av4Jesus
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Posts posted by av4Jesus
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On 2/15/2006 at 7:15 AM, Pastor Ralph said:
Q3. What are the implications for governments that Yahweh is the King of kings and Lord of lords? What are the implications of removing God" from a nation's currency and pledges, and ardently secularizing national life? Where does that put a nation with regard to God the King?
The implications for governments that Yahweh is the King of kings and Lord of lords are that rulers on earth are accountable to God for whatever they do and that God promises protection and governments need to realize that they are responsible for whatever they do.
The implications of removing God from a nation's currency and pledges, and ardently secularizing national life are they are rejecting God and promoting other sinful behaviors in society, which is sinful and immoral.
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On 2/15/2006 at 7:14 AM, Pastor Ralph said:
Q2. What are the personal implications of Yahweh being your King and of Jesus being the Messiah sent from God? What are the advantages of being the subject of Yahweh as King? What does it mean for you to submit to the King on an everyday basis? How does a person reject Yahweh from being King over him or her?
The personal implications of Yahweh being my King and of Jesus being the Messiah sent from God is that He is the final authority in my life. With Yahweh being the King over our lives, we can trust in His judgments and know that whatever He has in store for us is the best. As my Messiah, I know that because of Him, I have salvation.
The advantages of being the subject of Yahweh as King is that He always knows what is right for us and our decisions are not better than His. So whatever He deigns for us will always be good and He has given each and every one of us a purpose. Because we have the King of kings on our side, we know that any battles we face have already been one.
Submitting to the King on an everyday basis means learning to allow God to take complete control of everything in our life and letting Him mold us into the promises that He has in store for us.
A person rejects Yahweh from being King over his or her life by not submitting to God and instead following their own paths and desires.
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On 2/15/2006 at 7:13 AM, Pastor Ralph said:
Q1. Read 1 Samuel 8:15 and Malachi 3:8-10. How did tithing relate to a person's acceptance of God being their King in the Old Testament? How about for those of us who live under the New Covenant? What place does tithing have for us?
Tithing shows that a person acknowledges God as their King and Sovereign in the Old Testament so they are obligated to give a percentage of what they own to God. God says that people who do not do this are robbing God. Earthly kings were expected tithes so it is a person's duty to show the much more respect to God and give Him what is due.
For us who live under the New Covenant, tithing is showing our submission to God and allowing Him to rule over our lives as King. We have to do this out of obedience because if we don't, God says we are cursed for having robbed Him.
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On 2/15/2006 at 7:12 AM, Pastor Ralph said:
Q4. Define "justice," "vengeance," and "mercy." Can a Holy and Righteous God forgive sins justly without punishing them? What is the significance of the cross in God's righteousness?
"Justice" is getting what you deserve. "Vengeance" is revenge/retribution. Or getting back at someone for what they did to you. "Mercy" is not getting what you deserve."
No, God cannot ignore sins justly. He has sent His Son to die for us and His sacrifice washes away our sins. On Judgement Day, God will judge each person and if He lets people get away scot-free, then it is not justice.
God's love for us is so abundant He sent His Son die for us on the cross so that we might be saved. By believing in His death, we accept salvation and are welcomed into the kingdom. Without salvation, we would have no access into heaven, but God in His graciousness gave us the choice to accept Him and be made free.
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On 2/15/2006 at 7:12 AM, Pastor Ralph said:
Q3. (Psalm 68:5) Since our God is the Helper of the Fatherless and the Protector of Widows -- that is, the poorest and weakest of society -- what does this say about a Christian's commitment to social justice in our communities? How should it affect our actions?
As a Christian, we need to mirror God's actions and show Christ's image in us by being involved in society. We need to care for the less fortunate and help those in need.
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On 2/15/2006 at 7:10 AM, Pastor Ralph said:
Q1. (Isaiah 6:1-8) How does a realization of God's holiness affect Isaiah? Why is Isaiah afraid? How does God make Isaiah holy? What is the symbolism of the coal from the altar? Now made holy -- dedicated to God -- how does Isaiah respond to God?
(Isaiah 6:5) "Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts." In the presence of God's holiness, Isaiah's sin/uncleanliness becomes more apparent than ever and he realizes he is not worthy to stand before God in his mortal flesh. He is afraid that he would die in His presence.
(Isaiah 6:6-7) "Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged." The coal from the altar is a symbol of purification. Isaiah's sin is taken away and he is made holy.
Isaiah heard God asking, "Whom shall I send?" and he answered, "Here am I; send me."
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On 2/15/2006 at 5:51 AM, Pastor Ralph said:
Q4. (Isaiah 40:21-31). In this passage on the "Creator of the ends of the earth," which words are repeated in verses 28-31? What application are we disciples to derive from this passage so that we might understand God's might as Creator?
The words repeated are "weary" and "faint" and "strength".
The applications we should derive from this passage is that God does not grow faint or weary like man often does. He can renew our strength and cause us to run and not get tired. God gives us that strength so we need to rely on Him.
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On 2/15/2006 at 5:51 AM, Pastor Ralph said:
Q3. (Psalm 95:1-7) How many names, titles, and metaphors of God can you find in this passage, both explicit and implicit? What does the Psalmist call on us to do in response to God revealed in his Names? Why are these actions appropriate?
These are the names of God I can find in this passage: the Rock of our salvation, the great God, the great King above all gods, our Maker, The Lord our Maker, our God. He is the Maker of sea and the dry land. And we are His sheep and He is our shepherd.
The psalmist tells us to worship and sing unto God and to be joyful.
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On 2/15/2006 at 5:50 AM, Pastor Ralph said:
Q2. What inherent rights does a Potter, Creator, or Maker have over what he has created? How should that effect our lives, our self-image, our sense of purpose?
The Potter/Creator/Maker can mold/create/make whatever He wants. He can decide its design, the purpose for it, and what to make it out of. He has ownership rights over what He makes. God is the Potter/Creator/Maker of all things and He has created us. When we allow Him to work in our lives, He molds us and makes us into the image that He wants us to be.
Knowing that we belong to God, we need to live our lives the way He intended us to live. Our sense of purpose is to be more Christ-like in all we do.
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On 2/15/2006 at 5:49 AM, Pastor Ralph said:
Q1. (Isaiah 45:9-12) Why is it ridiculous for a pot to second-guess the Potter? How do we Christians do this? What is a better attitude and behavior before our Creator?
It is ridiculous for a pot to second-guess the Potter because the pot came to the Potter as a clay and was molded into a pot. It cannot wish to be something else because it has no power over itself. God is the Potter and we are the clay. We shouldn't second-guess God because He knows the plans He has for us and they are of peace not evil, to give us an expected end so we need to put our trust in Him, knowing that His purpose for us is far better than anything we could come up with for ourselves.
We Christians may second-guess God during our times of trouble, when we feel God isn't answering our prayers, or when we aren't happy with ourselves.
A better attitude and behavior before our Creator would be to trust in God because He is the One Who molded us into His image and His ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are higher than ours.
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On 2/15/2006 at 5:48 AM, Pastor Ralph said:
Q4. (1 Samuel 17:26, 36; Hebrews 10:31) How do you think David's understanding of the Living God enabled him to challenge Goliath? Read Hebrews 10:31 in context. Why should the Living God inspire fear and dread?
David's understanding of the Living God enabled him to challenge Goliath because He knew the true God, unlike the Philistines who worshipped idols. He also called God the Living God showing that he had seen God enable him to overcome challenges before and through Him, he was victorious. Because he knew this, he knew God would fight for Him and that through God, he could do anything. When God is on our side, who can be against us? This is something that David understood and challenged Goliath with complete faith in God to deliver.
We should not take the Living God for granted or lightly as He is all-mighty and all-powerful. He is sovereign and reigns and rules over all. Everything is in His hands and He needs to be feared.
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On 2/15/2006 at 5:48 AM, Pastor Ralph said:
Q3. (Isaiah 44:6; Revelation 1:8) What does the idea of "first" and "last" tell you about God? How does Revelation 1:8 relate to God's revelation to Moses, "I AM THAT I AM"?
The idea of "first" and "last" reveals that God has no beginning and end and that He is eternal. He was there before anything was created and He always will be there. God Himself said "... I, the LORD--with the first of them and with the last -- I am He." (Isaiah 41:4). And again, "I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god." (Isaiah 44:6).
(Revelations 1:8) "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty." This verse relates to God's revelation to Moses "I AM THAT I AM" because both verses show that God transcends beyond time and is everlasting. "I AM THAT I AM" means Self-existent One and this is what the verse also says.
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On 2/15/2006 at 5:47 AM, Pastor Ralph said:
Q2. (Isaiah 57:15) What do you think it is like to "inhabit eternity"? What will it be like when you inhabit eternity with the Eternal God, seated with Christ Jesus in heavenly places? What emotions does this inspire in you?
I have no idea what it is like to "inhabit eternity", but I believe it will be extremely exciting and I am waiting to be able to live with God forever.
It tells us in the Bible that as the bride of Christ, we will be ruling and reigning with God and there will be no more evil and the Lamb of God will sit on the throne. And we will not need the sun or moon to give us light, for the glory of God and Jesus is our light. There will be no darkness when we are with Him. So many emotions are inspired in me when I think of eternity. I am excited, eagerly waiting, in awe and much more.
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On 2/15/2006 at 5:46 AM, Pastor Ralph said:
Q1. (Exodus 3:1-15) What does God's name Yahweh reveal about his person and his power? How would an understanding of Yahweh's name contrast him with the idols worshipped by the Egyptians?
God's name is I AM THAT I AM ("the Self-Existent One")/I AM WHO I AM ("He who will continue to be"). His name means He is the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. He is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He is the Past, the Present, and the Future. No other god can claim to be this as He is the one true God. God is eternal and His name attests to that.
The idols worshipped by the Egyptians were false gods and were made of earth by men. Therefore, they had no power of themselves and are inanimate.
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On 2/15/2006 at 5:44 AM, Pastor Ralph said:
Q5. How should the knowledge that the battle is the Lord's affect the way we approach life? In what way do both timidity and brashness get it wrong? Are there any instances in which the Lord will not fight our battles?
The knowledge that the battle is the Lord's helps us know that this means we have already won the victory. This should encourage us to approach life with the understanding that God has told us He will fight for us and we have nothing to fear. Our confidence should be in the Lord.
Timidity is the lack of courage or confidence and brashness is a behavior that shows a lot of confidence but no respect. Neither of these should be the right way to approach anything, because in both instances, we are not relying on the Lord.
God won't fight for us when we do something that is not His will for us. If we stray from the Word or try to get involved in something that is not right, then God won't fight our battles. However, sometimes He lets us go through suffering and pain because He has a plan and purpose for us.
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On 2/15/2006 at 5:44 AM, Pastor Ralph said:
Q4. (Exodus 17:9-16) In what sense was Moses' rod like a signal pole in this battle? In what sense is the LORD our banner in the battles we face?
Moses' rod was like a signal pole in the battle in the sense that his rod was used as a rallying point for the troops. Whenever Moses lifted up his hands to the heavens, the Israelites would win the battle, but when he lowered his hands, the Amalekites would win. So to the Israelites fighting the battle, they knew that Moses' hands were lifted up when they were winning.
Moses gave the altar he built the name Jehovah Nissi which means the Lord is my banner. God is our rallying point. We look to Him in our battles as our encouragement and inspiration and He will lead us to victory.
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On 2/15/2006 at 5:43 AM, Pastor Ralph said:
Q3. (Matthew 26:53) Why did Jesus not call on the heavenly host in the Garden of Gethsemane? What happens when does he does call on the heavenly hosts? (Revelation 19:11-16)
Jesus did not call on the heavenly host in the Garden of Gethsemane because He knew that He had to fight that battle alone. If God sent the heavenly host down to save Him, He would not have died on the cross and subsequently would not have saved us from our sins. We would not be given salvation and would never be able to enter God's kingdom. But Jesus loved us so much, He was willing to die for the entire world and faced the battle on His own.
Revelation 19:11-16 shows Jesus as a conqueror and a commander. He is there to fight a battle again, but this time He has gathered His armies together to fight with Him. So when He calls on the heavenly hosts this time, He's come to win the war against satan. In His first coming, He brought the world salvation and in His second coming, He will bring judgement.
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On 2/15/2006 at 5:42 AM, Pastor Ralph said:
Q2. (2 Kings 6:13-17) Why was Elisha's servant afraid? What was the difference between Elisha and his servant? What does it take for our eyes to be opened? How can 1 John 4:4 strengthen you in your spiritual battle?
Elisha's servant was afraid because his eyes were not opened to see that God's army is far greater than any army on Earth could ever be. All he could see was the worldly army that was gathered around them and he feared them, without first thinking of God Who could easily save them. He only focused on the number of horses and chariots and the army that belonged to the king of Aram.
The difference between Elisha and his servant is that Elisha did not panic because He knew God would fight for them and his eyes were opened to see the armies of God around them, rallied together and ready to fight for them.
It takes complete faith in God and a personal relationship with Him for our eyes to be opened. Elisha could see the army of God because he was completely devoted to God and had a strong relationship with him. However, he had to pray to God to open his servant's eyes because the servant did not have the same relationship with God.
1 John 4:4 says " Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world." This verse tells us that God is mightier than the world and we are His children. He has helped us overcome the world and its evils, so we have nothing to fear.
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On 2/15/2006 at 5:41 AM, Pastor Ralph said:
Q1. (Joshua 5:13-15) Why did the Commander say he was on neither side? What is the significance of this? What did Joshua feel like during this encounter? How did he feel after this encounter?
He said He was on neither side because Joshua needed to see that it wasn't that God needed to be on his side, but rather that he needed to be on God's side. God doesn't pick sides. We need to be the ones who do and we need to choose to be on God's side, because that will always be the winning side. The significance of God saying He is on neither side opened Joshua's eyes to see that he had an encounter with God and God told him that He would lead the army into battle.
During the encounter, Joshua was humbled because God asked him to take off his feet as the ground was holy and did so immediately. This showed that he knew he was in the presence of God and was giving him reverence. After the encounter, he felt strong and courageous, not terrified or discouraged, because God was going before him and the army as their Commander.
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On 2/15/2006 at 5:39 AM, Pastor Ralph said:
Q4. Meditate on the titles "King of Glory" (Psalm 24:7-10) and "Father of glory" (Ephesians 1:17). What do they tell us about God? How should they affect our attitudes as we worship God? According to 2 Corinthians 3:18, how does God's glory come to fill our lives?
The title "King of Glory" portrays God as the High King, the King of kings, the Lord of lords, the all-powerful, mighty and awesome God. God is deserving of all praise and honor. The title "Father of Glory" portrays God as a nurturing, attentive father who teaches us and guides us as we grow spiritually. In both titles, God is glorious and splendid and the majesty of His glory is displayed in every attribute of His.
In 2 Corinthians 3:18, it says that our eyes are not veiled anymore and we see, as through a glass which is the Gospel, the glory of Jesus which is pure and holy, and we are transformed into His glory which comes from His Spirit.
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God is supreme and is exalted above the heavens and since I am made in His image, I need to live my life according to His Word.
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On 2/15/2006 at 5:38 AM, Pastor Ralph said:
Q3. Meditate on the phrase "High and Lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy...." (Isaiah 57:15, RSV). What do you learn about God from this phrase? How should this affect your outlook on life, your way of conducting yourself?
I learn that God is above all other things, He is the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End, He is beyond time. He is holy, and He dwells both in high places, but also amongst the humble, in order to restore our confidence and hope in Him. He is the High and Lofty One. He is lifted up above all others.
Because God is exalted above all else, I know I am accountable to Him and whatever I do, I should do in order to please Him and not grieve Him.
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On 2/15/2006 at 5:37 AM, Pastor Ralph said:
Q2. Meditate on the title "Most High." What does it mean to you? How do you or will you incorporate it in your worship?
The title "Most High" means the highest above all, the most supreme, the top-tier position. Which goes to show that God is the one true God and there is none like Him. He is in control and worthy of all praise.
I can incorporate it in my worship by using His Name in my prayers because God is above all.
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On 2/14/2006 at 10:48 PM, Pastor Ralph said:
Q1. (Genesis 14:19, 20, 22) What did Abraham and Melchizedek seem to believe in common about God Most High?
Both Abraham and Melchizedek believed in the same God and that that God Most High was the Creator of Heaven and Earth and is the same God that delivers enemies into our hands.
Q4. Jesus Is Lord
in 6. God Our Lord and King
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The significance of the confession "Jesus is Lord" is that when one confesses He is God over his or her life, then they are accepting Him as their Savior and that there is none other like Him. Romans 10:9 says "If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." Proverbs 18:21 says "Death and life are in the power of your tongue" which means that professing out loud is powerful. This is why when one confesses out loud that Jesus is the Lord and their Savior, they are given salvation and allow Him to take control over their lives.