Bible Study for The Joy of Jesus Today

There is much to be learned from the life of Jesus. In each act that is written of Him is a lesson in life for you and I. We pray for for well being. We hope that you will support this ministry through giving, visiting our sponsors or sharing our message to our contacts. Gob bless you in all that you do. We pray that the Holy Spirit will touch your heart to do all that you can to lift up The Joy of Jesus today

.Luke 14

1And it came to pass, as he went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the sabbath day, that they watched him.

King James Version (KJV)

Public Domain
Luke 14:7-14

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7And he put forth a parable to those which were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief rooms; saying unto them.

8When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honourable man than thou be bidden of him;

9And he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room.

10But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee.

11For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

12Then said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompence be made thee.

13But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind:

14And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.

King James Version (KJV)



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Luke 14
1-3 One time when Jesus went for a Sabbath meal with one of the top leaders of the Pharisees, all the guests had their eyes on him, watching his every move. Right before him there was a man hugely swollen in his joints. So Jesus asked the religion scholars and Pharisees present, "Is it permitted to heal on the Sabbath? Yes or no?"

The Message (MSG)

Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson
Luke 14:7-14

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Invite the Misfits
7-9He went on to tell a story to the guests around the table. Noticing how each had tried to elbow into the place of honor, he said, "When someone invites you to dinner, don't take the place of honor. Somebody more important than you might have been invited by the host. Then he'll come and call out in front of everybody, 'You're in the wrong place. The place of honor belongs to this man.' Red-faced, you'll have to make your way to the very last table, the only place left.

10-11"When you're invited to dinner, go and sit at the last place. Then when the host comes he may very well say, 'Friend, come up to the front.' That will give the dinner guests something to talk about! What I'm saying is, If you walk around with your nose in the air, you're going to end up flat on your face. But if you're content to be simply yourself, you will become more than yourself."

12-14Then he turned to the host. "The next time you put on a dinner, don't just invite your friends and family and rich neighbors, the kind of people who will return the favor. Invite some people who never get invited out, the misfits from the wrong side of the tracks. You'll be—and experience—a blessing. They won't be able to return the favor, but the favor will be returned—oh, how it will be returned!—at the resurrection of God's people."

The Message (MSG)

Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson

Jump to : King James Version | The Message | Amplified Bible | Young's Literal Translation | Reina-Valera 1960
Amplified Bible (AMP)
Luke 14:1

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Luke 14
1IT OCCURRED one Sabbath, when [Jesus] went for a meal at the house of one of the ruling Pharisees, that they were [engaged in] watching Him [closely].



Amplified Bible (AMP)

Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation
Luke 14:7-14

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7Now He told a parable to those who were invited, [when] He noticed how they were selecting the places of honor, saying to them,

8When you are invited by anyone to a marriage feast, do not recline on the chief seat [in the place of honor], lest a more distinguished person than you has been invited by him,(A)

9And he who invited both of you will come to you and say, Let this man have the place [you have taken]. Then, with humiliation and a guilty sense of impropriety, you will begin to take the lowest place.

10But when you are invited, go and recline in the lowest place, so that when your host comes in, he may say to you, Friend, go up higher! Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit [at table] with you.

11For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled (ranked below others who are honored or rewarded), and he who humbles himself (keeps a modest opinion of himself and behaves accordingly) will be exalted (elevated in rank).

12Jesus also said to the man who had invited Him, When you give a dinner or a supper, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors, lest perhaps they also invite you in return, and so you are paid back.

13But when you give a banquet or a reception, invite the poor, the disabled, the lame, and the blind.

14Then you will be blessed (happy, fortunate, and [a]to be envied), because they have no way of repaying you, and you will be recompensed at the resurrection of the just (upright).



Footnotes:

1. Luke 14:14 Alexander Souter, Pocket Lexicon.

Cross references:

1. Luke 14:8 : Prov 25:6, 7

Amplified Bible (AMP)

Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation

Jump to : King James Version | The Message | Amplified Bible | Young's Literal Translation | Reina-Valera 1960
Young's Literal Translation (YLT)
Luke 14:1

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Luke 14

1And it came to pass, on his going into the house of a certain one of the chiefs of the Pharisees, on a sabbath, to eat bread, that they were watching him,

Young's Literal Translation (YLT)

Public Domain
Luke 14:7-14

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7And he spake a simile unto those called, marking how they were choosing out the first couches, saying unto them,

8`When thou mayest be called by any one to marriage-feasts, thou mayest not recline on the first couch, lest a more honourable than thou may have been called by him,

9and he who did call thee and him having come shall say to thee, Give to this one place, and then thou mayest begin with shame to occupy the last place.

10`But, when thou mayest be called, having gone on, recline in the last place, that when he who called thee may come, he may say to thee, Friend, come up higher; then thou shalt have glory before those reclining with thee;

11because every one who is exalting himself shall be humbled, and he who is humbling himself shall be exalted.'

12And he said also to him who did call him, `When thou mayest make a dinner or a supper, be not calling thy friends, nor thy brethren, nor thy kindred, nor rich neighbours, lest they may also call thee again, and a recompense may come to thee;

13but when thou mayest make a feast, be calling poor, maimed, lame, blind,

14and happy thou shalt be, because they have not to recompense thee, for it shall be recompensed to thee in the rising again of the righteous.'

Young's Literal Translation (YLT)

Jesus is Lord from The Joy of Jesus

Jesus is The Answer, for He is Lord...

Jesus Christ claimed to be the Son of God; a Savior for all people who choose to believe in Him. The fact that Jesus claimed to be the Messiah is not unique in history. Many people have claimed to be sent by God throughout history. Acts 5:36 references a man named Theudas who claimed to be: "somebody" that people followed. Others include, Mohammed. The life and coming of Jesus was predicted hundreds of years before He was born in the book of Isaiah. He fulfilled this prophecy and many others written before His birth to the Virgin Mary. Jesus had many unique qualities that the others who claimed to be the messiah could not match; Jesus Christ overcame death on the cross and was resurrected to be with His Father in heaven. Further examples of why Jesus is Lord include, His ability to overcome temptation living a sinless and perfect life along with His abilities to perform documented miracles in the name of God.

As one of the most popular Bible verses, John 3:16-17 says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."

As Colossians 1:15 says, "He [Christ] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation." Jesus provides eternal hope, through God's grace, for everyone who believes He is Lord.

God loves the world and all He has created. However, people have chosen to separate from God through our sins. Jesus provides the bridge for us to receive God's grace of forgiveness for our sins and fulfill the hope of eternal life. This was the purpose of Jesus Christ and why Jesus is Lord. God sent Jesus to earth over 2000 years ago to set the example of how God desires everyone to live while on earth. He completed His purpose by willingly being crucified so God could be glorified through His resurrection. He lived His life while here on earth in perfect obedience to God regardless of the pain and suffering it entailed which included beatings, humiliation, doubt, ridicule, and finally ultimate execution with His limbs pierced and pinned to a cross.

Jesus led a life that was completely obedient to God; something we cannot do regardless how hard we try through our will power or by the level of wisdom we possess. Everyone has sinned except Christ; He was perfect in love. This is only something God can be. Jesus performed over 23 documented and witnessed miracles over nature, overcoming death and powers of healing that have never been matched or done in the history of the world. Jesus had powers that only God could possess. He had the ability to predict the future as indicated in the book of Mark, verse 14:72 and the book of Matthew, verse 16:18. Jesus honored God throughout every event in His life. He was humble and gentle mirroring God's Spirit. This is further proof why Jesus is Lord. There is no other faith in the world that can provide the evidence that Jesus is the Lord. Jesus still lives in heaven at the right hand of God. We cannot see Him, but must rely on the documented facts and His message of salvation for all who believe in Him. When choose to place our faith in Jesus Christ and trust God, He has promised to secure a place in heaven for each of us.

The Joy of Jesus is Transformational

Christ was transfigured before them.
The word “transfigured" means to change, transfigure, transform.

Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

2 Cor 3:18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

Christians are changed-renewed from within from glory to glory. Our transformation is a “gradual” experience, and will be completed when Christ appears at the Rapture.

Christians are being inwardly changed day by day. At the Rapture, Christians will be “outwardly changed”—as was Christ on the mount—in the twinkling of an eye.

1 Cor 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

I Jn 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

Elijah
Some confusion here. The three apostles believe Jesus is the Christ (Messiah) but why then do the scribers (keepers of the law) say that Elijah must come first? John the Baptist himself said, “I am not Elijah”. (the resurrected Old Testament prophet) This was enough for the unspiritual Jews who were merely looking for signs to reject Jesus as the Messiah, but to the spiritually discerned, John had already come. John the Baptist came in the Spirit and power of Elijah.

The angel speaking to Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist.
Luke 1:17 And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

Glorious is Thy Name The Joy of Jesus

Glorious is Thy Name, O Lord!
Heav’n and earth with one accord
Tell Thy greatness, part revealed,
But the larger part concealed.
How shall we poor singers dare
Seek Thy face in praise and prayer?

Fearful is Thy Name, O Lord!
Dread Thy voice and sharp Thy sword;
Thunders roll around Thy path;
None can stand before Thy wrath!
How shall trembling sinners dare
Lift their voice in praise and prayer?

Yet with all Thy wondrous might
Far beyond our mortal sight,
Perfect wisdom, boundless powers,
Thou, O glorious God! art ours.
So, though filled with awe, we dare
Name Thy Name in praise and prayer.

Since, to save a world undone,
Thou didst give Thine only Son,
All Thy greatness, Lord Most High,
Brings Thee to our hearts more nigh.
Thus in faith and hope we dare
Claim Thy love in praise and prayer.

Message/ We must Have Faith in Faith

Psalms 27:14 Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.

Message: We pray in the name of Jesus for all people to renew their relationship with The Lord. These are the days days that test the soul. Our economic systems as we know them have failed us world wide.

Jesus is so aware of our condition. We must continue to Praise God and Thank God in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. There are people who are losing everything while others get rich and fat for being greedy.

There are children starving and sick without food nor health care. Businesses are beginning to fell the pain of the people and the environment.

People are losing the faith that they had. Hope seems to be gone or missing from the average vocabulary. Yet, what are the people of faith to do?

We need to increase our hope and faith in the Lord more-so today than yesterday. Jesus died on the cross and was raised from the dead for times like these when all appears to be lost. Jesus is coming back. Therefore, we must wait on His return to set all things right. Praise God for The Joy of Jesus and His return. God Bless you as we battle the storms of a lost world. Give to the Joy of Jesus Today.

Prayer: God, bless all the people who receive this message in the name of Jesus. We pray for all people to increase their faith. Glory to God in the highest. Goodwill and Peace on Earth in Jesus name we pray.

Pray for The Jobless

Convocation: It is our concern that people are still losing their jobs at alarming rates. This is a sign that the economy may take another dip for the worst. Our governments seem to be unprepared for the real challenges of families today. The only answer to these problems is faith in The Joy of Jesus.

Prayer: Dear God in Heaven, Father of The Lord Jesus Christ. We pray for all of the workers of the world. Our hearts cry out for the JOBLESS. We need more jobs in the name of Jesus. We pray for all people and our environment. The world is in need of The Power of Jesus to help us in these times of tremendous need. In Jesus name we pray. A-men.

Do give to The Joy of Jesus by visiting our sponsors.

The Rock of all Time is The Joy of Jesus

ROCK OF AGES

“The Lord is my Rock, and my Fortress, and my Deliverer.” Psalm 18:2




If you have ac­cess to a better pho­to of Thom­as Hast­ings that we could put on­line, please click here.
[Toplady writing Rock of Ages]
Toplady writing Rock of Ages

Sir Will­iam Hen­ry Wills, in a let­ter to Dean Le­froy, pub­lished in the [Lon­don] Times in June, 1898, says ‘Top­la­dy was one day over­tak­en by a thun­der­storm in Bur­ring­ton Coombe, on the edge of my prop­er­ty, Blag­don, a rocky glen run­ning up in­to the heart of the Men­dip range, and there, tak­ing shel­ter be­tween two mass­ive piers of our na­tive lime­stone rock, he penned the hymn,

Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee..’



This hymn was sung at the fun­e­ral of Will­iam Glad­stone in West­min­ster Ab­bey, Lon­don, Eng­land. Prince Albert of Britain asked it be sung to him as he lay dy­ing. In Hymns That Have Helped, W. T. Stead stated:

…when the Lon­don went down in the Bay of Bis­cay, Jan­u­ary 11, 1866, the last thing which the last man who left the ship heard as the boat pushed off from the doomed vess­el was the voic­es of the pass­en­gers sing­ing “Rock of Ag­es.”

In ano­ther sto­ry:

A missionary…complained of the slow prog­ress made in In­dia in con­vert­ing the na­tives on ac­count of ex­plain­ing the teach­ings of Christ­i­an­i­ty so that the ig­no­rant peo­ple could un­der­stand them. Some of the most beau­ti­ful pass­ag­es in the Bi­ble, for in­stance are de­stroyed by trans­la­tion. He at­tempt­ed to have [Rock of Ages] trans­lat­ed in­to the na­tive di­a­lect, so that the na­tives might ap­pre­ci­ate its beau­ty. The work was en­trust­ed to a young Hi­ndu Bi­ble stu­dent who had the rep­u­ta­tion of be­ing some­thing of a po­et. The next day he brought his trans­la­tion for ap­prov­al, and his ren­der­ing, as trans­lat­ed back in­to Engl­ish, read like this:

Very old stone, split for my ben­e­fit,
Let me ab­sent my­self under one of your frag­ments.



Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee;
Let the water and the blood,
From Thy wounded side which flowed,
Be of sin the double cure;
Save from wrath and make me pure.

Not the labor of my hands
Can fulfill Thy law’s demands;
Could my zeal no respite know,
Could my tears forever flow,
All for sin could not atone;
Thou must save, and Thou alone.

Nothing in my hand I bring,
Simply to the cross I cling;
Naked, come to Thee for dress;
Helpless look to Thee for grace;
Foul, I to the fountain fly;
Wash me, Savior, or I die.

While I draw this fleeting breath,
When mine eyes shall close in death,
[originally When my eye-strings break in death]
When I soar to worlds unknown,
See Thee on Thy judgment throne,
Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee.
[Rock of Gibraltar, by Frederick R. Lee (1798-1879)]
Rock of Gibraltar, by Frederick R. Lee (1798-1879)

Bible Study with The Joy of Jesus

What is the Purpose of the Fruits of the Spirit?

There are two huge things that the Fruits of the Spirit accomplish here on Earth.

* They give you the power to fulfill your destiny in Christ.

Without the Holy Spirit bearing spiritual fruit inside of you, you would be powerless.

You wouldn't have the endurance and faithfulness to complete the calling that God has given you. You wouldn't even have the self-discipline to study your Bible or pray.

Without the Fruits of the Spirit, the gifts that God has hidden inside of you, would stay locked away forever.


* They are what God uses to draw people to Himself through you.

Do you know anyone who, no matter the situation, always radiates a godly peace - They are unshakable. People in this world are drawn to that kind of peace.

With all of the chaos surrounding them every day, they search their entire lives for whatever peace and joy they can get their hands on.

They end up trying to fill the void with fleeting counterfeits like alcohol and illicit sex. Things that merely numb their pain for a short while, but leave them longing once again, after the party is over.

When they look at you in a time of crisis, and see God's unshakable peace and joy staring back at them through your eyes, they want to know what you know.

Then, you can introduce them to Who you know.

Remember, the Fruits of the Spirit are not something that you can scrounge up on your own, but gifts that God gives to you. He uses them to set you free from human frailties like anger, fear and depression.

He wants to give you His peace for your stress and anxiety, His love for your unforgiveness, His joy for your depression, and on and on. I explain more about how this Great Exchange takes place, as well as your vital role in the process, in The Hem's Online Bible Class, The Spirit Controlled Life.
Fruit of the Spirit Bible Study:
Reflection Questions:

1. Do you believe in your heart that you have been Marked by the Spirit of God? Why or why not?

2. Do you agree with the idea that people in the world can be drawn to God by His fruit in your life? Why or why not?

3. What Fruits of the Spirit do you already see manifesting in your life?

4. Which of the 9 Fruits of the Holy Spirit do you still need God to manifest inside of you? Stop now and pray for the Holy Spirit to begin this work today

Give and support The Joy of Jesus Today. God Bless You

Faith in The Joy of Jesus

Prayer: We pray in the name of Jesus that our faith id increased. We love You Lord. We thank God and praise God in the name of Jesus for an increase in our faith. A-men.

Commentary: The Joy of Jesus has faith that you will continue to support this ministry. You can get our toolbar, visit our sponsors or give. God Bless You.

Faith in The Joy of Jesus: What the Bible Says About Faith



Finding out what the Bible says about faith is very important. Why? A few reasons come to mind: First, faith is often defined in a number of different and conflicting ways by religious persons. If we want to know how God defines faith we will have to go to the Bible. God's definition of faith takes precedence over man's definition of faith. Second, there are all kinds of faith in the world -- even the demons have faith (James 2:19) -- but only one faith is true. If we want to have true faith (2 Timothy 1:5), we will have to let God tell us what true faith is. Third, faith is necessary to please God (Hebrews 11:6). If we want to please God we need to know about the faith that pleases God. Fourth, faith is necessary for salvation (Ephesians 2:8). If we want to be saved we need to know about the faith that saves. Fifth, there are many people who do not have faith (John 6:64) -- at one point even Jesus' own family did not believe in Him (John 7:5) -- and God destroys people who do not have faith (Jude 5). If we don't want God to destroy us, if we don't want to die in our sins (John 8:24), we must believe. Finally, there are those who have faith but they are letting their faith slip away (2 Timothy 2:18). If we don't want evil forces to overthrow our faith we need to know how to keep our faith strong.

This brief article is not intended to be an exhaustive study of each occurrence of the word faith in the Bible. Many verses in both the Old and New Testaments could be used to illustrate each point below but only a few have been chosen. This study is confined to the New Testament. The references listed below are examples of the verb form of faith (Greek pisteuo, usually translated, believe), and the noun form of faith (Greek pistis, usually translated, faith). I would suggest that you take time to look up each reference listed below that is not quoted for further study on each point. You may also want to use your Bible Concordance to find other examples of the word faith. No matter what verse you locate on the faith of man, you will find that it falls nicely into one of the categories below. Let us now examine what the Bible says about faith so that we can have the faith that God wants us to have.

OBJECT OF FAITH. The Bible teaches that the object of faith (who or what is believed in) is God and His Son Jesus Christ. There are many persons, places and things that we could put our faith in during our lifetime, but we must prioritize our life, and put our faith in God and Jesus Christ above all else. Jesus said: "Let not your heart be troubled: believe in God, believe also in me" (John 14:1). We are not to put our faith in that which is false (Matthew 24:23,26). Unless our faith is in God and His Son, we do not have the right kind of faith. For Further Study: Mark 11:22; Acts 14:23; 19:4; 20:21; Galatians 2:16; 2 Timothy 3:15; Hebrews 6:1; 11:6; 1 Peter 1:21; 1 John 3:23; 5:1,5,10.

SUBJECT OF FAITH. The Bible teaches that the subject of faith (who or what has faith ) is man himself. Man is the only creature of all of God's creation who can believe. What flower ever believed? What rock ever believed? What animal ever believed? Take a look at the great men and women of faith in the Old and New Testaments and see what they accomplished "by faith." For Further Study: Hebrews 11:1-40.

SUBSTANCE OF FAITH. The Bible teaches that the substance of faith (what faith is) is belief; a complete trust, assurance or confidence. There is no fear (Mark 5:36; Luke 8:50) or doubt (Mark 11:23-24) in faith. The writer of Hebrews wrote: "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, a conviction of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1). Unless our faith is complete trust, we do not have the right kind of faith. For Further Study: Mark 9:23-24; John 6:69; Acts 17:31; 27:25; 2 Timothy 1:12.

PROOF OF FAITH. The Bible teaches that the proof of faith (what faith is based on) is evidence. Faith is based upon strong, clear, logical, true, historical evidence. Faith is not guesswork. Faith is not a blind leap in the dark. Faith is not grounded in subjective feelings. God provides the objective, rational evidence for belief; man provides the belief based on that evidence. The Bible does not teach that God gives man his faith. John wrote: "but these are written, that ye may believe that Jesus is the Christ..." (John 20:31). Paul wrote: "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17). Unless our faith is based upon sound evidence from God's word, we do not have the right kind of faith. For Further Study: Mark 1:15; 16:15-16; Luke 8:12-13; 24:25; John 4:39-42; 5:46-47; 8:30,46; 9:35-38; 17:20; 19:35; 20:24-31; Acts 4:4; 8:12-13; 9:41-42; 11:19-21; 13:12; 14:1; 15:7; 17:11-12; 18:8; 24:14; 26:27; Romans 10:8-21; 1 Corinthians 2:4-5; 3:5; 15:1-2,11,14,17; Ephesians 1:13; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Thessalonians 1:10; 2:11-13; 1 Timothy 3:16; 1 John 5:13.

FRUIT OF FAITH. The Bible teaches that the fruit of faith (what faith produces) is active obedience to God's word. The Bible does not teach that man is saved by faith only. Faith is not just a mental thought; it is a mental thought that leads a person to act, to work, to obey. The outward acts of faith can be seen (Matthew 9:2). Faith takes steps in obedience (Romans 4:12). Unless our faith produces active obedience to God's word, we do not have the right kind of faith. For Further Study: Mark 16:16; Acts 11:21; 19:18-19; Romans 16:26; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 5:6; 1 Thessalonians 1:3; 2 Thessalonians 1:11; Titus 3:8; James 2:14-26; Revelation 2:19.

CONSEQUENCES OF FAITH. The Bible teaches that the consequences of faith (what faith leads to) are enormous. First, faith leads to unity. Luke records: "And all that believed were together, and had all things common" (Acts 2:44). Second, faith leads to proclaiming the gospel. Paul said: "But having the same spirit of faith, according to that which is written, I believed, and therefore did I speak; we also believe, and therefore also we speak" (2 Corinthians 4:13). Third, faith leads to persecution. Paul wrote: "because to you if hath been granted in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for in his behalf" (Philippians 1:29). Unless our faith leads to unity, proclamation and persecution, we do not have the right kind of faith. For Further Study: John 12:42-43; 17:20-21; Acts 4:32; 22:19.

REWARD OF FAITH. The Bible teaches that the reward of faith (what faith accomplishes) is eternal life. Our faith results in eternal life (salvation) given to us by God. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life" (John 3:16). Unless our faith accomplishes eternal life, we do not have the right kind of faith. For Further Study: John 3:14-16,36; 5:24; 6:40,47; Acts 10:43; 13:39,48; 16:31; 26:18; Romans 1:16; 3:28,30; 5:1-2; 1 Corinthians 1:21; Galatians 3:24; 1 Timothy 1:16; Hebrews 6:11-12; 1 Peter 1:5-9.

"Do you now believe?" Jesus asks (John 16:31). Now that you know more of what the Bible says about faith what do you plan to do? Will you begin to put more faith in God and His Son Jesus Christ? Will you put away any fear or doubt that would keep you from serving God with a sincere faith? Will you spend more time with the Bible evidence that God has provided in order to build a stronger faith? Will you begin to produce more fruits of faith in your life by your obedience to God's word? Will you be ready to accept the enormous consequences of your faith, difficult as they may be? If the answer to these questions is yes, then the Lord has promised you a great reward for your faith, eternal life.

Posted by The Rev. Dr. James A. Lee

What a Friend we have in The Joy of Jesus

What a Friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.

Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged; take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness; take it to the Lord in prayer.

Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge, take it to the Lord in prayer.
Do your friends despise, forsake you? Take it to the Lord in prayer!
In His arms He’ll take and shield you; you will find a solace there.

Blessed Savior, Thou hast promised Thou wilt all our burdens bear
May we ever, Lord, be bringing all to Thee in earnest prayer.
Soon in glory bright unclouded there will be no need for prayer
Rapture, praise and endless worship will be our sweet portion there.

Scripture: The Joy of Jesus

Psalm 5
For the director of music. For flutes. A psalm of David.
1 Give ear to my words, O LORD,
consider my sighing.
2 Listen to my cry for help,
my King and my God,
for to you I pray.

3 In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice;
in the morning I lay my requests before you
and wait in expectation.

4 You are not a God who takes pleasure in evil;
with you the wicked cannot dwell.

5 The arrogant cannot stand in your presence;
you hate all who do wrong.

6 You destroy those who tell lies;
bloodthirsty and deceitful men
the LORD abhors.

7 But I, by your great mercy,
will come into your house;
in reverence will I bow down
toward your holy temple.

8 Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness
because of my enemies—
make straight your way before me.

9 Not a word from their mouth can be trusted;
their heart is filled with destruction.
Their throat is an open grave;
with their tongue they speak deceit.

10 Declare them guilty, O God!
Let their intrigues be their downfall.
Banish them for their many sins,
for they have rebelled against you.

11 But let all who take refuge in you be glad;
let them ever sing for joy.
Spread your protection over them,
that those who love your name may rejoice in you.

12 For surely, O LORD, you bless the righteous;
you surround them with your favor as with a shield.


New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica

The Return of The Joy of Jesus Cometh

The Hope of the Redeemer’s Return

"Looking for that Blessed Hope and appearing of the glory of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ"

Titus 2:13

In 1 Corinthians 13:13 we learn there are three cardinal Christian graces namely, faith, hope and love. Concerning the first and third of these, believers generally are well informed, but regarding the second, many of the Lord’s people have the vaguest conceptions. When Christians are questioned upon the subject of Faith they are, for the most part, able to answer promptly and intelligently; but interrogate the average church-member about the believer’s Hope, and his replies are indistinct and uncertain. Let Christian Love come up for discussion and we all feel that we are upon solid ground, but when asked to pursue the theme of Christian Hope many step cautiously and hesitatingly.

That there is the greatest confusion of thought and belief among Christians concerning their Hope may readily be proven by questioning a number regarding the nature of their hope. Ask the average church-goer what his hope is, and he will say, Salvation—he hopes to be saved when he comes to die. Ask another and he will tell you that Death is his hope, for it is then that he will be released from all the sufferings of the flesh. Ask a third and he would say that Heaven was his hope. Perhaps this last reply would better express the common and popular belief than either of the others. But to say that our hope is future happiness, is to say no more than any heathen would say. There are several Scriptures which distinguish between Heaven and the believer’s Hope, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you" (1 Pet. 1:3, 4). Here the "living hope" unto which we have been begotten is separated in thought from the "inheritance" which is "reserved in heaven" for us. Though closely connected, Heaven and the believer’s Hope are certainly not synonymous as is clear from Colossians 1:5 where they are again distinguished—"For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the Gospel." Heaven is not here said to be the believer’s hope, for the hope is "laid up" for him "in heaven." What then is our Hope?

It is strange that there should be such ignorance and confusion upon this subject for Hope is made almost as prominent in the New Testament as is either Faith or Love. The Church epistles have much to say upon the subject. In the epistle to the Romans when setting forth the consequences or results of justification, the apostle wrote, "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God" (5:1). And again in 8:24, 25— For in hope were we saved: but hope that is seen is not hope: for who hopeth for that which he seeth? But if we hope for that which we see not, then do we with patience wait for it" (R.V.). To the Corinthians Paul wrote, "If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable" (1 Cor. 15:19). To the Galatians he wrote, "For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith" (5:5). For the Ephesians he prayed that the eyes of their understanding might be enlightened, and that they might know "what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints" (Eph. 1:18), and in setting forth the sevenfold Unity of the Spirit he declared, "There is one body and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all" (4:4-6), and there can no more be two different hopes than there can be two Lords, or two faiths.

To the Thessalonian saints the apostle Paul wrote, "Sorrow not, even as others which have no hope" (1 Thess. 4:13), and again, "Now our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace" (2 Thess. 2:16). Unto Titus he wrote "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:11-13). And unto the Hebrews he said, "And we desire that every one of you do show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end. That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil" (6:11, 18, 19).

The apostle Peter found cause for rejoicing in that God had "according to His abundant mercy, begotten us again unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" (1 Pet. 1:3). and again, he exhorted his readers to "Be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear" (1 Pet. 3:15).

The apostle John wrote, "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is. And every man that hath this hope in Him purifieth himself, even as He is pure" (1 John 3:2, 3); Thus we see that the New Testament abounds in passages which speak of the believer’s "hope."

In all ages God’s people have had a hope set before them, and that hope has always centered in Christ. In Eden God gave to Adam the promise that the woman’s Seed should come and bruise the Serpent’s head and the anticipation of the fulfillment of this promise constituted the hope of the saints in those far-off days. Said Jacob, "I have waited for Thy salvation, O Lord" (Gen. 49:18). The Hope that God set before Abram was that his "Seed" should be a blessing unto all nations, which hope, as we learn from Galatians 3:16, had particular reference to Christ. The Hope which God set before Moses was expressed as follows, "I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put My words in His mouth; and He shall speak unto them all that I shall command Him" (Deut. 18:18). For the fulfillment of this prophecy see John 12:49; 14:10, etc. The Hope which God set before David was stated as follows, "And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy Seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish His Kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will stablish the throne of His Kingdom for ever" (2 Sam. 7:12, 13). And later, through His prophets, God again and again set before Israel the Hope of the appearing of their Messiah. This leads us to inquire now into —

I. The character of our hope.

As there is so much confusion and uncertainty respecting this branch of our subject, and in order to clear away the rubbish which human devisings have gathered around it, we will deal first with the negative side of the character of our Hope.

1. Our Hope is not the Conversion of the World.

We pray that these pages may be read by many who will be startled by the above statement. A world which shall eventually be saved by the preaching of the Gospel has been the expectation of almost all Christendom. That the Gospel shall yet triumph over the world, the flesh, and the Devil is the belief of the great majority of those who profess to be the Lord’s people. In the seminaries, in the pulpits, in the Christian literature of the day, and in the great missionary gatherings where placards bearing the words "The world for Christ" are prominently displayed, has this theory been zealously heralded. It is supposed that anything short of a converted "world" is a concept dishonoring and derogatory to the Gospel. We are told the Gospel cannot fail because it is the power of God, and though the Church has failed, yet, a day is surely coming when this captivating ideal shall be realized. To believe other than this, is to be dubbed a "pessimist," yea, it is to be looked upon as a hinderer and traitor to the cause of Christ. But what are the plain facts?

The Lord Jesus Christ preached the Gospel, preached it faithfully, lovingly, zealously and untiringly. But with what results? Was the world "converted" under His preaching? Should it he said this question is not a fair one because He preached only locally, we accept the correction, but ask further, Was Palestine converted under His preaching? We have only to glance at the four Gospels to find an answer. In the sermon on the Mount, our Lord declared that the "many" were on the broad road that leadeth to destruction and that only a "few" were on the narrow path that leadeth unto life. In the Parable of the Sower He announced that out of four castings of the flood seed from His hand three of them fell upon unfruitful ground. Again, we are told, "He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not. He came unto His own, and His own received Him not" (John 1:10, 11). No, the Gospel as preached by the Son of God Himself held out no promise of a world converted by the proclamation of it, for after three and a half years’ ministry such as this world has never witnessed before or since, there was but a handful who responded to the gracious appeals of the Gospel from His lips—there were but one hundred and twenty all told that Waited in the upper room for the coming of the Holy Spirit which He had promised to send to His followers (Acts 1:15).

How was it in the days of the apostles? During the first generation of the Church’s history, wonderful things happened which were well calculated to convert the world if anything could. Eleven men who had been trained by our Lord Himself were now sent forth to herald the glad tidings of salvation. The Holy Spirit was poured forth upon them, and in addition to the Eleven, Saul of Tarsus was miraculously saved and sent forth as the apostle to the Gentiles. But what success attended their efforts? How were they received by the world? Again we have but to turn to the New Testament Scriptures to find our answer. Like their Master, they, too, were despised and rejected of men. The apostles were everywhere spoken against and regarded as the offscouring of the earth. Some of them were cast into prison, others were slain by the sword. One suffered death by crucifixion and the last of the little band was banished to the Isle of Patmos. True it is that their labors were not entirely in vain. True it is that God honored His own Word and numbers were saved, and here and there churches were organized. But the multitudes, the great masses, both of Jews and Gentiles, remained unmoved and unconverted. The actual conditions, in the days of the apostles then, gave no promise of a world converted by the Gospel.

How is it in our own day? "Ah!" it will be said, "times have changed since then: Christ and His apostles lived in the days of paganism and barbarism, but under the enlightenment of our modern civilization this twentieth century is far otherwise." Yes, but all is not gold that glitters. We do not deny, we praise God for the fact, that today there are far more Christians upon earth than there were in the first century. But there are far more sinners tool What we are discussing now is the Conversion of the world. Has the growth of the Church of God kept pace with the increase of the earth’s population? We trow not. Today there are probably 1,000,000,000 souls on earth who have never even heard the name of Christ! How then can we talk about a converted world when upwards of two-thirds of humanity is destitute of the Gospel? Moreover, what of Christendom itself? How much of that which bears the name of Christ is truly Christian? What proportion of those who term themselves the children of God are really entitled to that name? More than half of professing Christendom is found within the pales of the Greek and Roman Catholic Churches! And what of Protestantism itself? What of the evangelical churches filled with their worldly, pleasure-loving, theater-going, Sabbath-desecrating, prayer-meeting-neglecting members? No; my reader, be not deceived with appearances or high-sounding phrases. God’s flock is only a "little flock" (Luke 12:32). There is but a "remnant according to the election of grace" (Rom. 11:5).

Has the Gospel failed? Have God’s purposes been defeated? Certainly not. The Gospel was never designed to convert the world. God never purposed to regenerate all humanity in this dispensation, any more than He did under the Mosaic economy, when He suffered the nations to walk in their own ways. God’s purpose for this Age is clearly defined in Acts 15:14—"Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentries, to take out of them a people for His name." In full harmony with this the apostle Paul declared. "I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some" (1 Cor. 9:22). Clearly then, the Hope of the Church is not the Conversion of the World. Having dwelt at some length upon the general, let us now come to the particular—

2. Our Hope is not the Salvation of the Soul.

In the New Testament the word "Salvation" has a threefold scope—past, present and future, which, respectively, has reference to our deliverance from the penalty, the power, and the presence of sin. When we say above, that our Hope is not the Salvation of the soul, we mean that it is not our deliverance from the wrath to come which is the prospect God sets before His people. To certain of our readers it may appear almost a wearisome waste of time for us to discuss these points, but for the sake of the class for which this work is specially designed we would ask them to bear with us in patience. In these days when the Bible is so grievously neglected both in the pulpit and in the pew, we cannot afford to take anything for granted. Multitudes of those in our churches are ignorant of the most elementary truths of the Christian faith. Experience shows that comparatively few people are clear about even the A. B. C. of the Gospel. Talk to the average church-member, and only too often it will be found that he has nothing more than a vague and uncertain hope about his personal salvation. He is "trying to live up to the light that he has," he is "doing his best," and he hopes that, somehow, everything will come out right in the end. He does not dare to say I know I have passed from death unto life, but he hopes to go to Heaven at the last.

Nowhere does Scripture present the Salvation of the soul as the believer’s hope. Salvation from the guilt, the penalty, the wages, of sin is something for which believers thank God even now. Said our Lord to His disciples, "Rejoice, because your names are written in heaven" (Luke 10:20). The present-tense aspect of our salvation is presented in many Scriptures—"Verily, verily, I say unto you. He that heareth My word and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life" (John 5:24). How simple and definite this is! Eternal life is something which every believer in Christ already possesses, and for him there is no possibility of future condemnation in the sense of having to endure God’s wrath. Again we read, "Beloved now are we the sons of God" (1 John 3:2). We do not have to obey God’s commandments, walk worthy, and serve the Lord, in order to become God’s children, we are to do these things because we are, already, members of the household of faith. The salvation or redemption of our bodies is future, for it will not be until our Savior’s return that He "shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body" (Phil. 3:21). But the salvation of the soul, deliverance from the wrath to come, is an accomplished fact for every sinner, that has received the Lord Jesus Christ as his or her personal Savior. All such have been accepted in the Beloved" (Eph. 1:6). All such have been "made meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light" (Col. 1:12). All such have been "perfected for ever" (Heb. 10:14) so far as their standing before God is concerned.

As another has said, "Salvation is not away off yonder at the gates of Heaven; salvation is at the cross. The grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared, and it brings salvation all the way down to where the sinner is—right there. You know our Lord’s own picture of it. It is the illustration of the good Samaritan. You know how beautifully that shadows out this blessed truth; that just as the good Samaritan went down the Jericho road and ministered to the wretch who lay there half dead, pouring oil into his wounds right there where he lay, lust so the grace of God, that brings salvation, has come to the sinner in the place where he lies in his sins. No matter how great a sinner he may be, if he can be persuaded to turn the eye of faith toward the cross, there salvation comes" (Dr. C. I. Scofield). Again—

3. Our Hope is not Death.

Of all the extravagant and absurd interpretations of Scripture which have found a place among sober expositors is the belief that Death is the Hope which God has set before the believer. How it ever came to find acceptance it is difficult to say. It is true that there are a number of passages which speak of the Lord returning suddenly and unexpectedly, but to make the words "At such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh" and "Behold I come as a thief in the night" mean that death may steal in upon the believer without warning is to reduce the Word of God to meaningless jargon and is to make sane exposition impossible. Scripture says what it means, and means what it says. True there are Parables in the Bible; true there are stone passages which are highly symbolical; but where this is the case the context usually gives clear intimation to that effect, and where it does not, the plain and literal force should always be given to the language of Holy Writ. In Scripture "death" means death, and the coming again of the Son of man means His coming, and the two expressions are not synonymous. As we have said, the Return of Christ and death (sometimes) each, alike, come suddenly and unexpectedly, but there all analogy between them ends.

It is passingly strange that Bible teachers should have confounded Death with the Second Coming of Christ. The former is spoken of as an "Enemy" (1 Cor. 15:26), whereas the latter is termed "that blessed hope" (Titus 2:13), and surely these two terms cannot refer to the same thing. At the Return of our Lord we shall be made like Him (1 John 3:2), but believers are not made like Him at death, for death introduces them into a disembodied state. That "death" is not the believer’s Hope is clear from many Scriptures. In 1 Peter 1:3 the apostle returns thanks because we have been begotten again "unto a living hope." The saint of God has a living hope in a dying scene: a glorious prospect beyond this vale of tears. In 2 Timothy 4:8 the apostle Paul reminds us that there is laid up a crown of righteousness unto all them that love Christ’s "appearing," which is further proof that death is not the Second Coming of Christ, for who is there that "loves" death? Death is my going to Christ, but His Return is Christ coming to me. Death is a cause of sadness and sorrow, but the Return of the Lord is a cause of joy and comfort—"Wherefore comfort one another with these words" 1 Thess. 4:18, see context). Death lays the body in the dust, but at the Return of our Redeemer His people arise from the dust—"the dead in Christ shall rise first" (1 Thess. 4:17). Death is the "wages of sin," which means that death is the penalty of sin, but so completely has that penalty been borne by our Savior that we read, "So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Hint shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation" (Heb. 9:28). Death was certainly not the hope of the early Christians as is clear from 1 Thessalonians 1:9, 10 where we read, "Ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven"—these Thessalonian saints were looking for Christ not death. Finally; death cannot be our Hope, for death will not be the portion of all believers as is clear from the language of 1 Corinthians 15:51, "We shall not all sleep." What then is our Hope? We answer —

4. Our Hope is the personal Return of our Redeemer.

"Jesus Christ our hope" (1 Tim. 1:1). Jesus Christ is the believer’s "all in all" (Col. 3:11). He is "our peace" (Eph. 2:14) He is "our life" (Col. 3:14). He is "made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption" (1 Cor. 1:30). And, we repeat, He is "our Hope." But hope always looks forward. Hope has to do with the future. "We are saved in hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it" (Rom. 8:24,25). This means that what we hope for is that which we do not yet possess. In Scripture, "hope" is something more than desire or longing: it is a joyous expectation, a definite assurance. Faith is that which lays holds of God’s promises; hope is that spiritual grace which sustains the heart until the promise is "received." As another has said "Man was not made for the present, and the present was not intended to satisfy man. It is for the future, not the present, that man exists" (W. Trotter).

The Hope of the believer is clearly set forth in Titus 2:13—"Looking for that blessed hope and appearing of the glory, of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ" (R. V.). Our Hope is the personal Return of Christ when He shall come back again to receive us unto Himself. Our Hope is to be taken out of this scene of sin and suffering and sorrow to be where Christ is (John 14:1-13). Our Hope is to be caught up to meet the Lord in the air and be for ever "with the Lord" (1 Thess. 4:16, 17). Our Hope is to be "made like" Him, and this hope will be realized when "we shall see Him as He is" (1 John 3:2). This is the "one hope" of our calling" (Eph. 4:4). This is the only Hope for everything else has failed.

The hope of Philosophy has failed. Philosophy was the beautiful ideal of the ancients. When Greece and Rome were the leading nations of the earth, the goal of every ambitious young man’s desire was to become a philosopher. Philosophers were respected and honored by all. Philosophy set out to solve the riddle of the universal and to explain the rationale of all creation. It was expected that philosophy would find a solution to every problem and devise a remedy for every ill. But what were its fruits? "The world by wisdom knew not God" (1 Cor. 1:21). When the apostle Paul came to Athens—one of the principal centers of philosophic culture—he found an altar erected to "The Unknown God" (Acts 17:23). The only place the word "philosophy" is found in the Scriptures is in Colossians 2:8, where we read "Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ." Philosophy proved a will-o’-the-wisp. Never was philosophy so thoroughly systematized and so ably expounded as it was in the days of Socrates, and never was society more corrupt. The ruins of ancient Greece bear witness to the failure and inadequacy of philosophy.

The hope of Legislation has failed. It was the dream of the celebrated Plato that he could establish an ideal Republic by compiling and enforcing a perfect code of laws. But a perfect Code of Law was compiled a thousand years before Plato was born. God Himself gave to Israel a Code of Law on Mount Sinai—with what results? No sooner was that Law given than it was broken. The children of Israel declared, "All that the Lord hath said will we do, and be obedient" (Ex. 24:7), but their words were an empty boast. The truth is that imperfect creatures cannot keep a perfect law, nor can imperfect men be induced to administer and enforce it. There is not a land in all the world where all the statutes of the State, or nearly all, are rigidly enforced. What then is the use of electing worthy and able legislators and for them to enact righteous laws if their successors refuse to enforce them? The present universal failure to do this testifies to the impotency of Law while it is left in human hands.

The hope of human Government has failed. The Roman Empire experimented for many centuries and tried no less than seven different forms of government, but each in turn failed to accomplish the desired effects, and the last state of that Empire was worse than the first. Everything from absolute monarchy to absolute Socialism has already been weighed in the balances and found wanting. Revolting at the tyrannical yokes imposed upon their subjects by the European rulers, our forefathers in this country sought to establish a free Republic, a democratic form of government, a government managed by the people and for the people. What have been its fruits? Are economic conditions in the United States better than those in England or Italy? Are relations between Capital and Labor more amicable and satisfactory? Is there less political corruption in high places, and fairer representation of the oppressed? Are moral conditions better here: have we, proportionately, fewer thieves, fewer drunkards, fewer murderers? Is there more contentment and satisfaction among the masses? We fear not. When we witness the methods employed in the average political campaign, when we read through the reports of the police courts, when we behold the strikes and lock-outs in every part of the country, when we peer beneath the surface and gaze upon the moral state of the masses, and when we hear the angry cries of the poor laborer and his half-starved family, we discover that the only hope for America as well as Europe is that our Lord shall come back again and take the government upon His shoulder.

The hope of Civilization has failed. How much all of us have heard of ‘the march and progress of Civilization’ during the past two generations! What an Utopia it was going to create! The masses were to be educated and reformed, injustices were to cease, war was to be abolished, and all mankind welded into one great Brotherhood living together in peace and good will. Civilization was to be the agency for ushering in the long-looked-for Millennium. Any one who dared to challenge the claims made on behalf of the enlightenment of our twentieth century, or called into question the transformation which the upward march of Civilization was supposed to be effecting, was regarded as an ‘old fogey’ who was not abreast of the times, or, as a ‘pessimist’ whose vision was blinded by prejudice. Was not "Evolution" an established fact of science and did not the fundamental principle of Evolution—progress and advancement from the lower to the higher—apply to nations and the human race as a whole; if so, we should soon discover that we had outgrown all the barbarities of the past. War was now no longer to be thought of, for those cultured nations within the magic pale of civilization would henceforth settle their differences amicably by means of arbitration. It was true that the great Powers continued building enormous armies and navies, but these, we were told, would merely be used to enforce Peace, But oh! what a madman’s dream it has all proven. The Hope of Civilization, like every other hope which has not been founded upon the sure and certain Word of God, has also proved to be nothing more than an entrancing mirage, a tragic delusion. The great World War, with all its unmentionable horrors, its inhumanities, its barbaric ruthlessness, has rudely wakened a lethargic humanity to the utter insufficiency of all merely human expediencies, and has demonstrated as clearly as anything has ever been demonstrated that "Civilization" is nothing more than a high-sounding but empty title.

We repeat again, the ONLY hope of the Church is the personal Return of the Redeemer to remove His people from these scenes of misery and bloodshed to be for ever with Himself; and the ONLY hope for this poor sin-cursed and Satan-dominated world is the Second Advent of the Son of Man to rule and reign over the earth in righteousness and peace. This is the world’s LAST hope, for every other hope has failed it! We turn now to consider —

II. The authorization of our hope.

The insufficiency and failure of the various hopes of the world reviewed above, serve only to furnish a background upon which, by way of contrast, may shine forth more prominently and gloriously the certainty and sufficiency of our hope. Every hope of man which originates in his own mind and heart is doomed to end in disappointment. If men refuse the light which is furnished by Divine revelation then they must expect to remain in darkness, and, as our Lord said, "If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness how great is that darkness!" (Matthew 6:23). The value of a hope lies in the authorization of it, what then are the grounds for our hope?

What warrant have we for expecting the Return of the Redeemer? After all that has been said in the previous pages and in view of the various Scriptures therein cited, a lengthy reply to this question is not necessary. In brief, it may be said, the inspired and infallible Word of Him who cannot lie is our warrant and authorization for looking for that Blessed Hope. But, briefly, to particularize.

1. We have the Promise of the Lord Jesus Himself.

We have already quoted from John 14 in other connections but we now refer to it again. On the eve of His crucifixion our Savior turned to His disciples and said, "I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am there ye may be also" (John 14:23). Here is an assertion about which there is no ambiguity whatever. Here is a promise that is positive and unequivocal. Here is a word of comfort from the lips of Truth incarnate. The Lord who has gone away from this earth to prepare a place for His people is coming back again for them, coming back in person, coming to receive them to Himself that they may be with Him for evermore.

2. We have the word of God’s messengers at the time of His Son’s Ascension.

These words are recorded in the first chapter of the Acts which presents a Scene of unusual interest and importance. Our Lord’s sojourn upon earth was now to terminate. The time of His departure was at hand. The great purpose of the Divine incarnation had been accomplished. The cross and the empty sepulcher lay behind, and now the Savior of sinners was to be exalted to the right hand of the Majesty on high. Together with a few of His disciples He went as far as Bethany, and lifting up His hands He blessed them, and while in the act of blessing them He was "parted from them, and went up into heaven" (Luke 24:50,51). And a cloud received Him out of their sight, and then we are told, "While they looked stedfastly toward heaven as He went up, two men stood by them in white apparel: which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven" (Acts 1:10, 11). Here again is a statement that is clear and simple. Here again is a promise that is plain and positive. The Lord Jesus has gone up into heaven, but He is not to remain there for ever. The "same Jesus" which ascended is to descend: the "same Jesus" which was seen retiring from this earth shall yet be seen returning to this earth. The absent One is coming back, coming back in person in "like manner" as He went away.

3. We have the inspired testimony of the apostles.

We have already shown in a previous chapter that each of the apostles bore witness to the Second Coming of Christ. Their testimony is clear, full, and uniform. At this point we shall select but a single passage, a familiar one, from the epistles of the apostle Paul. In 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 we read, "But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent (i. e., "go before") them which are asleep. For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together With them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words."

The above passage is the most comprehensive statement upon the Redeemer’s Return which is to be found in the apostolic writings. The importance of the communication contained therein is intimated by the prefatory clause—"This we say unto you by the word of the Lord," an expression which is always reserved for those passages of Divine revelation which are of peculiar importance or solemnity. Here again we learn that Christ is going to return in person—"The Lord Himself." Here again we have a positive promise—"The Lord Himself shall descend." And here again, the Second Coming of Christ is presented as the "blessed hope" of the Church—"comfort one another with these words." We reserve further comment upon this passage for a later chapter.

4. Finally, We have the Promise of the Lord, given from the Throne.

We have previously pointed out that, some fifty or sixty years after His ascension to the right hand of God, Christ sent His angel to the beloved John on the Isle of Patmos saying, "Surely I come quickly" (Rev. 22:20). This was our Lord’s last promise to His people, as though to intimate that He would have them continually occupied with His imminent Return. Perhaps this will be the best place to meet an objection that is frequently made by those who seek to find flaws in the Word of God. It is said that the Lord Jesus here made a mistake. He declared that He was coming quickly and more than eighteen centuries have passed since then and yet He has not returned!

The explanation of this supposed difficulty is very simple. When the Lord Jesus said, "Surely I come quickly," He spoke from Heaven, and Heaven’s measurement of time is very different from earth’s. Never once while He was here upon earth did the Savior say or even hint that He would return "quickly." On the contrary He gave plain intimation that after His departure a lengthy interval would have to pass ere He came back again. In the Parable of the Nobleman He spoke of Himself as One taking a journey into "a far country" (Luke 19:12). On another occasion He represented an evil servant saying, during the time of His absence, "My Lord delayeth His coming" (Matthew 24:28). While in the Parable of the Talents He openly declared that "After a long time the Lord of those servants cometh and reckoneth with them" (Matthew 25:19). What we would here press upon the attention of our readers is, that, each of these utterances were made by our Lord during the time when He was still upon earth and therefore they must be considered from earth’s viewpoint; but when the Lord Jesus said "Surely I come quickly" He spoke from Heaven and concerning Heaven’s measurement of time we need to bear in mind that word "Beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day"
(2 Pet. 3:8). In the light of the last quoted Scripture it is easy to understand Revelation 22:20—if our Lord returns before the present century terminates He will have been away but two days!

"Surely I come quickly." These are the words of our ascended Lord. This is His promise, sent from the very Throne of Heaven. This is His final word to His people before they hear His "shout" calling them to be with Himself. This, then, is the warrant, the ground, the authorization of our Hope. Let us now consider —

III. The blessedness of our hope.

It is both interesting and profitable to notice the several adjectives which are used in connection with the believer’s Hope. In 2 Thessalonians 2:16 it is termed a "good hope." In Hebrews 6:19 it is described as a hope "both sure and stedfast." In 1 Peter 1:3 it is denominated "a living hope." In Ephesians 4:4 it is styled the "one hope" of our calling. While in Titus 2:13 it is spoken of as "that blessed hope." The blessedness of our Hope is that which is now particularly to engage our attention. In what respects is our hope a "blessed’? one? We answer —

1. Because of its bearing upon Israel.

Israel’s future blessings wait for the Return of their Messiah. When He was here before He was despised and rejected by His brethren according to the flesh but when He comes back again to this earth they shall welcome and worship Him. That prophecy of Zechariah’s ‘which received a partial fulfillment when He was here before, is yet to receive a further and complete fulfillment, in the days of His Second Advent. This is clear from the words which immediately follow these which had reference to His entry into Jerusalem a few days before His crucifixion—"Rejoice greatly. O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem; behold, thy King cometh unto thee: He is just, and having salvations; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass. And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off; and He shall speak peace unto the heathen: and His dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth" (Zech. 9:9, 10). And note further the closing verses of the same chapter—"And the Lord their God shall save them in that day as the flock of His people; for they shall be as the stones of a crown, lifted up as an ensign upon His land. For how great is His goodness, and how great His beauty! corn shall make the young men cheerful, and new wine the maids" (vv. 16, 17). The real "Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem" is yet future. Our Lord is to enter the royal city again and at the time of His return He shall enter it as King in fact and in full manifestation of that fact. Then it is that Zion’s King shall come to her "having salvation," and then it is that Israel shall marvel at His grace and at His excellency; and then it will be that the daughter of Jerusalem shall be exalted and be once more owned and blessed by Jehovah. It is on the return of Christ to this earth that Israel shall enter into the enjoyment of that inheritance which was given unto their fathers, and under the reign of their Messiah shall become a blessing to all nations. Again; the Redeemer’s Return is a blessed Hope.

2. Because of its bearing upon the Gentiles.

This aspect of our subject has not received the attention which it deserves. It has been assumed by some that the present dispensation is the time when God is blessing the Gentiles and that in the Millennium the Jews will be the special objects of God’s favor. It is true that in the Millennium Israel shall enter into the enjoyment of their inheritance and that at that time they shall occupy the chief position, governmentally, among the nations, but it is a mistake to suppose that the Gentiles will receive less notice from God then than they do now. During this age God is merely taking out of the Gentiles a people for His name, and hence it is that the vast majority of them are still living amid the darkness of heathendom. But it will not always be thus. The restoration of Israel to God’s favor will result in wide blessing to the Gentiles.

In the eleventh chapter of Romans, where the apostle is showing that Israel’s present ‘"blindness" is not to continue forever, he declares, "I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid; but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy. Now if the fall of them (Israel) be the riches of the world (i.e., the enrichment of the Gentiles by the Gospel) and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fullness? (that is, How much more will Israel’s latter-day blessing enrich the Gentiles). For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?" (vv. 11, 12, 15). How clear it is from these verses that, universal blessings for mankind are not to be brought about by the indefinite prolongation of this present dispensation and the preaching of the Gospel, but by the restoration of Israel, after Christendom has been cut off for its non-continuance in God’s goodness. As another has said, "The end of apostate Judaism was judgment: the end of apostate Gentile Christianity will be judgment also. But just as blessing came to us when judgment fell upon the Jew, so when judgment falls upon Christendom, blessing will be restored to Israel, and Israel’s restoration will bring still fuller blessing to the world than any it has had during the present dispensation; it will be as life from the dead’!" (W. Trotter).

The words of Simeon recorded in Acts 15 are in perfect agreement with the teaching of Romans 11—"Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name. And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written, after this, I will return and will build again the tabernacle of David (i. e., Israel), which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up; that the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom My name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things" (vv. 14-17). It is to be noted that here again the "seeking of the Lord" by the "residue of men and all the Gentiles" is subsequent to the restoration of Israel.

There are many prophecies in the Old Testament which speak of the Millennial blessedness of the Gentiles. We single out one or two without commenting extensively upon them. "And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it" (Isa. 40:5). "O sing unto the Lord a new song; for He hath done marvelous things: His right hand, and His holy arm, hath gotten Him the victory, The Lord hath made known His salvation: His righteousness hath He openly shewed in the sight of the heathen. He hath remembered His mercy and His truth toward the house of Israel: all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God" (Ps. 98:1-3). Once more the order is the same: God’s righteousness is displayed before the "heathen" and His salvation is made known to the ends of the earth following God’s dealing in mercy with Israel.

One more quotation must suffice: "And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the Lord your God, and none else: and My people shall never be ashamed. And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh" (Joel 2:27, 28). Like all prophecy, this one receives a double fulfillment. It is to be observed that when Peter quoted from Joel on the Day of Pentecost he did not say, "And now is fulfilled that which was spoken by the prophet," but "This is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel" (Acts 2:16), because the words of Joel quoted above will not be fulfilled until the Millennium, then and not till then, will God’s Spirit be poured out upon "all flesh"—for that glad day, the earth waits the Second Advent of our Lord. Thus we see that the Return of Christ to this earth to usher in the Millennium will be attended with gracious and wide blessing to the Gentiles, for then it will be that "The earth shall be full of the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea" (Isa. 11:9). Again, the Return of the Redeemer is a Blessed Hope —

3. Because of its bearing upon the Church.

Concerning this point we shall here merely generalize, for this precious aspect of our subject will come up for consideration again in a later chapter. In a word, we may say that, the Hope of the Church lies in the future and not in the present, is heavenly and not earthly. To His disciples our Lord said, "In the world ye shall have tribulation" (John 16:30). This is the present portion of the Church which is His body: this is all that the believer is to expect from the world in which he is now living. We are not to be surprised if the world "hates" us, because it first hated our Divine Master. Said the apostle, "Unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake." Yea, we are assured that "all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." The Lord’s path to the Throne was via the Cross, and we are called to "follow His steps." The Hope of the Church then lies not in this world, but above it; not in the present, but in the future.

At first sight it may appear strange, especially to unbelievers, that the Christian should speak of his hope. In contrast to the wicked who have "no peace," the saint has a satisfying portion. The believer has already drunk of that "living water" of which those who drink shall "never thirst." The believer is already in possession of "eternal life," but he has not yet entered into the full and unhindered enjoyment of it—that is still before him as the object of his hope. In one sense then, the Christian is satisfied, in another sense he is not. The believer already knows One, yea, is now indwelt by One who can satisfy him. He knows Christ, possesses Christ, enjoys Christ; but, as yet, he has not seen Christ; It is by faith (not feelings) that we know and enjoy Christ, but the more we know and enjoy Him thus, the more we long to behold Him—"Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see Him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory; receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your soul"’ (1 Pet. 1:8, 9).

"Yes, my brethren, believing in Christ, whom we have not seen, we love Him; we rejoice in Him with unspeakable joy; we receive the salvation of our souls. But to see Christ—to have the salvation which He wrought out on the cross applied to our bodies as well as to our souls—to have it perfected in our experience even as it respects our souls—to have it consummated thus in all who are fellow-partakers with us of Christ—to be with Him, and with them, in our Father’s house—to behold His glory which the Father has given Him—to appear with Him in glory when He appears—to reign with Him over a ransomed and redeemed and happy creation—to fulfill our part in the universal harmony of all in heaven and all in earth, when all shall bow the knee to Jesus, when every tongue shall own Him Lord, and all voices shall join to, celebrate His praise—this, and far more than this—far more than heart can conceive or tongue explain, is what we wait for; and, above all, we wait for Him whose return shall introduce us to all this perfect blessedness—we ‘wait for God’s Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.’ He Is Our Hope. We know Him now by faith as our Savior, our Lord, our life, our peace, our joy, our all. And He Is Our Hope. He is plainly said to be so in 1 Timothy 1:1—‘Paul an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God our Savior, and Lord Jesus Christ Our Hope.’ And what He is thus in so many plain words expressly declared to be in this passage, He is shown to be by the uniform, unvarying testimony of Gospels, Acts, Epistles, and Revelation" ("Plain Papers on Prophetic Subjects’ by W. Trotter). Again, the Redeemer’s Return is a "Blessed Hope" —

4. Because of its bearing upon Christ Himself.

Our Lord Himself is waiting that blest moment when He shall rise from the Father’s Throne, descend to the air and catch up His loved and redeemed ones to be forever with Himself. What other meaning can possibly be given to that remarkable word recorded in Revelation 1:9—"I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ."

And again we read, "But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God. From henceforth expecting till His enemies be made His footstool" (Heb. 10:12, 13). Yes, for well nigh two thousand years, our Lord has patiently waited for the last predestined member to be added to the Church which is His body. Nay, may we not go further, and reverently say, from all eternity the Lord Jesus has been waiting to possess that people given to Him by the Father before the foundation of the world! It was for this "joy" that was set before Him that He despised the cross and endured its shame (Heb. 12:2). It was for this "one pearl" which He esteemed of "great price" —oh! wondrous thought—that He went and sold all that He had to buy it (Matthew 13:46). It is for this blood-purchased people that He has been interceding on high since the day of His ascension. And at His Second Advent the time of waiting, the long interval of His "patience," will be ended. Then it will be that He shall come to receive us unto Himself. Then it will be that He shall present the Church to Himself "a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish" (Eph. 5:27). Then it will be that "He shall see of the travail of His soul and be satisfied" (Isa. 58:11). O blessed Hope. Well may we cry "Even so, come, Lord Jesus." For Him, too, as well as for us, this is "that blessed hope."

And now, dear reader, What is your hope? What is it that is occupying your heart and filling your vision? Is it the prospect of a speedily returning Redeemer? If you are truly the Lord’s then do you not yearn to see Him face to face? Do you not long to fall at His feet and say "my Lord and my God"? Surely you do, for you cannot be fully satisfied in this world. How could you be? How can you find satisfaction-in a world from which your Savior is absent? "Earth is a wilderness, not merely (no, nor chiefly) because of its trials and its hardships, its sorrows and its pangs, its disappointments and reverses, but because He is not here. Heaven would not be heaven to the saint if Jesus were not there. He, His presence (as that which introduces us to it), His coming is our hope—the hope of the Christian, the hope of the Church. May our hearts cherish it as we have never done! May its brightness so attract us that earth’s fairest, loveliest, most enchanting scenes may be weariness itself to our hearts, as detaining us from the object of our hopes! May that object so animate us that earth’s heaviest afflictions—the narrowest, most rugged, and most thorny portions of the narrow way—may be welcome to us, as the path that leads us onward to the goal of our expectations, the home of our hearts, the Jesus whose presence makes it what it is, whose love made Him tread a narrower and a darker path than this, and whose smile of ineffable satisfaction shall crown the faith that has trusted Him, the love that has followed Him, and the patience of hope which has waited for Him, throughout this dreary Journey, along this narrow way, amid the darkness and solitude of this long and dismal night" (W. Trotter).


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Prayer Time at The Joy of Jesus

We pray to communicate with God through our faith in Jesus Christ. This form of ministry is indeed growing. We pray for all people of all faiths and wish them well.
we hope that you will share The Joy of Jesus with your friends

Prayer: Almighty God our Father in Heaven, Christ Jesus the Son and The Holy Spirit of God, we praise Thee. We pray for all those in need. Bless us all Lord with the gift of love and compassion. We pray for all children that need Thy Love and Grace.

We pray for peace. We pray for all of our followers and their families. We pray for donations to help us help others in need. We pray for all people to come your way. Thank
you Lord for all spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus we pray, A-men...

Christian Education/Bible Study

The Rev. Dr. James A. Lee
Prayer: We pray Dear Lord that Thy Will Be done all in Christ Jesus and The Holy Spirit of God. Bless this lesson. Bless our our people with The Joy of Jesus. Thank Lord for all spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus. We Glorify Thee Lord.

The Nature Of God

Man has a sin problem, but God has the solution and the answer. God is a loving God. John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life". God is truly a loving God to give His only begotten Son to die for us. That is the ultimate of love. Nothing could be greater.

Not only is the Lord loving, but He is also just. Jesus says in John 5:30 (KJV), "I can of my own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge; and my judgment is just". Yes, when we stand before the Lord on the Day of Judgment, He will be just. But justice demands that the guilty be punished. Let me give you an example. Just suppose I went out and robbed a bank, and was caught. Also suppose that the judge and I were good friends. So the judge calls me up to his bench and whispers to me that he doesn’t want to send me to prison for twenty years. He tells me, that if I will quietly walk out the back door, he will tear up all the paperwork, nothing will be said, and I can go free. Would he be a just judge? No way. But God is a just God, and can be no less.

Not only is God a loving and just God, but the Bible speaks of God as a vengeful God. In Hebrews 10:30-31 we read, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord. And again, the Lord will judge his people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God". Most people like to think of God as only a loving God, and nothing else; but this is not true. On the Day of Judgment, the majority of people will find out just how fearful it is to fall into the hands of the living God.

Why did Jesus have to die? Because God is not only a loving God but he is also just. Justice demands punishment for the guilty. God has specified in the Bible how He will erase anyone’s guilt. But we must obey God’s instructions. Those who continue to be guilty are those who have not obeyed what God has said. At the end of time when Christ comes back 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9 says that He will come “In flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power.”

God is also a God of grace. Grace is the unmerited favor of God. Romans 3:23-24 tells us, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." We have all sinned. We all deserve to be punished throughout all eternity for our sins, but Christ Jesus has already taken our punishment. God, by his grace, that is His unmerited favor toward us, can now be just in saving us, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Our redemption is in Christ Jesus, and not in ourselves.

It is by the grace of God that one is saved. In Ephesians 2:8-9 we read, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." We are saved by the unmerited favor of God through our "obedience to the faith" (Romans 16:26, Matthew 7:21). There is no way that anyone could ever be good enough to go to heaven, because we have all sinned. We all deserve to be punished eternally. There is no way that anyone could ever earn his way to heaven, because heaven will be a gift of God for those who go there.

Our Lord says in Luke 17:10, "So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do." We cannot do enough to earn our salvation. We read in Isaiah 64:6, "But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags." There is no one of us that deserves to be saved. It is only by the grace of God that anyone will be saved.




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Questions Lesson 5

The Nature of God
(click on the button of the answer of your choice)

1) (John 3:16) God so loved the world that
He will not punish anyone.

He gave His Son to die for us.

He will allow everyone to go to Heaven.


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2) God does not love mankind.


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3) (Hebrews 10:30) Vengeance belongs to

God.

Man.

Those who are wronged.


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4) God will punish those who die in their sins.


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5) (Hebrews 10:31) To fall into the hands of the living God is
A comforting thing.

A good thing.

A fearful thing.


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6) God is too loving to punish anyone.


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7) (John 5:30) The judgment of Christ

Will be just.

Can be appealed.

Is not always right.


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8) Justice demands that the guilty be punished.


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9) (Romans 3:23-24) Since we have all sinned
God is not going to punish anyone for their sins.

Everyone is going to be lost.

The saved are justified by God's grace through Christ.


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10) All accountable people have sinned.


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11) (Ephesians 2:8-9) If we are saved it will be

By the grace or unmerited favor of God.

By our own goodness.

Only if we have never done anything wrong.


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12) We should boast how good we are.


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13) (Luke 17:10) After we have done all the things commanded us

We are still unprofitable servants.

We have "earned" our way to heaven.

Then we do not need God's grace.


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14) We can be so good that God has got to save us on our own merits.


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15) (Isaiah 64:6) All of our righteousnesses

Will force God to have to save us.

Are to be admired.

Are still like filthy rags.


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16) We are saved by the grace of God.





Home Lesson 4 Lesson 6
Copyright © 2000-2001 internetbiblestudy

The Joy of The Lord is My Salvation: Devotion

Prayer: Almighty God The Father in Heaven, Christ Jesus The Son and The Holy Spirit we Praise Thee. Bless Thy Holy names. We submit to Thy Will. We pray for all people. We thank Thee for Thy Grace.

We pray for The Joy of Jesus Church and our followers in the name of Jesus. We pray that more people will come our way and be blessed.

Lord we give you all of the power, honor and glory on the name of Jesus.

Scripture:Psalm 27
1The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

2When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.

3Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.

4One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.

5For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.

6And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD.

7Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me.

8When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek.

9Hide not thy face far from me; put not thy servant away in anger: thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.

10When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up.

11Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies.

12Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty.

13I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.

14Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.

A Scripture for Devotion/Prayer For You

Prayer: O' Lord of all Salvation, The Heavenly Father; we praise you today in The Name and Blood of Christ Jesus and The Holy Spirit.

We confess and repent of all sin. We pray and forgive all in Jesus name.

We thank Thee for all blessings in Christ Jesus.

We pray for all people in need. Bless this ministry to do Thy will.
Jesus name...

Scripture:
Psalm 30
A psalm. A song. For the dedication of the temple. Of David. [a]
1 I will exalt you, O LORD,
for you lifted me out of the depths
and did not let my enemies gloat over me.
2 O LORD my God, I called to you for help
and you healed me.

3 O LORD, you brought me up from the grave [b] ;
you spared me from going down into the pit.

4 Sing to the LORD, you saints of his;
praise his holy name.

5 For his anger lasts only a moment,
but his favor lasts a lifetime;
weeping may remain for a night,
but rejoicing comes in the morning.

6 When I felt secure, I said,
"I will never be shaken."

7 O LORD, when you favored me,
you made my mountain [c] stand firm;
but when you hid your face,
I was dismayed.

8 To you, O LORD, I called;
to the Lord I cried for mercy:

9 "What gain is there in my destruction, [d]
in my going down into the pit?
Will the dust praise you?
Will it proclaim your faithfulness?

10 Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me;
O LORD, be my help."

11 You turned my wailing into dancing;
you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,

12 that my heart may sing to you and not be silent.
O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever.


Footnotes:
a.Psalm 30:1 Title: Or palace
b.Psalm 30:3 Hebrew Sheol
c.Psalm 30:7 Or hill country
d.Psalm 30:9 Or there if I am silenced
New International Version (NIV)
Glory to God in the highest and peace, love and good will to all in