I say then, Hath God cast away His people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God hath not cast away His people which He foreknew. Wot ye not what the Scripture saith of Elias? How he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying, “Lord, they have killed Thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life.” But what saith the answer of God unto him? “I have reserved to Myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal.”
Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.
Romans 11:1-6
Election
Christmas Day Forty Eight
What do I want for Christmas today?
I do want the candidate that I have chosen to vote for to be the next President of the United States of America; however, if that candidate is not chosen, then I want to continue being faithful to God through His Son Jesus Christ in His wisdom and grace – praying for the President of this nation, their salvation and the saving of this nation.
“Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors.” (Says wisdom) Proverbs 8:34 (KJV)
From Maxine
I received this in my emails, and thought some of you might enjoy. If you have already seen it, enjoy it again.
Subject: MAXINE – scroll down
Maxine should run for president — she was right on with this one!
a win-win situation.* Dig a moat the length of the Mexican border.
* Send the dirt to New Orleans to raise the level of the levees.
* Put the Florida alligators in the moat along the Mexican border.Any other problems you would like for me to solve today? Yes!
Think about this:
1. Cows
2. The Constitution
3. The Ten Commandments
COWS
Is it just me, or does anyone else find it amazing that during the mad cow epidemic our
government could track a single cow, born in Canada almost three years ago, right to the stall where she slept in the state of Washington? And, they tracked her calves to their stalls. But they are unable to locate 12 million illegal aliens wandering around our country. Maybe we should give each of them a cow.
THE CONSTITUTIONThey keep talking about drafting a Constitution for Iraq ….why don’t we just give them ours? It was written by a lot of really smart guys,
it has worked for over 200 years, and we’re not using it anymore.
THE 10 COMMANDMENTSThe real reason that we can’t have the Ten Commandmentsposted in a courthouse is this — you cannot post “Thou Shalt Not Steal”“Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery” and “Thou Shall Not Lie” in a building full of lawyers, judges and politicians, it creates a hostile work environment.Also, think about this … if you don’t want to forward this for fear of
offending someone — YOU ARE PART OF THE PROBLEM!It is time for America to speak up!
Yep, I passed it on!
Christmas Day Two Hundred Thirty and Three
What do I want for Christmas?
Today’s “want” is going to be a bit political, but I see it as a real need among those who name the name of Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
I want for those who call themselves Christian to decide to get behind one Presidential candidate who has some principle, moral character, a desire to listen to God and His word and show this Country [U. S. of A.] through the might, Spirit and power of God who the real power of this country is – not us but Him.
I do believe that if Christians would get behind the candidate like this, this individual would win the election.
The LORD bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: He maketh the devices of the people of none effect. The counsel of the LORD standeth for ever, the thoughts of His heart to all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom He hath chosen for His own inheritance.” Psalm 33:10-12 (KJV)
This is a work, a miracle only God could perform.
The Words Which Were Given
There are many words for us to hear. The Words that Jesus spoke and is still speaking are the ones He has given us in the Bible; His holy Word. They are given us for faith, practice and Christian growth; for His glory.
“For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.” John 17:8 (KJV)
We see in this verse, one of those things given to Jesus by the Father; “the words”. Which words is Jesus referring to? Jesus’s teachings, His doctrine.
There are three things about the disciples which are mentioned: 1. They accepted Jesus’s teachings; 2. They knew – were certain – that Jesus was of divine origin and character; 3. They believed that He was sent by the Father.
Jesus brought the “words” and principles of the Old Testament to life. As the physical manifestation/revelation of God he was the living Word of God. They are no longer dead, lifeless vowels and consonants that only show one’s sinfulness and give no life. Rather, they are now life giving through faith in the “Sent One”.
The only way for these disciples to know these things is because they were God’s from the beginning. No one can come to God on their own. All salvation is a work of God. It is God who awakens man’s awareness of God’s existence. It is God who draws men/women to Himself. It is God who convicts of sin and all unrighteousness. It is God the Father who causes us to look to the cross of Jesus and fall on our knees in repentance, grace and faith. It is all of God, and His grace (SEE John 6:44).
NOTE – Election of God and predestination are essential doctrines of belief, but trying to understand it will drive one crazy. It is essential in believing, but not for understanding. God is sovereign and knows exactly what He is doing. Let’s leave the work of eternal salvation to Him; through the cross of His Son Jesus. He knows and understands it all.
-Tim A. Blankenship
Who We Are, and Our Blessings In Christ
Ephesians 1:1-5
Purpose of this study:
1. To discover the greatness of being in Christ;
2. To know the richness of His blessings;
3. To know and understand our purpose in Christ;
4. To better understand our calling.
The book of Ephesians was written by Paul the apostle while he was imprisoned in Rome. Ephesians is known as one of the “prison epistles”, along with Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon.
The city of Ephesus was the seat of “Diana” worship (Acts 19 note verse 28). A goddess worshipped by a superstitious people and profited on by business men and silversmiths. The preaching of the cross of Jesus Christ caused a great loss of income for these men and their businesses when some of the worshippers of Diana, turned from idolatry to the true God (Acts 19:23-41). These men would have done almost anything to take away Paul’s and other Christian’s right or freedom to speak.
This church is the same church that would receive a letter from the Lord Jesus Christ a few years later. It can be read in the Revelation of Jesus Christ chapter two, beginning with verse one.
At the time of Paul’s writing, approximately 55 A.D., the church of Ephesus is strong in faith and longing to grow in the Spirit of Christ. In this letter Paul teaches them two main truths: 1) Who they are [their position] in Christ (chapters 1-3); and 2) How they are to live [their practice] (chapters 4-6).
Knowing who we are in Jesus is still important for Christians. By knowing our position in Him we are strengthened in faith, and greatly encouraged to live for Him.
If we are to be the Christians God calls us to be we must be discovering the greatness and riches of being in Christ, our calling, the richness of His blessings, and the purpose of our calling.
The term “In Christ” or its equivalent is mentioned at least 34 times in the bood of Ephesians. Fifteen of those being in the first chapter alone. So we learn already that it is important for us to recognize, to know who we are in Jesus Christ.
CALLED OUT AND FAITHFUL (vv. 1-2). “Set apart”, “called out” and faithful. Consecrated unto the Lord is the meaning of the word “Saint”. The Christian has been called out of sin, set apart for the glory of God to be different from the world philosophies, and doctrines.
The Christian understands the problem of sin, and the human heart, as best as can be understood, and that is by the understanding which God gives by His Spirit, His word, and the life of Jesus Christ.
Romans 3:10-11 spells it out for us; “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God…” We are called out of sin, unto faith in Jesus Christ; to live in the Spirit of Christ for the glory of the Father.
The “faithful” are the one’s who dedicated to the work and will of glorifying God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. We glorify Him with a life given to living holy, separated, lives of witness. The words we speak, our work ethic, our family lives, our church service and our worship of God alone is a witness that other’s will see or won’t see. Unwavering faith in God, and His Word, and holy desire for His will to be done is shown in faithfulness. Faithful in belief. Faithful in and to His Word.
“He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.” John 14:21 (KJV)
THE RICHES OF HIS BLESSING (v. 3; 2:6). These blessings are not in the material things of this world, although we are told that all things are under His feet. The blessings of Christ are spiritual, however, they are not limited. “Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ…” Ephesians 1:3 (KJV). I don’t know if we were meant to understand this whole all thing, but it sounds so full, awesome, and glorious. Do we put enough emphasis on the spiritual things of Christ? It doesn’t seem so in my life; and I really doubt it is in most Christian’s lives.
These spiritual blessings are in heavenly places; that is the place where Jesus is. The blessings that Christian’s have in Christ Jesus cannot be attained through science, technology, knowledge, sorcery, witchcraft, incantations, rituals, liturgy, rites, religion, flagellation, wealth, or fame. These blessings are all part of the grace given us who are in Christ Jesus through faith in Him by His death on the cross; His carrying our sins away; and the bodily resurrection of Christ from the dead. These are blessings of His grace.
In these spiritual blessings there is cleansing from sin, condemnation and guilt. There is the personal relationship with holy God reserved only for those who have no sin debt. We also have the gift of eternal life with Jesus Christ and the Father; and in complete fellowship with Him.
OUR ELECTION AND OUR LIFESTYLE (v. 4). If a king were to choose you as their son or daughter would you not find it a great privilege, and honor? If the king were known as a wealthy, and good, and honorable man I think most of us would be honored by the prospect. This is not likely to happen, of course, so don’t set your sites too high for this; except when you put your faith in Jesus Christ.
Jesus is the King of kings. He will rule with honor, power, and goodness; and He is wealthy. He has chosen us in Himself. We are getting into a topic of great controversy, and that is dealing with “Election” and “Predestination”. There are some “scholars” and preachers/teachers who try to avoid these doctrines. They are, however, in the Word of God, and need to be dealt with. I am not sure that I can aid in this or not, but since they are here, I will say this. When it comes to “Election” we have the clear teaching from the Word that those who are in Christ have been chosen in Him before the foundation of the world. It is great to know that God chose me, and that He knew me long before I was ever conceived in the womb of my mother. That is so of all who will come to faith in Jesus Christ.
Dealing with this “Election” of God let us look further into Scripture – “And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.” Exodus 33:19 (KJV). As our Creator, Savior, Redeemer, Advocate, Judge… He has every right to choose whomever He will, to call to Himself. Someone may ask, “Doesn’t mankind have a ‘freewill’?” To that I would readily agree. The very fact that God placed the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil” in the midst of the garden near the “Tree of Life” tells me that God gave them a choice, thus free will to choose to obey or disobey. They chose the latter of the two, and sin, death, and misery came into the world.
So how do the teachings of Election, the Sovereignty of God, and man’s free will operate? I don’t know that I have the answer to that, but these things I do know and believe; and that is that God says that He knew me before the foundation of the world and He chose me; He has enriched me with spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus, and that according to His will, the free will of men, and His Sovereignty somehow work together to fulfill His will and glory.
The greatness of this “Election” is that God chose me before I ever did anything good or bad. His choosing me was not based on any merit of my own, but solely on the grace of God alone. Since He chose me before doing anything good or bad, that only means that there is nothing I could do to be plucked from my Father’s hands:
“And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.” John 10:28-29 (KJV)
This does not give license to sin. This does give us freedom from sin to live for Jesus Christ. Before we came to faith in Jesus Christ we were bound by sin. In Christ we are free to live for Him, and Him alone. This election is a calling to holiness (2:10; John 15:16).
OUR PLACEMENT IN THE HEAVENLIES (v. 5). By the shed blood of Jesus Christ on the cross we are born into relationship with the Father (John 3:3; 1 Peter 1:23). By that blood we are legally sons/children, however, there is something else that happens to those who come to faith in Jesus Christ. We are placed into the position with Christ as legal heirs of all that is His. That is the “Adoption”.
That is the predetermined plan of God. That is the “predestinated” will of God. In John 1:12 we are told this – “As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them tht believe on His name.” Some new translations place children where the KJV uses sons, and that seems to me to be a tragedy, for we miss the greater meaning. With Christ as our Lord and Savior we are given the same rights as the Elder Son, who is Jesus. In the Old Testament economy the elder son received a majority of the father’s estate, and was given the responsibility of caring for the parents when they became unable to care for themselves.
Now consider this; since we are born into the family shouldn’t we just receive a minority of the inheritance? Jesus has paid the price of our sin, making it possible for us to be in God’s family in the first place; He is the One who deserves it all. By grace He places us with Him as joint heirs (Romans 8:17) with Him.
There is an example of this given in the Law of Moses concerning inheritance, and the daughters of a man who had no sons, and would be left out of the inheritance except for the grace given. Zelophehad (Numbers 27:1-7) had five daughters, and he would be left out of inheriting any of the promised land, leaving nothing for any sons who might come along later. Thus, in a since, they are placed in the position of an elder son, inheriting the land that would have been their father’s.
There is such a wealth at the hands and feet of every believer in Jesus Christ. It is a wealth that is not of this world, however it is accessible in this world; and through it and by it we can live in victory. The enemy has been defeated. Let us rejoice.
We are “Predestinated” to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ, and that is to live in glory.
“For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.” Romans 8:29 (KJV)
We have yet to “tap into” the wonderful resources that are ours in Christ Jesus. If we were the people of God in Christ that He has called us to be, walking in the Spirit, walking in the power of His word, there is no attack of the enemy which could stop us, and no human force could stand in our way; and He would be seen and glorified in many hearts and lives. What God calls “Complete” is complete.
-Tim A. Blankenship
God’s Appointed King or President???
Recently I have read emails, comments on blogs, and heard some asking the question or making comment as to whether God’s will was done in the past election of President Elect Barrack Obama. In my mind and thinking I have seen how the election turned out, but was not surprised.
No! The candidate I voted for was not elected. I was disappointed and could have been, and still could be quite fearful of what lays ahead for the United States of America; the home of the free, and land of the brave. I have known and believed for years in the sovereignty of God, and have seen God at work in the hearts and lives of others and in myself. I have learned that no matter what man does the will of God is not thwarted; His will is done whether we go our own way, or choose His way.
Others who are concerned with our “free will” can believe that we overthrow God’s will. That is frivolous thought. How can a created being, such as we are, overthrow the will of the All-Knowing, All-Powerful, All-Present, and Immutable God? The “free will” of humanity does in fact work with the sovereignty of God, God is glorified, and His will is done. I cannot explain that any clearer, but that is what I learn through the reading of Scripture.
If we are fearful that God’s will was not done in the election of Barrack Obama as our President, then, we are in fact not trusting the sovereign hand of our God. I do not know what lays ahead for our country, but I do know that whatever it is is in the hands or our Almighty God.
In this past election there were three or more ballot initiatives which went for moral thought. Proposition 8 in the State of California passed in favor of marriage between a man and woman alone. The initiative in Arkansas passed which only allows married couples – man to woman, woman to man – to adopt children or be foster parents. Those were good moral decisions the people made in those States. They may still be up for standing before the courts. We can only continue to pray for God to intervene, and that He be glorified through it all.
God has been merciful to us for the past eight years and longer. We may now be in for a period of judgment, but let us not lose heart, and fear that “God’s will was not done”. As Christians we must believe God’s Word when He tells us;
“And He changeth the times and the seasons: He removeth kings, and setteth up kings: He giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding…” Daniel 2:21 (KJV)
Since Barrack Obama is set to be our President, then we need to pray for him, his family, his decisions concerning cabinet members, and his time as President of our nation. Christian we are obligated by God to respect the man as our leader, to pray for him, and obey him.
Paul the apostle has written;
“Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake. For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God’s ministers, attending continually upon this very thing.” Romans 13:1-6 (KJV)
The “higher powers” of which Paul mentions are rulers of nations, and governments of States, cities, etc.. It seems to me that our God has placed every ruler who has ever lived, and who is living today in their place. Was the will of God done with Hitler in power in his day? Whether we like it or not; or whether we understand it or not we must say YES! The rise and fall of kings and nations is in the hand of God, and as Paul writes, “For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God”.
You may disagee with this assessment, but it seems to me that the argument is not with me, but God. Talk to Him about it.
When we reach the place where we trust these matters to His hands, then, we as Christians can have peace, stop complaining, belittling the man who will be our next national leader, and then effectively pray for him.
I am actually excited about what lays ahead. It is after all in the hands of our Lord.
-Tim A. Blankenship
The Fire and Hammer 