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[A Personal Testimony Of This Instructor’s FAITH And What Might Also Be Yours]
INTRODUCTION:
Each passing day finds this Teacher growing older, which will ultimately result in this Instructor’s demise, at some unknown point. This Instructor was born into the World, and he must, at some point, leave it. Now, while this is no miraculous revelation to anyone, there is a deeper meaning behind what this Teacher states. On a few occasions, this Teacher has shared limited portions of this Instructor’s own Testimony, to others, of the FAITH that resides within him; but, due to the increasing constriction of the amount of time that remains to this Teacher’s life, now feels it necessary to record, at least some portions of this Teacher’s own personal Testimony, regarding his FAITH in Jesus The Messiah/Yeshua Ha Meshiach, for others to know.
I DO BELIEVE IN YAHVEH GOD, THE HEAVENLY FATHER, AND YESHUA HA MESHIACH, HIS RIGHTEOUS AND ONLY BEGOTTEN SON.
I DO BELIEVE THAT THE SON OF GOD WAS MADE TO BE A HUMAN MAN, SO AS TO BE BORN OF A YOUNG VIRGIN, WHOSE NAME WAS MARY, TO LIVE A SINLESS LIFE IN THE FLESH, TO ENABLE HIM TO DIE FOR THE SINS OF SINFUL MEN/WOMEN/BOYS/GIRLS.
I DO BELIEVE IN THE INERRANCY OF THE WRITTEN WORD OF GOD, WHICH IS THE HOLY BIBLE.
I DO BELIEVE IN LEARNING HOW TO LOVE MY NEIGHBOR, AS I GROW IN LEARNING HOW TO PROPERLY LOVE MY GOD, AND TO APPROPRIATELY LOVE MYSELF.
I DO BELIEVE IN THE HOLY SPIRIT, WHO IS YAH [THE HEAVENLY FATHER AND SON] AND HIS ABILITY TO CHANGE THE LIFE OF ANYONE WHO COMES TO GOD IN SUBMISSION TO HIS WORD, WILL, AND WAY.
I DO BELIEVE IN THE LIFE, DEATH, BURIAL, AND RESURRECTION TO LIFE OF THE GLORIFIED SAVIOR.
I DO BELIEVE THAT THE GLORIFIED ONE IS COMING TO THIS EARTH, AGAIN, IN THE POWER AND GREAT GLORY OF GOD THE FATHER, TO JUDGE AN UNRIGHTEOUS WORLD.
I DO BELIEVE IN THE ALL-ENCOMPASSING JUDGMENT OF AN ALMIGHTY GOD, UPON ALL SINNERS, SIN, AND UNRIGHTEOUSNESS, WHEREVER SUCH IS TO BE FOUND, THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRETY OF THE WORLD AND ITS PEOPLES.
I DO BELIEVE IN THE ETERNITY OF THE TRUE SAINTS OF GOD.
THESE THINGS I DO BELIEVE.
“LORD, THIS I DO BELIEVE!” — 6/30/2018
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These things I write, to leave them behind me, as a Legacy for my children, my grandchildren, my great grandchildren, and those persons whom I have Faithfully Taught over the years. I realize that NOTHING ELSE REALLY MATTERS!
It does not matter about stressing my educational accomplishments, any awards received, how much money I might have acquired, and will leave behind, if any, at all, or the size of the congregation that I have Pastored. It does not matter the type of house in which I lived, or the type of cars that I have driven. All that will matter is whether I have been FAITHFUL to The CAUSE of The KINGDOM of HEAVEN. Was I FAITHFUL to The CALLING That YAH [THE HEAVENLY FATHER and Son] Once Placed Upon my life. The ISSUE IS: Has THIS Teacher been a Truly RIGHTEOUS MAN?!?
MY TESTIMONY AND THE BEGINNING OF MY TRUE WALK WITH GOD:
At the age of twelve (12), this Teacher had some considerable degree of trepidation about being alone, out in the darkness. It was not a comfortable feeling for me, at all. In the mind of a twelve year old child, who could say what was lurking out there, unseen in the darkness?!? On a certain occasion, this Teacher’s Dad told him to take out the garbage and place it into the Trash Cans at the rear of the house. Bear in mind that this was in the years before the proliferation of Garbage Disposals became staples in the houses of so many persons. As children, we were never in a position to question our parents, or refuse to obey, any directive issued by any one of our parents; particularly Dad: To attempt to do such was unthinkable! Fearful, or not, this Teacher carried out the instructions given to him, and proceeded to take out the wrapped up garbage, for deposit into the trash. As I exited the house, on this one particular occasion, and entered into the outer darkness, I happened to look up at the sky. It was the most beautiful sight that I can ever remember having seen. Its deep blackness was absolutely filled with stars! Stars upon stars, upon stars! I felt as though I could almost reach out and grasp them. In an instant of time, all of my fears of the darkness were completely abated, never to return.
Standing there, I clearly remember staring into that beautiful sky and saying: “GOD, I don’t know whether YOU Truly Exist, or not. My father says that YOU Do. My mother says that YOU Do, as well; and grandmother also tells me that YOU Exist, along with the many people in the church. I honestly don’t know whether, or not, YOU Actually Do Exist; I just don’t know! But, this one thing I do know: I believe that SOMEONE Very Special Did ALL of that! (pointing toward the heaven) It didn’t just happen on its own! So, if YOU Can Do ALL of That, Then YOU Can Certainly PROVE To me that YOU Exist. And IF YOU Do PROVE It To Me, not because my father says it, or my mother says it, or my grandmother says it, I will Serve YOU!” I turned, and completed my reason for being out in the darkness, and reentered the house, thinking no more, at all, about what had just taken place.
Some few weeks later, when school was out, my family went to Muskegon, Michigan, where we had a second family house. I remember a close, older, friend, named Glen Douglas, who lived in Muskegon, who came by the house and asked that I go with him to the local YMCA, where he was taking classes, and learning how to swim. When we asked my mother if I could accompany him, she was quite reluctant to permit me to do so, and insisted that if she were to allow me to go, I was not, by any means, to enter the water, for I had developed no swimming skills, whatsoever. The fact is that I had
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never been in water much deeper than that of a bathtub, although many of my friends were ardent swimmers. I agreed, to honor mother’s demand, and she finally gave me permission to go.
Arriving at the local YMCA, Glen and I found a notice posted that said the “Y”, for some unknown reason, was closed that day. I seem to recall that it was on a Wednesday, and I asked: “What do we do, now, Glen?!?” He responded: “Don’t worry about it. Come with me!” Still questioning, I proceeded to follow him. We crossed over some railroad tracks, and smelly rail cars, crossed a large, grassy, expanse, and entered into a wooded area. I heard multiple voices laughing and shouting. Suddenly, the wooded area broke into a clearing, and I saw approximately fourteen (14) young boys, around my age, and slightly older, most skinny-dipping in a river. They were clearly having a great time!
Soon my friend, Glen, had joined them, and was Dog-Paddling near the bank. Of course some of them made fun of him, and continued to encourage him to come out into the deeper part of the river’s flow, where even none of them was swimming, as, reportedly, the better swimmer among them had drowned only weeks earlier, caught in the river’s current. Glen, without hesitation, continued to refuse, and seemed quite satisfied with staying close to the bank. At that point, their attention was turned toward me, the reluctant stranger. They engaged in chiding me, and encouraged me to “Come on in!!! Don’t be afraid! Come on in!!!” Their laughter and chiding seemed to continue, for some time. I honestly don’t know what happened to me, at that point; Something happened, and I seemed to have lost all rationality. All that I seem to remember is unbuttoning the top two buttons of my shirt, and seeing my naked legs and feet running to the water. The next memory that I have is that of being in the very midst of the current of that river!
Looking back, the strange thing is that I remember no one else, at all, being in the water, at that point. The water that had just been filled with laughing, hollering, screeching, boys, now appeared to be occupied by only one. I was, now, very much ALONE! Glancing toward the shore, while fighting the water, I saw what appeared to be everyone standing and looking out toward me. I remember calling out, in fear, panic, and utter desperation, “Help! Help! I can’t swim!!!” The fearful retort came from the voice of someone, among those standing upon the bank, “You got yourself in! Get yourself out!!!” I remember, so well, thinking, in that moment, “Oh, well, I’m going to die, now!” As the darkness of the water rose, I began to slip beneath its surface, and saw its dark ripples cover my eyes. I remember the last words that I thought, and they were, “Oh, GOD!” In that moment, I gave up to die. I did not know how to swim. I had never before swum. The distance to the shore was too great, and I was caught in the current of the stream, where NONE of these boys would dare to go! They had ALL avoided coming out into this current that was pulling me farther and farther away from the shore, and any possible chance of assistance. This was the obvious reason for the posting of the signs, in the area, that read, in large letters: “DANGER: NO SWIMMING!” I could not fight the strength of the water’s pull, even if I had known how to swim, and had possessed the strength to do so. I was dying, and I knew it; and so, I gave up to undergo the inevitable. I surrendered, and began to sink. I was drowning, as the water covered my eyes, and the darkness enshrouded me.
The next thing that I remember, I was was on my hands and knees, coughing, and expectorating water, feeling its burning sensations as it exited my nasal passages, throat, and mouth. When I was able to
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finally speak, I asked: “Who came and got me out?!!?” Someone said, “Nobody got you out! You got yourself out!” Oh, my friends, I knew better than that, back then, and I continue to know better than that, to this very day! You see, I had completely given up to drown, and was no longer attempting to extricate myself from the current, or the overall situation. I had completely surrendered myself to enter into the Arms of Death, as had so many innumerable and unwitting children, who had faced such a similar situation, before me, whose outcomes were far different. What had happened with me?!!? HOW and WHY was I able to escape?!? Let me tell you what I KNOW, so deeply within my Spirit.
When, at the age of twelve, I asked YAHVEH GOD To PROVE To me That HE EXISTS, I was as sincere as I have ever been whenever I have PRAYED. I KNOW, within my heart of hearts, That YAHVEH GOD Had LISTENED, and Was, Now, ANSWERING a young child’s Prayer. Yes, I was foolish. Yes, I was disobedient; but, this did not negate the fact that GOD Is Still ALWAYS LOVING, TENDER, COMPASSIONATE, and MERCIFUL, to those that seek HIM. Without a doubt, GOD Sent HIS Angel, unseen by humans eyes, To Rescue a foolish young lad, that day; of this I am CERTAIN! When there was NO ONE ELSE to help me, GOD Was There! I have lived these many years of my life, subsequent to that most memorable event, with that Reality deeply embedded within my heart/mind. You see, totally unknown to me, at the time, GOD Had A WORK For me to do. Like the Prophet, Jonah, of old, I attempted to run away! I DID NOT want to Preach/Teach The Word of GOD!!! Let someone else do that! The TRUTH is that I ran for many years, in a futile attempt to escape, thinking that Teaching The Word of GOD was NOT my Purpose in life! It was that which my father did, but it had NOTHING to do with me! I DIDN’T QUALIFY for such an overwhelming task, and I DIDN’T want to pretend in doing it! The years passed. I had escaped. Or, had I?
One day, many years later, while sitting within my apartment, thinking, I came to the conclusion that life was no longer worth living, I decided that I would just bring my life to a summary close. I was broken in heart, while appearing, outwardly to others, to be whole; I was distressed, beyond measure, while seeming, to so many, to be on top of all matters. I was lonely, among a sea of friends, acquaintances, and associates. Like being in the waters of the current of that river, there was no one to rescue me. I was sinking – fast! Then, out of seemingly nowhere, I heard, deep down within my Spirit, A Still, Quiet, Voice That Said Only These Words: “Read your Bible.” I responded: “Where should I read?!?” The Voice Came: “Read the words of Jesus!” I had a Bible, but it had merely been used as more of a décor piece, and visual effect, for some time, rather than for any meaningful use. I rose from where I was sitting, and went over and picked it up. I opened It, and It Came almost immediately open To These Words in John 6:63: “It Is The SPIRIT That Quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the Words that I speak unto you, They Are SPIRIT, and They Are LIFE.”
Reading these Words, They seemed to be so ALIVE to me, upon that page! I remember looking up from the table, where I was sitting, and reading, and actually expected to SEE The Savior Sitting There, Across From me! Those Words Were That REAL To me! I recall getting up, and went into my bedroom, got down upon my knees at the foot of the bed, and poured out my heart to This UNSEEN GOD, About WHOM so many persons find it acceptable to joke. In that hour of my great need, HE Was NO Joke To me! There were no choirs singing, and no Preacher preaching. I just knew, within my heart, and Spirit, that I NEEDED GOD: This GOD About WHOM my parents, and others, had told me,
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throughout the course of my life; This GOD WHOM I KNEW Had SAVED me From drowning, but WHOM I DID NOT personally know. I knew that HE, ONLY, could prove to be my SALVATION! These were my words to HIM, as accurately as I can best recall them: “GOD, I am a SINNER! I am filthy, unrighteous, unclean, untrue, and unholy, and I am going to die in my SINS and be lost, ETERNALLY, if YOU Do Not SAVE me, RIGHT NOW! Will YOU Take me, and CLEANSE me from my SINS?!? Will YOU SAVE me?!?” In that very instant of time, I FELT something, on the INSIDE, that I had NEVER felt before. I tell you the TRUTH, if ever the TRUTH were told, that It was like WATER Washing Throughout the interior of my body! It FLOODED every fiber of me! I Was Being SATURATED! It Poured Down Within me like Torrents of Cascading WATERS! YAHVEH GOD Was CLEANSING me of EVERY STAIN of my former SINS! HE SAVED me in that very hour!!! I will NEVER stop to debate this fact with a single person! They may believe as they choose, but I was THERE, and I KNOW what transpired! There is NO QUESTION within my mind! No matter what others might think, say, or do, LORD, THIS I DO BELIEVE!
A number of years ago, while in PRAYER, at the foot of my bed, during the noontime hour, while wide awake, and not, at all, sleepy, with my Bible lying open before me, I Was Given a VISION, That I KNOW Came Directly From GOD. I was not one, then, nor am I, now, one who gravitates to such ostentatious displays, although I have never denied Their Reality. In the VISION, I was standing in what appeared to be a wide open plain. It was not dark, but it was not light. It was hazy, and things were slightly out of focus, as I could only ascertain the plain, along with the outline of a large, mountainous, region in the distant background, with the hazy forms of people standing all across in front of the mountain range. Suddenly, far in the distance, I could see something in that distant space, coming toward me, hovering just a foot, or so, above the ground, but I could not make out what it was. I remember asking, myself: “What IS that?!!?” It seemed to continue to approach at a fairly rapid pace. Again, I inquired of myself, as though I had some knowledge of the answer: “What IS THAT??!!?” It continued its approach. It did not vary, at all, from its path. Once again I asked: “What IS THAT?!!?” Then, I finally COULD tell WHAT it was! It was a CLOUD: rolling, twisting, and turning in upon Itself, almost like the Slow Motion filming of a large Storm Cloud.
Without actually seeing it, I could see some evidence of a FIRE Burning Within Its Interior. I later discovered that It Was SIMILAR, but NOT exactly the same, to that which is mentioned in Ezekiel 1:4! Without any hesitation, The CLOUD that I saw Rushed THROUGH me – Swoosh!!! What had just happen?!!? I later discovered that YAHVEH GOD Was CALLING me, and Placing me Into HIS Ministry. HE Had ANOINTED this undeserving Servant to Preach/Teach HIS Word in TRUTH! I PROMISED HIM, that day, that IF HE WOULD TEACH ME THE TRUTH OF HIS WORD, I WOULD TEACH OTHERS THAT SAME TRUTH, WITHOUT HESITATION, TREPIDATION, INTIMIDATION, OR RESERVATION! I told HIM that I DID NOT want to learn from others, or read so many of their books, because they knew no more than did I. I told HIM that I DID NOT want to learn their many ERRORS! (John 16:13) I wanted to Be TAUGHT By THE HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD, WHO KNOWS ALL TRUTH. It was just that simple! Throughout these years, GOD Has HONORED that request, and Has TAUGHT this Teacher MANY things that this Teacher DID NOT previously know, and some that I had not even before heard. I, in turn, have made every effort to Teach others, as well, Those SAME TRUTHS. ALL PRAISE Is Due To THE GOD WHO Has NO EQUAL!!! Here,
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this portion of my TESTIMONY ends, even though there is SO MUCH MORE that I could tell; but, at this point, we begin the pursuit of the rest of today’s Lesson, because, LORD, THIS I DO BELIEVE!
LESSON:
II Peter 1:3 “According As HIS Divine POWER Hath Given Unto us ALL Things That Pertain Unto Life and GODliness [GOD-Like-ness], through The Knowledge of HIM That Hath Called us To Glory and Virtue:”
Beloved, everything that we need, GOD Has Already Supplied, In Abundance, For our availability. There is nothing more required that is necessary for our Spiritual Development. Since YAHVEH GOD, and By Extension, HIS Righteous Son, The Glorified Yeshua Ha Meshiach/Jesus The Messiah/Christ Are NO Respecters of persons (Romans 2:11), EVERYONE, that BELIEVES in Yeshua/Jesus, As The ONLY BEGOTTEN Son of GOD, and conducts himself/herself in a manner Approved By GOD, is entitled to receive BLESSINGS from GOD’s Spiritual Storehouse of Abundance (Malachi 3:10).
4 “Whereby [Through This Means] Are Given Unto us Exceeding[ly] Great and Precious Promises: that By These ye might be partakers of The Divine Nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the World through lust.”
Precious Hearts, HERE ARE the MEANS Through Which we become Partakers of GOD’s Great and Precious PROMISES: We INCREASE in our genuine KNOWLEDGE of GOD (I Peter 1:2). The Propriety of That KNOWLEDGE Undoes the existence of the LUST that tends to take up residence within our hearts/lives. This verse, now, reveals to us that EVERY SIN that has ever been committed, throughout time, has been precipitated by this thing called LUST! There has been NO exception to this! (I John 2:16) The Holy Scriptures tell us that the TRUE BELIEVER divests himself/herself of that which is LUSTFUL, which propels ALL persons to do that which is WRONG, for it is passing into oblivion (I John 2:17).
Do you also notice, from reading II Peter 1:4, that ridding oneself of LUSTFUL DESIRES means that one has escaped that which is corrupting to one’s Soul? LUSTING is the RUSTING of the Soul, in which the Soul is being gradually eaten away by UNRIGHTEOUSNESS. One might say that it is the CANCER of the Soul. Once again, The Divine Nature That YAHVEH GOD Imparts To us Gives To us The Great and Extremely Precious PROMISES That Come Through Knowing GOD, Which Enable us to ESCAPE from the various areas of UNrighteousness.
5 “And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your FAITH Virtue; and to Virtue Knowledge;”
Beloved of GOD, as a Teacher of The Word of GOD, let this Instructor apprise EVERYONE of the fact that having FAITH, alone, IS NOT ENOUGH to be PLEASING To GOD, no matter who might attempt to stand in opposition to this statement (James 2:14, 17) Beloved, are the words of James incoherent to us?!? This Instructor will state, most emphatically, that the words of James, I DO BELIEVE!
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Beloved, there MUST BE MORE, operational within one’s life, than simply the presence of an inactive FAITH! One’s FAITH must be dynamically engaging in Its Nature! This verse shares with us that there MUST be VIRTUE, or PURITY of one’s CHARACTER, added to one’s FAITH. LORD, THIS I DO BELIEVE that one must strive to be PURE in one’s life, and lifestyle. This is WHERE the words of Exodus 20:7-17 come into a more realistic purpose, in the lives of EVERY BELIEVER. These words aid us in becoming more PURE of heart/mind/life.
II Peter 1:6 “and to Knowledge Temperance; and to Temperance Patience; and to Patience GODliness;”
Now, we come to that place in which TEMPERANCE comes into focus. Temperance is that area of our lives that brings to us CONTROL over our words, and our actions. Whenever one hears another, who says that he/she is a BELIEVER, but who also continues to state: “I just couldn’t seem to help myself”, know that he/she is LACKING, and has very LITTLE, if ANY, SELF-CONTROL, or TEMPERANCE! At this point, he/she KNOWS [Knowledge] that he/she NEEDS to improve in this particular area, alone
7 “And to GODliness Brotherly Kindness; and to Brotherly Kindness Charity.”
At this point, we begin to turn our attention to that of BROTHERLY KINDNESS, but we recognize that The Precipitation of this Comes Through The Existence of Something Else: GODLINESS [GOD-Likeness / Being More Like GOD]. You see, Beloved, one will truly be KIND to one’s “Brother” [This can also include one’s sister], whether that “Brother” be genetic, or acquired, when truly realizing the impact of what is written in I John 4:7-8. Enter LOVE.
Here, we look at I John 4:10-11. This is the point at which UNCONDITIONAL LOVE Comes Into play, regarding the actions, and interactions, of EVERY BELIEVER/CHRISTIAN, the World over. For us, it is ALL to be about LOVE! LOVE is to under gird EVERYTHING that we, as Christians/Believers, THINK, SAY, and DO, toward EVERYONE existing upon the surface of this planet!
Now, we consider that area of PATIENCE. Why? We are to consider this area BECAUSE this is an area that will prove to be ESSENTIAL when dealing with other persons, MANY of whom often DO NOT AGREE with us, as Believers/Christians! The TRUTH is that, as CHRISTIAN BELIEVERS, we are NEVER to attempt to coerce those who take opposing positions to us, by any means! This is NEVER LOVE, Beloved, no matter who does it!!! We are to PREVAIL upon, PERSUADE, CAJOLE, and CONVINCE, others, in The LOVE of GOD, but we are NOT to EVER try to politicize, castigate, denigrate, deride, demean, or demand! NONE OF THIS Is GOD’s WAY, no matter who might take a contrary position! The PROBLEM with so MANY religious leaders, persons, groups, and churches, today, is that they want to take the “Easy Way” out, by attempting to FORCE/COERCE UNbelieving persons into doing as WE might want them to do. This is ALWAYS WRONG, INAPPROPRIATE, and, perhaps, even SINFUL, even when our positions are RIGHT! REMEMBER: Our RIGHT
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positions DO NOT remain RIGHT, when the manner in which we attempt to implement such stands in OPPOSITION to GOD’s WAY! Do you UNDERSTAND this?!? You SHOULD!!!
II Peter 1:8 “For if These Things be in you, and abound, They Make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in The Knowledge of our Lord Yeshua Ha Meshiach [Jesus Christ].”
Do you SEE that Each One of These Spiritual Ingredients Is To Be INSIDE the heart of each Believer/Christian? Not only Are They To Be Resident, but They Are To Be GROWING In Their Presences and Power, as well. What are we to UNDERSTAND? We are to realize that GOD DOES NOT Expect HIS Children’s lives to be dormant, and to remain that way, but that they are to be alive, vibrant, and Increasing, Within each one of us. These Are The Things That Enhance our Spiritual KNOWLEDGE, Which Strengthens The Core of our Relationships with our GOD.
9 “But he that lacketh These Things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old SINS.”
Listen to these words! WHY does this verse say that one is “blind” who LACKS these things, and CANNOT SEE, which means that one DOES NOT apparently UNDERSTAND, what the FUTURE holds for him/her in this area?! In addition, what does this have to do with one’s former SINS, which this verse clearly mentions?!? This verse is telling us that one Spiritually Walks on the very verge, or precipice, of SINNING who pays NO attention to these things! How is this so, you wonder? THINK about this: “Which One of These Things can a TRUE Believer/Christian do without: FAITH? Virtue? Knowledge? Temperance? Patience? GODliness? Brotherly Kindness? Charity/Love? Which?” Surely, we see that NONE of These Things Is Dispensable! EVERYONE of Them Is Vital To one’s Spiritual Walk of FAITH. GOD Will Provide To us ALL of That Which Is Necessary (II Corinthians 12:9).
10 “Wherefore the rather, Brethren, give diligence to make your Calling and Election sure [certain]: for if ye do these Things, ye shall NEVER fall.”
Rather than allowing ourselves to become blind to the necessity of us having Those Things That SHOULD Consistently Be a Part of our Spiritual Characters, we should become more diligent in paying much closer attention to the fact of making certain that our CALLING and ELECTION [Selection], Into The FAITH of GOD, Are A Certainty [Surety], so that The Work of GOD’s Calling Will Not Have Been Provided To us In Vain (II Corinthians 6:1-3). Don’t attempt to procrastinate, when it comes to the concerns of SALVATION, by putting off, until later, that which should be done, today. This is HOW one begins to make one’s Calling and Election Sure.
11 “For so an Entrance shall be Ministered Unto you, Abundantly, Into The EVERLASTING KINGDOM of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
It is the compilation of ALL of These Spiritual Things that gives to the Believer/Christian the Spiritual Fortitude to go after, and possess, that which enables him/her the Ability Required to eventually Enter
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Into The KINGDOM of GOD. Please notice the word “abundantly”, Students, for it speaks volumes to us. It means that one DOES NOT have to worry about, become stressed over, or have any concerns, at all, about whether one can be Accepted of GOD. This is the MEANING behind “Abundantly”.
II Peter 1:12 “Wherefore, I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of These Things, though ye know Them, and Be Established in the present Truth.”
Do you SEE, Beloved, that Peter tells us that IF he, THIS Teacher, or any other Bible teacher/preacher, should neglect to REMIND The Saints of GOD of all of These TRUTHS that have just been shared with you, it would be Greatly DISPleasing To YAHVEH GOD (II Timothy 2:13-14): this is WHY Peter refers to such a failure as one being “negligent”, For no matter what might be our failings, YAHVEH GOD Will Remain FAITHFUL To What HE Has Said To us. It is, now, up to us.
13 “Yea, I think it meet [proper] as long as I am in this tabernacle [body], to stir you up by putting you in remembrance;”
Here we see it, again; a reminder of the fact that one is to be made to remember that which is essential to Entrance Into The KINGDOM of HEAVEN. Do you BELIEVE in the importance of one possessing all of the Spiritual Qualities about which we have previously read, and that this Teacher has told you are endemic to BEING a TRUE Believer, Beloved? Then, you must be one who does BELIEVE in The POWER of The TRUTH of GOD’s Word.
14 “Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle [physical body], even as our Lord Jesus Christ Hath Shewed [Shown] me.”
Precious Saints of GOD, as was TRUE of the Apostle, named Peter, so it is to be TRUE of THIS Bible Teacher, as well: someday, sooner or later, without any doubt, THIS Teacher will pass from TIME into ETERNITY [“…put off this my tabernacle…”], just as did Peter. Until that time, however, there is RIGHTEOUS WORK still for this Teacher to do, and every effort must be expended to Teach The GOSPEL Message of The Coming KINGDOM of GOD, in TRUTH, RIGHTEOUSNESS, POWER, and CLARITY, for others to hear, and those who will, to BELIEVE (II Timothy 4:2; Revelation 22:17).
15 “Moreover [In addition], I will endeavour that ye may be able, after my decease, to have these Things always in remembrance.”
HERE is The Legacy of the TRUE Man of GOD: He must seek to LEAVE BEHIND him The TRUTH of that Which he has Preached! NOTHING ELSE, but how well he has Preached The TRUTH of GOD’s Word, will really matter. All other trappings of his achievements, and his successes, will become evidently insignificant, as they diminish, over time, only to be replaced by those of another who takes up the task of his predecessor. ONLY The TRUTH of GOD Will Stand the Test of TIME. All else will pale into nothingness, only to be cast upon the Refuse Heap of Men’s passing fancies.
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II Peter 1:16 “For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you The Power and Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were EYEWITNESSES of His Majesty.”
This verse is nothing more than an expression of Peter citing the FACT of the validity of that which he has Taught: It has been The TRUTH, the whole TRUTH, and nothing but The TRUTH. Peter has added NOTHING to The GOSPEL Message aside from That Which YAHVEH GOD, Through HIS Righteous Son, The Glorified Yeshua Ha Meshiach/Jesus The Messiah, Has Given To him To Preach/Teach. Peter has been a Faithful Messenger, as THIS Teacher hopes to be, always.
17 “For He Received From GOD, THE FATHER, Honour and Glory, when There Came Such A Voice To him from THE EXCELLENT GLORY [THE HEAVENLY FATHER]: ‘This Is MY Beloved Son, In Whom I AM Well-Pleased!’”
Peter tells us of The GLORIFICATION of The NAME of The Lord, Yeshua Ha Meshiach. YAHVEH GOD Is Honoring That Which we will find YAHVEH GOD Speaking About In John 12:28 and John 17:1-3. Students, YAHVEH GOD LOVES HIS Righteous Son Much MORE Than any one of us could ever imagine! HE Will NOT Leave others to take The NAME of HIS Holy Son, and Allow them to callously dishonor, defame, deride, or denigrate That NAME! HE Will JUDGE EVERY Man/Woman/Boy/Girl who attempts to do such a Most UNRIGHTEOUS Thing!!! YAHVEH GOD Will SEE To It That The NAME of HIS Son, Who Fully PAID such a Great Price for our SINS, in giving his LIFE, upon a Cross/Stake, for us, Will Be GLORIFIED!!! LORD, THIS I DO BELIEVE!
18 “And This Voice, Which Came From HEAVEN, we HEARD, when we were with Him [Yeshua/Jesus] in The Holy Mount.”
When in search of PROOF for The TRUTH of a certain matter, we always hope to find an EYEWITNESS to whatever it was that occurred. Today’s Text provides us with just such an eyewitness regarding the Reality of The TRUTH of The STATUS of WHO Yeshua Is To The WORLD: that WITNESS is PETER! The Apostle, named Peter, says that he was PRESENT, and WITNESSED That Particular Event (Luke 9:27-36).
Peter, along with fellow Apostles James and John, were actually there, and HEARD YAHVEH GOD’s VOICE, As THE HEAVENLY FATHER Spoke, Audibly, Into their HEARING, Declaring To them The GREATNESS of Yeshua. This Was All Done In Such A Manner That It Allowed the THREE of them to recognize, clearly, exactly WHAT It Was That YAHVEH GOD Was Stating To them. All of This Was Merely A PART of The GLORIFICATION of The NAME of The Son of GOD! YAHVEH GOD Was Declaring Yeshua Ha Meshiach/Jesus The Messiah/Christ To Be EVERYTHING, and MORE, That Yeshua EVER Claimed of himself. This is WHY THIS Teacher can say, with such ease of conscience and manner: LORD, THIS I DO BELIEVE!
CONCLUSION:
“LORD, THIS I DO BELIEVE!” — 6/30/2018
Great Grace Bible Study Group – Page 11
Sabbath Bible Study
Throughout many of our lives there can be the quest for approval. As children we seek the approval of our parents, and, eventually, that of our teachers, as well. Later might come the effort to gain the acceptance of coaches, friends, and fellow students. Then come the years during which we seek the recognition of our peers, employers, and mentors. It seems that we are always looking to garner the approval of others. But, what about gaining The Approval of GOD? What is there that would cause GOD To Approve us?
Our lives are like pages upon which our experiences are to be written, or canvases upon which to paint pictures of who we are, and the episodic adventures of our lifelong interactions. When we consider The Word of GOD, and our reading of The Holy Scriptures, what does it truly evoke for us? Is it just something that we do as nothing more than “Fillers” for our lives? Is it merely a pastime? Might it be, by some chance, what we do simply to be perceived to be more “Socially Acceptable” to certain other elements among us? Or, do we seek to read GOD’s Word, to know, and to truly understand, so that we might, indeed, come to BELIEVE, and in BELIEVING, that we might become More PLEASING To GOD?
Some persons try to pretend that everything in their lives is nothing but Peaches and Cream, Roses, and a Primrose Path, when even the most advantaged among us have numerous times of considerable difficulty. It is foolish to attempt to act as though all things are going well, when oftentimes they are far from being such, for so many persons. It is ESSENTIAL that, as CHRISTIANS/BELIEVERS, we ALL come to embrace The TRUE ESSENCE of The Glorified Yeshua’s Words To Paul, When He Stated What Is Written in II Corinthians 12:9. Beloved, it is the facing of the DIFFICULT TIMES of our lives that enable us to become stronger in our FAITH, allowing us to stand, and to say, without trepidation, hesitation, or intimidation, regarding ALL Things Concerning RIGHTEOUSNESS: “LORD, THIS I DO BELIEVE!” May YAHVEH GOD Help us To Become ALL that we SHOULD BE in Meshiach/Christ. Amen.
Until next time, Beloved …
TRUST IN THE GRACE OF GOD’S DELIVERANCE.
AMEN
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