mags

*********** is wrong because it exploits ones sin in **** - it aids people who are lustful to **** in their hearts. It leads to other sins and behaviours that God didn't intend for us - such as adultery, lying etc Going to a prostitute is wrong because, for one, sex is meant for husband and wife and through it they become one - united. Not to mention the other things it can lead to for the prostitute i.e. drugs, alcohol etc. The victims are:- women who pose, men who view, wives, children, women who are raped, society -> we all become victims of pornograpy and prostitution.

Sexual desire is natural and should happen naturally between a husband and wife. **** is not, generally, between a husband and wife, and is usually for someone we can't/shouldn't be with for one reason or another. Sexual desire is God given and a wonderful part of a marriage. **** is from Satan and doesn't leave us feeling whole and at peace.

Adultery is the sinful act and **** is the desire. It is **** that first begins, **** leads to adultery. **** is from the heart - a desire. **** breaks the Tenth Commandment by having a wrong attitude - our hearts need to be pure and right before our Lord and Saviour. Keep your eye on the prize - Jesus Christ!

The two witnesses are strong and brave. They are strong of mind and faith. Their faith is the most important thing and they stand firm tot hat in the face of persecution. They don't care what others think - they have the courage to be themselves and follow what God has called them to do - whatever the cost! And their reward is eternal - to sit before the throne of God and hear Him say - 'Well done good and faith servant with whom I am well pleased.' What an amazing reward.

The woman represents all believers, living with the Spirit of God in her - as we all should and need to. The dragon represents Satan. The battle is one that has happened since our Father created the heavens - it is the same today as it was in Jesus' day, and in Adam's day. Satan wants the lives (souls) of man. He doesn't want people to give their lives to the Lord and does anything in his power to stop them. But we have the victory over Satan and death through Christ and Him alone!

What does it mean? God has won - the faithful have concurred. Satan has been defeated. Who is overcome? Satan - the great deceiver In what sense do we have victory if we die in the process? We have the victory in Jesus Christ - the victory is life with Him at the throne - we have victory in knowing we are His. What does the 'blood of the Lamb' have to do with this? It is only by the blood of the Lamb that we are saved - Jesus' blood on the cross has given us victory How does loving our lives prevent spiritual victory today? If we love our life more than we love Christ then we aren't listening to and following Him. We can still love and enjoy our lives but not to the exclusion of Christ and His plan for us - we still need to be prepared to say "Yes Lord" to what He asks us to do.

The Antichrist and the false prophet are given power by Satan - they are unholy and deceitful. Even some of God's people will be deceived, we are not exempt! but God can use all things for His purpose and plan - even the Antichrist. We need to walk prayerfully and ask the Lord to reveal the truth to us. We need to have a real relationship with our Lord and King - to know His presence, power and Word.

The overall theme of this passage is love, repentance and forgiveness. We need to have love for one another and to settle our problems with people and not let them fester. In order to have a right relationship with God we need to 'take the log out of our own eye' and make our lives right before Him who is holy. God wants us to have a pure heart and to love people the way He loves them - and to forgive and repent with one another as we do with Him - we are called to be Christ-like!!!

We should settle out of court because in court the punishment will become harsh. Once again it is about reconciliation between men. We often put off the settling of our difference because it hurts - but then the gap widens and it becomes harder to rectify - if we settle quickly then there isn't the wide gap to fill. According to this parable we are to settle with our debtors - anyone we have wronged. Settling entails the reconciliation between men. We should settle because the judgement from God will be harsh, God has called us to REPENT and believe, if we ong for that closeness with the LOrd we need to stop those things that put up the walls between us and God.

God is after a heart that is pure and true - He wants us to love and be loved. How can we truely worship if we don't have pure hearts? We can't honour God if we don't have our own affairs in order! We need to repent - both to each other and to God. We need to go to the person and repent, ask for their forvigeness. We need to do this with the right attitude and mean it. We need to have a heart for love and reconciliation. We can not heal the other person's heart - only God can do that - all we can do is repent from our wrongs with a heart attitude of love. Sometimes reconciliation isn't possible at that time but we need to make a sincere attempt and then leave it in God's hands - pray. We need to make right what we can but we can't change another's heart - only God through the Holy Spirit can do that!

Murder comes from the root emotion of anger. People don't murder if they are happy and content. Most murders occur by people that they know - random murder does happen gbut it is more likely to be someone they know. Why? Because they have been hurt - angry for some reason. This is why Jesus says that murder is the same as anger. God didn't create the commandments for the extremes in society but for everyday. Although murder is happening more often it is still an extreme behaviour - the everyday behaviour of that is anger. I believe that anger and murder are the same in God's eyes! Jesus says that anyone who is angry with his brother is subject to judgment - the same as murder! If we truely believed that anger was the same as murder - we would be slow to anger - pray for deliverance from it - repent for it - ask forgiveness for it. Often it is in the heat of the moment and when we step back from the situation it is trival. The Bible doesn't say that we should never be angry - it is the attitude that goes with it.

There seems to be less teaching from the Old Testament and more of a focus on the New! The churches I have been involved in haven't really focused on one Testament but instead on the Bible in its entirety. I believe and have found through my studies that there is a very close relationship between the Old and New Testaments - they are parallel and Jesus fulfills and is the centre of both. Christian legalism is that of following their own rules. Often rules are set and people become more focused on those rules - such as not wearing hats in church, the length of a woman's skirt etc. People become focused on the minor things and not on the majors like 'is a person saved?' Chruches with no moral standard etc are no different from the rest of the world - we are called to stand apart - to be in the world and not of the world. These churches are in the world and of the the world. People then get a view of Christians being judgemental and hypocrites - not loving as Jesus has called us to be!

The bitter is that there are people who reject the Lord - there there will be loved ones who reject the Lord and who won't be there for eternity with Him. The sweet is being with Jesus for eternity - reigning with Him and knowing that all persecution will have its end! We tend to forget that we will feel pain etc for the lost souls - why would anyone not want to follow the Lord? We should hurt for what God hurts for and that is for the lost to return to Him.

They are from all nations -every nation, language etc. They shall be saved and shall have their eyes opened to see Jesus.

God is sovereign and all-powerful. He keeps His promises and will protect His children. God will take care of His children (believers) and bring them home with Him.

What do we learn about the Chruch from what is revealed in the Fifth Seal? The church will be persecuted martryed in the end times - there will be no escape Where are these souls at the time of this scene? The souls are under the altar - close to God What does their proximity to the altar signify? Spiritual warfare - as a sacrifice to their Lord and Saviour Why were they killed? For their faith and witness to God Why do they ask for vengeance? So no-one else has to die for their faith Is that a Christian prayer? Yes - they are trusting in the Lord - 'for vengence is mine' says the Lord What does the white robe represent? Purity - cleansing through the blood of the Lamb What do we learn from their instruction to wait a little longer? God's timing is perfect and that it is not Him doing things to help us but us helping Him and doing things for His master plan.

The Lamb is the only one who is worthy to open the seals. By the breaking of the first seal (by the Lamb) the great storm of destruction is initiated. The storm of destruction is directed to all people, regardless of status, wealth, position etc. Is it just? Definitely - our Lord and King is a just one and would therefore, never place injustice upon His people. We may not understand but it isn't for us to understand - his plan is perfect and He constantly gives us opportunities to run into His arms - if we refuse to do this it is only upon ourselves.

Being the salt and light witness will bring persecution from the non-Christian! If we become more like Jesus and stand for all He has told us to - if we are 'on fire' for our Lord then we will certainly be persecuted - just as Jesus was. By hiding our light we are hiding God's glory in our world today - we are only cheating God. Jesus' suffering was necessary in our lives so that we might be saved and know Him intimately. Our suffering is necessary as it means that we are being effective for God and that others might be saved and know Him intimately.

Jesus is warning us of being a 'closet' Christian - and therefore ineffective for Him. He is warning of being a Christian and loving Him behind closed doors. We are called to be set apart for God - different fromt he world - in the world but not of the world! We are called to 'love the Lord your God with all your heart, sould and mine'. We are called to be open and to witness of His undying love but if we are hiding we aren't obeying this simple call on our lives. Nobody wants our friendship when it suits us and only behind doors so no-one can see. We all want friends who are loving, kind, loyal and faithful - and this is what we should be to Christ. We need to be proud to be a Christian, and not hide it away! Stand tall, in order to bring the glory to God. Have the courage to be yourself - to stand apart from the crowd - and you will gain respect for just that.

A Christian who has lost their saltiness is that of a Christian who is lukewarm. They don't have that fire and passion for Christ that we should have. They don't strive for the purposes God has givent hem but sit quietly content to just be a Christian in their minds but not their hearts. They don't stand out as being different. The Holy Spirit is that of vonviction and he can/will reveal to people where they are at and what they can do. It is onlky through the Holy Spirit that people can recognise and accept where they are at, and have a desire to change it. To a secular person a 'dis-satisfied' Christian appears to be no different from the world - they live in the world and are not set apart. They don't have that point of difference that we should all have. To other Christians you are happy to go with the flow while being dis-satisfied with the things around you. You have often lowered your standards and do not look to Christ for your leading. Through the Holy Spirit and God's grace it is definitely possibly to 'resaltify' your life - God is always at work in us and wants us to have that relationship with Him. All we have to do is ask!

God has called us to stand apart from the world and be different!

Preservative analogy => Christians by their very presence help preserve the world and hold back the wrath of God against it. Seasoning analogy => being a witness and our conversation - willingness to live our lives with the 'tang' of our faith in tact - to be 'tangy' rather than bland and insipid in the way we live and speak - to stand out from the world.

We should rejoice in the persecution because we will see the glory of God, but also because we have done something right! We have been effective for the Lord and that is what we have been called to do. When we are persecuted we have been seen and/or heard and are put into the same class as the prophets and Jesus. Satan doesn't attack the weak or ineffective - it is the effective and strong that is so often persecuted! We avoid finding pleasure in the pain of persecution by keeping our eyes on Jesus. When the Lord is our focus and we desire to do His will etc we will enjoy peace in His presence. We will still enjoy that peace and equipping when we aren't being persecuted - just in a different weay. We can't physically sustain a battle every day of our lives - we need time to rest and refeul. This blessing is appropriate because the persecution is a battle and we are fighting for the Kingdom of Heaven - we need to keep our focus on God's eternal plan! We should do everything because there is one true God and a heaven and a hell. We do it to glorify the Kingdom and to extend God's Kingdom. That is the reason we live - as part of God's glorious plan.

People with a pure heart can see, know and discern God because that is what Jesus promised us! He promised us that the 'pure in heart will see God'. But, this is so because their heart is focused on God and peasing Him - their heart is toward God and not themself. A 'chronic' sinner can't see God because of the separation of sin between them and God. That sin is like a wall that makes it impossible to see God. The only way to break that wall down is for God to forgive the sinner - which can only be done via repentance. We obtain the pure or clean heart by asking God to purify and cleanse our heart. We need to serve the Father fully, always, obediently. Only God can purify and cleanse our hearts.

An intense desire for righteousness is the opposite of the world view. According to todays society it is 'all about me' and making sure that I am number one at all cost. Making sure that you are successful. When we have an intense desire for righteousness our focus is on God and what is just. We aren't so concerned with our own selfish desires but what the Lord has called us to do. I believe Jesus is talking about seeking moral righteousness, but also hungering and thirsting for Him. By seeking Jesus, having a real passion for Him, the desire for moral perfection will follow - if we truely seek to be like Jesus. This Beatitude promises that if we hunger and thirst for our Lord then He will answer that and fill us. We need to be proactive though, we can't just sit back and wait - we need to hunger and thirst. Being truely hungry and thrist means that we will search for food - get into your Bible study! - and not just wait for it to land in our laps. Jesus will meet us in our study and prayers and fill our hearts with His presence, power, glory.