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Nahum 2

Preparation for battle                                                   verse 1 

He that dashes in pieces is come up before your face

keep the munition – watch the way

make your loins strong – fortify your power mightily 

Restoration of Israel promised                                      verse 2 

FOR the LORD has turned away the excellency of Jacob

as the excellency of Israel

FOR the emptiers have emptied them out

and marred their vine branches 

Troops racing around                                                   verse 3- 4 

The shield of his mighty men is made red

the valiant men are in scarlet

the chariots shall be with flaming torches

in the day of his preparation

and the fir trees shall be terribly shaken

The chariots shall rage in the streets

they shall jostle one against another in the broad ways

they shall seem like torches

they shall run like the lightnings 

King orders the troops                                                  verse 5- 7 

He shall recount his worthies – they shall stumble in their walk

they shall make hast to the wall thereof

and the defense shall be prepared

The gates of the rivers shall be opened

and the palace shall be dissolved

and Huzzab shall be led away captive

she shall be brought up

and her maids shall lead her as with

the voice of doves

                        taboring upon their breasts 

Soldiers running away from battle                               verse 8 

BUT Nineveh is of old like a pool of water

YET they shall flee away

stand – stand

shall they cry BUT NONE shall look back 

Nineveh is looted                                                           verse 9- 10 

Take you the spoil of silver – take the spoil of gold

FOR there is NONE end of the store and glory out of all

the pleasant furniture

She is empty – and void – and waste – and the heart melts

and the knees smite together – and much pain is in all loins

and the faces of them all gather blackness 

Question regarding past of Nineveh                           verse 11- 12 

 Where is the dwelling of the lions

and the feeding place of the young lions

where the lions – even the old lion

walked – and the lion’s whelp

and none made them afraid?

The lion did tear in pieces enough for his whelps

and strangled for his lionesses

and filled his holes with prey

and his dens with ravin 

LORD gives reason: Pride                                           verse 13                         

BEHOLD – I am against you – says the LORD of hosts

            and I will burn her chariots in the smoke

                        and the sword shall devour your young lions

                                    and I will cut off your prey from the earth

                                                and the voice of your messengers shall

no more be heard 

COMMENTARY:           

DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers 

: 2        For the LORD has turned away the excellency of Jacob, as the excellency of Israel: for the emptiers have emptied them out, and marred their vine branches. (1238 “emptiers” [baqaq] means make void, destroyer, a person who destroys or ruins or lays waste to, or to pilage the inhabitants.)

DEVOTION:  One of the great messages of the LORD throughout the Bible is the message of HIS willingness to restore sinful people to a place of honor. When we read the Minor Prophets we seem to have an overwhelming message of judgment. The longsuffering of the LORD has come to an end with Israel.

We also read that HIS longsuffering with heathen nations comes to an end. HE uses them to judge HIS people. However, HE doesn’t forgive them for not repenting when HE gives them opportunity. HE wants all the people of the world to establish a working relationship with HIM. HE sends prophets not only to Israel but to heathen nations as well.

The book of John states that “God so loved the world that HE gave HIS ONLY Begotten Son.” HIS desire was for all nations to honor HIM. HIS message went to all nations. Starting in the book of Genesis and ending in the book of Revelation we have a message of reconciliation presented to all people.

HE concentrated on the nation of Israel. Here we find that HE again promises restoration after captivity. HE will chasten HIS people in both Testaments to get their attention.

CHALLENGE:  Does hope get your attention? 

DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers 

         : 5        He shall recount his worthies: they shall stumble in their walk; they shall make haste to the wall thereof, and the defense shall be prepared. (117 “worthies” [addiyr] means great, majestic, nobles, mighty, famous, principal, officers or gallant)

DEVOTION:  Nineveh has a great army. They were noted for their cruelty. One hundred years before Nahum prophesies against Nineveh, they had repented under the ministry of Jonah.

The problem is that they didn’t teach their children to fear the LORD. The next generation didn’t serve the LORD. There was not revival. There was only judgment.

When HE was done with the nation of Assyria there was nothing left. They were known to be powerful like the lion but they lost their power. The strongest of men couldn’t walk straight. The walls of the city were not a good defense. They thought they were ready for any enemy but they were not ready for the judgment of the LORD.

Too often we think we can handle any battle on our own but then we find out that we can’t. Wouldn’t it be better to go to the LORD first? Repentance is always good?

What is happening in our lives? Are we willing to repent and confess our sins, so that, our fellowship with the LORD is good? We can have the strongest men but they will not be able to stand up against the LORD!

The lesson we need to learn is that each generation can change directions. Our leaders need to concentrate on the next generation. If our country is going to change we need to train the next generation to know what it means to be genuine Christians instead of politically correct Christians.

CHALLENGE: Revival is the only prevention to judgment. Our prayers need to ask the LORD for a moving of the Holy Spirit in our time. It has to start with us.

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: 7        And Huzzab shall be led away captive, she shall be brought up, and her maids shall lead her as with the voice of doves, taboring upon their breasts. (8608 “taboring” [taphaph] means beat, to strike again and again, hit, or sign of mourning)

DEVOTION:  It is thought the word “Huzzab” was the name of a queen or a false god. When a nation takes captive those in the palace they want to humiliate them. They make them walk without any clothes in front of the common people. If it is a false god it is thought that all the precious jewels are removed.

Nineveh was a proud city that thought they would never be defeated. They treated those they defeated very badly to the point that they would take unborn babies out of their wombs and use them to hit a wall. They were cruel. Now it was their turn.

Again it is noted that they repented under the ministry of Jonah but their pride caused them to fall under the judgment of the LORD again. This time there was no repentance and therefore they were going to be defeated.

God is long-suffering but even HIS time of judgment will come to those who refuse to repent of their sins. It seems like we are closer to a time of judgment in this country as there is a need to turn to the LORD but there is no desire at this time.

When the Bible is looked down on or ignored all together it is a time to turn to the LORD in prayer. Revival has to start with believers. The problem is many who call themselves Christians have no desire to change to please the LORD.

When our time of mourning comes many will say “What Happened!” They will act surprised that the LORD was displeased with their actions. Our actions determine whether we are believers or not. What do your actions say to the LORD and those around you? Some seem to think that the LORD will not return for another two thousand years. If they are wrong they will be crying for those who they wanted to come with them.

CHALLENGE:  Is it time for us to beat our breasts and cry to the LORD in repentance? Is it time for us to reach those we love for the LORD? 

DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers

            : 8                    But Nineveh is of old like a pool of water; yet there shall flee away. Stand, stand, shall they cry; but none shall look back. (5975 “stand” [‘amad] means set, stay, still, endure, remain, withstand, to stand in position, or perceived as standing still.)           

DEVOTION:  Once the battle is started we find that the troops of Nineveh were overwhelmed by the enemy. They were running in all directions. The King couldn’t get them to stand and fight.

When the LORD judges a nation HE can cause a small army to defeat a large army

without any problem. This was proved true even with Gideon and his three hundred men.

God can cause nature to defeat HIS enemies.

There is a promise that if God is for us who can stand against us. We are always on the

winning side if we are faithful to the LORD. All our enemies will be defeated in the end.

Only the followers of the LORD win throughout eternity. Our eyes should be fixed on

our eternal victory, not on any temporary defeat.

Too often we look at our temporary defeats as a fact that God isn’t powerful anymore. That is a lie from the pit of hell.

One man can chase a thousand with the LORD. Remember this truth and believe this

truth and it will help you face each day with victory in your heart.

Also remember that there is coming a day of judgment for all those who oppose the LORD and HIS people. In the Old Testament Israel was HIS people. Today we are HIS people if we are genuine followers of Jesus Christ. We are promised victory in Christ.

CHALLENGE:  Do you believe in the power of the LORD even today to defeat every enemy HE faces? We are on the victory side. Our enemies may win now but their day is coming!!

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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:

BODY

Chastity (Purity in living)

Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)

Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)

Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)

Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)

SOUL

Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)

Frugality (wise use of resources)

Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)

Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)

Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)

SPIRIT

Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)

Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)

Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)

Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)

Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)

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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:

Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)

God the Father (First person of the Godhead) 

Judgment of LORD over Nineveh                             verse 1- 13

LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal)       verse 2, 13

                        LORD of hosts                                                         verse 13 

God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)

God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)

Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)    

Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)

Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation) 

Nineveh judged                                                         verse 1- 13

Emptiers                                                                     verse 2

Huzzab                                                                       verse 7

Messengers                                                               verse 13 

Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)

Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)

Israel (Old Testament people of God) 

Jacob                                                                         verse 2

Israel                                                                          verse 2 

Church (New Testament people of God)

Last Things (Future Events)

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QUOTES regarding passage

Some commentators question the significance of this verse in a section dealing with a warning to Nineveh of the impending doom. The verse is often seen as an aside or as possibly being out of place in the text. Though the verse does interrupt the flow of the imminent attack on Nineveh, it does not interrupt the theological message of the book or the chapter. “The pause seems to heighten the tension for Nineveh.”14 The message of the book is one of comfort to Judah by ending the oppression of Nineveh. Jacob will be restored because Nineveh’s oppression will end. In fact, all the peoples will feel restoration at the fall of the oppressor. When the peoples hear the word of Assyria’s demise, they will clap their hands, for all had felt the cruelty of the Assyrian power (Nah 3:19).

The NIV interprets (correctly) the first phrase of the verse as a future event the Lord was about to effect. However, the Hebrew verb “restore” is a prophetic perfect, a grammatical form the prophets often used to show that the prophet felt so sure of the coming restoration that he spoke of it as already having occurred. The prophets knew that the Lord does his work among his people. If God purposed to restore Israel, then the people could count the act as an accomplished fact. Though the work of God might occur far in the future, God would do his work of restoration as he determined to do.

Of whom did the prophet speak as he named Jacob and Israel? Should we understand these names as synonymous parallelism, thus equating the names? Or do they refer to the north and south or south and north or only to the south?16 Each way is possible, but the latter interpretation appears to fit the context of the chapter as well as the theological message of the Book of Nahum. Nahum addressed the Southern Kingdom ca. 627 b.c. with the hopeful words for the people to whom he spoke. As God promised to deliver the now-defunct Northern Kingdom (Hos 14:5–7), he also promised to deliver the viable but weak Southern Kingdom.

The word “splendor” (gĕʾôn) refers to the former majesty of the nation Israel. The Hebrew word means “height” (Job 38:11) and thus eminence either as pride (Exod 15:7; Isa 24:14; Mic 5:3) or as presumption (Jer 13:9; Ezek 16:56; Hos 5:7; 7:10). By 627 b.c. Israel had fallen to the Assyrians almost a century earlier, and Judah consisted of a small area surrounding Jerusalem. The former splendor of the nation now consisted only of ancient memories. With the ascendance of Josiah to the throne of Judah in 627 b.c. and the corresponding death of Ashurbanipal of Assyria, a series of events began that saw the literal return of much of the glory of Israel.

Some translations use the word “vine” in place of the word “splendor.” The two words are the same except for one Hebrew letter. Hebrew parallelism would normally call for “vine” since the last phrase literally reads “and they have ruined their branches.” “Branches” and “vines” would be parallel. The NIV attempts to follow the Hebrew but also to emphasize the importance of the imagery of the vine by translating “and have ruined their vines.”

The imagery of the vine is present in the use of the word “branches” in the last section of the verse. In the Old Testament the vine often indicated the nation Israel (Gen 49:22; Isa 5:1–7; Jer 2:21; 12:10; Ps 80:8–16). “The overall theme of this verse is not really changed whichever wording is followed” since the difference is between a figurative expression (“vine”) or a literal one (“splendor”) (Barker, K. L. (1999). Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah (Vol. 20, pp. 198–200). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)

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2 This verse introduces the final reference to the salvation of God’s people, whose “splendor” he will “restore.” The noun “splendor” (gāʾôn) implies elevation or exaltation (cf. Job 8:11; Ezek 47:5; TWOT, 1:143–44); it is used with negative connotations of pride or with positive associations of majesty expressed in power and dominion. Both usages are applied to Jacob, the latter being clearly intended here. The comparison “like … Israel” suggests restoration to the full stature promised to the nation and once occupied by it. The names “Jacob … Israel” are usually synonymous (Gen 32:28; 1 Kings 18:31; 2 Kings 17:34; 1 Chronicles 16:17; Ps 105:23, Hos 12:12), and they came to denote the Twelve Tribes descended from Jacob (e.g., Pss 22:23; 78:5, 21, 71; 105:10; 114:1; 135:4; 147:19; Ezek 20:5; Mic 1:1, 5, 13–14; 3:1, 9–12). After the division of the kingdom, usage varies; but the names are more commonly applied to the northern kingdom. Following the destruction of Samaria, the southern prophets reclaimed these names (Isa 14:1–4; et al.) and evidently “Judah” is envisaged here (cf. 1:12–13, 15), though it is possible that the resurrection of Israel as a whole is promised (cf. Isa 9:1–8; 11:10–16; et al.). Such restoration is necessitated by the devastation of the land’s “vines”—a mainstay of its economy (cf. Hab 3:17), a source of its joy and fulfillment (cf. Isa 24:7–15) and, indeed, a symbol of the very life and identity of the nation (cf. Isa 5:1–7). All these facets of existence in the northern kingdom had been obliterated by the Assyrian destroyers (bāqaq), and they were as yet severely threatened in the south (cf. 1:12). (Armerding, C. E. (1986). Nahum. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Daniel and the Minor Prophets (Vol. 7, p. 472). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)

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2:2. The description of the attack is interrupted by a word about Jacob and Israel. Perhaps Jacob and Israel are synonyms for the entire nation, though possibly Jacob refers to the Southern Kingdom and Israel the Northern Kingdom. The destruction of Nineveh makes it possible for God’s people to be taken out of their humbled, debased condition and to have their splendor (gā’ôn, “excellence or majesty”) restored. This will not be fully realized till Israel is in the land in the millennial kingdom which the Messiah will establish. This will contrast with her having been laid … waste by Assyria (the defeat of the Northern Kingdom in 722 b.c.), which included the ruining of her grape vines. (Johnson, E. E. (1985). Nahum. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 1500). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)

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No wonder the Lord announced, “I am against you” (v. 13). Over a century before, the Lord had sent Jonah to warn Nineveh, and when the city repented, He withdrew His hand of judgment. But now their time was up and the end had come. Assyria would be left with no weapons, no leaders, and no victories to be announced by their messengers. Instead, Assyria’s enemies would hear the voice of couriers announcing peace because Assyria had been defeated (1:15). (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). Be amazed (p. 103). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)

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2:2 splendor of Jacob … Israel. This is not a reference to the southern and northern tribes, since the northern tribes had been overrun by Assyria almost a century earlier; but these are titles of honor for Judah, remembering the day when Jacob received God’s blessing at Peniel (Ge 32:27, 28) and had his name changed to Israel. Together, they signify the nation’s restoration to the promised position. devastators have devastated them. Assyria had repeatedly “devastated” the land, destroying its fruitful vineyards and economic lifeblood. (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Na 2:2). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)

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“He that dasheth in pieces,” the leader of the Chaldean hosts, is seen, in vision, coming up against Nineveh, proudly resting in her glory on the banks of the Tigris. Founded by Nimrod, as was also the rival Euphratean city Babylon, the one sets forth the world in its grandeur and independence of God; the other, the religious world, the home of superstition and traditionary ritual. Necessarily the former must fall before the rising power of the latter, even as, centuries later, paganism had to succumb to an unholy, pseudo-Christianity, which seemed more fully to meet the need of man in his hopeless depravity. Yet it often becomes a question to the thoughtful student, Which was worse, the world without God, or the world with a perverted idea of God, wrapped in the darkness of medieval superstition and ignorance of the Scriptures of truth?

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It is a striking portrayal of the wild disorder that necessarily prevailed when the Babylonian hordes and their Median allies poured into the doomed city. What is there here to suggest the strange and forced interpretation often put upon so plain a passage? Were it not so common a view, who could believe that sober men would attempt to see in words like these references to railroads, electric cars, and automobiles! Yet sermons have been preached and books written in which such mechanical devices are declared to be the fulfilment of this portion of Nahum’s prophecy.* It is an instance of the careless way in which men read Scripture; for, clearly, “the day of his preparation” was the day of Nineveh’s destruction; and the “chariots with flaming torches,” running “like the lightnings,” were the war-carriages of the victorious Babylonians. (Ironside, H. A. (1909). Notes on the Minor Prophets. (pp. 264–265). Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux Brothers.)

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Ver. 2. For the Lord hath turned away the excellency of Jacob, as the excellency of Israel, &c.] Or, will render a recompense for, or revenge the pride of Jacob; all that insolence, and those injuries done in a proud and haughty manner by Sennacherib king of Assyria to the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin; invading their land, taking their fenced cities, and besieging their metropolis; and in an audacious manner threatening them with utter destruction, unless they surrendered; and also by Salmaneser, another king of Assyria, who had besieged and took Samaria the capital city of Israel or the ten tribes, and had carried them captive; and now Assyria, though it had been the rod of God’s anger, and the instrument of his chastisement and correction of his people, must in its turn suffer and smart for all this: for the emptiers have emptied them out; the Assyrians, partly by their exactions and tributes they demanded, and partly by their spoil and plunder, had stripped Israel and Judah of all, or the greatest part, of their substance, wealth, and treasure: and marred their vine-branches; their children, their sons and daughters, slaying them, or carrying them captive. Israel and Judah are often compared to a vine, and so their posterity to branches: or corrupted them, with superstition and idolatry. The Targum interprets it of their renowned cities; these, and towns and villages, being to the land as branches to the vine; and which had been ransacked and pillaged by the Assyrians, and now they should be paid in their own coin.  (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 6, p. 601). London: Mathews and Leigh.)

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FROM MY READING:

 Talking GOD Seriously by D. Stuart Briscoe 

To repent is to change one’s mind so thoroughly that it issues in a change of direction. (p. 104)

This is a message of consolation that many of us need. We live in a world where evil apparently triumphs, where good people suffer. We live in a world where rascals get away with their crimes, where people who seem to tread underfoot with scorn and disregard the holy principles of God, seem able to do so with impunity. The wicked ones get away with evil, it seems, and the good ones suffer. The message of consolation to those who endeavor to do things God’s way is this: Don’t ever think that the wicked will get away with it. Don’t think for a minute that we can tread underfoot divine principle and God’s holiness with impunity. God is a God of justice and HE is committed in the end to punishing wrong and rewarding right. That is Nahum’s message of consolation to the people of Jerusalem. His message is a reminder of God’s character. (p. 106)

At a critical moment, the Tigris River, on which the city was built, rose to flood level. So fast was the flood that it demolished the fortresses – the walls. And this is not only a biblical fact – it is historically confirmed as well. (p. 110)

When the Bible says that God is jealous, wwe may have a problem understanding that. The word jealous is related to the word zealous which means to have a lot of zeal. To be jealous means to feel deeply about something – to be stirred emotionally and motivated into action because of that emotional involvement. (p. 111)

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 PREPARE: Living Your Faith In An Increasingly HOSTILE CULTURE by J. Paul Nyquist 

Harold J. Ockenga once defined revival as “A condition when men give primary interest and attention to the things of God above their livelihood, above their intellectual pursuits, and above their social interests. A terror of wrongdoing descends uon htem. A passion for repentance seizes them. A desire for salvation characterizes them. Men go on a search for God.”  (p. 168)

J.Edwin Orr – considered dean of this discipline – said a revival is to movement “maked by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, resulting in the revival of the Holy Spirit, resulting in the revival of the Church and the awakening of the masses, and the mobilization of believers for evangelism, teaching, and social change. (p. 169)

“The result of a revival is always a higher ethical standard through the changed lives of the people.” (p. 175)

How does salt regain its saltiness? Through humble confession. Ockenga writes, “We must experience shame and sorrow for our sins, over our lack of love to Christ, over our deflection from pursuit of revealed objectives, over our worldly spirit, over bitter acrimony, over dulled consciences. We must confess that we have been preoccupied with things which have shut out our enthusiasm for the Lord’s work. (p. 176)

This proper moral and spiritual orientation will come not through an altered political process but through a spiritual revival. (p. 177)

Fleeing persecution is a viable option if our mission is in jeopardy. It’s not an acceptable option if we’re avoiding pain, because persecution is integral to following Jesus and a powerful way God shapes us into Christ’s image. (p. 186)

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 Old Testament WORDS for Today by Warren W. Wiersbe

 You may have had painful experiences in your Christian life that make it difficult for you to believe that the will of God comes from the heart o fGod and is an expression of HIS love. (p.60)

The trials of life are tools in God’s hands to make us more like Jesus, and whether we see it or not, all things are working together for good (Romans 8:28)

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Ezekiel 37
Ezekiel has a vision of a huge valley filled with dry bones.
INSIGHT 

The apostle John writes: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. . . In Him was life, and the life was the light of men” (John 1:1, 4). God is life—and not just life for today—but forever. Timothy writes that God alone possesses immortality (1 Timothy 6:16). God is life, and He is the giver of life. He can make dead things live. In Ezekiel’s vision, a huge valley is filled with dead men’s bones. Then God begins to move. The bones form skeletons upon which form flesh and clothes. Then God breathes into that valley of bodies the breath of life, and the bodies come alive. That is a picture of what God will do with Israel: give her life again. That is what He will do with anyone who believes in Him and asks Him for life. Have you asked God for eternal life? (Quiet Walk)

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GOD’S OMNIPOTENCE

…him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will.   Ephesians 1:11
Another of God’s attributes is His omnipotence. God is all-powerful. The omnipotence of God is that by which He brings to pass everything He wills. The omnipotence is the will of God being put into operation. How often we read in the Bible about the will of God. For example, Paul writes of “him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will.” What is the will of God? It is the final ground of everything, of all existence. It is the final explanation of everything that has ever happened or everything that will happen. And the Bible teaches that the will of God is sovereign; in other words, it is not determined by anything but by God Himself. It is the expression of His Lordship, His absolute being.

But remember, His will is never arbitrary. It is never exercised except in perfect harmony with all the other attributes of God’s great and glorious being. It is the same God who is glorious and wonderful. It is the same God who is love and compassion and mercy. We must not divide these things, though we distinguish them for the purposes of thought and understanding.
Furthermore, you will find that the will of God expresses itself in two main ways. He declares certain things that He Himself is going to do; that is called the decretive will of God. He also prescribes certain things for us to do; that is the prescriptive will of God. The terms are not of great importance, but constantly in the Bible you see these two aspects of God’s will. God tells us what He Himself is going to do, and He gives commands to us about what we are to do.
A Thought to Ponder: The omnipotence of God is that by which He brings to pass everything He wills.

(From God the Father, God the Son, pp. 66-67, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)

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Crucified with Christ
“And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.” (Galatians 5:24)
Death by crucifixion was surely one of the cruelest and most painful forms of execution ever devised. Yet, the Lord Jesus “for the joy that was set before him endured the cross” (Hebrews 12:2); He “hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit” (1 Peter 3:18).
But just as He sacrificed Himself for us, we are now privileged to offer our “bodies a living sacrifice” to Him (Romans 12:1). This spiritual sacrifice is actually compared to crucifixion. “Our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin” (Romans 6:6).
Crucifixion is not an instantaneous death but a very slow and painful death. Just so, the death of a Christian believer to sin does not take place in a moment of special blessing but—as in physical crucifixion—is painful and slow. Nevertheless, it is basic in the truly effective Christian life.
In the book of Galatians, we are told three times by the apostle Paul that the Christian believer should be following Christ in His crucifixion—in crucifixion to self, to the flesh, and to the world. First we are to be crucified to the love of self. “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). Secondly, we are to be crucified to the flesh, for “they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts” (today’s text).
Finally, we should be crucified to the lure of this world. “God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world” (Galatians 6:14).

(HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)

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Congregations in Canada and Great Britain have the blessed practice of sitting down after the benediction and quietly meditating and praying before leaving the sanctuary. (p. 88)

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We start with our own example, for God knows that we can’t exhort others to do what we aren’t doing ourselves. (p. 89)

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Without the Word of God and prayer, ministry is nothing but religious activity. Learning everything you can that will help you better serve God’s people, but be sure to saturate your ministry with the Word of God and prayer. (p. 89)

(10 Power Principles for Christian Service by Warren W. &David W. Wiersbe)

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