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Jesus Did, so we can do

De vijf Wijze en Dwaze Maagden, RP-P-OB-46.198

There is a phrase, “Jesus did it all”. Jesus did do it all in terms of satisfying the demands of God’s justice.  Jesus did what no man could do.  Jesus overcome the sin, sickness, and death that came in at the disobedience and fall of Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden.

But that does not mean that there is nothing left for man to do.

The first thing unredeemed man has to do is be born again into the kingdom of God.  Then there is more.

Ephesians 6:13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

 

Titus 2:11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,

12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;

13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

 

II Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,

12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?

 

 


A blog post can only introduce a topic but not cover it in depth. For more study on various topics, click here for links to various Christian ministries.

Depending on the ministry, there may be online church services, YouTube videos, podcasts, radio programs, books, teaching, or more. You have to seek out what they have.
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Free Will Choice and Consequences

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Things are ascribed to the will of God that are not God’s doing at all. The verse below indicates that man’s free will choice, or a nation’s free will choice, is pivotal in regards to consequences.

Jeremiah 18:6 O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the Lord. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.

7 At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it;

8 If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them.

9 And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it;

10 If it do evil in my sight, that it obey not my voice, then I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them.

11 Now therefore go to, speak to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I frame evil against you, and devise a device against you: return ye now every one from his evil way, and make your ways and your doings good.

12 And they said, There is no hope: but we will walk after our own devices, and we will every one do the imagination of his evil heart.

 

 


A blog post can only introduce a topic but not cover it in depth. For more study on various topics, click here for links to various Christian ministries.

Depending on the ministry, there may be online church services, YouTube videos, podcasts, radio programs, books, teaching, or more. You have to seek out what they have.
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The fruit of his doings

Jeremiah 17:10 I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.

I Kings 8:39 Then hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and do, and give to every man according to his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou, even thou only, knowest the hearts of all the children of men;)

Romans 2:6 Who will render to every man according to his deeds:

 

 


A blog post can only introduce a topic but not cover it in depth. For more study on various topics, click here for links to various Christian ministries.

Depending on the ministry, there may be online church services, YouTube videos, podcasts, radio programs, books, teaching, or more. You have to seek out what they have.
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Luke 17:5-10

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Luke 17:5 (KJV) And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.

6 And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.

7 But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat?

8 And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink?

9 Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I trow not.

10 So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.

 

A lot of times the focus is “us” receiving from God.  But God may have some duties he wants us to fulfill first.


A blog post can only introduce a topic but not cover it in depth. For more study on various topics, click here for links to various Christian ministries.

Depending on the ministry, there may be online church services, YouTube videos, podcasts, radio programs, books, teaching, or more. You have to seek out what they have.
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Times of Ignorance

Cloth diapers

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Acts 17:30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:

31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.

 

God grows people up. God grows nations up. There are certain things that are expected.

Like a child, some things may be overlooked for a while, but then at a certain point the time comes when it is necessary to “clean the room” so to speak. It cannot be put off.

When a toddler goes to school, the child be sent with and extra pair of clothes while going through potty training. It’s acceptable at the pre-K level.

But if the same child is in 5th grade and being sent to school with an extra set of clothing, or diapers, there is a problem.

There are patterns of growing up.

A new employee, still learning the employee manual, may have a bit of grace from the employer while still learning. If the employee has been there 20 years and is still making the same mistakes, that is a problem.

Growth is expected.

The pattern of expecting growth occurs on earth because mankind is made in God’s image. God is orderly. God is a God of growth and pattern. So schools, businesses, and families expect growth and order. Personal development coaches exist because growth and development and expansion is expected. This is because man is created in God’s image and God grows up his children and chastens them when they don’t listen.

Genesis 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

 

I personally find it a very profitable exercise … often … to find out if things I am experiencing have a relationship to some kind of course correction.

Course corrections used to be called sins of omission … not doing something that should be done, or sins of commission … doing something that should not be done.

Every coach who works with an athelete keeps helping them tweak their game to either shave away a few tenths or hundredths seconds of time, or be able hit better, run longer, stronger, swim farther, or accomplish more whatever the sport.   Professionals, as excellent as they already are, still have coaches.

God likewise directs us to tweak our daily lives.

Isaiah 9:7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

 

That is not just the increase of the government and peace over the nations. That is also the increase of the government and peace over our daily lives.

Hebrews 12:6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?

8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.

9 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?

10 For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.

11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.


A blog post can only introduce a topic but not cover it in depth. For more study on various topics, click here for links to various Christian ministries.

Depending on the ministry, there may be online church services, YouTube videos, podcasts, radio programs, books, teaching, or more. You have to seek out what they have.
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Redeeming the Tithe

Leviticus 27:30 And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord’s: it is holy unto the Lord.

31 And if a man will at all redeem ought of his tithes, he shall add thereto the fifth part thereof.

 

The tithe is the Lord’s.  To not give it is called robbery.

Malachi 3:8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.

9 Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.

 

 


A blog post can only introduce a topic but not cover it in depth. For more study on various topics, click here for links to various Christian ministries.

Depending on the ministry, there may be online church services, YouTube videos, podcasts, radio programs, books, teaching, or more. You have to seek out what they have.
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Dodgeball

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There is a lot of dodgeball played with the topic of tithing.  Some consider it Old Testament, old covenant, under the law, or no longer applicable.  But Abraham tithed before the law of Moses.

Malachi 3:10 (KJV) Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts.

 

Man has to do his part, which is bring the tithes and offerings first.

God says then he will rebuke the devourer and pour out a blessing.

And this needs to be consistent, not a one-off attempt to toss a tithing lottery ticket at God.  Tithes and offerings need to be an ongoing way of life.

It is a principle in the Word of God that when man acts according to the Word and will of God, there are signs following.

Mark 16:20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.

 

It is thought that because God is God, that he can do anything.  God is God and God can do anything, but God also works according to the principles set out in the Bible.  He does not overrule those principles.  Certain responsibilities are God’s.  Certain responsibilities belong to man.  God will not do man’s job.

For example,

Matthew 7:7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:

8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

 

Mankind must approach God according to the protocols God has set up.  Ask.  Seek.  Knock.  God does not just do things because God knows that things need to be done.  If that were true, there would be no problems in this world.  Man must initiate the asking, the seeking, and the knocking.  And that is just one principle.  That is why ongoing Bible reading, Bible training, regular church attendance, and ongoing study (and application) is necessary.

The reasons there are problems in the world is because:

Psalm 115:16 The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord’s: but the earth hath he given to the children of men.

 

Because of the Fall in the garden of Eden, mankind lost authority over the earth.  Sin, sicknes, and death entered what had been a perfect world.  The earth became subject to the god of this world, satan.  Jesus at the cross purchased back the ability for man to again have dominion and to be free to do the will of God, no longer a slave of sin and satan.  But it is not automatic.  The earth is still given to the children of men, Jesus offers authority to those who are born again, but again, mankind must pick up the weapons and tools and use them.  It is not God’s job.

If things are not getting done, it pays to find out why.  And since God has already done all he can do, the fault can only lie with mankind.

Psalm 139:23 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.

 

If you want to know about anything  you begin to study and then apply.  Then if you want to know more, you study more and apply more.  God and the things of God are not mysterious in the sense of being unattainable.  They operate along the same lines.  How much you put in, how much effort you may to learn, and especially to obey, affects what you  experience.

John 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

 

The Spirit of truth must be welcomed, not resisted.  When Stephen was preaching, this happened.

Acts 7:57  Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord,

 

People study for all sorts of natural things …  a career, how to fix something around the house, how to use a new appliance.   The things of God require study and effort and application as well.

The world is a free will universe and if we want change, we have to find how to work with God on God’s terms, not ours.

It is the relationship of sonship that God is after and even though God knows all things, God still works with man to grow him up through discipline.  God was not asking the questions because God was ignorant, but because man, the woman, and the serpent had to face what they had done in relationship to the Creator.

Genesis 3:8 (KJV) And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.

9 And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?

10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.

11 And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?

12 And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.

13 And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.

14 And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:

15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

16 Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.

17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;

18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;

19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

 

The purification, the discipline of the Father to mankind, continues today.  It is ongoing, whether it is recognized or not,  or acknowledged or not.

Daniel 12:1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.

2 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

3 And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.

4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.

5 Then I Daniel looked, and, behold, there stood other two, the one on this side of the bank of the river, and the other on that side of the bank of the river.

6 And one said to the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, How long shall it be to the end of these wonders?

7 And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished.

8 And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things?

9 And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.

10 Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.

 

 


A blog post can only introduce a topic but not cover it in depth. For more study on various topics, click here for links to various Christian ministries.

Depending on the ministry, there may be online church services, YouTube videos, podcasts, radio programs, books, teaching, or more. You have to seek out what they have.
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Exodus 31:1-11

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Exodus 31:1 (KJV) And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

2 See, I have called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah:

3 And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship,

4 To devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass,

5 And in cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of timber, to work in all manner of workmanship.

6 And I, behold, I have given with him Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan: and in the hearts of all that are wise hearted I have put wisdom, that they may make all that I have commanded thee;

7 The tabernacle of the congregation, and the ark of the testimony, and the mercy seat that is thereupon, and all the furniture of the tabernacle,

8 And the table and his furniture, and the pure candlestick with all his furniture, and the altar of incense,

9 And the altar of burnt offering with all his furniture, and the laver and his foot,

10 And the cloths of service, and the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, to minister in the priest’s office,

11 And the anointing oil, and sweet incense for the holy place: according to all that I have commanded thee shall they do.


A blog post can only introduce a topic but not cover it in depth. For more study on various topics, click here for links to various Christian ministries.

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Ezekiel 44:30

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Ezekiel 44:30 And the first of all the firstfruits of all things, and every oblation of all, of every sort of your oblations, shall be the priest’s: ye shall also give unto the priest the first of your dough, that he may cause the blessing to rest in thine house.


A blog post can only introduce a topic but not cover it in depth. For more study on various topics, click here for links to various Christian ministries.

Depending on the ministry, there may be online church services, YouTube videos, podcasts, radio programs, books, teaching, or more. You have to seek out what they have.
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