necessity, come to recognize that, as THIS Teacher has told you, on this, as well as numerous other occasions, THERE WAS A PERIOD, BEFORE TIME EXISTED, DURING WHICH NOTHING ELSE EXISTED Other Than YAHVEH GOD!  Read the verse, again, and SEE it come to life within your Spirits!!! EVERYTHING ELSE, Aside From YAHVEH GOD, HAD TO BE CREATED, With The ONE EXCEPTION of The Son of GOD! Following The BEGGETAL of YAHVEH’s Son, Within The HEAVEN of Heavens, YAHVEH GOD [HO THEOS] TAUGHT, and OBSERVED, As HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN Son [Theos] CREATED ALL Things, Seen and Unseen.

17 “And He Is [Existed] BEFORE ALL THINGS, and By Him ALL THINGS consist [have their compositions and structures].”

Let this Teacher state it AGAIN, because it bears mentioning.  Beloved, these two verses reveal to us the following: Before Theos’/The Logos’/The Pre-Incarnate Yeshua’s BEGETTAL, By HO THEOS [THE GOD], THE FATHER, or YAHVEH GOD, there existed NOTHING Outside of THE HEAVENLY FATHER – absolutely NOTHING — Until The Son Was BEGOTTEN! You see, YAHVEH GOD Was Totally COMPLETE In HIMSELF, Alone, and REQUIRED NOTHING ELSE To Add To HIS Completeness, or Satisfaction!  However, YAHVEH GOD WANTED Something Different!  HE WANTED To Be WORSHIPED, by Creations LESS THAN / MORE INFERIOR TO HIMSELF, as NOTHING ELSE could EVER be equal to HIM! HE WANTED LOVE: Genuine, Requited, Meaningful, Lasting, Unashamed LOVE!  GOD Began It All By BEGETTING A Son. Following The CREATION of The HEAVENLY Angelic Hosts, YAHVEH GOD WANTED someone to Love HIM, Simply BECAUSE HE IS GOOD, LOVING, TENDER, and COMPASSIONATE!  Enter The PLAN For MAN-TYPES: The PLAN About Which GOD Has Told us, and we now call SALVATION, Over Which The Son of GOD Would Be The HEAD.  Let us read the following:

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Colossians 1:18 “And He [The Glorified Yeshua/Jesus] Is The HEAD of The BODY [of Meshiach/Christ], The CHURCH: Who Is The BEGINNING, The FIRSTBORN From the dead; that in ALL THINGS HE Might Have The PREEMINENCE.”

Beloved, answer something for this Teacher, if you will: “Were not there some persons who were raised from the dead in the times of The Old Testament, LONG BEFORE Yeshua came into the World? (I Kings 17:17, 19-22; II Kings 13:21)  Weren’t others raised to life in the period of The New Testament, as well? (Luke 7:11-15; John 11:43-44) Then, what do you explain as the MEANING of THIS verse, when it states that Yeshua was The FIRST-BORN From the dead?!?”

Precious Hearts, the MEANING is that The Glorified Yeshua WILL NEVER DIE AGAIN!  He Is The FIRST ONE From the dead, In this regard; For He Is One Who Will NEVER AGAIN REVISIT THE ISSUE OF DEATH!  Therefore, He Is Known As The FIRST-BORN FROM THE DEAD!  All other previous individuals, following them once having been raised from the dead, DIED AGAIN, But Yeshua NEVER WILL!  This POWER to LIVE ETERNALLY, Is WHAT YAHVEH GOD Has PROMISED To those that LOVE The Son, and OBEY THE FATHER (I John 5:11-12).

21 “And you, that were sometime [at one time] alienated and enemies in your mind, by WICKED WORKS, yet Now Hath He Reconciled.”

Do you, once again, Students, SEE that WORKS matter a great deal?!?  This verse tells us as much! Don’t ever allow anyone else to convince you otherwise.  It was the WICKED WORKS, that emanated from within the EVIL and UNRIGHTEOUS hearts/minds/lives of persons that SEPARATED them from YAHVEH GOD and HIS Righteous Son.  But, now, The Son Has Set them FREE From their SINS (Galatians 5:1; John 8:36).  The Entrance of The Glorified Yeshua Ha Meshiach/Jesus The Messiah/Christ, Into the lives of BELIEVERS/CHRISTIANS, Has Brought About a CHANGE of HEART/MIND; a CHANGE of PERSPECTIVE; a CHANGE of WALK; a CHANGE of TALK; a CHANGE of FRIENDS, and a CHANGE of LIFESTYLE, Because there has been a CHANGE of LIFE.

Colossians 2:2 “That their hearts might be Comforted, being Knit Together in Love, and unto ALL Riches of The Full Assurance of Understanding, to the acknowledgement of The Mystery of GOD, and of THE FATHER, and of Christ;”

Observe, Students, that COMFORT, for BELIEVERS/CHRISTIANS, comes in the fact that they are bound together, as a Support System, with other Believers/Christians, In The LOVE of GOD.  The reality is that we STRENGTHEN each other through our affiliations with those of like FAITH (Proverbs 27:17).  Then, given this consideration, would the converse side to this not mean that becoming involved with those persons OUTSIDE The FAITH, becomes a Spiritual Perversity, and would only serve to WEAKEN us?!? (II Corinthians 6:14-18)

6 “As ye have, therefore, received Christ Jesus The Lord, so Walk ye In Him.”

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Precious Hearts, what does it MEAN to “WALK” In Christ?  HOW does one accomplish such a Fantastic Feat?  While we hear this phrase mentioned, quite frequently, we need to know what is the consistency of its make-up.

Colossians 2:7 “Rooted and Built Up In Him, and Stablished [Established] in The FAITH, as ye have been Taught, abounding therein with Thanksgiving.”

Are you “Rooted” in The FAITH? Are you really?  Then, tell this Teacher what this actually MEANS?  Do you have to pause to THINK about it?!?  Then, chances are that you might NOT be as “Rooted” as you might initially have thought to be the situation.  Being “ROOTED” MEANS to be STEADFAST, or UNWAVERING!  This factors into the other part of this verse: Being “Built Up” in Meshiach/Christ: this covers the area of LEARNING, Beloved.  We MUST LEARN about our Savior, and, then, determine whether we are truly WALKING, TALKING, and LIVING, LIKE Him!  Such is WHY Peter says what he says in II Peter 3:18.  This is HOW one becomes ESTABLISHED in The FAITH!

8 “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the World, and NOT AFTER Christ!”

Here is a potential DANGER for ANY BELIEVER/CHRISTIAN: listening to so much of the ERRONEOUS NONSENSE that is written, and spouted, by persons who have actually STRAYED AWAY from The FAITH of Meshiach/Christ, as their teachings and writings are not, at all, congruent with so much of The TRUTH of The Holy Scriptures.  One MUST take the time, and invest the effort, to COMPARE what these persons preach/teach/write to what is written within The Holy Scriptures!  Are they FAITHFUL to The GOSPEL Message?!?

9 “For IN Him Dwelleth ALL The FULNESS of The GODhead Bodily.”

This verse imparts to us the fact that The Glorified Yeshua Ha Meshiach Has EVERY PORTION of The ENTIRETY of THE GODhead Captured Within Himself: THE HEAVENLY FATHER, and The HOLY SPIRIT Are ALL Within Him.  He Is, Now, EVERYTHING That THE HEAVENLY FATHER Is, and He Is Already The Holy Spirit Personified.  What does this mean for us, as The Children of GOD?  It MEANS that Whenever The Glorified Yeshua Speaks, or Does, ANYTHING, that is Recorded Within The Holy Scriptures, He Speaks For ALL of HEAVEN, For ALL Time! (John 12:49; 7:16-18)

10 “And ye are COMPLETE IN HIM, WHICH [WHO] Is The HEAD of ALL Principality and POWER.”

When we have Christ, and are IN Him, we have The FULNESS of The GODhead. There is NOTHING MORE to be added; He Is, Indeed, The ALPHA [The Beginning] and The OMEGA [The Ending] (Revelation 1:8; 22:13): Yeshua Ha Meshiach, The RIGHTEOUS One of GOD, Is The Prologue, and The Epilogue, To EVERYONE’s story that is written during this lifetime, whether each person will honor Him, or not.  GOD Has Chosen To Make It So That IN Him EVERYTHING Consists.

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Colossians 2:11 “In WHOM also ye Are Circumcised With The Circumcision Made Without Hands, in putting off the Body of the SINS of the flesh by The Circumcision of Christ.”

So, now, THIS Teacher asks: “What IS this CIRCUMCISION of CHRIST, That Is Performed WITHOUT the involvement of anyone’s hands being necessary, meaning that there is NO physical operation that takes place?!”  The MEANING of this verse is that something is “cut away”, or REMOVED, from our lives, In The REALM of The SPIRIT, just as the foreskin has been removed from the male appendage, within so many human cultures, for centuries.  The COST of this “Operation” Has Been PAID IN FULL, Through An ASSURANCE PLAN Offered To us, By YAHVEH GOD, upon The Cross at Calvary, and Is Performed, Instantly, By “DOCTOR” YAHVEH, The GREAT PHYSICIAN, Without an Operating Room or Anesthesia.  HE Has Performed countless numbers of these Operations, very successfully, Over the Centuries of Time, As HE REMOVES the SINFUL NATURE of EVERY man/woman/boy/girl who comes to HIM, and sincerely ASKS for HIS FORGIVENESS.  This is the SAME REQUIREMENT That Is Assessed, To EVERYONE, Male or Female, for this Particular Procedure.  This Condition MUST BE MET AT THE TIME of the Performance of The Operation: NOTHING Is Done on Credit, or the condition of a future payment, as There is NO such requirement necessary, because the Debt Has Been PAID!

12 “Buried With Him in Baptism [of The Holy Spirit], Wherein also ye are Risen With Him Through The FAITH of The OPERATION of GOD, WHO Hath Raised Him from the dead.”

What THIS Instructor would like for each Student of the Great Grace Bible Study Group to notice is this: Do we not SEE that It Is YAHVEH GOD WHO Ultimately Makes ALL of this possible?!?  It Is THE HEAVENLY FATHER WHO Performs The Operation That we have just discussed, As It Was THE FATHER WHOSE POWER RAISED The Glorified Yeshua From the dead!  As THIS Teacher has continued to tell you: IF THE FATHER Had Chosen NOT To Raise The Son From the dead, Yeshua Would STILL Be as DEAD as dead can be!  It is that simple!  It is that TRUE!

13 “And you, being dead in your SINS and the Uncircumcision of your flesh, Hath HE [THE FATHER] Quickened [Made Alive With The Seed of ETERNAL LIFE] together With Him [Yeshua/Jesus], Having FORGIVEN you ALL Trespasses [Undisclosed SINS];”

IF you are a TRUE BELIEVER/CHRISTIAN, and take to heart Those Things Contained Within The Word of GOD [The Holy Bible], this verse tells you that EVERYTHING that occupies the areas of your minds, and lives, has now changed.  Because YAHVEH GOD Has Performed The OPERATION of CIRCUMCISING the FLESH of your heart/mind, By REMOVING the foremost consideration of such UNrighteous things from being, any longer, a major consideration within your life, and Has FORGIVEN you of every one of the SINS that once held you so tightly bound, Even While HE Has Positionally Given To you ETERNAL LIFE [“…Hath HE Quickened…”], As Well.  One day HE Will Make That ETERNAL LIFE An Actual Condition, or Reality, When The Glorified Yeshua Ha Meshiach [Jesus The Messiah/Christ] Returns To this Earth, To JUDGE the whole World In RIGHTEOUSNESS (Acts 17:31), and To REWARD us according to our Works/Deeds.

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Colossians 2:14 “Blotting out the handwriting of Ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;”

At this point, we begin to come into an area that has proven to be a stumbling block for MANY within the various churches, and denominations, of this World, regarding SEEING or HEARING The TRUTH.  So, it is incumbent upon us to talk about it, today, in an effort to clear up a few areas for those who will BELIEVE.  Now, as stated, this Teacher labors under no misconception that all persons will believe what this Teacher will say, on this occasion, for many of them will find that they are too steeped in their current, or former, beliefs to even want hear this Teacher’s words.  That is their prerogative, but THIS Teacher will tell that TRUTH no matter what might be their feelings.

Contrary to the MISguided popular OPINIONS of so MANY persons, this verse DOES NOT address The TEN COMMANDMENTS, at all!  You see, The TEN COMMANDMENTS Were NEVER considered to be the “Ordinances” of which this verse speaks. The TEN COMMANDMENTS Were ALWAYS KNOWN, and referred to, with the strict designation of “The COMMANDMENTS”.  The term “Ordinances” is a reference to those STATUTES that we find written throughout The BOOK of LEVITICUS, which had to do with The CEREMONIAL LAWS, and other legal concerns.

15 “And having spoiled principalities and powers, He Made a shew [display] of them Openly, Triumphing Over them in it.”

About what is this verse speaking?!?  How was it that Yeshua “spoiled” Principalities and Powers, and Made An Open Display of them?  Students, the MEANING of this verse is as follows: Yeshua DISAPPOINTED ALL of those who clearly THOUGHT that they had defeated Him: Satan the Devil AND the Pharisees and Sadducees.  He SPOILED their plans, which were intended to STOP Him, and to render Him inconsequential to the World.  How did that plan work out for them?!? When The Glorified Yeshua AROSE From the dead, and was openly SEEN by MANY, As YAHVEH GOD, THE FATHER, Put HIS Son On Open DISPLAY for the WORLD to SEE, He Had TRIUMPHED!!! (I Corinthians 15:55)

16 “Let NO man, therefore, judge you in meat [foods], or drink, or in respect of an Holy Day, or of the New Moon, or of The Sabbaths.”

The word “therefore” is an Adverb that is a modifier of the Verb “Judge”.  But, this still leaves its usage in question, for so many. What should be understood to be its MEANING, for the average individual?!?  Let us see.  What THIS verse says, is directly connected to what is written in the preceding verse.  BECAUSE The Glorified Yeshua Ha Meshiach Has RISEN From the dead, To LIVE FOREVERMORE, Making Him PREEMINENT in ALL things, DON’T you dare allow ANYONE else to judge you regarding ANYTHING that has to do with Him, all of which is contained within Holy Scriptures!!!  If Yeshua Has SAID that something is to be done, somewhere within His Word, DO IT!!!  DON’T listen to the words of others, who want to denounce this Truth! Do what Yeshua Has SAID is to be done!  Do we not have what is written in Hebrews 10:7? Indeed, we do!

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Colossians 2:17 “Which are a SHADOW OF THINGS TO COME; but The Body of Christ.”

Notice these words, very carefully, Students.  What does the phrase: “…A SHADOW OF THINGS TO COME…” MEAN???  It MEANS that there HAS TO BE SUBSTANCE TO THE SHADOW EXISTING SOMEWHERE, and That SUBSTANCE Is COMING!  There is NO SHADOW cast, where there is NO real SUBSTANCE to that shadow!  Do we not UNDERSTAND that the issue of The HOLY DAYS, and CLEAN and UNCLEAN MEATS, REMAIN RELEVANT, TODAY, because Yeshua Ha Meshiach/Jesus The Messiah/Christ, The One Who SPOKE These Words, and TOLD us of These Things, IS ALWAYS RELEVANT?!!?  He IS The SUBSTANCE, Existing WITHIN THE HEAVEN of Heavens, Who Is COMING To us, Again, That Continues To CAST The SHADOW of RIGHTEOUS THINGS, HERE, Upon this Earth!  THAT IS the MEANING of THIS verse!!!  There is NOTHING that ANYONE, ANYWHERE, can say, or do, that can UNDO this verse!  On the contrary, EVERYTHING, when properly UNDERSTOOD, SUPPORTS it!

Having said all of this, Beloved, THIS Teacher labors under absolutely NO misconception, whatsoever.  The phrase: “But The BODY [Is] of CHRIST”, SUPPORTS what THIS Teacher has just stated.  EVERYTHING Written Within The Word of GOD [The Holy Bible] Is but A SHADOW of The Actual BODILY SUBSTANCE, Itself, Which Is CHRIST/MESHIACH!  THIS INCLUDES The SABBATH DAYS and CLEAN Versus UNCLEAN MEATS.  This Teacher UNDERSTANDS this, FULLY, and WILL NOT change this position, just to become a part of MANY of those whose comprehensions of these verses are severely limited, and in ERROR!  Let’s spring just a bit ahead in the reading of our verses.

20 “Wherefore, if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the World, why, as though living in the World, are ye subject to ordinances,”

21 “(Touch not; taste not; handle not;”

22 “Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men?”

Please inform THIS Teacher just HOW IT IS that one becomes “…dead…from the rudiments [most elementary and basic things] of the World…” and the attendant ordinances, as this verse states? Also, HOW DO THESE THINGS “perish with the using”?  WHAT does this MEAN?!? Has ANYONE ever really EXPLAINED this to you?!?  What are we being told, here?!!?  Before THIS Teacher addresses the Answers to these questions, this Instructor wants Students to notice the part of the verse that states: “…after the commandments and doctrines OF MEN.”  Do you SEE it? Students, these verses ARE NOT talking about The COMMANDMENTS of GOD, As Spoken and Recorded Within HIS Word, The Holy Bible, but those beliefs and things orchestrated by MEN!!!

Now, let this Teacher ask, Students, again, in this manner: In the reading of these three verses, have you UNDERSTOOD their intent, and meaning?!?  Probably not!  The POINT of Verse 22 is meant to share the following Reality with us: as it is with most things, with which Man-Types have ever become involved, over time such things will become incapable of holding their interests for us, our zests for

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them will diminish, and they will wane in significance to us, and will become boring [“…perish with the using”].  This is BECAUSE they ARE NOT MEANT to last forever!  This IS NOT SO with The Things of GOD, Beloved.  Those Things Are MEANT To INCREASE in Their Value and Interest to us, over time, as They Become MORE RELEVANT and IMPORTANT To us, and to our SALVATION.

Now, allow THIS Teacher to ask: Are these verses directed toward The TEN COMMANDMENTS, Students?  NO!  Emphatically NOT!!!  When dealing with this portion of Scripture, when better informed, we find that Paul, The Apostle, was addressing Stoicism, and Asceticism, which were running rampant throughout certain of the communities of Paul’s day, which certainly included Colossae.  Now, just what WERE these two considerations, you ask?  As your Teacher, this Instructor would like to thank you for asking.  You might recall that THIS Instructor covered these two areas, a bit in-depth, during a past Lesson.  Basically, however, Stoicism was the teaching that Man-Types are in full control of their own emotions, and could gain “inner peace” through the continuous training and practice of Self-Control.  This segued into Asceticism which taught that persons could gain peace and ascendancy through abstaining from Worldly pleasures, and denouncing bodily urges.  While this is but a thumbnail sketch of the two philosophical schools of thought, you probably get the idea.  THESE are two of the areas that The Apostle was addressing, and NOT The COMMANDMENTS of THE LORD.  Listen to the words of the following verse, for greater assurance, and confirmation, that THIS Teacher has told you correctly.

23 “Which things have, indeed, a shew of wisdom in will-worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honour [honor] to the satisfying of the flesh.”

This verse is addressing persons’ corrections of the improprieties of their own flesh, which Stoicism and Asceticism were famous for teaching.  These things had absolutely NOTHING to do with YAHVEH GOD, and/or ANY of HIS RIGHTEOUS COMMANDMENTS!  In essence, these Schools of Thought attempted to convince their followers that any thought of An ALL-POWERFUL GOD, WHO Could CHANGE individuals’ lives, From the inside out, was completely UNNECESSARY, a possible fallacy, and a wasteful devotion of time and effort!  According to them, one could totally handle one’s own affairs quite successfully; which, when one UNDERSTANDS the Teachings of Christianity, proves to be diametrically opposite to our Beliefs and Values.

CONCLUSION:

It is necessary that this Instructor must bring this Lesson to a close, at this point, Students.  As it is certain you will agree, we have merely scratched the surface of so much of what could have been addressed in this Lesson, but time will not allow for such, today.  This Instructor sincerely hopes that Students of the Great Grace Bible Study Group will be found to have gained a bit more insight to what was The Apostle Paul’s thrust in presenting these verses to the people of Colossae, and to us, as well.  This Teacher is certain that it was a most difficult task for Paul to stand, face-to-face, before the people of the city, many of whom were likely among the most notable, and scholarly, of that day, and to boldly

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refute so much of the accepted teachings of the period, to which so many persons of our own day, without actually knowing it, continue to adhere, so very stringently.  We remember the words of the king of Israel, Solomon, spoken in Ecclesiastes 1:9-10, and realize that we aren’t always that different from so many of our predecessors.  The words of Paul still ring so TRUE for us, in the atmosphere of this present day.  This is among the numbers of reasons WHY it is necessary that we LEARN the content, and intent, of Paul’s words to the Colossians.

Until next time, Beloved …

MAY WE KNOW AS WE FOLLOW ON TO KNOW.

AMEN

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[The Immediacy Of The Necessity For Doing The RIGHTEOUS WORK Of The KINGDOM]

INTRODUCTION:

If you, as one who CLAIMS to BE a CHRISTIAN, and/or BELIEVER, were asked, what would you tell THIS Teacher is your concept of RIGHTEOUSNESS?  Along with this consideration, what would you say is a RIGHTEOUS WORK?!?  Is there even such a thing?!? In TRUTH, The Holy Bible Is Replete with the consideration of these Things; and, yet, so MANY CHRISTIANS/BELIEVERS either have NO real KNOWLEDGE of what amounts to such, they merely THINK that they know the answer, or they are taught to deny the necessity of even considering the thought of RIGHTEOUS WORKS, at all!  They are taught that FAITH, alone, is all that is required of them to enter The KINGDOM of HEAVEN.  So, then, they tend to do very little in this area of Spiritual Endeavor, and The Body of Christ [The TRUE Church of GOD], Suffers lack, because of their failures to attend to demonstrations of their FAITH.

So, then, with the various teachings regarding conflicting considerations, in just this area of information on Spiritual Understanding, alone, isn’t it incumbent upon us, and even long past time, for us to EXPLORE the TRUTH of such?

The SHADOWS of TIME are lengthening, and fast closing in upon each and everyone of us! Whether we like the thought, or not, our lives, lived in these bodies of flesh, are rapidly drawing to a close: The Darkness of Death is nearing.  Denials, and the ignoring of such things as WORKS, will not serve to drive away this reality.  TIME is winding down for you, and for this Teacher, as well.  We have so brief an opportunity remaining to learn that which we need to know, and ETERNITY is so very long.  What is the POINT?!  The Point is that we NEED to get this matter straight, NOW!!!  As THIS Teacher has said, so often, we DON’T have time to procrastinate, any longer, to assume that we know, or simply to take things for granted! WE DON’T HAVE FOREVER TO CHOOSE FOREVER!

Today’s Lesson is one that this Teacher hopes will encourage each Student of the Great Grace Bible Study Group, and, perhaps, some others outside of this Group, as well, to focus upon what will amount to just another area of UNDERSTANDING, that will expand our Spiritual Comprehension, and enable us to increase our grasps of greater TRUTH From GOD’s WORD.

Precious Hearts, YAHVEH GOD Wants HIS Children to be Intelligent Spiritually Enlightened Individuals, well-equipped for The KINGDOM of HEAVEN, similar to what we desire of our Earthly children, during this current lifetime.  Always bear in mind that YAHVEH GOD Is A FATHER, Too – OUR FATHER (Matthew 6:9).  This is WHY we call HIM “HEAVENLY FATHER”.  So, let us put on our Spiritual Thinking Caps, and seek to gain whatever THE FATHER and Son Would Have us learn, today.  May YAHVEH GOD Bless us, and Make us increasingly Wiser in The Things of GOD, which is among our most fervent Prayers.   Amen.

And, now, we begin today’s Lesson.

LESSON:

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Students, we open today’s Lesson by directing our attention to the words of The Apostle, named Paul, as he addresses the Members of The Church of GOD at Colossae.  There is something that Paul wants them, as well as us, to know.  The Apostle begins to connect the genuine nature of KNOWING GOD along with the matter of doing GOOD WORKS.  These two areas are actually inseparable, when one UNDERSTANDS The Word of GOD.  This is WHY The Apostle James says what he does in James 1:22-25.  Hopefully, each one of us is recognizing that WORKS are ESSENTIAL to one’s FAITH!

Colossians 1:9 “For this cause [reason] we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to Pray for you, and to desire that ye might be FILLED with The Knowledge of HIS Will, in ALL Wisdom and Spiritual Understanding;”

10 “That ye might Walk worthy of THE LORD unto ALL Pleasing, being Fruitful in EVERY GOOD WORK, and increasing in The Knowledge of GOD;”

What do you THINK the phrase “Walk worthy of THE LORD…” MEANS???  This verse shares with us the fact that it is GOOD WORKS that serve to Be PLEASING To YAHVEH GOD, as well as FAITH, because such WORKS speak to the reality of the existence of The Development of The KNOWLEDGE That Truly Comes Through one KNOWING GOD.  What is THIS Teacher saying? It is this: KNOWING GOD Means WORKING For HIM; it is just that simple a matter, Beloved. This is WHAT Yeshua/Jesus was indicating in the words of his PARABLE in Matthew 20:4.

11 “Strengthened With All Might, According To HIS Glorious POWER, Unto all Patience and Longsuffering with Joyfulness;”

The GLORIOUS POWER Of YAHVEH GOD, Operating Within the lives of HIS Children, Leads HIS Children to become more PATIENT, and LONG-SUFFERING, while still remaining JOYFUL, while undergoing those times when there is a need to wait upon certain developments.  Do you remember what THIS Teacher once told you regarding the DIFFERENCE between PATIENCE and LONG-SUFFERING?  Briefly, PATIENCE means simply WAITING for something to occur, at some more appropriate time, while LONG-SUFFERING means experiencing DIFFICULTIES during the waiting process.

12 “Giving Thanks Unto THE FATHER, WHICH [WHO] Hath Made us meet [suitable] to be Partakers of The Inheritance of The Saints in LIGHT;”

13 “WHO Hath Delivered us From the power of Darkness, and Hath Translated [Transferred] us Into The KINGDOM of HIS Dear Son:”

Look At What YAHVEH GOD Has Done For us, For Which we SHOULD be most THANKFUL.  It Is YAHVEH GOD WHO Has Done EVERYTHING Required, That Affords To us SALVATION, and ETERNAL LIFE, Within HIS KINGDOM.  HE Has Broken the power of Spiritual DARKNESS / SIN that once held sway over us, and Like A GREAT SPIRITUAL BRIDGE, Has TRANSPORTED [Translated] us Over Into The REALM, or KINGDOM, of HIS Dear Son.  For this Reason, we, as

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BELIEVERS/CHRISTIANS, are able to Walk [Function] In The LIGHT, which MEANS to FUNCTION in The KNOWLEDGE of Spiritual UNDERSTANDING of GOD’s WORD of TRUTH. Beloved, can we not SEE that any meaningful degree of Understanding, regarding GOD’s WORD, and WAY, will involve LEARNING?  There is NO WAY around the fact that one MUST LEARN, if, or when, one intends to be in ANY TYPE of Service To GOD!  Attending church services, wherever, and having simply an emotional, “Feel Good”, type of religion, IS NOT ENOUGH! LEARNING is ESSENTIAL for EVERY Child of GOD! (Isaiah 1:17)  It is just another PART of one’s RIGHTEOUS WORK.

Colossians 1:14 “In Whom [The Glorified Yeshua/Jesus] we have REDEMPTION, Through His BLOOD, even The Forgiveness of SINS:”

What are we to LEARN from THIS verse, Students?  We are to LEARN that The BLOOD of Yeshua Ha Meshiach [Jesus The Messiah] was ESSENTIAL To The WORK of REDEMPTION (Hebrews 9:11, 28), Which Allowed YAHVEH GOD To FORGIVE The PENALTY of death, that hung over every person, for SINS, which was much greater than the danger of The Sword of Damocles, as king Dionysius hung it suspended, by a single horse hair, threateningly, above the head of Damocles.

15 “Who [Yeshua] Is The Image of THE INVISIBLE GOD, The FIRSTBORN of EVERY creature:”

16 “For By Him [The Logos/The Living Word of GOD/Yeshua] Were ALL things CREATED, that Are In HEAVEN, and that are in [upon] Earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: ALL THINGS Were CREATED By Him, and For HIM:”

Do we UNDERSTAND, Beloved, That Theos/The Logos/The Living Word of GOD/The Pre-Incarnate Yeshua/Jesus Was WORKING LONG BEFORE He Ever Came Into this World, as these two verses indicate?!?  He Was Doing The WORK of CREATING, While He Was WITH THE HEAVENLY FATHER, Within THE HEAVEN of Heavens.  What THIS Teacher would like for Students to grasp, as well, is the Idea That Yeshua Was/Is “The FIRSTBORN of EVERY creature”. What is the MEANING behind this phrase?  It means exactly what it says: Yeshua Was The FIRSTBORN of every other creature that was ever to come into existence.  REMEMBER that He CAME OUT OF GOD, or WAS BORN OF GOD, Long BEFORE anything else, Other Than THE HEAVENLY FATHER, existed!

Did you notice something in the way in which THIS Teacher highlighted Verse 16, Students? Did you really?!  WHY did this Teacher write “…Were CREATED By Him, and For HIM”?  What do you notice, in particular?  Did you notice that THIS Teacher has written it so that one portion of the verse speaks of “Him”, and the other of “HIM”?  Do you see the DIFFERENCE?!!?  REMEMBER the words of John 10:30.  When The Logos/The Living Word of GOD/Yeshua CREATED For THE HEAVENLY FATHER, He Was CREATING For Himself, As Well.  We might also FLIP it to say: When The Logos CREATED For Himself, He Was CREATING For THE FATHER, Also.  THEY Are ONE With Each Other In ALL Things (John 17:21), Even Though THE FATHER Is THE GREATER ONE.

17 “And He [Yeshua/Jesus] IS [Existed] BEFORE ALL THINGS, and By Him [Yeshua/Jesus] ALL THINGS Consist [Have Been Made To Exist/ Were Created].”

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Colossians 1:18 “And He Is The Head of The Body, The Church: Who Is The BEGINNING, The FIRSTBORN from the dead; that in ALL THINGS He Might Have The PREEMINENCE.”

These two preceding verses continue to speak of The PRE-EMINENCE of Yeshua Ha Meshiach To ALL OTHER THINGS.  NOTHING ELSE, Other Than THE HEAVENLY FATHER, YAHVEH, existed before Yeshua.  This is The TRUTH, admit it, or not, which SO MANY persons, CALLING themselves “CHRISTIANS”, and “BELIEVERS”, WILL NOT CHOOSE TO ADMIT; but, THAT TRUTH Is Precisely WHAT These verses are telling us!  This is WHY Yeshua Has PRE-EMINENCE, and SUPERIORITY, Over EVERYTHING ELSE, Except YAHVEH GOD! (John 14:28)  This is WHY His NAME Is GREATER Than ANY OTHER name! (Philippians 2:9-11)

19 “For It Pleased THE FATHER That IN Him [The Son] Should ALL FULLNESS [of ALL Righteousness and Power] Dwell;”

We read this verse, regularly, but the question comes in whether we actually understand it.  What does it MEAN that “IN Him Should ALL FULLNESS Dwell”?  What is this “Fullness” That Is Said To Dwell IN Him?!?  Let’s read Colossians 2:9-10, together, shall we?  Still, the QUESTION remains: “What does this MEAN?!!?”  Let THIS Teacher begin to ANSWER, for you, the question that is being asked.  Look back at Colossians 2:2-7.  Herein is our ANSWER!  IF one is IN Yeshua Ha Meshiach/Jesus The Messiah/Christ, one is COMFORTED By GOD, and BOUND TOGETHER With other BELIEVERS/CHRISTIANS In The LOVE of GOD (Verse 2); one Is Given WISDOM, KNOWLEDGE, and UNDERSTANDING, so that one begins to truly KNOW GOD (Verse 3).  At such a point, one begins to have, infused into himself/herself, The Spirit of ORDER (I Corinthians 14:40), and a Steadfast FAITHFULNESS in Christ.  Also, we have what is provided to us in Colossians 2:11, as we begin to dispel, from our thinking, hearts, and our lives, Through The Presence of Jesus The Christ [Yeshua Ha Meshiach] Within us, the many SINS that once held such strong sway over our flesh and emotions.  The Glorified Yeshua Ha Meshiach, Has Now Become ALL THINGS That Are Necessary For SALVATION, To each one of us! (Ephesians 1:22-23)

There is NOTHING that is currently lacking, in the area of our SALVATION; Meshiach FULFILLS EVERYTHING That Pertains to GODliness, and the lives that we live, on a daily basis!

20 “And, Having Made PEACE, Through The Blood of His CROSS, By Him To Reconcile ALL THINGS Unto HIMSELF [THE FATHER]; By Him [The Son], I say, whether they be things in Earth, or Things in HEAVEN.”

WHAT is the MEANING of this verse, Beloved?!?  WHAT is there, within HEAVEN, that can possibly be capable of Being RECONCILED [Reinstated/Reunited] To GOD?!!?  Aren’t ALL Things That Were CREATED, To Exist In HEAVEN, Currently ONE With GOD?!?  So, you THINK so, huh???  If you do think this, then please explain to THIS Teacher the MEANING of THIS verse!  WHY is there a JUDGMENT necessary, and even REQUIRED, for ANYTHING That Is To Exist In HEAVEN?!!?  Isn’t EVERYTHING There RIGHTEOUS, PURE, and HOLY?!?  WHY must ANYTHING There be JUDGED?!!!  To this, the Members of the Great Grace Bible Study Group SHOULD already know the

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answers, but there are MANY other persons who WILL NOT know! Students, think REINSTATEMENT!  Now, let’s read the following TWO verses, from two different Books of The Holy Bible, as we continue to seek to find our Answer:

I Corinthians 6:3 “Know ye not that we shall Judge Angels?!? How much more things that pertain to THIS life?!”

Here, The Saints of GOD have the ANSWER to the Question of What There Is In HEAVEN That will NEED to Be Reconciled To GOD.  The following verse provides us with what we should know about those whom The Saints of GOD will ultimately Judge.  We will read that verse.

Jude 1:6 “And The Angels, Which Kept Not Their FIRST ESTATE, but Left Their Own Habitation, HE Hath Reserved In Everlasting Chains, Under Darkness, Unto The JUDGMENT of The Great Day.”

Students of the Great Grace Bible Study Group should already know, but it bears repeating, that there were actually THREE GROUPS of Angels That Are To Be Considered, at this point of our Lesson.  Those Three Groups Are: (1) The Holy Angels That Remained Faithful To YAH [THE HEAVENLY FATHER and Son], and Continue To Do So To this very day; (2) The Unrighteous Angels That Followed Lucifer, who became Satan the Devil, in his Rebellion against YAHVEH GOD’s HEAVENLY Governmental Structure; and (3) Those Angels That DID NOT remain within HEAVEN, To Do Battle Against Satan and his Angelic followers, but chose, instead, to abdicate Their responsibilities, and to flee from the scene of The Most Cataclysmic Battle That Has Ever Taken Place [“…The Angels, Which KEPT NOT their First Estate…”], as Michael, HEAVEN’s ONLY Arch Angel, followed by The Righteous Angels, Fought To Dislodge Satan, and to Throw Satan, and his Angels, From their HEAVENLY Abode, for Them NEVER AGAIN To Be Permitted to return There! (Luke 10:18)

II Corinthians 9:8 “And GOD Is Able To Make all GRACE Abound Toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to EVERY Good Work.”

Here is another REASON for GRACE, Which Is YAHVEH GOD Providing to us, Both, TIME and OPPORTUNITY To CHANGE ourselves, and to ACHIEVE that which Is Pleasing To HIM. Beloved: GRACE Provides To us GOD’s FAVOR In Aiding us in acquiring all of those Wonderful Spiritual Benefits that will enable us to perform The RIGHTEOUS WORK That YAHVEH GOD Has For each one of us to perform, and to continue to INCREASE in the doing of such.

I Corinthians 3:13 “Every man’s Work Shall Be Made Manifest: for The Day shall declare it, because it shall Be Revealed By Fire; and The Fire shall Try every man’s Work of what sort it is.”

Beloved, one of the great fallibilities, or character flaws, with us, as Man-Types, is this: We always think that our efforts will be overlooked, by others, and that our work will ultimately be minimized, marginalized, or completely ignored.  The Bottom Line is that we WANT to receive recognition for whatever we do. THIS verse tells us that YAHVEH GOD, Through HIS Righteous Son, Will NEVER

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Overlook ANY PORTION of what any one of us does, during this lifetime.  But, YAHVEH GOD Wants us to KNOW, without ANY doubt, that EVERYTHING that we do, Is Being Recorded Upon The Pages of HEAVEN’s Record Books! (Revelation 20:12)  This is NOT done for GOD’s Purpose, but for our own, as PROOF that CANNOT be denied.

As we continue to discuss this issue of WORKS, we come to the reading of this verse.  All of this is being done, by THIS Teacher, to DISPEL the comments of those persons who continue to want to insist that “The need for any consideration of WORKS is done away, through the existence of FAITH”!  They WANT to make James’ comments completely irrelevant, which they CANNOT DO!!! (James 2:14-17)  THIS Instructor grows increasingly TIRED of hearing a number of preachers’ words, as they continue to try to be “slick” with The Word of GOD, deceiving the people (Revelation 12:9), while so many others of them simply attempt to “huckster” persons into believing that which IS NOT TRUE, by twisting The Word of GOD, in their efforts to make It Say What It DOES NOT Say.  They employ their humorous anecdotes, and smooth verbiage, to disarm their listeners, as the people listening to them, laugh their ways through the Spiritual Minefields of Error and Deception, and further into The Darkness of Deception!

I Corinthians 3:14 “If any man’s Work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a Reward.”

Notice something about the wording of this verse, Students.  WHY does The Apostle, named Paul, tell BELIEVERS/CHRISTIAN persons that they are to have BUILT upon WORKS?  Did you observe that?!?  Please, read the verse, once again!  We SEE that the man/woman who HAS built upon RIGHTEOUS WORKS will receive a REWARD.  Beloved, GOD’s REWARDS ARE NOT Given To persons for merely “Showing Up”, but for doing NOTHING!!!  REMEMBER the words of Matthew 20:4!  The MEANING of Yeshua’s PARABLE [Story] of Matthew 20:1-16 Lives! GOD Has SAVED NO ONE for that individual to lounge around!  GOD Has Called EVERYONE, that IS Truly SAVED, to WORK!!!  Find our WHAT you are to DO, as a BELIEVER/CHRISTIAN, and DO IT, with ALL of your might!

15 “If any man’s Work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he, himself, Be Saved; yet so as be Fire.”

What if one should find oneself having wasted/wasting a lot of valuable TIME, doing a lot of what THIS Teacher calls “Busy Work”, but NOT the type of RIGHTEOUS WORKS That Promote The KINGDOM of HEAVEN?  What then?!?  This verse provides us with the ANSWER to that interrogative.  Those UNproductive Works Will Be BURNED UP, for they have ALWAYS been vacuous and MEANINGLESS!  They will be comparable to the old adage about the Rocking Chair: It gives one a lot to do, but one doesn’t go very far, or accomplish very much while doing it.

I Corinthians 15:58 “Therefore, my Beloved Brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in The Work of THE LORD, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in THE LORD.”

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Again, It Is The WORK of THE LORD That Really Matters!  It ISN’T a lot of the “Religious Stuff” that persons engage in doing, within the various denominational churches, and there are MOUNDS of such things that are being done, for persons to consider!  While those things might not necessarily be WRONG to do, in and of themselves, they still CAN’T be Determined to BE RIGHTEOUS WORKS!  They amount to being nothing more than FRUITLESS efforts, on the parts of those persons doing them.  They are similar to the foods that one eats, which provide only empty calories, but absolutely NO nutritional value, whatsoever!  THIS Teacher submits to you that numerous church activities, today, are simply “fillers”, and DECEIVE persons into THINKING that they are doing The Work of The KINGDOM, and are being Pleasing To GOD, when nothing could be further from The TRUTH!  Beloved, allow THIS Teacher to make it most EMPHATIC, once and for all: RIGHTEOUS WORKS Are WHAT YAHVEH GOD Declares, In HIS Word, The Holy Bible, To BE RIGHTEOUS WORKS!

Galatians 6:4 “But let every man prove his own Work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.”

Answer these questions, for this Teacher: “What ARE RIGHTEOUS WORKS?!?  Can a Work be declared to BE a RIGHTEOUS WORK simply because someone, within a church somewhere, says that it is a ‘Righteous Work?’  Is this what qualifies it to be ‘Righteous’?”  NO!  Not at all, Beloved!  What makes ANYTHING “Righteous” is BECAUSE YAHVEH GOD Has DECLARED it to be such! GOD NEVER Leaves It for you, someone else, or THIS Teacher, to set the parameters of RIGHTEOUSNESS!!!  This, of necessity, most certainly INCLUDES RIGHTEOUS WORKS, as well.  It is like being HOLY, Students: Something is ONLY HOLY When YAHVEH GOD DECLARES It To BE HOLY!  Like HOLINESS, RIGHTEOUS WORKS are ONLY RIGHTEOUS WORKS When GOD Has DECLARED them to be such! NEVER allow yourselves to forget this fact!

The UNDERSTANDING of this reality causes us to consider HOW it is that anyone is ABLE to “PROVE” his WORK, as this verse states SHOULD BE DONE: The ANSWER is that he/she COMPARES his/her WORKS to What Is WRITTEN Within GOD’s WORD!  NOT to what the pastor SAYS, or THINKS, or to what ANYONE else says, or thinks; but strictly to GOD’s WORD, Alone!  NOTHING ELSE!!!  This, BY NO MEANS, is meant to suggest that one is to ignore one’s pastor’s views, or those of other Members of the congregation; it means only to provide Students with The GOLD STANDARD of Righteous Comparison.  We are NEVER to forget what is written in Hebrews 13:17.

I Corinthians 16:10 “Now, if Timotheus [Timothy] come, see that he may be with you without fear [alarm/grave concern]: for he Worketh The WORK of THE LORD, as I also do.”

This verse serves, at least in part, to support the contention of THIS Teacher that doing GOD’s Will Is HIS WORK, Which HE Has Ordained That each one of us, as a BELIEVER/CHRISTIAN, is to do, and this, Timothy was engaged in doing, also.  Students, While There Are Certain Basic Requirements That Are Standard for EVERY BELIEVER/CHRISTIAN, There Are Certain Other Aspects of GOD’s WORK That Will Ultimately Prove To Be DIFFERENT for some persons, Than It Will Prove To Be For others; in each case, however, it will be the furtherance of The GOSPEL of The KINGDOM of HEAVEN That

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is to be the Principle FOCUS of whatever is done. This is the MEANING of what Yeshua/Jesus stated in the conclusion to his Prayer in The Garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22:42).

Hebrews 6:10 “For GOD IS NOT UNrighteous To Forget your Work and Labour of Love, which ye have shewed [shown] toward HIS NAME, in that ye have ministered [given service] to The Saints, and do minister.”

We observe the words of this verse, and find that SERVING The Saints of GOD is to be an ON-GOING, EVERYDAY, ALL DAY, development and process, and IS NOT TO BE a temporary one, by any means.  NEVER allow yourselves to THINK, for a single moment, that just because you might have done one, or possibly two, very kind deeds/acts, toward another BELIEVER/CHRISTIAN, or some other person in general, that you have SATISFIED all Biblical Requirements in this area (Galatians 6:9-10): YOU HAVE NOT!   Whenever, and Wherever, there exists ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY for you to SERVE someone in need, YAHVEH GOD REQUIRES that you SERVE that individual, with a GRATEFUL Heart of Love, always keeping in the forefront of your mind/thoughts What GOD Has Done For YOU.  The TRUTH Is That The EXISTENCE of HIS LOVE, Residing Within your heart/mind, Will Propel you to answer The Call of RIGHTEOUS Service for others!

Beloved, we, as BELIEVERS/CHRISTIANS, must STOP thinking, so fearfully, and divest ourselves of so many of those thoughts that persons we help will view themselves as having “Gotten Over” on us, “Played” us, or have “Outsmarted” us in some way!  This is the VANITY of our HUMAN NATURES speaking to us, and is strictly FLESHLY THINKING, but it IS NOT GOD’s WAY!  We MUST CRUCIFY [eradicate] such thoughts, on a DAILY basis! (Galatians 5:24-25; Romans 6:6) GOD SEES EVERYTHING, and KNOWS EVERYTHING that takes place within our lives, and EVERYONE involved in it: NOTHING Ever Escapes HIM!  HE Is THE ONE WHO Has TOLD us WHAT is to be done, and HOW it is to be done, and It Is HE WHO Ultimately Has The REWARDS To Dispense For the ACTIONS, and not merely the THOUGHTS, of our RIGHTEOUS SERVICE.

II Thessalonians 2:16 “Now, our Lord Jesus Christ/Yeshua Ha Meshiach, Himself, and GOD, Even our FATHER, WHICH Hath Loved us, and Hath Given us Everlasting Consolation, and Good Hope Through GRACE,”

17 “Comfort your hearts, and Stablish [Establish] you in EVERY Good Word AND Work.”

Look at the words of the verse, closely, Beloved. UNDERSTAND their MEANING, and enclose Them Within your Hearts/Minds/Thoughts!  Lock them away, and NEVER let them escape!  Do you SEE, with your Spiritual Eyes, that IT IS NOT simply about a case of BELIEVING [Word], but is ALSO about DOING [Work], as well?!?  Do you SEE it?!!?  TRUE FAITH Brings Along, With Its Arrival, The WORKS of RIGHTEOUSNESS [Right-Living], and there are MANY Righteous Works still to be done!  As long as we are alive, we will NEVER be able to exhaust the totality of those Things That YAHVEH GOD REQUIRES of us, As HIS Children.  When we properly UNDERSTAND, we will recognize that this is ALL just a small PART of what is stated in I Peter 1:15-17.

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Revelation 20:12 “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before GOD; and The Books Were Opened: and ANOTHER Book Was Opened, Which Is The BOOK of LIFE: and the dead Which Were JUDGED Out of Those Things Which Were Written in The Books, ACCORDING TO THEIR WORKS.”

What we are being told, in the words of this verse, is that ALL PEOPLES, the World over, Will Be JUDGED from The Books of The Holy Bible [“…The Books Were Opened…”], and according to ALL that is stated, therein (Matthew 4:4).  The FINAL BOOK To Be Opened Will Be The BOOK of ETERNAL LIFE, Which Will Declare the names of ALL of those who are to receive ETERNAL LIFE.  THIS Teacher ASSURES you, According To The WORD of GOD, that MANY expected names will be MISSING from The Role (Matthew 7:21-23).  Will YOUR name be Written There?!?  Will THIS Teacher’s name be There?

Revelation 22:12 “And, behold, I Come Quickly; and My REWARD Is With Me, To Give [To] EVERY man/woman according as his/her WORK shall be!”

The QUESTION will be: “IN ADDITION to making the CLAIM of BELIEVING in GOD, did each one of us Honestly, and Faithfully, SERVE YAH [THE HEAVENLY FATHER and Son], and The KINGDOM of HEAVEN, through KEEPING The COMMANDMENTS, which is The Genuine SIGN of Loving GOD, and Loving one’s neighbors, as well, by doing for those persons, at every opportunity, as The HOLY SCRIPTURES Have COMMANDED that we should do for them?” (Matthew 22:36-40)  On the other hand, have we found ourselves becoming comfortable with what we are doing, while failing to do what we SHOULD do, while actually LYING and PRETENDING about what we are doing to PLEASE GOD, whether intentional, or otherwise?  Are we frequently trying to twist The Words of Holy Scripture, attempting to have Them Say what we WANT Them To Say, rather than That Which They Actually DO Say?  It is happening far more often than so many of us would like to admit – even from the pulpits of so many of the churches!

READ your BIBLES, and listen, closely, to the words of so many of those who are on radio and television, who stand so arrogantly behind the rostrums in their pulpits, and pronounce that which is blatantly UNTRUE, when one KNOWS The TRUTH of The Holy Scriptures!  Hear MANY of them TWIST The Words of Holy Scripture, and That Which Is WRITTEN, in an attempt to COVER their own UNrighteous ways, and that which they are actually doing, that is in direct VIOLATION of GOD’s WORD!  THIS Teacher HEARS their words, quite clearly, and UNDERSTANDS the severity of the GREAT HARM that they do, particularly to those persons who are SEEKING to find The TRUTH of The Way, and GOD’s WORD! GOD Will JUDGE them for the UNRIGHTEOUSNESS of what they do, and teach, as they attempt to COVER their own COVETOUSNESS, and so many more of their egregious SINS!  How DARE they take The NAME of THE LORD GOD in VAIN, through the UNRIGHTEOUSNESS of their WORKS!!!  They have MUCH for which to give account!

CONCLUSION:

As a Teacher of The Word of GOD, one who Has Truly Been CALLED of GOD to Teach/Preach HIS Word, in TRUTH, and one who DID NOT simply wake up one morning and decide to choose to take

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up this Mantle of Preacher/Teacher, on his own volition, there is much that causes concern for this Instructor.  There are SO MANY persons, who are attempting to fill the roles of Preachers/Teachers, whose words are diametrically opposite to that which is contained within The Holy Scriptures (I Corinthians 14:10).  The problem, as this Teacher sees such, is that they do what they do with so much ease, and alacrity.  There appears to be no reluctance, or trepidation, on their parts, at all, for what they do!  They appear to have absolutely NO care about doing that which Is DISPLEASING To GOD, According to GOD’s OWN WORDS.

THIS Teacher has stated, previously, that this Instructor IS NOT ONE who claims that The END of TIME, and The Lord’s Return Is So Imminent That It Could Occur TODAY, as do so MANY Religionists.  Bear in mind that this DOES NOT NEGATE the fact that The SAVIOR IS COMING, Again!  This Teacher has Taught, however, and will continue to Teach, that The END will take longer to come than most persons contend will be the situation: Biblical Support has been provided, by THIS Teacher, on a number of occasions, for WHY this Instructor has adamantly taken this position.  This Teacher has given Lessons that have been Taught on this very Issue: read them, and arrive at your own conclusions.  Now IS NOT the time to, again, get deeply into this particular topic area.

What our concern is to be, on this occasion, in particular, is that of our WORKS.  Are we, like our Savior, The Lord Yeshua Ha Meshiach, WORKING, diligently, before The Night of our lives settles in, when we will no longer be able to Work?  When our Lord Returns, and He WILL Most Certainly RETURN; will WE be able to say what He said in John 17:4?  Precious Hearts, THIS Teacher, who CANNOT speak for any one of you, but for himself, only, is willing to state, most emphatically: I MUST WORK THE WORKS OF HIM THAT SENT ME, WHILE IT IS DAY, FOR THE NIGHT IS COMING, WHEN NO MAN CAN WORK.  Will you join me?

MAY THIS BE THE SONG THAT WE SING EACH DAY OF OUR LIVES.

AMEN

WE WELCOME YOUR QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS ON THIS LESSON

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“LORD, THIS I DO BELIEVE!” — 6/30/2018

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[A Personal Testimony Of This Instructor’s FAITH And What Might Also Be Yours]

INTRODUCTION:

Each passing day finds this Teacher growing older, which will ultimately result in this Instructor’s demise, at some unknown point.  This Instructor was born into the World, and he must, at some point, leave it.  Now, while this is no miraculous revelation to anyone, there is a deeper meaning behind what this Teacher states.  On a few occasions, this Teacher has shared limited portions of this Instructor’s own Testimony, to others, of the FAITH that resides within him; but, due to the increasing constriction of the amount of time that remains to this Teacher’s life, now feels it necessary to record, at least some portions of this Teacher’s own personal Testimony, regarding his FAITH in Jesus The Messiah/Yeshua Ha Meshiach, for others to know.

I DO BELIEVE IN YAHVEH GOD, THE HEAVENLY FATHER, AND YESHUA HA MESHIACH, HIS RIGHTEOUS AND ONLY BEGOTTEN SON.

I DO BELIEVE THAT THE SON OF GOD WAS MADE TO BE A HUMAN MAN, SO AS TO BE BORN OF A YOUNG VIRGIN, WHOSE NAME WAS MARY, TO LIVE A SINLESS LIFE IN THE FLESH, TO ENABLE HIM TO DIE FOR THE SINS OF SINFUL MEN/WOMEN/BOYS/GIRLS.

I DO BELIEVE IN THE INERRANCY OF THE WRITTEN WORD OF GOD, WHICH IS THE HOLY BIBLE.

I DO BELIEVE IN LEARNING HOW TO LOVE MY NEIGHBOR, AS I GROW IN LEARNING HOW TO PROPERLY LOVE MY GOD, AND TO APPROPRIATELY LOVE MYSELF.

I DO BELIEVE IN THE HOLY SPIRIT, WHO IS YAH [THE HEAVENLY FATHER AND SON] AND HIS ABILITY TO CHANGE THE LIFE OF ANYONE WHO COMES TO GOD IN SUBMISSION TO HIS WORD, WILL, AND WAY.

I DO BELIEVE IN THE LIFE, DEATH, BURIAL, AND RESURRECTION TO LIFE OF THE GLORIFIED SAVIOR.

I DO BELIEVE THAT THE GLORIFIED ONE IS COMING TO THIS EARTH, AGAIN, IN THE POWER AND GREAT GLORY OF GOD THE FATHER, TO JUDGE AN UNRIGHTEOUS WORLD.

I DO BELIEVE IN THE ALL-ENCOMPASSING JUDGMENT OF AN ALMIGHTY GOD, UPON ALL SINNERS, SIN, AND UNRIGHTEOUSNESS, WHEREVER SUCH IS TO BE FOUND, THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRETY OF THE WORLD AND ITS PEOPLES.

I DO BELIEVE IN THE ETERNITY OF THE TRUE SAINTS OF GOD.

THESE THINGS I DO BELIEVE.

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These things I write, to leave them behind me, as a Legacy for my children, my grandchildren, my great grandchildren, and those persons whom I have Faithfully Taught over the years.  I realize that NOTHING ELSE REALLY MATTERS!

It does not matter about stressing my educational accomplishments, any awards received, how much money I might have acquired, and will leave behind, if any, at all, or the size of the congregation that I have Pastored.  It does not matter the type of house in which I lived, or the type of cars that I have driven.  All that will matter is whether I have been FAITHFUL to The CAUSE of The KINGDOM of HEAVEN.  Was I FAITHFUL to The CALLING That YAH [THE HEAVENLY FATHER and Son] Once Placed Upon my life.  The ISSUE IS: Has THIS Teacher been a Truly RIGHTEOUS MAN?!?

MY TESTIMONY AND THE BEGINNING OF MY TRUE WALK WITH GOD:

At the age of twelve (12), this Teacher had some considerable degree of trepidation about being alone, out in the darkness.  It was not a comfortable feeling for me, at all.  In the mind of a twelve year old child, who could say what was lurking out there, unseen in the darkness?!?  On a certain occasion, this Teacher’s Dad told him to take out the garbage and place it into the Trash Cans at the rear of the house.  Bear in mind that this was in the years before the proliferation of Garbage Disposals became staples in the houses of so many persons.  As children, we were never in a position to question our parents, or refuse to obey, any directive issued by any one of our parents; particularly Dad: To attempt to do such was unthinkable!  Fearful, or not, this Teacher carried out the instructions given to him, and proceeded to take out the wrapped up garbage, for deposit into the trash.  As I exited the house, on this one particular occasion, and entered into the outer darkness, I happened to look up at the sky.  It was the most beautiful sight that I can ever remember having seen.  Its deep blackness was absolutely filled with stars!  Stars upon stars, upon stars! I felt as though I could almost reach out and grasp them.  In an instant of time, all of my fears of the darkness were completely abated, never to return.

Standing there, I clearly remember staring into that beautiful sky and saying: “GOD, I don’t know whether YOU Truly Exist, or not.  My father says that YOU Do.  My mother says that YOU Do, as well; and grandmother also tells me that YOU Exist, along with the many people in the church.  I honestly don’t know whether, or not, YOU Actually Do Exist; I just don’t know!  But, this one thing I do know: I believe that SOMEONE Very Special Did ALL of that! (pointing toward the heaven)  It didn’t just happen on its own!  So, if YOU Can Do ALL of That, Then YOU Can Certainly PROVE To me that YOU Exist.  And IF YOU Do PROVE It To Me, not because my father says it, or my mother says it, or my grandmother says it, I will Serve YOU!”  I turned, and completed my reason for being out in the darkness, and reentered the house, thinking no more, at all, about what had just taken place.

Some few weeks later, when school was out, my family went to Muskegon, Michigan, where we had a second family house. I remember a close, older, friend, named Glen Douglas, who lived in Muskegon, who came by the house and asked that I go with him to the local YMCA, where he was taking classes, and learning how to swim.  When we asked my mother if I could accompany him, she was quite reluctant to permit me to do so, and insisted that if she were to allow me to go, I was not, by any means, to enter the water, for I had developed no swimming skills, whatsoever.  The fact is that I had

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never been in water much deeper than that of a bathtub, although many of my friends were ardent swimmers.  I agreed, to honor mother’s demand, and she finally gave me permission to go.

Arriving at the local YMCA, Glen and I found a notice posted that said the “Y”, for some unknown reason, was closed that day.  I seem to recall that it was on a Wednesday, and I asked: “What do we do, now, Glen?!?”  He responded: “Don’t worry about it.  Come with me!”  Still questioning, I proceeded to follow him.  We crossed over some railroad tracks, and smelly rail cars, crossed a large, grassy, expanse, and entered into a wooded area.  I heard multiple voices laughing and shouting.  Suddenly, the wooded area broke into a clearing, and I saw approximately fourteen (14) young boys, around my age, and slightly older, most skinny-dipping in a river.  They were clearly having a great time!

Soon my friend, Glen, had joined them, and was Dog-Paddling near the bank.  Of course some of them made fun of him, and continued to encourage him to come out into the deeper part of the river’s flow, where even none of them was swimming, as, reportedly, the better swimmer among them had drowned only weeks earlier, caught in the river’s current.  Glen, without hesitation, continued to refuse, and seemed quite satisfied with staying close to the bank.  At that point, their attention was turned toward me, the reluctant stranger.  They engaged in chiding me, and encouraged me to “Come on in!!!  Don’t be afraid! Come on in!!!”  Their laughter and chiding seemed to continue, for some time.  I honestly don’t know what happened to me, at that point; Something happened, and I seemed to have lost all rationality.  All that I seem to remember is unbuttoning the top two buttons of my shirt, and seeing my naked legs and feet running to the water.  The next memory that I have is that of being in the very midst of the current of that river!

Looking back, the strange thing is that I remember no one else, at all, being in the water, at that point.  The water that had just been filled with laughing, hollering, screeching, boys, now appeared to be occupied by only one.  I was, now, very much ALONE!  Glancing toward the shore, while fighting the water, I saw what appeared to be everyone standing and looking out toward me.  I remember calling out, in fear, panic, and utter desperation, “Help! Help!  I can’t swim!!!”  The fearful retort came from the voice of someone, among those standing upon the bank, “You got yourself in!  Get yourself out!!!”  I remember, so well, thinking, in that moment, “Oh, well, I’m going to die, now!”  As the darkness of the water rose, I began to slip beneath its surface, and saw its dark ripples cover my eyes.  I remember the last words that I thought, and they were, “Oh, GOD!”  In that moment, I gave up to die.  I did not know how to swim.  I had never before swum.  The distance to the shore was too great, and I was caught in the current of the stream, where NONE of these boys would dare to go!  They had ALL avoided coming out into this current that was pulling me farther and farther away from the shore, and any possible chance of assistance.  This was the obvious reason for the posting of the signs, in the area, that read, in large letters: “DANGER: NO SWIMMING!”  I could not fight the strength of the water’s pull, even if I had known how to swim, and had possessed the strength to do so.  I was dying, and I knew it; and so, I gave up to undergo the inevitable.  I surrendered, and began to sink.  I was drowning, as the water covered my eyes, and the darkness enshrouded me.

The next thing that I remember, I was was on my hands and knees, coughing, and expectorating water, feeling its burning sensations as it exited my nasal passages, throat, and mouth.  When I was able to

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finally speak, I asked: “Who came and got me out?!!?”  Someone said, “Nobody got you out!  You got yourself out!”  Oh, my friends, I knew better than that, back then, and I continue to know better than that, to this very day!  You see, I had completely given up to drown, and was no longer attempting to extricate myself from the current, or the overall situation.  I had completely surrendered myself to enter into the Arms of Death, as had so many innumerable and unwitting children, who had faced such a similar situation, before me, whose outcomes were far different.  What had happened with me?!!?  HOW and WHY was I able to escape?!?  Let me tell you what I KNOW, so deeply within my Spirit.

When, at the age of twelve, I asked YAHVEH GOD To PROVE To me That HE EXISTS, I was as sincere as I have ever been whenever I have PRAYED.  I KNOW, within my heart of hearts, That YAHVEH GOD Had LISTENED, and Was, Now, ANSWERING a young child’s Prayer.  Yes, I was foolish.  Yes, I was disobedient; but, this did not negate the fact that GOD Is Still ALWAYS LOVING, TENDER, COMPASSIONATE, and MERCIFUL, to those that seek HIM.  Without a doubt, GOD Sent HIS Angel, unseen by humans eyes, To Rescue a foolish young lad, that day; of this I am CERTAIN!   When there was NO ONE ELSE to help me, GOD Was There!  I have lived these many years of my life, subsequent to that most memorable event, with that Reality deeply embedded within my heart/mind.  You see, totally unknown to me, at the time, GOD Had A WORK For me to do.  Like the Prophet, Jonah, of old, I attempted to run away!  I DID NOT want to Preach/Teach The Word of GOD!!!  Let someone else do that!  The TRUTH is that I ran for many years, in a futile attempt to escape, thinking that Teaching The Word of GOD was NOT my Purpose in life!  It was that which my father did, but it had NOTHING to do with me!  I DIDN’T QUALIFY for such an overwhelming task, and I DIDN’T want to pretend in doing it!  The years passed.  I had escaped.  Or, had I?

One day, many years later, while sitting within my apartment, thinking, I came to the conclusion that life was no longer worth living,  I decided that I would just bring my life to a summary close.  I was broken in heart, while appearing, outwardly to others, to be whole; I was distressed, beyond measure, while seeming, to so many, to be on top of all matters.  I was lonely, among a sea of friends, acquaintances, and associates.  Like being in the waters of the current of that river, there was no one to rescue me.  I was sinking – fast!  Then, out of seemingly nowhere, I heard, deep down within my Spirit, A Still, Quiet, Voice That Said Only These Words: “Read your Bible.”  I responded: “Where should I read?!?”  The Voice Came: “Read the words of Jesus!”  I had a Bible, but it had merely been used as more of a décor piece, and visual effect, for some time, rather than for any meaningful use.  I rose from where I was sitting, and went over and picked it up.  I opened It, and It Came almost immediately open To These Words in John 6:63: “It Is The SPIRIT That Quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the Words that I speak unto you, They Are SPIRIT, and They Are LIFE.”

Reading these Words, They seemed to be so ALIVE to me, upon that page!  I remember looking up from the table, where I was sitting, and reading, and actually expected to SEE The Savior Sitting There, Across From me!  Those Words Were That REAL To me!  I recall getting up, and went into my bedroom, got down upon my knees at the foot of the bed, and poured out my heart to This UNSEEN GOD, About WHOM so many persons find it acceptable to joke.  In that hour of my great need, HE Was NO Joke To me!  There were no choirs singing, and no Preacher preaching.  I just knew, within my heart, and Spirit, that I NEEDED GOD: This GOD About WHOM my parents, and others, had told me,

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throughout the course of my life; This GOD WHOM I KNEW Had SAVED me From drowning, but WHOM I DID NOT personally know.  I knew that HE, ONLY, could prove to be my SALVATION!  These were my words to HIM, as accurately as I can best recall them: “GOD, I am a SINNER!  I am filthy, unrighteous, unclean, untrue, and unholy, and I am going to die in my SINS and be lost, ETERNALLY, if YOU Do Not SAVE me, RIGHT NOW!  Will YOU Take me, and CLEANSE me from my SINS?!?  Will YOU SAVE me?!?”  In that very instant of time, I FELT something, on the INSIDE, that I had NEVER felt before.  I tell you the TRUTH, if ever the TRUTH were told, that It was like WATER Washing Throughout the interior of my body!  It FLOODED every fiber of me!  I Was Being SATURATED!  It Poured Down Within me like Torrents of Cascading WATERS!  YAHVEH GOD Was CLEANSING me of EVERY STAIN of my former SINS!  HE SAVED me in that very hour!!!  I will NEVER stop to debate this fact with a single person!  They may believe as they choose, but I was THERE, and I KNOW what transpired!  There is NO QUESTION within my mind!  No matter what others might think, say, or do, LORD, THIS I DO BELIEVE!

A number of years ago, while in PRAYER, at the foot of my bed, during the noontime hour, while wide awake, and not, at all, sleepy, with my Bible lying open before me, I Was Given a VISION, That I KNOW Came Directly From GOD.  I was not one, then, nor am I, now, one who gravitates to such ostentatious displays, although I have never denied Their Reality.  In the VISION, I was standing in what appeared to be a wide open plain.  It was not dark, but it was not light.  It was hazy, and things were slightly out of focus, as I could only ascertain the plain, along with the outline of a large, mountainous, region in the distant background, with the hazy forms of people standing all across in front of the mountain range.  Suddenly, far in the distance, I could see something in that distant space, coming toward me, hovering just a foot, or so, above the ground, but I could not make out what it was.  I remember asking, myself: “What IS that?!!?”  It seemed to continue to approach at a fairly rapid pace.  Again, I inquired of myself, as though I had some knowledge of the answer: “What IS THAT??!!?”  It continued its approach.  It did not vary, at all, from its path.  Once again I asked: “What IS THAT?!!?”  Then, I finally COULD tell WHAT it was!  It was a CLOUD: rolling, twisting, and turning in upon Itself, almost like the Slow Motion filming of a large Storm Cloud.

Without actually seeing it, I could see some evidence of a FIRE Burning Within Its Interior.  I later discovered that It Was SIMILAR, but NOT exactly the same, to that which is mentioned in Ezekiel 1:4!  Without any hesitation, The CLOUD that I saw Rushed THROUGH me – Swoosh!!!  What had just happen?!!?  I later discovered that YAHVEH GOD Was CALLING me, and Placing me Into HIS Ministry.  HE Had ANOINTED this undeserving Servant to Preach/Teach HIS Word in TRUTH!  I PROMISED HIM, that day, that IF HE WOULD TEACH ME THE TRUTH OF HIS WORD, I WOULD TEACH OTHERS THAT SAME TRUTH, WITHOUT HESITATION, TREPIDATION, INTIMIDATION, OR RESERVATION!  I told HIM that I DID NOT want to learn from others, or read so many of their books, because they knew no more than did I.  I told HIM that I DID NOT want to learn their many ERRORS! (John 16:13)  I wanted to Be TAUGHT By THE HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD, WHO KNOWS ALL TRUTH.  It was just that simple!  Throughout these years, GOD Has HONORED that request, and Has TAUGHT this Teacher MANY things that this Teacher DID NOT previously know, and some that I had not even before heard.   I, in turn, have made every effort to Teach others, as well, Those SAME TRUTHS.  ALL PRAISE Is Due To THE GOD WHO Has NO EQUAL!!!  Here,

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this portion of my TESTIMONY ends, even though there is SO MUCH MORE that I could tell; but, at this point, we begin the pursuit of the rest of today’s Lesson, because, LORD, THIS I DO BELIEVE!

LESSON:

II Peter 1:3 “According As HIS Divine POWER Hath Given Unto us ALL Things That Pertain Unto Life and GODliness [GOD-Like-ness], through The Knowledge of HIM That Hath Called us To Glory and Virtue:”

Beloved, everything that we need, GOD Has Already Supplied, In Abundance, For our availability. There is nothing more required that is necessary for our Spiritual Development.  Since YAHVEH GOD, and By Extension, HIS Righteous Son, The Glorified Yeshua Ha Meshiach/Jesus The Messiah/Christ Are NO Respecters of persons (Romans 2:11), EVERYONE, that BELIEVES in Yeshua/Jesus, As The ONLY BEGOTTEN Son of GOD, and conducts himself/herself in a manner Approved By GOD, is entitled to receive BLESSINGS from GOD’s Spiritual Storehouse of Abundance (Malachi 3:10).

4 “Whereby [Through This Means] Are Given Unto us Exceeding[ly] Great and Precious Promises: that By These ye might be partakers of The Divine Nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the World through lust.”

Precious Hearts, HERE ARE the MEANS Through Which we become Partakers of GOD’s Great and Precious PROMISES: We INCREASE in our genuine KNOWLEDGE of GOD (I Peter 1:2). The Propriety of That KNOWLEDGE Undoes the existence of the LUST that tends to take up residence within our hearts/lives.  This verse, now, reveals to us that EVERY SIN that has ever been committed, throughout time, has been precipitated by this thing called LUST!  There has been NO exception to this! (I John 2:16)  The Holy Scriptures tell us that the TRUE BELIEVER divests himself/herself of that which is LUSTFUL, which propels ALL persons to do that which is WRONG, for it is passing into oblivion (I John 2:17).

Do you also notice, from reading II Peter 1:4, that ridding oneself of LUSTFUL DESIRES means that one has escaped that which is corrupting to one’s Soul?  LUSTING is the RUSTING of the Soul, in which the Soul is being gradually eaten away by UNRIGHTEOUSNESS.  One might say that it is the CANCER of the Soul.  Once again, The Divine Nature That YAHVEH GOD Imparts To us Gives To us The Great and Extremely Precious PROMISES That Come Through Knowing GOD, Which Enable us to ESCAPE from the various areas of UNrighteousness.

5 “And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your FAITH Virtue; and to Virtue Knowledge;”

Beloved of GOD, as a Teacher of The Word of GOD, let this Instructor apprise EVERYONE of the fact that having FAITH, alone, IS NOT ENOUGH to be PLEASING To GOD, no matter who might attempt to stand in opposition to this statement (James 2:14, 17)  Beloved, are the words of James incoherent to us?!?  This Instructor will state, most emphatically, that the words of James, I DO BELIEVE!

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Beloved, there MUST BE MORE, operational within one’s life, than simply the presence of an inactive FAITH!  One’s FAITH must be dynamically engaging in Its Nature!  This verse shares with us that there MUST be VIRTUE, or PURITY of one’s CHARACTER, added to one’s FAITH. LORD, THIS I DO BELIEVE that one must strive to be PURE in one’s life, and lifestyle.  This is WHERE the words of Exodus 20:7-17 come into a more realistic purpose, in the lives of EVERY BELIEVER.  These words aid us in becoming more PURE of heart/mind/life.

II Peter 1:6 “and to Knowledge Temperance; and to Temperance Patience; and to Patience GODliness;”

Now, we come to that place in which TEMPERANCE comes into focus.  Temperance is that area of our lives that brings to us CONTROL over our words, and our actions.  Whenever one hears another, who says that he/she is a BELIEVER, but who also continues to state: “I just couldn’t seem to help myself”, know that he/she is LACKING, and has very LITTLE, if ANY, SELF-CONTROL, or TEMPERANCE!  At this point, he/she KNOWS [Knowledge] that he/she NEEDS to improve in this particular area, alone

7 “And to GODliness Brotherly Kindness; and to Brotherly Kindness Charity.”

At this point, we begin to turn our attention to that of BROTHERLY KINDNESS, but we recognize that The Precipitation of this Comes Through The Existence of Something Else: GODLINESS [GOD-Likeness / Being More Like GOD].  You see, Beloved, one will truly be KIND to one’s “Brother” [This can also include one’s sister], whether that “Brother” be genetic, or acquired, when truly realizing the impact of what is written in I John 4:7-8.  Enter LOVE.

Here, we look at I John 4:10-11.  This is the point at which UNCONDITIONAL LOVE Comes Into play, regarding the actions, and interactions, of EVERY BELIEVER/CHRISTIAN, the World over.  For us, it is ALL to be about LOVE!  LOVE is to under gird EVERYTHING that we, as Christians/Believers, THINK, SAY, and DO, toward EVERYONE existing upon the surface of this planet!

Now, we consider that area of PATIENCE.  Why?  We are to consider this area BECAUSE this is an area that will prove to be ESSENTIAL when dealing with other persons, MANY of whom often DO NOT AGREE with us, as Believers/Christians!  The TRUTH is that, as CHRISTIAN BELIEVERS, we are NEVER to attempt to coerce those who take opposing positions to us, by any means!  This is NEVER LOVE, Beloved, no matter who does it!!!  We are to PREVAIL upon, PERSUADE, CAJOLE, and CONVINCE, others, in The LOVE of GOD, but we are NOT to EVER try to politicize, castigate, denigrate, deride, demean, or demand!  NONE OF THIS Is GOD’s WAY, no matter who might take a contrary position!  The PROBLEM with so MANY religious leaders, persons, groups, and churches, today, is that they want to take the “Easy Way” out, by attempting to FORCE/COERCE UNbelieving persons into doing as WE might want them to do.  This is ALWAYS WRONG, INAPPROPRIATE, and, perhaps, even SINFUL, even when our positions are RIGHT!  REMEMBER: Our RIGHT

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positions DO NOT remain RIGHT, when the manner in which we attempt to implement such stands in OPPOSITION to GOD’s WAY!  Do you UNDERSTAND this?!?  You SHOULD!!!

II Peter 1:8 “For if These Things be in you, and abound, They Make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in The Knowledge of our Lord Yeshua Ha Meshiach [Jesus Christ].”

Do you SEE that Each One of These Spiritual Ingredients Is To Be INSIDE the heart of each Believer/Christian?  Not only Are They To Be Resident, but They Are To Be GROWING In Their Presences and Power, as well.  What are we to UNDERSTAND?  We are to realize that GOD DOES NOT Expect HIS Children’s lives to be dormant, and to remain that way, but that they are to be alive, vibrant, and Increasing, Within each one of us.  These Are The Things That Enhance our Spiritual KNOWLEDGE, Which Strengthens The Core of our Relationships with our GOD.

9 “But he that lacketh These Things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old SINS.”

Listen to these words!  WHY does this verse say that one is “blind” who LACKS these things, and CANNOT SEE, which means that one DOES NOT apparently UNDERSTAND, what the FUTURE holds for him/her in this area?!  In addition, what does this have to do with one’s former SINS, which this verse clearly mentions?!?  This verse is telling us that one Spiritually Walks on the very verge, or precipice, of SINNING who pays NO attention to these things!  How is this so, you wonder?  THINK about this: “Which One of These Things can a TRUE Believer/Christian do without: FAITH?  Virtue?  Knowledge?  Temperance?  Patience?  GODliness?  Brotherly Kindness?  Charity/Love?  Which?”   Surely, we see that NONE of These Things Is Dispensable! EVERYONE of Them Is Vital To one’s Spiritual Walk of FAITH.  GOD Will Provide To us ALL of That Which Is Necessary (II Corinthians 12:9).

10 “Wherefore the rather, Brethren, give diligence to make your Calling and Election sure [certain]: for if ye do these Things, ye shall NEVER fall.”

Rather than allowing ourselves to become blind to the necessity of us having Those Things That SHOULD Consistently Be a Part of our Spiritual Characters, we should become more diligent in paying much closer attention to the fact of making certain that our CALLING and ELECTION [Selection], Into The FAITH of GOD, Are A Certainty [Surety], so that The Work of GOD’s Calling Will Not Have Been Provided To us In Vain (II Corinthians 6:1-3).  Don’t attempt to procrastinate, when it comes to the concerns of SALVATION, by putting off, until later, that which should be done, today.  This is HOW one begins to make one’s Calling and Election Sure.

11 “For so an Entrance shall be Ministered Unto you, Abundantly, Into The EVERLASTING KINGDOM of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

It is the compilation of ALL of These Spiritual Things that gives to the Believer/Christian the Spiritual Fortitude to go after, and possess, that which enables him/her the Ability Required to eventually Enter

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Into The KINGDOM of GOD.  Please notice the word “abundantly”, Students, for it speaks volumes to us.  It means that one DOES NOT have to worry about, become stressed over, or have any concerns, at all, about whether one can be Accepted of GOD.  This is the MEANING behind “Abundantly”.

II Peter 1:12 “Wherefore, I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of These Things, though ye know Them, and Be Established in the present Truth.”

Do you SEE, Beloved, that Peter tells us that IF he, THIS Teacher, or any other Bible teacher/preacher, should neglect to REMIND The Saints of GOD of all of These TRUTHS that have just been shared with you, it would be Greatly DISPleasing To YAHVEH GOD (II Timothy 2:13-14): this is WHY Peter refers to such a failure as one being “negligent”, For no matter what might be our failings, YAHVEH GOD Will Remain FAITHFUL To What HE Has Said To us.  It is, now, up to us.

13 “Yea, I think it meet [proper] as long as I am in this tabernacle [body], to stir you up by putting you in remembrance;”

Here we see it, again; a reminder of the fact that one is to be made to remember that which is essential to Entrance Into The KINGDOM of HEAVEN.  Do you BELIEVE in the importance of one possessing all of the Spiritual Qualities about which we have previously read, and that this Teacher has told you are endemic to BEING a TRUE Believer, Beloved?  Then, you must be one who does BELIEVE in The POWER of The TRUTH of GOD’s Word.

14 “Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle [physical body], even as our Lord Jesus Christ Hath Shewed [Shown] me.”

Precious Saints of GOD, as was TRUE of the Apostle, named Peter, so it is to be TRUE of THIS Bible Teacher, as well: someday, sooner or later, without any doubt, THIS Teacher will pass from TIME into ETERNITY [“…put off this my tabernacle…”], just as did Peter.  Until that time, however, there is RIGHTEOUS WORK still for this Teacher to do, and every effort must be expended to Teach The GOSPEL Message of The Coming KINGDOM of GOD, in TRUTH, RIGHTEOUSNESS, POWER, and CLARITY, for others to hear, and those who will, to BELIEVE (II Timothy 4:2; Revelation 22:17).

15 “Moreover [In addition], I will endeavour that ye may be able, after my decease, to have these Things always in remembrance.”

HERE is The Legacy of the TRUE Man of GOD: He must seek to LEAVE BEHIND him The TRUTH of that Which he has Preached!  NOTHING ELSE, but how well he has Preached The TRUTH of GOD’s Word, will really matter.  All other trappings of his achievements, and his successes, will become evidently insignificant, as they diminish, over time, only to be replaced by those of another who takes up the task of his predecessor.  ONLY The TRUTH of GOD Will Stand the Test of TIME.  All else will pale into nothingness, only to be cast upon the Refuse Heap of Men’s passing fancies.

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II Peter 1:16 “For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you The Power and Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were EYEWITNESSES of His Majesty.”

This verse is nothing more than an expression of Peter citing the FACT of the validity of that which he has Taught: It has been The TRUTH, the whole TRUTH, and nothing but The TRUTH.  Peter has added NOTHING to The GOSPEL Message aside from That Which YAHVEH GOD, Through HIS Righteous Son, The Glorified Yeshua Ha Meshiach/Jesus The Messiah, Has Given To him To Preach/Teach.  Peter has been a Faithful Messenger, as THIS Teacher hopes to be, always.

17 “For He Received From GOD, THE FATHER, Honour and Glory, when There Came Such A Voice To him from THE EXCELLENT GLORY [THE HEAVENLY FATHER]: ‘This Is MY Beloved Son, In Whom I AM Well-Pleased!’”

Peter tells us of The GLORIFICATION of The NAME of The Lord, Yeshua Ha Meshiach. YAHVEH GOD Is Honoring That Which we will find YAHVEH GOD Speaking About In John 12:28 and John 17:1-3.  Students, YAHVEH GOD LOVES HIS Righteous Son Much MORE Than any one of us could ever imagine!  HE Will NOT Leave others to take The NAME of HIS Holy Son, and Allow them to callously dishonor, defame, deride, or denigrate That NAME!  HE Will JUDGE EVERY Man/Woman/Boy/Girl who attempts to do such a Most UNRIGHTEOUS Thing!!!  YAHVEH GOD Will SEE To It That The NAME of HIS Son, Who Fully PAID such a Great Price for our SINS, in giving his LIFE, upon a Cross/Stake, for us, Will Be GLORIFIED!!! LORD, THIS I DO BELIEVE!

18 “And This Voice, Which Came From HEAVEN, we HEARD, when we were with Him [Yeshua/Jesus] in The Holy Mount.”

When in search of PROOF for The TRUTH of a certain matter, we always hope to find an EYEWITNESS to whatever it was that occurred.  Today’s Text provides us with just such an eyewitness regarding the Reality of The TRUTH of The STATUS of WHO Yeshua Is To The WORLD: that WITNESS is PETER!  The Apostle, named Peter, says that he was PRESENT, and WITNESSED That Particular Event (Luke 9:27-36).

Peter, along with fellow Apostles James and John, were actually there, and HEARD YAHVEH GOD’s VOICE, As THE HEAVENLY FATHER Spoke, Audibly, Into their HEARING, Declaring To them The GREATNESS of Yeshua.  This Was All Done In Such A Manner That It Allowed the THREE of them to recognize, clearly, exactly WHAT It Was That YAHVEH GOD Was Stating To them.  All of This Was Merely A PART of The GLORIFICATION of The NAME of The Son of GOD! YAHVEH GOD Was Declaring Yeshua Ha Meshiach/Jesus The Messiah/Christ To Be EVERYTHING, and MORE, That Yeshua EVER Claimed of himself.  This is WHY THIS Teacher can say, with such ease of conscience and manner: LORD, THIS I DO BELIEVE!

CONCLUSION:

“LORD, THIS I DO BELIEVE!” — 6/30/2018

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Throughout many of our lives there can be the quest for approval.  As children we seek the approval of our parents, and, eventually, that of our teachers, as well.  Later might come the effort to gain the acceptance of coaches, friends, and fellow students.  Then come the years during which we seek the recognition of our peers, employers, and mentors.  It seems that we are always looking to garner the approval of others.  But, what about gaining The Approval of GOD?  What is there that would cause GOD To Approve us?

Our lives are like pages upon which our experiences are to be written, or canvases upon which to paint pictures of who we are, and the episodic adventures of our lifelong interactions.  When we consider The Word of GOD, and our reading of The Holy Scriptures, what does it truly evoke for us?  Is it just something that we do as nothing more than “Fillers” for our lives?  Is it merely a pastime?  Might it be, by some chance, what we do simply to be perceived to be more “Socially Acceptable” to certain other elements among us?  Or, do we seek to read GOD’s Word, to know, and to truly understand, so that we might, indeed, come to BELIEVE, and in BELIEVING, that we might become More PLEASING To GOD?

Some persons try to pretend that everything in their lives is nothing but Peaches and Cream, Roses, and a Primrose Path, when even the most advantaged among us have numerous times of considerable difficulty.  It is foolish to attempt to act as though all things are going well, when oftentimes they are far from being such, for so many persons. It is ESSENTIAL that, as CHRISTIANS/BELIEVERS, we ALL come to embrace The TRUE ESSENCE of The Glorified Yeshua’s Words To Paul, When He Stated What Is Written in II Corinthians 12:9.  Beloved, it is the facing of the DIFFICULT TIMES of our lives that enable us to become stronger in our FAITH, allowing us to stand, and to say, without trepidation, hesitation, or intimidation, regarding ALL Things Concerning RIGHTEOUSNESS: “LORD, THIS I DO BELIEVE!”  May YAHVEH GOD Help us To Become ALL that we SHOULD BE in Meshiach/Christ.   Amen.

Until next time, Beloved …

TRUST IN THE GRACE OF GOD’S DELIVERANCE.

AMEN

WE WELCOME YOUR COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS ON THIS LESSON

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“LORD, MAKE ME A LITTLE LESS LIKE ME, AND LOT MORE LIKE YOU” — 6/23/2018

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[A Bible Study In Examining The Content Of One’s Responses To Various Situations]

INTRODUCTION:

Traffic is bumper to bumper, everyone is trying, desperately, to make it home, or to some other pre-determined destination.  The traffic is what some call a “parking lot”, in how slowly, and what little distances, the cars are moving, during long stretches of time.  It is exasperating to move such a meager distance, in such a protracted period of time.  Yet, it is what everyone else is facing, as well, in this situation.  In order to avoid an accident, one attempts not to ride too closely upon the bumper of another person who is traveling just ahead, and so a sensible amount of space is left between vehicles.  Then, there always seems to be that one person, male or female, who jumps from the lane in which he/she has been traveling, without signaling, into that space which has been allowed to exist between cars, almost causing an accident to occur!  Even at such a slow speed, one must instantly slam upon one’s brakes to avoid a collision!  What is that person thinking?!!?  Or, is he/she thinking, at all?!?  Where is he/she going?!!  In the current situation, he/she is making no real headway, at all: one car-length, at best; maybe two.  It is merely delusional to even think otherwise.  But, consider the risk at which he/she places himself/herself, as well as others’ safety, and that of their property.

In an instant of time, one is angered by the antics of such a thoughtless individual, whom one will probably never meet, or even see, again.  When one calms down, and regains one’s composure, one is ashamed of oneself for the feelings that one has allowed to capture one’s emotional state, in just an instant of time.  Why is one like this?!?  Is one not a Christian?  Does one not Believe in The TRUTH of that which is written, so clearly, within the pages of The Holy Bible, about how one is to think, feel, respond, and live, every moment of each day of one’s life?  Then, what just happened, here?!?  Does one not feel considerable shame for having felt as one has just felt, or having responded in some more inappropriate manner?

Do you ever inquire of yourself, in such times as these: “Am I even a Christian, at all?  Would a ‘real’ Christian have felt, or acted, as I just did? Am I a phony?!?  Just what am I, really?”  Have you ever, at any point, asked yourself these kinds of questions?  If you haven’t, maybe you should check your pulse to determine whether you are alive.  Now, this Teacher is not delusional, to the extent that this Teacher would dare to believe that there are not those persons who will like to pretend that this doesn’t really apply to them, because they might never have found themselves in the type of traffic conditions that have just been referenced.  But, trust this Instructor, there have been other times, and other situations, that have impacted upon them, equally as much as well, no matter how self-controlled they might think themselves.  We ALL have those moments when we are not at our best as persons, and, particularly as Believers/Christians, in our responses to certain persons and situations.  If the truth were to be told, one would simply have to conclude that that’s just the way that it is, and the reality of it all, as we live this thing called LIFE.

Today’s Lesson will be one that will aid us in taking a more introspective look at ourselves, so as to determine where we need to make improvements to ourselves, and within our lives; and there is always room for improvement.  Will you join with this Instructor, and let us, together, cast aside so much of the pretense that we have allowed to inundate our thinking, and our considerations of ourselves, and how

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much we have thought ourselves to be better than we are, in reality?  Let us look into The Perfect LAW of LIBERTY, That is The Holy Bible, to see ourselves more clearly.

May THE ONE TRUE GOD OF GRACE AND GLORY, THE FATHER Of our Lord and Savior of the World, The Glorified Yeshua Ha Meshiach [Jesus The Messiah/Christ], Give To us The Spiritual Insight to SEE ourselves as we truly are, in reality, so that we might be changed in those areas that Will Be Approved By Him, and THE FATHER.  May our GOD Make It To Be So.  Amen.

And now, today’s Lesson.

LESSON:

Beloved Ones of GOD, it is imperative that we, when undertaking any effort to examine ourselves, and the truth of our behaviors, and who we are at our cores, should have some Mirror into which to look, or some meaningful Frame of Reference to which to compare ourselves.  It is ESSENTIAL that we NOT attempt to compare ourselves with those persons around us, for, then, one might only receive a DISTORTED view of oneself, in comparison.  Thus we open with these verses from The BOOK of The PSALM, from which one might find TRUE Guidance.

Psalm 139:1 “O LORD, THOU Hast Searched me, and Known me.”

When attempting to explore the nature of one’s innermost self, it is necessary that one use The Ultimate TEMPLATE to Which to compare oneself: That TEMPLATE Is None Other Than YAHVEH GOD.  This verse starts us out with an appreciation for the fact that YAHVEH GOD Is NOT, In Any Way, Oblivious To who you are, and everything about you.  The Psalmist, David, says that YAHVEH GOD Has Looked At EVERY PART of him, inside and out, head to toe: he is well-known To GOD, and so are you.

2 “THOU Knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, THOU Understandest my thought afar off.”

Not Only Does YAHVEH GOD Know EVERYTHING About you, but HE Also Knows EVERYTHING About what it is that you do, on a daily basis.  Where were you last night, at 11:30 p.m.?  GOD Knows.  With whom were you, at that hour?  GOD Knows that, as well.  What is it that you were doing?  GOD Knows.  What are you planning to do tomorrow, and with whom are you planning to do it?  GOD Also Knows that, Too.  The TRUTH is that this is what troubles so MANY persons, and is what they will use to prevent them from ultimately BELIEVING and TRUSTING in GOD: they detest the thought of A GOD WHO KNOWS EVERYTHING About them!  Let’s continue to listen to the words of the Psalmist, as he speaks to us:

3 “THOU Compassest my path and my lying down, and Art Acquainted With all my ways.”

There is NO PLACE into which one might walk, where YAHVEH GOD Is Not Already Present.  HE Is There whenever one leaves one’s residence, and whenever one returns to lie down in the evening, or

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late at night. GOD Knows all of the tendencies of each of one of us.  NONE OF US IS EVER A SURPRISE To HIM, at any time!  Have you been UNrighteous?  GOD Is Fully Aware of it. Have you engaged in doing that which you knew, at the time, was wrong?  GOD Was There when you did it!  As a matter of fact, HE Was There BEFORE you ever arrived on the scene to do it.  Do you fully UNDERSTAND the depth of the MEANING of this verse, Students?  Do you really?!?  It is IMPOSSIBLE for ANYONE to EVER do that which catches YAHVEH GOD Off Guard!!!  It just CAN’T be done!

Psalm 139:4 “For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, THOU Knowest it altogether [completely].”

Today, so MANY persons attempt to cloak the harshness of their words, by later pretending that they didn’t mean exactly what they said, while within the hearing of others, but insist that their words were “taken out of context”.  However, during those periods when they are not out in public, but are behind closed doors, many of their mouths utter the filthiest, the hardest, most callous, demeaning, hateful, repulsive, indignant, and just plain nasty, expressions, about certain other individuals, that one might ever hear spoken!  While they will dress in their Brooks Brother’s Suits, clothed themselves in Prada Dresses, and Christian Louboutin footwear, wear Johnston-Murphy Shoes, have on Paul Fredrick Silk Ties, and Ralph Lauren Broadcloth Shirts, NONE of this serves to hide the FILTH that resides within their hearts/minds!  They speak such demeaning things, because those things are within their hearts/minds (Matthew 12:34; Luke 6:45), and they NEVER REPENT of them, or of such UNRIGHTEOUS attitudes; yet, so many of them continue to CLAIM that they are “Christians”, and they persist in defaming The NAME of YAH [THE HEAVENLY FATHER and Son], through their UNrighteous actions.

5 “THOU Hast Beset [Enclosed] me Behind and Before, and Laid THINE Hand Upon me.”

When we comprehend The MERCY of GOD, we will begin to grasp the fact that YAHVEH’s GOODNESS and PROTECTION Surrounds those that BELIEVE in HIM, and have FAITH [“…Beset me Behind and Before…”], Through their BELIEF in HIS Righteous Son, and HE Will COMFORT and GUIDE them [“…Laid THINE Hand Upon me.”], Just As HE Did When HE Brought the people of Israel Out of the land of Egypt (Deuteronomy 26:8).  Remember That GOD NEVER Changes, Beloved! (Hebrews 13:8)

6 “Such Knowledge Is Too Wonderful for me; It Is High, I cannot attain [grasp its fulness] unto It!”

What is this verse telling us, Beloved Saints of GOD? It is conveying to us the Spiritual Understanding that, try as diligently as we might, we will NEVER be able to fully Comprehend The WAYS of YAHVEH GOD!  HIS WAYS Are Far Too Exceptional For our limited thought processes to fully grasp! (Isaiah 55:8-9)

7 “Whither [Where] shall I go from THY SPIRIT? Or, whither shall I flee from THY PRESENCE?!”

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Psalm 139:8 “If I ascend up into HEAVEN, THOU Art There: if I make my bed in hell [Sheol / Grave], behold, THOU Are There.”

Do you recognize what is happening, here, Students?  Please understand, Beloved, that even in death, YAHVEH GOD NEVER Leaves HIS Children Alone!  This is what far too many persons seem to fail to keep in the forefronts of their minds.  Those persons’ perceptions are that if they are no longer alive, somehow YAHVEH GOD Tends To Forget About them, and that they are, then, left to become but a distant memory for those who are left behind.  Therefore, these individuals begin to DOUBT whether YAHVEH GOD Will Keep them Within HIS Thoughts, once they have passed from the scene of this life.  In this, it is evident that they DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHO GOD IS, or The Magnitude of The POWER That YAHVEH GOD Holds!  The BELIEVER/CHRISTIAN is ALWAYS In GOD’s CARE, and HIS KEEPING.

9 “If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;”

NEVER FORGET that, even inside the belly of the great fish, as it dived down deeply into the depths of the Sea, and swam among the Sea Weed, YAHVEH GOD Was THERE, Along With the Prophet, Jonah.  HE DID NOT Forsake Jonah, Leaving Jonah Alone, and without Hope; although circumstances might have appeared as though GOD Had Forsaken HIS Prophet! (I Kings 8:57; Psalm 94:14)  Jonah knew that YAHVEH GOD Was There, Along With him, Able To Hear every word that he spoke, and this prompted Jonah to PRAY, or to TALK, to GOD, out of the situation of his confinement (Jonah 1:17; 2:1-3, 5-7, 10).

10 “Even there Shall THY Hand Lead me, and THY Right Hand Shall Hold me.”

Precious Hearts, do we not UNDERSTAND that we NEED to BECOME MORE LIKE our GOD??? Should we not desire that our own personal FAITHFULNESS will rise to the Level of becoming more representative of, or more similar to, The DEPENDABILITY of The FAITHFULNESS of our HEAVENLY FATHER, and HIS Righteous Son, The Glorified Yeshua Ha Meshiach/Jesus The Messiah/Christ???  This is the MEANING behind What YAHVEH GOD Says In Leviticus 11:44, and 20:7-8.

11 “If I say, ‘Surely the darkness shall cover me’; even the night shall be light about me.”

12 “Yea [Surely], the darkness hideth not [anyone or anything] from THEE; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to THEE.”

NO situation, whatever its origin and source, finds itself clothed in a darkness so great that The EYES of GOD Cannot Pierce Through it, To SEE EVERYTHING that transpires.  YAHVEH GOD Is WITNESS To ALL of our deeds, and our misdeeds, as well. The darkness, and the light, are equally revealing to HIM.  NOTHING is EVER hidden from HIM (Psalm 38:9; 139:15; Luke 8:17).  Our GOD Is OMNIPRESENT [Present Everywhere]!

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Psalm 139:13 “For THOU Hast Possessed [Control Of] my reins [Thoughts: everything that pertains to my existence]: THOU Hast Covered me in my mother’s womb.”

The Psalmist, David, tells us, in the words of this verse, that YAHVEH GOD Is In Control of EVERY ASPECT of our lives, and in particular the lives of those who Trust In HIM.  The Psalmist points out that YAHVEH Has Been There From the point at which he was impregnated into his mother’s womb.  As a matter of fact, David indicates that It Was YAHVEH GOD WHO Placed his life, as well as the life of any other person, inside the womb of that person’s mother [“THOU Hast Covered me in my mother’s womb.”].

14 “I will Praise THEE; for I am fearfully and wonderfully Made: Marvellous Are THY Works; and that my Soul knoweth right well.”

15 “My substance [compositional makeup] was not hid[den] from THEE, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the Earth.”

16 “THINE Eyes Did See my substance, yet being unperfect [while yet unformed as a fetus]; and in THY Book all my members [bodily parts] Were Written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.”

Precious Hearts, IF one is a TRUE BELIEVER/CHRISTIAN, in reality, THIS verse addresses that ANSWER to the question of WHEN life BEGINS: It BEGINS at the point of the mother’s IMPREGNATION!  This is what The Psalmist is sharing with all of us, in the words of this verse.

17 “How Precious also Are THY Thoughts unto me, O GOD! How Great Is The Sum of Them!”

18 “If I should [be able to] count Them, They Are More In Number Than the sand: when I awake, I am still With THEE.”

23 “Search me, O GOD, and Know my heart: Try me, and Know my Thoughts:”

24 “And SEE if there be ANY wicked way in me, and Lead me In The Way Everlasting.”

These last two verses, in particular, bring us to the point at which this Instructor desires for Students of the Great Grace Bible Study Group to arrive: Now that we have established the fact that YAHVEH GOD Is EVERYWHERE, at ALL TIMES, and Knows EVERYTHING, about EVERYONE, it is time for us to begin to get more seriously into the significant heart of today’s Lesson.  We need to LEARN about HOW one can become MORE like GOD, and LESS like one’s self (II Peter 3:18).  Let’s start that Process with the next verse.

LUKE 8:18 “Take heed, Therefore, how [the manner in which] ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him Shall Be Given [More]; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth [appears] to have.”

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Beloved, let’s proceed cautiously, here, for this deals with an area that will likely prove to be very offensive to any number of persons, because most persons want to believe that they are better, smarter, and more accomplished, than a meaningful examination of them might prove to be the situation, in truth.  Do you think that this Teacher is talking foolishly?  Well, think about this fact: There are MANY persons who like to be thought of as being, and declared, by others, to be, “Authorities”, on a myriad of topics and subject matter.  However, after a closer scrutiny is made of the positions that many of them take, those positions are frequently proven to be much less identifiably accurate than the declarations about them would initially have caused persons to believe.  They clearly DID NOT prove to be the “authorities” that they claimed as their right.  This verse speaks of something tantamount to just that type of situation.

This verse is a WARNING to that man/woman who THINKS that he or she is particularly KNOWLEDGEABLE regarding areas of Understanding involving The Things of GOD! Yeshua/Jesus is saying, to ALL of us: “If a man/woman is very careful in being a recipient of The TRUTH of GOD’s Word; receives That TRUTH, correctly; holds to It, tenaciously; Believes It, emphatically; teaches It, unerringly; and lives It, sincerely, Then YAHVEH GOD Will Give To him/her even Greater Additional TRUTH To Be Comprehended and Absorbed.  However, on the other hand, if that same person HAS NOT embraced The TRUTH of GOD’s Word, As YAHVEH GOD Has So Intended It To Be, then YAHVEH GOD Will Remove [Make It Evident], From him/her, even that which he/she once appeared to know, and Will Give him/her NO MORE TRUTH, for him/her to fritter away, callously!”  Beloved, YAHVEH GOD Is Extremely SERIOUS About the manner in which we relate to HIS Word, for It IS NOT That With Which one may Toy, or with which one might childishly play around!

John 17:19 “And for their sakes I Sanctify myself, that they also might be Sanctified Through The TRUTH.”

Precious Hearts, now we begin to get more deeply into The Essence of what is entailed in us becoming more like our Lord and Savior, The Glorified Yeshua Ha Meshiach/Jesus The Messiah/Christ.  We MUST BE SANCTIFIED!  But, WHAT is the MEANING of this Concept of SANCTIFICATION?!?  If one were to seek out the definition, one would find that it MEANS: “To Be SET APART for SACRED SERVICE.”  Fine.  A great definition! But, the question logically follows about what it MEANS to be “SET APART”?!?  Let us REMEMBER the words of II Corinthians 6:14-18.

II Corinthians 6:14 “Be ye not unequally yoked [attached / affiliated] together with unbelievers: for what fellowship [friendship] hath Righteousness with Unrighteousness? And what communion [interaction] hath Light with Darkness?”

In this verse, alone, is much for BELIEVERS/CHRISTIANS to grasp, Students.  As this Teacher has told Students of the GGBSG, in a previous Lesson, this verse DOES NOT merely apply to dating, or marital situations, but also to close platonic friendships, associations, and other affiliations, as well.  Why is this so?  Is it so because YAHVEH GOD, and HIS Righteous Son, The Glorified Yeshua Ha Meshiach, Have Some Hidden Contempt For those who are SINNERS?  Not at all, Beloved!  GOD Knows the dangers that are hidden, for HIS Children, in them attempting to foster relationships, and close

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interactions, with those persons that have NO love for HIM, HIS Beloved Son, or The Way of Life that is to be lived by each TRUE Christian/Believer.  These Believers’, their lives, and their lifestyles, can, and will, eventually become sullied by those UNrighteous persons whose friendships they try to embrace.  The Old Saying carries much weight: “BIRDS OF A FEATHER FLOCK TOGETHER.”

II Corinthians 6:15 “And what concord [harmony] hath Christ with Belial [Satan the Devil / The Evil One]? Or what part hath he that Believeth with and Infidel [non-believer]?”

Precious and Beloved Saints of GOD, IF this verse were adhered to, in so many of the interpersonal relationships in which persons try to engage, today, as well as in the past, MANY later volatile situations could have been, and still can be, avoided.  Like the situation of attempting to mix Oil and Water, TRUE CHRISTIANS and UNbelievers just DON’T MIX, at all!  Whether persons want to admit it, or not, we still remain the very epitome of LIGHT versus DARKNESS, GOOD versus EVIL, and RIGHT versus WRONG.

16 “And what agreement hath The Temple of GOD with idols? For ye ARE The Temple of THE LIVING GOD; as GOD Hath Said, ‘I Will Dwell IN them, and Walk IN them; and I Will Be their GOD, and they shall be MY People!”

Do you realize, Students, that this verse is conveying to us that we are GOD’s DWELLING PLACES, as well as HIS TRANSPORTATION UNITS?  Read the verse, again, with greater clarity of Spiritual Understanding.  Do you SEE, Through your Spiritual Eyes, that what this Teacher has just stated is The TRUTH?!?  BECAUSE YAH [THE HEAVENLY FATHER and Son] LIVE WITHIN us, we TAKE THEM Along WITH us, WHEREVER we go!  Do you recall the words of our Lord, as he spoke to the Pharisees, regarding their lives and lifestyles? (Matthew 23:25-26)  Do you UNDERSTAND the MEANING of these two verses in Matthew 23?  This MEANS that there are religious persons who will frequently attempt to deceive others into believing that they are RIGHTEOUS individuals, by putting on certain religious airs and displays, when out in the public, while NOT really being that which they only PRETEND to be, when away from public viewing! This is WHY Yeshua/Jesus called them HYPOCRITES! (Matthew 15:7-8)  They DID NOT truly HONOR GOD, at all!  Do we?

17 “WHEREFORE [For The Previously Mentioned Reasons] Come OUT From among them, and BE YE SEPARATE, Saith THE LORD, and touch not [DO NOT become involved with] the unclean [Unacceptable] thing; and I Will Receive you,”

This is an area of The Holy Scriptures in which persons want to appear to lose their abilities to recognize what the verse is actually sharing with them, when it is as plain, as anything can possibly be made, for any persons to understand.  In order to be LIKE GOD, which MEANS to BE HOLY, one CANNOT continue to insist upon doing, or persist in doing, the same things that one has always done, with the same people, and in the same ways, in which one has always done those things.  When GOD Comes IN, UNrighteousness must go OUT.  There HAS TO BE a SEPARATION made in the ways in which truly RIGHTEOUS persons live, from the lives of those individuals who are NOT RIGHTEOUS in their lives!

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II Corinthians 6:18 “And Will Be A FATHER Unto you, and ye shall be MY Sons and Daughters,’ Saith THE LORD ALMIGHTY.’”

THIS Teacher will say it, once again: “THIS verse contains a CONTINGENCY, if ever one existed.  It is what this Teacher refers to as ‘The IF-THEN Scenario: IF we will do these Things to Honor GOD; THEN GOD Promises That HE Will Do Certain Other Things To honor us!’”  Surely, even the most blind of persons should be able to SEE that IF one DOES NOT COMPLY with YAHVEH GOD’s Demands, in this area of one’s life, alone, THEN YAHVEH GOD Will NOT Be Compelled To BE A FATHER To that individual!

John 17:20 “Neither Pray I for these alone, but for them, also, which shall Believe on me through their word:”

21 “That they ALL may be ONE; as THOU, FATHER, Art In me, and I In THEE, that they also may be ONE In US: that the World may Believe that THOU Hast Sent me.”

Students of the Great Grace Bible Study Group, here is HOW one BEGINS to BE MORE Like The Lord our GOD: One MUST Truly BELIEVE in THE ONE TRUE GOD OF HEAVEN AND EARTH, and THEN GOD Will Come To LIVE WITHIN that individual.  NOTHING ELSE takes place UNTIL these Two Conditions are first satisfied.  It is This ONENESS, with each other, in addition to our ONENESS with GOD, that makes us to BE The Children of GOD!

22 “And The Glory Which THOU Gavest me I have given them; that they may be ONE, Even As WE Are ONE:”

23 “I In them, and THOU In me, that they may be Made PERFECT In ONE; and that the World may know that THOU Hast Sent me, and Hast LOVED them, as THOU Hast LOVED me.”

These verses tell us WHY it is that THIS Teacher continues to state that YAHVEH GOD Will NEVER ACCEPT the DENOMINATIONALISM that exists, so extensively, among this World’s churches: it is DIVISION!!! (I Corinthians 1:10; 12:25-26)  There is NO ONENESS among the many churches of this World, today, whatsoever, no matter what they might claim to the contrary!!!  So, then, HOW can such be PLEASING To YAHVEH GOD?!!?  It DOES NOT matter what we might choose to call it: It IS what it IS!  It IS DIVISION!  HOW, then, can all of these variously DIVIDED churches continue to insist that YAHVEH GOD, THE GOD OF UNITY, or ONENESS, LIVES WITHIN their hearts/minds, Giving To them HIS PEACE (John 14:27), and Will Allow them to enter into HIS HOLY KINGDOM OF PERFECT UNITY, in such states of mass confusion?!?  It just WON’T EVER HAPPEN, Beloved!  It CAN’T happen!  It is counter intuitive to ALL That IS YAHVEH GOD, Beloved!  It is NOT GOD’s WAY, no matter who might want to claim a resistance to such a statement by THIS Instructor!  We MUST begin, NOW, to do that which we HAVE NOT previously done, and begin to put ourselves, our thoughts, and our personal feelings, aside; better still, cast them entirely AWAY, and begin to embrace The RIGHTEOUS WAYS of YAHVEH GOD, in EVERY aspect of our lives!  There is NO OTHER WAY through which one might truly BE HOLY!

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John 17:25 “O RIGHTEOUS FATHER, the World HATH NOT KNOWN THEE: but I have known THEE, and these have known that THOU Hast Sent me.”

Beloved, while this verse can address a more global reality, it can also address a more restricted, or localized, reality, as well: that being the reality of the various dissensions that exist between the denominational churches within THIS nation, alone!  When one TRULY KNOWS GOD, one knows of HIS UNITY, or ONENESS.  Where It Truly Exists, It BINDS us TOGETHER, in our BELIEFS, with those of like FAITH!  It becomes I Corinthians 1:10 in action.  It is THIS that PROVES to the WORLD that we BELIEVE, and in BELIEVING, belong to HIM! (Matthew 5:16)  We NEED to PRAY that YAHVEH GOD Will UNIFY us, and Make us to genuinely BECOME that which HE Desires of us, by SUBMITTING the totality of ourselves, and our previously held positions, to HIM (James 4:7-8), so that HE Might REFINE us, and LEAD and GUIDE us Into ALL areas of The TRUTH that we have, up to this time, denied (John 16:13).

26 “And I have declared unto them THY NAME, and will declare It: that The LOVE Wherewith THOU Hast LOVED me may be IN them, and I IN them.”

Are you UNDERSTANDING what it is that this verse is actually stating, Beloved?  Its underlying Theme and MEANING is that our LOVE is our UNITY!  Without LOVE we have NO UNITY; and without UNITY we have NO LOVE!  Without these TWO Spiritual Realities operating within our hearts/minds and lives, everyone of us will continue to fight for his/her own little “slice” of the “Religious Pie”, and that will remain the “Food Fight” among us that it has been throughout the generations of time.

I John 4:16 “And we have known and BELIEVED The LOVE That GOD Hath To[ward] us. GOD Is LOVE; and he that dwelleth in Love dwelleth IN GOD, and GOD IN him.”

17 “Herein is our Love Made PERFECT, that we may have BOLDNESS in The Day of JUDGMENT: because as HE IS, so are we in this World.”

Read these two verses, regularly, Beloved, and take Them to heart, for They Are The WORDS Of THE ETERNAL GOD, and Speak Volumes To us.  The Love that we have, if, indeed, we have Love, at all, is PERFECTED As YAH [THE HEAVENLY FATHER and Son] Continue To LIVE WITHIN our hearts/minds/lives.  THEY Will INSTRUCT us In becoming BETTER Children of GOD, BETTER friends, BETTER neighbors, BETTER citizens, BETTER workers, BETTER Saints of GOD.

CONCLUSION:

So, we come to the end of today’s Lesson, Saints of GOD.  When one looks more deeply into the underlying Elements of one’s FAITH, one should be able to find what it is that one truly BELIEVES, as such relates to that which The Holy Scriptures Set Forth For our Instruction and Admonition.  THE ONE TRUE AND LIVING GOD OF LOVE, MERCY, AND GRACE, Has Given To us Direction For our

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lives.  HE Has Told us to “BE YE HOLY, FOR I, THE LORD YOUR GOD, AM HOLY!” HOLINESS Comes, not only through one BELIEVING, but through one DOING Those Things Which Are PLEASING To YAHVEH GOD!  Perish any other thoughts!!!

When we DO These Things, the TRUTH of the matter is that we become increasingly more LIKE our GOD, for we become OBEDIENT to HIM, through Honoring HIS WORD.  It is WHAT HE Has Called us to do.  The QUESTION is this: “Will We Choose To Be Less Like Ourselves, In Order To Become More Like HIM?”  May YAHVEH GOD Make It To Be So.  Amen.

Until next time, Beloved …

MAY WE BE MADE MORE INTO THE IMAGE OF OUR HEAVENLY FATHER.

AMEN

WE WELCOME YOUR QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS ON THIS LESSON

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“SOME MISUNDERSTOOD TRUTH OF THE BOOK OF GALATIANS” — 6/16/2018

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[Discussing Certain Of The Bible TRUTHS Of The Book Of Galatians]

INTRODUCTION:

If one is truly a Christian/Believer, who might have been such for any protracted period of time, it is without question that one has heard some expository preaching/teaching, given somewhere, from The BOOK of GALATIANS, at some point.  It seems that it is one of the more favored Books, of The Holy Scriptures, from which many of today’s preachers will draw certain of their messages, and attempt to use those teachings in such a manner as to attempt to have them state what aligns with their particular theological leanings. Although this Instructor believes that such is done unintentionally, at least in many instances, it will no less be the result of so much of that which is done, and those that hear such teachings will still be the recipients of the negative impacts of so much of the error that is taught.

This Teacher has listened, intently, but, comparatively, has given little response, over the years, to the messages of those who CLAIM to be Ministers of The GOSPEL, some of whose messages would destroy the confidence of any number of persons, from those persons embracing The TRUTH of The GOSPEL Message, if there were not someone, somewhere, to “ride to their rescues”.   THIS Teacher hopes to be just such an individual as the latter.   Today, we will talk about a few of the greatly MISunderstood areas of this very Enlightening Book, The BOOK of GALATIANS, in an effort to debunk some of the ERRONEOUS teachings that have gone forth, from the mouths of a number of those who say that they are “Ministers of The GOSPEL”, as such men continue to learn more and more of their error-filled instruction, from each other, and those seminaries and Bible Schools that are steeped in erroneous dogma, as they sally forth to foist, and proliferate, that misinformation upon unsuspecting listeners.

Today, THIS Preacher/Teacher will ask Students of the Great Grace Bible Study Group to THINK, with Spiritual Understanding and Rationality, about the instruction that will be provided, today, and not to act as automatons.  DO NOT believe something merely because this Teacher states it; but read, with clarity of understanding, that which is Written upon the pages of The Holy Bible.  May we, with Prayerful Petitions to our GOD, ask HIM To Provide us With Insight to The TRUTH of HIS Word, because without Such Insight to The TRUTH of HIS Word, we will simply be lost, wandering around in the Spiritual Wasteland of our own Sinful Pride, Arrogance, and Vanity, as have so many persons before us.

Just WHERE this particular Lesson will take us, on this occasion, this Instructor cannot honestly state.  It Will Be, In Its Entirety, The Work of The Holy Spirit To Undertake the Direction of This Work, Who, In The Personage Of The Glorified Yeshua Ha Meshiach [Jesus The Messiah], In His Current HEAVENLY FORM, Is, Now, Made ALL THINGS To The TRUE Church of GOD, As He Performs In Just One of His Current HEAVENLY Roles, To Lead, Guide, and Direct, the efforts of this Teacher, and each Student of the GGBSG, that will find himself/herself a partaker in the Study of this Lesson, today.

There will most certainly be time allocated for questions, and debate, should there be areas of concern over portions of this Lesson.  This Teacher welcomes such, as this Instructor realizes that it will be done, by Students of the GGBSG, in their integrity, and their honest efforts to gain The TRUTH of

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Spiritual Understanding that GOD’s Word requires of each person who picks up, and reads, from the pages of The Holy Bible, while these same Students work at gaining greater Spiritual Enlightenment, so as to seek to inculcate that which seems to have proven to be such an enigma for so many persons, in the past.

As this Teacher views the issue, it is long past time for us to broach this topic, in a sincere effort to arrive at a clearer comprehension of what the Apostle, named Paul, tried, so diligently, to convey to The TRUE Church of THE LIVING GOD.  Paul’s efforts require the greatest pursuit of Spiritual Intellectual Integrity on our parts.  Let us realize the necessity that we take this opportunity to open our Bibles, to, once and for all, garner The TRUTH from GOD’s Word, so as to Respect It and to Live The Intent of Its Words and Meaning.  May YAHVEH GOD, THE EVER-LIVING SPIRIT OF TRUTH, Make it to be so For us.   Amen.

And now, today’s Lesson.

LESSON:

Romans 10:14 “How , then, shall they call on HIM in WHOM they have not Believed? And how shall they Believe in HIM of WHOM they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a Preacher?”

Students, this particular verse holds much meaning for those persons who choose to be well-informed of Biblical TRUTH, and so we begin, here, today. It takes a genuine Preacher/Teacher of GOD’s Word to correctly impart to persons that which YAHVEH GOD Would Have them to know; but this DOES NOT MEAN that just ANYONE is capable of placing himself into such a Role, who might wake up, one morning, and desire to take up The Mantle of Preacher/Teacher, and, thereby, CLAIM to be a Preacher/Teacher of The Word of GOD; this verse refers to that Man who Has Truly Been CALLED of GOD To Preach and Teach HIS Word in TRUTH.  The Impact of GOD’s Word, Upon the lives of BELIEVERS/CHRISTIANS, Is Too Important, With Which MANY persons have, UNRIGHTEOUSLY, chosen to tamper and trifle, For It Is Life-Giving, and Life-Changing, At Its Very Core, As It Carries The Greatest of Import imaginable, to individuals all around the World.

15 “And how shall they Preach, except they Be Sent?!? As It Is Written: ‘How beautiful are the feet of them that Preach The GOSPEL of PEACE, and bring Glad Tidings of Good Things!’”

Beloved of GOD, please allow THIS Teacher to say it just one more time, at least: This verse DOES NOT reference some group of clergymen, gathering in some remote location, and determining whom they will send, and where they will send him, to lead a particular congregation. This IS NOT the MEANING of this verse, at all!  This verse is a reference to YAH [THE HEAVENLY FATHER and Son] Doing The SELECTING and The SENDING of one whom THEY Have CALLED To Preach and Teach The TRUTH of THEIR Word!  The former undertaking, by individuals, has proven to be MUCH of The Modern-day Church’s PROBLEM, as one finds it to exist, today!  Men, and even, on occasions, Women, are attempting to do a job for which YAH Have NEVER CALLED and EQUIPPED them!!!

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The EVIDENCE of this Teacher’s assertion is to be found in the ERROR of so much of what they teach/preach! Let this Teacher make this assertion: GOD TEACHES THOSE WHOM HE REACHES!  NEVER allow yourselves to get “hung up” on the size, or lack thereof, of the Man’s Congregation, to which he preaches, each week, or the amount of the finances that he receives; such IS NOT to be considered the measure of the Man’s CALLING, or his worth, in general; nor should it necessarily be the measure of his ability.  There are a number of variables, for which most persons DO NOT even look, that go into determining a Man’s genuine CALLING, By YAHVEH GOD, Into The Ministry.

James 3:1 “My Brethren, BE NOT MANY Masters [Teachers], knowing that we shall receive The Greater Condemnation!”

The Apostle, James, speaks, in this verse, of The SEVERITY Of GOD’s JUDGMENT Toward that individual who CLAIMS that he was “Called” of GOD Into The Pulpit Ministry.  James issues a WARNING, that has clearly NOT resonated among so many persons, today.  Look around you! With little, or no, hesitation, everyone appears to want to CLAIM to be a “Minister”, “Preacher”, “Evangelist”, “Bishop”, “Apostle”, or “Teacher”!  It would seem that they proliferate almost every other street corner, here, in North America!  If one can conjure up a particular cadence in one’s speaking voice, has at least a decent command of the English Language, and is relatively personable, and sometimes fairly appealing to the eyes, one can be designated to be a “Preacher”.

People will often make the statement, “You SOUND LIKE a Preacher!”  Consider the following: While this Teacher was engaged in doing some banking chores, one day, a man once said to THIS Instructor, “Are you a Preacher???  You certainly dress and look like one!”  Upon exiting the building, as this Teacher finished in the Bank, and proceeded to his vehicle, the same man, inadvertently following, said, “I KNEW that you were a Preacher!  You’re even driving a Preacher’s car!!!”  What is the POINT, here, Beloved, that is being made by this Instructor?  The POINT is that we, as people, so frequently employ such meager rationale, and standards, by which to make our judgments of, and determinations regarding, someone who is supposed to be engaged in the most important job in the World!  REMEMBER the words of Hebrews 13:17!  Since your very SOULS are at stake, ought you not to be more cautious in your evaluation of to whom you will entrust the teaching of it?!

2 “For in many things we offend all [everyone]. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.”

The Preacher’s/Teacher’s words, IF he is worth his “Salt” as a Minister of Christ/Meshiach, will serve to OFFEND almost EVERYONE, at some point, if he is truly DOING his job!  If he DOES NOT step on some toes, at certain times, he is NO Preacher of The TRUTH of GOD’s Word!  It is just that simple.  Can THIS Teacher be any more assertive, in the statement of this Teacher’s position, than this?!?  One CANNOT Teach The TRUTH of GOD’s Word, and keep everyone happy, all of the time.  It is IMPOSSIBLE to do!!!  Now, having said this, the Minister of The GOSPEL is to ALWAYS REMEMBER the words of Colossians 4:6, and Proverbs 15:1-2.  One is NEVER to be cruel, simply for the sake of being cruel!  One is to ALWAYS exercise LOVE at the core of whatever one does.

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Galatians 1:6 “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from HIM That Called you Into The Grace of Christ, unto another ‘gospel’:”

WHAT IS This GRACE of Christ, To Which the Believer/Christian Has Been Called, of which one reads in this verse?  Must we not attempt to make this determination?  Indeed we must! WHAT IS IT that This GRACE of Christ Allows, that NOTHING ELSE will provide to us?!?  Ought we not want to seek to know?  We begin to find the ANSWER provided to us in the ensuing verse:

Galatians 1:7 “Which is NOT another [Gospel]; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert The GOSPEL of Christ.”

It Is The GOSPEL of Meshiach/Christ that Provides To us the AWARENESS of GOD’s GRACE! This is that of which the Apostle is speaking, in the preceding verses!  Now, it becomes necessary for us to make a determination as to what this GOSPEL Entails, and particularly as such relates to our Study of The BOOK of GALATIANS.  In addition, we must consider the PERVERSION of The GOSPEL, which the Apostle addresses, as well.

8 “But though WE, or an Angel from HEAVEN, Preach any other ‘Gospel’ unto you, than that which we have Preached unto you, let him be accursed [anathema]!”

Have we not heard these words so many times, Beloved?  Indeed we have!  But, the issue is this: What IS this GOSPEL of Which the Apostle, named Paul, speaks, in this particular verse?  Is it not ESSENTIAL that we should know the answer to this interrogative, as well?

Galatians 2:18 “For if I build, again, the things which I destroyed, I make myself a Transgressor.”

As one reads THIS verse, one should bear in mind the words of I John 3:4. NOT just ANYTHING, that someone desires to ascribe to be such, becomes SIN, Beloved: SIN is clearly one VIOLATING the Words and Intent of The LAW of GOD, Which is the ENTIRE Word of GOD! THIS is ANOTHER REASON WHY your Teacher continues to declare that The LAW of GOD Can NEVER become impotent, obsolete, outdated, inconsequential, inapplicable, irrelevant, or immaterial, at ANY point!!!  The LAW of GOD Will Stand FOREVER!!!  How, then, does this stated Reality apply to THIS particular verse???  WHAT is it that has been “destroyed”, which is the position taken by the Apostle, Paul, in this verse?!!?  Let us continue to discuss this issue, along with other things.

19 “For I, through The LAW, am dead to The Law, that I might Live unto GOD.”

What in the World is the MEANING of this verse?!!?  Does it mean that The LAW, Which Gives to us Spiritual TRUTH – that Leads To ETERNAL LIFE — is the SAME Law that also puts us to Death?!!?  Is THAT the MEANING of this verse?  NO!!!  That IS NOT the MEANING of this verse!  There is something going on, here, that bears an appropriate explanation, by someone truly CALLED of GOD, as a Minister of Meshiach/Christ, needs to explain.  Allow THIS Teacher to provide to you The TRUTH of this verse.  Let us turn to, and begin by reading, the words of Romans 8:1.

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Romans 8:1 “There is therefore, now, NO Condemnation to them which are IN Christ Jesus [Yeshua Ha Meshiach], who Walk not after [according to] the FLESH, but after [according to] The SPIRIT.”

There is so MUCH to be unpacked, during this Teacher’s explanation of this verse, Beloved.  So, let’s begin with our effort to do so, shall we?  There is a concern that we have, from the very beginning, that we do not desire to have provide any level of Condemnation to us.  Now, WHAT is that?!?  Clearly, we are to recognize that it is the FACT that one MUST be IN Meshiach/Christ.  In other words, one MUST BELONG to Meshiach/Christ!  It is just that simple an issue.  In other words, it is as RIDICULOUS as can possibly be anything, for SOMEONE to attempt to CLAIM that he/she is “going to go to HEAVEN” who has NEVER partaken of Meshiach/Christ, and His Holy Spirit!

Romans 8:2 “For The LAW of The SPIRIT of LIFE, In Christ Jesus, Hath Made me Free from The Law of Sin and Death.”

This Teacher will make the statement, AGAIN!  There are TWO LAWS mentioned here, and NOT just one, and the understanding of Them IS NOT to be interchanged, or conflated!  We MUST begin to enhance our Spiritual Understanding from the recognition of this premise: It is in KNOWING Meshiach/Christ, as one’s personal SAVIOR, that one is FREED from being under Condemnation of The Second Law, which is The Law of Sin and Death.  This Second Law has another descriptive reference, which we find mentioned in I Corinthians 2:11-14.  The Natural Man is that Man who lives according to the rules, or dictates, of his FLESH, who is said to be ruled by The Law of Sin and Death, which is The Law of the FLESH (Romans 8:3).  Do you SEE it, Beloved?!?  The LAW of GOD, or The TEN COMMANDMENTS, Was NEVER weak; it was, and is, the SINFULNESS, of our human FLESH, that was/is WEAK, and tends to resist The LAW of GOD!

3 “For what The LAW could not do, in that It Was Weak through the Flesh, GOD Sending HIS Own Son, in the likeness of Sinful Flesh, and for Sin, Condemned Sin in the Flesh.”

Here we have it, Beloved: The LAW of GOD WAS NOT weak, In Itself, but it was the WEAKNESS that existed within our human FLESH that made The LAW of GOD, or The TEN COMMANDMENTS, APPEAR to be weak, because it was the FLESH that NEVER exhibited the ability to honor The LAW!  That is the MEANING of this verse.  Let’s hear the following verse:

4 “That The RIGHTEOUSNESS of The LAW might be FULFILLED IN US, who Walk NOT after the Flesh, but after The SPIRIT.”

Do you SEE what is stated, here, Beloved?!?  The LAW Is NOT Oppressive; It Is A Teacher, or a Guide To RIGHTEOUSNESS [Right-Living], That needed to SATURATE [be FULFILLED in us] every sinew of our existences.  It Is HOLY! (I Timothy 1:8; Romans 7:12)  ALL of these things have to do with our initial Topic, which is our discussion of The GOSPEL of Yeshua Ha Meshiach/Jesus The Messiah/Christ.  This is The Reality that Yeshua/Jesus came into the World to bring to us From THE HEAVENLY FATHER. We NEED to be FILLED With The RIGHTEOUSNESS of The LAW, and The LAW Is RIGHTEOUS, Which Is COMPLETED Through Yeshua Ha Meshiach LIVING WITHIN us,

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for HE IS The FULFILLMENT of The LAW! (Matthew 5:17)  Do you recognize that the idea of Yeshua Ha Meshiach Being The FULFILLMENT of The LAW means that He Provides To us The POWER of GOD to LIVE The RIGHTEOUSNESS of The LAW?!  Do you UNDERSTAND this?!?

Galatians 2:20 “I am Crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ Liveth In me: and The Life which I now live in the Flesh I live by The FAITH of The Son of GOD, Who Loved me, and Gave Himself For me.”

“I am DEAD, while I am still ALIVE!”  This is precisely WHAT the Apostle, named Paul, is indicating to us in the words of this verse!  The issue of BEING IN CHRIST means that an individual DIED at exactly the point at which Meshiach/Christ died, upon that Stake/Cross at Calvary, as He Was our Surrogate/Propitiation, and we Arose, Spiritually, IN Him, From the grave, With The Ability to Overcome SIN Through The GRACE [Undeserved FAVOR and POWER of GOD] That YAHVEH GOD Has Given To us, because of our acceptance of HIS Righteous Son (Romans 6:14).  This also means that the uncontrollable desires of the FLESH died during that entire Process of His DEATH and RESURRECTION, as well.  Therefore, since the FLESH has died, one’s overwhelming feelings and desires are no longer alive to drive one to participate in the SINS of the FLESH, that once so greatly impacted upon one’s life (Romans 6:1-2).

21 “I DO NOT Frustrate The GRACE of GOD: for if Righteousness come by The LAW, then Christ is dead in vain!”

Ah-h-h!  Now we come to an area of Holy Scripture that tends to pose a considerable difficulty for so many persons to understand.  Is Paul reversing himself, and now telling us that The LAW of GOD IS NOT RIGHTEOUS, any longer??  Is that what he is saying?  NOT AT ALL, Beloved! Remember to bear in mind what he stated in Romans 7:12!  So, then, there MUST BE another explanation for this verse!  There just HAS to be!  Obviously, as BELIEVERS, we KNOW that Meshiach/Christ HAD TO DIE FOR OUR SINS, so as To CLEANSE us From ALL SIN, With His Precious BLOOD (Hebrews 9:22).  There is NO ONE of us who is willing to deny this Great TRUTH!  This verse simply reiterates that which THIS Teacher explained just a little earlier.  Our FLESH was far too weak to allow us to OBEY, for any extended time, The Glorious RIGHTEOUSNESS of The LAW of GOD: We NEEDED Something MORE, That Would Be Able To ELEVATE us BEYOND our own faults, failings, weaknesses, inabilities, and proclivities to SIN!!!  This is WHY Meshiach/Christ Came to DIE!

What this verse IS SAYING is that IF, then, one should REVERT BACK to one’s OLD WAYS of thinking, acting, speaking, and living, and begin to DENY the NECESSITY of the Shedding of Yeshua Ha Meshiach’s BLOOD, in this entire matter of SALVATION, that one would be in a position of DENYING The GRACE of YAHVEH GOD Toward Man-Types! (John 3:16-17)  The LAW, Alone, Could NEVER Provide To us Such Wonders As That of Which we have just read.

Galatians 3:21 “Is The LAW, then, against The Promises of GOD? GOD Forbid: for if there had been a LAW Given Which Could Have Given [ETERNAL] LIFE, verily [truly] RIGHTEOUSNESS should have been by The LAW.”

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This verse inquires of us: “Was there some way, any way, in which the recognition, through Obedience to The LAW of GOD, Would Be Able To PREVENT ANYONE From receiving The Great and Precious PROMISES That YAHVEH GOD Made To Man-Types?”  The Retort comes: “GOD FORBID!!!”  But, it DOES NOT END at this point.  IF The LAW Had Been Able To Impact Upon Man-Types, in such a manner that they would have been able to live RIGHTEOUSLY, on a continuing basis, then Yeshua’s death would have been rendered totally UNnecessary!

Galatians 3:22 “But The Scripture hath concluded [Included] ALL under SIN, that The Promise By FAITH of Jesus Christ [Yeshua Ha Meshiach] Might Be Given To them that BELIEVE.”

The Statement of this verse is that EVERYONE is a SINNER (Psalm 51:5), and NEEDS The MERCY of GOD! (Romans 3:23)  Hence, EVERYONE NEEDS The Glorified Yeshua Ha Meshiach/Jesus The Messiah, To Be his/her SAVIOR, whether he/she realizes such to be True, or not.  One’s acknowledgement of this fact, or one’s refusal to admit to such, DOES NOT change the overall reality of the circumstance of the situation.

23 “But before FAITH came, we were kept under The LAW, shut up unto The FAITH Which should afterwards Be Revealed.”

Now, let’s get about the business of explaining The TRUTH of this verse, shall we?  Please answer these QUESTIONS, for THIS Teacher. “What was the situation, with Man-Types, BEFORE Meshiach/Christ was born into the World?  WHAT was there, in existence, that AIDED Man-Types in BECOMING the RIGHTEOUS persons that YAHVEH GOD Has ALWAYS REQUIRED of Man-Types?” The ANSWER: The LAW! It TAUGHT and GUIDED Man-Types toward RIGHTEOUSNESS [Right-Living], much as a School Teacher teaches and guides the learning of students inside the classroom.

But, there was still a problem with Man-Types, and that involved the nature of the FLESH: It was WEAK, and prone to SIN.  Therefore, try as they might, persons would falter and fail, time, and again, to do that which Was PLEASING To GOD.  The Presence of FAITH was the PROPELLANT that was MISSING from The EQUATION of RIGHTEOUSNESS (Hebrews 4:2).  Man-Types required SOMETHING of a Source That Could Act To INFUSE Into them the ABILITY To Succeed in OBEYING The COMMANDMENTS of GOD. That Missing INGREDIENT was FAITH!  This is WHY CHRISTIANS/BELIEVERS speak so frequently, in glowing terms, of This Thing Called FAITH.  FAITH Came To us in The Presence of Yeshua Ha Meshiach, The ONLY BEGOTTEN Son of GOD!

24 “Wherefore The LAW was our Schoolmaster [Teacher/Instructor] to Bring us Unto Christ, that we might be JUSTIFIED [Cleansed of our SINS] by FAITH.”

The LAW of GOD, As Mighty As It Was/Is, COULD NOT UNDO [Justify] ALL OF OUR PAST SINS! In the past, those SINS could only be COVERED, but NEVER completely undone, or eradicated.  The STAIN [Remembrance] of those SINS always remained behind, left to haunt us, and to continually

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condemn us.  With The Coming, Into the World, of Meshiach/Christ, we now find that Romans 8:1-2 enters into play.

Galatians 3:25 “But after that FAITH is come [following the coming of FAITH], we are no longer under a Schoolmaster.”

This verse merely addresses The GRADUATION of The Saints.  Once one has GRADUATED, one no longer requires the devoted attention of the former Teacher, or Schoolmaster, in the area of the instruction of some particular subject matter.  It is the expectation that one will have mastered that particular subject area (Hebrews 6:1-2).  Each day of our lives, we are to move on to an increased level of FAITH! (Romans 1:17) When The Glorified Yeshua Enters Into the life of any BELIEVER/CHRISTIAN, that person becomes a GRADUATE from the ACADEMY of SIN!  He/she now goes on to enter into The UNIVERSITY of GOD’s LOVE to pursue Advanced Studies (II Peter 3:18).  One, hopefully, has LEARNED, through previous experiences and experimentation of the matter, that SIN always brings with it distress and brokenness, in the end, because it BREAKS GOD’s LAWS (I John 3:4; Romans 6:14; Proverbs 14:12).

26 “For ye are all The Children of GOD by FAITH in Christ Jesus.”

What does it MEAN, at this point, that one is one of “The Children of GOD, by FAITH in Christ Jesus”?  Beloved, this verse speaks in reference to The GRACE of GOD.  Do you recall the meaning of the word GRACE, as THIS Teacher once defined it for your use?  It is “The Undeserved FAVOR and POWER of GOD”.  It is our FAITH in YAHVEH GOD, Through our BELIEF in The Glorified Yeshua Ha Meshiach/Jesus The Messiah/Christ, As YAHVEH GOD’s ONLY BEGOTTEN Son, HEAVEN’s Representative, and SAVIOR of the World, that gives to us the Spiritual Ability to Be Adopted Into The FAMILY of GOD.

Galatians 3:1 “O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey The TRUTH, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently [clearly / openly] set forth, crucified among you?”

THIS Teacher wants Students of the GGBSG to take very careful notice of the wording of this verse.  Notice, very carefully, the word “bewitched”.  Paul is attempting to convey something to the people of Galatia that is not to be overlooked.  Paul is saying: “Galatians, considerable time and effort have been spent to share The Reality of The TRUTH of The GOSPEL of Yeshua Ha Meshiach/Jesus The Messiah/Christ with you.  We left no stone unturned, as it were.  We told you everything, about Him, that there is to share with you.  We told you of the Power that was Generated Through His Crucifixion and RESURRECTION: these things you understood!  What happened, afterward?!!? Were you bewitched?!? What caused you to turn away from The TRUTH???”

Can you sense the consternation in the voice of Paul?  He is clearly in a quandary, as he seeks to find an explanation to this turn of events!  He has given so much of himself, in Teaching to the people of Galatia, The GOSPEL Message, and, yet, the people of Galatia have rewarded him with dismissing that about which he has Instructed them.  Beloved, nothing is more disappointing, to a TRUE Minister of

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The GOSPEL, than to have his best efforts dismissed by those who have no real idea of the serious nature of what it is that they do.

Galatians 3:2 “This only would I learn of you: Received ye The Spirit by the Works of The Law, or by the hearing of FAITH?”

Paul inquires: “When you knew nothing but The Sacrificial LAWS, did you receive The Surging Power that you now have operating within your lives?  Or, did that Power Come only after you were Taught about The FAITH That one receives through Trusting in The Glorified Savior, The Lord Yeshua Ha Meshiach/Jesus The Messiah/Christ?  Tell me: How did It Come To you???  You know, very well, the answer!  Then, WHY have you decided to do this absurd turnabout?!!?”

3 “Are ye so foolish, having begun in The Spirit, are ye now made Perfect by the Flesh?”

This statement is one that indicates the LACK of WISDOM [“Are ye so foolish…”].  Paul views the Galatians as those who have abandoned the course of Wisdom, as they have put aside that which they KNOW to work, at the highest level, in order to replace it with that which is of lesser quality. They have begun to make what is accomplished more about themselves, and what they can personally do, rather than about The POWER of GOD!  This is WHAT Paul is pointing out to them, when he mentions The FLESH.  Whatever the Galatians can do, on a personal level, will NEVER rise to the level of what can be done through The HOLY SPIRIT: This is Paul’s point.  While The LAW is Good, in what It Does (Romans 7:12), FAITH is so much Better.

5 “He, therefore, that Ministereth to you The SPIRIT, and Worketh Miracles among you, doeth he it by the Works of The LAW, or by the hearing of FAITH?”

THIS Teacher believes that the Apostle, named Paul, begins to indirectly refer to himself, at this point, as he speaks the words of this verse, to the people of Galatia: “Do you think, for a single moment, that The Miracles that you have witnessed, occurred because I honored The Sacrificial LAW, or do you believe that such occurred because MESHIACH/CHRIST Lives Within me?  Tell me: What do you THINK Was The POWER Behind What Generated Such Events?” What THIS Teacher wants each Student of the Great Grace Bible Study Group to notice, at this point, is that this Instructor has written these words in a more colloquial vernacular, in an effort to present to Students the MEANING, or INTENT, behind Paul’s words.

Do we find ANY attempt being made, by Paul, to dismiss The LAW of GOD, whatsoever???  Is that his approach and purpose, as we find written here?!?  Not at all, Beloved!  There is NO ATTEMPT made to denigrate The LAW of GOD, by any means, on Paul’s part, or on the part of THIS Teacher, contrary to what so MANY Religionists overtly, and unreasonably, attempt to do, today!  There IS, conversely, a concerted effort made to LIFT, or ELEVATE, The NAME of The Glorified Yeshua Ha Meshiach, Which Is THE HEAVENLY FATHER’s NAME, as well (John 12:28).  YAHVEH GOD HONORS HIS Righteous Son, Through Yeshua’s PRESENCE Within The Apostle’s life, and the lives of ALL others that BELIEVE upon His NAME; That, in the Apostle’s case, Is Sometimes Demonstrated Through

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Miraculous Occurrences (Acts 19:12).  But, let it be known that, at the end of the day, The GREATNESS of The LAW is still The Greatness of The LAW, and NO ONE, anywhere, can EVER change this reality!!! (Matthew 5:17-18)  Beloved, Paul DOES NOT reference The TEN COMMANDMENTS, but Sacrificial and Ceremonial LAWS, in which the people engaged!  ALL individuals should STOP THE NONSENSE of attempting to dismiss The LAW of GOD’s GREATNESS through their own errant perceptions and foolhardiness!!!

Galatians 3:10 “For as many as are of the Works of The LAW are under the Curse: for it is Written, ‘Cursed is every one that CONTINUETH NOT in ALL THINGS Which are Written in The Book of The LAW to DO them!”

Here is the PROBLEM with persons who would want to simply honor The Ceremonial LAWS, without total recognition of The Glorified Savior – It WON’T WORK!  But, WHY won’t it work?!?  What is the REASON that it won’t work???  The REASON IS that YOU ARE NOT PERFECT, contrary to what so many deluded persons have previously told you, or that you might have read stated, so often, in the frequently told LIES stated to you, by various persons, on your delusional Face Book pages!!!

THIS Teacher will state it, again: The LAW of GOD, or The TEN COMMANDMENTS, is NOT diminished, minimized, or marginalized, because persons might choose to want It to be so.  It Will ALWAYS Remain The LAW of GOD!  It Will ALWAYS Remain Relevant!  It Will ALWAYS Be GREAT!  Paul UNDERSTOOD this, and NEVER attempted to deny it.  Paul was speaking of The CEREMONIAL LAWS!!!  The PROBLEM is that WE DO NOT UNDERSTAND what Paul is addressing!  We are weak, we are flawed, we are arrogant, we are vain, we are prideful, and we are deceived!  We are NONE of so much of what we THINK of ourselves.  Therefore, simply attempting to keep some Ceremonial LAWS would NEVER HAVE WORKED to Cleanse us, and make us RIGHTEOUS!  We ARE NOT that good! (Romans 3:10)  We NEED to get over ourselves, and become more SUBMISSIVE to GOD’s Word, Will, and Way!!

11 “But that no man is Justified by The LAW, In The Sight of GOD, it is evident: for, The Just shall live by FAITH.”

Because of the realization of the TRUTH of what this Teacher has just stated, regarding our personal deficiencies, Paul makes this statement: “JUSTIFICATION is the FORGIVENESS of PAST SINS, and The Ceremonial LAW Was NEVER MEANT to UNDO that which has been done. Where The Ceremonial LAWS are concerned, what is done, is done, and CANNOT be undone, through The LAWS’ Existences.  Now, we consider The Entrance of The LAW of GOD, Which Is Meant To PREVENT future violations of GOD’s Word, Will, and Way.  However, Past, Present, and Future FORGIVENESS of SINS REQUIRES Something MUCH MORE Than Even The LAW of GOD Has Been Able To Provide.  Clearly, this recognition DOES NOT UNDO The LAW of GOD, but causes us to look toward Something Else, Something Additional!”

12 “And The LAW is NOT of FAITH: but, the man that DOETH [Obeys] Them shall live in Them.”

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Do you UNDERSTAND this verse, Beloved?  Paul is saying: “The LAW DOES NOT Exist In FAITH (Hebrews 11:1), for FAITH Covers FUTURE events, as well.  Even though The LAW Deals in the reality of what PRESENTLY IS, and NOT with WHAT IS TO BE, It Will Still Cause a Man/Woman to BE RIGHTEOUS [Right-Living] IF he/she is capable of completely OBEYING The LAW [“…shall live in Them.”].”  But, there is MORE to consider.  What about The CURSE?!?  How does The LAW of GOD handle the issue of The CURSE???  The ANSWER: It DOESN’T!!! This is the SOMETHING MORE of which this Teacher has spoken.

Galatians 3:13 “CHRIST Hath REDEEMED us from The Curse of The LAW, Being Made [By YAHVEH GOD] a Curse for us: for it is Written, ‘Cursed is EVERY ONE that hangeth on a tree!’”

Here we clearly have it expressed to us as to what it is that constituted the “Curse”: One had to hang suspended, in a death watch, upon a tree!  Is this CLEAR enough for us to comprehend?!? The LAW, or The TEN COMMANDMENTS, WAS NEVER the problem, as so MANY persons ASSUME to have been the situation: The problem was always our SIN!  We WOULD NOT, and COULD NOT, STOP SINNING!!!  This is WHY Yeshua HAD to hang suspended upon The Cross/Stake upon Calvary’s hill; he was paying the SIN DEBT that was owed to YAHVEH GOD, for you, and for this Teacher, so that we WOULD NOT have to hang there, and in a vain attempt to pay that Debt for ourselves.  In Addition, He was OPENING The PATHWAY for us to reach YAHVEH GOD (John 14:6; Matthew 27:50-51).  Now, it REQUIRES our FAITH in Yeshua’s Sacrifice, Offered For our SINS, for one to Be PLEASING To YAHVEH GOD.  There was, and remains, NO OTHER WAY to Satisfy The WRATH of GOD Against SINFUL, UNREPENTANT, Man-Types (Romans 5:6, 10).

CONCLUSION:

Beloved, if THIS Teacher could convey The Message as clearly as this Teacher would like to do so, so that The Message would resonate within the hearts/minds of those who hear it, it would be to convince persons of the fact that The LAW of GOD, or The TEN COMMANDMENTS, Stand as Resolutely As They Have Ever Stood.  It WAS NOT The LAW of GOD That Brought The CURSE upon Man-Types, any more than it is the police office who is to be blamed for giving someone a ticket who is driving 75 mph in a 45 mph Speed Zone.  The LAW of GOD gives to a person what he/she DESERVES.  Enter The GRACE of GOD!

One NEEDS YAHVEH GOD’s LOVE, MERCY, FORGIVENESS, and, of course, HIS GRACE. These are ALL The Underlying ESSENCES Intertwined Throughout the entirety of The BOOK of GALATIANS.  YAHVEH GOD Wants ALL people, the World over, to partake of HIS GOODNESS, That Is Presented To us Through HIS Righteous Son, The Glorified Yeshua Ha Meshiach/Jesus The Messiah/Christ, and to recognize that GOD’s Great LOVE For HIS Son Will Allow NOTHING ELSE to supersede Yeshua in His Importance To YAHVEH GOD’s PLAN of SALVATION For Man-Types. Therefore, THIS Teacher will state it CLEARLY for ALL to hear: YESHUA HA MESHIACH Is The PERSONIFICATION of YAHVEH GOD’s LAW!!!  It is just that simple!  It is just that TRUE, whether persons like to admit it, or not!

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It is among THIS Teacher’s most fervent Prayers, that persons will come to realize that Yeshua Ha Meshiach, and ALL of the Apostles, NEVER once attempted to undermine The PURPOSE, TRUTH, and NECESSITY of The LAW of GOD.  Paul made a valiant effort, to share with those who heard his words, and us, as well, that This LAW remains, but that FAITH, Disseminated Through GOD’s GRACE, Allows the BELIEVER/CHRISTIAN to receive of That Which he/she could NOT acquire without CHRIST!   FAITH in Yeshua Ha Meshiach/Jesus The Messiah/Christ Is The ENGINE That Drives It ALL!  May YAHVEH GOD Help us To SEE, and To UNDERSTAND, Through our Spiritual Eyes of FAITH.   Amen.

Until next time, Beloved …

KEEP ON BELIEVING: OUR GOD WILL SETTLE IT ALL IN THE END.

AMEN

WE WELCOME YOUR QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS ON THIS LESSON

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[A Bible Study In Turning Impediments Into Triumphs]

INTRODUCTION:

Life presents, for all of us, those various occasions on which we will encounter individuals who seem to appear to want to derail our endeavors.  While we don’t necessarily know the particular nature of their agendas, what we might have done to upset them, or whether we have done anything to negatively impact upon their thinking, at all, remains an enigma for us.  However, this one thing we do know: these persons rarely, if ever, seem to want to lend a helping hand to aid us in promoting our efforts to arrive at our intended goals and objectives.  For whatever reason(s), they will frequently appear to “find” something negative to do that will cause us some degree of considerable consternation.  They never seem to desire to act as the Wind Beneath Our Wings, but tend to act more as Destructive Head Winds and Tornadoes of Dissension, intended to cause us the greatest levels of obstruction, difficulty, and discomfort, that they might be able to inflict upon us, and into our lives, in general.

Having made such a declaration, as this, this Teacher would like to issue this caveat, regarding restraint, if you will, to each one of us: whenever possible, try to avoid a negative view of others. Not everyone means us ill; some persons mean only good intentions toward us, even when it might appear that they pose obstacles to our efforts; they simply DO NOT HAVE the same dream burning within their Souls, as those which might burn within our own.  We must be careful NOT to judge them too quickly, or too harshly, without gaining a more intimate knowledge of their intentions and motivations.  In addition to this, it is essential for us to know that they CANNOT stop us from attaining our desired achievements, IF our dreams are truly those that burn deeply within us, that we desire to birth into fruition, and our GOD Is For us.  While those dreams might, sometimes, have to take a much longer period of time to be achieved, than we might like, as well as have to take a more circuitous route, before their reality comes into actual existence; they can, nevertheless, be achieved.

On the other hand, there are those persons whose aims are not to be viewed as positive, at all, for they seem to be consumed with thoughts, and actions, that result in them being nothing other than obstructionists to others.  They appear to have no goodwill, at all, toward us, or for our endeavors. Their words have become far too often vitriolic, caustic, deprecating, and demeaning, regarding our expressed plans.  Often, such initiating parties are so consumed, and engrossed, by the feelings of their negative passions, that they are sometimes completely unaware of just how far down the road their negativism has taken them, and the hurt that they can inflict upon others.

Today’s Lesson will be meant to take Students of the Great Grace Bible Study Group upon an excursion down the road to Spiritual Wellness, as we examine our own hearts, and look deeply into our own characters, to determine whether we truly ARE the types of persons that we so regularly THINK ourselves to be, or have we merely been deceiving ourselves?  Just WHERE do we stand, really?!  If we could talk, Face To face With GOD, and Audibly Hear HIS Responses To us, when asked, Would HE Say That we are truly the types of persons whom HE Seeks To Be HIS Children? Are we, at our cores, the Righteous Ones of GOD?  Or, are we just Pretenders, and those hypocrites whom Believers/Christians are so inclined to eagerly denounce?  Do we serve to encourage others to live Righteous Lives, or do our lives serve to pose blockages that impede their Spiritual Growths and

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Developments?  Just who are we, really?!  Hopefully, some answers to these interrogatives will be provided to us in today’s Lesson.

Let us lift up our hearts, and maybe our eyes, as well, toward THE HEAVEN of Heavens, and ask THE ONE TRUE AND LIVING GOD Of our SALVATION, To Grant to us HIS Love, HIS Mercy, and HIS Grace, and HIS Encouragement, as we seek to become those who are Pleasing In HIS Sight.   Amen.

And now, today’s Lesson.

LESSON:

If you were asked, what would you define as a “Stumblingblock”, “Stumbling Block”, or “Stumbling Stone”, if you will?  Do you have any meaningful idea, at all?  How is it that something can act as a Stumbling Block / Stumbling Stone?  Since The Holy Bible speaks of such, and it is so vitally important to us and our Christian Characters, it would seem imperative that we make a determination, TODAY, as to what this means, and how it impacts upon us, overall!  Let’s consult The Holy Scriptures, in our efforts to begin a proper determination about this matter.

STUMBLINGBLOCK / STUMBLING STONE:

A.) HEBREW – Mikshol: (4383 and 4384): “Enticement; Cause to fall; Ruin.”

B.) GREEK – Lithos: (3037 and 4348): “Occasion of apostasy; Offense.”

Do you SEE it, Beloved, through your Spiritual Eyes of Understanding, that a STUMBLING BLOCK, or STUMBLING STONE, can be ANYTHING, intentionally designed, or otherwise, that causes another individual to fall, Spiritually, or to commit SIN, in some way? It acts as an impediment.  While one DOES NOT personally intend to fall, it can, nonetheless, cause one to stumble, anyway.  Now, let’s get into the meat of our Lesson on the subject of STUMBLING BLOCKS, or STUMBLING STONES.

Leviticus 19:9 “And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly [completely] reap the corners of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleanings of thy harvest.”

Since Israel was an agrarian culture, YAHVEH GOD Spoke To them In a manner to which they could easily relate, and clearly understand.  In this instance, HE Began To Speak To them About the way in which they were to act toward the poor among them.  HE Told them that they WERE NOT to consider only themselves, but were to always remember to consider the poorer persons within their society, as well.  This is WHY we do what we do as a society, here, within the United States of America, by giving to the people of poorer nations, through financial aid, or other types of aid, to an extent greater than that demonstrated by any other nations.  Clearly, even though YAHVEH GOD Referred To Israel as “MY People”, they WEREN’T all wealthy persons, as some of today’s Religionists would ERRONEOUSLY seek to have many persons believe, and embrace, whenever they consider those persons who are

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recognized to be “Christians”, “Believers”, or “GOD’s People”, in our society, today.  They still HAD a number of poorer persons among them!

Leviticus 19:10 “And thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather every grape of thy vineyard; thou shalt leave them for the poor and stranger: I AM THE LORD your GOD.”

This verse shares that one should be aware of the fact that YAHVEH GOD Established that it IS NOT to be all about any one of us, individually, and personally.  Our considerations should ALWAYS be about the welfare of others, as well as ourselves (Philippians 2:4).  The Take Away from this verse should be this: ALWAYS REMEMBER THE POOR AND THE STRANGERS.  Why?  We must never forget The Words That YAHVEH GOD Spoke To Israel in Exodus 22:21, and Deuteronomy 10:19.  Continue to remember, Beloved, that YAHVEH GOD NEVER Changes HIS RIGHTEOUS STANDARDS For ANY of us, no matter where we might be located upon the surface of this Earth! (Malachi 3:6)

11 “Ye shall not steal, neither deal falsely, neither lie one to another.”

How is it that a nation, full of those individuals who want to be able to call themselves “Christians”, and/or “Believers”, IS NOT devoid of so many of those persons that are so eagerly involved in taking away what rightfully belongs to others, without permission, never returning it, later lying about it, but still wanting to feel that they are no less the Christians that they claim, unjustly, to be the situation?  The QUESTION is this: “HOW does stealing, pretending, and lying about such, act as a STUMBLING BLOCK or STUMBLING STONE, to another/others?”  We must consider this area.

When we do those types of things that are UNrighteous, in their overall intent, others are often aware of such, even when we might believe that they are not.  When we declare that we are Believers/Christians, they are aware of this, as well.  Then, when we follow up such inappropriate actions by attempting to tell them of how YAH [THE HEAVENLY FATHER and Son] CHANGE Unrighteous lives To Righteous lives, they DO NOT believe us, because they have seen NO evidence within the living of our own lives.  Therefore, The TRUTH of our Testimonies, about The Life-Changing GRACE of YAHVEH GOD, and HIS Most Righteous Son, The Glorified Yeshua Ha Meshiach/Jesus The Messiah/Christ, is hindered in its effectiveness, and persons begin to TURN AWAY from GOD, rather than TO HIM.  We will effectively have done The KINGDOM of HEAVEN a great disservice, by LOSING those potential Converts!

12 “And ye shall not swear by MY NAME falsely, neither shalt thou profane The NAME of thy GOD: I AM THE LORD.”

Now, we consider the blatant LIARS who merely CLAIM to be Christians/Believers, but ARE NOT truly such.  They do what they do, and, then, they attempt to COVER IT UP (Proverbs 28:13), by LYING about having done it, at all.  While this area can become a little dicey, in that some persons DO NOT overtly intend to lie about a certain person, thing, or situation, they still do not necessarily speak the truth regarding the reality of the matter, due to the fact that they frequently haven’t gathered all of the pertinent facts, or data, regarding the matter (James 1:19-20).  You see, Beloved, what is said can

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still act as a STUMBLING BLOCK, in certain situations, for the person against whom such is spoken, even though it might not have been intended to be such.

Swearing by GOD’s NAME, in ANY WAY, manner, or form, whatsoever, means that the one, doing such a thing, is invoking YAHVEH GOD As that one’s personal WITNESS To whatever has been said, or done, which CAUSES others, who trust that individual, to base their decisions upon what is NOT TRUE!  At that very point, anyone believing that person and/or thing, to which the swearing has been rendered, becomes COMPLICIT in the harm that is eventually rendered upon the person against whom it was directed, or spoken. The first person has effectively become a STUMBLING BLOCK, or STUMBLING STONE, for that person, or those persons, who has/have trusted in what the first person stated.  In effect, the first person has aided in CAUSING another/others to SIN against GOD, through harming another person.  Have we not, then, ALL SINNED, in this area alone, at some point?!? (Romans 3:23)  The FACT of the matter is that we tend to do this far more often than we would like to admit to being the reality of the situation.

Leviticus 19:13 “Thou shalt not defraud thy neighbor, neither rob him: the wages of him that is hired shall not abide with thee all night until the morning.”

14 “Thou shalt not curse the deaf, nor put a stumbling block before the blind, but shalt fear [reverence] thy GOD: I AM THE LORD.”

Now, we come to the direct matter of the STUMBLING BLOCK: but, the question should arise as to WHY it is that this issue appears to be placed in the very midst of a greater consideration of the poor.  WHAT is it that is being said, here?!?  Believe it, or not, Beloved, YAHVEH GOD SEES that deaf and the blind person as broken.  Like it, or not, accept it, or not, it is the TRUTH of the issue.  It is WHY HE HEALED them of these situations, while Yeshua/Jesus was here, upon the Earth (Mark 8:22-25; 7:32-35).  HE Will HEAL them, completely, of this brokenness in ETERNITY.  Think about this, as such relates to this Verse 14, above:

Can a deaf person truly be equal in defending himself/herself, against a hearing person, when he/she, being deaf, CANNOT HEAR the nuance of the assertions, and/or accusations, that are being voiced against him/her?  When he/she cannot hear the essence of the tonal qualities, and inflections, of your words, can he/she fully recognize the full extent of just how much harm you might be rendering against him/her?  YAHVEH GOD Is Telling us, as HIS Children, that there is NO real, or genuine, equality in such a situation, at all!  The idea of “cursing the deaf” person comes more in the INTENT of the words that are spoken, which can often be undetermined when their tonal quality is not heard.  If it cannot be clearly heard, what can be the extent of the damage that is done to the deaf individual, which the deaf person cannot necessarily fully comprehend, or recognize?  THIS is the MEANING behind the first part of this verse, in Leviticus 19:14.

Is what has just been explained, regarding the individual who is deaf, not to be considered within a similar category to that of placing a STUMBLING BLOCK in the pathway of one who cannot see?  Would there not be some level of comparison, although it might be played out within different realms:

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That being one of SIGHT, versus the other of SOUND?  If an obstacle is placed into the path of one that is devoid of sight, would that level of difficulty not pose, in an admittedly different manner, as much of an encumbrance, for that person, as a lack of auditory function tends to pose for the one who cannot hear?  Does such a condition, in either case, not cause that individual to be “poorer” than most others, at least in comparison to those who possess all of their physical faculties?  Which ones of us would choose to surrender either one of the two?  Which ones of us would tend not to feel, at least some slight disadvantage from others, at least for a time, having suffered the loss of either one, or both, of these physical qualities?

Leviticus 19:15 “Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty: but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour.”

Beloved, do you recall what is written of YAHVEH GOD in Romans 2:11?  Are we not to be LIKE HIM?!? (I Peter 1:15-16)  This verse states as much.  It tells us that we are to make NO DIFFERENCE WHATSOEVER between persons that are poor, and of no repute, versus those that are rich and of notable acclaim [the person of the mighty].  Yet, within our own society, today, tell this Teacher that there are no differences made because of the coloration of one person’s skin, versus that of another’s.  Tell this Teacher that differences are not made as the result of certain educational attainments; financial holdings; social status; political leanings, and more.  Yet, our GOD Has Told us that such IS NOT to be so, among those who are HIS Children!  When we are found to engage in doing such UNrighteous things, Beloved, we become GUILTY of placing STUMBLING BLOCKS, or IMPEDIMENTS, into the pathways of others, who might be somewhat less accomplished than certain others whom we might know, and appreciate.

16 “Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people: neither shalt thou stand against the blood of thy neighbor: I AM THE LORD.”

This is an area in which numerous persons are at fault, before GOD, much more than most of us would like to acknowledge.  Beloved, there is not a single person, currently listening to the voice of this Teacher, or reading this Teacher’s words, who has not been impacted upon by such actions, on the part of someone else, or a group of other persons.  The truth is that many persons are not even aware of how often negative things are said about them.  Oftentimes, without us even knowing about it, YAHVEH GOD, and our Righteous Savior, The Glorified Yeshua Ha Meshiach/Jesus The Messiah/Christ, SHIELD us From such things, because the frequency of such would prove to be a much heavier weight than so many of us would want to bear, Students.  Let’s establish this by reading Psalm 61:1-3.  So many times YAH [THE HEAVENLY FATHER and Son] Shelter us From the Storms of Life that rage all around us, To Keep us From becoming too broken within our Spirits (Psalm 3:3; 147:3; Isaiah 61:1).

Precious Hearts, Gossipers, or Tale-Bearers ALWAYS, without any exception, provide STUMBLING BLOCKS to any friendships, for such is the very nature of the gossipers’ actions (Proverbs 11:13; 16:28; 18:8).  Gossipers, or Tale-bearers, ENJOY causing problems; it’s why they do what they do; they just don’t want to have their names associated with whatever might be the negative fallout of that which they have done.

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Leviticus 19:17 “Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise [nevertheless] rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer Sin upon him.”

Beloved Saints of GOD, hatred, in any form, is ALWAYS another STUMBLING BLOCK to any person that harbors such within his/her heart/mind, because it undoubtedly spills over, and outside the parameters of one’s own life, and into the lives of others to negatively impact upon them.  Why would you think that this is so?  It is BECAUSE hatred, held within one’s heart/mind, causes one to “hear” what one wants to hear, even when it is not what was actually said, by another, as well as to “see”, through tainted vision, only what one desires to see.  Hatred clouds the mind of anyone.  As a result, hatred causes one not to warn another, who might have taken an incorrect stance, but hatred will allow one to remain silent, allowing another person to fall into a pit of destruction.  Such is an UNRIGHTEOUS ACTION, or a STUMBLING BLOCK!  When one Walks in Righteousness [Right-Living], one can expect the following results:

Proverbs 3:29 “Devise not evil against thy neighbour, seeing he dwelleth securely by thee.”

23 “Then shalt thou Walk in thy Way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble.”

As you can see, this Instructor has reversed the order of the positioning of these two verses, so as to present a more meaningful structural flow, and picture, of this matter, to Students of the GGBSG, regarding what should be one’s proper deportment toward one’s acquaintances.  When we refuse to become STUMBLING BLOCKS in the pathways of others, the result is that YAHVEH GOD BLESSES our efforts.

Students, YAHVEH GOD Detests the actions of that man/woman who seeks to do harm to someone else, but particularly to do hurt to that person who has done him/her no harm.  This is done by the first person placing obstacles into another person’s pathway.  Beloved, what is it that THIS Teacher would like for Students of the GGBSG to take away from this area of our Lesson, today?  It is the idea of one regulating one’s PERCEPTION(S) of another/others.  DON’T attempt to rely strictly upon just your Perception of what you THINK about someone else, and what you THINK he/she might have done, but about whom you have NO solid evidence, or proof!  It is sheer FOOLISHNESS to base your opinions, and decisions, involving others and their lives, upon nothing more than conjecture, personal feelings, and hearsay.  KNOW that person, and his/her position, as best you are able to do so, about whom, or about which, you decide to take a position in opposition.  DON’T simply become an obstructionist, against another person, for the mere sake of being an obstructionist!  It is what is meant by the words of John 7:24.

Proverbs 24:17 “Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth:”

Here, we have an area in which MANY Believers/Christians will find themselves to be sorely lacking, or even overtly guilty: enjoying the outcome of a situation, when their enemies meet with some considerable distress or downturn in their lives, when our Lord Yeshua has said what we find written in

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Matthew 5:43-44.  Think about those persons who choose to vote, and engage themselves in some area of political affairs.  Do they not tend to “rejoice” when someone, notable, from the “other side of the isle”, meets with some destructive revelation that derails his/her career?  Of course they do!  It happens all the time.  People within the churches are some of the more egregious offenders in this area, alone!  But, please KNOW that it is as UNRIGHTEOUS an action as can be anything else that one might choose to do, and YAHVEH GOD IS NOT APPROVING OF IT!  This verse reveals the TRUTH of this Teacher’s statement.  Let’s continue to listen to the words of King Solomon.

Proverbs 24:18 “Lest THE LORD See it, and it Displease HIM, and HE Turn Away HIS Wrath From him.”

If you are one who can read, with UNDERSTANDING, this verse reveals something that probably MOST individuals will not have previously recognized to be The TRUTH of GOD’s Word, at all.  Persons tend to become so caught-up in their own desires, objectives, aims, goals, and the like, and especially in the area of politics, that they completely ignore what is written, here, as they disregard, totally, the words of II Timothy 2:4-5.  Many persons will read this, and just won’t care about what King Solomon has stated, one iota!  When compared to their own personal desires, they will allow GOD’s Word To Pale Into Insignificance.  They will continue to act in their same UNrighteous ways, if it means that they can be perceived to be the “winners” in some political situation(s)!  In their own eyes, they are the persons whom they have been, in the past, and they have decided, without hesitation or reservation, that they will continue to be those same persons, whom they have previously chosen to be, on into the future.

Romans 14:12 “So, then, every one of us shall give account of himself to GOD,”

13 “Let us not, therefore [because we recognize this to be a fact], judge one another, any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock, or an occasion to fall, in his brother’s way.”

Let there be no doubt about it, Beloved, YAHVEH GOD Will JUDGE EVERYONE of us!  Do you SEE that it is imperative that we judge ourselves, so as not to do that which will cause one of our Spiritual Brethren to fall, at any time? (I Peter 4:17)  We are NEVER to act as STUMBLING BLOCKS to those around us; we are to lift them up in whatever ways we can, whenever we can (Galatians 6:2).

I John 2:10 “He that loveth his brother abideth [remains] in The LIGHT, and there is NONE occasion of stumbling in him.”

WHY is there said to be no occasion for one to stumble, whenever one REMAINS in The LIGHT?  Why is it that another person CANNOT prove to be a STUMBLING BLOCK to this person?  In addition, WHAT IS “The LIGHT” of which this verse speaks?!?  Have you ever asked yourselves these questions?  These things need to be determined.  So, here we go!

John 8:12 “Then spake Yeshua/Jesus, again,unto them, saying, ‘I Am The Light of the World: he that followeth me shall not Walk in Darkness, but shall have The Light of Life.’”

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Here is our ANSWER to the issue of “The LIGHT”: The LIGHT Is The Glorified Yeshua Ha Meshiach/Jesus The Messiah/Christ, Who Is The Light of the entire World. Notice that Yeshua/Jesus declares that it is the person that “follows” Him, and NOT just the one who talks ABOUT Him, who SHALL NOT Walk in Spiritual Darkness, but will have The LIGHT of LIFE.  It is ONLY this person whom YAHVEH GOD Promises will have NO occasion, or opportunity, to trip over a STUMBLING BLOCK.  GOD Will Give this person’s Spiritual Eyes the ability to be able to SEE so many of the obstacles, and impediments, that Satan the Devil, through the actions of others, places before him/her, on the pathway of life.

I Peter 2:7 “Unto you, therefore, which Believe, He Is Precious: but unto them which be disobedient, The Stone Which the builders disallowed, The Same Is Made The Head of The Corner,”

8 “And A Stone of Stumbling, and A Rock of Offence, even to them which stumble at The Word, being disobedient: whereunto [for this purpose] also they were appointed.”

In the end of things, these last two verses tell us of The One Who Is, Indeed, The TRUE STUMBLING BLOCK, or STONE, for all of those individuals who REFUSE to BELIEVE The TRUTH: He Is The Glorified Yeshua Ha Meshiach/Jesus The Messiah/Christ, The Only BEGOTTEN Son of THE ONE TRUE AND LIVING GOD, YAHVEH.

Students, people stumble at The TRUTH, because they are not WILLING to receive It (II Timothy 4:3-4).  They would rather delude themselves into fantasies of how wonderful they are; therefore, when The TRUTH of GOD’s Word is presented to them, about The One Who Is The Living Word of GOD, Yeshua Ha Meshiach/Jesus The Messiah/Christ, and how He Is Meant to CHANGE their lives, and Will Keep them from stumbling and falling, they tend to rebel against The Reality of Who He Is, which is tantamount to them stumbling over That ROCK of The TRUTH, and falling flat upon their faces!  In The END of TIME, this very reality will be at the very core of those things that will cause there to be weeping and gnashing of teeth! (Matthew 13:41-42)

CONCLUSION:

Think whatever we will, and say whatever we might, The TRUTH is The TRUTH, and always will be The TRUTH.  We ARE NOT, and NEVER HAVE BEEN, the wonderful persons that we would like, so often, to PRETEND to be, in the eyes of others.  How MANY times has THIS Teacher made this declaration?!?  And, THIS Teacher will make it, again, today.  We so often falter, and fall down, for a myriad of reasons.  This is WHY we NEED A SAVIOR!  We NEED That One In our lives Who Will Lift us Up, Dust us Off, Whisper Words of Encouragement Into the ears of our hearts, and Will Tell us that we are His Own, and That He Is Always With us, and Will Help us to make it through to The END.

Beloved Saints of THE MOST HIGH GOD, the time has come, and that long ago, that we must be about the business of being honest with ourselves.  When we display such honesty, YAHVEH GOD Will BLESS our efforts to be Truthful with ourselves, and, therefore, Truthful with HIM, because, then, we

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will come to HIM, admit to our faults and our failings, and we will put aside our PRIDE and ARROGANCE, in THINKING that we are much better than are we, and we will ask HIM for HIS Help In Making us better than we have previously been.  This is the MEANING behind that of which Paul speaks in II Corinthians 12:9!

Beloved Saints of GOD, We NEED to develop more of the attitude of Paul.  Part of the area of our STUMBLING BLOCKS comes in the arena of our own minds, in which we close our Spiritual Eyes and Ears, to the reality of who we are in Truth.  WAKE UP to The TRUTH, Church of THE LIVING GOD!!!   STOP denying and lying about who we are, and let us become Truly that which GOD Means us to be!

Until next time, Beloved …

MAY YAHVEH GOD GUIDE OUR EVERY STEP AND KEEP US FROM FALLING.

AMEN

WE WELCOME YOUR QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS ON THIS LESSON

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“WHAT MANNER OF LOVE IS THIS THAT WE HAVE?!?” — 6/2/2018

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[A Study In A Meaningful Consideration Of LOVE]

INTRODUCTION:

We do so very much enjoy talking about being “In Love”.  Our poets have written many sonnets, and poems, about it, over the centuries; our singers have composed numerous songs referencing it; myriads of sermons have been preached about the height, depth, and expanse of it, and many persons have claimed to have known its whimsy and charms.  Love has always been, it seems, a favorite among the numerous topics that Man-Types have chosen to revere.

While some tend to embrace it, on the converse side, for whatever reason, or reasons, many others seek to avoid it, altogether.  From time to time, there will even be those who will pretend, to others, to know of its charms, personally, but whom time, and experience, will reveal to have had no genuine knowledge of the truth of its existence, or its benefits, whatsoever.  Love, if understood, is, indeed, a most intriguing and miraculous thing, to say the least.

Love unveils us: it is a curtain that is pulled back.  It reveals who, and what, we are at our core essence.  Who are we really, beneath all of the hype, the concessions, and the flashes of pretense?!? When all has been stripped away, and we are laid bare to ourselves, and before the eyes of others, what will be found to lie beneath the surface?  What is truly within our hearts, as such relates to those many others around us, with whom we come into contact, and with whom we so frequently interact?  Love, or the lack thereof, reveals our motivations: why we do that which we do, or why we do not do that which we do not do.  Love is the Revealer, and the Concealer, as well as the overall Content, of our hearts.

Today, it is this Teacher’s purpose to present, to the Students of the Great Grace Bible Study Group, an examination of Love, and its potential impact upon the life of that person who chooses to embrace it.  Without much doubt, there will be some facet of this Lesson that will touch upon every individual who is within the hearing of this Teacher’s voice, as well as those around the World, that will read this Message, at some future date.  It is the hope of this Instructor that each one of us, as well as they, will examine his/her own heart/mind/life, to begin to determine where that particular individual one stands regarding the matter of Love.

We will examine Love, not from an emotionally hypersensitive perspective, that seems to take individuals on highs and lows, but from that perspective of a type of meaningful Love which lasts, so as to ascertain whether what so many persons claim to feel, believe, express, and possess, is truly that which constitutes the genuine nature of Love.  We will look at why it is that persons seem to feel that Love has the capacity to ebb and flow, between so many individuals.  Why is it that it seems to be here, today, for so many persons, and, yet, so easily gone tomorrow?  How does one “outgrow” Love, as some will claim to experience?  Is there no ability for Love to last?!

Isn’t it long past time for us to begin to take a more introspective look at what so many have attempted to understand, written about in a myriad of books, have sung about in numerous songs, have held symposiums to discuss, about which many have preached innumerable sermons, and over the “loss” of which so many have pined away?

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Today will present to us an opportunity to consider this thing called LOVE, and the ramifications of possessing it.  Are you ready to explore this topic, with this Instructor, Beloved?  Let us begin, and May THE ONE TRUE GOD OF HEAVEN AND EARTH, WHO IS LOVE, Give To us hearts of understanding to receive That Which HE Has Given To us In The Form Of HIS LOVE.   Amen.

And now, today’s Lesson.

LESSON:

I John 4:8 “He [the person] that loveth NOT, knoweth NOT GOD; For GOD IS LOVE!”

We begin our Study, today, from this Premise, That GOD IS LOVE.  The TRUTH Is That HE Is Quite Likely NOT Totally What you have heard about HIM, over the years of your lives; have been taught by persons with knowledge that is not much deeper than the depth of a teaspoon; have believed because someone else, whom you trusted/trust felt a certain way about it; have personally arrived at your own tainted conclusion regarding it, because your emotions tend to take you, like the waves of the sea, along a particular course and direction.  In the end, you feel, or surmise, about Love, according to your own particular whimsical thought-processes, which really doesn’t serve to validate much about Love, at all.  This simply allows for individual persons to be “All Over The Map”, in their emotional states, as such regards the issue of LOVE.

IF GOD IS LOVE, as This Scripture Clearly States To Be The Case, would it, then, not be imperative for us to direct our focuses upon HIM, and away from ourselves, so as to ascertain the genuine CHARACTER, MEANING, NATURE, PURPOSE, and RESPONSE, of LOVE?  So it would seem to be so, to THIS Teacher, at least.  Beloved, it should be evident that the issue of Love IS NOT to be viewed in the same manner, today, in which so many persons are found taking “Selfies” of themselves, in which everything that they do seems to be centered around themselves: it would appear that they exist within their own personal universes, and want EVERYTHING ELSE to revolve around them.  The presence of Love is MEANT to have one’s focus turned AWAY from oneself, and turned upon the concerns of OTHERS (Philippians 2:4).

John 3:16 “For GOD So Loved the World, That HE Gave HIS Only BEGOTTEN Son, that whosoever Believeth in Him should not perish [Eternally], but have Everlasting Life.”

Listen to The LOVE Of GOD Being Played Out Through HIS Actions, Beloved!   It Is TRUE That GOD Is LOVE, and The Existence, or Reality, of That LOVE Is What Motivated HIM To Send To us HIS Son, In the form of a Man, for the PURPOSE of dying upon a Cross at Calvary.  While this is most certainly TRUE, even in addition to This, what we are to recognize is that YAHVEH GOD First CONCEIVED of a SALVATION PLAN, That Would Involve HIM Sending HIS OWN Son To us – To DIE for our SINS, even while, within our own hearts/minds/thoughts/lives we displayed our hatred of HIM! (I John 4:10)  In every way possible, we lived in ways that demonstrated that we had no particular Love for GOD, at all: we SINNED in every possible way imaginable!  Yet, in the midst of our SINNING, GOD LOVED

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us, and CHOSE To DIE For us, In The Person of HIS Righteous Son, The Glorified Yeshua Ha Meshiach [Jesus The Messiah/Christ].  Can there be The Display Of A Greater Love, anywhere, at any time, than This?!!?

John 3:16 “For GOD So Loved the World, That HE Gave HIS Only BEGOTTEN Son, that whosoever Believeth in Him should not perish, but have Everlasting Life.”

We read the verse, again. A PROPER UNDERSTANDING of this verse should convey to us that GOD Has NEVER Promised The Believer/Christian/Saint that he/she WILL NOT EVER DIE (Hebrews 9:27), but that he/she “…should NOT PERISH…”  What exactly does this MEAN, then? In the Greek, the word “Perish” is the word Apollumi (622), which means: “To destroy fully; To lose.”  So, then, what we should take away from the reading of John 3:16 is that YAHVEH GOD Has NO Plans To Utterly Destroy, Forever, those that come to BELIEVE upon HIS NAME, Through HIS Righteous Son, The Glorified Yeshua Ha Meshiach/Jesus The Messiah/Christ! (I Thessalonians 4:14; Romans 6:8)  To such persons, as these, YAHVEH GOD Promises ETERNAL LIFE, so that such a person will NOT lose out upon ETERNITY.  One HAS NOT worked, through any of one’s own efforts, to EARN Such A Great GIFT, one simply BELIEVES, and GOD GIVES It, FREE of any charge, To him/her! (Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 5:6)  Can there be Any Greater Display Of GOD’s LOVE Than This?!!?

John 15:12 “This is my Commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.”

As The Living TRUTH That He Is, Yeshua Ha Meshiach/Jesus The Messiah/Christ speaks to us the words of this verse, Which Are The Words Of THE HEAVENLY FATHER, Spoken Through Him. We are to LOVE one another without dissimulation [pretense].  The Question arises: Did Yeshua LOVE all Man-Types?  Or, was he partial to some, based upon the color of their skins, where they might have been born, their financial holdings, educational levels, their social status, or the dialects in which they spoke?  Did he not LOVE the people of the ENTIRE World, Just As Did his HEAVENLY FATHER?!? (Romans 2:11)  Did he not PROVE it by what he would do, as is recorded in the following verse:

13 “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”

For that man/woman who would dare to attempt to argue the premise of how great is his/her Love of/for others, Yeshua/Jesus presents this consideration, upon which to reflect.  If one is willing to engage in a discussion of how great is the level of that one’s Love, Yeshua recommends that we consider the extreme to which one is willing to go to PROVE that Love.  Is one WILLING to go so far as to even DIE to prove the parameters of the existence of one’s Love?  This would be a SACRIFICIAL LOVE, and the greatest display of Love that anyone could ever make, on behalf of another.

Beloved, some might attempt to argue that when persons give their lives, in service to their countries, or in defense of the safety and welfare of others, that such is equal to what Yeshua, himself, did, in shedding his Blood, and giving his life upon The Cross.  Oh, really?!?  Then, think about this: If one were the son/daughter of the World’s Greatest King, and one had everything that the World has to offer,

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at one’s disposal, and nothing could touch, or harm, one, in any way.  Would one choose to offer his/her life for those people who were known to openly express their defiance of, and hatred for, him/her?

Within the World, men/women die for those whom they desire to protect, or defend (Romans 5:7-8).  Within their hearts, they believe that there is someone, somewhere, who Loves them, and whom they claim to Love, as well.  This can act as a propellant for their actions of valor.  This WAS NOT SO With YAHVEH GOD.  When HE Designed HIS PLAN of SALVATION For Man-Types, HE KNEW That NONE of us Loved HIM, at all!  As stated, previously, we HATED HIM!

Beloved, allow this Instructor to state it, once again: GOD IS LOVE.  Therefore, when one HAS THE HOLY SPIRIT Of GOD Dwelling Within one’s heart/mind, LOVE Is PRESENT there, and, as a result, that individual becomes VULNERABLE to the concerns of others (Philippians 2:4).  Like it, or not, admit it, or not, vulnerability comes along with The Territory of LOVE (Philippians 2:3). There is NO avoidance of this reality, for ANYONE who TRULY does Love!  LOVE opens one’s heart, so as to allow other things to enter into it!  Therefore, one must protect one’s heart/mind, IF one is truly WISE.  This is another REASON for us to adhere to what is written in II Corinthians 6:14-16.  NO ONE of us desires to be hurt, and broken, because of the callous and Sinful wills of another/others; therefore we more willingly OBEY what is written in II Corinthians 6:14-16.

John 13:34 “A NEW COMMANDMENT I give unto you, That ye LOVE one another; as I have LOVED you, that ye also LOVE one another!”

Beloved Saints of GOD, above is the REASON that NONE of us Is Allowed, By GOD, to hate ANYONE ELSE!  It DOES NOT MATTER what such a person believes, or whether that person possesses NO particular belief, at all: we MUST Love another individual as we will Love everyone that is acceptable to us!  Relatively speaking, as it regards exhibiting LOVE, it DOES NOT MATTER what might even be the lifestyle that he/she has chosen for himself/herself: we MUST Love him/her, regardless of any disapproval!  Whatever his/her political leanings: we MUST Love him/her, and NOT hate!  TRUE LOVE is NOT merely a matter of choice, in one selecting to Love only those whom it is convenient for one to Love.  As a matter of fact, LOVE will frequently prove to be INconvenient, as it causes one to step OUTSIDE the boundaries of one’s personal parameters of convenience and acceptability!  This, the WORLD will NEVER adhere to doing! (Romans 8:7-8; I Corinthians 2:14)

Luke 6:31 “And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.”

Do you UNDERSTAND the depth of the MEANING of this particular verse, Students?  Perhaps not.  This verse incorporates what THIS Teacher will refer to as the OUTREACH of LOVE.  The very essence of Love drives it to CARE about, as well as for, others, as one realizes that one’s life is INTERCONNECTED with the lives of others.  No one of us is an island unto himself/herself: at some point, we will NEED the assistance of others.  There is NO ONE that is EVER Self-Made!!! We are meant to be a CHAIN of LOVE That Has Been Forged By The HAND Of GOD.  It is TRUE that we are only as Strong as the very weakest link among us; hence we have the words, given to us, of Galatians 6:2.

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Luke 6:27 “But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you,”

Precious and Beloved Saints of GOD, EVERY PERSON, the World over, who calls himself/herself a “Christian/Saint/Child of GOD”, NEEDS to STOP the NONSENSE of trying to pretend that he/she has The LOVE of GOD, Within his/her heart, when he/she HATES his/her enemies, or those persons of another color, or ethnicity, who is different from his/her own!  Please allow THIS Teacher to say something to you, if you will.  It is a blatant LIE that persons LOVE others simply because they might TALK to them, shake their hands, or work with them.  That IS NOT LOVE, at all; this is merely TOLERANCE!  LOVE is Luke 6:31 in ACTION!!!  Do you WANT to KNOW if you truly LOVE?  Luke 6:31 is your Instrument of Measurement to ascertain the level of your LOVE.

28 “Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.”

These verses, in Luke 6, are merely The STRUCTURE of LOVE, laid out in Steps, for our consideration.  When we SAY that we LOVE others, we should use these verses as Templates to which to compare the real nature of that “Love” which we claim to possess.  One should ask: “Am I striving to rise to the level of meeting the Requirements of each one of these Standards?”  If not, one has work to be done.

29 “And unto him/her that smiteth [strikes] thee on the one cheek, offer, also, the other; and him/her that taketh away thy cloak, forbid not to take thy coat also.”

The PURPOSE of this verse is to present to each Believer/Christian the Spiritual Ability to TAKE BACK POWER from those persons who believe that they have stripped one of such.  When another person(s) has/have been allowed to strip us of the perception of power, they think, and feel, themselves to be in CONTROL of us.  In The Possession, and exercise, of LOVE, one holds the ability to always be in ultimate control of ANY situation, as one offers to another MORE than that which is taken away from him/her, and one TAKES BACK control of that which another/others has/have attempted to usurp.  Yeshua/Jesus is Teaching The Brethren In Meshiach/Christ HOW TO remain in ultimate control of ANY situation.  The POINT IS THIS: One DOES NOT have to fight back to win!  One simply adheres to GOD’s PLAN, and EVERYTHING will work out just fine! (Romans 8:28)

30 “Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods, ask them not again.”

Look at this verse, Beloved!  The Power of the Believer/Christian is to be found in his/her GIVING to another/others, as well as NOT ASKING FOR THE RETURN OF THE ITEM.  When we ASK for the RETURN of whatever might have been the loan of the particular item that was given, we LOSE our Power over that situation.  WHY is this???  It is BECAUSE as long as anyone of us feels the necessity to ASK for something to be given back, the one who has possession of that thing becomes in CONTROL, not only of the item that is in the person’s possession, but of that overall situation, as well.  In addition, one is making the declaration that one’s GOD Is NOT Great Enough, or Dependable Enough, To Provide one With more of that which one requires (Luke 6:38), Which YAHVEH GOD Has

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Initially Provided to the person asking for the return of the item (Philippians 4:19).  One SINS in that one allows for the development of DOUBTS to arise, within one’s heart/mind, regarding The COMPLETE SUFFICIENCY Of YAHVEH GOD.  One becomes NOT a Believer, but a Doubter.

Romans 12:9 “Let Love be WITHOUT dissimulation [hypocrisy]. Abhor [hate] that which is evil; cleave [cling] to that which is good.”

As one discusses the issue of LOVE, what is one to garner from one’s understanding of THIS particular verse?!?  The MEANING of the verse is this, Beloved: “DON’T do a lot of talking ABOUT how much you Love, but find yourself UNWILLING to DISPLAY that Love, whenever the time comes, and the opportunity arises; for, then, you are nothing more than a HYPOCRITE, and are NOT genuine, at all!” (I Corinthians 13:1)  GOD DID NOT Talk ABOUT HIS LOVE, When HE Gave To us HIS Righteous Son, But, DISPLAYED HIS LOVE, When HE Allowed Yeshua to come into the World, and to DIE for us, and our SINS, upon The Cross/Stake, at Calvary.

10 “Be kindly affectioned one to another, with Brotherly Love; in honour preferring one another;”

Do you think as much, or even more, about the welfare of others, as you do about your own welfare?  Is this the type of LOVE that you show?  Is the welfare of others a constant part of your Prayer Life?  Or, do you claim to Pray, but DO NOTHING MORE?!?  Do you recall what the Apostle James said, in James 2:15-16, regarding such a matter?

James 2:15 “If a brother, or sister, be naked, and destitute of daily food,”

16 “And one of you say unto them, ‘Depart is peace! Be ye warmed and filled’; notwithstanding [giving no consideration to the reality] ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit!’”

Do you UNDERSTAND, Beloved, that LOVE IS the EXPRESSION of ACTION, and IS NOT merely just a FEELING of longing, or desire?!!?  Again, LOVING is also an ACTION: it is what is known in grammatical English Language terms as a Gerund.  It functions as, BOTH, a Noun and a Verb!  While it names something, as a Noun, it also tells what it does, as a Verb.  What is the POINT?!?  The POINT is this: Any CLAIM of there being the existence of Love, WITHOUT attendant actions, IS NOT Love, at all!!!  IF GOD HAD CLAIMED TO LOVE US, BUT HAD NOT SHOWN THAT LOVE TOWARD US, GOD COULD NOT HAVE LOVED US, AT ALL! That IS the POINT!!!

Because this IS a TRUE Reality, YAHVEH GOD REQUIRES that HIS Children BE, and DO, As HE, and our Savior, The Lord Yeshua Ha Meshiach/Jesus The Messiah, ARE, and Have Previously Displayed To us (John 13:34; 15:9).  We are to EXPRESS our Love, toward others, through what we DO for them.  Students, this segues into the following verse:

Ephesians 5:25 “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also Loved The Church, and gave himself or it;”

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Just HOW did Meshiach/Christ portray his “Love” for The Church?  Do you SEE, through you Spiritual Eyes of FAITH, that he “GAVE” the ENTIRETY of his LOVE for those within The Church?!?  He COULD NOT simply stand idly by, wishin’ and a hopin’, thinkin’, and a prayin’! He HAD to DO something to DISPLAY his LOVE for us!  Without such a MOVE, WE COULD NOT HAVE BEEN SAVED!  So, he GAVE HIMSELF, in his FULLNESS, to the very last ounce of his life!  Beloved, neither could he have stood by WAITING to see if we would be the first to make a move.  He SHOWED us what GENUINE LOVE would require, by initiating that which TRUE LOVE requires: unselfishness and complete self-sacrifice.  Let’s see some other examples of this.

I Corinthians 7:3 “Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband.”

The issue of LOVE, between a husband and wife, CANNOT be adequately, and thoroughly, discussed, without broaching upon the topic of SEXUAL INTERACTION; it just CAN’T be done otherwise!  This is WHY Paul addresses the topic of the husband and wife Sexual Union in the context of the framework of their LOVE for each other.  In the overall consideration of the matter of HUMAN physical Love, what greater Love is there???  Even the Love for one’s child(ren) DOES NOT rise to this same level, when Love is properly understood, as ONLY the husband and wife union is described as them being ONE! (Mark 10:6-8)  Among humankind, on strictly a physical level, there is no greater love!  SEX is an integral PART of LOVE between men and women.  As THIS Teacher’s father would say to this Instructor, during this Teacher’s youth: “While LOVE forms the Building Bricks within a relationship, it is certainly SEX that serves as the mortar which helps to hold that LOVE in its place!”  SEX IS NEVER to be thought of as being more important than is LOVE, but it does have a most vital role to play in the overall integrity of it.

The WIFE and HUSBAND, who DO HAVE a deeper SPIRITUAL UNDERSTANDING of the MEANING of LOVE, BOTH recognize that a wholesome view of SEX is ESSENTIAL to a PROPER FUNCTIONING of their interpersonal relationship with each other, WHENEVER such is a physical possibility.  The Apostle, Paul, clearly understood this, and did not attempt to shy away from this reality, at all.  While Sex IS NOT MANDATORY to a relationship (I Corinthians 7:7-8), it is certainly beneficial to it, for various and sundry reasons (I Corinthians 7:9).

4 “The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife.”

Do you UNDERSTAND what this verse is addressing, Students?  It is plainly speaking of the matter of SEXUAL INTERACTION between a husband and wife couple!  Such interaction is an intimate EXPRESSION of their LOVE for each other.  Continue to bear in mind that THIS Teacher has told you that LOVE MUST BE EXPRESSED, or DEMONSTRATED!!!  Therefore, either one of the two individuals, within the Marital Union, IS NOT ALLOWED to deny the other this vital, shared, experience!  YAHVEH GOD DOES NOT Allow it to occur, Beloved, BECAUSE to allow such would serve to WEAKEN the fabric of the Marital Union, no matter who might attempt to deny the TRUTH of this statement!  The LOVE interaction, between a man and his wife, that transpires within the act of

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SEXUAL ACTIVITY, is to be a beautifully BONDING experience, although so MANY persons have co-opted it, and have taken the act, and have turned it into nothing more than a sordid, almost meaningless, recreational activity, in which the active parts — being the man and the woman — become nothing more than interchangeable, and replaceable, parts.

I Corinthians 7:5 “Defraud ye not [do not withhold yourselves] one [from] the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to Fasting and Prayer; and [then] come together, again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency [lack of sexual intimacy].”

Now, it is necessary that we step into the Realm of the Activation of SPIRITUAL LOVE that plays out within the Physical Realm of our lives.

I Corinthians 13:1 “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of Angels, and have not charity [Love], I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.”

2 “And though I have The Gift of Prophecy [Can know the future of events], and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge [Have expansive intellectual ability]; and though I have all [types of] Faith, so that I could remove mountains [of oppositions], and have not charity, I am nothing!”

3 “And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned [Self-sacrificing], and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing!”

4 “Charity suffereth long [Is extremely patient], and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself [Is not arrogant], is not puffed up [Is not prideful],”

5 “Doth not behave itself unseemly [Inappropriately], seeketh not her own [Seeks not to benefit itself], is not easily provoked [Will not become quickly angered], thinketh no evil [Bears no ill-will against others];”

6 “Rejoiceth not in iniquity [Does not become excited by unrighteousness / falsehoods / sinful displays], but rejoiceth in the truth;”

7 “Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.”

8 “Charity never faileth [Love does not cease to function]: but whether there be Prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.”

Have you understood all of these verses, Beloved?  We have taken the time to Study them, in-depth, in the past, and so we will not take the time to engage in that particular pursuit, today. However, we should recognize that each one of these verses is conveying the thought that something must be GIVEN, by one person, to another/others, in one form, or another, and that something that must be given, is LOVE.  While it might take on MANY varying forms, in whatever the manner in which it will be portrayed, it will always prove to be LOVE, in the end.

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CONCLUSION:

Believe it, or not, the entirety of The Holy Bible is written about the subject of LOVE: GOD’s LOVE for Man-Types.  It is covered in GOD’s PLAN of SALVATION In Giving To us HIS Son to die for us upon The Cross at Calvary.  HE Gave To us the Love of a man for a woman, and HE Told us how to display that Love to receive the best return.

Although many will not believe it, LOVE is still the most powerful force within the entire universe; more powerful than armies, bombs, hatred, or any other negative force upon Earth.  This is WHY it is written that “GOD Is LOVE”, and that when we Love, we are IN GOD, and GOD Is Within us.

LOVE is caring, sharing, and giving of oneself for the betterment of another/others.  The fact is that true Love is never able to be “lost”, but finds itself being rejuvenated, day after day, while it makes us vulnerable to those for whom we deeply care.  It is not composed of a superficial surface existence of lust, but is a depth of longing that permeates to one’s core existence, providing one with a sacrificial commitment that lasts far beyond any ability to explain the extent of its longevity. When other things have long since faded into oblivion, Love remains steadfast.

GOD’s LOVE Is A LOVE That Has Endured Throughout the length of Man-Types’ existences upon the surface of this planet.  It Has Endured our rejection, hatred, dismissal, and repudiation of It, and still It Lasts, Willing To Forgive us, and To Embrace us.  It provides us with the ability to ascend to what were previously unreachable places in our lives, and to soar to greater heights of devotion: GOD’s LOVE Is Truly A Most Transcendent and Transformational Quality, and Provides To us A Similar Ability To Love others, As Does HE.  There are really no words to describe GOD’s LOVE, and so we are compelled to regularly consider It, and to frequently ask: “WHAT MANNER OF LOVE IS THIS THAT WE HAVE?!?”

Until next time, Beloved …

MAY THE LOVE OF GOD CONTINUALLY LIFT US EVER HIGHER.

AMEN

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[A Study In Examining The Miraculous Nature Of YAHVEH GOD]

INTRODUCTION:

In life we hear about so many things that occur, for which there seem to be no apparent answers. How did this happen?  What caused its development?  Who was ultimately responsible?  What will be the result of it?  These, and so many other interrogatives, flood our minds, as we look for some meaning to developments.  Is there an explanation somewhere?

This Lesson is one in which the Students of the Great Grace Bible Study Group will discuss the Miraculous Nature Of THE ONE TRUE AND LIVING GOD, WHOSE Name Is YAHVEH.  We will take another look at some of the things that have served to astound us, from the times of our youth, to the present.  We’ll reconsider just a few of those things that no ordinary individual could ever achieve.  Let’s talk about This GOD WHO Is Able To Do ALL things, for there is NOTHING that is too difficult for HIM To Achieve.

We will journey back through time, as well as through verses of The Holy Scriptures, that will cause us to take an introspective reflection upon Those Events that ONLY GOD Could Have Accomplished.  We will ask ourselves: Are these things merely fantasy?  Is it all a conveyance of mythological proportions?  Are these nothing more than fairy tales and stories of things that have been conjured up, by ancient storytellers, and soothsayers, being passed down through time, like the stories of the fairies of Ireland, and the Loch Ness Monster?

We ask ourselves: “WHO Is GOD?!?” As well as, “What ARE Miracles, really?” You see, Students, as it concerns The Holy Bible, finding the TRUTH BEGINS with the asking of these two questions.  Until one has settled, within one’s own heart/mind, the answers that involve these two areas, one will NEVER have FAITH!  Beloved, FAITH IS NOT the suspension of sanity, or science; it is the embracing of A TRUTH That Is GREATER Than BOTH: It Is Far Greater Than one’s personal ability for explanation.  It is one saying: “There ARE things that exist, within this World, which are well-beyond the parameters of my comprehension, and any normal ability, or my part, or any other’s, to effectuate or change.”  THIS is the area of the MIRACULOUS!  This Teacher DID NOT SAY the “Supernatural”, but the MIRACULOUS!  There is a considerable DIFFERENCE between the two, the reality of which so MANY persons, even those referring to themselves as “Christians/Believers”, DO NOT RECOGNIZE or UNDERSTAND!  When such IS understood, at that point, one gathers oneself, sighs with resignation, and utters: “ONLY GOD!”

Students of the Great Grace Bible Study Group, you have Been Equipped, By THE HOLY SPIRIT Of YAH [THE HEAVENLY FATHER and Son], Dwelling Within you, to grasp that which others outside The FAITH have NO CAPACITY, whatsoever, to receive.  Will you lift your united hearts in Prayer to THE ONE TRUE AND LIVING GOD OF HEAVEN AND EARTH, as we ask HIM, To Allow HIS Most Righteous Son, The Glorified Yeshua Ha Meshiach/Jesus The Messiah/Christ, To Lead and Guide us Into The TRUTH of THEIR Word?  We NEED THEM, Beloved, or we, like the rest of the World, will continue to Walk in the Spiritual Darkness of our own Sins, Vanity, Deception, Pride, and Arrogance.  May YAHVEH GOD Help us To Grow In TRUE GRACE and KNOWLEDGE of our GOD.   Amen.

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And now, today’s Lesson.

LESSON:

Genesis 1:1 “In The BEGINNING GOD CREATED The Heaven and the Earth.”

We open our Study, today, in the place that is where it should normally begin: The BEGINNING. “In The BEGINNING GOD CREATED...”  What does one have upon which to hang one’s belief, who was not present to witness something’s inception?  One must rely upon an account, or a Record of some sort, regarding what reportedly occurred.  So, it is TRUE of our opening verse.  We, who are Christians, BELIEVE That YAHVEH GOD Was THE ONLY ONE Present At The CREATION of ALL things, In The BEGINNING of TIME.  Therefore, today’s Lesson will be undertaken, starting with the understanding that no one else was present, at that point.  ONLY GOD Can Tell us What Took Place In The BEGINNING, When ONLY HE Was Present!   NO Preacher; NO Scientist; NO Professor; NO Teacher; NO Moralist; NO ONE can actually say, with absolute certitude, what took place when NO ONE ELSE existed to witness it.  What we accept, in ALL realms, we accept by FAITH!

Clearly, the truth is that this Teacher was not present to witness the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and neither was any one of you; and no actual photographs are available to support what is said to have occurred on that occasion.  This Teacher must, of necessity, take someone else’s word for what is said to have taken place, at that event.   One must, then, believe in the truth of some painting that is said to depict images of those who were supposedly present to sign that document, on that occasion, as well as in some document reported to have been actually signed by those who were reported to have been present.   The Holy Bible, too, is a Record of those who are said to have been at Events that none of us was present to witness.  As with everything else, it all boils down to a matter of BELIEF, or what religious persons frequently refer to as our FAITH.

There is absolutely NO getting around the matter, Students: FAITH is ESSENTIAL, for EVERYONE of us, in EVERY walk of life in which one engages.  We will ALWAYS BELIEVE in something that we CANNOT prove, until it can actually be proven, empirically, no matter who we might be, or what it is in which we tend to place our confidence.

In The BEGINNING, even BEFORE TIME existed, when NOTHING ELSE was, There Was YAHVEH GOD, and HIM, Alone.  Before TIME was, YAHVEH Determined To BEGET A Son: Thus Was BEGOTTEN, or Came OUT of YAHVEH GOD, Theos, The Logos, or The Living Word of GOD.  From THIS Point Began ALL OTHER CREATION of that which we now know to exist!

3 “And GOD Said, ‘Let there be Light: and there was Light!”

THE GOD OF ALL CREATION Begins The PROCESS of Forming that which will become customary, and even ordinary, to us, as Man-Types.  As with almost everything, Light will be required for us to

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eventually see, clearly, all that is taking place around us; So our GOD CREATES the existence of Light.  And so, It ALL Begins, As Things Are Put Into Place That ONLY GOD Can Perform.

Genesis 1:5 “And GOD Called the Light Day, and the Darkness HE Called Night. And the evening and the morning were the FIRST Day.”

GOD, WHO Is A SPIRIT, In HIS EXISTENCE (John 4:24), Gives to the World something that HE Calls “Day” and “Night”, BECAUSE, Now That HE Has CREATED the Universe, Out of NOTHING, HE Is Going To CREATE even greater physicality, From the same NOTHING.  HE Will CREATE creatures that will REQUIRE rest, and sleep, to continue to survive.

9 “And GOD Said, ‘Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear’: and it was so.”

YAHVEH GOD Begins The Separation of the Upper Waters that can later form the Rain that falls down upon us, From the Lower Waters that form the Lakes, Seas, and Oceans, with which we are all so very familiar.

10 “And GOD Called the dry land ‘Earth’; and the gathering together of the waters Called HE ‘Seas’: and GOD Saw that it was good.”

Clearly, to the recognition of THIS Teacher, at least, there was a PROCESS being undergone, during The CREATION, as the Waters required “Gathering”: It WAS NOT, necessarily, an instantaneous development, Students.  It seems, to THIS Instructor, that it is ESSENTIAL that Religionists begin to expand their focus to INCLUDE the possibility that GOD’s CREATION DID NOT necessarily occur in exactly the same manner in which THEY have envisioned It to have occurred.  Does this MEAN that GOD Did Not CREATE?  NO!  Does this MEAN that GOD Is NOT GOD, but Is, somehow, Diminished In HIS STATURE?  NEVER!  GOD Will ALWAYS Remain GOD, to the very HEIGHT of that REALITY, and NO ONE, ANYWHERE, at ANY TIME, can ever change this TRUTH!

11 “And GOD Said, ‘Let the Earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the Earth: and it was so.”

Here, expressed within THIS verse, is one of the greater Examples of ONLY GOD!  YAHVEH GOD Speaks Into Existence That Which we take so much for granted: grasses and seed-bearing fruit, which NONE of us can come close to duplicating.  We, as creatures, MUST TAKE of that which already exists, to bring about more of that which is desired.  Because things have become so customary for us to encounter, we act as though such things have always been, when nothing could be further from the reality of the situation (Genesis 2:5).  As a result, we frequently lose our appreciation for what GOD Has Given To us: we become UNTHANKFUL.  Now comes The Crowning Point of GOD’s CREATION: The SPECIAL Man whom HE Calls ADAM; a Man-Type CREATED, NOT like the initial Man-Type who comes up from the WATERS (Genesis 1:20-21), but a SPECIAL Man-Type, who Is CREATED From the dirt of the ground.

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Genesis 2:7 “And THE LORD GOD Formed Man of the dust of the ground, and Breathed Into his nostrils the Breath of Life; and Man became a living Soul.”

This particular Man-Type is DIFFERENT from his fore-runner from the Waters, which is symbolized By YAHVEH GOD Breathing Into this SPECIAL Man-Type YAHVEH GOD’s OWN BREATH.  THIS Man-Type, more than the others, will be MORE LIKE his GOD!  THIS SPECIAL Man-Type’s progeny will eventually take over the World, supplanting, and totally replacing, the Man-Type that initially emerged from the Waters (Genesis 3:20).  ONLY YAHVEH GOD Could Have Done ANY, or ALL of This!  ONLY YAHVEH GOD Is CREATOR!

We leave The SPECIAL Man-Type, and The CREATION, at this point, for there is so much more to consider in this Lesson, today, as we are not merely discussing Adam, and The CREATION, but a more complete analysis of ONLY GOD!  We will look at other considerations that carry considerable weight, as well, as we reminisce about THIS GOD WHO IS GOD, and The Things That ONLY HE, Alone, Could Have Done, or Can Do.  Now, we look at the issue of Israel’s Red Sea crossing.

THE RED SEA CROSSING

Exodus 14:18 “And the Egyptians shall know that I AM THE LORD, when I Have Gotten ME [MYSELF] Honour Upon Pharaoh, Upon his chariots, and Upon his horsemen.”

19 “And The ANGEL of GOD, Which Went Before the camp of Israel, Removed [Changed His Position] and Went Behind them; and The Pillar of The Cloud Went From Before their face, and Stood Behind them:”

This is a verse that, in the opinion of THIS Teacher, is cited far too infrequently, by Religionists.  Read it, carefully, with UNDERSTANDING, Students!  The ANGEL of GOD, Who Is The PRE-Incarnate Yeshua Ha Meshiach, or Jesus The Messiah/Christ, Makes The Decision To Remove Himself As The Pillar of Cloud That Has Gone BEFORE the people of Israel, Leading them, And Places Himself At the REAR of the people of Israel, To Act As A BARRIER, or SHIELD, Between Israel and the Egyptians, Defending them (Psalm 28:7; 3:3).  Notice What The Pre-Incarnate Yeshua Becomes For Israel:

20 “And It [The Cloud] Came Between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and It Was A Cloud and Darkness To them, but It Gave Light By night To these: so that the one [camp] came not near the other all the night.”

This CLOUD becomes a DUEL Reality for Israel and the Egyptians.  While On Its One Side The CLOUD Offers LIGHT To the people of Israel, On Its Opposite Side, This SAME CLOUD Becomes Only DARKNESS For the immense military machine and might of the Egyptians.  GOD Becomes A DUEL REALITY, At the SAME TIME, Depending Upon who is, or is not, TRUSTING in HIM! (Proverbs 3:5-6)  HE Becomes The DELIVERER For those who need That DELIVERER, and HE Becomes WHATEVER ELSE Is Needed For that person who needs HIM to Become That, as well (Psalms 50:14-23).  ONLY GOD Can BE This, In The Time of Trouble!

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Exodus 14:23 “And the Egyptians pursued, and went in after them [in]to the midst of the Sea, even all the midst of the Sea [into the very center], even all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen.”

Students, let us continue to bear in mind that this Book of Exodus is being written by Moses, a man who was PRESENT at each one of These Events.  He, UNLIKE all of US, is NOT taking someone else’s word for all of this, and he IS NOT trying to convince the people of Israel of some fantasy, for they, also, are present to see it all take place, as well.  Moses is simply recording what occurs, for the sake of posterity: he has NO REASON, whatsoever, to falsify any record!

24 “And it came to pass that, in the morning watch, THE LORD Looked Unto the host of the Egyptians, Through The Pillar of Fire and of The Cloud, and Troubled the host of the Egyptians,”

25 “And Took Off their chariot wheels, that they drave [drove] them heavily [with great effort]: so that the Egyptians said, ‘Let us flee from the face of Israel; for THE LORD Fighteth For them Against the Egyptians!’”

While we, within our more modern societies, might want to vacillate about What THE UNSEEN GOD Is Able To Do, one would be incapable of convincing the Egyptians that YAHVEH GOD Is Non-Existent and Impotent.  Listen to their cries!  They realize that Something Out of the ordinary Is Taking Place, and that they are in the very MIDDLE of It!  No matter what has happened, previously, they recognize that ONLY GOD Can Do What Is Happening To them, at this juncture! Students, what we need to realize is that Egypt had a specific city that existed primarily to care for their chariots and certain other war implements.  The wheels on these chariots had been inspected, thoroughly, over and over again.  The warriors realize that their wheels coming off, of so many of their chariots, is much more than a mere coincidence.  They KNOW that Israel’s GOD, THE ONE WHO Performed The Numerous Miracles inside their cities, Is Working AGAINST them.  They have NO MORE fight left in them.  It is time to flee!

26 “And THE LORD Said Unto Moses, ‘Stretch out thine hand over the Sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.”

27 “And Moses stretched forth his hand over the Sea, and the Sea returned to his [its] strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against [away from] it; and THE LORD Overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the Sea.”

Precious Saints of GOD, everyone is “strong”, or “powerful”, within his/her own mind, until he/she really isn’t.  Do you know what this Teacher means by this statement?  This Teacher means that persons enjoy feeling, and talking, tough, UNTIL…Until they are met with truly strong opposition, and it becomes THEY that are actually on the “hot seat”, being faced with the real threat of a tragic outcome of events for themselves.  Then, it tends to become a much different response by them.  This is the situation with the Egyptians.  This is much of the situation with the Leadership of most of the entire WORLD, today.  These Egyptians were all “brave” UNTIL… As long as the situation favored them, and the Israelites were clearly subservient, and totally under their thumbs, the Egyptians were the

“ONLY GOD!” — 5/26/2018

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bravest of the brave.  Now that the situation has reversed, and has turned against them, their true selves are revealed: they stand, in the midst of the Red Sea, facing Israel’s GOD!  They ARE afraid, as most other persons would be, and some of them are even cowards, and they ARE NOT the stalwart, brave persons that they thought of themselves, pretended, or projected themselves to be.  When Faced By YAHVEH GOD, EVERY MAN/WOMAN BECOMES A COWARD before HIM!  YAHVEH GOD IS NOT some ordinary man! (Isaiah 47:3; Revelation 6:15-17)

Exodus 14:28 “And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the Sea after them; there remained not as much as one of them.”

29 “But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the Sea; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.”

This Teacher has listened as vacuous persons, on certain television programs, have attempted to unravel the TRUTH of The Red Sea Crossing.  They have attempted to claim that the waters were not much deeper than a good-sized stream, or wider than a small lake.  But, those of us who BELIEVE remember the words of Exodus 15:10-13, and Exodus 14:21.  These persons want us to believe that The STRONG WIND Blew ALL NIGHT LONG to dry a small lake?!?  They want us to believe that a lake could form walls through which persons might pass?  RIDICULOUS!  It was a SEA, and ONLY GOD Could Have Done That Which Was Done!!

30 “Thus THE LORD Saved Israel that day Out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the Sea Shore.”

31 “And Israel SAW that Great Work Which THE LORD Did Upon the Egyptians: and the people feared [reverenced] THE LORD, and BELIEVED THE LORD, and HIS Servant Moses.”

Do you SEE, Beloved, that Moses WOULD NOT have written down some fiction, or fantasy, regarding this Major Event, as SO MANY CLUELESS current denouncers of Holy Scripture attempt to promote, when such persons deny the reality of The Red Sea Crossing!  The entire nation of the people of Israel were PRESENT to WITNESS the Events that Moses later recorded.  They were PARTICIPANTS in the Event!  He COULD NOT, and WOULD NOT, have attempted to LIE to them!  They KNEW the TRUTH!!!  They were THERE!!!   They recognized that It Was ONLY GOD!

THE SUN AND MOON STAND STILL

Joshua 10:12 “Then spake Joshua to THE LORD in the day when THE LORD Delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said, in the SIGHT of [the people of] Israel, ‘Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon! And thou, Moon, in the Valley of Ajalon!’”

Do you notice something, in this verse, about which you have previously read in Luke 17:6, and Mark 11:23, on previous occasions, Students?  Let’s read Luke 17:6, and Mark 11:23, again.  Now, let us look back, once again, at what Joshua does in Joshua 10:12.  What does he do?  He SPEAKS TO,

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BOTH, THE SUN AND TO THE MOON, as though they have the capacity to hear him!  In actuality, he is speaking TO GOD, by FAITH, as neither of these two entities has the ability to hear and respond to him!   It Is GOD’s PRESENCE That Responds To Joshua’s request.

Joshua 10:13 “And the Sun stood still, and the Moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this WRITTEN in The Book of Yasher [Jasher]?!? So the Sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day.”

Beloved Saints of GOD, either we BELIEVE what is WRITTEN in The Word of GOD, The Holy Bible, or we DO NOT.  It is just that simple a matter.  We must bear in mind that, for the longest time, Man-Types have RECORDED their exploits, for future reference: we call them Historical Documents.  The Holy Bible Is Nothing, if It Is NOT A RECORDED DOCUMENT of The EXPLOITS Of GOD!  While Man-Types are involved, throughout The Entire Process of most of The Development of The Book, The Book, Itself, Is ALL About GOD! (Psalm 40:7-8; Hebrews 10:7)  The POINT is, Beloved, that YAHVEH GOD Wants us ALL to come to The CONCLUSION that ONLY GOD Could BE, and DO, The MANY Things That we find Recorded Within the pages of This Wondrous Book, called The Holy Bible!

In addition, Precious Hearts, IF one could logically explain everything that YAHVEH GOD Has Done, or Does, or The Totality of WHO HE IS, HE Would NOT BE GOD!!!  HE Would Be Much The SAME As you, and this Teacher, and HIS MIRACLES Would CEASE To Be MIRACLES, because MIRACLES, by understanding, and definition, have NO logical explanations!  They would become, to us, mere happenstances!  Now, back to Joshua.

Joshua 10:14 “And there was NO DAY LIKE THAT before it, or after it, that THE LORD Hearkened [Listened and Heeded] Unto the voice of a man: for THE LORD Fought For Israel.”

Precious Saints of THE MOST HIGH GOD, this verse expresses PURPOSE, as we read that “…THE LORD Fought For Israel.”  You must SEE, Beloved, that IT WAS NOT just about Israel, but About YAHVEH GOD Working Out HIS PURPOSE In the Earth, THROUGH the people of Israel! (Deuteronomy 7:6-7)  This is WHY the Sun and the Moon held their positions in the heaven, at Joshua’s request.  It WAS NOT that Joshua was any more Special than is anyone of us, but that he was carrying out The WILL and PLAN Of ALMIGHTY YAHVEH GOD! (Romans 2:11) In The END of it all, Beloved, YAHVEH GOD Wants The PRAISES of ALL Peoples, the World over! (Psalm 117:1-2)

DANIEL’S STAY IN THE LION’S DEN

Daniel 6:6 “Then these Presidents and Princes assembled together to the king, and said thus unto him, ‘King Darius, live forever!”

7 “All the Presidents of the kingdom, the Governors, and the Princes, the Counsellors, and the Captains, have consulted together to establish a Royal Statute, and to make a firm Decree, that

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whosoever shall ask a Petition of any God, or man, for thirty days, save [except] of thee, O king, he shall be cast into the den of Lions.’”

It can be an ill-advised thing to take more upon one’s self than one ought to undertake.  That is the lesson to be gleaned from this verse, Students.  All of these men take it upon themselves to formulate a Decree, without first bringing it to the king to receive his input.  When he hears from them, the Decree is virtually a “Done Deal”, and is merely ready for his signature.  As far as the king is concerned, he is foolish in that he has not allowed himself the opportunity to read and reflect upon what it is that he is being asked to sign: for a leader of any people, or organization, in any situation, this IS NOT wisdom.  The king never seems to inquire as to WHY these men have drawn up such a document.  In what way does it benefit the king, or the kingdom?!?  His pride, vanity, and arrogance have overwhelmed him.

Daniel 6:9 “Wherefore king Darius signed the Writing and the Decree.”

10 “Now when Daniel knew that the Writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber, toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees, three times a day, and Prayed, and gave Thanks before his GOD, as he did aforetime [previously].”

Beloved, was not Daniel the President, or Lead Prince, among all of these Princes? (Daniel 6:1-2) Where was he during the signing of these documents?!?  Could he not have raised his objection, and made an effort to prevent their signing?  Where was he?!!?  Wherever he was, and whatever he was doing, the documents were passed and signed.  Daniel determines what he will do regarding the matter.  He continues to give HONOR to his GOD, as before (Acts 5:29).

11 “Then these men assembled, and found Daniel Praying and making Supplication before his GOD.”

13 “Then answered they and said before the king, ‘That Daniel, which is of the children of the captivity of Judah, regardeth not thee, O king, nor the Decree that thou hast signed, but maketh his Petition three times a day!’”

14 “Then the king, when he heard these words, was sore [greatly] displeased with himself, and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him: and he laboured till the going down of the Sun to deliver him.”

15 “Then these men assembled unto the king, and said unto the king, ‘Know, O king, that the Law of the Medes and Persians is that NO Decree nor Statute, which the king establisheth, may be changed! ”

16 “Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. Now the king spake and said unto Daniel, ‘Thy GOD WHOM thou Servest continually, HE Will Deliver thee!’”

17 “And a stone was brought, and laid upon the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own Signet, and with the Signet of his lord; that the purpose might not be changed concerning Daniel.”

It would appear that the jealousy of these men has won the day for them, given the short-sightedness of

“ONLY GOD!” — 5/29/2018

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the king.  But, has it?!?  Is YAHVEH GOD Ever Rendered Impotent due to the back-room plotting and conniving of Man-Types, Students? Can one EVER out-think GOD???  It would appear that Daniel is doomed, with NO hope of escape.  You won’t have to tune in next week to find out what happens!

Daniel 6:18 “Then the king went to his palace, and passed the night fasting [not eating or drinking]: neither were instruments of music brought before him: and his sleep went from him.”

19 “Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste unto the den of lions.”

20 “And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel: and the king spake and said to Daniel, ‘O Daniel, Servant of THE LIVING GOD, Is thy GOD, WHOM thou Servest, continually, able to deliver thee from the lions?!?”

21 “Then said Daniel unto the king, ‘O king, live for ever!”

22 “My GOD Hath Sent HIS Angel, and Hath Shut the lions’ mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before HIM innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt.’”

Precious Saints of GOD, know that YAHVEH GOD, and HIS Most Righteous Son, The Glorified Yeshua Ha Meshiach/Jesus The Messiah/Christ, Have Great Respect for the innocent man/woman/boy/girl.  Those who are liars, against The Righteous Ones of GOD, WILL NOT PROSPER (Ecclesiastes 8:13; Proverbs 11:21).  GOD Is our DELIVERER!

24 “And the king commanded, and they brought those men which had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions, them, their children, and their wives; and the lions had the mastery of them, and brake all their bones in pieces or ever [the moment that] they came at the bottom of the den.”

Here you have The Rest Of The Story, Beloved.  ONLY GOD Could Have Provided Such A Deliverance For Daniel, when all hope appeared to be lost!  ONLY GOD Can Provide Deliverance For you, and For this Teacher, as well.  Do we not NEED Such A GOD As HE?!?

CONCLUSION:

When we are beset by the various trials, tests, and distresses of our lives, will we recognize that ONLY GOD Is Truly Able To Provide To us the Comfort, Peace, Joy, Hope, and Deliverance Out of whatever oppresses us?  When we see NO WAY of escape from that which seems to pursue us, so doggedly, to whom might we turn?  Will it be that in such times as these that we will have taken hold of The SABBATH REST within our hearts/minds, and will hold, firmly, to The Reality That ONLY GOD Is A DELIVERER?!  When the Storms of Life are raging all around us, and the destructive waters appear to rise to overflow our very Souls, will we pause, look up, and know, deeply within our Spirits, that ONLY GOD Is A WAY-MAKER Out Of NO way?!?

“ONLY GOD!” — 5/29/2018

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Whether it is The CREATION of the World, The Garden of Eden, Noah and The Ark, The Red Sea, The Walls of Jericho, David and Goliath, or some other notable Biblical Account, it all boils down to just One Thing: ONLY GOD!  ONLY GOD Is Able To CHANGE the normality of situations and circumstances, To Advance The CAUSE of The KINGDOM of HEAVEN.  In MANY instances, we refer to them as MIRACLES, for They Are HEAVENLY Originated, and Are Those Things Which Defy Human Explanation.  We hold Them close to our hearts, and we are grateful to have A GOD WHO Causes us to whisper, or to shout: ONLY GOD!

Until next time, Beloved …

MAY WE GIVE TO HIM LIBERALLY OF OUR LOVE, AS HE GIVES HIS LOVE TO US.

AMEN

WE WELCOME YOUR COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS ON THIS LESSON

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“WHAT DO WE DO WITH GOD IN ‘INCLEMATE’ CONDITIONS?” – 6/2/2018

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[A Study In Diagnosing The Contents Of Our Hearts During The Trying Periods Of Our FAITH]

INTRODUCTION:

Living inside the State of Michigan, within these United States of America, presents this Teacher, and other residents of the State, with a myriad of weather possibilities.  We have the rain and blustery winds of Spring, the gentle breezes and budding flowers and Sunshine of Summer, the crisp air and crunchy falling leaves of Fall, and the cold, blustery winds, and the Ice and Snow, of Winter: we have it all!  Overall,what a great State continually proves to be that of Michigan!  While some try to escape Michigan’s borders, and become transient to other States, throughout the Country, during certain periods of the year, this Teacher loves the variations in Michigan’s many seasons, and the awe of its colorful scenery.  Additionally, it is a State that is full of breath-taking geographic wonders!

In actuality, the extremity of the variations presented, within the lives of each one of us, are very much comparable to the changes in the weather conditions presented within the State of Michigan, that this Teacher has just mentioned. As with the changing weather, our lives encounter a multiplicity of extreme conditions, as well; morphing from one state of extreme to another.  From one week, to another, one might encounter numerous upheavals that might be analogous to the diametric nature of various climatic and atmospheric developments, and the resultant changes that such so often entails.

In today’s Lesson, “WHAT DO WE DO WITH GOD IN ‘INCLEMATE’ CONDITIONS?”, we will undertake an exploration of how each one of us tends to react to situations when difficulties confront us.  Do we panic?  Do we exhibit debilitating distress?  Do we close ourselves off from others?  Do we surrender to whatever might be the situation, and seek to withdraw from interacting with others regarding our situation, as we enter into an avoidance mode?  Just what is it that we tend to do?

We frequently speak of A GOD WHO Has Promised NEVER To Leave us, at any time, or To Forsake us During the more trying of times.  Yet, in spite of this, we so often allow ourselves to experience upheavals and emotional turmoil whenever we are met with those situations that present us with developments for which we personally have no immediate answers.

Let us begin to determine WHAT it is that we will do, and the manner in which we will do it, when such times come into our lives, for they will most certainly come, for each one of us, like it or not. It is THIS Teacher’s job to present, to Students of the Great Grace Bible Study Group, those avenues that one should consider taking, each day of one’s life, because, as someone once attempted to share, “Practice Makes Perfect”; but THIS Teacher will continue to state, most emphatically, “NO!  It Is NOT Merely The Practice Of Something That Makes Perfect, But It Is The PERFECT PRACTICE Of Something That Makes Perfect!”  Beloved, we want to begin to practice those types of Righteous Decisions, Behaviors, and Reactions, that will aid us in determining the positive outcomes that we so long to experience within our lives.

Will you open your hearts in Prayer, along with your Bibles, today, as we ask THE ONE TRUE AND LIVING GOD OF ALL CREATION To Provide To us, Via HIS HOLY SPIRIT, and The Presence of HIS Righteous Son, With The TRUTH of HIS Holy Word?  May It Ever Be Made So.   Amen.

“WHAT DO WE DO WITH GOD IN ‘INCLEMATE’ CONDITIONS?” — 6/2/2018

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And now, today’s Lesson.

LESSON:

John 17:1 “These words spake Jesus/Yeshua, and lifted up his eyes to HEAVEN, and said, ‘FATHER, the hour is come; Glorify THY Son, that THY Son also may Glorify THEE:”

2 “As THOU Hast Given Him [Yeshua/Jesus The Messiah/Christ] Power over all flesh, that He should give ETERNAL LIFE to as many as THOU Hast Given Him.”

3 “And This Is LIFE ETERNAL, that they might know THEE, THE ONLY TRUE GOD, and Jesus Christ, Whom THOU Hast Sent.”

Stated within the words of this verse is The Essence of our FAITH: We BELIEVE in Yeshua Ha Meshiach/Jesus The Messiah, Who IS The ONLY Begotten Son of THE ONE TRUE AND LIVING GOD, YAHVEH, and we respond, accordingly.  It is This, ALONE, that will Enable us to receive ETERNAL LIFE, in The END of TIME.  It is THIS that, at the present time, enables us to TRUST in GOD during all of the difficult, or “Inclemate”, times of our lives.

6 “I have manifested THY NAME unto the men [Disciples/Talmidim] which THOU Gavest Me out of the World: THINE they were, and THOU Gavest them [To] Me; and they have kept THY Word.”

7 “Now, they have known that ALL THINGS whatsoever THOU Hast Given Me Are Of [From] THEE.”

Do you UNDERSTAND, Beloved, that these verses are discussing BELIEF?  It all boils down to whether one BELIEVES in GOD, and The Word that Has Been Written About HIM, and, by extension, about HIS Righteous Son, The Glorified Yeshua Ha Meshiach/Jesus The Messiah/Christ, as well?  Can we TRUST that which we read?

8 ‘For I have given unto them The Words Which THOU Gavest me; and they have received [Believed] Them, and have known surely that I Came Out From [Was BEGOTTEN Out Of] THEE, and they have Believed that THOU Didst Send me.”

9 “I Pray FOR them: I Pray NOT for the [people of the] World, BUT FOR THEM WHICH THOU HAST GIVEN ME; for THEY are THINE!”

The PURPOSE of these verses, Beloved, is to establish that NOT EVERYONE is a Child of GOD, as so many persons will ERRONEOUSLY believe, and will attempt to claim, for themselves, and for others!  ONLY those persons who truly BELIEVE, and OBEY, The Word of GOD, Are HIS Children.  It is such persons, as these, who can Trust in GOD during the “Inclemate” times, when The Storms of Life are raging all around them.

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John 17:10 “And ALL Mine Are THINE, and THINE Are Mine; and I Am Glorified in them.”

11 “And now I am no more [to be] in the World, but these are in the World, and I Come [return] To THEE. HOLY FATHER; Keep, Through THINE OWN NAME, those whom THOU Hast Given [To] me, that they may be ONE, as WE [YOU and I] Are [One].”

14 “I have given them THY Word; and the World hath hated them, because they are NOT [an integral part] of the World, even as I am NOT [an integral part] of the World.”

Yeshua/Jesus says: “I have given them THY Word…”, which MEANS: “I have told them The TRUTH.”  It is this Reality, alone, that has caused the people of the World to hate TRUE Believers/Christians.  MOST people, throughout the World, actually DO NOT WANT TO KNOW The TRUTH about their lives, and themselves, in general, but seek only to hear that which is pleasing to their Flesh/Human Natures! (Isaiah 30:9-11)  Therefore, most of such persons appear to feel extremely uncomfortable when in the company of those who are truly Righteous [Right-Living] individuals.

15 “I Pray NOT that THOU Shouldest Take them Out of the World, but that THOU Shouldest Keep them From the evil [of this World].”

Here is the underlying reality to the lives of Christian Believers the World over: YAHVEH GOD Will NOT Remove every obstacle from our lives and paths, so DON’T expect it!  It is a myth, and a fantasy, for ANYONE to EVER think, suggest, or state, that this is What YAHVEH GOD Will Do. After all, Beloved, it is our struggles, or the testing of our FAITH, that prove to be the MAKING of us, as Believers/Christians (Isaiah 41:10; Philippians 4:13).

16 “They ARE NOT [a part] of the World, even as I Am NOT [a part] of the World.”

The Questions for us to consider, as Believers/Christians, are these, Students: “Am I actually exerting efforts to try to be a PART of this World?  Am I so enamored by this World, its people, its programs, and any number of other things in which the World engages, that I cannot, will not, and do not, resist involving myself with it?  Is this, in actuality, who I truly am?” (II Corinthians 6:15-18; I John 2:15-17)

17 “Sanctify them Through THY Truth: THY Word Is Truth.”

It is The TRUTH of GOD’s Word, The Holy Bible, that we embrace, Which Serves To SEPARATE [Sanctify] those of us who ARE striving, daily, to be Christians/Believers, from among those persons of this World that are hypocritical, unGODly, evil, cruel, unrighteous, unholy, and just plain mean-spirited.  But, we, as those who CLAIM to BELIEVE, MUST be about the business of OBEYING This TRUTH That we read and learn, in order that This TRUTH Will WORK within our lives.  We CANNOT stray AWAY from The TRUTH of GOD’s Word, while expecting to receive The Benefits of The Same.  It just WON’T Work, at least for any considerable period of time, or to Its Maximum Level

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of Expectation.  So, then, a decision must be made: Is one WILLING to embrace The TRUTH of GOD’s Word, which will result in one being PLEASING To YAHVEH GOD?

All of what has been presented, thus far, has been merely the PREPARATION for our consideration of the Inclemate Spiritual Conditions that our Lesson is addressing, today.  Now, it is time for us to begin to delve, more in-depth, into the essence of what is entailed in facing those Inclemate Conditions of which this Teacher speaks.  Let us begin to consider some Biblical Examples for us to emulate.

II Kings 6:8 “Then the king of Syria warred against Israel, and took counsel with his servants, saying ‘In such and such a place shall be my camp.’”

9 “And The Man of GOD sent unto the king of Israel, saying, ‘Beware that thou pass not such a place; for thither [there] the Syrians are come down [the Syrians have prepared their camp there].’”

YAHVEH GOD Speaks Into the heart/mind of The Prophet of Israel, Elisha, and tells him to warn the king of Israel NOT to take a certain route, with his army, because the Syrians are waiting to surprise him in that particular location.  Clearly, “Inclemate Conditions” are brewing for the king of Israel and his army.  The storm clouds are war are evident upon the horizon.

10 “And the king of Israel sent to the place [about] which The Man of GOD told him, and warned him of, and saved himself there, not once not twice.”

11 “Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was sore [greatly] troubled for this thing; and he called his servants, and said unto them, ‘Will ye not shew me which of us is for the king of Israel?!’”

The king of Syria calls his Servants to him, and asks them: “Which one of my people is a spy in our midst?!?  Someone is clearly telling the king of Israel my plans, so that he is able to circumvent my best laid efforts!  Someone tell me who it is, that is among my own people, who is guilty of undermining me?!!?”

12 “And one of his servants said, ‘None, my lord, O king: but Elisha, the Prophet that is in Israel, telleth [informs] the king of Israel the words that thou speakest [mention] in thy bedchamber.”

How this Servant of the king of Syria knows that it is the Prophet, Elisha, who is the undoing of the plans of the king of Syria, is not actually known to us: one might only surmise about the matter.  It is likely because the spies of Syria have been quite active inside the nation of Israel, and are quite familiar with the abilities and activities of Elisha, the Prophet, for he has proven to be one of the principle informants to the king of Israel.  We recognize that this Servant has positively NO doubt, whatsoever, about who is responsible for the situation with which Syria is currently faced.  Clearly, Something Out of The Ordinary is taking place.

13 “And he said, ‘Go, and spy where he is, that I may send and fetch [apprehend] him!’ And it was told him, saying, ‘Behold, he is in Dothan!’”

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The king of Syria is convinced about what it is that he must do.  He has to cut-off the source of that which impedes his ability to conquer the king of Israel!  This means that it is imperative for the advice of the Prophet, Elisha, to be staunched, without greater delay: the Prophet MUST NOT escape them, for everything rests upon his capture.  So, the king of Syria sends a massive number of military to accomplish this feat.  The forces of Syria move in under the darkness of night, and surround the entire perimeter of the city of Samaria.  They have no intention that Elisha should evade them.  If ever a greater situation of “storm clouds” gathering, over an entire nation of people, were any more evident than this, this Teacher can think of none.  In terms of being presented with the conditions of unacceptability, this situation proves to be that of a most Inclemate Status, for the people of Israel.

II Kings 6:14 “Therefore sent he thither [to that place] horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about.”

15 “And when the Servant of the Man of GOD was risen early, and gone forth [exited the residence], behold, an host compassed the city, both with horses and chariots. And his Servant said unto him [Elisha], ‘Alas, my Master! How [What] shall we do?!!?’”

When the Servant exits the residence, to begin to take care of the day’s activities, he is soon confronted with the fact that the armies of the Syrian hoard have encompassed the entire city.  He rushes back to the residence and presents his Master with the situation that confronts the people of Israel!  What are they to do?!!?  The Servant is clearly at his wits’ end.

16 “And he answered, ‘Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them!’”

What in the World is the Prophet talking about?!!?  What “they that be with us”???  Clearly, there IS NO “they” for “us”, to which the Servant can attest, at this point!  Additionally, what does the Prophet mean by “Don’t be afraid [Fear not]”?!  Does he know what is taking place just outside the walls of the house, and the city?!?!

The Prophet is sharing with his Servant that there is sometimes more involved to certain situations than what initially meets the eyes.  But, what is it, specifically, to which the Prophet can be alluding?  What is the “more”, in terms of Help, of which the Prophet has spoken?

17 “And Elisha prayed, and said, ‘Lord, I pray THEE, Open his eyes, that he may see!’ And THE LORD Opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of Horses and Chariots of Fire round about Elisha.”

What is to be the SPIRITUAL UNDERSTANDING that we are to garner from what is written, here, Beloved?  It is this: YAHVEH GOD Has Promised NEVER To Leave the BELIEVER Alone.  Would this not have applied to Elisha, as well?  Did he not BELIEVE in GOD??  Indeed, he did Believe in YAHVEH, and so The PROMISE Of GOD would most assuredly have applied to him, for GOD Has Never, and Will Never, Change HIS Position Regarding those who love and serve HIM! (Malachi 3:6)  YAHVEH GOD Was The SAME yesterday, HE Is Still The SAME today, and HE Will Be The SAME

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Forevermore, Regarding HIS Position Toward The Righteous Ones of GOD.  So, then, the reality is that Just As YAHVEH GOD Had An Angelic Host Ready to defend Elisha, So HE Has HIS Angel(s) Ready to defend you, as well, when the need arises, and such A Defense Is According To HIS Overall PLAN of SALVATION, or For an individual’s Immediate DELIVERANCE (Matthew 18:10).

II Kings 6:18 “And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto THE LORD, and said, ‘Smite this people [the Syrians] I pray THEE, with blindness!’ And HE Smote them with blindness according to the word [request] of Elisha.”

We find, in this verse, a superb EXAMPLE of the manner in which The Righteous Ones of GOD are to respond during the “Inclemate” times during which the stormy winds of challenge and opposition blow, throughout the structures of their lives.  They can either CHOOSE to respond, as does the Servant of Elisha, with extreme levels of anguish and trepidation, or they can CHOOSE to respond as does Elisha, his master, in the Fortitude of his FAITH.  In which of the two types of responses will one engage?  Will one Fall Back in FEAR, or will one Forge Ahead in FAITH?

Matthew 7:24 “Therefore, whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken [compare] him/her unto a Wise man/woman, which built his/her house upon a Rock.”

James 1:22-25.  Can we not hear the influence of The Master’s Teaching in the words of James? Do we not SEE that IT TAKES MORE than simply knowing The Word of GOD, to be effective, Beloved?  It takes OBEYING, or ACTING UPON, The Word of GOD, as well, for it is seminal to a person receiving YAHVEH GOD’s Ultimate BLESSINGS!  It is such a person that YAH [THE HEAVENLY FATHER and Son] View as being Wise, for he/she recognizes that The Word of GOD Is The ROCK of STABILITY upon Which one can stand, throughout the most Inclemate Times in life.

25 “And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a Rock.”

ALL of these things speak of various forms of ADVERSITIES, Students: the Rain, the Flood Waters, and the Tempestuous Winds, that assault the “Houses” of our bodies: Sicknesses, Diseases, Job losses, Divorces, Deaths, Financial upheavals, and many other catastrophic developments. As this Teacher writes this Lesson, a large Evergreen Tree lies sprawled in the grass of the backyard, completely broken in two, at its trunk, from the recent stormy winds that blew through our State of Michigan, just a few days ago.  Certainly, this Teacher would never have thought that such an apparently healthy, large, clearly strong, non-diseased, tree could be broken in such a manner, tearing down the power lines to the house as it fell.  Inclemate Conditions, in whatever form they might take, whether they be in the Natural Realm, or in the Spiritual Realm, can prove to be so very destructive.  Today, we are considering the Spiritual Aspect.

The “ROCK” that is being addressed, in the preceding verse, is The ROCK of our SALVATION: The Glorified Yeshua Ha Meshiach/Jesus The Messiah/Christ (Matthew 16:15-18, 20).  It is The TRUTH of WHO Yeshua IS, In The Scheme of our SALVATION, That Is The ROCK Upon Which we stand!

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When we predicate our lives upon Him, we CANNOT fail, for there is NO Failure in Him (Philippians 4:13).  The Glorified Yeshua Will Carry The Believer/Christian Through EVERY Inclimate Spiritual Condition.

Matthew 7:26 “And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened [comparable] unto a foolish man/woman, which built his house upon the sand:”

27 “And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great [total] was the fall of it!”

This verse speaks of the total destruction of a person’s life, which is what Yeshua/Jesus is stating will happen to that man/woman whose life is NOT truly centered in Him.  On the other hand, The Promise Is Made, To the man/woman whose life reflects The Presence of Meshiach/Christ, which we find written in Isaiah 26:3.  At this point, one may embrace the words of Isaiah 44:8.  Let the Rains of Troubles fall, the Flood Waters of Distress rush, and the Winds of Opposition blow!  Our GOD Will Shelter us From the Inclimate Conditions of the Soul that can, and will, assail us! (Psalm 27:5; 91:4)

Before closing out today’s Lesson, this Teacher would like to have us take a look at just one more example of one of the Perfect Storms of Inclimate Conditions that tend to invade our lives.  We will take some time to visit another Prophet, the Prophet Elijah, as he is caught up in the Inclimate Emotional Storm of the Widow of Zarephath, in Zidon (I Kings 17:9).

I Kings 17:17 “And it came to pass, after these things, that the son of the woman, the Mistress of the house, fell sick; and his sickness was so sore [seriously grave], that there was not breath left in him.”

18 “And she said unto Elijah, ‘What have I to do with thee, O thou Man of GOD?!! Art thou come unto me to call my Sin to remembrance, and to slay my son?!!?”

Like ALL of us, this woman has things in her past with which she is not, at all, pleased to remember, or is willing to acknowledge (Romans 3:23).  Somehow, she thinks that Elijah has come to bring judgment upon her for her past Sins. Has she not tried to make amends, even to the extent of providing a room for him, within her own house, whenever he passes through her city? Now, must her heart be broken through losing her son?!?  Must her penalty be so great??? Clearly, the Storm Clouds of Inclemate Conditions have rolled into her life, and the Lightning of Destruction is flashing within her Soul.  The Rains of Troubles are pouring relentlessly down upon her, and her “House” is in grave danger of being washed away from its Foundation, by the torrential flow of the Flood Waters of Distress and Despair that pour, without ceasing, over her. She is broken!

19 “And he said unto her, ‘Give me thy son!’ And he took him out of her bosom [arms], and carried him up into a loft [small chamber], where he abode, and laid him upon his own bed.”

20 “And he cried unto THE LORD, and said, ‘O, LORD, my GOD! Hast THOU Also Brought Evil Upon the Widow with whom I sojourn [reside], By Slaying her son?!!?”

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Elijah begins to cry unto THE LORD, his GOD: “Oh, LORD, I know that YOU Have Caused me to pronounce YOUR JUDGMENT Against king Ahab, and his treacherous wife, the wicked Jezebel. This, I have clearly understood Is Within YOUR Heart To Do.  They are most deserving of YOUR Anger, YOUR Vengeance, and YOUR JUDGMENT!  But, this…the death of the Widow’s son, I cannot understand!  What has she done to cause YOU Such Great Anger Against her?!?  Has she not shown her love for YOU, by caring for my needs?  Does she deserve this Evil, to have her son slain?!!?”

I Kings 17:21 “And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto THE LORD, and said, ‘O LORD, my GOD, I pray THEE, Let this child’s Soul [life] come into him again!’”

Do you see the normality in this situation with Elijah, Students?  He Prays, but does not immediately receive the answer that he seeks.  Three times he continues to implore YAHVEH To Answer him, and two of those times it seems that GOD Does Not Hear.  Have you ever Prayed, and it seemed that YAHVEH Did NOT Hear you?  Did you cease to Pray?  Or, did you go back again, and again, and again, until you KNEW, beyond ANY doubt, that YAHVEH GOD Had HEARD your Prayer(s)?!!

22 “And THE LORD Heard the voice of Elijah; and the Soul [life] of the child came into him, again, and he revived.”

Look at what Elijah does when an Inclemate Period comes into the life of this Widow, for whom he has great respect, but for whose situation he has no personal resolution.  He takes his concerns to THE ONE TRUE AND LIVING GOD, THE CREATOR AND SUSTAINER OF LIFE, WHO Has the Answer to EVERY dilemma (I Peter 5:7).  Obviously, in this instance, the Storms of Life are raging within the life of this Widow, and the Prophet is touched by the situation, through his association with her, but he has no answer for her, within himself; just as we so often can find no answers, within ourselves, for those negative situations that beset us.  But, as we see from the example and result of the Prophet, Elijah, and the Widow, YAHVEH GOD Is NOT Stumped By what is presented to HIM.  Beloved and Precious Saints of GOD, take your woes, your cares, and your burdens to THE LORD, lay them down before HIM, and leave them there!

YAHVEH GOD Loves YOU, Greatly, and Is WAITING To Hear From YOU!  Any opposition comes from YOU, and NOT From HIM! (Jeremiah 29:11-13)  STOP rejecting HIM, Beloved, and turn unto HIM For your DELIVERANCE!  DO NOT become a barrier to your own BLESSINGS! Lift up your voice in Supplication, during the “Inclemate” conditions of your life, and let your Petition(s) be made known unto HIM! (Psalm 30:2)  The QUESTION still resonates: “WHAT DO WE DO WITH GOD IN ‘INCLEMATE’ CONDITIONS?”  What is YOUR answer to the question?!?

CONCLUSION:

It doesn’t really matter who we are, where we live, or what our accomplishments might have been, to this point in our lives, or the plans that we have put into place to avoid certain developments: each and everyone of us will be faced, at various times, with those situations that will bring undesired, and

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unexpected, turmoil into our lives.  Such is just a part of the lives we live.  NONE of us has the capability of being able to circumvent such developments.

What we DO HAVE Is A GOD WHO Has Promised To Be WITH us, To COMFORT us, and To DELIVER us Out of EVERY distress.  Have you sincerely placed your TRUST in HIM?!?  If not, do it today, and find the PEACE that you need, when the “Inclemate” conditions roll into your lives.  May we ever Be Fortified Against The Storms of Life.   Amen.

Until next time, Beloved …

MAY GOD BLESS YOU, AND KEEP YOU, IN THE STORM.

AMEN

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