Sharpen your focus

Posted on January 5, 2020 by Jerry

Proverbs and Quotations

“One of the gravest perils which besets the ministry is a restless scattering of energies over an amazing multiplicity of interests which leaves no margin of time and of strength for receptive and absorbing communion with God.” Andrew Bonar

My Comment:

I share this quotation at the beginning of this new year and decade to alert us all of the danger of being too distracted from important things by things less important.

I learned early in my teaching career and in my participation in church activities that it is possible to spread myself too thin. I decided on a simple solution to reduce this problem: commit to doing the things I can do that others usually cannot, and let others do the things they can do rather than having me do them.

Now that I am retired from teaching, the problem persists! I must prioritize and focus on the most important things to do and the most important things to learn.

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On Reading

Posted on January 4, 2020 by Jerry

Proverbs and Quotations

  1. “Resolve to edge in a little reading every day, if it is but a single sentence. If you gain fifteen minutes a day, it will make itself felt at the end of the year.”  Horace Mann

My Comment:

We must take time to read. It would be good to “edge in a little reading every day.” There are many things worth reading. I think the best book worth reading over and over is the Bible. I suggest that you start with the New Testament. Read it through several times. When I began reading the New Testament in earnest, I managed to read it all the way through once a month for almost three months, and it changed my whole life. I invite you to do the same. This is a good way to make time count for eternity.

Posted in Education Issues, Proverbs and Quotations | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Reviewing my Reviewers!

Posted on December 23, 2019 by Jerry

There are nearly 100 five-star reviews on the estudysource.net website for  my book, The Ultimate Cross Reference Treasury.

There are three reviews that I think it would be helpful for me  to comment on that either raise a question or exhibit a misunderstanding:

Great reference – saves me time (9/6/2016)

Reviewed by (Pastor Tim Deaton, Bonita Springs, FL) – The Ultimate Cross-Reference Treasury, for e-Sword

PROS: Seems very thorough. Fast – like the other e-sword products References to other products (e.g. Strong’s) is appreciated. Had the references NOT been keyed, they would be worth little; however, keying them so that the user can immediately see the cross reference makes it a valuable resource. I now start my e-sword with the UCRT as my default CONS: None found yet (have used 2-3 weeks) Suggested improvements: allow me to annotate within rather than using the notes utility. Allow the user to send suggested annotations to the author for future releases.

My Comment:

I have tried to find Pastor Tim Deaton on the Internet but have been unsuccessful. If any of you know him, let him know he can find me here!

I would like a feature like he suggests, but I, too, have been restricted in e-Sword to the notes utility. But at least that works when needed.

Good, but bias. (7/27/2019)

Reviewed by (Curtis Greenwood, Sydney, NS, Ca) – The Ultimate Cross-Reference Treasury, for e-Sword

This is a good and helpful resource. Nicely laid out, well structured, easy to follow, and much more expansive than the TSK. The one flaw is that the comments tend to be biased toward dispensational pretribulationalism, which is unexpected for this kind of resource.

My Comment:

I have stated in the Preface that my book is not generic. I try to present the best evidence from the Bible when I must touch upon controversial topics. I try to present valid alternative views fairly with the best evidence available to me in their support.

I have come down firmly on the side of the Premillennial position, especially the Pre-Tribulation Rapture, because the evidence I have marshaled from Scripture itself demonstrates this is the correct position.

I have thoroughly studied and thoroughly referenced George N. H. Peters’ scholarly three-volume work, The Theocratic Kingdom. He has proven, beyond any possible reasonable doubt, that the Premillennial position is the correct view. This view holds that our Lord Jesus Christ returns to this earth BEFORE the Millennium.

What most readers may fail to notice is that I restored notes in the book of Revelation that were originally presented in Bagster’s Comprehensive Bible where the editors of the original Treasury of Scripture Knowledge left them out. These notes support an entirely different view of Bible prophecy. Furthermore, the sources Thomas Scott used for the cross references were from scholars who held the Amillennial viewpoint. So in actuality, there is a hidden balance behind what is presented in the Ultimate Cross Reference Treasury after all.

Theological Cross Reference (7/27/2019)

Reviewed by (Derrick Folen, Teaneck, New Jersey) – The Ultimate Cross-Reference Treasury, for e-Sword

This is by far the most cross references any other book has!. But it still lacks a more complete theological cross reference to add onto it. For example: When we read Genesis 1:3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. the book list all possible cross references, except one that has to do with The Light of the world, Jesus Christ: In him was life; and the life was the light of men (Jn 1:4 KJV). It will be a plus to have also the reciprocal cross-reference. The book needs to be perfected in order to be The Ultimate Cross-Reference Treasure. Thank You!…and God bless!.

My Comment:

There are theological cross references of the kind Derrick Folen requests. But in this case, he is right. I did not include John 1:4. But I did include John 1:5 and more references in John to this theme in the cross references given for Genesis 1:3.

light. Job 36:30; Job 38:19, Psa 74:16; *Psa 97:11; Psa 104:2; Psa 118:27; +*Psa 119:130, *Isa 45:7; Isa 60:19, *Joh 1:5; *Joh 1:9; Joh 3:19; Joh 9:5, Act 9:3, *2Co 4:6, Eph 5:8; Eph 5:14, Col 1:12, 1Ti 6:16, 1Pe 1:23, 24, 25, *1Jn 1:5; 1Jn 2:8.

Derrick Folen comments, “It will be a plus to have also the reciprocal cross-references.”

Actually, I spent much time and effort to include the reciprocal cross references in the Ultimate Cross Reference Treasury. These are fully given for Isaiah through Malachi for the Old Testament, and for all of the New Testament. I selectively gave the reciprocal cross references from Genesis through The Song of Solomon. I always gave them for the verses included in the “Key Verse Comparison Chart” included in the Thomas Nelson edition of the Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance (1984), as well as many more. For the Sermon on the Mount and many other passages I used my Logos Bible Software to do a complete search for “reciprocal references” based on my book, The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, which has never been done before. I say in the Preface, and have thought all along, that life is too short for one person to assemble this large of a collection of Bible cross-references. But I am thankful to have had the opportunity to do what I have done.

Fantastic Tool (9/6/2016)

Reviewed by (Ron Rhodes, Frisco, Texas) – The Ultimate Cross-Reference Treasury, for e-Sword

My name is Ron Rhodes, and I’m the author of over 70 Christian books. This tool is FANTASTIC. It is highly highly recommended. A++

My Comment:

Thank you, Ron Rhodes, for submitting what is apparently the very first five-star review for my Bible study resource, The Ultimate Cross Reference Treasury.

 

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Martin Smith, RIP

Posted on December 7, 2019 by Jerry

I wrote the following post earlier this week (Wednesday, December 4, 2019) on Facebook:

 

I received a call from a nurse at Vibra Hospital in Detroit this morning

just after 9:00 am alerting me that my brother, Martin Smith, passed away at

8:50 am on Wednesday, December 4, 2019. He had been hospitalized since late

August in intensive care at Harper then Vibra Hospital.

I am very grateful to all who have visited Martin (“Mark”) during this time.

I am especially thankful to those who have extended extra care and

assistance to help Mark and me during this time.

I believe Mark suffered from the consequences of his long battle with

prostate cancer. Mark was operated on for a neck tumor in early September.

After the operation, he had no use of his tongue so he could not swallow or

talk.

I know Mark is in a far better place now, for he had a very firm and

knowledgeable faith in the Bible and our Lord Jesus Christ.

I have been absolutely amazed at the number of individuals Mark’s life touched in Southwest Detroit where he lived. I will miss him for a short while, but I am thankful for his witness for Christ.

Shortly after I began teaching in Detroit, I moved to an apartment in Southwest Detroit. It was in walking distance from where I taught at Neinas Junior High School and then Amelia Earhart Middle School. It was not far from where I next taught at Cass Technical High School.

When Mark needed a place to live, I agreed to have him move in with me. By splitting the apartment rent, it made our housing expense very manageable–just $35 a month. That let me increase my book budget. I still have all the good Bible reference books (5000) and literature, history, mathematics, and electronics books (2000) from that time.

When Mark began having difficulties with his administrators (Mark was a teacher too) I wrote many letters in his defense. But eventually Mark had to leave public school teaching and took jobs in the electrical industry. He has had a very hard life, materially speaking. But spiritually speaking, he has always maintained a good witness for Christ. He last worked at the Salvation Army as a GED instructor. Mark was always good at helping students learn mathematics and science. I suspect that this skill was not at all appreciated by his public school administrators. I think the administrators at the Salvation Army very much appreciated what he was able to do for the adult education students he worked with there.

I understand that Mark was involved with helping students in a local home school group learn mathematics and other subjects and was much appreciated by both the students and the parents.

I am thankful to have had the opportunity to be an encouragement to my brother Mark in various ways, but most especially, spiritually.

 

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If you are not spiritually hungry, you are spiritually dead!

Posted on December 1, 2019 by Jerry

This is the most important issue you will ever face. If you have no desire to faithfully read your Bible daily, that is a significant indicator that you do not really have the spiritual life in you that true faith in Jesus Christ brings.

Going to church faithfully is no substitute for feeding yourself spiritually through daily Bible reading and study. I am thankful for the many solid Bible-believing Christians I have met over the years in churches I have attended. They have been an encouragement to me in my spiritual life by their good example and instruction.

Nevertheless, the number of genuinely saved, born-again believers in any given church is likely a very small proportion of the whole. Just last week I heard a report that Chuck Misler believed late in his life that 98% of the members of Bible-believing churches are not saved.

Early in my Christian life I was taught that only about 5% of church-going Christians have ever led a person to faith in Christ. How different this is from the pattern we read in the book of Acts in the New Testament.

There are a number of Bible verses that have caught my attention over many years on these subjects:

Mat 4:4  But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

When tempted by Satan, who urged Jesus in his hunger after forty days of fasting to “command these stones be made bread,” Jesus replied to Satan by citing from the Bible as follows:

Deut 8:3  And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.

Here is another significant passage related to this theme:

Joshua 1:8  This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. (KJV)

The Contemporary English Version translates this verse in part so as to read: “Never stop reading The Book of the Law he gave you. Day and night you must think about what it says.”

We now have the complete Bible, and each of us can easily own a personal copy. God in His providence has given us the wonderful privilege of learning from His Book daily for ourselves.

Job confessed:

Job 23:12  Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.

Notice that Job compared the word of God (which we now have in the Bible) more important than his daily food! The comparison is important. Just as we would suffer greatly if we had no physical food to eat, so we suffer just as greatly if we do not partake of the spiritual food. Failure to eat physical food would result in starvation and physical death. Failure to partake of the spiritual food God has provided in His Word in the Bible results in spiritual death.

David confessed:

Psa 17:4  Concerning the works of men, by the word of thy lips I have kept me from the paths of the destroyer. (KJV)

Psa 17:4 With regard to the works of man, by the word of your lips I have avoided the ways of the violent. (ESV)

David tells us in his prayer that God’s Word (“the word of your lips,” which we now have in our Bible) kept him from associating himself with the wrong friends and the wrong activities. We all, and especially young people, need this guidance even today.

Psa 119:11  Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.  (KJV)

Psa 119:11 I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. (ESV)

David hid God’s Word in his heart in order not to sin against God. That can only be done by reading God’s Word until we know it. It is helpful to actually memorize selected verses from the Bible for this purpose.

Isaiah confessed:

Isa 38:16  O Lord, by these things men live, and in all these things is the life of my spirit: so wilt thou recover me, and make me to live. (KJV)

Isa 38:16 O Lord, by these things men live, and in all these is the life of my spirit. Oh restore me to health and make me live! (ESV)

Isa 38:16 Your words and your deeds bring life to everyone, including me. Please make me healthy and strong again. (CEV)

Isaiah recognized that God’s Word brings life to everyone, including himself. Isaiah prayed to God, “Please make me healthy and strong again.” Reading and studying God’s Word in the Bible brings spiritual life and restores us to spiritual health.

Jeremiah confessed:

Jer 15:16  Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts.  (KJV)

Jer 15:16 Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by your name, O LORD, God of hosts. (ESV)

Jer 15:16 When you spoke to me, I was glad to obey, because I belong to you, the LORD All-Powerful. (CEV)

God’s Word became the source of joy and rejoicing of Jeremiah’s heart or inner being, because Jeremiah knew he belonged to the Lord God of  hosts. As you and I regularly read and study God’s Word in the Bible, we will know for sure that we truly belong to God.

Jesus commanded:

John 5:39  Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. (KJV)

Anyone who will faithfully “search the Scriptures” will come to know our Lord Jesus Christ in a personal way. You can have a personal relationship with Him. You will come to the place in your life where you know that you have eternal life (John 5:24). By personal experience, I can recommend that you first read through the New Testament repeatedly. Also read individual New Testament books repeatedly, especially the Gospel of John and the book of 1 John. The Gospel of John was written on purpose to this end (John 20:31).

Joh 6:63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. (ESV)

As you read and study the Bible, especially the New Testament, the Holy Spirit will help you understand more and more of what you read. He will use God’s Word to bring you genuine spiritual life.

The example of the Bereans:

Act 17:11  These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. (KJV)

Act 17:11 Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. (ESV)

Act 17:11 The people in Berea were much nicer than those in Thessalonica, and they gladly accepted the message. Day after day they studied the Scriptures to see if these things were true. (CEV)

The Bereans searched the Scriptures daily. They double-checked the validity of what they were being taught by the Apostle Paul by confirming what Paul taught from the Bible by turning to the Bible to see for themselves. Notice that they carefully studied the Bible daily. Notice that they checked up on the teaching they received by checking it out with the Bible. Acts 17:12 records what happened as a result:  “Therefore many of them believed.”

Paul commanded:

Eph 6:11  Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. (KJV)

Eph 6:17  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: (KJV)

Eph 6:17  Also take salvation as your helmet and the word of God as the sword that the Spirit supplies. (GW, God’s Word translation)

I accessed nearly all of the above passages by consulting the cross references in the Ultimate Cross Reference Treasury as given for the key words “of God” at Matthew 4:4.

Please make the decision today to take time every day to read and study God’s Word, the Bible, for yourself. You will never be sorry for following through faithfully on such an important decision. Make time count for eternity. Read the Bible daily for yourself. You will be glad you did!

 

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Daily Bible Nugget #552, Colossians 3:17

Posted on November 28, 2019 by Jerry

The Nugget:

Col 3:17  And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. (KJV)

Col 3:17 Whatever you say or do should be done in the name of the Lord Jesus, as you give thanks to God the Father because of him. (CEV, Contemporary English Version)

My Comment:

We have much to be thankful for. The cross references shared below for Colossians 3:17 taken from the Ultimate Cross Reference Treasury will lead to many more places where the Bible teaches us by command or example about thankfulness.

Colossians 3:17

whatsoever ye do. *Col 3:23, *2Ch 31:20; *2Ch 31:21, **Pro 3:6, Joh 2:2; Joh 2:5, *Rom 14:6, 7, 8, **1Co 10:31.

in word. Pro 18:4, Rom 15:18, 2Th 2:17, Jas 2:12, *1Jn 3:18.

or deed. or, in work. Col 2:6, Rom 15:18.

do all. 2Sa 15:15, %Zec 7:6; Zec 14:20, +*Joh 2:5; *Joh 15:14, *1Co 10:31, 2Co 5:15, Jas 1:22, 3Jn 1:5.

in the name. The Name of Jesus is a symbol of His character (WKF, p. 209). =Deut 10:8; =Deut 18:5, 1Ki 18:32, Psa 86:11, *Mic 4:5, Zec 10:12, +*Mat 28:19, Joh 14:13, Act 2:21; Act 3:6; Act 3:16; Act 4:10; Act 4:18; Act 4:29, 30; Act 5:40; Act 9:27; Act 9:29; Act 10:48; Act 16:18; *Act 19:17, Rom 6:11; Rom 16:22, 1Co 5:4; 1Co 6:11, Eph 5:20; Eph 6:5, Php 1:11; Php 2:10; Php 2:29, +*Heb 6:10; Heb 13:21, Jas 5:14.

of the Lord Jesus. +*Act 10:36, *1Th 4:1; *1Th 4:2, 2Th 3:6.

giving thanks. Gr. eucharisteō (S# G2168, 2Co 1:11). Col 3:15, *Col 1:12; +*Col 2:7; *Col 4:2, Psa 34:1; Psa 100:4; Psa 107:1; +Psa 136:1, Eze 45:17, +*Dan 6:10, Mat 14:19; Mat 26:27, Mar 6:41; *Mar 8:6, Act 27:35, Joh 11:41, Rom 1:8; Rom 7:25, 1Co 1:14, 2Co 4:15; 2Co 8:16, *+Eph 5:20, *Php 4:6, +*1Th 5:18, 1Ti 4:3, 4, 5, *Heb 13:15, *1Pe 2:5; *1Pe 2:9; *1Pe 4:11, Rev 7:12.

God. Eph 1:17, Php 2:11, 1Th 1:1, Heb 1:5, *1Jn 2:23.

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Daily Bible Nugget #551, 1 Corinthians 6:11

Posted on November 24, 2019 by Jerry

The Nugget:

1 Corinthians 6:11  And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. (KJV)

1 Corinthians 6:11 And these things some of you used to be! But you washed yourselves, but you were made holy, but you were made righteous in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. (LNT, Lavender New Testament)

My Comment:

There is much to be learned by comparing and contrasting the two English translations I have shared above. I have placed the explanatory notes from the Lavender New Testament in the Ultimate Cross Reference Treasury notes and cross references for this verse, 1 Corinthians 6:11. Do study these notes and references very carefully. They will help you determine the answer to the important question, “Do I have the real thing?”

From the Ultimate Cross Reference Treasury:

1 Corinthians 6:11

such were some of you. or, some of you used to be (LNT). Gr. ēte. Used to be translates the force of the imperfect tense, representing action that went on in past time. Note that some of the Corinthians used to be fornicators, homosexuals, covetous, drunkards, etc. (1Co 6:9, 10, 11), but not any longer!

They had an experience with God in which they were made holy, made righteous.

The Christian life consists in a creative act of God which is transformational, regenerative, resulting in a new creation! (Cf. 2Co 5:17, 18; Gal 6:15 and notes).

And not an as if salvation or imputed righteousness where one is considered to be what one is not, or holiness on the other side of the grave (cf. Joh 17:17 and notes).

The urgency and burden of Paul’s point here is that if one is still what they used to be, they will not inherit the kingdom of God! (1Co 6:9, 10).

If one’s experience does not bring transformation and deliverance from sin, it is false to the Scriptures and not saving (cf. Mat 18:3; Rom 5:1; Rom 6:6, 7; Rom 6:14; Rom 6:22; Eph 4:24; Eph 5:3, 4, 5, 6, 7; Col 3:9, 10; Tit 2:14; Tit 3:5, 6, 7; Jas 1:26; 1Jn 3:7, 8, 9, 10).

Reader, mark it well, there is no salvation apart from transformation!

If you are what you have always been, you are not saved.

So Paul’s used to be statements (1Co 12:2; Rom 6:17; Rom 6:20; Rom 7:5; Eph 2:3; Eph 5:8) mean that the one having entered into the new life in Christ has left the sinful past behind—Done! Finished! Over!

Paul said in 1Co 12:2 : “…you used to be pagans…led to these mute idols…being led astray.” They used to be, but not any longer!

It is not possible to be a pagan and a Christian at the same time. Paul himself was (used to be) “…a blasphemer and persecutor and violent man…” (1Ti 1:13), but it was over when he met Jesus on the Damascus road (cf. 1Ti 1:15 and note).

It may be said of Jesus that He used to be in the tomb, but He is not now! (cf. 1Co 15:17 and note). And so anyone who is a Christian is able to say it used to be with reference to the sinful past.

It is not possible for one to go through the processes of godly sorrow and come out on the other side of repentance unto salvation, and defend the doctrine of sinning religion (2Co 7:10 and notes) [LNT, fn r]. 1Co 5:8; 1Co 12:2, Lev 6:7; =Lev 13:2; =Lev 13:3; Lev 14:3; Lev 14:48, Deut 10:19, Psa 68:13; Psa 68:18, +*Isa 29:24, Zec 3:4, Mat 9:13; Mat 21:29, Joh 5:4; Joh 20:23, Rom 6:17, 18, 19; Rom 11:30, *Eph 2:1, 2, 3; +*Eph 2:11, 12, 13; *Eph 2:19; Eph_4:17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22; Eph 4:28; Eph 5:8, Col 1:13; Col 1:21; *Col 3:5, 6, 7, *Tit 3:3, 4, 5, 6, 1Pe 4:2, 3, *2Pe 1:4.

but ye are washed. Gr. apolouō (S# G628), to wash thoroughly. or, But you washed yourselves (LNT). You washed yourselves, apelousasthe, correctly translates the force of the middle voice. By their own act they turned from sin in synergistic cooperation with God. Thus both God and man have a part in man’s salvation as expressed here by the middle voice, as well as the passive: you were made holy, hēgiasthēte, and you were made righteous, edikaiōthēte, are both aorist passive indicatives. The aorist shows punctiliar action, completed action, and the passive shows the subject as receiving the action, being acted upon by an outside force, i.e., God (LNT, fn s). =Exo 29:4; Exo 30:19, Lev 8:6; Lev 11:40; Lev 15:28; Lev 22:6, *2Ki 5:10, 2Ch 4:6, Psa 51:2; Psa 51:7, Pro 30:12, Isa 1:16, Jer 4:14, Eze 16:9; *Eze 36:25, 26, 27, Dan 12:10, Zec 13:1, Joh 13:5; Joh 13:8; Joh 13:10; Joh 19:34, +*Act 22:16 g. **Eph 5:26, **Tit 3:5, +*Heb 10:22, 1Pe 3:21, 1Jn 1:9, +*Rev 1:5; +*Rev 1:6; *Rev 7:14.

but ye are sanctified. Note: We have here an instance, as Dr. Whitby remarks, of the Figure called Hyperbaton (FS101, Deut 32:42), by which the words are transposed from their plain grammatical order; for we “are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus;” and “sanctified by the Spirit of our God,” as in Phm 1:5. *+1Co 1:2; *+1Co 1:30, Exo 19:10, *Psa 4:3, Zec 14:21, *Joh 17:17, +*Act 20:32; +*Act 26:18, *Rom 6:19; *Rom 6:22; Rom 15:16, 2Co 1:1; *2Co 6:17, *Gal 5:22; *Gal 5:23, *1Th 4:3; *1Th 5:22, 23, 24, *2Th 2:13, *2Ti 2:21; *2Ti 2:22, *Tit 2:12, *Heb 2:11; *Heb 10:9; *Heb 10:10; *Heb 13:12; *Heb 13:13, *1Pe 1:2; *1Pe 1:22, 1Jn 1:7.

but ye are justified. FS18, +Deut 28:4. Deut 27:9, *Job 25:4, Isa 40:2; Isa 45:25; *Isa 53:11, Luk 7:47; *Luk 18:14; Luk 19:9, +*Act 13:39; Act 18:10, *Rom 3:24; *Rom 3:26, 27, 28, 29, 30; Rom 4:5; *Rom 5:1; *Rom 5:9; *Rom 5:16; *Rom 5:20; +*Rom 8:30; +*Rom 8:33; Rom 9:30, *Gal 2:16; Gal 3:8; Gal 3:11; Gal 3:24, *Tit 3:7, Jas 2:21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26.

in the name. **+Joh 20:31, +Act 2:21.

Spirit. Gr. pneuma, +Mat 3:16, Joh 3:5, 1Ti 3:16.

Posted in Christian Living, Daily Bible Nuggets, Doctrinal Discussions, Practical Application Bible Studies | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

How to kick a bad habit

Posted on November 21, 2019 by Jerry

The Nugget:

1 Corinthians 6:11  And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

My Comment:

I heard on the radio this morning a snatch of the news saying something about today being national kick the habit day. I think the reference may have been to kicking the smoking habit.

It is not easy to “kick” a bad habit. But there are ways to succeed in doing so.

One way is by the exercise of sheer will power. You can simply choose to stop in a manner sometimes called “cold turkey.” As a part of successfully doing this you must not make any further provision to practice that habit. If smoking is the habit, don’t buy or accept any tobacco products. You are fooling only yourself if you say you want to kick the habit but keep on buying them! Another part of successfully kicking a bad habit is to not have close relations with others who are enjoying the habit, or at least succumbing to the habit you wish to avoid. Sometimes this way of keeping clear of the bad habit you wish to stop practicing is hard to do. But you can make room in your life for a different or even new set of friends to get closer to, friends who do not participate in practicing the habit you wish to drop.

Another way to successfully drop a bad habit is to experience the transforming power of the gospel of Jesus Christ by reading the New Testament daily for yourself. Read the New Testament until you literally “get converted” to a genuine faith in Jesus Christ. This is not religion. This is not a denomination or church. This is experiencing the power of Jesus Christ in your life as a result of the transformation He will bring to your life as you faithfully and daily carefully read and believe His word in the New Testament.

I know from first-hand experience as a public school teacher at the high school level for many years, nearly four decades, that when I have counseled students who came to me with unbearable problems to seek the one remedy that actually works by reading the New Testament for themselves, that they experienced the transformation in their life that changed everything for the better for them.

I know from first-hand experience as a team member with Teen Challenge many years ago sharing the gospel of Christ along Second Avenue in downtown Detroit that the gospel of Christ radically changes and transforms the lives of those I witnessed to, delivering them from drugs and unwise and unproductive lifestyles.

I know from my direct experience speaking to groups of men at the Detroit City Rescue Mission and the Howard Street Mission that men were delivered from long-term alcoholic addiction and brought to a lasting new life in Christ.

I think I still have in my possession compositions, senior pictures with notes to me on their reverse side, and letters from some of the individuals I have met and shared the message of Christ with who subsequently followed my advice to make a serious daily habit of reading and studying the New Testament who testify to how their lives were transformed as a result.

Reading a bit more of the context of what Paul writes in a modern English translation which brutally spells out the names of the sins Christian converts were delivered from should be highly instructive:

1Co 6:9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived! The sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, passive homosexual partners, practicing homosexuals,
1Co 6:10 thieves, the greedy, drunkards, the verbally abusive, and swindlers will not inherit the kingdom of God.
1Co 6:11 Some of you once lived this way. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

There are some modern-day groups among us who are horrified at the thought that someone who was misled into their sinful lifestyle could be delivered from it through the gospel of Jesus Christ. I have read that in some places there are laws against attempting to deliver individuals who want to escape such lifestyles. Well, such laws, in my opinion, belong under the category I have tagged here as “Nonsense in the News.” I agree with the Apostle Paul that:

Romans 1:16  For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

Without question, if you avail yourself of the power of God available to you through the gospel of Christ by daily reading and believing the New Testament, you will be supernaturally delivered from the stresses, anxieties, and endless pressures that impact your life. You will receive the strength you need to “kick the habit”!

 

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Daily Bible Nugget #550, Proverbs 19:5

Posted on November 17, 2019 by Jerry

The Nugget:

Pro 19:5  A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall not escape. (KJV)

Pro 19:5 A false witness is not acquitted, Whoso breatheth out lies is not delivered. (Young’s Literal Translation)

Pro 19:5 A false witness shall not be held innocent, and he that uttereth lies shall not escape. (Darby)

Pro 19:5 A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who breathes out lies will not escape. (ESV)

Pro 19:5 Dishonest witnesses and liars won’t escape punishment. (CEV, Contemporary English Version)

My Comment:

This verse (Proverbs 19:5) was posted on Facebook recently by one of my Facebook friends without comment.

I think this verse deserves comment! What is currently happening on the political scene is certainly a clear example of disobedience to what is taught in the Bible by this verse. No one can get away with dishonest testimony against another innocent person. But this is what is going on just now.

We need to be wise so that we can tell the difference between fact and opinion, between the truth and agenda-driven political propaganda. Once again, you can judge the validity of news reports quite easily. A constant stream of negative reports against a person or a group without sharing the counter-views of the opposing side is clearly “fake news,” not legitimate journalism. It is propaganda. More than that, it is engaging in the publishing of false reports as if those reports represent the truth. Don’t be fooled.

God makes it very plain in His Word, the Bible, that those who use such tactics will be punished in the long run, whether in the “here and now” or in eternity.

When I went to look up cross references for Proverbs 19:5, I discovered that I needed to upgrade the cross references available for this passage. I share my new and expanded cross references for Proverbs 19:5 below.

Proverbs 19:5

  1. A false witness.  ver. *Pr 19:9.  +*Pr 6:19.  *Pr 21:28.  24:28.  *Ex 23:1.  *Dt 19:16-21.  Jg 11:13.  1 S 22:9.  1 K 21:13.  Ps 120:3, 4.  *Da 6:24.  Mt 26:60.  shall not be unpunished.  Heb.  held innocent. or, not be guiltless = shall be guilty (the figure meiosis).  +Pr 16:5 mg.  Dt 5:11.  **Dt 19:19.  1 K 2:9.  speaketh lies.  ver. +*Pr 19:9.  **Pr 12:17.  14:5, 25.  Ge 39:17.  +**Ex 20:16.  +*Dt 5:20.  +*Re 21:8.  shall not escape. By the figure meiosis again, shall be punished (Moses Stuart).  Pr 11:23, 31.  12:31.  13:21.  15:6.  17:13.  **Pr 22:8.  26:27.  *Pr 28:10, 18.  29:6, 23.  +**Nu 32:23.  1 K 2:44.  1 Ch 10:13.  2 Ch 15:2.  25:14, 20.  33:1, 2, 3.  Ps 18:26.  52:5.  59:13, 14.  %Ec 8:14.  Ec 10:12.  Ezk 17:15.  %Da 11:32.  Ho 4:9.  10:12, 13.  12:3, 15.  %Lk 13:2, 3.  %Jn 9:2, 3.
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Daily Bible Nugget #549, 1 Peter 1:23

Posted on November 7, 2019 by Jerry

The Nugget:

1Pe 1:23  Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. (KJV)

1Pe 1:23 Because you have had a new birth, not from the seed of man, but from eternal seed, through the word of a living and unchanging God. (BBE, Bible in Basic English)

1Pe 1:23 being regenerated, not by corruptible seed, but incorruptible, through the living Word of God, and remaining forever. (LITV, Literal translation of the Holy Bible)

1Pe 1:23 Having been regenerated – Not out of corruptible seed, but incorruptible – through means of the word of a Living and Abiding God; (EB, Emphasized Bible)

My Comment:

It was 66 years ago today, on Saturday, November 7, 1953, that I personally experienced the truth expressed in 1 Peter 1:23. I had been reading the New Testament avidly since the preceding August. I had read the New Testament through two times and was as far as 2 Corinthians on my third reading. On this date in 1953 I received Christ as my personal Savior (John 1:11, 12, 13) by finally understanding and believing what I read in the New Testament. That was the best decision I have made in my whole life.

At the time this happened I was out delivering papers for my Detroit Shopping News paper route, no church in sight. I simply stopped under a small oak tree in the middle of the block on Lumpkin Street and prayed while folding the next paper for delivery.

I know from reading the Bible that, contrary to the official teaching of some churches, it is possible to know in this life that you now have eternal life (John 5:24; 1 John 5:13).

So my message of encouragement to you is, get your own copy of the New Testament, and read it repeatedly as I did, until the Holy Spirit enables you to understand its message of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. Then you may have the same assurance of salvation that I have had for 66 years now.

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