SHARING BIBLE VERSES

[Joe Sperling]

"Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned. For she hath received of the Lord's hand double for all her sins". (Is. 40:1,2).

The Lord knows how easily we fall under condemnation from trying to do things ourselves that only the Holy Spirit is able to do, and also facing the overwhelming power of our own sin. He says to "cry" onto God's people to remind them that "their warfare is accomplished, and that all their sins are forgiven".
---- Jesus paid it all. There is nothing more we can add to his sacrifice--nothing we can do to cause God to "love us more". He loved us while we were yet sinners, and continues to love us with the same infinite love He always has.   "IT IS FINISHED".

I don't mean to be a "Bible Commentator", but truly want to share what has touched me, and pray somehow it might comfort, touch or inspire others.

[Joe Sperling]

"And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils
the breath of life, and man became a living soul". (Gen 2:7)

"Then said Jesus to them again: Peace be unto you. As my Father has sent Me, even so send I you. And when He had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, receive ye the Holy Ghost". (John 20:21,22).

So many times the Bible so obviously shows that Jesus is God---it truly amazes me that scholars, and groups can doubt the divinity of Jesus Christ, and try to use the same Bible to do so.

--Joe

[Joe Sperling]

"We love Him because He first loved us"  (1 John 4:19)

[Joe Sperling]

"For I am the Lord, I change not... (Mal. 3:6)

I like to read the Old Puritan books. Though many of them were written about 350 years
ago, they are surprisingly filled with comfort and encouragement. There are many titles, but I have noticed a common thread running through them when talking about trials, testing, and the doubts the enemy can put into our mind concerning the Love of God.

They state that when these doubts assail you to remember the Lord's comforts and mercies from the past towards you. David, often, in the Psalms, does the same thing--recalling the Lord's dealings with him in the past, and recalling his mercy and lovingkindness. Though you may not "feel" much love coming from God in the present situation, his love has not changed one bit from that same love you may have felt or sensed overwhelmingly in the past. Nothing can change the love that God has for you. We may "displease and sadden" the Lord with our actions, but nothing can change the deep abiding love He has for us. He may also remove all sense of comfort, despite obedience, to teach more and more to walk by faith alone. This may be termed as "desertion" in the Biblical sense, when any sense of God's love is removed, and we are faced with darkness. His love has not decreased, in fact, he is allowing this because of his deep love and desire for us to trust in His Word alone, and to grow in Grace.

"As a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear Him".  Children often displease and sadden their parents, but those parents will always love those children. And if we finite humans display that kind of love, imagine how much infinitely greater God's love for his own children would be!!! "Nothing can separate us from the Love of God which is in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:38)

When you look at your Bible, has any word within it changed during your life, with all the ups and downs, all the tests and trials, all the times on the mountain tops, or walking through the Valley of the shadow of death? Not one promise, not one word has ever changed--and God has "exalted His Word above all His Name"---and as we know, his words are always "fathful and true". Though we may be tempted at times to think that maybe God's love has lessened towards us, or wavered, because of something we have done, or think something has changed simply because we have a tendency to walk by feelings and not by faith, we need to remember the words "I am the Lord, I change not". We need to simply return to child-like trust in a most merciful, loving and forgiving God and Father.  I just wanted to share this because these thoughts really blessed me today.

[Joe Sperling]

"See how great a love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be
called Children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know
us, because it did not know him.

Beloved, now are we the Children of God, and it has not appeared as yet
what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him,
because we will see Him just as he is.

And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as he is pure.
(1 John 3:1-3 NASB)

Last night, I wasn't "feeling" very Spiritual and got kind of "down". This verse came to mind
and I turned to it. In the King James it says "Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed
upon us". It's saying in effect, "this isn't just any kind of love---this is an amazingly special love". This
is the kind of love a caring Father has for his little child. His eyes are upon that child every second, watchful, caring, and protecting. That Father is ready any moment, with open arms, should that child come running to him with fears and doubts, to pick that child up and give him/her the greatest comfort in the world. He's ready to wipe away the tears, hear the complaints, hear the crying, smile because the child is possibly making a mountain out of a molehill, and set that child back down on it's feet again with a reassuring hand. And this is an infinitely greater love than any earthly father could ever give! As always, I had to upbraid myself a bit and say "Don't trust your feelings, or let the events of the day get you down---trust the Word of God--it is unchangeable. God is an extremely loving God, and he knows you through and through."

 And this is true of all of his children at every moment--those who "feel" close, or those who "feel" far away--He is as close as He has ever been, and He loves you so much He gave his Son for you. "See how great a love the Father has bestowed upon us"---we don't need to "feel" it---we can KNOW IT right now, as God's words are steadfast, "faithful and true".  I thought I'd share that as it encouraged me so much!!

[Joe Sperling]

Last Saturday our church had a small men's pancake breakfast and I got into a discussion with another
gentleman about the rapture. He was post-tribulation and I was pre-tribulation, so we began to discuss the subject a bit more fervently. Soon, the discussion was bordering on an argument, and the Pastor walked up and said "Joe, please calm down. Do you consider this "argument" to be Christ-like? You need to ask yourself how Jesus would conduct himself in such a situation. I strongly suggest that you go home and pray about this, and then read the Bible. I expect you to return tomorrow for church services with an attitude that closer reflects that of our blessed Savior".

I felt badly, and truly, had been completely chastised. So I went home and prayed that God would lead me through my reading to develop an attitude and character that would truly be more "Christ-like". I had begun to read the Gospel of John, and turned to Chapter 2 and read prayerfully. When I was done I remembered that our church opened the bookstore and sold books up to and after the church service every Sunday.
I always wondered if that was right?--selling books on Sunday.

So, making a whip of small cords, I drove to the church and entered the bookstore and began whipping and driving everyone out. I beheld the adhesive-backed "dove symbols" they were selling and shouted "Take these out of here, and stop making the Father's house a Marketplace!! This is a place of worship and you have turned it into a den of thieves!!" The elderly woman, who ran the cash register, ran from the store weeping. The Pastor appeared, and asked desperately, "What are you doing!!??"  I turned toward him and shouted "You told me to act more Christ-like!  Read John chapter 2!!"  Then turning to those who were now assembled outside of the bookstore I shouted "You generation of vipers!! Who hath warned you to flee from the wrath that is to come!!??"

OK---so this didn't actually happen. All joking aside though, the thought of Jesus "driving people out of the Temple" made me recall another verse, and I wondered if somehow they were linked:

"Therefore the Lord God sent him out from the Garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken. So he drove the man out, and at the east of the Garden of Eden he stationed the Cherubim and the flaming sword which turned in every direction to guard the way to the Tree of Life" (Gen. 3:23,24).

And, when he saw the money changers in the Temple selling sheep and oxen and doves he "made a whip out of cords" and drove them all out of the Temple, and spilled the coins of the money changers, and overthrew their tables". (John 2:12).

It would be interesting to see if the same verb is used for "drove them out" in both of these verses. I do not know Hebrew or Greek, but would be interested to know. Apparently man was unwilling to leave the garden after his fall, and it was necessary for God to "drive him out" and station cherubim so he could not re-enter and eat from tree of life and live forever.  It was an act of mercy.  Very interesting though--thought I'd share this.   --JS

[Oscar]

Last Saturday our church had a small men's pancake breakfast and I got into a discussion with another
gentleman about the rapture. He was post-tribulation and I was pre-tribulation, so we began to discuss the subject a bit more fervently. Soon, the discussion was bordering on an argument, and the Pastor walked up and said "Joe, please calm down. Do you consider this "argument" to be Christ-like? You need to ask yourself how Jesus would conduct himself in such a situation. I strongly suggest that you go home and pray about this, and then read the Bible. I expect you to return tomorrow for church services with an attitude that closer reflects that of our blessed Savior".

I felt badly, and truly, had been completely chastised. So I went home and prayed that God would lead me through my reading to develop an attitude and character that would truly be more "Christ-like". I had begun to read the Gospel of John, and turned to Chapter 2 and read prayerfully. When I was done I remembered that our church opened the bookstore and sold books up to and after the church service every Sunday.
I always wondered if that was right?--selling books on Sunday.

So, making a whip of small cords, I drove to the church and entered the bookstore and began whipping and driving everyone out. I beheld the adhesive-backed "dove symbols" they were selling and shouted "Take these out of here, and stop making the Father's house a Marketplace!! This is a place of worship and you have turned it into a den of thieves!!" The elderly woman, who ran the cash register, ran from the store weeping. The Pastor appeared, and asked desperately, "What are you doing!!??"  I turned toward him and shouted "You told me to act more Christ-like!  Read John chapter 2!!"  Then turning to those who were now assembled outside of the bookstore I shouted "You generation of vipers!! Who hath warned you to flee from the wrath that is to come!!??"

OK---so this didn't actually happen. All joking aside though, the thought of Jesus "driving people out of the Temple" made me recall another verse, and I wondered if somehow they were linked:

"Therefore the Lord God sent him out from the Garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken. So he drove the man out, and at the east of the Garden of Eden he stationed the Cherubim and the flaming sword which turned in every direction to guard the way to the Tree of Life" (Gen. 3:23,24).

And, when he saw the money changers in the Temple selling sheep and oxen and doves he "made a whip out of cords" and drove them all out of the Temple, and spilled the coins of the money changers, and overthrew their tables". (John 2:12).

It would be interesting to see if the same verb is used for "drove them out" in both of these verses. I do not know Hebrew or Greek, but would be interested to know. Apparently man was unwilling to leave the garden after his fall, and it was necessary for God to "drive him out" and station cherubim so he could not re-enter and eat from tree of life and live forever.  It was an act of mercy.  Very interesting though--thought I'd share this.   --JS

Joe,

In Genesis the Hebrew verb is merekabah it means "to drive out by chasing with a tank".

In John the Greek verb is chariotizein It means "to offer to drive someone home in your chariot".

 

Tom

[Joe Sperling]

After a little more investigation it appears that the Hebrew verb in Genesis is of the same derivative
of the verb used in John 2 which appears to be "ekballo" which means "force to leave, expel, drive out" (ekballien),
they are very close in meaning. The Hebrew is "garash" which has basically the same meaning(definition pasted
below). Tom--I didn't find the verbs you listed--although the Hebrew word "Merkebah" means "chariot" according
to Strong's concordance as a noun.


14 kai euren en tw ierw touV pwlountaV boaV kai probata kai peristeraV kai touV kermatistaV kaqhmenouV
2:14 And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting:

 
15 kai poihsaV fragellion ek scoiniwn pantaV exebalen ek tou ierou ta te probata kai touV boaV kai twn kollubistwn execeen to kerma kai taV trapezaV anestreyen
2:15 And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables;

This is from Strong's Concordance. I was just curious if the "driving out" was the same verb displaying Divine anger used to cleanse an area (cleansing of Eden, cleansing of the Temple). It appears that the verb is implying a real "driving out" or "casting out" in both cases.


 "So he drove out"---------Hebrew(garash) from Genesis 3:24(driving man out of Eden by force)
garash  (gaw-rash')
to drive out from a possession; especially to expatriate or divorce -- cast up (out), divorced (woman), drive away (forth, out), expel, surely put away, trouble, thrust out.

 

 

 


 


 

 

[Oscar]

Joe,

Since I made them up I didn't expect anyone to be able to find them.

I remembered that Israel builds a tank called the Merkavah, from the ancient word for war chariot.

The other one I just fiddled with the word chariot.

Tom

[Joe Sperling]

You know Tom, I kind of suspected they were made up . Especially "chariotizein"--almost looks
German   Good one.

--Joe 

[Oscar]

Joe,

You wrote:

Last Saturday our church had a small men's pancake breakfast and I got into a discussion with another
gentleman about the rapture.

What was the height limit for these small men?  Seems to me that anything under 5'5'' would qualify, but since each church is self governing, there could be variation.

 

Tom

[Joe Sperling]

LOL

In order to attend this small men's pancake breakfast you had to be at least as short as Bildad
the Shuhite, but no taller than KneeHighmiah.   We had a really heavy Men's Bible Study afterwards.

[trac4yt]

Thus, setting the stage for follow-up "cake" assimilating times.

[And] the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Elijah.  (1Ki 17:16)

[Joe Sperling]

Sing out, O heavens, and rejoice, O earth, break forth into song, you mountains. For the LORD comforts his people and shows mercy to his afflicted.
14
But Zion said, "The LORD has forsaken me; my Lord has forgotten me."
15
Can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb? Even should she forget, I will never forget you.
16
7 See, upon the palms of my hands I have written your name; your walls are ever before me.
(Is. 49)

What tender words the Lord uses when speaking of how He cares for each of His people. Sometimes we may believe the Lord is far away, or perhaps has forgotten all about us---but He says He is closer to us then a mother is to a newborn infant. Upon the palms of His hands He's written each of our names--(how can He forget us when those wounds were put there for each of us)? It's wonderful to know we are under the tender care of our Father in Heaven.

[Joe Sperling]

3And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

 4And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

 5And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
 6And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.

 7He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.

Revelation 21:3-7

It's amazing to think that God himself rejoices in these verses infinitely more than we ever could!! He proclaims these words with a "Great Voice out of heaven" (v. 3) And these words are "true and faithful"--we can believe them with every ounce of our being, and know one day these things SHALL BE. Thank God He accomplished all of this on the cross--if it were left to me to overcome I'd have no chance at all!! Thank God he says "IT IS DONE"--these echo the words on the cross: "IT IS FINISHED".

"This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God".(1 John 5)   "Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe, sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow".